i. purpose of transition from school to community- based competitive ...
SPECIAL EDUCATION PERFORMANCE GRANT 2015 – 2016 SCHOOL TO COMMUNITY-BASED COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT CONTINUATION GRANT Request for Application (RFA)
I. PURPOSE OF TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO COMMUNITYBASED COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT CONTINUATION GRANT The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education is requesting proposals from Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and provider-based agencies partnering with LEAs that were awarded a 2014-15 School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Grant interested in expanding effective, school-based career development programming efforts for transition from school to communitybased competitive employment for students for the 2015-16 school year. The purpose of the Transition from School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Grant is to: 1) improve competitive employment outcomes for youth with disabilities through the implementation of effective, school-based career development programming; 2) utilize a person-centered planning process as an integral component of career development; 3) provide unpaid and paid work experiences, with job coaching as appropriate, for youth with disabilities with preference for students at-risk of dropping out and/or youth who have difficulty obtaining employment, independently; 4) establish sites that can serve as models for transition from school to community- based competitive employment for youth with disabilities; and 5) actively involve the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and county/community-based organizations such as Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations, Intellectual Disabilities Administrative Entities, Centers for Independent Living and other disability-specific support organizations during the implementation of the grant-related activities.
II. APPLICATION CRITERIA AND GRANT PRIORITIES A. ELIGIBILITY The following LEAs are eligible to apply for the School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Continuation Grant: Community Integrated Services Keystone Central SD Laurel SD/Ellwood City SD Northeastern Intermediate Unit # 19 Pittsburgh Public SD Warrior Run SD The funding available for each successful continuation grant applicant is up to $40,000.00, available September, 2015 through June, 2016.
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B. ASSURANCES The grantee must agree to the following assurances to ensure quality and fidelity to the stated purposes of the grant. 1) Assurance that all activities and expenditures of funds conducted in association with the program are in direct compliance with the provisions of the funding authorities. 2) Assurance that the reporting requirement outlined in the application package will be submitted in a timely manner. 3) Assurance that program staff will participate in all required PaTTAN/PDE training and technical assistance activities. 4) Assurance that collaboration with appropriate partners to strengthen and extend impact will be a priority of the project. 5) Assurance that the Fair Labor Standards Act will be adhered to within the course of implementing the grant priorities. C. GRANT PRIORITIES The following essential program goals must be addressed in the grant application. 1) Identify students who will be targeted for this grant: Targeted students need to be identified as youth with disabilities who have a have a primary post-secondary goal of competitive employment upon exiting high school, with preference for: i. youth who are at risk of dropping-out of school and/or ii. youth who have difficulty obtaining employment, independently. iii. Also identify youth who participated during the 2014-15 grant period covered under the current grant proposal. iv. 2) Define how the grantee will expand upon the systematic career development program implemented during the 2014-15 grant period. Based upon last year’s grant funded program, the grantee should address all of the following areas that apply to your program expansion for 2015-16:
vocational assessment; career exploration; instruction in employability skills self-advocacy skill development community mapping, including travel-related implications unpaid and paid work experience with job coaching, as appropriate; and SSA benefits and work incentives planning assistance. person-centered planning process to inform career development family/caregivers engagement engagement of relevant LEA personnel engagement of agency and community partners in transition planning engagement of business partners collection of student data
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D. ADDITIONAL GRANT REQUIREMENTS Beyond the priorities delineated in section C, funded projects also must demonstrate a commitment to the following requirements through explicit objectives and/or activities reflected in the grant proposal. 1) Collect, share, and report efficacy and outcome data as directed by the funder. Instructional adjustments within the school and community-based settings must be based on progress monitoring and regular data analysis. 2) Submit bi-monthly reports and a summative annual report on specified activities and budget expenditures in a format to be provided. 3) Develop training and technical assistance plans to support staff, families/caregivers, agency, and partnering businesses. 4) Agree to serve as a model site for LEAs interested in refining their effective, school-based career development programs in support of transition from school to community-based employment for youth with disabilities. 5) Contribute resources and materials to populate a virtual resource library on effective, schoolbased career development programing. 6) Agree to disseminate materials and effective programs/practices through publications and trainings as requested by PDE. 7) Agree to present project outcomes and lessons learned at the 2016 PDE Conference (February 1012, 2016) and the 2016 Pennsylvania Community on Transition Conference (July 20-22, 2016). 8) The director of special education from the LEA agrees to attend a grantee meeting (date to be determined) to explore the possibility of engaging in an interagency agreement with OVR to address pre-employment services for eligible youth. Such pre-employment services can include job skills development, workplace readiness, job exploration, secondary education exploration, and youth self-advocacy skills. E. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Grant awardees will receive support as follows: 1) Technical assistance provided by PaTTAN and Intermediate Unit Training and Consultation (TaC) System personnel. 2) Technical assistance and networking opportunities supporting: i. Two (2) onsite visits with PaTTAN and Intermediate Unit TaC System staff; and ii. Other, as determined by the need of the grantee.
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III. BUDGET The funding available to each successful grant application is up to $40,000 (September, 2015 through June, 2016), in which the following terms apply.
Equipment costs, clothing (except work uniforms – not streetwear), gift cards, food and entertainment are not an allowable expense. Supplies must be purchased prior to May 2, 2016.
