001and get started. Welcome. Like I've said before, this is the school improvement curriculum and instruction support grant webinar. So, this is part of the lasso cycle 4 and focuses on campus level grant designed, excuse me, to strengthen curriculum instruction and school improvement campuses. We're going to walk through the purpose, eligibility, funding, and how to apply. So, sit back, relax, and let's jo let's get started. But first things first, my name is Amanda Galvin and I'm going to be your presenter today. I'm excited to walk you through the details of this grant that we call SICSG for short and answer as many questions as possible during our time together. Just know that I've got just a few people on the call today. So, if you ask your question in the Q&A, um we're going to put
002a standard answer in there saying, "Hey, we're going to get to you soon." Um, we're going to post all this into the frequently asked questions that are going to be published on the lasso cycle 4 website. So, after all the webinars are complete, we're going to go through and answer the question. That way, not only you get the answers to the question, but other Texas school systems that might have the same question. So, if your question requires some sort of a follow-up, you can always email us at liyfta.t texas.gov. So, start to familiarize yourself with just the tools at the bottom. You might have to click the three dots to bring up that Q&A support. go ahead and bring that up. That way you have it and you're ready to ask any questions you have
003um as we go through our time together. So here's our agenda. We're going to start with a quick overview of lasso cycle 4. Then we're going to deep take a deeper look into the SICSG support grant or like I mentioned before school improvement curriculum instruction support grant. We're going to close with some key dates, how to apply and next steps. Lasso is also another acronym that stands for learning acceleration support opportunities. This is a single streamline application that gives districts access to grant aotments and in kind supports. Lasso cycle 4 offers 500 million in estimated services and supports. There are 15 initiatives available and districts only need one application to submit to be considered for multiple opportunities. So, we'll talk more about that towards the end when we talk about our timeline. If you maybe
004don't have access to um the Lasso grant, I'm going to um talk about a link that you can um submit to be able to get that application. Lasso cycle 4 is anchored in four strategies. Curric, educator training, more time, and innovative school models. These strategies are designed to help school districts accelerate student learning and improve outcomes. SICSD falls under the curriculum and instruction strategy. So this table really gives a high-level view of the lasso portfolio. Like I mentioned before, there are 15 grant initiatives in the portfolio this year. So lots of opportunities for you in your school system, but we're going to zoom in right here on this grant called curriculum and instruction support grants. So, there are multiple grants designed to strengthen student success, but we're going to really focus on this SICSG grant.
005Now that we've looked at that lasso portfolio and seen how multiple initiatives fit together, we're going to take a closer look at this grant SICSG. It's designed specifically for campuses that need the most support in strengthening curriculum and instruction. We're going to talk about what the grant is, why it matters, and how it can transform teaching and learning. SICSISG is not just about purchasing materials. It's about creating an experience where teachers have the tools and the time to focus on instruction and students have daily access to rigorous grade level content. But before we dive into those details, let's ground ourselves in the reality of where our student performances across Texas. Only about half of students in grades 3 through eight are reading on grade level. So take a look at some of the chart that
006shows kind of precoid numbers and then postcoid numbers. Across Texas, only about half of students in grades 3 through eight are reading on grade level. Like I mentioned, nearly a quarter of the students do not meet even the approaches standard. This number represents real students who are capable of more but need consistent access to highquality instruction to get there. This is why SICSG exists to ensure campuses have the materials and support to close these gaps and accelerate learning. Math tells a similar story. Performance has not fully recovered precoid levels. About onethird of students do not meet the approaches standard and only about 40% are on grade level. These gaps compound over time, especially in math where concepts build year after year. SIC helps address this by funding highquality instructional materials and aligned supports that give
007teachers the tools to deliver rigorous instruction and help students catch up and move forward. Highquality instructional materials benefit students by ensuring they have access to rigorous takes align content every day. Students deserve grade level work that challenges them and prepares them for success. But HQM also benefits teachers. Instead of spending hours creating lessons from scratch, teachers can focus on planning how to teach effectively. Sic makes this possible by funding the materials and professional learning needed to implement them. Well, this shift means teachers spend less time on the what and more time on the how. How to engage how to engage students, how to check for understanding, and how to adjust instruction. All right, you on the webinar, raise your hand if you see teachers staying late to prepare lessons for the next day. I'm sure
