EETT Competitive: Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs Table of Contents (TOC)

• EETT C Eligibility
• EETT C Funding
• EETT C Private School Participation
• EETT C Partnerships & Consortiums
• EETT C Application and Program Requirements

EETT C Eligibility

1. Which districts are eligible to apply for the EETT C grant?
   Answer: Eligibility is restricted to school districts (or a consortium of school districts), county offices of education, and direct-funded charter schools that serve students in grades four through eight; and are among the school districts in the state with the highest number or percentage of children from families with an income below the poverty line established by the federal Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
   
   In addition, they must meet one of the following criteria:

• They operate one or more schools identified for improvement or corrective action under Section 1116 of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110),

OR

• They have a substantial need for assistance in acquiring and using technology, defined as having an average of 10:1 student-to-multimedia computer ratio (computers less than four years old) or greater in schools serving grades four through eight in the district or an average of less than 50 percent of classrooms connected to the Internet in schools serving grades four through eight in the district as determined by the California School Technology Survey for the year prior to the grant award.
• Go to the EETT C Grant Information Web page to find the links to EETT C eligibility lists and application information by Round.

2. What is meant by "highest percentage of families in poverty?"
   Answer: For purposes of this program, the term "poverty line" means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with Section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act) applicable to a family of the size involved (ESEA Section 9101(33)). See the U.S. Census Web site (Outside Source). For purposes of this program, eligible districts are those within the top third, based upon the percentage of students in poverty or the number of students in poverty according to census data.
   
3. Our district applied for and received EETT C grant funding for eligible schools in a previous funding round. Can we apply for funding in another EETT C Round?
   Answer: An eligible district may apply for EETT-C funding in each of the funding rounds for their eligible schools that serve grades 4-8. However, the EETT-C grant is one-time implementation funding at each eligible school. Therefore, if an individual school has received full funding in a prior year, that school may not be listed in the district’s application, Form 6, in any subsequent EETT C applications. If a school was partially funded in a previous EETT C Round, that school may be listed in the district’s application, Form 6, for the remainder of the funds to achieve full funding status.
   
4. May eligible school districts receive both formula and competitive EETT grants?
   Answer: Yes. An LEA that is eligible to receive a formula grant may apply for an EETT-C grant if it meets the competitive eligibility requirements. Applications from an LEA that received less than $6,000 in formula grant funding will be given funding priority for the competitive grant.
   
5. Are charter schools eligible for EETT C funding?
   Answer: Only direct-funded charter schools may apply directly for EETT C funding, and those schools must also meet the education technology plan requirement. Locally funded charter schools are to be included in their district's application and cannot apply directly for funding.

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EETT C Funding

6. How does an LEA calculate its potential EETT C maximum grant award?
   Answer: Maximum funding awards are based on $300 per student in grades four through eight* (from the CBEDS year indicated in the RFA) at the schools identified on Form 6 of the application up to the EETT C funding cap of 60% of the region’s allotment (See RFA for estimates). Eligible LEAs with 83 or less students in grades 4-8 are eligible to receive the minimum EETT C grant award of $25,000. There is no possibility of additional funding based on program need. *NOTE: The funding is based on all fourth through eighth grade students at district selected schools that serve grades 4-8, not just the target students.
   
7. Is the $300 per student EETT C grant award to be expended over the two year program?
   Answer: Yes. The EETT C funding is calculated per student in grades 4-8 to be expended over two years based on the district application and budget.
   
8. What are some examples of allowable expenditures with EETT C funds?
   Answer: A minimum of 25 percent of the total grant award must be spent on high-quality professional development that provides teachers with the capacity to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction to promote student achievement.
   
   Remaining funds are to be used to implement and support the comprehensive program described in the application in a manner consistent with EDGAR (Outside Source), under Title 34 Education and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) which oversees and coordinates the Administration's procurement, financial management, information, and regulatory policies (Outside Source).
   
