ESSER III.xlsm

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2		Boston
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4		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:
5		• 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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7	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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10			Students		Student Commission; Student Members of the Superintendent's Commission; Student input on individual school plans
11			Families		Families provided input through in person and online public community events, as Members of the Superintendent's Commission, as members of the DistrictCommunity Equity Roundtable, and will consult with individual schools on school-specific investments through School Equity Round Tables.
12			School and District administrators, including special education administrators		Administrators were represented on the Superintendent's Commission, gave input through public community events, and will shape use of funds directly at each school site.
13			School leaders		School leaders were represented on Superintendent's Commission; gave in depth feedback to district leaders through a School Leader Advisor Panel on prospective cross-school investments, and all leaders, in consulation with their communities, will drive planning for a portion of ESSER funds.
14			Teachers		Teachers were represented on the Superintendent's Commission, have given feedback through multiple community meetings and digitial forums, and will have input into school-specific spending plans.
15			Other educators		Other educators have given feedback through multiple community meetings and digitial forums, and will have input into school-specific spending plans
16			School staff		School staff have given feedback through multiple community meetings and digitial forums, and will have input into school-specific spending plans
17			Unions representing educators and school staff		Representatives of collective bargaining units have given feedback at community meetings with the Superinteindent on ESSER; the leader of the largest CBU, the Boston Teacher's Union, was a member of the Superintendent's Commission.
18			Tribes*		Specific Tribes were not consulted.
19			Civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations)*		Members of such organizaitons were consulted via the Superintendent's Commision and the district's Community Equity Round Table.
20			Stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities, English learners,		Stakeholders representing the interests of English Learners, students with disabilities, and other historical marginalized youth were consulted via the Superintendent's Commision and the district's Community Equity Round Table.
21			children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care, migratory students, children
22			who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.*
23			who are incarcerated, and other underserved students.*
24		*To the extent present in or served by the district
25	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.
26		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.
27		Expanding access to full-day, high-quality prekindergarten			Select	Select
28		Purchasing and/or expanding use of high-quality, aligned instructional materials (any content area) and associated professional development			Yes	Yes	Student Grade Level Retention rate; Percent of trained educators implementing materials with fidelity; Implementation of culturally responsive pedagogy as captured via CRIOP	All students deserve access to grade level materials and instruction, yet students from historically marginalized groups (Black, Latinx, English Learners, Studens with disabilities, among others) have access to rigor in as little as 17% of assignments (TNTP, 2018). Adopting standards-aligned, high-quality instructional materials is the first step in ensuring all students have equitable access to grade level content. Implementation of each curriculum resource will follow a model started with the current literacy implementation and will be supported by expanded content teams. Trainings will occur in June and in August for school leaders, teachers and school-based coaches. Ongoing coaching on implementation will occur for a designated coaches fromeach school, and and successful implementation will be monitored and supported through CRIOP walkthroughs. All students will benefit from these practices and materials, however academic benefits will be most significant for students from the groups listed above who have historically been least likely to receive rigorous, cultrally responsive, grade level instruction.
29		Professional development for teachers and administrators re: culturally responsive teaching			Yes	Yes	Student Attendance; Student Course Passing rates; Implemenation of culturally responsive pedagogy as captured via CRIOP	Coaches will provide educators and administrators with professional development on culturally and linguistically sustaining practices, including culturally responsive teaching. Students from the groups listed above that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic are most likely to improve their academic performance when they have access to educators who are culturally responsive. Developing this practice in educators who serve diverse students will not be accomplished in a one time professional learning and will require ongoing professional development and coaching support.