008everybody on the webinar has raised their hand because there are lots of hands raised. Um, this is because teachers are spending 7 to 12 hours each week searching for and creating instructional materials. This is a crazy amount of time because their schedule only allows for 3.75 hours. So, that's adding up all that pling time together. And this imbalance really forces teachers to work late nights and weekends just to prepare for lessons. SICSG helps fix that by providing readytouse highquality materials so teachers can use their limited planning time to internalize lessons and prepare for strong instruction. This is about giving teachers time back for work that matters the most. Highquality instructional materials completely change the nature of teaching and planning. Instead of spending hours building lessons from scratch, finding text, writing questions, creating worksheets, teachers can
009use their planning time for something far more impactful, internalization. But what is internalization? This is the process of deeply understanding the lesson before teaching it. Teachers review the lesson goals, study the sequence of tasks, and anticipate where students might struggle. They think through the questions that will spark discussion, identify misconceptions that could arise, and plan how to respond in the moment. Internalization is about preparing the how of teaching once the want is already clear and coherent. So thinking about like all that time that teachers spend finding texts, creating worksheets, they can really be thinking about what is it that my students aren't going to understand and that material is already ready for them. SICSG really supports this shift by finding not only the materials but also the training and coaching that make internalization possible with
010HQAM. Teachers have a strong foundation. The curriculum provides content and assessments and scaffolds. This really frees our teachers to focus on instructional moves that accelerate learning. Modeling, questioning, checking for understanding, and adjusting based on student needs. This is how we move from compliance to excellence in planning and instruction. For school improvement campuses, HQIM is essential. Students who are furthest behind need access to that grade level work every day. Novice teachers need clear, coherent materials and aligned professional learning to succeed. Campuses with high teacher turnover and student mobility need con consistency across classrooms and SICSG provides the resource and support to make this possible. Ensuring that every student and every teacher have what they need to succeed. So, we've really dived into the what, now we're going to dive into I'm sorry, the why. Now, we're
011really going to dive into what. So, what is this grant? The school improvement curriculum instruction support grant is just one year. So, one-year grant funding to really focus on campus level supports. It's a campus level grant designed to strengthen curriculum instruction for campuses that are in school improvement. Again, targets title one campuses identified for CSI, ATS, or TSI, and provides up to $200,000 for campus. The grant supports adoption of HQIM or instructional improvements in eligible grade bands, ensuring students have access to rigorous TESS align content, teachers have the support to implement it effectively. So, take a look at this just to start familiarizing yourself with the grant, but really it's all about getting those instructional materials where it matters most. Eligible campuses are title one campuses identified for, like I said before, CSI, ATS, or
012TSI. Campuses must remain title one in the 26 through 27 school year. There are two ways to qualify, so really focus in on this. First, your campus must plan to adopt and implement a state board of education highquality instructional material that is not part of the Blue Bonnet learning suite. your campus is implementing curriculum and instruction improvements in grade levels where an SBOE approved list does not exist, meaning the materials have not gone through the ENRE process yet. So again, pathway one, you are going to implement curriculum that is not blue bonnet and is approved through SBOE or you have a grade level content area where it has not gone through the EMR review process yet, but it is a high it is a instructional material. Both of those pathways are eligible for this grant.
013want to just kind of bring one important note just to ensure that there's no confusion towards this. If your district is implementing blue bonnet learning, that does not automatically disqualify a school improvement campus from applying for SICSG. Really, the key is what the campus plans to do with the grant. So, start to focus in on what grade level it is that that you want to um put this grant towards. For example, if an elementary campuses is using Blue Bonnet math but wants to um adopt an SPOE approved reading program that is not part of Blue Bonnet, this campus can still apply under that first pathway. The focus is really expanding access to instructional materials beyond what is covered by Blue Bonnet. So, start to think about what is the grade level, what is the content
014area. So just because your your district has Blue Bonnet, that doesn't automatically disqualify you from um this grant. Awarded campuses must meet several asurances. This includes securing leadership approval, implementing eligible HQM or instructional improvements. Also, contracting with an approved provider, and submitting required reports, and participating in TAE activities. So, take a moment, read through this slide to familiarize yourself with the um grant assurances. You can find all of this and more on the lasso website. This is the part of the the webinar where I'm going to start really pushing the lasso website. So, tea.ex.govo, you can go and find the program guidelines for sicisg and take a look at these grant asurances. Now we're going to talk more about the priority tiers. So applicants are scored using a tiering system. Priority tier one includes CSI
015campuses followed by ATS and TSI. Within each tier, campuses are ranked by star scores from lowest to highest. Additional factors like calendar length and school districts without a full feeder pattern may influence this prioritization. We're going to talk a bit about what does that mean with that 165 days and the why behind it. So, if your district is committed to moving towards 165 days in the school year, you will be prioritized. This is about really giving teachers and students access to the time that they need to fully internalize and deliver high-quality instruction. That's because most instructional materials are built on a scope in sequence with 165 days or more. So really we want to focus in on districts that can implement this with fidelity and and have quality. All of this extra time ensures full
