Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Interested Parties:

2019 Request for Application Educator Workforce Investment Grant Program: Special Education-Related Professional Development

The California Department of Education (CDE) Special Education Division and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence are pleased to announce the availability of the Request for Application (RFA) for the Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG) Program for special education-related professional development. An amount of $5 million dollars is allocated to coordinate and support this professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals across the state.

One grantee will be selected to work collaboratively with the Statewide System of Support to build the capacity of local educational agencies across the state to create, design, and deliver professional learning opportunities for teachers and paraprofessionals in the area of literacy development with the ultimate goal of providing access for students with disabilities to their grade-level content standards within the general education environment. Professional learning opportunities for teachers, paraprofessionals, school leaders, and counselors should include strategies for high-quality instruction and special education-related professional development aligned to the Quality Professional Learning Standards and that addresses, but is not limited to, the following five areas specified below:

• Inclusive practices for general education and special education settings, including a universal design for learning to help educators teach all students regardless of ability and teaching models that support these practices, including co-teaching
  
  
• General procedures for identifying individuals with disabilities and developing appropriate individualized education programs for these students
  
  
• Alternative dispute resolution procedures
  
  
• Strategies for supporting students with particular disabilities in a general education setting
  
  
• Support for students with overlapping educational needs, particularly those with an individualized education program who are also identified as English learners

Application for EWIG for Special Education-Related Professional Development

Lead applicants must be an institution of higher education (IHE) or a nonprofit organization (NPO) with demonstrated expertise in developing and providing professional learning to teachers and paraprofessionals in public schools serving kindergarten and grades one to twelve, inclusive. Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge and capacity to implement special education-related professional development in a manner that aligns with the Statewide System of Support. If multiple IHEs or NPOs partner, a lead applicant must be identified. Positive consideration will be given to applicants who propose to partner with a county office of education or a consortium of county offices of education.

Interested applicants are required to submit the EWIG for Special Education-Related Professional Development Intent to Submit an Application Form to the CDE Special Education Division by email at SEEWIG@cde.ca.gov by 5 p.m. on January 6, 2020. Submitting this form does not require an organization to submit an application; however, an application will not be accepted unless the form was submitted and received by the CDE on time.

All applicants must submit a complete application, including all required components, to the California Department of Education, Special Education Division by 5 p.m. on February 14, 2020. Incomplete, late, or incorrectly formatted applications will not be scored or considered for approval. Applicants are urged to use express, certified, or registered mail. Transmissions by electronic mail (email) or facsimile (fax) will not be accepted.

A technical assistance webinar in regards to the EWIG for the Special Education-Related Professional Development RFA will take place on December 10, 2019. For additional information, please see https://cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r18/seewig19rfa.asp.

If you have any questions regarding this RFA, please contact the Special Education Division by email at SEEWIG@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

The signed copy of this correspondence is on file at the California Department of Education To request a signed copy, please contact the Special Education Division.

Sarah Neville-Morgan
SNM:as