All sample proposals were prepared by Grants West, which has raised $100 million for nonprofit groups.

21st Century Community Learning Center Proposal
Amount awarded: $387,000 over three years

This federal grant application responded to a specific "request for proposals" format provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The following proposal identifies four focus areas, and aligns the needs assessment and program plan with those focus areas to develop a consistent and logical format.

This document is a modified format of the actual application, and does not include budget information or attachments that were submitted with the proposal. The name of the school and school district have been changed, but the content is identical to the material that was submitted. Please note that the length of this proposal is short by federal standards (thanks to the wisdom of a well-organized division within the U.S. Department of Education). Most federal proposals are more complex and lengthy.

1. NEED FOR THE PROJECT
Families who live in northwest Lightsville faces serious challenges, including poverty, crime, unemployment, and low educational attainment. One Jefferson Elementary neighborhood has one of the ten highest child poverty rates in Colorado (1990 US Census). Close to 40% of high school students at Lightsville High School, the feeder school for Jefferson students, drop out of school. The target area for this proposal is served by other federal programs such as Head Start, Family Preservation, Welfare to Work and Weed and Seed.

The following information describing poverty rates and economic problems that face Northwest Lightsville is for background purposes only, as the proposal is not designed to directly create economic opportunities that will eliminate poverty. Certain elements of the proposal, specifically adult education, may provide families with tools to escape poverty. The proposed program does directly target student achievement, adult education, crime, substance abuse prevention, healthy families, and early education.

POVERTY (background information only; not a focus area for proposal)
More than 77% of Jefferson Elementary students are eligible for free/reduced breakfasts and lunches (740 of 958 students). In two of the census tracts within school boundaries, one-third of the population is in poverty (the poverty rate for school age children in census tract 78 is 62.9%). The Lightsville Housing Authority conducted a recent study of the people in public housing, and found that 94.5% were female head-of-households, 57% earned $4,800 a year or less. According to a 1999 projection by InfoUSA, 20% of households in zip code 00010 -- which encompasses Jefferson Elementary School -- earn less than $15,000 annually (CACI/InfoUSA, 1999). More than 72% of Jefferson students participate in the federal free/reduced lunch program (LPS only tracks participation rates; the actual eligibility rate may be higher).

EMPLOYMENT/ECONOMIC (background information; not a focus area for proposal)
Though the overall unemployment rate in 1990 for Lightsville as a whole was just 5.2%, three of the four census tracts comprising Northwest Lightsville experienced unemployment at approximately triple that number. Lightsville has suffered several economic setbacks. In 1995, the Lowry Air Force Base and Stapleton Airport closed; Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center closed in 1998. Directly and indirectly these closures have led to a huge loss of jobs and negative residual impact on the local economy and community businesses. Redevelopment plans for Lowry, Fitzsimmons and Stapleton are all in their early stages, and it is hard to know right now if those plans will ever make up for the economic loss Lightsville suffered in the past five years. Colfax Avenue, a main boulevard in the proposed service area, has long been a notorious haven for drug trafficking and prostitution, and hosts businesses such as pawnshops, temporary day labor employment agencies, adult-oriented businesses, dangerous bars, and check cashing sites.

FOCUS AREA 1: STUDENT ACHIVEMENT
Last year’s graduation rate at feeder Lightsville High School was 69.5%; at the alternative school William Henry High less than 23% of students graduated. The transiency rate at Jefferson exceeded 114% in 1997 (compared to the District’s elementary school average of 52.4%). The chart below shows how well students at Jefferson met LPS content proficiencies, compared with statewide averages.

Jefferson students perform poorly compared to other Colorado students on the Colorado Statewide Assessment Program. Only 21% of Jefferson’s 3^rd grade students met proficiencies on the reading test – or a 46% lower proportionately than other schools statewide. Only 18% of Jefferson’s 4^th graders were proficient in reading, compared to a statewide average of 60%. Additionally, only 5% of 4^th graders were proficient on the writing test.