   Expenditures may include, but are not limited to:

• Hardware (Any hardware purchased with grant funding must meet or exceed Technical Specifications for Computers Purchased or Leased under EETT Funding. See Appendix B.)
• Infrastructure and technical support.
• California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) reviewed electronic learning resources that meet standards. (NOTE: Any curriculum-based Electronic Learning Resources (ELRs) purchased with grant funding must be part of a State Board of Education (SBE) approved K-8 program or a California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) (Outside Source) reviewed Electronic Learning Resource (ELR) found to be consistent with SBE-adopted content standards).
• Curriculum-based electronic learning resources that are part of an SBE adopted K-8 program.
• Salaries and benefits, stipends, or contracts for trainers, facilitators, mentors, and tech support personnel.
• Teacher stipends for program participation outside of the school day or outside of the teachers’ union contract.
• Costs of substitute teachers to cover target teachers’ classrooms while they attend EETT C professional development.
• Service contracts that support the program goals, including program coordination.
• Evaluation and reporting of the grant program and activities.
• Supplies and materials integral to program activities.
• Promotion of parental/community involvement using technology.
• Resources to foster communication among home, school, and community.

9. What are some examples of allowable expenditures to meet the EETT C requirement that “…25% of the budget must be spent on professional development”?
   Some examples include:

• Costs for teacher stipends for attending professional development outside of contract hours depending on locally negotiated contracts
• Costs for substitute teachers
• Costs for salaries and benefits, stipends, or contracts for trainers, facilitators, and mentors
• Costs for professional development workshops and conferences relevant to the LEAs EETT C program and specified in the LEAs grant application.
• Costs for materials and supplies necessary to carry out the professional development may be charged, consistent with established LEA policies and practices
• Costs for evaluating the program’s professional development goals and objectives

10. Can grant funds be used to support specific electronic learning assessment resources (ELARs) that allow analysis of target student assessment data?
    Answer: Yes, as long as the ELAR purchased is part of the comprehensive program for target students and has been clearly articulated in the application.
    
11. How has recent state legislation changed the EETT C funding formula?
    Answer: Based on certain sections of Assembly Bill 2706 (Berg), effective in EETT C Round 4 and all subsequent EETT C Rounds, the following changes are reflected in the Request for Application (RFA):

• SEC. 9, Section 52295.35 (a) – the amount of funding for grants available to each region is determined based upon the proportionate enrollment of pupils in grades 4 to 8, inclusive, in schools from that region. A region shall not be allocated less than five hundred thousand ($500,000) or two percent of available funds, whichever amount is greater.
• SEC. 10, Section 52295.36 (a) – the amount of an LEA grant award may be not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), nor more than sixty percent of the funds available in the region.
• Round 4 grants will be issued in two separate awards. The first award of $200 per student will be for the grant period of January 2006 – June 30, 2007. The second award of $100 per student will be for the grant period of July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008.
• Round 6 grants and subsequent EETT C Rounds will be issued in one grant award of $300 per student to support LEA grant programs that span approximately two state fiscal year.

12. How will grant funds be awarded?
    Answer: Funds will be competitively awarded on a geographic basis conforming to the 11 California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) regions. In accordance AB 2706 (Berg), an application from a small school district or a consortium of small school districts is eligible to receive priority scoring. The Project Summary Small School District Addendum Form (see RFA) must be completed and submitted as part of the application for a small school district to receive priority scoring.

• *Based on AB 2706 (Berg), a small school district or a consortium of small school districts is eligible to receive priority scoring. The Project Summary Small School District Addendum (Form 2b) must be included with the grant application.
• Small school districts are defined as follows (consistent with Education Code Section 44046):
  • A unified school district having an average daily attendance (ADA) of less than 1,501.
  • An elementary school district having an ADA of less than 901.
  • A high school district having an ADA of less than 301.
  The following process will be used to determine which applications and which schools will be funded within each CTAP region:

