NOTICES
DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION
Announces Eligible Partnerships; Postsecondary Grant Application; Guidelines for Assistance for Regular and Special Education; Mathematics and/or Science Teachers to Become ''Highly Qualified'' as Defined by No Child Left Behind
[39 Pa.B. 1014]
[Saturday, February 21, 2009]The Department of Education (Department) has established grant application guidelines to provide direction to eligible partnerships for submitting applications targeting assistance for regular and/or special education teachers to become highly qualified in the core academic subjects of mathematics and science, as defined by No Child Left Behind. An eligible partnership that receives a grant under these guidelines shall limit its programs to those that provide an innovative approach for current regular and/or special education classroom teachers teaching in a high need local educational agency (LEA) to demonstrate content mastery to become highly qualified in the core academic subjects of mathematics and science. Approximately $2.3 million is available on a competitive basis under this e-Grant application for up to three funding cycles beginning in spring 2009 and ending September 30, 2011. A maximum per participant cost is established by the application guidelines for each of the possible ways for assisting teachers to become highly qualified.
1. Eligibility Requirements
An eligible partnership shall include at a minimum:
1. A Pennsylvania-based institution of higher education (IHE) which is approved by the Department to prepare teachers;
2. A Pennsylvania-based IHE that has arts and sciences faculty; and
3. At least one high-need LEA included on the ''List of LEAs That Meet the 'High Need' Definition In No Child Left Behind.'' A high need LEA:
* Serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or
* Not less than 20% of the children served by the agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line
and
* For which there is a high percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels that the teachers were trained to teach; or
* For which there is a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification or licensing (Section 2102(3)).
Other partners may include:
1. other LEAs;
2. an elementary or secondary school;
3. other educational service agency or nonprofit cultural or educational organization;
4. teacher organizations;
5. principal organizations; or
6. businesses.
Each partnership must designate an IHE education as the fiscal agent to execute a contract or memorandum of understanding on behalf of the partnership with the Commonwealth.
2. Application Deadline
E-grant applications are due by 5 p.m., Friday, April 3, 2009.
3. How to Apply
The Department has implemented an internet-based e-Grant system that requires eligible applicants to apply for funding online. The e-Grants system is available at egrants.ed.state.pa.us/. After logging into the system, click on Eligible Partnerships Postsecondary Grant. Grant application guidelines are available at www.pde.state.pa.us/. Once on the Department's web page click on: the Teaching tab, Act 48/Continuing Professional Education, Eligible Partnerships Program.
4. Questions Concerning the Grant Application
Questions concerning the grant application should be addressed to Jamal Wakeem, Division of Teacher Quality, Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality, Department of Education, 333 Market Street, Third Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333, (717) 525-5559, TDD (717) 783-8445.
GERALD L. ZAHORCHAK, D.Ed.,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 09-305. Filed for public inspection February 20, 2009, 9:00 a.m.]
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