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Summer 2024 5Q Application: CBO and School Programs (K0-8 and Teens)

Due by 5pm on Friday, February 16th, 2024


The Boston Public Schools (BPS) 5th Quarter Portfolio, a division of the Opportunity Portfolio, is a key strategy committed to identifying and increasing equitable access to high-quality summer learning opportunities that take an anti-racist approach and align all work with Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices (CLSP).  5th Quarter Summer Learning programs will have the following outcomes:

  1. Stem summer learning loss and promote equitable literacy; 
  2. Provide enrichment opportunities that develop student socio-emotional skills and increase student efficacy by building skills and competencies - paying careful attention to any additional social-emotional needs created by the pandemic
  3. Strengthen the effectiveness of school-community partnerships; and 
  4. Promote student health, safety, and wellbeing.

Minimum Criteria: To be considered for funding, programs must meet ALL of the minimum criteria below:

  1. Organization must be a BPS school or a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization.
  2. Programming must be offered to participating students at no cost
  3. Non-profit organizations must commit to fundraising at least 10% of their direct funding request from sources outside of this 5th Quarter Portfolio.
  4. Program driven recruit and enroll BPS students eligible for proposed programming. Funding is only provided for Boston Public Schools students (does not include charter, private or parochial school students) and funded programs must create new seats to serve BPS students whose schools have selected them for enrollment in a Summer Learning Academy. A “new seat” is defined as a seat not restricted to pre-registered or pre-enrolled students. Programs must accept students on a rolling basis until enrollment closes.
  5. Program must serve a minimum cohort of 30 student participants per site who attend a Boston Public School and consistently attend over the course of the entire program. 
  6. Program must recruit and hire licensed teachers of appropriate grade level and/or content area to conduct academic instruction.
    • Applicants are expected to recruit BPS teachers/paraprofessionals/community field coordinators via their school partnerships
    • Ensure that the applicants complete the district's application and hiring process prior to the close of the hiring deadline
    • Program Coordinator mark all staff for hire on the BPS Hiring Spreadsheet before the close of the headline decline
  7. The program must offer a minimum number of program hours and academic hours, according to the following grade level guidelines:
    • PRE-K-GRADE 8/CBO led Teen Programming:
      • Program must span a minimum of 25 total days offered at a minimum of 6 hours per day for a minimum of 150 total program hours.
      • Program must offer a minimum of 75 hours of ELA and/or Math aligned with BPS Academic Standards and grade-level Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
      • Program must include enrichment activities and programming into the schedule.  Enrichment can be provided by program staff, via an after-school program provider, or through an external organization that is contracted to provide enrichment services.
      • Program must maintain a minimum adult-student ratio at all times during programming: PreK-K – 1:11; Gr. 1-8 – 1:15; Gr. 9 - 12 1:25
  8. School-proposed programs must accept a minimum of 15% of participants from the surrounding neighborhood and/or other school(s). Up to 85% of student participants may be enrolled from the home school.
  9. Applicants must attend or complete mandatory training sessions scheduled by the BPS Summer Learning Team.
  10. Program MUST implement the following measurement tools:
    • District Academic Assessment - grades 3-8 (rising 4th-9th)
    • Observation by an Assessment of Program Practices Tool (APT) Certified Observer - all grades
    • Survey of Academic & Youth Outcomes – Youth (SAYO-Y) - grades 3+ (rising 4th+)
    • Holistic Student Assessment – Retrospective Pre Post (HSA-RPP) - grade 5+ (rising 6th+)
    • Survey of Academic & Youth Outcomes – Teacher (SAYO-T) - all grades
Application Review Process: Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel of experts that is committed to developing and fostering an inclusive and equitable community of summer learning partners and experiences.  Our review committee will include Central Office Staff, School Staff, and Students who will audit your application for service category eligibility and alignment to the BPS Strategic Plan 2020-2025.  Strong application candidates will have a robust academic component that integrates CLSP and meets or exceeds the minimum criteria for academic hours. Application scoring also takes into account the Opportunity Index of schools served and applicants will receive a copy of their scores after funding decisions are released.

Please review the following information carefully before beginning your application: 

The 5th Quarter Portfolio is not intended to fully fund proposed programs and funding is limited. In an effort to more equitably fund programs, applicants from Community Based-Organizations and Nonprofit Partners are asked to demonstrate their fundraising capacity to support their Summer Learning Academy by committing to fundraise a minimum of 10% of their summer operating costs from sources outside of this 5th Quarter Portfolio. This will continue to be an eligibility requirement for all Community Based-Organization and Nonprofit Partner programs applying for 5th Quarter funding that will be assessed upon the submission of your application and program budget. BPS Schools are exempt from this requirement. 

BPS Schools and Community Partners that meet the minimum criteria and are committed to expanding opportunities for Boston Public Schools students to equitably access anti-racist and culturally and linguistically relevant summer learning programs are invited to apply for the 2023 5th Quarter Portfolio using this application. Applications that do not meet the minimum criteria will not be considered.

