First in the World (FITW) ProgramDevelopment Competition WebinarMay 14, 2015

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Disclaimer
        - The purpose of this webinar is to provide information about the Development competition in the FITW program.  The webinar provides the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of various statutory provisions and does not impose any requirements beyond those included in the FITW notice inviting applications (NIA) for the 2015 grant competition; and other applicable laws and regulations.  In addition, it does not create or confer any rights for or on any person.
        - Do not rely solely on the information in this webinar.  
        - Please refer to the NIA published in the Federal Register for additional information.  This is the official document governing the competition.   The application package is in  www.grants.gov

General Information
        - A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is on the FITW Web site:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fitw/faq.html
        - The FITW staff is unable to address applicant specific questions at any time during the competition.
        - There will be a webinar on evidence standards on May 19, 2015 at 3:00 p.m., Washington DC time.

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The FITW Program (2015)
        - Development competition—pilot and test strategies for meeting postsecondary challenges
        - Validation competition—replicate tested strategies across multiple entities in postsecondary education
        - These competitions have separate NIAs and application packages

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Purpose of FITW 
        -  Part of a national agenda to lead the world in proportion of citizens with postsecondary degrees, credentials, and certifications
        -  Focus on high-need students for persistence and completion
        -  Focus on evaluation based on published evidence standards
        -  Establish a database of proven, effective practices 

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Dates to Remember
        - May 11, 2015 application period opens
        - May 14 (Development Webinar); May 15 (Validation Webinar); and May 19 (Evaluation and Evidence Requirements Webinar)
        - June 30, 2015 at 4:30:00 application period closes
        - July 1 – September 30 review of proposals
        - September 30, 2015 FITW awards announced
        - October 1, 2015 grant period begins

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Cautions from 2014

Submit early—The deadline is June 30, 2015, 4:30:00 pm.  

Register for SAM in time--can take up to two weeks to complete.  It takes 24-48 hours to activate in grants.gov

Write clearly—Peer reviewers have only your writing to evaluate

Understand eligibility—Applications are ineligible if they do not meet all program requirements

READ THE NIA AND FAQs.  UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS. PLAN AHEAD.

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Development Competition Profile 
        - Development grants support the piloting and testing of new or substantially more effective practices for addressing widely shared challenges.  
        - Development projects aim to address problems of national importance.
        - Applicants are encouraged to design a rigorous and independent evaluation that if well-implemented, produces evidence about the project's effectiveness that would meet the What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards with or without reservations.

Development Competition Profile 
        - Total appropriation is $60,000,000 with up to $16,000,000 set aside for MSIs
        - Two competitions--Development and Validation—One Appropriation
        - Development Competition:  6 - 8 awards
        - Estimated Range:  $1,000,000 - $3,000,000

     (budgets may not exceed range cap but may be below the

     estimated range)

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Development Competition Profile 
        - Three Absolute Priorities
        - One competitive preference priority (optional)
        - Four Selection Criteria 
        - Four-year grant period.  Forward funded.  Each year is October 1 - September 30

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Key Requirements
        - Address one absolute priority and one of the subparts.
        - Implement practices that serve high need students.
        - Be supported by strong theory and include a logic model.
        - Project evaluation must be designed and implemented to see how well it would meet the “Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness” with or without reservations.

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Key Requirements
        - All Eligible Applicants Must implement Strategies, Programs, or Practices for High-Need Students. 
        - High-need student means a student at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support such as adult learners, working students, part-time students, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, first-generation students, students with disabilities, and students who are English learners.

Note: To be eligible for an FITW Development award, an applicant must identify how the proposed project serves high-need student populations. However, while the definition provides examples of high-need students, it does not attempt to define all possible populations.   Applicants must identify how their project serves high-need students.

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First?  Read!
        - Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) in Federal Register and on FITW Web site
        - Download application package in grants.gov (84.116F)
        - FAQs on FITW Web site

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Who is eligible?
        - FIPSE statute:  “Institutions of higher education, combinations of such institutions, and other public and private non-profit institutions and agencies”
        - Only Development applications are eligible for a Development award. 
        - Applicants may submit only one FITW application in 2015 (Development or Validation).
        - 2014 Development grantees may not apply for 2015 Development competition, but may apply for 2015 Validation competition.