30		Screening assessments and associated professional development (e.g., early literacy screening)			Yes	Yes	Student participation in assessment; access to assessments in language of instruction	In order to realize the mission of providing every child in every classroom what they need every day, BPS must have a balanced, comprehensive, and anti-racist assessment system that serves as both the target for excellence and the guide, through continuous feedback, on how to achieve that goal. An assessment system will lay the foundation for the creation of individualized learning plans for every student by ensuring that there are consistent measures of learning across the district that allow school staff to tailor instruction to meet the needs of all learners. The BPS community--students, families, teachers, school and district leaders, partners--must be able to access and understand the information provided from these tools in order to make informed decsions. Currently, BPS has started to build a balanced system, with several 'types' of assessments universally offered (screen, interim), and an anti-bias system, due to vetting and review committees. However, for the system to be anti-racist, comprehensive, understood and strategically used by all stakholders, as well as support the transformation of teaching and learning of Return, Recover and Reimagine BPS, we need to expand the types of assessment tools provided (language acquisition and native language content assessments, diagnostic assessments in math and literacy, performance assessments across disciplines), the strategy for assessment (data cadence, triangulation between multiple assessment types, assessment policy) and assessment (specifically) and data literacy (broadly). The successful implementation of such an assessment system will benefit students who have been most academically impacted by the pandemic.
31		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
32		Extending the school day/year and prioritizing student access to additional time by student need			Select	Select
33		Tutoring programs and support, including early literacy tutoring (including training paraprofessionals) and peer tutoring programs.			Yes	Yes	MAP assessment data; course passing, student retention and promotion rates	BPS will provide tutoring to students who require additional academic support, which will be concentrated on those students who have been disproprotionately academically and social-emotionally impacted by the pandemic.One modality for providing tutoring to address student need will be through a partnership with an online tutoring program. Any student can connect and speak with a tutor for 30 minutes or 6 hours. Their usage will never be capped and families will not have to pay a cent for seeking assistance. When working with a Paper Tutor, students should not expect to receive answers. Instead, their tutor will ask them guiding questions to get students thinking critically about what they know, what they’ve tried, where any misunderstandings are, and how to move forward. Students can use the tutoring access for support with coursework while on quarantine, admission/scholarship essays or SAT or Advanced Placement prep. Tutoring will also be provided via Acceleration Academies, from BPS staff/educators; BPS students (peer-to-peer); Community members/partners/leaders/stakeholder; and from Boston Partners in Education: Independent Learning Support (ILS) program
34		Developing or strengthening data cycles to facilitate and inform student learning and associated professional development and support personnel			Select	Select
35		Early college programs, particularly those focused on students underrepresented in higher education			Select	Select	School-based progress measures to be identified	ESSER III funds will be used during the FY23 and FY24 for schools. Because of this, determinations will be made after the submission of this grant and the specific outcomes and subgroups targeted for this strategy might vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations; Schools may elect to fund initiatives that meet the criteria for this strategy. Due to the planning needed in those year, we will not count the funds we anticipate supporting this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
36		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.
37		Developing or expanding high quality co-teaching and inclusion models for students with disabilities and associated professional development			Yes	Yes	Increase in the number of students in an inclusive setting; academic performance of all students in inclusive settings; academic performance of students with disabilities in inclusive settings	BPS will expand implementation of inclusion and inclusive practices across the district, allowing for more students to be able to learn in the least restrictive environment. Right now, Boston has 29% of students with disabilities placed in a substantially separate setting. This is 2.5 times the national average. Further, this disproportionately impacts Black and Latinx males as they are disproportionately put into substantially separate placements, particularly into substantially separate programs for students with emotional impairments. Black males have have a 3.6 risk ratio of being placed in these programs which means they are 3.6 times more likely to be placed into these programs than any other student. Coaches deployed to schools would be trained in building inclusion in schools in a durable and effective way. Funds will also be used for stipending the necessary school-based planning committees to reimagine inclusion in their buildings. This is a critical component for building staff voice. Finally, funds will also be allocated for school staff’s professional development and to increase central office capacity to support and monitor this work. Up to 30 new schools a year for the next three years as they under go their inclusion planning cycles. This approach has been purposely designed to be supported by the central office but driven at the school level by school-based planning teams. It is important that the expansion of inclusion is an inclusive process in and of itself. Teachers and community members will be integral parts of the planning cycles, playing key roles in developing the preferred models for each school. All district instructional staff must to have a deeper understanding of the importance of 'access to the curriculum,' if our students are to succeed, regardless of the current structure of their services. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the leading framework for explaining this to teachers. 21% of our students are students with disabilites; this is almost double the national average. One of the reasons for this is that not all teachers and administrators do not have a deep understanding and ability to give our students with disabilities equitable access to the curriculum. In instances where staff do not yet have the expertise to address the tremendous diversity and variability in our learners, our students struggle because they are not given full access to the curriculum. UDL would boost the achievement of those students who do end up needing special education services and those in general education and inclusive settings. To address the scale of need for development in this area, BPS will fund whole district professional development and ongoing coaching support from district personnel and partners, if need be. UDL coaching will be integrated with ongoing curriculum adoptions and implementation.
