The Reducing Overidentification in Special Education (ROSE) grant program is a highly competitive Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) grant opportunity that will leverage remaining one-time American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds (ESSER III) to make a substantial investment in local education agency (LEA) strategies that will mitigate long-term learning loss for students who are disproportionately likely to be misidentified as students with intellectual and/or emotional disabilities and, as a result, end up in unnecessarily restrictive classroom environments that hinder progress rather than provide the remediation and acceleration necessary within the general education classroom for these students.
Donor Name: Maryland State Department of Education
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/16/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000,000
Grant Duration: 1 year 2 months
Details:
Purpose
To seed resources for up to three local education agencies (LEAs) to mitigate the effects of pandemic learning loss on persistently underperforming students who risk being misidentified for special education services due to their race, sex, gender, home language, and/or income status. The program also connects to and supports Blueprint implementation efforts associated with special education policies, processes, and practices.
Focus Areas
Grant applications must demonstrate a commitment to implementing all of the following six focus areas:
- Conduct an analysis of data to determine where overidentification of students as intellectually and/or emotionally disabled based on race, sex, gender, home language, and income status exists and identify root causes for overidentification through a comprehensive assessment of district policies, including the special education referral process; instructional practices and curricular materials; multi-tiered systems for support, including assessment and interventions; pre-referral processes; family involvement and support; and staff beliefs and perceptions, including implicit bias.
- Develop and implement a professional learning plan that aligns to the root causes for overidentification and builds the knowledge and skills of general education teachers and other staff, particularly in early learning grades, to deliver high-quality instruction and intervention that is differentiated to meet the needs of individual students.
- Consider opportunities for professional development that include culturally responsive pedagogy, implicit bias, effective instructional practices for diverse learners such as English learners, implementation of high-quality instructional practices and curricular materials, utilizing targeted intervention strategies and assessing progress accurately, classroom management, etc.
- Develop and maintain equitable policies, processes, and practices that mitigate and eliminate opportunities for overidentification, ensure equitable outcomes for struggling and historically underserved students, and are designed to overcome and address the root causes identified for overidentification of students as intellectually and/or emotionally disabled based on race, sex, gender, home language, and income status.
- Create or strengthen pre-referral processes that precede a student’s referral for assessment to special education and includes:
- A team of individuals (e.g., teachers, related services staff, counselors, administrators, and parents) who can provide individualized recommendations for support and intervention for students, resulting in an individualized learning plan;
- Systems for monitoring and supporting general education teachers in the implementation of individualized learning plans;
- Evaluation opportunities for the district to identify systemic needs related to instructional practices, curricular materials, and intervention; related wraparound services and resources; and professional development.
- Ensure systems and structures for family engagement support and include effective communication, opportunities to support children’s learning at home, and participation in prereferral processes, including developing a student’s individualized learning plan.
Funding Information
- Up to $3,000,000
- MSDE will award up to three, $1,000,000 grants to local education agencies to directly address the disproportionate identification of certain student subgroups in special education populations.
Grant Period
July 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024
Use of Funds
Funds may be used for (not an exhaustive list):
- Salaries and wages
- Instructional materials
- Collateral, engagement, informational, and marketing tools
- Translation services
- Consulting and technical assistance
- Supplies and materials
Eligibility Criteria
Program eligibility is open to the twenty-four primary local education agencies (LEAs) in Maryland. MSDE reserves the right to take into consideration several goals when making awards: achieving a distribution of services and support that aligns with differences in geographic need; increasing the participation of underrepresented demographic subgroups; and broadening award recipients to applicants who have not previously been eligible for or successful in applying to a State grant program.
For more information, visit ROSE.
