Plans for the Use of ESSER III Funds

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1	FY2022 FC119 ESSER III Funds Application Workbook
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3			Pittsfield
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5			Plans for the Use of ESSER III Funds: The United States Department of Education (USED) is requiring two plans from all recipients of ESSER III funds: 1) A plan for the safe return to in-person instruction and continuity of services The requirement for this plan is likely met by your District Reopening Plan submitted to DESE in August of 2020, along with any subsequent amendments (see Tab 3 Assurances). It will need to be revisited and revised as necessary every 6 months, including soliciting stakeholder input and considering changes to CDC guidance. 2) A plan for the Use of ESSER III Funds, based on broad stakeholder input, and addressing the following: • The district's prevention and mitigation strategies, including extent district has adopted CDC recommendations ( Step 4.4) • How the district will use its 20% reservation of ESSER III funds to address loss of instructional time with evidence- based interventions (Step 4.2 and Tab 6, Budget) • How the district will spend the remainder of its ESSER III funds for allowable expenditures (Tab 5) and budget (Tab 6) • How the use of ESSER III funds will respond to the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of all students, especially those disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (Tab 4.2, Tab 4.3), including:
6			• students from low-income families • students of color • English learners • students with disabilities • students experiencing homelessness • students in foster care • migratory students • students who are incarcerated • other underserved students This application, when fully and thoughtfully completed, along with your District Reopening Plans, will constitute the plans required by USED. These plans must be published on your website and must be accessible to families in a language they understand, either translated in writing or orally, as well as in an accessible format for those with disabilities. You should expect that DESE will be collecting data and other information from you as a result of implementation of your plans for and use of ESSER funds.
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8		Step 4.1 of 4.4	ESSER III regulations require that the stakeholder groups below be meaningfully consulted as part of the planning process for use of ESSER III funds. Which of the following groups have you consulted with? (check all that apply)			If you have not yet consulted with this group in planning for use of ESSER III funds, when and how do you plan to get their input?
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11				Students
12				Families
13				School and District administrators, including special education administrators
14				School leaders
15				Teachers
16				Other educators
17				School staff
18				Unions representing educators and school staff
19				Tribes*		Not Applicable
20				Civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations)*
21				Stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners,
22				children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, children
23				who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.*
24				who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.*
25			*To the extent present in or served by the district
26		Step 4.2 of 4.4	Evidence-Based Strategies, Interventions, and Supports: Describe how ESSER III funds, including the required 20% reservation, will be used to respond to students' social, emotional, and academic needs through evidence-based interventions, how progress will be measured, and how/if chosen interventions address disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved subgroups. Select from the following list of evidence-based interventions and provide a narrative at the bottom of this step for any of your district's evidence-based initiatives that are not listed. Note: Your district's 20% reservation to address loss of instructional time must be spent on evidence-based interventions.
27			Enhanced Core Instruction			Our district is using ESSER III funds for this strategy	This strategy will address pandemic-related learning loss/disproportionate impact	What data will you use to measure progress?	Does this strategy/intervention address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic group, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care)? If yes, please explain which group(s) are being served, what impact is being addressed, and how this strategy/intervention will provide support.
28			Expanding access to full-day, high-quality prekindergarten			Select	Select
29			Purchasing and/or expanding use of high-quality, aligned instructional materials (any content area) and associated professional development			Yes	Yes	Purchase of core program materials will be meaured by internal standards-based assessments on the Illuminate platform and MCAS. Purchase of intervention programs will be meaured through FastBridge Reading Fluency and internal standards based assessments on the Illuminate platform. Principal evaluation data will also be reviewed.	The purchase of these materials will impact all groups in reading, mathematics and science. Having a high-quality curriculum along with educator professional development and coaching and disaggregating the data will improve internal benchmark scores. A diverse curriculum, selected with a DEI lens, will also ultimately be more engaging for students. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
30			Professional development for teachers and administrators re: culturally responsive teaching			Yes	Yes	Teacher survey data (baseline 2021), Disaggregated student performance and discipline data; Equity audit progress monitoring.	A recent equity audit indicated teachers felt they could not meet the needs of their students. Specifically, students from low-income families, students with disabilities and homeless students. Data in our schools also shows disproportionality in discipline, honors and intervention classes. Strategic professional develpment and coaching will help in breaking down the barriers to all students being successful.
