VIRGINIA ADULT EDUCATION AND LITERACY COMPETITIVE GRANT APPLICATION Office of Adult Education and Literacy, VA DOE

Components of RFP  Regional three-year plan  First year application for funding  Applicants will submit both components as a single application.  Both components will be evaluated by review teams to compute an overall application score.

Guiding Factors of RFP Federal:  Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of Workforce Investment Act (WIA)  Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), USED  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars  National Reporting System (NRS)

Guiding Factors of RFP Virginia:  Code of Virginia  Acts of Assembly  OAEL’s strategic plan  Operational Guidance Manual for Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Programs  Virginia adult education and literacy policies for assessment, goal-setting, and distance education

Approved Activities Adult Basic Education (ABE), Instruction  Providing basic skill development in reading, writing, mathematics, and other basic skills  Serving adults performing below the ninth-grade level  Including pre-GED and transitioning from ESOL to ABE

Approved Activities, cont’d Adult Secondary Education (ASE), Instruction  Providing skills for the successful completion of the GED tests or high school diploma programs  Serving adults performing between the ninth-grade and twelfth-grade-and-nine-months levels  Including transitioning to postsecondary education and training

Approved Activities, cont’d English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Instruction  Designed to increase English proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening

Optional Activities Corrections and Institutions (C & I)  Literacy services for individuals housed in local and regional correctional facilities  Funding allocation may not exceed 10% of total projected allocation.

Optional Activities, cont’d Family Literacy  Program must include: a. Adult education b. Parent time c. Parent-and-child time d. Child education  Adult basic education funds may be used only on components a-c.  Other considerations apply.

Federal Accountability  Defined through National Reporting System (NRS)  Negotiated performance targets for learner outcome measures:  Gains in educational functioning levels  Entering employment  Retaining employment  Entering postsecondary education and training  Earning a GED certificate or high school credential  and collection_reporting/index.shtml collection_reporting/index.shtml

State Accountability  Defined through Operational Guidance Manual and policies for assessment, goal-setting, and distance education  Enroll 3% of target population  Retain 80% of reportable students  eracy/index.shtml and eracy/abe/index.shtml eracy/index.shtml eracy/abe/index.shtml

State Accountability, cont’d Implications of State Policies for Assessment, Goal- setting, and Distance Education  Programmatic procedures to ensure and document compliance  Professional development  Budget (approved assessments, curricula, professional development)  Data system; data quality

Regional Three-year Plan  Aligns with the goals and objectives of OAEL’s strategic plan and addresses:  Program management and instructional standards  Recruitment, retention, and reporting  Career pathways  Professional development  Monitoring and evaluation  Serves as the foundation for annual application for funding

Regional Three-year Plan, cont’d Addresses:  Need  Delivery of services for approved activities  History of performance  Strategies for recruitment and retention  Career pathways  Professional development  Program goals  Monitoring and evaluation

Application for Funding  Plan to address first-year goals of three-year plan  Includes:  Objectives for accomplishing goals and meeting or exceeding performance measures  Instructional activities: content and schedule  Compliance with OAEL policies  Qualifications of staff and professional development plan  Program evaluation  Budget and budget narrative

Preparation for RFP  Research the need for adult education and literacy in the region and understand the connection to the delivery of services, outcome measures, and continuous improvement.  Document instruction throughout the region; perform a gap analysis based on need, location, content, and practices.  Compile a history of performance; develop an improvement plan.

Preparation for RFP, cont’d  Check availability of technology and understand its use in the classroom.  Accurately describe program procedures that illustrate policy compliance and guidelines for successful retention strategies.  Develop a clear plan for monitoring and evaluating program performance.  Identify career pathways partners and a clear plan to advance learners’ employment and PSE goals.  Use needs assessment to develop a PD plan.

Financial Management  AEFLA- Adult Education and Family Literacy Act  OMB- Office of Management and Budget  EDGAR- Education Dept. General Administrative Regulations  Administration  Match  Fair Market Value  Time and Effort  Maintenance of Effort  Supplanting  Program Income

The Laws and Regulations That Guide Our Work

Sections in AEFLA ADULT EDUCATION AND FAMILY LITERACY ACT  Section 221—State Administration  Section 222—State Distribution of Funds; Matching Requirement  Section 223—State Leadership Funds  Section 224—State Plan  Section 225—Programs for Corrections Education and other Institutionalized Persons  Section 231—Grants and Contracts for Eligible Providers  Section 232—Local Application  Section 232—Local Administrative Cost Limits  Section 241—Administrative Provisions State provisions Local provisions General provisions