38		Acceleration academies (during school year vacations) and summer learning opportunities for individualized instruction and enrichment			Select	Select
39		Language support programs, including dual language and heritage language programs (students learning in-home/native language) and associated professional development			Yes	Yes	School-based progress measures to be identified	ESSER III funds will be used during the FY23 and FY24 for schools. Because of this, determinations will be made after the submission of this grant and the specific outcomes and subgroups targeted for this strategy might vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations; Schools may elect to fund initiatives that meet the criteria for this strategy. Due to the planning needed in those year, we will not count the funds we anticipate supporting this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
40		Community-based afterschool programs for parents, including citizenship and ESL classes			Select	Select
41		Dropout prevention and recovery programs			Yes	Yes	Decrease the number of students off track for graduation; decrease drop out rate	Students who are from low-income families, students with disabilities, and/or English learners are most likely to lack credits needed to graduate and are at greater risk for dropping out. BPS will invest in expanded nights and weekends credit recovery program to target students who are off track to graduate; the number of these students has increased during the pandemic. ESSER funds will expand seats at the current BPS credit recovery program and increase access to the Edmentum Credit Recovery platform while also providing resources for a working group to investigate which high needs student groups have not been effectively served by current credit recovery programs and to create a new program to target these students as well. To prevent students from falling off track and take a more proactive approach to drop out prevenetion, BPS will invest in an expansion of the My Career & Academic Planning program to students as early as 6th grade. The MyCAP program begins graduation and post-secondary planning early; evidence from current implementations in Boston and other districts indicate that students who are engaged completing key milestone experiences through MyCAP beginning in the middle grades have greater post-high school outcomes. In conjunction with an expanded investment in guidance counseling targeted at middle to high school transition, we expect this investment to decrease both drop outs over the next three years and decrease the number of students falling off track for graduation.
42		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.
43		Academic support staff, including academic coaches, interventionists, student teaching residency programs, paraprofessionals			Yes	Yes	School-based progress measures to be identified	Academic Recovery Directors who provide coaching support to all BPS schools will be specifically focused on helping schools' instructional leadership teams understand and create plans to address the disproportionate academic impact of the pademic on students. The impacts these staff address and the specific groups of students will vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations. Further, some schools may elect to hire Academic support staff, including academic coaches, interventionists, student teaching residency programs, paraprofessionals. However, because those determinations will be made after the submission of this grant and the specific outcomes and subgroups targeted for this strategy might vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations, we will not count the funds we anticipate schools will use to support this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
44		Diversifying the educator workforce through recruitment and retention strategies			Yes	Yes	Scaled scores and student perception data for students of educators benefiting from retention supports; proportionality in staffing.	Early career teachers are more likely to be teaching in schools that serve high numbers of students in the groups mentioned that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. We will invest in supports for early career educators by buiding their capacity to provide rigorous and transformative instruction in alignment to the BPS’ adopted curricula and the state standards in order to augment achievment for all BPS students. Working in collaboration with the New Teacher Development Program (NTD), the New Teacher Center (NTC) will provide professional support and deveopment to school based New Teacher Developers (NTDs) to differentiate and improve support for our new teachers. 1. The NTD program partnered with the Regional Education Laboratory (Northeast & Islands) Professional Development and Learning Alliance, to investigate how the elements of BPS’ New Teacher Development (NTD) program were implemented, how this implementation varied across participants’ characteristics, and how the program elements were associated with teacher retention beyond the first year. The results of the study have implications for the NTD program in three broad areas: dosage, content and demographic alignment of new teacher-mentor pairs. The final report has not been published but we have a preliminary report that can be shared upon request. 2. An independent i3 Validation grant evaluation found that after 2 years of NTC coaching support, 4-8 grade students of NTC-supported teachers demonstrated 2-4 months of additional learning in reading and 2-5 months of additional learning in math compared to students of the control group teachers, who received traditional coaching support. 3. Teacher Retention: 90 percent of our teacher mentors staying in the district and 30 percent increased retention across the teachers who we have coached. 3. An i3 Scale Up study shows teacher practice improved at a faster rate for those supported by NTC-trained mentors and their students gained up to 6 months of additional learning in math after one-year of support from NTC-trained mentors. NTC’s programming and related findings meets ESSER’s Tier 2: Moderate Evidence requirements 4. Educators Thriving was the focus of a doctoral capstone and participants in the program have reported statistically significant improvements in their well-being based on validated psychological measures of burnout, resilience, and subjective well-being.
