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PURPOSE
Grant funding to support universal screening and addressing COVID related learning gaps through an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) model.
BACKGROUND
Many students have unfinished learning and exacerbated social emotional needs due to the COVID pandemic. Universal screening can identify a student’s unique academic or social emotional needs, and ALE can address those needs through individualization and acceleration. However, many districts face a variety of barriers to providing individualized scheduling and learning plans due to scheduling constraints and funding formula disparities, thus forcing students to retake entire courses or transfer out of district.
This grant opportunity encourages accelerated learning recovery through academic and social emotional screening, individualizing a response via ALE, and providing the funding for school districts that would otherwise be financially disincentivized to offer ALE. This will reduce the impacts of retaking entire courses, create an opportunity to keep students enrolled at their current school, and get students back on track with their peers in an accelerated timeline.
This grant will reopen in December 2022 for applications with a narrower scope. The goals of the grant remain the same, screening and addressing the individualized and identified learning gaps of students resulting from the effects of the pandemic. However, the proposals that OSPI will review in this round of applications must specifically support activities outside and beyond the scheduled school day or calendar. These may include but are not limited to extending the day, school week, or school year.
DETAILS
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Drop in for office hours with Anissa Sharratt, ALE program manager, and Liz Quayle, Alternative Learning Accountability program manager, to ask your questions around ALE implementation and compliance. We will meet individually with as many attendees as possible.
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Office hours will be held on the fourth Friday of each month through May 2023, except December which will be held on the third Friday.
- Friday, December 16, 2022 | 9 am - 10 am via Zoom
If you are not able to attend and have questions, please contact us via the Learning Options email.
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Approvals and Signatures in ALE
Requirements
- WSLP – Requires approval by a certificated teacher, or school-based support staff for students with 100% online courses.
- Monthly Progress Review – Documentation should indicate name of certificated teacher making the monthly determination of progress, or school-based support staff for students with 100% online courses.
- Intervention Plan – Documentation should indicate the name of certificated teacher developing the plan, or school-based support staff for students with 100% online courses. When developed by a school-based support staff for students with 100% online courses, the documentation should also indicate the approval by the certificated teacher.
What is the difference between an approval and a signature?
- A signature is a method of approval, and considered a best practice.
- Signatures may be inked, or digital, such as in a digital form or document.
- Best: save a pdf or image of the original approved document if it is meant to be revised regularly (e.g., WSLP).
- Digital examples include: DocuSign, Google Forms, pdf signature function.
- Most documentation platforms (e.g., School Data Solutions) include a dated approval entry.
- Approvals/signatures must be dated (time is not required).
- Signatures, approvals, and dates should not be easily modified
Review the Guide to Offering ALE (page 32) for more information on records and documentation including:
- Documenting the development of an intervention plan.
- Documenting student and/or parent participation in the development of an intervention plan.
For further guidance, view the Guide to Offering Alternative Learning Experiences.
Reach out to one of the ESD contacts for a schedule of upcoming events in your region.
The following Botvin LifeSkills Grants are offered through OSPI. Applications for the 2022-2023 academic school year are open.
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LifeSkills Training Substance Abuse Prevention Grant (Form Package 761) This grant will cover the cost of the teacher and student LifeSkills Training (LST) Middle School Program manuals (which are to be purchased directly from Botvin LifeSkills).
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Facilitator Training Grant (Form Package 961) allows educators/counselors to participate in the “Middle School Online Training” offered directly by Botvin LifeSkills. Applications are due January 12, 2023.
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Readiness to Implement LifeSkills Grant (Form Package 962) allows schools, districts, and/or ESDs to analyze local Healthy Youth Survey data, identify substance use prevention and intervention needs, and explore the Botvin LifeSkills Curriculum to see if it is a good fit for them. Applications are due January 12, 2023.
Visit the LifeSkills Training Substance Abuse Prevention Grants website for more information.
Contact Doua Kha, Student Behavior Support Program Supervisor, at doua.kha@k12.wa.us with questions.
One reward for reading this newsletter is that you’re among the first to learn that additional funding in the amount of $10,275 will soon become available to all schools identified as eligible for Comprehensive-Graduation Rate supports with existing grants in form packages 873 and 874. This brings your 2022-23 grant award total to $65,275.
What should you do now? Just be thinking of how you might use the extra money to further support your School Improvement Plan goals. Do a little dance if you like, but please do not take any action yet with your iGrant. Notifications with details and step-by-steps will be sent next week to districts via EDS and to school leaders via email as soon as systems are ready for you to act. We just wanted to share the good news as soon as we could.
You’ll have until Monday, February 6, 2023, to apply for these extra funds. Watch your inbox next week for more information coming from OSSI.
Contact Mary Adams, Continuous Improvement Program Supervisor, at mary.adams@k12.wa.us with questions.
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ALE Administrator Meeting on January 20, 2023 from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Register here!
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Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) will be held February 13-15, 2023 in Austin, TX and online. More information and registration is available on the conference website.
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Washington Association of Learning Alternatives (WALA) Spring 2023 Conference will be held February 22-24, 2023 at the Davenport Grand in Spokane, WA. More information and registration is available on the conference website.
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GATE Equity Webinar Series Regular monthly webinars. Information and registration available through the GATE website.
Contact Us!
For more information about Learning Options, please contact us at learningoptions@k12.wa.us, or visit our OSPI Learning Alternatives website.
For specific questions, contact us by email:
Director: Rhett Nelson
Alternative Learning Experience: Anissa Sharratt
ALE & Open Doors Accountability/Mastery-based Learning: Liz Quayle
Online Learning: Nicole González
Choice Transfer
Home-based Instruction
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