Section 3035.220  Application for Grant

a)         ISL may make grant applications available prior to the availability of funds, subject to the conditions stipulated in Section 3035.135 of this Part.

b)         Applications shall be submitted to the Illinois State Library in a format prescribed by the Secretary of State. The applicants shall provide the information stipulated in Section 3035.135(d).

c)         Grant awards and the maximum grant amounts will be determined by the State Librarian.

d)         Applications shall include the following information:

1)         The name of the literacy program for the community.

2)         The name and address of the applicant.

3)         The name and telephone number of the applicant's director or executive officer.

4)         The name, address and contact person for each business whose employees will participate in workplace literacy services.

5)         The name, address and contact person for the local public library that is partnering in family literacy services.

6)         The name, address and contact person for the child education agency that is partnering in family literacy services.

7)         The name, address and contact person for the adult literacy provider agency that is partnering in family literacy services.

8)         The term of the literacy program, including a time schedule for the completion of project objectives of the literacy program within the grant year.

9)         The total amount of grant money requested for the literacy program.

10)        A brief and explicit description of the literacy program purpose and goals.

11)        A statement supported by current, relevant statistics (e.g., dropout rates, census figures on the education level of the local population, or the number of persons receiving public assistance) and other evidence detailing the need for the literacy program in the particular community or geographic region of the applicant.

12)        A statement of the instructional and recruitment methods to be used to meet its stated goals.

13)        An explicit description of plans to evaluate project goals and student progress, including statistical data.

A)        Testing

i)          Plans for pre- and post-testing of students must be part of the proposal application. The Slosson Oral Reading Test − Revised (SORT-R), 2002 edition (produced by Slosson Educational Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 544, 538 Buffalo Rd., East Aurora NY 14052-0544), or the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), 2004  edition (produced by CTB/McGraw-Hill, 20 Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey CA 93940-5703) must be used in student testing for semiannual reports submitted to the State Library.  The materials incorporated by reference include no later amendments or editions. 

ii)         In the case of English as a Second Language (ESL)  projects, professionally accepted tests must be used, such as the English as a Second Language Oral Assessment (ESLOA), 1978 edition (produced by New Reader's Press, 104 Marcellus Street, Syracuse NY 13204-2952); the Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA), 2009 edition (produced by the Association of Classroom Teacher Testers, 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 1 #378, Montecito CA 93108-2794); the Basic English Skills Test (BEST), 2006 edition (produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40^th Street, NW, Washington DC 20016-1859; the Foreign Service Institute Oral Proficiency Interview (FSI) (also known as ILR), 1983  edition (produced by the Foreign Service Institute Shultz Center, 4000 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington VA 22204-1500).  The materials incorporated by reference include no later amendments or editions. 

iii)        In the case of students who enroll for math assistance only, the TABE math test, 2004 edition (produced by CTB/McGraw-Hill, 20 Ryan Ranch  Road, Monterey CA 93940-5703), must be used in testing.  The material incorporated by reference includes no later amendments or editions.

iv)        Other professionally accepted educational assessments approved by the Literacy Office of the State Library may be used that provide accurate measurements of an adult student's literacy or English language skill level.

14)        A statement from each of the partnering agencies in the literacy project detailing their responsibilities to the literacy project, including cooperation, coordination and services, and including signatures of organization representatives.

15)        The budget for the literacy project, setting forth the personnel costs, fringe benefits (e.g., retirement benefits and health insurance), travel costs, equipment purchases, supplies, contractual services, instructional materials, and any other expense necessary to operate the literacy program proposed in the grant application.

A)        No more than 10% of total grant funds may be used to purchase equipment. The equipment becomes the property of the literacy project and is not intended to be consumable.

B)        Costs for purchase of consultant services will not be allowed in the proposal budget unless the specific expertise required is not available at the applicant's agency or the Illinois State Library. Justification must be provided if consultant services are purchased, and a complete description of the work to be performed must also be provided.  The proposed consultant must be mutually acceptable to both the grantee and Illinois State Library, based on the consultant's prior experience and expertise in literacy programs.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 6614, effective April 7, 2022)