IV. SUBMISSION Proposals must be received by 3:00 p.m. Monday, September 28, 2015. A single electronic submission of the application proposal and letters of agreement is preferred. Electronic submissions will only be accepted in Word (file extension .doc) or in Portable Document Format (file extension .pdf). Please send all electronic proposal submissions to [email protected]. Hard copy submissions may be addressed to: James Palmiero, Ed.D. Director PaTTAN Pittsburgh 3190 William Pitt Way Pittsburgh, PA 15238
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I. PURPOSE OF TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO COMMUNITYBASED COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT CONTINUATION GRANT The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education is requesting proposals from Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and provider-based agencies partnering with LEAs that were awarded a 2014-15 School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Grant interested in expanding effective, school-based career development programming efforts for transition from school to communitybased competitive employment for students for the 2015-16 school year. The purpose of the Transition from School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Grant is to: 1) improve competitive employment outcomes for youth with disabilities through the implementation of effective, school-based career development programming; 2) utilize a person-centered planning process as an integral component of career development; 3) provide unpaid and paid work experiences, with job coaching as appropriate, for youth with disabilities with preference for students at-risk of dropping out and/or youth who have difficulty obtaining employment, independently; 4) establish sites that can serve as models for transition from school to community- based competitive employment for youth with disabilities; and 5) actively involve the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and county/community-based organizations such as Behavioral Health Managed Care Organizations, Intellectual Disabilities Administrative Entities, Centers for Independent Living and other disability-specific support organizations during the implementation of the grant-related activities.
II. APPLICATION CRITERIA AND GRANT PRIORITIES A. ELIGIBILITY The following LEAs are eligible to apply for the School to Community-Based Competitive Employment Continuation Grant: Community Integrated Services Keystone Central SD Laurel SD/Ellwood City SD Northeastern Intermediate Unit # 19 Pittsburgh Public SD Warrior Run SD The funding available for each successful continuation grant applicant is up to $40,000.00, available September, 2015 through June, 2016.
1
B. ASSURANCES The grantee must agree to the following assurances to ensure quality and fidelity to the stated purposes of the grant. 1) Assurance that all activities and expenditures of funds conducted in association with the program are in direct compliance with the provisions of the funding authorities. 2) Assurance that the reporting requirement outlined in the application package will be submitted in a timely manner. 3) Assurance that program staff will participate in all required PaTTAN/PDE training and technical assistance activities. 4) Assurance that collaboration with appropriate partners to strengthen and extend impact will be a priority of the project. 5) Assurance that the Fair Labor Standards Act will be adhered to within the course of implementing the grant priorities. C. GRANT PRIORITIES The following essential program goals must be addressed in the grant application. 1) Identify students who will be targeted for this grant: Targeted students need to be identified as youth with disabilities who have a have a primary post-secondary goal of competitive employment upon exiting high school, with preference for: i. youth who are at risk of dropping-out of school and/or ii. youth who have difficulty obtaining employment, independently. iii. Also identify youth who participated during the 2014-15 grant period covered under the current grant proposal. iv. 2) Define how the grantee will expand upon the systematic career development program implemented during the 2014-15 grant period. Based upon last year’s grant funded program, the grantee should address all of the following areas that apply to your program expansion for 2015-16:
vocational assessment; career exploration; instruction in employability skills self-advocacy skill development community mapping, including travel-related implications unpaid and paid work experience with job coaching, as appropriate; and SSA benefits and work incentives planning assistance. person-centered planning process to inform career development family/caregivers engagement engagement of relevant LEA personnel engagement of agency and community partners in transition planning engagement of business partners collection of student data
2
D. ADDITIONAL GRANT REQUIREMENTS Beyond the priorities delineated in section C, funded projects also must demonstrate a commitment to the following requirements through explicit objectives and/or activities reflected in the grant proposal. 1) Collect, share, and report efficacy and outcome data as directed by the funder. Instructional adjustments within the school and community-based settings must be based on progress monitoring and regular data analysis. 2) Submit bi-monthly reports and a summative annual report on specified activities and budget expenditures in a format to be provided. 3) Develop training and technical assistance plans to support staff, families/caregivers, agency, and partnering businesses. 4) Agree to serve as a model site for LEAs interested in refining their effective, school-based career development programs in support of transition from school to community-based employment for youth with disabilities. 5) Contribute resources and materials to populate a virtual resource library on effective, schoolbased career development programing. 6) Agree to disseminate materials and effective programs/practices through publications and trainings as requested by PDE. 7) Agree to present project outcomes and lessons learned at the 2016 PDE Conference (February 1012, 2016) and the 2016 Pennsylvania Community on Transition Conference (July 20-22, 2016). 8) The director of special education from the LEA agrees to attend a grantee meeting (date to be determined) to explore the possibility of engaging in an interagency agreement with OVR to address pre-employment services for eligible youth. Such pre-employment services can include job skills development, workplace readiness, job exploration, secondary education exploration, and youth self-advocacy skills. E. TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Grant awardees will receive support as follows: 1) Technical assistance provided by PaTTAN and Intermediate Unit Training and Consultation (TaC) System personnel. 2) Technical assistance and networking opportunities supporting: i. Two (2) onsite visits with PaTTAN and Intermediate Unit TaC System staff; and ii. Other, as determined by the need of the grantee.
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III. BUDGET The funding available to each successful grant application is up to $40,000 (September, 2015 through June, 2016), in which the following terms apply.
Equipment costs, clothing (except work uniforms – not streetwear), gift cards, food and entertainment are not an allowable expense. Supplies must be purchased prior to May 2, 2016.
IV. SUBMISSION Proposals must be received by 3:00 p.m. Monday, September 28, 2015. A single electronic submission of the application proposal and letters of agreement is preferred. Electronic submissions will only be accepted in Word (file extension .doc) or in Portable Document Format (file extension .pdf). Please send all electronic proposal submissions to [email protected]. Hard copy submissions may be addressed to: James Palmiero, Ed.D. Director PaTTAN Pittsburgh 3190 William Pitt Way Pittsburgh, PA 15238
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