1. Applicants must receive a minimum rubric score of 50 points or more to be considered for potential EETT C grant funding.
2. All applications that receive a total of 50-100 rubric points will be grouped in the following five deciles for each CTAP region: (1) 100-90, (2) 89-80, (3) 79-70 (4) 69-60 and (5) 59-50 and then ranked within the decile by the point scores received.
3. After the grant readers rank the applications in the region, the CDE will adjust the ranking of applications from small school districts* and school districts that received less than $6,000 in funding from EETT Formula funds during the prior year, as follows:
   1. Applications from small school districts* will be will be grouped by score within a percentage range (100-90 percent, 89-80 percent, 79-70 percent, 69-60 percent, and 59-50 percent) and then ranked at the top of the percentage range list in the decile in which they scored. In the event of a tied score, the applicant with the higher substantial need in acquiring and using technology as determined by the CSTS will be listed first. The small school district priority will not apply to a consortium application, unless all members of the consortium are small school districts.
   2. Applications from school districts that received less than $6,000 in funding from the EETT Formula grant will be ranked by score within each percentage range and then listed second in the percentage range in which they scored, below any eligible small school districts in that range. In the event of a tied score, the applicant with the higher substantial need in acquiring and using technology as determined by the California School Technology Survey (CSTS) will be listed first.
4. To ensure productive use of education technology funds, if applicable, the CDE may review grantees’ performance evaluation reports from previous EETT C Rounds to validate that 70 percent of growth was met. Results from the review may influence the final grant award decision.

13. Is this a district or a site-based application? Do the grant award funds have to be divided equally among all the eligible sites in the application?
    Answer: The EETT C grant is a district grant that funds individual eligible sites. The grant award does not have to be divided equally among all the eligible sites in the application. The LEAs grant award will be based on the latest certified CBEDS available for grades 4-8 at each school listed on Form 6. If the district is partially funded, the schools will be funded as prioritized by the district on Form 6 in the application.
    
14. May grant funds be used for programs that benefit non-target classrooms or non-target staff?
    Answer: Target students, classrooms, and teachers must have first priority access to all resources and activities funded by the EETT C grant award during the two year program. All program and professional development expenditures first must meet the needs of target students and teachers as specified in the application. As long as no additional EETT C funded program costs are incurred by non-targeted students, classrooms, and teachers, an LEA may allow them to participate in EETT C funded activities and use EETT C funded resources.
15. May EETT C grant funds be used for grant administration?
    Answer: Yes. However, any costs to be included for grant administration must comply with federal regulations: Education Department General Administrative Regulations (Outside Source).
    
16. I have heard that there is a federal provision to allow transfer of funds within specific programs. Do the federal principal flexibility provisions affect the EETT competitive grant funds?
    Answer: No. This provision does not apply to the competitive portion of the grant. Funds for this grant must be utilized in accordance with the approved application.
    
17. How does an EETT C grant applicant account for mobile and stationary computer labs when determining student to computer ratios?
    Answer: Mobile and stationary computer labs that are specifically created for or dedicated to the target students during the EETT C program are acceptable (i.e. EAST classroom computer labs). However, if target students will not have dedicated access to the computers during the EETT C program, the computers should not be included in the student to computer ratios.

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EETT C Private School Participation

18. How does the district know which private schools(s) should be included as part of the equitable participation requirement of the grant?
    Answer: For purposes of this EETT C grant, private schools must be located within the service area of the district and serve students in grades four through eight. Eligible private schools are usually identified on the Consolidated Application.
    
19. Can private schools benefit from these funds?
    Answer: Services and goods are shared with a qualified private school or schools. No funds can be directly given to private schools. The goods and/or services that are shared with private schools are agreed upon through a consultation between the private school(s) and the local educational agency (LEA). The LEA receives no extra funds for private schools. See the CDE Private Schools Guidance and FAQS Web page for additional details on private school participation.
    
20. If a large school district forms a consortium with a small school district, will the LEAs application be eligible for small school district priority scoring?
    Answer: In keeping with the intent of AB 2706 (See item #13), an application submitted by other than a defined small school district or a consortium of small school districts would not receive scoring priority. Scoring consideration for an application that includes partnerships is already part of the Scoring Criteria.
    