45		Strategies to staff hard-to-staff schools and positions with high-performing educators			Select	Select
46		Increasing staff and opportunities for arts, enrichment, world languages, athletics, and elective courses			Yes	Yes	MAP literacy assessment data; student participation in athletics; student participation in arts; student perceptions of school climate	Three strategies in this category: 1) Address historic barriers to providing high quality arts access by supporting a city wide arts expansion by providing studio arts and music materials and equipment to all schools. This will address historically unequal and inequitable access to high quality music and arts programming and equipment that has disadvantaged BPS students from low income families, those with disabilities, and English Learners. 2) Expand access to high quality library services. Currently about 45% of BPS students access a school library program and students from the categories above are systematically less likely to benefit from these services at the moment. Funding will support both creation of space and expansion of culturally sustaining collections. Library teachers will collaboratively plan inquiry based learning experiences and school-wide initiatives including multi-lingual strategies and MassCore programming to cultivate pathways for students to become agents of their own learning. Effective school library programs will serve as the heart of the school community where students, staff, families, and community members to practice their rights to intellectual freedom. Strong professional development and support for school librarians practice will ensure that investments in materials and spaces translate to high quality student learning experiences. 3) Expanding access to Athletics programming to address inequities in access that disadvantage students at certain schools that disproportionately serve students in the groups listed above. Funds would be used to scale high quality athletics programming in place in other schools. Access to quality athletics programming over time has social emotional and academic benefits for participating students.
47		Increasing high-quality common planning time for teachers and academic support staff			Select	Select
48		Developing leadership pipeline programs for schools			Yes	Yes	Proportional diversity of School Leader candidates and hires	In order to ensure we have a consistent and ready set of school leaders who are prepared to make systemic and lasting change, we must have leadership pipelines that prepare aspiring leaders to be culturally, instructionally, managerially and operationally sound. Additionally, when we as a district support pipeline programs, we can ensure we are recruiting and selecting a diverse set of educators that reflect the demographics of our student body. Investments in leader development is an investment in our student achievement, opportunity and well being as well as an investment in the incredible adults who are charged with setting the conditions in which our students thrive. We currently support five pipeline programs that prepare our educators to transition to AP roles and prepare educators and administrators to transition to the Principal and Head of School Role. These piplines are currently populated with 85% leaders of color and are designed with partners to build on the strengths and assets of their programs and to specifically meet the needs of leaders in our BPS context. We are seeking funding to ensure that we are able to maintain these pipelines to ensure a continued and consistent pathway for educators to grow, develop and serve students, staff and families in administrative leadership positions. The ultimate impact of pipeline programs we will assess is Student acheivement and perceptions of climate in schools in which leaders cultivated by a pipeline program are placed.
49		Labor-management partnerships to improve student performance			Select	Select
50		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.
