Running Head: ASTOUNDING SOUND PROJECT

Astounding Sound Project Grant Proposal

Brittany Bernard

University of Maryland University College

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Project Abstract

Organization: AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School

Project Title: Astounding Sound Project (ASP)

Start Date: Fall 2020

End Date: Spring 2023

Project Director: Brittany Bernard

2750 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

(202) 407-0177

[email protected]

AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School is seeking a grant to create a

speech-language assistance program, entitled Astounding Sound Project (ASP), with the

objective of helping all of our students with limited or no speech ability increase their

communication and expressive language skills to a proficiency level of on track or

accelerated. The objective is that by the end of the year the students will all have received

an 85% or higher on the language and literacy assessments. Funding in the amount of

$26,500 is requested for the purchase of the required software and hardware, staff

training as well as supplies over a 3 year funding program.

 Disability focused on by the project: Speech or language impairment

 Age group of children with disabilities: Preschool

 Target content area(s) focused on by the project: Assessment, Early Childhood,

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Literacy, Assistive and Instructional Technology

 Geography focused on by the project: Urban

Statement of Need

AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School has 162 students, with 7%

identified Special Education students. Among these students speech-language

impairments are very common. Early interventions for speech and language delays are

vital to the development of a child. There is a lack of daily speech assistance during

lessons in the classroom, as well as a lack of speech accommodation techniques or tools

during quarterly academic assessments, which negatively effect their learning experience

as well as their assessment scores. AppleTree is implementing this project to ensure that

every one of our students with speech impairments is exposed to a more accessible

learning environment that will enhance their communication skills and prepare them for

the future.

Program Description

AppleTree’s Astounding Sound Project (ASP) will enable students with speech

impairments to improve their communication skills by utilizing school provided tablets

equipped with an augmented and alternative communication (AAC) application installed.

By equipping the students with these devices they will be able to communicate

alternatively with the help of the app. Because they will now have an avenue to express

their thoughts through their social and emotional skills will increase greatly. This device

will also assist in learning, in that students will be able to communicate questions and
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answers toward their teachers as well. There will be 5 iPad minis in each classroom

equipped with the Proloquo2Go app installed.

The Proloquo2Go app by AssistiveWare is a symbol based Augmentative and

Alternative Communication AAC app for iOS as a daily communication tool that builds

language skills. “Studies show that just 200-400 words make up 8-% of what we say.

Known as core words, they act as the basis of Proloquo2Go” (Proloquo2Go, 2019). The

app uses a research-based core word vocabulary entitled Crescendo. The app has 25,000

symbols already on the picture grids as well as the option to add your own pictures and

vocabulary. There’s also a feature to record your voice saying the vocabulary for the

student to hear when they select an image. For accessibility, there are 23 pre-programmed

grid sizes and accessibility settings. For different language learners the app has over 100

free natural sounding text to speech voices across all languages. This app is a

communication and language development masterpiece!

With Proloquo2Go a student who is unable to produce words now has a voice.

This app gives students a way to express themselves and display their true knowledge

without the barrier or obstacle of speaking. Now the students will have a wide variety of

vocabulary to choose from to adequately engage in real time conversations with their

peers and teachers.

Another great aspect of this device is that it is for all ages. Many other AACs use

text or have a very limited symbol vocabulary. Because my students are 3 and 4 years

old, they are not at the comprehension level of reading just yet. By using pictures my

students can select vocabulary with ease. This app is age appropriate, no matter what age.

There is even a Progressive Language program built in the app to remove the
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overwhelming feeling of the large amount of vocabulary options. The Progressive

Language program allows the user to build vocabulary at their own pace. The screen is

able to only display a few symbols at a time to teach the user vocabulary gradually. The

user decides how many symbols are displayed at all times. This aspect of differentiation

was added after AssistiveWare’s research team spoke to teachers who use AAC devices

currently and noticed students becoming overwhelmed if there are too many options.

Using the Proloquo2Go app in our preschool classrooms will not only increase

students’ communication but will also increase their confidence. With this tool our

students will be able to answer more questions, communicate with their peers better, and

even answer more questions during instruction and assessments. Rosemary Crossley once

said, “Not being able to speak is not the same as not having anything to say”. This project

will benefit our students with speech impairment on a paramount scale and give them a

voice where there once was none.

Proloquo2Go. (2019). Retrieved from

https://www.assistiveware.com/products/proloquo2go

Goals & Objectives

The goal of the Astounding Sound Project is to provide students with speech and

language impairments an AAC device that will create a more accessible learning

environment, increase their communication, vocabulary and expressive language skills

and increase their social confidence.

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Main objectives:

1. Students with a speech impairment will use the AAC app to increase their

language and literacy assessment scores to 85% proficiency or higher by the end

of the year assessments.

2. Students with a speech impairment will use the AAC app to communicate with

their peers more effectively and increase their Positive Behavior Rating Scale

(PBRS) scores to a 4 or 5 (out of 5) by the end of the year.

