The Rhode Island Department of Education Awarded a 6-12 Comprehensive State Literacy Development (CLSD) grant, in an amount exceeding $300,000, for grades 6-12 in Smithfield.
Rhode Island was awarded 20 million dollars over five years for the CLSD grant. The goal of the program is to ensure all students have access to High-Quality Curriculum Materials (HQCM) and educators are supported to implement the new HQCM and address areas of student need. Grant awards will begin July 2020.
Smithfield is in the process of adopting a high-quality curriculum in grades K-5 after a two-year vetting and piloting process. The district is currently utilizing a locally-developed curriculum in grades 6-12. Through this grant, the district will conduct a curriculum review process, procure high-quality materials, and provide sustained professional learning opportunities in order to implement a grade 6-12 ELA curriculum with fidelity.
While the timeline for the grant will need to be revised due to the COVID-19 interruption, the goal is to procure high-quality instructional materials in the spring of 2021. Following that purchase, an ELA specialist from Instruction Partners will help teachers navigate the options within the program. The expectations for use and the assessment plan will then be documented in district curriculum templates to help with consistency in implementation. A sustained, job-embedded professional learning plan will be finalized by the team and walkthrough data will be collected once per quarter for three years using the Instructional Practice Guide developed by Student Achievement Partners.
Grant funds will support professional learning days provided by the publisher of the instructional materials, Instruction Partners, and the DBI consultant. Over the 5-year grant, the total cost of this training is estimated to be about $115,000. The grant will also support the purchase of high-quality curriculum materials. The approximate cost for instructional materials for grades 6-12 is estimated to be about $150,000. This grant project is being led by our assistant superintendent, Sara Monaco, who will be assisted by the GMS and SHS principals.