21. How will grant awards be determined if application is made on behalf of a consortium?
    Answer: Grant awards will be based on the total allocation for all eligible school districts within the consortium. Grants will be awarded to the lead school district on behalf of all eligible school districts applying within the consortium. Consortium members that are not eligible to apply independent of the LEA will not be funded.

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EETT C Partnerships & Consortiums

22. Can my district apply as both a single district and part of a consortium?
    Answer: No. Eligible districts may submit only one application for each funding round. The application can be either a single district application or as part of a consortium application.
    
23. What is meant by a partnership, as referenced in the RFA?
    Answer: A partnership is an alliance that involves the school district and at least one of the following:

• An LEA that can demonstrate that teachers in its schools are effectively integrating technology and proven teaching strategies into instruction, based on a review of relevant research, and that the integration results in improvement in classroom instruction and in helping students meet challenging academic standards.
• An institution of higher education that is in full compliance with the teacher quality reporting requirements of Section 207(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and that has not been identified by the state as low performing under that act. For more information about this requirement, see the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title II, Section 207(f) (Outside source).
• A for-profit business or organization that develops, designs, manufacturers, or produces technology products or services or has substantial expertise in the application of technology in instruction.
• A public or private nonprofit organization with demonstrated expertise in the application of educational technology in instruction.

It is important to note that the partnership relationship should be mutually beneficial. The strength of the partnership relationship will have a bearing on the scoring of the application.

24. How will the reviewers know if the partnership has been established and if the partner was involved in the application development?
    Answer: The application must contain a completed EETT Form 7 Consortium and/or Partnership Applicants, listing all consortium members and partners. A one-page partnership letter should support any partnerships listed on this form. Partnership letters should be written on the partner's letterhead and summarize how the partnership supports the comprehensive program and is mutually beneficial to the partner and the LEA. The letter must be signed by the lead contact for each partnership. Copies of the signed Partnership letters must be included in the original application and each of the three copies submitted for review.
    
25. If the district has many partners, must they all provide partnership letters as specified in the RFA?
    Answer: To receive maximum points on the scoring rubric, each partner must provide a copy of the specified signed letter on the letterhead of the partnering agency.
    
26. What is meant by partnership expertise as specified in the RFA?
    Answer: Partnerships formed for the purpose of this grant will be considered as having expertise if they have a proven track record and/or history of success in working with schools and/or districts to incorporate education technology to help enhance teaching and learning.
    
27. In regard to Form 7, if the district partners with an entity that does not have a county-district-school (CDS) code (such as an institute of higher education or nonprofit), what should be listed as the CDS code?
    Answer: In this case, leave the space for the CDS code blank.

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EETT C Application and Program Requirements

28. Does the CDE require minimum projected growth targets for the program objectives on Form 3 of the application?
    Answer: No. The LEA is expected to set challenging, yet achievable growth targets based on the unique needs of the district. The CDE recommends LEAs take into consideration their state approved district technology plans; current district curriculum and instruction programs and planning documents; and baseline technology integration proficiencies and academic achievement data from the anticipated target groups, before developing an EETT C program and setting growth targets.
    
29. During the implementation of an EETT C program, are LEAs allowed to change the projected objectives and benchmark growth percentages on Form 3 of the original application that was reviewed and funded?
    Answer: LEAs must submit a Program Modification Request form to the CDE and receive approval before making any changes to EETT C Form 3 projected objectives and benchmark growth percentages as written in the funded application. A change to a district’s beginning and end of year benchmark data is permissible on a case by case basis. A change to the original projected growth target data – (the end of year % minus the beginning of the year %) – is not allowable except under extreme circumstances. Program Modification Request forms for current EETT C Rounds are located on the CDE Web site.
    
30. Is the average student to computer ratio based on the entire population of students in the eligible schools, all fourth through eighth graders, or the LEAs identified target group of students?
    Answer: The average student to computer ratio is based on the target group of students identified in the LEAs application and their classroom access to computers 48 months old or newer. The LEA can add an objective for improving the school wide or additional grade level ratio if they'd like. Before setting student-to-computer growth targets, districts are advised to take into account the age of any existing computers in target students’ classrooms and determine if the computers will continue to meet the 48 months old or newer criteria during the two year grant program.
    
