Scholastic Inc.

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How to Write a Successful Innovative Approaches to Literacy
Grant by Leveraging Scholastic Programs and Services

According to the US Department of Education, the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) grant supports high-
quality programs designed to develop and improve literacy skills for children and students from birth through
12th grade within the attendance boundaries of high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools. The
Department intends to support innovative programs that:

Promote early literacy for young children
Motivate older children to read
Increase student achievement by using school libraries

The Department suggests that these projects may include:

Using school libraries
Distributing free books to children and their families
Offering high-quality childhood literacy activities
Fostering collaborative joint professional development
opportunities for teachers and school library personnel


Scholastic provides high-quality literacy programs and services that meet the criteria of the IAL Grant!
(Please see pages three to six for a summary alignment to the grant Priorities.)

The following chart highlights the essential activities that must be included in your grant application. Please visit
the Federal Register at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-07-11/pdf/2012-16930.pdf for the complete
requirements. These include page limits, formatting requirements, and the submission URL.

The application deadline is on or before August 10, 2012.


Selection Criteria (100 points)

Tips and Strategies

(a) Significance (10 Points total):
i. The extent to which the proposed project is likely to
build local capacity to provide, improve, or expand
services that address the needs of the target
population. (5 points)
ii. The extent to which the proposed project involves the
development or demonstration of promising new
strategies that build on, or are alternatives to, existing
strategies. (5 points)


The application should include:

Description of existing capacity
Needs assessment for targeted population
Alignment of the grant project to the needs, showing
how grant funds will build capacity and improve
outcomes
Research that supports the project

(b) Quality of the project design (20 Points total):
i. The extent to which the goals, objectives, and
outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are
clearly specified and measurable. (5 points)
ii. The extent to which the proposed project will be
coordinated with similar or related efforts, and with
other appropriate community, State, and Federal
resources. (5 points)
iii. The extent to which the proposed project is part of a
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and
learning and support rigorous academic standards for
students. (5 points)

The application should include:

Specific, not general, goals, objectives, and tasks
Outcomes that can be objectively measured through
empirical data
How the project will leverage other resources to
strengthen the outcomes and keep costs low
At least one study that meets the definition of
scientifically valid research
How well the project integrates with a comprehensive
effort to improve teaching and learning
Please visit

http://teacher.scholastic.com/prod
ucts/face/funding.htm

for information about qualifying
Scholastic programs that are
written in grant-friendly text. Just
cut and paste information, based
on your applications needs!
Scholastic IAL Toolkit
J uly 2012 2

Selection Criteria (100 points)

Tips and Strategies

iv. The extent to which performance feedback and
continuous improvement are integral to the design of
the proposed project. (5 points)


How the project will support rigorous academic
standards
How performance feedback will be collected and
used for continuous improvement.


(c) Quality of the project services (25 points total):
i. The quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring
access and treatment for eligible project participants
who are members of groups that have traditionally
been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability. (10 points)
ii. The extent to which the services to be provided by the
proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the
intended recipients or beneficiaries of those services.
(10 points)
iii. The extent to which the training or professional
development services to be provided by the proposed
project are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration
to lead to improvements in practice among the
recipients of those services. (5 points)


The application should include:

How the applicant will identify and include members
of groups that have been traditionally
underrepresented
How the project aligns with the needs of the intended
recipients, based on your needs assessment
Details of the training or professional development
services that will be provided and how these will
benefit the recipients

(d) Adequacy of resources (10 points total):
i. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in
relation to the objectives, design, and potential
significance of the proposed project. (5 points)
ii. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in
relation to the number of persons to be served and to
the anticipated results and benefits. (5 points)


Applicants should prepare a project budget that follows
Governing Regulations/Cost Principles, which can be
referenced at this website:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovapproaches-
literacy/legislation.html


(e) Quality of the management plan (20 points total):
i. The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the
objectives of the proposed project on time and within
budget, including clearly defined responsibilities,
timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project
tasks. (10 points)
ii. The extent to which the time commitments of the
project director and principal investigator and other
key project personnel are appropriate and adequate to
meet the objectives of the proposed project. (5 points)
iii. The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-
quality products and services from the proposed
project. (5 points)


Applicants must have a strong team in place to ensure
that grant activities will be carried out on time and within
budget. To demonstrate adequacy to the evaluation
committee, applicants must include:

Names and responsibilities of each person on the
grant management committee
Timeline for each task identified in the Design
Milestones along the way
Time in days or hours, per week or month, that each
key project personnel will be spending on grant tasks
until completion
The methods and procedures that will be used to
ensure that quality programs and services are
purchased and implemented with fidelity


(f) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points total):
i. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include
the use of objective performance measures that are
clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project
and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to
the extent possible. (10 points)



(continued)

Applicants must identify how they will periodically assess
progress towards meeting grant goals. At the end of the
project period, awardees must submit a final performance
report, including financial information. Performance
measures include:

The percentage of 4-year-old children participating in
the project who achieve significant gains in oral
language skills
(continued)
Scholastic IAL Toolkit
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Selection Criteria (100 points)

Tips and Strategies

ii. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will
provide performance feedback and permit periodic
assessment of progress toward achieving intended
outcomes. (5 points)


The percentage of participating 3rd-grade students,
8th-grade students, and high school students who
meet or exceed proficiency on State reading or
language arts assessments

All grantees will be expected to submit an annual report
that includes data addressing these performance
measures, to the extent that they apply to the grantees
project.


