Electronic Textbook Pilot Project
State funding has been made available to facilitate the purchase of digital texts, electronic educational content and professional development and training resources for Ohio’s public and chartered nonpublic schools including the State School for the Blind, School for the Deaf and the Department of Youth Services. Three million dollars is available for fiscal year 2014 and three million additional dollars is available for fiscal year 2015. The grant is designed to provide digital texts and electronic educational content to be used in the K-12 classroom with students or professional development for teachers.
Who can apply?
Public and chartered nonpublic schools may apply for awards. The lead applicant needs to be an individual school district or a consortium of school districts. Awards will be used for content or professional development for teachers and students served by the awardee. Eligible awardees may partner with other entities. Priority will be given to proposals that detail the engagement of business and industry partners to assure content relevance to Ohio’s 21st
century workforce needs and/or proposals focused on identified educator professional development needs.
How does this pilot work?
Complete the appropriate application and submit it according to the instructions. Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis and applicants will be notified of their status in the process within 30 days of receipt. As many grants as possible will be made to impact a large number of students and schools in Ohio until the funding is exhausted. A review committee will determine who receives the grant.
What happens if my grant is awarded?
You will be notified by email. The requested content will be made available to you via the state’s electronic distance learning clearinghouse, ilearnOhio.org. If your award is for content not currently available on ilearnOhio, the purchase of that content will be initiated by ilearnOhio and you will be notified when it has become available. No monies or funding will be awarded directly to the grantee.
When can I apply?
The application process will occur in phases. The first phase to submit applications will be from January 27, 2014 – March 7, 2014. Additional phases are as follows:
Phase 2: Summer 2014
Phase 3: Fall 2014 (for fiscal year 2015 funds)
Phase 4: Spring 2015 - if needed (for fiscal year 2015 funds)
Applications will be received and reviewed during those phases until funding is exhausted.
Projected Timeline for 1
stPhase
January 27, 2014 – March 7, 2014 – 1st
phase to submit applications
March 21, 2014 – Funding decisions will be made by this date and districts will be notified of timeline on available resources.
Do I have any requirements once I receive the grant?
Yes, you are required to complete an evaluation of the impact of the grant and the benefits to its intended recipients. An evaluation form will be provided to the grantees, including specific outcomes measurements from the grant, such as the number of students and/or educators served, the learning gains the students achieved after their participation or their teachers’ participation in the pilot, as well as pre- and post-measures of participants’ content knowledge.
Technical details, definitions and legal terms
Program Overview
The Governor and Legislature have made these funds available in Ohio to purchase digital texts, electronic educational content and professional development and training resources through the state's electronic distance learning clearinghouse. The grant shall be administered by the Chancellor of the Board of Regents as defined in the current State of Ohio Budget in Section 363.580. Electronic Textbook Pilot Project and can be found at:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText130/130_HB_59_EN_N.html
ilearnOhio, is a clearinghouse of digital texts, interactive distance learning courses, and professional development delivered via a computer-based method offered by school districts, community schools, STEM schools, state institutions of higher education, private colleges and universities, and other nonprofit and for-profit course providers for sharing with other school
districts, community schools, STEM schools, state institutions of higher education, private colleges and universities, and individuals. To discover what is available in the ilearnOhio clearinghouse, go to www.ilearnohio.org and click teachers or administrators in the menu bar and then search for resources.
Program Goals:
The grant is designed to provide digital texts and electronic educational content to be used in the instructional activities of students or for professional development for teachers. The digital text(s) or electronic educational content, professional development or training must be
purchased through ilearnOhio. One example for professional development is to purchase comprehensive training for teachers and staff on Ohio’s free learning management system, ilearnOhio, from certified training partners. If you would like a list of certified training partners, please contact [email protected].
Electronic Content
Digital texts and electronic educational content are defined as student-consumable books or book substitutes that a student accesses through the use of a computer or other electronic medium or that is available through an internet-based provider of course content, or any other material that contributes to the learning process through electronic means.
If the content desired is not available in the ilearnOhio clearinghouse, the applicant will indicate that on the application and request the content or professional development be purchased. The applicant will be required to provide detailed information on the application to clearly identify the anticipated cost, availability and other details about the requested content or professional development.
Content eligible for purchase under this grant include, but is not limited to, the following: Electronic textbooks
Electronic periodicals Educational applications
Electronic fiction and non-fiction collections Electronic tutorials
Electronic curriculum toolkits Online modules
All digital texts and electronic educational content must align to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards including the New Learning Standards. More information about these standards is available at: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Academic-Content-Standards. The electronic content must also present accurate information, and reflect research-based pedagogy. Content may be used for core instruction, intervention, enrichment, or supplemental support in any subject area. Professional development must meet Ohio Standards for Professional Development.
Public and chartered nonpublic schools may apply for awards. Awards will be used for content or professional development for teachers and students served by the awardee. Eligible
awardees may partner with other entities. Priority will be given to proposals that detail the engagement of business and industry partners to assure content relevance to Ohio’s 21st
century workforce needs and/or targeted initiatives to strengthen educator knowledge and skills in targeted areas of need, e.g. reading instruction.
IMPORTANT: If the school or district is in academic or fiscal distress and has a
commission assigned, please include a resolution from the commission in support of the project.
Funding Availability
Three million dollars are available to fund this grant project in fiscal year 2014 for use during the 2014-2015 academic year, and an additional three million will be available in fiscal year 2015 for the 2015-2016 academic year. Remaining funding from the first year will be rolled over into the second year. Funding will no longer be available after fiscal year 2015. There is no award limit, and the funds will be distributed on a rolling basis until all funding has been expended. A review committee will evaluate each grant application and award the grants based on the whether the goals match the intent of this pilot program. All efforts will be made to distribute the funds fairly and equitably. The Chancellor and Superintendent of Public Instruction jointly shall notify schools of and promote participation in the pilot project.
Grantees will not receive any funding or reimbursement of expenses, but will instead receive the content or professional development only.
Questions
Please send questions about this pilot project to Anna Bendo at [email protected] or 614-466-0883. A question and answer list will be placed on both the ilearnOhio website
(www.ilearnohio.org) and the Ohio Board of Regents website (www.ohiohighered.org) to
provide further clarity. Application Review
Applications will be subjected to a review by the Chancellor’s Electronic Textbook Pilot review committee using a competitive process for selection. The review will cover compliance with application and pilot requirements in meeting the intent of the pilot and satisfying the
evaluation criteria. Applications found to comply with the requirements will be referred to the review committee to be considered for funding. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure applications are completed in the prescribed manner. The review committee reserves the right to ask clarifying questions and require additional information to make a decision regarding a particular application.
Recommendations and Funding Decisions
The review committee will make recommendations to the Chancellor who will make final
decisions to award applications for funding. Applicants will be notified in writing on final funding decisions.
State of Ohio Compliance
All aspects of this grant process will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws in the performance of the project.
Progress Reports and Metrics
Each awardee will be required to complete an evaluation form as part of the award inclusive of pre- and post-measures from participants, and demonstration of the content’s relevance to Ohio’s workforce development and/or educator professional development goals.
Rights and Responsibilities
The Chancellor reserves the right to fully or partially fund proposals, to request additional information, to reject any applications received, or to reissue the application if it is
determined that it is in the best interests of the State of Ohio.
The Chancellor reserves the right to adjust the dates for the application process for whatever reasons deem appropriate.
The Chancellor’s appointed staff will administer the application and award process. All costs incurred in the preparation of the application will be borne by the applicant. Applicants will be notified in writing on the outcome of their application.
