Acting Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

Project Graduation Summer and Continuation Academy Grants

As part of the state’s Project Graduation initiative, I am pleased to announce two remediation grant opportunities for the eight Superintendents’ Regional Study Groups. Grant proposals will be accepted from individual school divisions and from partnerships of school divisions within a Superintendents’ Regional Study Group. Please note italicized sections that indicate changes from previous Project Graduation grant opportunities.

Project Graduation Summer Regional Academy Grants

The first grant opportunity is the Project Graduation Summer Regional Academy Grant. The purpose of this grant is to provide remedial instruction during the summer of 2006, for rising seniors (class of 2007) and rising juniors (class of 2008) who have not earned verified credits in English: Reading, English: Writing, Algebra I, and/or Geometry. Special consideration should be given to students in subgroups whose graduation rate falls below that of the subgroup with the highest graduation rate. School divisions and regions should review their graduation data to justify a focus on particular subgroups.

In recognition of the changes in graduation requirements that become effective with the class of 2007, proposals that include remedial instruction for students in history and science will also be considered. To provide additional assistance to students with disabilities who are pursuing Modified Standard diplomas, Summer Academy proposals that include remediation for students who need to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements of that diploma will be considered as well. Please note that students that complete a Modified Standard diploma can continue their enrollment in school, as the Modified Standard diploma is not a terminal diploma.

Each Superintendents’ Regional Study Group is eligible to receive approximately $85,000 to implement a Project Graduation Summer Regional Academy Grant for the summer of 2006. The standard model is for one school division to act as the fiscal agent for each grant; however, several sites within the region may serve students. In addition, more than one grant application from a region will be accepted. Individual school divisions are eligible to apply, although each division may participate in only one grant application per region.

The final grant awards will be based upon approval of the proposal, including all required forms and signatures, and meeting the submission deadlines. Regions with very high population densities may be eligible for additional funding based on the 2005 summer regional academy enrollments and the number of divisions participating from each region. The funds will be disbursed on a cost reimbursement basis. Additional information including grant requirements and timelines can be found in Attachment A.

The academy must focus on student instruction that is based on data derived from diagnostic instruments and previous assessment results for each student. Data from previous academies should be used to identify effective strategies and practices.

Project Graduation Continuation Academy Grants

The second grant opportunity is the Project Graduation Continuation Academy Grant. Each Superintendents’ Regional Study Group is eligible to receive up to $75,000 to implement a Project Graduation Continuation Academy Grant for the summer of 2006, under the same requirements as the Summer Regional Academy Grants described above. These are intended for students who were scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2006, but lacked verified credits in English: Reading, English: Writing, Algebra I, and/or Geometry. Special consideration should be given to students in subgroups whose graduation rate falls below that of the subgroup with the highest graduation rate. School divisions and regions should review their graduation data to justify a focus on particular subgroups.

Students with disabilities who are pursuing Modified Standard diplomas may receive remediation services to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements of that diploma. The Continuation Academy should be innovative and provide the students with instructional approaches that have proven to be successful with this at-risk population. Additional information including grant requirements and timelines can be found in Attachment B.

The table below clarifies the intended audience for Project Graduation Academies. Applications for the next round of Academic Year academies will be available in August 2006.

Academy	Academy Period	Target Audience
Academic Year	Late fall of school year until May of school year	Seniors who need to earn verified credits to graduate in June of the school year the grant is issued.
Summer Academy	June through August	Rising seniors and juniors who need verified credits to graduate.
Continuation Academy	June through August	Seniors who were scheduled to graduate in June of the year the grant is issued, but were unable to become candidates for graduation because they had not accumulated the required number of verified credits.

If you have questions regarding these two grant opportunities, please contact Tabitha Foreman Tabitha.Foreman@doe.virginia.gov, high school initiatives specialist, Office of Middle and High School Instruction, at (804) 786-1993.

PIW/TEF/yba

Attachments

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2006/inf062a.doc

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/suptsmemos/2006/inf062b.doc