Colorado Statewide Assessment Program (CSAP) Results
% Jefferson students meeting CSAP proficiencies
Statewide Comparison

On the Riverside Math Performance Assessment, only 8% of Jefferson’s 5^th Graders met proficiencies – scoring in just the 10^th percentile. Jefferson 2^nd and 5^th graders also fared poorly on the District Writing Assessment.

Addressing Student Achievement: The proposed center will incorporate tutoring and academic enrichment activities that support student achievement in the classroom, and help students meet proficiencies required by Lightsville Public Schools and the State of Colorado. Lightsville Public Schools has established a promotion policy requiring that students being promoted from second to third grade meet the performance requirements in a least two of the three cornerstone areas of reading, writing and number sense. Students classified as 2B (3^rd grade students who did not meet two of the three performance requirements) will receive extra help.

FOCUS AREA 2: JUVENILE CRIME AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
A 1995 risk assessment by the City of Lightsville's Build a Generation project found a sharp increase in juvenile delinquency and crime (a 73% increase in juvenile arrest rates for substance abuse in a five year period; a 1312% increase in gang activity during a three year period). Washington County has a juvenile crime arrest rate of 324 per 1000 (KidsCount, 1998). The Washington County juvenile crime arrest rate and violent arrest rate are more than double the Colorado average. Two years ago, Jefferson Elementary had the highest suspension rate of any elementary school in of Colorado.

On an Lightsville Public Schools annual survey of student drug use, the percentage of 5th and 7th graders who have admitted to being multi-drug users and heavy alcohol consumers has increased from approximately 1% in 1993 to close to 5% in 1998. Of 7th graders, the percentage admitting to moderate involvement (occasional use of marijuana, alcohol or other drugs) has increased from 10% in 1993 to 24% in 1998. Of 11th graders surveyed, the average age they said they first got drunk was 14.2 years and the average age of first marijuana use was 13.8 years.

Two years ago, the Lightsville Police Department conducted a study of crimes near Jefferson Elementary, determining that 527 crimes occurred within a 1000 foot radius of the school. Crime is a fact of life that children growing up in North Lightsville may come to view as normal. The Lightsville Police Department has told Lightsville Public Schools that peak youth crime hours are between 3pm and 6pm.

Organized recreation/cultural activities offered by community agencies have been found to decrease substance use and delinquency by providing an incentive for youth who are disengaged from schools to be involved in school activities. This creates an opportunity to provide more structured intervention activities that target substance abuse and other high risk behaviors (CSAP Technical Report 13: A Review of Alternatives Activities and Alternatives Programs in Youth-Oriented Prevention, 1996).

Addressing Juvenile Crime and Substance Abuse: The proposed afterschool enrichment activities creatively incorporate and stress lessons of conflict resolution, substance abuse prevention, and nonviolence. Program hours operate during a peak youth crime period.

focus area 3: Adult education and family stability

Many adults who do not speak English or have low educational attainment live in the target area. According to the census, approximately one-quarter of adults in the area do not have a GED. At Jefferson, the percentage of Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students has increased from 16.5% in 1994-95 to 66.5% in 1999-2000. A 1997 study by the Denver Post found that "the immigration tidal wave of the 1990s has hit Lightsville Public Schools harder than any other district in Colorado."

Other family issues are of concern. The rate of child abuse in Washington County is 39% higher than the state average. Zip code 00010, which includes most of the target area – and neighboring 00011 -- had 1,208 child protection cases in 1996, or the largest number of cases in any area of Madison County. In 1995, 51% of all teen pregnancies in Lightsville occurred within the same two zip codes (Lightsville has ten zip codes). Based on need, Lightsville Mental Health Corporation has placed a therapist on-site at West. 00010 is also one of only three Denver area zip codes that qualifies for federal infant mortality prevention funding.

Addressing Adult Education and Family Stability: Adult programs will include subjects such as computers, financial planning, parenting classes, English as a Second Language, and other related areas.

 
FOCUS AREA 4: Early education programs
Within a two mile radius of the highest need area, there are only 7 child care centers serving a capacity of 452 children, and 29 family child care homes serving a total capacity of 228 children. In a more affluent area of South Lightsville, the capacity for child care within a two mile radius is nearly five times as high for center-based care, and double for family child care homes. Demand has increased so substantially for quality preschool that Lightsville Head Start now has a 100 family waiting list.