Application Process

STEP ONE: Attend a Formal 5th Quarter Information Session to learn about any changes and updates to the 5th Quarter Process

STEP TWO: Complete the application below.

BOTH STEPS for all applications must be completed by February 16th.

After applications are submitted on February 16th, the applications will go through a vetting process to determine if applicants are accepted into the 5th Quarter Portfolio. Applicants will be notified of their application status by early to mid-March.

January 22nd: Release of 5th Quarter Application
January 16th - January 26th: Scheduled Information Sessions and Application Support calls
February 16th5th Quarter Application Due by 5pm
February 19th - First week of March: Reviewers will score applications and reach out with any questions or concerns regarding your submitted application(s).
To Be AnnouncedThe 5th Quarter Summer Learning Academies selected and announced, followed by 5th Quarter Orientation for all Summer Learning Academies (K0 - 8, CBO and School sites, all High School Credit Recovery programs)



Questions? Please submit all related questions via email to summerlearning@bostonpublicschools.org


Section 1: Organization/School Overview








Section 2A: Service Category Descriptions

Summer Learning Academy
  • This category means you intend to provide a general education program offering both academics and enrichment to students in grades K1-11 (rising K2-12). These programs are not intended to provide course credit for students. All students, regardless of their LEP status can participate and content should be differentiated, but these programs would not be required to hire ESL certified teachers to provide instruction. 
  • Must meet all minimum criteria listed earlier in the application based on grades served (For K-8 and CBO led Teen Programming) 150 total hours over 25 days with a minimum of 75 hours of ELA and/or Math


Summer Learning Academies can also fall into the English Learner Summer Learning Academy subcategory. In addition to the requirement of Summer Learning Academies, please see the additional requirements below.

English Learner Summer Learning Academy 
  • This sub-category means you intend to serve ONLY English Learners in your program or have separate strands for ELs and non-ELs. In order to receive funding for this category, classrooms must be separated by EL status. Classrooms with staff funded by Title III funds must be 100% English Learners to be eligible for funding. 
  • Must meet all minimum criteria for Summer Learning Academies and hire ESL Certified or SEI endorsed staff to serve classrooms with 100% English Learners. 

Section 2B: Program Model
1. Design: Provide relevant information regarding your Program Schedule and Design.  Your model must clearly demonstrate alignment to our 5th Quarter priorities and outcome goals, including integration of Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices. 

2. Schedule






3. Curriculum: Provide relevant information about your program’s curriculum. 







6. Technology: Provide relevant information about your program's technology needs




5. Staffing: Provide relevant information about your program's staffing structure.

Section 2C: Program Impact









Section 2D: Program Equity 





The Boston Public Schools is committed to maintaining an educational environment and workplace where individuals of all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, encouraged, included, and can flourish. We aim to eliminate all forms of bias and bigotry, including discrimination based on race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), physical or mental disability, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics, and military status. The Boston Public Schools is resolved that prejudice and disparate treatment will never impede our learners or our educators. (Please see full BPS Nondiscrimination Policy ).

Section 2E: Program Budget





Section 3: Partnership Information

5th Quarter programs must include both academic and enrichment activities and programming into the schedule.  Enrichment can be provided by program staff, via an afterschool program provider, or through an external organization that is contracted to provide enrichment services. Academics must be provided by appropriately licensed teachers. 


Section 4: Proposed Service

Please note:
  • the minimum criteria is 30 BPS students per site.
  • to add another site, select "Add another response" at the bottom of the page. Information for all sites is needed be considered for the 5th Quarter of Summer Learning.

Site



Anticipated Site Locations 

If you are a community based organization planning to use a BPS school site, please note that due to limited availability of specific BPS Facilities for Summer 2024, you are asked to prioritize three school sites that could accommodate your program. Please refer to the list of BPS Schools here and provide up to three school buildings. Remember to seek confirmation with the school leader prior to listing their school as an anticipated site location for Summer 2024.







Anticipated Site Location #2 







Anticipated Site Location #3 







How Can Families Learn More About the Program?


Logistics
















Partnerships






Section 5: Common Evaluation Tools

All programs in the 5th Quarter are dedicated to providing high-quality academic and enrichment programs, and fostering students’ social-emotional skill development. To understand the impact of 5th Quarter programs on students and to inform future program improvement, 5th Quarter programs will be expected to implement common evaluation tools, including the following:
  • Collect 5th Quarter student consent forms
  • Enroll students in ASPEN and/or 
  • Track student and staff attendance in Boston Beyond’s Partner Portal*
  • Host a third-party observation*
  • Administer student surveys on program experience and social-emotional skill development
  • Administer academic assessments as directed by BPS
  • For school-based programs only, agreement to administer both school-year Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 MAP Growth or MAP Fluency
  • Complete staff surveys on students’ social-emotional skill development.*
  • Programs receiving EL funding must track student growth utilizing district measurement tools. 
*Programs offering Credit Recovery must track attendance in ASPEN, but will be exempted from the requirements to host a third-party observation and complete staff surveys on students’ social-emotional skill development.