31. How does an LEA get data to calculate the average student to computer ratios in target classrooms?
    Answer: The district needs either to check existing school records of student to computer ratios in target classrooms or do a walk-through observation and record the number and age of computers in target classrooms.
    
32. How does an EETT C grant applicant account for mobile and stationary computer labs when determining student to computer ratios?
    Answer: Mobile and stationary computer labs that are specifically created for or dedicated to the target students during the EETT C program are acceptable (i.e. EAST classroom computer labs). However, if target students will not have dedicated access to the computers during the EETT C program, the computers should not be included in the student to computer ratios.
    
33. Can electronic learning resources (ELRs) that are free, or purchased with leveraged funds, be used to support the EETT C grant program?
    Answer: Yes. The LEAs Project Narrative needs to address what, if any, ELRs will be used in the EETT C program; and how the ELRs will be funded.
    
34. Can a school district choose more than one program at different sites within one application? If so, how does the district explain that in the application narrative?
    Answer: Yes. Districts may choose more than one program within a single application, depending on individual school site needs. The district should write the application to show a cohesive, comprehensive plan that includes all of the application components.
    
35. What defines a "research-based program?" Is there a standard for what counts as "research based?"
    Answer: A program is considered to be research based when research by an independent, qualified entity has been conducted and is currently available, and when the findings support the program selection. A minimum amount of research has not been established.
    
36. How often does the EdTechProfile Technology Assessment Profile for teachers have to be completed?
    Answer: Teachers participating in the professional development program at each site funded by this grant will complete a pre EdTechProfile (ETP) survey annually in the fall and a post ETP survey annually in the spring. See EETT Competitive Grant Calendar in the RFA for details.
    
37. Is there a competitive advantage for a district to choose one research-based program and/ or practice over another?
    Answer: No, there is no competitive advantage to the selection of any particular research-based model or strategies. The scoring of the grant will be based on the criteria in the EETT Scoring Criteria rubric. Districts should choose or develop a research-based program meets the needs of target students and target teachers and is based on a review of relevant research.
    
38. If the district chooses EAST as the model for its comprehensive program, must it apply directly to the EAST program prior to submission, or can it just select EAST in its application? If EAST is selected in the EETT application and the application is funded, will the district's school(s) automatically become an EAST site(s)?
    Answer: Districts do not need to apply directly to the EAST program. To list EAST as a partner, however, districts must contact EAST to request a letter of support to include in their EETT application. It is highly recommended that any districts considering EAST as an option would have attended one of the vision-building meetings to understand the program or would have partnered with an existing EAST site. Those applicants that select EAST as a program option and are funded would sign the grant assurances and enter into a service agreement with EAST. Grantees would then become official EAST schools.
    
39. The Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT)-Competitive Grant Conditions and Grant Assurances require the LEA to meet at least 70 percent of the growth target for each required and optional objectives in the grant application to be eligible to receive one-time follow up funding. How is the 70 percent of the growth target calculated?
    Answer: Growth target is defined as the difference between the baseline percentages and projected outcome percentages as stated on Form 3. In order to be eligible for Follow-up funds, the LEA must meet 70 percent of the projected growth target for each objective.
    For example: If the grantee is tracking the same target teachers over two years and reports the baseline percentage in Year One is 10 percent and the Year Two outcome percentage is 30 percent, the growth target specified in the objective is 20 percent over two years (30%-10%=20%). To meet the requirement of 70 percent of the 20 percent growth target, an increase of at least 14 percent (70% x 20%= 14%) would need to be attained by target teachers over two years. A 10 percent baseline plus 14 percent growth equals a minimum end of Year Two program outcome of 24 percent in order to meet the 70 percent of growth target requirement.
    
40. When the LEAs EETT C grant program concludes, can the technology purchased with EETT C funds be used at the district’s discretion?
    Answer: Yes. When the EETT C grant is over (which, if applicable, means the end of the Follow-up year), the district then owns the technology and can use it anywhere in the district at its discretion.

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