Addressing Early Education Programs: After 3pm, Jefferson Elementary School’s preschool room is vacant. To meet the high demand and need, preschool will be provided for 32 three-, four- and five-year old children. Child care will be provided during evening hours for parents participating in activities.

2. PROJECT DESIGN
Lightsville Public Schools developed this proposal based on the four focus areas, developing specific activities based on each need, and creating measurable tools to evaluate whether or not students and parents are succeeding. Programs will serve children (preschool to 5^th grade), parents and community members. We are projecting that 128 K-5 students will participate in afterschool activities, and 32 preschool students. Approximately 60 parents will participate in community learning center programs, some enrolling in more than one program. Jefferson will provide 12.5 hours a week of youth programs over five meetings for 33 weeks during school year, and four to six hours a week of adult programming over a 48 week period. Summer activities will also be provided over a six week period. Students will meet for two hours a day for enrichment activities and field trips similar to those outlined in this proposal. Each of the four goals directly correlates to the four focus areas described above.

Goal 1: Students who participate in the programs at the learning center will improve their academic achievement.

Student Achievement Objective 1A: The average daily attendance, grades and school behavior for students who participate in the program for a minimum of one semester will demonstrate improvement greater than the whole school data for the same indicators.

Student Achievement Objective 1B: Students involved in tutoring activities for a minimum of six months will demonstrate academic improvement of .5 grade level, utilizing instruments such as the Riverside Performance Assessments, Colorado Student Assessment Program and Lightsville Public Schools instructional tools as a pre/post measurement.

Goal 2: The community learning centers will improve student attitudes, and lower their risk for substance abuse and involvement with the juvenile justice system. Programs such as violence/substance abuse prevention, conflict resolution, and academic enrichment will be provided.

Prevention Objective 2: School engagement will demonstrate an increase of the .05 level of significances for project participants from beginning to end on a post-retrospective measure of the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets.

Goal 3: Parents and other adults will have opportunities to obtain new academic, life and language skills.

Adult/Family Objective 3A: Approximately 40 adults will participate in financial management, technology classes, and other adult community programs. Approximately 75% of participants will demonstrate proficiency on an exit assessment for each course.

Adult/Family Objective 3B: Of the parents attending parenting education classes, 75% will demonstrate growth on an exit assessment. 90% of parents will express satisfaction on an exit survey.

Adult/Family Objective 3C: Over 50% of the parents of students who consistently attend the afterschool program will attend a family night.

Goal 4: To provide early education programs for preschoolers, helping them obtain social, emotional, intellectual, motor and gross motor skills.

Preschool Objective 1: Of the 32 children enrolling in preschool programs, 90% will demonstrate improvement in meeting developmental goals and obtaining age-appropriate skills as measured by the Kindergarten Screening Inventory.

Preschool Objective 2: Approximately 75% of parents will report conducting parent-child enrichment activities at home, as recommended by preschool staff.

Proposed Activities
Activities are based on the 21^st Century Community Learning Center absolute priorities, expanded learning opportunities for children and youth, and reduced drug use and violence, and to the following six program activity areas: Literacy education programs; preschool and child care services; summer and weekend school programs in conjunction with recreation programs; Parenting skills education programs; Telecommunication and technology education programs; and Integrated education, health, social service, recreational or cultural programs. Academic, recreational and violence/substance abuse programs will be created to serve Jefferson Elementary students.

Students will be identified by the school/community liaison, parents, school counselors, teachers, and principals. Afterschool educational and recreational activities will all include a focus on violence de-escalation and substance abuse prevention. The proposed program will provide approximately 2.5 hours of afterschool programming (four to five days a week), periodic field trips, and evening hours for adults. On Mondays and Wednesdays 64 students in grades 1, 2, and 3 will participate in academic and enrichment activities; on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 64 fourth and fifth graders will participate. On the first Friday of each month during the school year, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd graders will go on age appropriate field trips, special events, or community service activities; 4^th and 5^th graders will participate in these activities on the third Friday of each month.