AEFLA: Three Critical Pieces 1. Matching Requirements – In-kind Contributions – Valuation of In-kind Services – Matching Exclusions 2. Maintenance of Effort 3. Supplement-not-Supplant

OMB Circulars Which Circular Do I Follow? Of the six grant circulars, you are covered by three, depending on type of entity. S TATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND I NDIAN T RIBES – A-87 for cost principles, Relocated to 2CFR, Part 225 –A-102 for administrative requirements (common rule) –A-133 for audit requirements E DUCATIONAL I NSTITUTIONS –A-21 for cost principles, Relocated to 2CFR, Part 200 –A-110 for administrative requirements, Relocated to 2 CFR, Part 215 –A-133 for audit requirements N ON -P ROFIT O RGANIZATIONS –A-122 for cost principles, Relocated to 2CFR, Part 230 –A-110 for administrative requirements, Relocated to 2CFR, Part 215 –A-133 for audit requirements

EDGAR E DUCATION D EPARTMENT G ENERAL A DMINISTRATIVE R EGULATIONS 76—State-Administered Programs (including allowable costs and indirect rates) §76—State-Administered Programs (including allowable costs and indirect rates) 80—Financial Administration §80—Financial Administration Maintain administrative and fiscal accountability (EDGAR §80.20) Submit annual financial reports within 90 days after the grant year (EDGAR §80.41) Submit final performance and financial reports within 90 days after expiration or termination of grant (EDGAR §80.50)

General Management, Fixed, and Space Maintenance Costs EDGAR §76.565, , and  Accounting  Payroll Preparation  Personnel Management  Building Costs  Janitorial Services and Supplies  Guard Services  Light, Heat, Power  Depreciation, Use Allowances, Amortization  All Other Related Space Costs

Administration Applicants may request administrative funds in their budgets. Administration percentages may be negotiated, and requests must be detailed and submitted in writing. Administrative negotiations are at the discretion of the Office of Adult Education and Literacy.

Administrative Limits and Indirect Cost Claims Admin costs are those reasonable, necessary, and allowable costs associated with overall project management and not directly related to provision of services to participants or allocable to other cost categories. Admin costs can be both direct and indirect. Indirect costs are service-oriented costs that benefit the entire organization in a business sense.

Match Requirements  Applicants will be required to provide a match against the federal funds requested.  How match is documented throughout the regions will be up to the applicants and their partners and should be clearly established in the MOU.  Matching funds must be used in accordance with all federal and state regulations and guidelines and are subject to the same reporting requirements.

Matching Requirement Exclusions AEFLA Section 222 [and EDGAR §80.24]  Matching may not be met by:  Another federal grant or contract  Third party in-kind contributions that are used to satisfy matching requirement of another federal grant or contract award  Costs financed by program income  Services or property financed by income earned by contractors

In-Kind Contributions continued To demonstrate that an in-kind contribution has been “fairly evaluated,” the grantee needs to provide documentation that supports its value. e.g., Classroom space–must show actual cost for comparable space in the area, or a real estate appraisal, or cost of renting same space to other organizations e.g., Volunteer’s time–must show value of a paid teacher’s time in the same program

Matching Requirements: Valuation of In-Kind Services Fair Market Value = What would you pay if it had not been donated?

Time and Effort  Applies to every employee funded from federal funds; also applies to sub-recipients  Purposes  To document that the appropriate federal program is receiving the benefit of the services supported by grant funds  To verify the actual time spent on a federal program receiving the benefit of that effort

Time and Effort continued  State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments (OMB Circular A-87)  Non-profit Organizations/Community-Based Organization (OMB Circular A-122)

Maintenance of Effort AEFLA Section 241(b) [and OMB Circular 133]  To receive federal adult education funds, the state must maintain its fiscal effort of state and/or local non- federal expenditures for adult education.  This ensures that states or localities do not reduce their financial commitment to the adult education program and that they maintain delivery of services.  In other words, a grantee’s non-federal share used to meet cost sharing requirements cannot be reduced from year to year.

Maintenance of Effort While previous grantees of ABE funding will no longer be bound to maintenance-of-effort requirements from the previous competition, Virginia must still collectively meet the state maintenance of effort.

Supplement Not Supplant AEFLA funds shall supplement not supplant other state or local public funds expended for adult education and literacy services [Section 241a]. In other words, federal funds may not be used to pay for services, staff, programs, or materials that would otherwise be paid for with local funds.

Program Income Program Income is allowable. Program income may not be used as match. Program income must be spent back into the program prior to requesting federal reimbursement.

Adjourn All questions should be sent to A technical assistance session will be held approximately two weeks after the RFP is released. We appreciate your time and interest. Have a safe trip home.