51		Increasing personnel and services to support holistic student needs, including school guidance and adjustment counselors, nurses, psychologists, and/or social workers			Yes	Yes	Daily nurse coverage rates; number of students accessing social work counseling; students on track to graduation	We will implement strategies in this category:1) Increasing nursing staffing in schools, targeting schools with populations that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and other health related inequities to make sure all students in these schools have access to nursing support on a daily basis. 2) Training and providing evidence-based counseling materials to social worker district-wide to increase the quality of services provided to students. This will target students who have experienced mental and emotional challenges due to the pandemic in the past two years. 3) Dramatically increasing guidance counseling staff in high schools. These staff will focus on supporting students in the middle to high school transition and with early graduation success planning. While all students will have access to counseling services, students will be prioritized for intensity of support based on academic status, thus the investment will target those who have been most academically impacted by the pandemic.
52		Building/strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations to increase student/family access to services for mental/physical health and well-being			Select	Select		ESSER III funds will be used during the FY23 and FY24 for schools. Because of this, determinations will be made after the submission of this grant and the specific outcomes and subgroups targeted for this strategy might vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations; Schools may elect to fund initiatives that meet the criteria for this strategy. Due to the planning needed in those year, we will not count the funds we anticipate supporting this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
53		Working with community-based organizations that provide enrichment during the school day and/or out of school time			Yes	Yes	Student Course Passing Rates; student participation in athletics; student participation in arts; student perceptions of school climate	BPS will expand access to before and after school academic and enrichment programs, partnering in many cases with community based organizations to provide these opporutnities. This initative will expand access based on need with a focus on students who are English Learners, those from low-income families, and those who have historically struggled academically. Providing additional time in academic and enrichment activities will impact both academic measures such as course passing rates, as well as non-academic measures such as student perceptions of school climate.
54		Arranging for wraparound services to be provided at schools			Yes	Yes	Number of families finding permanent housing; course passing rates of students receiving mentoring	Housing Stability Services provided in School: Research shows that housing instability causes trauma and disruption to families which can substantially inhibit children’s healthy development. Students experiencing homelessness have lower academic achievement than that of the general student population. However, the evidence on the extent to which children experiencing homelessness are additionally vulnerable compared to similarly economically disadvantaged children is more mixed. Some studies have shown that children in homeless families experience poorer academic performance and more developmental delay, sickness, and behavioral health problems than children in both poor housed families and children in the general population. Researchers have also explored some of the factors that influence the risk of poor academic outcomes for children experiencing homelessness. For example, studies have found school mobility is a predictor of poor educational outcomes both on its own and even more so when combined with homelessness. On the other hand, good school attendance, supportive family interactions, higher levels of self-regulation skills and early education can help protect children against the harmful effects of housing instability on academic achievement. Interventions targeting homelessness have shown positive effects on children’s academic outcomes. Gubits et al (2018) showed that long-term rent subsidies improved both housing stability and reduced children’s school mobility and absenteeism. Another intervention that provided housing and case management services to families leaving shelters was found to reduce school absences and child behavior problems. Since spring 2020, BPS has permanently housed 520 families, who were previously experiencing homelessness, through a groundbreaking partnership with Boston Housing Authority (BHA) and FamilyAid Boston. Critical to this partnership is the coordination and integration of supplemental funding sources that allow for the housing search assistance, case management, and wraparound services necessary to truly stabilize families. Furtnermore, BPS is partnering with the Boston College School of Social Work, United Way, and FamilyAid Boston to conduct critical research regarding the effects of housing stability on student outcomes and achievement. Approved as a BPS research study in SY20-21, this research will be inherent to better understanding the impact of housing stability, both for students experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness, on their academic achievement. This effort promises to contribute to the overall body of research, thereby informing systems change both locally in Boston , as well as nationally, as other communities explore innovative ways to provide housing stability as a means to educational stability, and ultimately, improved long-term student outcomes. By focusing on stabilization for both students experiencing homelessness, and economically disadvantaged students at risk of homelessness, this component will enable equitable recovery, while mitigating detrimental impacts, for two of our most vulnerable student populations. Mentoring & Tutoring for youth experiencing homelessness: Meta-analysis by The National Mentoring Partnership shows that mentoring helps young people, especially opportunity youth, succeed in school, work, and life. Evidence suggests that young people’s experience confirms this: youth with mentors are more likely to report engaging in positive behavior. These activities translate into the higher self-esteem and self-confidence that are necessary traits for youth to engage in teamwork and community work, and to be successful over the longterm. In their research, opportunity youth with a mentor were more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities, holding a leadership position in a club, sports team, school council or another group and volunteer regularly in their communities. Moreover, research by Boston University's Center for Promise shows that relationships should be an explicit part of supports for young people and emphasized in the strategic plans and programming of an organization or initiative. Institutions are important, but, at the end of the day, people drive outcomes. The Center’s quantitative and qualitative studies emphasize that relationships are paramount; they are the make or break ingredient for whether a young person will stay in school, re-engage in school if they have left, and embark on a positive career trajectory.