31			Screening assessments and associated professional development (e.g., early literacy screening)			Yes	Yes	A kindergarten screening tool will be piloted and purchased. Measurement of its impact will be monitored through FastBridge. There will also be teacher feedback on the tool itself.	It is imperative to have screening data on our students when entering school in order to target sunskill deficits, as well as strengths. This data will allow intruction to be targeted to the students where the greatest gaps typically are. If we could create a strong foundation in grade K we can close the achievement gap that typically begins in grade K. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
32			Expanding access to career-technical education (including "After Dark" district/vocational partnerships), innovation pathways, and advanced placement courses (including fee subsidies and teacher training)			Select	Select
33			Extending the school day/year and prioritizing student access to additional time by student need			Yes	Yes	After school and summer enrichment and tutoring opportunities will be available to students. This isncludes opportunities for CTVE students to have additional working experiences. Busing will be included.	Benchmark data shows that economically disadvantaged and special education students have greater gaps in reading and math than their peers. Additionally, students who were typically "honors" students are not returning to school at the same level. After school programming and extended summer programming will afford students the opportunity of more strategic instruction. Almost 20% of students in the CTVE program are classified as students with disabilities and in need of this additional expereince.( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
34			Tutoring programs and support, including early literacy tutoring (including training paraprofessionals) and peer tutoring programs.			Select	Select
35			Developing or strengthening data cycles to facilitate and inform student learning and associated professional development and support personnel			Yes	Yes	The Illuminate platform will be used to generate formative and summative assessments. Data will be disaggregated and used to adjust instruction and student groups. Related professional development will be provided to educators.	All data is, and will continue to be disaggregated by special populations. Specific and targeted instruction, including extended ELA blocks will be offered to student to close gaps created by Covid. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
36			Early college programs, particularly those focused on students underrepresented in higher education			Select	Select
37			Targeted Student Supports			Our district is using ESSER III funds for:	This strategy will address pandemic-related learning loss/disproportionate impact	What data will you use to measure progress?	Does this strategy/intervention address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic group, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care)? If yes, please explain which group(s) are being served, what impact is being addressed, and how this strategy/intervention will provide support.
38			Developing or expanding high quality co-teaching and inclusion models for students with disabilities and associated professional development			Select	Select
39			Acceleration academies (during school year vacations) and summer learning opportunities for individualized instruction and enrichment			Yes	Yes	Placement in acceleration academies and summer programs will be based on data for many students. Growth in the identified deficit areas will be measured by Illuminate Standards-Based assessments. For summer programming, the students who attended the program will be compared like students who did not on the beginning of the year benchmark testing. IProgram use will also be tracked.	Specific student populations will be targeted in the selection process and this strategic and specific additional layer of instruction. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
40			Language support programs, including dual language and heritage language programs (students learning in-home/native language) and associated professional development			Select	Select
41			Community-based afterschool programs for parents, including citizenship and ESL classes			Select	Select
42			Dropout prevention and recovery programs			Select	Select
43			Talent Development and Staffing			Our district is using ESSER III funds for:	This strategy will address pandemic-related learning loss/disproportionate impact	What data will you use to measure progress?	Does this strategy/intervention address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic group, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care) ? If yes, please explain which group(s) are being served, what impact is being addressed, and how this strategy/intervention will provide support.
44			Academic support staff, including academic coaches, interventionists, student teaching residency programs, paraprofessionals			Yes	Yes	FastBridge Student Data, Illuminate Standards-Based Assessments, and ELA MCAS. Teacher surveys and data from learning walks will also be reviewed.	Each elementary school will have Literacy Coaches with a focus on early literacy. Additionally, intereventionists were increased in order to support the highest needs students. Strategic coaching cycles with clear student goals along with targeted research-based intervention will accelerate the learning for the students. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
45			Diversifying the educator workforce through recruitment and retention strategies			Select	Select
46			Strategies to staff hard-to-staff schools and positions with high-performing educators			Select	Select
47			Increasing staff and opportunities for arts, enrichment, world languages, athletics, and elective courses			Select	Select
48			Increasing high-quality common planning time for teachers and academic support staff			Yes	Yes	Student growth in targeted instruction blocks, teacher feedback, FastBridge Student Data, Illuminate Standards-Based Assessments, and ELA MCAS.	Collective teacher efficacy can triple the speed of student learning (John Hattie). Providing daily support meeting time in order for educators to collaborative plan, analyze data, and share best practices that promote literacy will impact all students is a focus. This time will also be used to determine WIN (what I need) instruction blocks where students will receive targeted instruction to fill gaps, reinforce, and enrich. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
49			Developing leadership pipeline programs for schools			Select	Select
50			Labor-management partnerships to improve student performance			Select	Select
51			Conditions for Student Success - Social/Emotional and Mental Health Supports			Our district is using ESSER III funds for:	This strategy will address pandemic-related learning loss/disproportionate impact	What data will you use to measure progress?	Does this strategy/intervention address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic group, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care)? If yes, please explain which group(s) are being served, what impact is being addressed, and how this strategy/intervention will provide support.