Scholastic provides a wide array of programs and services that can successfully meet the Priorities of the
Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant to increase student literacy, family engagement, and teacher
effectiveness. Please see the following chart for a capsulated description. The criteria are drawn from the official
IAL grant page, which can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovapproaches-literacy/applicant.html.

For more detailed information on each program, with grant-friendly text, please visit
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/face/funding.htm and click on the IAL Grant link.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR APPLICATION MUST BE CUSTOMIZED TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF YOUR AGENCY!


Priorities of the IAL Grant

Scholastic Programs and Services

Absolute Priority:
High-quality plan for innovative approaches
to literacy that include book distribution,
childhood literacy activities, or both, and that
is supported by at least one study that meets
the definition of scientifically valid research
(as defined in the US Department of
Education notice).

























Every applicant must satisfy the Absolute Priority to be considered for
award. Scholastic has a wide variety of research-based programs that
together can form the heart of the grant proposal and help build a
winning grant application. We also have a collaborative relationship
with Rutgers Universitys Center for International Scholarship in School
Libraries (CISSL) for specialized professional development and
research.

Our research-base includes five peer-reviewed pieces that map
out the connection between how students seek information, what
makes libraries valuable, how to create 21
st
Century knowledge to
support literacy and learning, and how to train administrators,
school librarians and teachers. To this end, Scholastic offers the
following programs and services:

Read and Rise

is a sustainable and systematic literacy program
designed to bring families, schools, and communities together to
support birth-to-age-eight childrens language and literacy
development. It is supported by a third-party efficacy study. Read
and Rise increases teacher and school leader effectiveness through
high-quality, interactive professional development and engaging
childrens books and family materials. The program uses a Train-the-
Trainer model in which Scholastic Literacy Consultants train community
facilitators, who in turn train families or child care providers.

Through the FACE book distribution program, Scholastic offers
districts and nonprofits access to thousands of award-winning, high-
interest titles at discounts up to 80% off list price with free
shipping. Additionally, Scholastic will help create a distribution
schedule to meet district and agency needs.


Scholastic IAL Toolkit
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Priorities of the IAL Grant

Scholastic Programs and Services
Absolute Priority, continued



























































My Books Take-Home and Summer Reading Book Packs for
Grades PreK-12 provide high-quality, authentic literature in a wide
variety of subjects and genres. The parent and community activity
packs foster family involvement and reinforce at-home learning. Book
packs provide components to support a balanced literacy program.
Includes Summer Reading Challenge website.

Scholastic R.E.A.L. is devoted to giving school districts the tools
needed to recruit, encourage, and equip mentors from the community
to inspire students and build literacy skills. R.E.A.L. mentors read
aloud in selected Grades K-7 classrooms for an hour each month.
The R.E.A.L. book collections celebrate diversity and strong values.

Cozy Corner is an innovative early language and literacy program
that reaches across the community and curriculum to support older
toddlers, younger preschoolers, early childhood educators, librarians,
and families. It builds upon the rich tradition of Storytime by sharing
quality childrens books and engaging in topic-rich conversations. It
addresses school readiness using research-based, best practices.

Childrens Press

and Franklin Watts

nonfiction library books,

imprints of Scholastic Library Publishing, engage young learners and
provide them with the academic vocabulary and essential knowledge
required for success in the core content areas. Books include high-
interest topics for struggling readers.

Scholastic Classroom Magazines, designed for students in PreK-12,
are available in a wide variety of topics. They connect students to the
world around them, contain Teacher Editions with instruction and
acti vities, and offer digital resources.

BookFlix

, for PreK-3, is an engaging online literacy resource that

pairs classic fictional video storybooks from Weston Woods with related
nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic. With colorful animation, rich audio,
and interactive games, BookFlix reinforces core reading skills and
introduces students to a world of knowledge and exploration.

TrueFlix is whiteboard ready with its collection of introductory
videos and media types, leveled texts, voiceover reading features, and
soft assessment feature. Designed for Grades 3-5, TrueFlix cultivates
the use of 21
st
Century Skills with inquiry-based units and its theme to
Find the Truth!

FreedomFlix brings history to life by capturing the dramatic and
defining moments in American history. These e-books contain a read-
aloud option with embedded popups of primary source audio and video,
maps, timelines, slideshows, and other features. It provides
opportunities for further research and works on all tablets and mobile
devices.