3. Students with a speech impairment will increase their class participation score on

the PBRS scale by 2-3 points through the usage of the AAC app by the end of the

year

Implementation

At the beginning of each school year we will have two teachers train the staff on

how to implement the device during the school day. Teachers will equip their students

who have speech impairments with an iPad device. During whole group instruction on

the carpet the students will use the Proloquo2Go app to communicate to the teacher by

asking and answering questions during the lesson. This will increase their willingness to

participate because they now have access to the correct vocabulary to do so. During free

play centers time the students will use the Proloquo2Go app to communicate with their

peers. This will create a more collaborative learning environment for the students with

speech impairments. Once the three-year funding is complete each classroom will have at

least 5 iPad minis in their possession to be used to enhance communication skills. Each
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year the device/app training will take place at the beginning of the school year, by two

teachers, who will receive a $100 stipend each.

Budget

This budget includes the costs for the entire 3 years of the project. The hardware

costs include the iPad minis. The software cost includes the Proloquo2Go application.

The supplies cost consists of the iPad mini cases as well as the CarryOn charging cabinet

for each classroom. The repair costs are added in case of any unforeseen issues with the

devices. The transportation costs refer to providing the project staff with transportation to

the mandatory OSEP meetings yearly.

Budget Categories Project Year 1 Project Year 2 Project Year TOTAL

3
Hardware 6,750.00 6,750.00 6,750.00 20,250.00
Software 250.00 0 0 250.00
Supplies 1,275.00 1,275.00 1,275.00 3,825.00
Training Costs 200 200 200 600.00
Transportation 50 50 50 150
Repair Costs 500 500 500 1,500.00
Total Costs 9,025.00 8,775.00 8,775.00 $26,575.00

Timeline

Activity Date
 Submit Grant Proposal July 2019
 Expected Grant Notification November 2019
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 Obtain Hardware & Software (15 January 2020

devices)

 Install Proloquo2Go
 Training Session for Teachers August 2020
 Introduce Software to Students September 2020

 Conduct baseline Language &

Literacy assessments
 Conduct outcome Language & May 2021

Literacy Assessment

 Analyze Data/ Prepare Results

Report
 End of year Meeting June 2021
 Obtain Hardware & Software (15 August 2021

devices)

 Training Session for Teachers

 Introduce Software to Students September 2021

 Conduct baseline Language &

Literacy assessments
 Conduct outcome Language & May 2022

Literacy Assessment

 Analyze Data/ Prepare Results

Report
 End of year Meeting June 2022
 Obtain Hardware & Software (15 August 2022

devices)

 Training Session for Teachers

 Introduce Software to Students September 2022

 Conduct baseline Language &

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Literacy assessments
 Conduct outcome Language & May 2023

Literacy Assessment

 Analyze Data/ Prepare Results

Report
 End of year Meeting June 2023

Evaluation

AppleTree conducts quarterly Language & Literacy assessments. We will look at the

language scores from baseline testing and compare it to the scores during outcome testing

to determine the academic growth and compare it to years before the school implemented

the Proloquo2Go to see how effective the new initiative is. We will also track the Positive

Rating Scale scores, quarterly, to determine if the student’s social-emotional skills have

increased.

Outcomes

At the end of the third year, the program will have produced three years, of students with

speech impairments, who have received 85% or higher on their outcome language and

literacy assessments. The final assessment scores and PBRS scores will measure the

project effectiveness. We will work to create a more accessible environment that will

foster better communication and expressive language skills for our students. With the

financial help from OSEP we will be able to reach our goal and give our students a voice!
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Grant Rubric:

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 75.210. The

maximum score for all selection criteria is 100 points. The points or weights assigned to

each criterion are indicated in parentheses. Non-Federal peer reviewers will evaluate and

score each application program narrative against the following selection criteria:

(a) Need for project (15 points)

(1) The Secretary considers the need for the project.

(2) In determining the need for the project, the Secretary considers the following

factors:

(i) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the

activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (10 points)

(ii) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services,

infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed

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by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps

or weaknesses. (5 points)

(b) Significance (15 points)

(1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary

considers the extent to which the proposed project is likely to build local capacity

to provide, improve, or expand services that address the needs of the target

population.

(c) Quality of the project design (15 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(i) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to,

and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other

identified needs. (5 points)

(ii) The extent to which the proposed project will integrate with or build

on similar or related efforts to improve relevant outcomes (as defined in

this notice), using existing funding streams from other programs or

policies supported by community, State, and Federal resources. (5 points)

(iii) The extent to which the proposed project is supported by promising

evidence (as defined in this notice). (5 points)

(d) Quality of the project services (25 points).

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(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the

proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for

ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are

members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race,

color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the extent to which the training or

professional development services to be provided by the proposed project are of

sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice

among the recipients of those services.

(e) Quality of the management plan (15 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project,

the Secretary considers the adequacy of the management plan to achieve the

objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly

defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.

(f) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points).

(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the

proposed project.
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(2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers the extent

to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the

goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project.

Total: 100 points

Project Prevent Grant Program CFDA Number 84.184M Notice Inviting Applications.

(June 5, 2019). Retrieved from file:///Users/useraccount1/Downloads/2019-

11677%20(1).pdf