Hours may be extended based on input from community members, students, parents, school faculty, and collaborative partners. To increase the investment by families in the program, a nominal fee will be charged. Parents can lower that expense by volunteering, receiving credit for each volunteer hour, for up to 20 hours per year.

Parents and other community members will be invited to participate in the series of adult education classes, parenting classes, and family activities. A preschool program will be created to serve 3, 4 and 5 year-old children at Jefferson Elementary when school is not in session. Child care will be provided during evening activities to ensure that parents and community residents can participate. A youth advisory team will be established, meeting regularly to provide youth input into program direction. Below is a description of the proposed programs and activities. Each program area correlates to one of the four goal areas described above.

Student Activities
As the school day ends, students continuing in afterschool activities will first receive a nutritional snack, and have an opportunity to participate in a brief physical activity to unwind and let off steam. Next one-half of the students will complete homework with adult support and receive academic tutoring in reading and math skills (see Student Academic Programs). The other one-half of students will participate in enrichment activities (Violence/Substance Abuse Prevention Activities). The two groups of students will switch activities part way through the afternoon.

Time Schedule for Monday – Thursday academic and enrichment activities:

3:30 – 4:00 All participating students have a snack and participate in physical activity on the playground

4:00 – 4:45 ½ of students go to classrooms for tutoring/homework, ESL tutoring, and computer activities

½ of students go to the gymnasium for cooperative games, arts/crafts, and music/dance

4:45 -- 5:30 Student groups switch into other activities

5:30 – 6:00 All 64 students gather for stories/reading time and homework completion

 
1) Student Academic Programs
Students will maintain a list of all of their school assignments, and select homework from that list to be completed. Tutoring (focused on Cornerstone subjects of math, reading and writing) and English as a Second Language will be provided by certified teachers, with support from volunteers. These Enrichment activities will also focus on English language acquisition and oral language development. In addition, computer enrichment activities will support student achievement, focusing on learning software and academic tutoring.

A focus has been placed on tutoring students who are having difficulty meeting benchmarks in the three cornerstone proficiencies of reading, number sense and writing. Small group activities will be held for 3^rd grade students classified as 2bs, or students who did not demonstrate proficiency in two of three cornerstone proficiencies in number sense, reading or writing. This classification is part of a new Lightsville Public Schools Promotion/Retention policy. The students will advance to third grade, but will receive intensive remediation in reading, writing and math until they demonstrate mastery of the 2^nd grade proficiencies in those areas. Positive enrichment activities will facilitate improved academic achievement in the cornerstone areas and a positive connection to the school community. These students will be identified by school staff as needing additional help, and will receive personalized help from tutors and teachers to improve their reading, writing, and math skills. Student progress will be closely monitored. The youth and adult component of this program will take advantage of Jefferson’s new technology lab, providing classes for students, parents and community members.

Program activities will incorporate one or more of the Lightsville Public Schools Content Proficiencies, which are correlated with State of Colorado standards. Student performance standards, and required proficiencies and outcomes have been established for each of the six curriculum content areas (Arts and Humanities, Communication, Life and Career Management, Multicultural Education, Social Science, and Technology). Performance-based education at Lightsville Public Schools now requires students to complete 34 content proficiencies required for graduation.

2. Violence/Substance Abuse Prevention Programs
Age-appropriate activities will be implemented for elementary school students. Programs were identified based on "kid meetings" at Jefferson. Students recommended program activities in which they were most interested in participating. Counselors and teachers were also surveyed.

1. Student enrichment programs

After the snack and physical activity break, one-half of the students will participate in enrichment activities that support character development (the other group of students will participate in these activities later in the afternoon). Several of these activities will focus on prevention activities, problem-solving and critical thinking. These include solving murder mysteries, treasure hunts, " broken squares," and "across the river" activities, all engaging activities based on group decision-making and critical thinking. Students will rotate through enrichment activities in the following four program groups.

To conclude the afternoon, a reading and storytime session will be provided to further support the learning of Jefferson students. The City of Lightsville’s Office of Youth Development will provide several of the enrichment activities to Jefferson students; Lightsville Public Schools will develop the academic and life skills components to complement those activities.