52			Increasing personnel and services to support holistic student needs, including school guidance and adjustment counselors, nurses, psychologists, and/or social workers			Yes	Yes	Panorama student, staff and family survey data. Discipline data will also be considered.	Student agency needs to be rebuilt after closures and hybrid learning models. Students, especially students with disabilities and students from low-income families were impacted the greatest due to accessibility. Additonal school adjustment counselors can provide direct support to students as well as guide teachers in embedding SEL throughout the day. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
53			Building/strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations to increase student/family access to services for mental/physical health and well-being			Select	Select
54			Working with community-based organizations that provide enrichment during the school day and/or out of school time			Select	Select
55			Arranging for wraparound services to be provided at schools			Select	Select
56			Engaging community partners to build capacity among educators and support personnel to implement equitable and culturally responsive learning environments			Select	Select
57			Create transitional programs, partnering with community based organizations, for students with mental health or behavioral-related absences returning to school			Select	Select
58			Parent-teacher home visiting programs to build positive relationships between home and school			Select	Select
59			Facilities improvements to create healthy and safe school environments			Select	Select
60			Other Interventions/Strategies/Supports Use this section to describe evidence-based strategies your district will fund with ESSER III that are not listed above				This strategy will address pandemic-related learning loss/disproportionate impact	What data will you use to measure progress?	Does this strategy/intervention address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved student subgroups (each major racial and ethnic group, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners, gender, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness and students in foster care)? If yes, please explain which group(s) are being served, what impact is being addressed, and how this strategy/intervention will provide support.
61			Family Engagement Coordinators				Yes	Student attendance, student discipline, academic data such as FastBridge and Illuminate, Panorama Survey data.	Family Engagement Coordinators will work with our most at risk students and vulnerable families. They will meet with students' parents/guardians and other stakeholders to ensure response to data leads to developed strategies for increased attendance with an emphasis on intervention planning, for effectiveness & adjusting plans as needed. FECs will provide technical assistance to families to develop a working relationship between home, school and community. They will also link families with community support. ( Major racial groups, students from low-income families, students with disabilities, English learners)
62			Virtual Academy				Select
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64							Select
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66							Select
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68		Step 4.3 of 4.4	Equitable Use of ESSER III Funds
69			How is your district taking educational equity into account when planning for expending your ESSER III funds? For example, 1) allocating funds both to schools and districtwide activities based on student needs, and 2) implementing an equitable and inclusive return to in-person learning by, for example, avoiding over-use of exclusionary discipline and creating a positive and supportive learning environment for all students.
70			Student performance, engagement, attendance, and discipline data was reviewed by building teams and on the district level. This data was disaggreagated by race and special student populations. Funding requests were then developed by district and building managers including the impact of all requests on students. These requests were reviewed and discussed at the Cabinet level. A survey prioritizing funding use was also sent to stakeholders. Schools with students having the highest academic needs received more human resource support (For example: literacy coaches, interventionists). While all schools received a Family Engagement Coordinator, schools with greater student needs (including socio-ecomonic and language) received a greater coordinator to student ratio. Schools who had more students classified as high needs also received more funding for after school tutoring and enrichment. All schools will receive a substantial amount of professional development so educators and administrators can support the needs of all students and close the gaps. Pittsfield Public Schools is focusing on accelerating the learning and as a result the addition of a grade K diagnostic screener will help to close gaps early in kindergarten. For our medically compromised students, there is the virtual academy option so that learning is uninterrupted for the 21-22 school year. Increased school adjustment counselor support will provide additional layers of scaffolding for our most at risk students and families.
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73		Step 4.4 of 4.4	CDC School Safety Recommendations This information will come from your District Reopening Plan as well as any supplemental/revised reopening policies for your district.
74			CDC Recommendation		Does your district have a policy or policies on this topic?	If "Yes," is it described in your District Reopening Plan?	If you have a policy but it is not described in your District Reopening Plan, please briefly describe here.
75			1	Universal and correct wearing of masks	Yes	Yes
76			2	Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (e.g., use of cohorts/podding)	Yes	Yes
77			3	Handwashing and respiratory etiquette	Yes	Yes
78			4	Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation	Yes	Yes
79			5	Contact tracing, isolation, quarantine in collaboration with health departments	Yes	Yes
80			6	Diagnostic and screening testing	Yes	Yes
81			7	Efforts to provide vaccination to school communities	Yes	Yes
82			8	Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies	Yes	Yes
83			9	Coordination with state and local health officials	Yes	Yes
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