The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program, authorized under section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), provides grants to Local Education Agencies that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds and the strongest commitment to use the funds to provide adequate resources in order to raise substantially the achievement of students in their lowest-performing schools.

2019-20 School Year

The following schools will have funded SIG programs for the 2019-20 school year: Coolidge HS, Friendship BPE PCS, Woodson HS.  Please find background information and the SY19-20 work plan template linked below.

• Summary of  Intervention Strategies: Priority and Focus Schools
• Work Plan

2018-19 School Year

• LEA Application Budget
• Summary of  Intervention Strategies: Priority and Focus Schools
• Work Plan

School Improvement Grant—Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) and Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Awards

Notice of Intent to Apply for a Waiver of a Title I Section 1003(g) School Improvement Grants Requirement

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) plans to submit an application for federal SIG funds to serve the District’s persistently lowest achieving schools. Information regarding the SIG program is available via the US Department of Education’s (USDE) website.

As part of the application, OSSE has the opportunity to request a waiver of the implementation timeline for schools receiving a SIG grant. Without a waiver to this timeline, the District would be required to use all of the SIG FY15 funds ($1,397,355) by Sept. 30, 2017 and SIG FY16 funds ($1,254,313) by Sept. 30, 2018.  For this reason, OSSE is requesting a waiver to allow for an extension of FY15 and FY16 funds until Sept. 30, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021, respectively, which would allow local education agencies (LEAs) and schools to further sustain their implementation efforts. This notice is to provide you the opportunity to review and comment on the following waiver request, which will be submitted as part of an application for federal SIG funds.

Period of Availability Waiver - to extend availability period for Federal Fiscal Year 2015 and 2016 SIG funds through September 2020 and September 2021.

OSSE intends to request a waiver from the US Department of Education to extend the period of availability for the state's fiscal years 2015 and 2016 SIG funds authorized under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The current period of availability for FY15 funds ends on Sept. 30, 2017 and FY16 funds end on Sept. 30, 2018. If granted, the waiver will allow the state to use approximately $2.6 million in FY15 and FY16 SIG funds through Sept. 30, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021.

School Improvement Grant Awardees

Summary of School Improvement Grant Awards

This chart shows how over $1,000,000.00 in federal funds were allocated to the District of Columbia’s state education agency in School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding. The initial award amount given to OSSE was $1,392,139.00. OSSE received a supplemental amount of funding in the amount $4,184.00 bringing the total award amount of SIG FY 14 funds to $1,396,323.00 of which 95 percent has been allocated to Local Education Agencies.

These funds were used to support OSSE’s fourth SIG cohort. This cohort is comprised of three schools from two Local Education Agencies (District of Columbia Public Schools and Friendship Public Charter School). The award amounts cover a three year period beginning Oct. 1, 2015-Sept. 30, 2018 and range from $360,585.76-$596,928.08.

District of Columbia Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools

• School Year 2009-2010
• School Year 2010-2011

District of Columbia Public Schools

Approved Application Federal Fiscal Year 2010 - This chart shows how federal School Improvement Grant 1003(g) funds were allocated to the second cohort of six (6) District of Columbia Public Schools’ with a per school range of $550,387.00-$1,306,421.00 to implement a school improvement model through Sept. 30, 2014.

Approved Application Federal Fiscal Year 2009 - This charts shows how federal School Improvement Grant 1003(g) funds were allocated to the first cohort of nine District of Columbia Public Schools with a per school range of $437,900.00 to $1,648,300.00 to implement a school improvement model through Sept. 30, 2013.

Options Public Charter School

Approved Application Federal Fiscal Year 2009 - Options Public Charter School was awarded $1,484,126.00 in federal funds to implement a school improvement model through Sept. 30, 2013.

Resources

• School Improvement Grant (SIG) Schools
• SIG Final Requirements - Federal Register Notice (2015)