Other activities will include field trips to museums, presentations by cultural arts performing groups and guest speakers to broaden and enrich student experiences. Community service activities will also be incorporated, such as volunteer time at a nursing home and a clean-up at the Lightsville Reservoir.

Several of the enrichment activities will incorporate prevention activities that reduce conflict, strengthen refusal skills, and build self-esteem. All afterschool components will integrate asset building activities that promote learning, positive values, social competencies, and positive identities; cooperative, and prevention education around areas of violence and substance abuse.

Staff will be knowledgeable in prevention and youth development, particularly in the asset-building model. Staff will receive joint training in areas of asset building, nonviolence education, violence de-escalation, positive youth development and other related areas. Training will be provided in-kind by Lightsville Public Schools and the City of Lightsville. Adult-to-student staff ratios will be between 1:8 and 1:10.

Twice a year, Jefferson will host a family celebration to recognize the participation of youth and showcase their successes. The event will be held at a convenient evening or weekend time, and will include a food, door prizes, student entertainment, parent education and a recognition ceremony. Families will come to the school to view the positive activities in which their children have been involved, and witness their child receiving an award for participating. Families will participate in educational "games" with their children, watch performances and have the opportunity to win prizes of family-oriented games, puzzles, craft materials, and other related items. Translators will be available for family events and specific programs to clearly communicate with parents the needs of their children.

Summer Program
During the summer months, two sessions of three weeks in length will be provided. Each session will meet for 3.5 a day for four days a week, and at least 60 students will participate. The sessions will focus on academic and enrichment program modules as described above [in 1) Student Academic Programs and 2) Violence/Substance Abuse Prevention], and recreational activities and field trips.

 
3) Adult education programs
Adult classes will be offered in hourly increments over a range of subjects, including financial management, computer skills, parenting and English as a Second Language. These classes were determined based on a community interest survey distributed to parents, and the community needs assessment. The school will offer at least 8 different courses over a years time. Course content and offerings will be based on adult learner needs. Child care will be providing for young children while parents are attending adult education evening programs.

Computer classes will be taught in word processing, spreadsheets, database and the Internet. Each course is taught over a three week period, two times a week. Class enrollment will be limited to 20 students. The school library will be open during adult education program hours, and adults and community members will be able to check out books.

Parent education classes will be provided by the Jefferson Family Resource Center, and will focus on subjects such as child development, misbehavior and discipline, helping children achieve goals and develop self-esteem, emotional development, and social skills. Financial management classes will focus on helping participants track their personal expenses and identifying a monthly budget, creating strategies for saving money and paying off debt, explaining how to establish or reestablish a good credit record, balancing a checkbook, and other related topics. ESL classes will be comprised of teacher-led large and small group activities, focused on teaching life skills required by the Colorado Certificate of Accomplishment, using textbooks, print materials, audio materials and teacher-designed items.

Information will be collected during the family nights to survey parents on their interests, and gather feedback on community strengths and resources they believe should be incorporated into the project. Courses will be designed based on identified need. We will also survey parents on what they find to be barriers to student and parent participation.

4) Early education/child care programs
Approximately 32 children, ages 3 through 5, will be enrolled in a late afternoon preschool program. Each child will attend preschool two days a week for 3 hours; it is hoped that the program will expand in the future. Jefferson Elementary has a preschool room that is available at the end of the school day. Funds from the Colorado Preschool Project, a state program that subsidizes preschool for low-income and at-risk families, will be available to some of the participating families. A sliding scale fee structure will be established to ensure that the program is able to continue. Classrooms will have no more than 16 children, and a 1:8 adult-to-child ratio. One certified teacher and one paraprofessional will lead developmental and educational activities. No preschool will be provided on Fridays in order to hold staff development and training activities, and to allow teachers to hold parent meetings.

3. INTEGRATION OF SERVICES

Staff will receive training on identifying families and children who need services, establishing a referral system, and coordinating with outside service agencies. The Jefferson Family Resource Center, a program based at Jefferson Elementary, will provide linkages for families to a wide range of community resources. Other linkages will be established with Lightsville Mental Health, Lightsville Family Preservation, and the Department of Social Services. The program will coordinate closely with other family service agencies to make referrals and provide additional educational resources for parents.