016implementation and alignment with the curriculum. Implementing SICSG successfully requires a time commitment from key roles across the system. Superintendent will provide strategic oversight. District leaders monitor district level implementation and support procurement. Campus leaders engage at campus level for oversight, teacher co coaching, and performance management activities. Teachers will participate in training and implement solid instructional practices. All of these commitments ensure that the program delivers meaningful lasting impact. Each participating campus can receive up to $200,000. At least 70% of the funds must go to an approved provider and 30% can be used for other allowable expenses. Some of those allowable use of funds include payroll costs, consumable and durable supplies as well as services with the approved provider. So again, tea.ex.gov/ lasso. Go to sicisg take a look at the program guidelines and it'll give you a
017full list of things that you can use your um the funding for. All applicants must contract with one approved provider from the lasso cycle list. All of these vendors have been vetted by TEA and includes education service centers as vendors as well as some other approved providers. This list is posted on the LASO website and will be updated as needed. If your district is awarded SICISG in the contracts, excuse me, in contracts with an approved provider, you have to include specific language in the contract. Take a moment, read over this slide to familiarize yourself with some of the language and be ready if you have to um put a contract together with an approved provider. As you move forward, review the eligibility and prioritization guidance. So again, tea.ex.gov/lasso. Take a look at those program guidelines
018and start to identify campuses that might be a good fit. Um, starting to prepare early, ensuring alignment with your curriculum instruction staff will ensure a smooth application process when the window opens. So now we're going to jump into some of those lasso technical um pieces to kind of help you um start to get the application in. So first things first, here is a quick timeline of what to expect. So, we're right now in that September, October, November time frame. Um, December 3rd, our applications will be due with an anticipated award announcement of February 2nd. So, in the meantime, um, head to the website tea.ex.gov/aso and start to familiarize yourself with all the different initiatives that are out there. Um, we're going to take a look at this that I mentioned before, the application request link.
019So on October 3rd, TEA emailed a unique application link to school systems. Um if your superintendent did not receive that application link or maybe you've had a switch in superintendent on the TEA website, um there is a request for application link form. Go ahead and fill that out and your superintendent will receive a new application link. This goes to the superintendent because at the bottom applications must be signed with the superintendent to be accepted. You can look at the application before submitting. Like I mentioned, starting to get alignment with your curriculum instruction staff. There's a PDF of the application that's posted on the lasso cycle 4 website. So, go through that, take a look, and um start to gather the information that's needed to submit the application. Some next steps, if you have questions, we
020have office hours for the SICSG grant coming up on October 27th, 2025 from 2 to 2:30. So, there's a registration link on the Lassa website. Again, I've mentioned that application has were um applications were sent out October 3rd. They're due December 3rd. If you need support in submitting that application on October 27th from 8 to 8:30 and again on November 3rd at 5:00, there are some office hours that you can attend to get some support with that application. From this webinar and the webinar that we did in early October, we're generating frequently asked questions, getting some answers, and we'll be posting those to the Lasso website by November the 3. Again, we have two emails here to note, write down. If you have questions on your application or any other technical things, you can go
021to lasso@ tea.ex.gov or you can email us if you have specific SICSG programmatic questions. And that's our email at the bottom, lyft tea.ex.gov. Here's some information from the Lasso team regarding the competitive grante process. This impacts all Lasso 4 grants. So if your district has any questions about this information, please reach out to the lasso email. Again, here's another glance at the timeline just to make sure that you're um grounding yourself with some of the upcoming dates. application window closes December 3rd. We're going through our programmatic webinars now. This is the last one, but the webinar um recording will be posted to the VASA website soon. Next steps, make sure you fill out that application before December the the 3rd. Communicate all the information with your school systems um and register for those office hours
022if you have any questions. Again, on the LASO website is very very resourceheavy. So, our best fit guide for all 15 initiatives is there. our grant one pagers and eligibility and prioritization guidance documents are there. So read through there, read through those, see if not only this grant, but maybe other grants might be a good fit for your school system. So we're so glad that you joined us today. Thank you. Thank you. If you have any questions, please email us at lift.tea.t texas.gov. Like I mentioned before, we do have a Q&A running. We're going to stand for another minute if maybe a question has popped into your head here at the very end. But after that minute, we're going to close the webinar and you can always email us at this email below. Again, thank
023you for joining us. Um, and we will see your application soon.