1. New Grant Program: Title IV, Part A, what is it?
Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant
NOVEMBER 2016

2. Purpose
Newly authorized under subpart 1 of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) program is intended to increase the capacity of State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and local communities to:
provide all students with access to a well-rounded education;
improve school conditions for student learning; and
Improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students 2

3. Allowable Activities
Activities to support well rounded educational opportunities for students may include: 
STEM programs
Music and art programs
Foreign language offerings
The opportunity to earn credits from institutions of higher learning
Reimbursing low-income students to cover the costs of accelerated learning examination fees
Environmental education
Programs and activities that promote volunteerism and community involvement
*This is not an exhaustive list. 3

4. Well-Rounded Education
A well-rounded education starts with early learning opportunities that make time for exploration and continues with K-12 education that helps students make important connections among their studies, their curiosities, their passions, and the skills they need to become critical thinkers and productive members of society.
A well-rounded education promotes a diverse set of learning experiences that engages students across a variety of courses, activities, and programs in subjects such as English, reading/language arts, writing, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, geography, computer science, music, career and technical education, health, and physical education.
Discussion question: Do you agree with the above definition? Why or why not? What would you add or change? 4

5. Allowable Activities
Activities to support safe and healthy students may include: 
School-based mental health services
Drug and violence prevention activities that are evidence-based
Integrating health and safety practices into school or athletic programs
Nutritional education and physical education activities
Bullying and harassment prevention
Activities that improve instructional practices for developing relationship-building skills
Prevention of teen and dating violence, stalking, domestic abuse, and sexual violence and harassment
Establishing or improving school dropout and reentry programs
Training school personnel in effective practices related to the above
*This is not an exhaustive list. 5

6. Allowable Activities
Activities to improve the use of educational technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students may include:
Providing educators, school leaders, and administrators with the professional learning tools, devices, content and resources to:
Personalize learning
Discover, adapt, and share relevant high-quality educational resources
Use technology effectively in the classroom
Implement and support school and districtwide approaches for using technology to inform instruction, support teacher collaboration, and personalize learning
*This is not an exhaustive list. 6

7. Allowable Activities
Activities to improve the use of educational technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students may include:
Building technological capacity and infrastructure
Developing or using effective or innovative strategies for the delivery of specialized or rigorous academic courses through the use of technology
Carrying out blended learning activities (must include ongoing professional development for teachers)
Providing professional development on the use of technology to enable teachers to increase student achievement in STEM areas
Providing students in rural, remote, and underserved areas with the resources to take advantage of high-quality digital learning experiences 7

8. Funding The law authorizes $1.65 billion
For reference: The authorized amount for Title I is ~$15 billion
U.S. Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee appropriated only $300 million in its recently approved funding bill.
Activities must supplement, and not supplant, non-federal funds that would otherwise be available for activities authorized under Title IV, Part A. 8

9. Funding Opportunities to leverage funds
Title I funds may be used to promote supportive school climates.
21st Century Community Learning Centers also provide opportunities through programs such as nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention, and arts education.
Title II funds may be used to provide training for school personnel to address issues related to school conditions for student learning.
Title V, Part B funds (Rural and Low-Income School Program) may be used for any activities allowable under other programs in ESSA.
LEAs may form consortiums to maximize the impact of Title IV, Part A funds. 9

10. Program Requirements
Activities must be planned in consultation with parents, teachers, principals, and other relevant stakeholders.
Must also engage in continued consultation to improve the activities.
LEAs receiving at least $30,000 must
conduct a comprehensive needs assessment every 3 years
use at least 20% of the funds to support activities related to well-rounded educational opportunities
use at least 20% of the funds to support safe and healthy students
use a portion of the funds to support the improvement of the use of educational technology
prioritize the funds toward high-need schools in the district
LEAs may use a portion of the funds for activities conducted in partnership with an IHE, business, nonprofit organization, or community-based organization. 10

11. Stakeholder Consultation
What stakeholders other than teachers, parents, and principals should be consulted when planning activities?
Required in statute (where applicable)
Encouraged in non-regulatory guidance
Paraprofessionals
Students
Community-based organizations
Local government representatives (may include law enforcement and child welfare)
Indian tribes or tribal organizations
Charter school teachers and principals
Business community
Health providers
Police and social workers
Librarians
Technology experts
Service providers
Faith-based community leaders 11

12. Distribution of Funds
Must an LEA distribute Title IV, Part A funds to all of its schools?
No. The LEA has discretion in how the funds are distributed to schools, with the exception of the requirement to prioritize toward high-need schools if the allocation is $30,000 or more.
Do the minimum % of funds to be used in each content area apply to schools to which the LEA distributes funds?
No. This requirement only applies to the LEA as a whole.
In the case of a consortium, do the minimum % of funds to be used in each content area apply to the consortium or each LEA?
The consortium 12

13. Implementing Effective Programs
Identifying local needs
Select relevant, evidence-based activities
Plan for implementation
Implement activities
Examine and reflect 13

14. Identifying Local Needs
Questions to consider:
Which stakeholders can help identify local needs and/or root causes? How can they be engaged early and in a meaningful way throughout the process?
What data are needed?
Are there inequities inherent in our system that are driving some of these needs?
How should identified needs be prioritized? 14

15. Selecting Relevant, Evidence-Based Activities
While ESEA requires “at least one study” on an intervention to provide strong evidence, moderate evidence, or promising evidence, SEAs, LEAs, and other stakeholders should consider the entire body of relevant evidence.
The What Works ClearinghouseTM (WWC) uses rigorous standards to review evidence of effectiveness on a wide range of interventions and also summarizes the settings and populations in the studies.
Interventions with little to no evidence should at least demonstrate a rationale for how they will achieve their intended goals.
Local capacity also helps predict the success of an intervention, so the available funding, staff resources, staff skills, and support for interventions should be considered when selecting an evidence-based intervention. 15

16. Discussion Question
How does your district, school, and/or team identify evidence-based activities and interventions? 16

17. Implementing Activities
Consider including in your implementation plan:
A logic model
Well defined, measurable goals with implementation timelines
Clearly outlined roles and responsibilities
Identified resources required
A process to monitor implementation
An outreach strategy to regularly engage stakeholders 17

18. Examine and Reflect Questions to consider:
What are reasonable expectations of success at the beginning, middle an end of an activity or intervention and how should it be measured?
Is performance data sufficient or is there a need for a rigorous evaluation? If so, are the resources to support such an evaluation?
What interim progress milestones should be collected?
What does the information collected suggest about ways to improve the activity? 18

19. Special Rule Regarding AP Exams
Under the special rule in section 4107(b) of the ESEA, an LEA may use FY 17 funds to cover part or all of the fees for AP, IB, or other accelerated learning examinations taken by low-income students in both the school year and school year.
Consistent with section 4104(b)(3)(A)(ii), a State may also use funds not reserved for LEA subgrants or State administrative costs to reimburse the costs of accelerated learning examinations for low-income students.
Under the special rule in section 4104(c), a State may similarly use funds to pay for accelerated learning examinations taken by low-income students in the school year. 19

20. Resources
Resources and tools for the three subject areas are available from USDE at
CDE’s page for all ESSA related items and updates:
Contact information:
Jennifer Simons 20