Grolier Online is an online learning tool with resources that build
knowledge of subject-area content, hone literacy skills focusing on
comprehension, and provide students with a reliable source for
research. It provides text-to-speech read-aloud features and Lexile

-
leveled articles. It is ideal for all students, including those in elementary
school who dont yet have skills to synthesize and evaluate content
from multiple sources.

Scholastic IAL Toolkit
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Priorities of the IAL Grant

Scholastic Programs and Services
Absolute Priority, continued




Rutgers University CISSL Professional Development draws on well-
established peer-reviewed research, as well as field-tested practice, to
improve student learning through classrooms and libraries. The training
follows a two-year approach that focuses on inquiry, questioning, and
student-created knowledge. It matches the Common Core focus on
critical reading of nonfiction as a central component of literacy. The
plan recognizes that Common Core can only succeed when librarians,
teachers, and administrators build a collaborative culture in which they
share ideas and work together to foster student learning.

Scholastic Professional Development Services provides an array of
research-based content to improve teaching and learning. Our
experienced team of Literacy Consultants can provide program
implementation, customized workshops, professional book study, and
long-term professional development planning. Master Class Institutes
provide direct access to many of our authors on a wide range of topics.


Competitive Preference Priority 1:

Turning Around Persistently Lowest-
Achieving Schools


Scholastic R.E.A.L. Research findings support community mentoring
and the strategies that R.E.A.L. uses as a way to increase student
achievement. For one example, high levels of parent involvement in
African-American communities have correlated with improved reading
achievement. (Armor, 1976)

My Books Take-Home and Summer Reading Packs Regardless of
ethnicity, socioeconomic level, or previous achievement, children who
read four or more books per semester fare better on reading
comprehension tests than their peers. By increasing reading minutes,
elementary students can avoid the reading losses that normally occur.
(Kim, 2004)

Childrens Press

and Franklin Watts

These provide nonfiction

PreK-8 library books that engage students and increase reading time.
The use of Scholastic books to raise student achievement is backed by
extensive scientific research. For instance, the NAEP Progress Report
(2002) states that Students with well-designed libraries interact more
with books, spend more time reading, demonstrate more positive
attitudes toward reading, and exhibit higher levels of reading
achievement.

Rutgers University CISSL Professional Development The Guided
Inquiry approach, founded in the Information Search Process (ISP)
research (Kuhtlhau, 2010) involves training for administrators,
librarians, and teachers. This model flows from the understanding that
the school librarian on her or his own, however innovative, will have
only limited success in improving literacy and learning.

Scholastic Professional Development Services Scholastic PD
services have a history of helping turn around low-achieving schools.
For example, Scholastic has played an integral role in improving
instructional delivery, building teacher capacity in the discipline of
literacy, and increasing student achievement in Durham Public Schools
(NC), according to Anna Frost, Director of Secondary/ELA Literacy.





Scholastic IAL Toolkit
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Priorities of the IAL Grant

Scholastic Programs and Services

Competitive Preference Priority 2:
Technology


My Books Summer Reading Challenge This website contains
activities to motivate readers and track their progress.

Grolier Online This online resource uses technology strategically
and capably to provide leveled text, vocabulary support, universal
design features that align with ADA criteria, interactive activities, and
other functionalities.

BookFlix, TrueFlix, and FreedomFlix These digital resources
provide students with engaging, differentiated learning through
technology such as whiteboard, videos, voiceover reading, activities,
and other features.

Scholastic Classroom Magazines Every printed magazine includes
title-specific websites with digital resources for use with a whiteboard,
projector, or classroom computer.

Scholastic Professional Development Services Scholastic
provides program implementation and follow-up support for all of its
technology programs.


Competitive Preference Priority 3:
Improving Early Learning Outcomes


Scholastic provides a variety of high-quality, research-based products
and services designed to improve early learning outcomes for
preschool children, beginning at birth:

Read and Rise
Cozy Corner
My Books Take-Home Book Packs
My Books Summer Take-Home Book Packs
Scholastic Classroom Magazines
Childrens Press/Franklin Watts nonfiction library books
BookFlix
Scholastic Professional Development Services


Competitive Preference Priority 4:
Serving Rural LEAs


The following Scholastic products are ideal choices for serving rural
LEAs. They bring a variety of activities that enrich the educational and
community environment, while increasing student literacy.

Read and Rise
My Books Take-Home Book Packs
My Books Summer Take-Home Book Packs
Scholastic R.E.A.L.
Scholastic Classroom Magazines
Grolier Online
BookFlix
TrueFlix
FreedomFlix
Childrens Press/Franklin Watts nonfiction library books
Scholastic Professional Development Services
Rutgers University CISSL Professional Development



For more information, please contact your Local Account Executive and visit the website listed on page one.
For immediate response, please call 866-757-5163 or write SCCG@scholastic.com.