Criterion

Definition

Rationale

Proposal provides justification and significance of the project demonstrating the “why” and the “need”. This should help to tell the story of how this proposal came to fruition.

Justification for Budget Proposal

Proposal clearly states how the requested amount was decided on with a potential plan for how funding will be budgeted for the completion of the project.

Transformative

Proposal demonstrates the potential to create meaningful, systemic change for a DPS school or group of students (i.e., could be scaled to reach more students than those directly involved in the proposed project)

Equitable

Proposal demonstrates how it will provide resources, support, and/or opportunity for historically marginalized, under-resourced students who face systemic inequities

Feasible

Proposed work seems feasible to complete and meet the desired outcome within the described timeframe and funds requested

Assessment

Proposal demonstrates how it will collect data and insight on how this project met intended outcomes and if the impact was made with the target audience.

Wellness Centered (WHOLE Schools Fund ONLY)

Proposal demonstrated a clear mental health focus, centering on increasing the social-emotional wellness of DPS teachers, students, and/or families. The intended impact is clear and there is a plan and a process for assessing it.

Innovation (Innovation Grants ONLY)

Proposal demonstrates and highlights the implementation of a new insight or new idea, with an emphasis on the potential enhancements this will create for the target audience.

Score Sheet

Criterion

8

Exemplary

6

Adequate

4

Emerging

2

Needs Improvement

Rationale

Strong justification

and significance for the project. Addresses

specific need(s) common

among a DPS school(s) or group of students within a DPS school.

Justification or significance

of project tends toward

the too-specific or too-

general, but overall

argument holds.

Weak presentation of

school or community need, or weak argument for the project’s ability to address

need.

Unconvincing or no

evidence of need

presented, or projectl does not address

stated need.

Justification for Budget Proposal

Thoroughly addressed each expenditure with a clear justification; and provided a detailed account of expenses.

Addressed each expenditure with a clear justification; provided an account for major expenses.

Addressed the major expenditures with a basic justification.

Vaguely addressed a justification for expenditures.

Transformative

Project demonstrates transformative work that includes the possibility of being replicated and/or scaled across the district.

Project demonstrates meaningful change for a DPS school or group of students within a DPS school.

Project somewhat demonstrates work that would create change within a school community but lacks meaningful, systemic change for the school or group of students.

Project does not demonstrate transformative work.

Equitable

Project clearly demonstrates both an equitable and scalable approach to providing resources, support, and/or opportunity for historically marginalized students.

Project demonstrates an equitable approach to providing resources, support, and/or opportunities for historically marginalized students.

Project somewhat demonstrates the potential to equitably provide resources, support, and/or opportunities for historically marginalized students.

Project does not demonstrate how it will provide resources, support, and/or opportunity for historically marginalized students.

Feasible

Project seems feasible to complete and meet desired outcomes within the timeframe and funds requested and has the potential to be scaled or replicated in other school communities or across DPS.

Project seems feasible to complete and meet desired outcomes within both the timeframe and funds requested with some deficiencies or overestimations.

Project seems feasible but does not necessarily meet the desired outcomes within the described timeframe or funds requested. Outcomes are unlikely to be achieved in the project’s current form.

Project does not seem feasible to complete or meet the desired outcome with insufficient information.

Assessment

Project has a clear picture of how data will be collected and used to demonstrate a degree to which outcomes are met

Project has a good understanding of some

results or success, but

the plan lacks some details

about data collection or analysis methods.

Project has some understanding of results but lacks details about data collection or analysis methods.

Projects evaluation plans are missing or unusable

Wellness Centered (WHOLE Schools Fund ONLY)

Project has an extremely clear mental health focus and demonstrates a powerful and meaningful approach to increasing socio-emotional wellness. It is very clear what the intended impact would be and a feasible plan and process for assessing it.

Project has a mental health focus and centers on increasing socio-emotional wellness. There is an adequate plan for assessing impact.

Project has a mental health focus, but it is somewhat unclear if it would increase socio-emotional wellness. The plan for assessing the intended impact is not clear.

Project does not have a clear mental health focus and does not seem to center on increasing socio-emotional wellness. There is no plan for assessing the intended impact.

Innovation (Innovation Grants ONLY)

Project represents the

implementation of new

insight or idea, with

potential benefits made clear for a DPS school(s) or group of students within a DPS school.

Project somewhat represents some implementation of

emerging innovation or

trend, with potential

benefits specified for a DPS school(s) or group of students within a DPS school.

Project represents an idea that isn’t innovative but has some innovative characteristics that will benefit a DPS school(s) or group of students within a DPS school.

Project has no innovation described

or specific potential

improvement defined.