1. GEM Grants Optional Information Sessions  February 12 & 16 Lucinda Orr, Grant Writer Nancy Frankel, Director of Federal Funds

2. Background H-E-B “Excellence in Education” $100,000 large-district award Funds redistributed via in-house grants February, 20152

3. Goals GEM Grants: Gap Elimination Measures Goal is to eliminate achievement gaps between and among groups of students. Proposed initiatives should focus on intervention, use innovative methods, and provide ways to monitor progress. A scoring rubric has been developed to align with the initiative’s goals. February, 20153

4. Interest Level # interested  # scorers needed Potential applicants need to submit the online “Intent to Apply” form. Deadline: April 6 February, 20154

5. Online Form “Intent to Apply” Brief and easy— Has user reviewed the GEM Grants website? Campus and level Team members, teachers of record, team leader Contact information February, 20155

6. Training (Optional) Search “GEM Grants” in the Avatar system to sign up. The one-hour information session will use this PowerPoint presentation. Choose from two after-school opportunities: Thursday, Feb. 12, at 4:30, Berry Center Monday, Feb. 16, at 4:30, Berry Center February, 20156

7. Timeline February, 20157 Highlights— Application deadline: April 6 Awards announced: June 2 Funding: August 14 Initiatives occur: 2015-2016

8. Funding & Spending February, 20158 Highlights— Maximum award $5,000 Follow Title I guidelines for allowable vs. unallowable Five budget categories

9. Applicants: Eligibility February, 20159 Teams, not individuals 2+ must be teachers of record Any CFISD campus can apply Grantees must present results on June 9, 2016, for a breakout session at the district’s RRR Teacher Conference.

10. Application: Step 1 of 2 February, 201510 Step 1’s format is a Word document “worksheet.” Save and return Edit, share, collaborate Count words Check spelling, etc. Info and examples in green Finalize completely before going to Step 2.

11. Application: Step 2 of 2 February, 201511 Step 2 is online, a Google Forms interface. CANNOT save and return Copy and paste— prompts mirror those on the Step 1 worksheet. Responses: Drop-down lists Entered text (short-answer and essays) Click to select

12. Application “Must Agree” Items February, 201512 Three prompts on the form require the applicant to click “Agree”: Team will present in a breakout session for the Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships Conference on June 9, 2016. All expenditures in the proposed budget are allowable per guidelines. Principal is aware of the proposal and supports it.

13. Application Scoring Rubric: Nine Areas Evaluated February, 201513 Demonstrated extent of existing achievement gap Number of students to benefit during grant period Use of data evidence, quantitative measurement Clarity of the project’s stated objective Thoroughness of project description, showing forethought and organization Degree of innovation Alignment to CIP Ease of replication Quality of budget planning

14. GEM Grants Website February, 201514 http://inside.cfisd.net/ On the Intranet home page, you’ll see the logo that appears at the top of this slide.

15. Q&A February, 201515 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?