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MSI Eligibility 
        - Applicants applying for MSI eligibility must indicate MSI status request on the “Abstract and Information Page.”
        - Institutions qualify as an MSI if they meet one of the following conditions: 

Have participated in the FY 2015 designation of eligibility process and received an approval letter to apply for grant programs under Title III and Title V; 

Have an open grant under one of the Department’s Title III or Title V programs; or

Have been designated as an HBCU or a Tribally Controlled College or University. 

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MSI Eligibility 
        - If an applicant does not meet any of the criteria in the previous slide, IPEDS data will be used to determine the proportion of minority students served.  In some cases, applicants must also meet the needy student and E&G expenditure requirements. 
        - For more information see the Eligibility section in the application package.
        - Eligibility for an MSI application is determined solely by the status of the lead institution.

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Questions?

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FY 2015 Priority Structure and Subparts
        - Three absolute priorities apply to the FY 2015 FITW Development competition.  
        - For Absolute Priority 2 and Absolute Priority 3, we have identified multiple subparts.  Applicants that address one of these absolute priorities must select one subpart that the proposed project will address.
        - Applicants must list the absolute priority on the Abstract and Information page and explain in greater detail the same priority in the Project Narrative.

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Absolute Priorities

Absolute Priority 1: Improving Teaching and Learning. 

Applicants must address the following: 

Instruction-level tools or strategies such as adaptive learning technology, educational games, personalized learning, active- or project-based learning, faculty-centered strategies that systematically improve the quality of teaching, or multi-disciplinary efforts focused on improving instructional experiences.

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Absolute Priorities

Absolute Priority 2:  Developing and Using Assessments of Learning. 

Applicants must address one of the following subpart areas:

Alternative assessment tools or strategies such as micro- or competency-based assessments, assessments embedded in curriculum, or simulations, games, or other technology-based assessment approaches.

OR

(b)  Aligning assessments across sectors and institutions, such as across kindergarten through grade 12 and postsecondary education systems or across two-year and four-year institutions, to improve college readiness and content delivery.

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Absolute Priorities

Absolute Priority 3:  Facilitating Pathways to Credentialing and Transfer.

Applicants must address one of the following subpart areas:

(a)  Seamless transfer of credits between postsecondary institutions; 

OR

(b)  Validation and transfer of credit for learning or learning experiences from non-institutional sources.

Competitive Preference Priority

Competitive Preference Priority (CPP) - Up to 5 additional points (optional):

Implementing Low Cost-High Impact Strategies to Improve Student Outcomes.  
        - The page limit for addressing this CPP is 2 pages. 

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Selection Criteria
        - The selection criteria are the criteria against which the peer reviewers score each application.
        - The Department selects grantees based on peer reviewer scores, so clearly addressing the selection criteria is critical.
        - The project narrative should be organized in four labeled sections that correspond and follow the order of the four selection criteria.
        - The maximum score that any applicant may receive on the four selection criteria is 100 points.
        - The page limit for addressing the selection criteria is 30 pages.

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Significance (up to 20 points)
        - Narrative should include major challenges in higher education and indicate how the proposal addresses the challenges.
        - Applicant should discuss how the project supports new or substantially more effective practices for addressing widely shared challenges in postsecondary education.
        - Do the planned innovations have the potential to be replicated at other IHE’s?
        - Conducting a literature review can be useful.

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Project Design(up to 30 points)
        - Define the target population, number of students involved, and any challenges and needs addressed in the project.
        - Describe how the proposed approach is a substantially different way to address the absolute priority selected. 
        - Describe the theory of how the proposed project components could achieve the intended outcomes, using a logic model.  

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Adequacy of Resources(up to 20 points)
        - Describe any specific resources related to the successful implementation of the project such as facilities, equipment, and supplies. 
        - Letters of commitment should be submitted to demonstrate the institutions level of commitment to the project. 
        - Describe how the requested funds are reasonable in relation to the complexity and scale of  the project.  
        - Select a project director who is well acquainted with the institution and experienced in executing large and complex projects. 

