Oklahoma Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is pleased to announce the acquisition of a substantial grant totaling $58.9 million, with $11,228,650 allocated for the first year. This grant, awarded through the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant Program, will fund a transformative initiative in line with Oklahoma’s Comprehensive Literacy Plan. The initiative's primary objective is to enhance school readiness and improve language and literacy success among disadvantaged students throughout the state.

As part of this initiative, approximately 25 districts across Oklahoma will receive subgrants to support the implementation of literacy programs specifically designed for their student populations. These subgrants will enable schools to improve literacy instruction, offer targeted interventions, and build a stronger foundation in language arts for their students.

The project aims to achieve the following key objectives:

• Early Language Development: Increase the percentage of four-year-old children making significant gains in oral language skills, as measured by universal screening tools, diagnostic assessments, and formative assessment processes.
• Elementary Literacy Proficiency: Raise the percentage of fifth-grade students who meet or exceed proficiency levels on the Oklahoma state reading/language arts assessment.
• Middle School Literacy Proficiency: Raise the percentage of eighth-grade students who meet or exceed proficiency levels on the Oklahoma state reading/language arts assessment.
• Teacher Training and Professional Development: Provide extensive training for Oklahoma teachers in the science of reading and effective literacy instructional strategies to ensure high-quality literacy education statewide.

RFA Release Date:
January 7, 2025

Question and Answer Period:
Ends January 16th, 2025 (4 p.m. CST)
Q and A Form

Grant Overview Webinar:
January 17th, 2025 (1 p.m. CST)
Registration Link

Required Notice of Intent to Apply Submission:
January 17, 2025 (12 p.m. CST)
Intent to Apply Form

Pre-Application Webinar:
January 21, 2025 (2 p.m. CST)
January 23, 2025 (10 a.m. CST)
January 24, 2025 (2 p.m. CST)

Application Submission Deadline through GMS:
Friday, February 14, 2025 (3:00 p.m. CST)

Grant Award Notifications:
March 2025

LATE OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE REVIEWED
OR CONSIDERED FOR AN AWARD

Contact Us:
Oklahoma Comprehensive Literacy State Development
2500 North Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Email: OCLSD@sde.ok.gov

OCLSD LETTER of INTENT: Letter of Intent is due January 17, 2025.
OCLSD Grant Application in GMS: OPENS January 20, 2025.

Potential applicants need to form Literacy Leadership Teams, conduct needs assessments, create logic models, and begin working on their applications as early as possible. Full grant application information is available in GMS. 

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) will sub-grant to local education agencies (LEAs) serving students through grade 12 and partnered non-profit organizations serving students birth through grade 12 to support the implementation of high-quality practices such as high- quality curriculum adoption, aligned job-embedded professional development, intervention systems, family literacy initiatives, and tutoring support for struggling and at-risk readers. The purpose of these funds is to improve the language and literacy development of our state’s children and students to address gaps in critical resources, and staff capacity. 
In addition to sub-grant funds, participants of the grant will receive access to the OKMTSS on EdPlan early warning dashboard and intervention tracking system, science of reading professional development, high dosage tutoring supports, and the Early Learning Inventory and Dashboard.

Eligibility: 

Partnership is critical to the success of OCLSD programs. Partnerships eligible to apply for an OCLSD grant must include: 

• a continuous feeder pattern structure within a high-needs (see criteria below) district comprised of: 
• elementary schools; 
• one middle school; AND 
• one high school
• one and no more than two non-profit early childhood providers.

Partnerships may also include:

• partners that are identified in order to assist in meeting the established needs in a local literacy plan

High-Need Criteria 

In an effort to ensure that the greatest number of disadvantaged students receive improved instruction and services through the OCLSD, the OSDE considers a district to be high-needs and eligible to apply for OCLSD funding if it meets the following criterion: 

• The district economically disadvantaged percentage is 50 percent or higher; 

AND one of the following:

• has at least 20 percent of the district’s student population identified for Special Education services; OR
• has at least 10 percent of the district’s student population identified for English Learner services.

Additional Guidance

• Partner Roles - The roles and responsibilities of each non-profit early childhood provider and any other identified partners must be well-defined within the grant narrative and a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be included for each identified partner with the application. 
• High Needs Determination - Determinations for districts meeting high-need criteria is based on district reporting on the October 1, 2024 Accreditation Report.

Literacy Leadership Team and Local Literacy Plan

Oklahoma Comprehensive Literacy Plan

The Oklahoma State Department of Education's Comprehensive Literacy Plan, titled Literacy for All: Growing Strong Readers, One Page at a Time, unifies statewide efforts to enhance student reading by coordinating diverse programs towards a common goal. The Literacy Plan can be accessed here.

A local literacy leadership team should be created to develop a local literacy plan that is based on current data. The local leadership team should consist of key stakeholders of literacy achievement from the community, district level, and site level. Existing programs should be evaluated by the literacy leadership team. The local literacy plan will provide the systematic structure to deliver comprehensive literacy instruction to all students. The local literacy leadership team should meet together regularly and play a key role in writing and implementing OCLSD grant proposal. It is encouraged that the team be involved in major aspects of the program and regularly participate in events, activities, and various aspects of the program as needed. Throughout the term of the grant, this team will be expected to remain deeply engaged in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program.

Program monitoring and evaluation are two of the most important aspects of a quality OSCLD program. The local literacy leadership team should plan to participate in monitoring visits and participate in program evaluation to gain an understanding of the full scope of the program development.

If a grant writer is used, the advisory committee should work closely with that person to ensure that a reasonable, consistent, and original application is submitted. The awarded organization will be held responsible for the execution of the program plan and performance goals as stated in the application.

• Grant funds cannot be used to pay for a grant writer
• Awarded applicants will be held to the application that was submitted
• Grant writer must be identified
• Local literacy leadership team must be involved in writing the grant

Every grant application submitted must be an original application.

Additionally, partnerships with early childhood providers and feeder schools to ensure seamless literacy support from birth through grade 12 must be included. These partnerships should include strategies to involve families, educators (early childhood education programs staff, principals, specialized instructional support personnel, teachers, other school leaders, etc.), and community stakeholders. Descriptions on how comprehensive literacy instruction coordinates with early childhood education programs, activities, and after-school programs must be included in the grant submission.

Needs Assessment

Use specific, relevant, and current data regarding the students and families to be served by the project, including recent teacher needs assessments, a logic model, and local literacy plan. The application must accurately reflect the unique demographics and formally identified needs of the applicant district and sites.

Disadvantaged Youth in Proposed Feeder Schools Template 
Teacher Needs Assessment Sample 
Local Literacy Plan Template

Engaging District Financial Officers

Prospective applicants are encouraged to engage LEA financial officers in the application process. Thorough knowledge of current financial supports will reduce the risk of supplanting funds, ensuring that all proposed items in the budget are reasonable, necessary, and appropriate. Financial officers of school districts will also be familiar with the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS) coding requirements, ensuring correct coding and budgeting procedures from the beginning.

Every grant applicant whether a school district or a community-based organization must complete the Letter of Intent form and submit it before proceeding to the online system to begin writing the proposal. Failure to submit a Letter of Intent prior to the deadline may invalidate your application. 

• Letter of Intent form - The Letter of Intent is now OPEN

The application is located in the Grants Management System (GMS). You may begin working on the application once you have submitted the Letter of Intent and have GMS access. School districts may access GMS through the Single Sign-On system to prepare the grant application. Access will be granted to the application after the Letter of Intent closure deadline.

Remember:

• The application has a hard deadline. At that time, the system will close and no other applications will be accepted.