55		Engaging community partners to build capacity among educators and support personnel to implement equitable and culturally responsive learning environments			Select	Select
56		Create transitional programs, partnering with community based organizations, for students with mental health or behavioral-related absences returning to school			Yes	Yes	School-based progress measures to be identified	ESSER III funds will be used during the FY23 and FY24 for schools. Because of this, determinations will be made after the submission of this grant and the specific outcomes and subgroups targeted for this strategy might vary slightly based on the needs of specific school populations; Schools may elect to fund initiatives that meet the criteria for this strategy. Due to the planning needed in those year, we will not count the funds we anticipate supporting this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
57		Parent-teacher home visiting programs to build positive relationships between home and school			Select	Select
58		Facilities improvements to create healthy and safe school environments			Yes	Yes	School-based progress measures to be identified	While all operational investments share the goal of creating a healthy and safe school environment, the exact proportion that meet the criteria for failities improvements as described here is yet to be determined based on ongoing needs assessments. We will not count the funds we anticipate supporting this strategy towards the 20% calculation in Column U of Tab 6.
59		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.
60		More specifics regarding the evidence based recovery strategies funded by ESSER III will be included in our public plan, to be posted within 30 days of receiving ESSER III funds from DESE.				Select
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67	Step 4.3 of 4.4	Equitable Use of ESSER III Funds
68		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.
69		Please see here for how BPS has considered equity when planning for the use of ESSER funds: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/162/ESSER%20Equity%20Impact%20Statement%20for%20SC%20Presentationpdf.pdf. Here is a description of the school allocation from public guidance (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xr-5G2hcfq4I4_8gg4Uw34bzi9p3KxNdZr7I0EuxoXM/edit) : With the guidance of the ESSER Commission (https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/Page/8680) (which includes school leaders and a school superintendent representative) for ESSER II allocations, we determined a system for making an initial school allocation that awards funding based on the number of high need students in each school. This will serve as a starting point for determining equitable distribution of ESSER III funds to schools.
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72	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.
73		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.
74		1	Universal and correct wearing of masks	Yes	Yes	Page 34 of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
75		2	Modifying facilities to allow for physical distancing (e.g., use of cohorts/podding)	Yes	Yes	Page 34 of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
76		3	Handwashing and respiratory etiquette	Yes	Yes	Page 34 and 59of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
77		4	Cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities, including improving ventilation	Yes	Yes	Page 44-49 of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
78		5	Contact tracing, isolation, quarantine in collaboration with health departments	Yes	Yes	Page 36-37 of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
79		6	Diagnostic and screening testing	Yes	Yes	Page 36-37 of the Reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
80		7	Efforts to provide vaccination to school communities	Yes	Yes	Page 3 of the Back to school plan: https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.bostonpublicschools.org//cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2366/Welcome+Back+-+Boston+Public+Schools+School+Year+2021+-+2022+-2+NEW.pdf and page 11 of the reopening plan: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/cms/lib/MA01906464/Centricity/Domain/2894/BPS%20Fall%202020%20Reopening%20Plan%20Draft%202%208.14.2020-updated%208-21.pdf
81		8	Appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities with respect to health and safety policies	Yes	Yes	Throughout the mass guidance. Home & Hospital programs (Masking & Accessing Buildings)
82		9	Coordination with state and local health officials	Yes	Yes	Yes, both the reopening plan and the back to school guide for this year. Reviewed all policies and procedures. Signed off on all H&S provisions. Confirmed all cases to the BHC (Page 9)
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