Quality of Project Evaluation(up to 30 points)
        - Make sure that every project goal and objective is measurable
        - Describe the evaluation plan, including how its design and implementation will meet the definition of Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness.  
        - Applicant should include a description of the total unduplicated number of students involved in the project. 
        - Applicant must select an evaluator independent of and external to the institution.  The evaluator should have experience in the design and management of evaluations designed to meet WWC Evidence Standards.

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Review Process 

Two Stage Review Process
        - Stage I - Content reviewers read the entire application, but score only selection criteria 1, 2, and 3 (Significance, Project Design, and Resources).  They will also review and score the competitive preference priority.
        - Total possible points awarded for stage one - up to 75 points.
        - Stage II: Separate panels of expert evaluation reviewers assess highly rated proposals from Stage I on selection criterion 4—Quality of the Project Evaluation (up to 30 points)

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Review Process  
        - A rank order of all applications will be developed based on the peer reviewer evaluations. 
        - Peer reviewers will review and score applications against the established selection criteria.
        - Peer reviewers will come from varied postsecondary backgrounds and professions, including college and university educators, researchers, and others with evaluation expertise.  
        - All reviewers will be thoroughly screened for conflicts of interest to ensure a fair and competitive review process.

Budget Tips 
        - Budgets should reflect the scale and scope of the project.
        - Budgets may not exceed estimated range of $1-$3 million.   Budgets may be lower than estimated range.
        - Budgets will be evaluated by peer reviewers for relevance and appropriateness.  FIPSE staff will also review budgets to ensure that proposed costs are reasonable and allowable.  
        - Budgets must use ED standard form 524 and a budget narrative that includes the costs and justification of costs. 

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Budget Tips 
        - No cost share or matching funds
        - Scholarships and student financial assistance are not an allowable cost. 
        - Rules about allowable costs are included both in EDGAR (see  http://www.ed.gov/policy/fund/reg/edgarReg/edgar.html ) and in the cost principles contained in CFR (formerl y Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular:  A-21 for institutions of higher education. See  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2012-title2-vol1/CFR-2012-title2-vol1-part220/content-detail.html .
        - The indirect cost rate for FITW is 8 percent. 

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Application Checklist

Part A

Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424)

Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424 

Budget Summary (ED Form 524)

Abstract and Information Page

Project Narrative Form
        - Responses to the Selection Criteria
        - Significance 
        - Quality of the Project Design
        - Adequacy of Resources
        - Quality of the Project Evaluation

Part B

Other Attachments Form
        - Project director resume
        - Key personnel resumes
        - Evaluator resume
        - Letters of commitment 
        - Budget narrative form

Assurances/Certifications
        - GEPA Section 427
        - Assurances – Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)
        - Certification Regarding Lobbying (formerly ED 80-0013 form)
        - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

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Applying Through Grants.gov
        - Electronic submission required through grants.gov unless you have a waiver.  The application uploading process is time consuming.  Please submit your application several days before the closing date 
        - On grants.gov homepage, go to the “Apply for Grants” link.  Use the search engine and type in “First in the World.”
        - If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726.  You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and keep a record of it. You can also contact them via e-mail at  support@grants.gov . 

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Registering for SAM.gov 
        - Submitting an application in Grants.gov, requires registration  in the System for Award Management (SAM).
        - The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database.  Allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. 
        - Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov.  To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, the U.S. Department of Education prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at:   http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html . 
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Resources

First in the World Web site: 

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fitw/index.html

Development Notice Inviting Applications:

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/05/11/2015-11336/applications-for-new-awards-first-in-the-world-program-development-grants

Notice of Final Priorities:

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/05/11/2015-11333/final-priorities-requirements-definitions-and-selection-criterion-first-in-the-world-program

Application Package: 

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=first in the world

FAQs: 

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fitw/faq.html

Questions about the FITW Development Program: OPEFITWDevelopment@ed.gov

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Contact Information
        - Frank Frankfort - Validation

frank.frankfort@ed.gov

     202-502-7513
        - Gary Thomas - Development

gary.thomas@ed.gov

     202-502-7767
        - Sarah Beaton

sarah.beaton@ed.gov

     202-502-7621
        - Kelly Harris

kelly.harris@ed.gov

     202-219-7083

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Questions?

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