Collaborative Agreements
City of Lightsville: The City of Lightsville will coordinate several components described within the proposal. The Office of Youth Development will provide a coordinator and ongoing office space and supervision.

LPS’s Department of Continuing Education will provide adult community classes.

The Jefferson Family Resource Center will organize, fund and lead parenting classes, and make referrals to other agencies such as Tri County Health Department, Madison House, and area churches and food banks. Lightsville Family Preservation has agreed to provide scholarship funding for some of the parents.

Community College of Lightsville: One student intern, funded by a Community College of Lightsville’s Service Learning program, will assist in providing volunteers for afterschool programs and family events.

Lightsville Mental Health: This agency has a counselor placed on-site at Jefferson, and will be integrated into the delivery of services under the proposed project. The counselor will make referrals as necessary.

4. ADEQUACY OF RESOURCES
Adequate facilities, equipment and supplies will be provided to meet the needs of students, parents and teachers. Jefferson will provide access to classrooms, computer labs, the school library, gymnasiums and outdoor recreation areas, and other facilities during afterschool and Saturday hours. Additional adult and community classrooms are also available nearby at Martin Luther King Center. The City of Lightsville has agreed to provide office space for the Project Coordinator and activity leaders, providing them access to office equipment, telephones, fax machines, and other resources.

Lightsville Public Schools will also contribute research and evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program via its office of Planning and Evaluation. The LPS Office of Grants and Instructional Research will monitor financial expenditures, provide consultants for instructional assistance and evaluation design as needed, and comply with federal regulations. The LPS Department of Continuing Education will design and deliver specific courses based on the adult/community education programs identified in this proposal. The Lightsville Public Schools Business Services department will monitor financial transactions and distribution of grant funds. Departments within Business Services include accounting, accounts payable, budget, payroll, purchasing, child nutrition and warehousing. The Accounting Department performs all annual series of internal reviews of schools, departments and major grants to determine compliance with policies and procedures. The Accounting Department will provide a monthly expenditure report to the project director, who will approve all financial transactions related to this project.

The funds requested for this project are based on reasonable cost estimates to ensure that adequate funds are available to support all program activities. The program will serve a total of 96 students, 40 community members, and 32 preschoolers in the first year of the grant. Numbers are expected to increase dramatically in the second and third grant years. We project that over the three year grant period, 350 students and 300+ community members.

5. MANAGEMENT PLAN
Please refer to the previous section for information about Lightsville Public Schools administrative staff and support mechanisms. Lightsville Public Schools will contribute in-kind a fiscal manager who will oversee all grant funds.

LPS will contract with the City of Lightsville to provide enrichment program activities. The City of Lightsville will contribute a project administrator who will oversee the city’s staff, program operations, and financial management of all contracted funds. The City of Lightsville will provide a program coordinator to oversee and arrange program activities, plan family events, maintain evaluation and records for each student, coordinate field trips, staff trainings, and meetings. The Coordinator will be the link between the steering committee and activity leaders. The Program Coordinator will also be a liaison for youth and families, helping them access community services and resources through the Jefferson Family Resource Center. Clerical support staff will assist the program coordinator.

A school facilitator/teacher will be hired part-time to be the link between daytime school activities and afternoon/evening 21^st Century Community Learning Center activities, coordinating facility use, relaying discipline information, and troubleshooting when difficulties arise. This individual will also serve as a teacher for the cornerstone tutoring sessions. The school principal will supervise all LPS grant funded staff, including teachers, paraprofessionals, custodial support and maintenance. An additional LPS teacher will be hired for afternoon ESL tutoring; two paraprofessionals will be hired for tutoring assistance and computer activities. Staff will be hired to lead afterschool programs and teach adult education courses.

A steering committee will be formed to involve community members, parents, school students, participating agencies, school staff, and other key program partners. The steering committee will meet monthly to review status reports, make recommendations for program revisions, identify program barriers and gLPS, and review feedback from parents and students who have participated in the project. Detailed quarterly reports will be prepared by the Program Coordinator, and reviewed by the steering committee.

Lightsville Public Schools will establish a grants management team to oversee funds for the project, review required reporting materials, and oversee program administration. While the steering committee will provide the vision and direction for the project, the grants management team will be responsible for handling the nuts-and-bolts administrative responsibilities (with input from the steering committee). The Youth Advisory Team will meet monthly to provide to the coordinator and recommend changes and adaptations for future program activities (Please see appendix for management structure chart).

Lightsville Public Schools has planned and implemented two family resource centers, helping these centers respond to specific community needs. Both centers have successfully involved parents, children, local businesses and community agencies, empowering these partners to have "ownership" of the centers. The District has played a role of ensuring that these centers continue to focus on the mission of building healthier families. Lightsville Public Schools believes that the Jefferson Community Partnership Learning Center will also involve a range of stakeholders, and will function in a similar way.

6. EVALUATION
Please also refer to program objectives stated earlier in the proposal to see how the proposed project is structured around evaluation and results-oriented outcomes. The Office of Planning and Evaluation at Lightsville Public Schools will provide a year-end evaluation for each of the three years of the project. These reports are in addition to the quarterly reports that will be prepared and submitted by the Project Coordinator to the Steering Committee and Grants Management Team.

The year-end reports will provide a detailed analytic comparison of all program activities, including student post-test scores in content areas, grades, attendance, and academic achievement. The reports will also evaluate how well the program has met the proposed objectives. All programs and activities will be examined, and recommendations will be made for program modifications, as necessary. In general, the evaluation will examine how the program impacted the school, community and classroom.

The quarterly reports will allow parents, community residents, students, school staff, LPS administration, and others to receive feedback on the success of the project, and develop strategies to make adjustments to address issues and problems. They will outline attendance in the programs, interim assessment data for students and adults, comments from program participants, and observations by the coordinator and other staff.

Goal area 1: Student Achievement Measurements
Teacher Assessment Checklist and Interviews: Checklists and interviews include a reading placement, pre-screening assessments, teacher assessments, standardized test scores, and expressive language and retention data. Jefferson will track attendance and discipline data for all targeted students participating in the afterschool program, and compare this data with the attendance and discipline profile of the entire school.

LPS Secured Assessments: The LPS Department of Instruction has developed assessments to evaluate student programs toward meeting district and State of Colorado content proficiencies (described earlier in the proposal). These assessments are measured against pre-established criteria or rubrics.

Standardized Tests (Riverside Performance Assessments, Colorado Student Assessment Program): Students in tutoring for 6 months will demonstrate academic improvement of .5 grade level. In addition, 2nd grader will take the Riverside Math Assessment and complete the District writing sample; 3rd grader will take the CSAP reading test, 4th grader the Riverside Reading Assessment and CSAP reading and writing tests, and 5th graders the District Writing Sample and CSAP math test.

Anecdotal Case Studies: An anecdotal case study will be prepared for three students who were originally identified by teachers as "high risk." The profile will include family structure, current academic performance, and attendance. Interviews will be conducted with students and family, to further illustrate the student’s participation and accomplishments. Exit interviews will be conducted with the family and students to determine which aspects of the program helped encourage students to achieve and stay in school.

Goal Area 2: Prevention Programs
School engagement will demonstrate an increase of the .05 level of significance for project participants from beginning to end on a post-retrospective measure of the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets.

Goal Area 3: Adult/Community Education and Parent Education
ESL: Of the adults attending English as a Second Language classes, 90% will make progress toward their Colorado Certificate of Accomplishment.

Parenting, technology, and financial management classes: Approximately 75% of participants will demonstrate proficiency on an exit assessment.

Parent Involvement: Over 50% of parents of students consistently attending program activities will attend a family night.

Goal Area 4: Preschool and Child Care
Of the 32 children in the preschool program, 90% will make significant developmental gains as measured by Kindergarten Screening Inventory. Approximately 75% of parents will conduct parent-child enrichment activities at home as recommended by preschool staff.