FY27 Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) I

FY27 Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) I is sponsored by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. A continuation grant program focused on reading success in Massachusetts.

FY2027 Fund Code 0592: Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) I - Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs Educational Collaboratives Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE Budget Inter-District School Choice School Finance Regulations Chapter 74 Nonresident Tuition FY2027: Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) I The Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) I grant is a component of Literacy Launch, an initiative to promote early literacy success for ALL Massachusetts students.

This grant will support districts to implement and sustain an evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining multi-tiered system of support for literacy in grades preK–3. Ultimately, a high proportion of students in PRISM I districts will meet reading benchmarks, with equitable experiences and outcomes for all student groups.

DESE, in collaboration with EEC, will provide significant resources, in the form of funding, coaching, and technical assistance resources to PRISM I districts and their community-based preschool and educator preparation program partners, and directly support/guide the districts and their partners in an equity-focused literacy improvement planning process and operationalization of that plan.

Please see the PRISM I FY27 Program Details attachment for more comprehensive information about what this grant program entails. Please note, this grant opportunity is pending funding.

DESE seeks to award PRISM I grants to entities that: Are committed to investments in evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sustaining early literacy practices, both in their districts and in their partnerships with community-based preschool and educator preparation program partners; Demonstrate favorable conditions and the resources, including time and commitment, necessary to make and sustain meaningful literacy program improvements, across multiple schools; Bring together a diverse coalition of stakeholders committed to early literacy improvement, and specifically to PRISM I, including families, diverse staff members, administrators, school committee, and students where appropriate; Acknowledge and take meaningful steps to address early literacy achievement disparities along lines of race, income, language status, and/or disability status.

This continuation grant is intended for districts that were awarded the competitive FY25 PRISM I grant.

The eligible districts include: Framingham Public Schools Gateway Regional School District (partnering with Farmington River Regional School District) Nashoba Regional School District New Bedford Public Schools Northborough Public Schools (partnering with Southborough Public Schools) State Line Item 1596-2437 Federal grant funds must adhere to: EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76 The receipt of grant funds is contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.

L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act.

Compliance with the MBTA Communities Act is determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Approximately $10,000,000 is expected to be available for FY27, pending funding . Recipients will need to provide detailed cost information to DESE to demonstrate compliance with grant priorities and approved fund uses in order to access funds over the grant period.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds. Funding is contingent upon state and federal appropriation and availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change.

If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document. The details below are a summary. Please see the Fund Use Details document for more comprehensive information.

A district-specific individual budget guide will be emailed to each district. Funds for FY27 will be used to implement customized Early Literacy MTSS Action Plans through direct partnership with the DESE-approved PRISM I Leadership Coach (TNTP).

PRISM I awardees will receive funding to support the components of the early literacy multi-tiered system of support identified as priorities through the district's and community-based preschool partners' Literacy Systems Scan and outlined in the Early Literacy MTSS action plan. Not all grantees may need or be approved for expenses in every category listed below.

Fund use may include: Professional development from DESE-approved and/or EEC-approved external providers High-dosage tutoring provider Early Literacy assessments, including approved screening assessment, for preschool and for K–3 as needed If district-operated preschool programs and/or community-based preschool partners are in need of equipment required to administer assessments in preschool (up to 2 tablets per classroom), a portion of the materials budget can be used for that purpose.

Other assessments as needed (K–3) for Tier 2/3 instruction Tier 2/3 and other supplemental instructional materials (K–3) Tier 1 language and literacy instructional materials (including curriculum) for district and community-based preschool providers Access to curricular materials and assessments for educator preparation program partners Salary support for reading interventionist, literacy coach, and/or reading specialist positions Teacher stipends or substitute teacher costs so that teachers can participate in professional development, including K–3 teachers and both district and community-based preschool providers Stipends for members of the PRISM Leadership Team, including leaders from both the district and its partners (community-based preschools and/or education preparation providers) Stipends for educator preparation faculty, personnel, and/or teacher candidates to participate in PRISM I grant activities Upon Approval (No Earlier than 7/1/2026 – 6/30/2027 Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year(s) 2028-2029.

Office of Literacy and Humanities, Teaching & Learning Unit Monday, May 4, 2026 at 5 p. m. Proposals must be received at the Department by 5 p.

m. Eastern on the date due. Curriculum Data must be up to date on DESE District Profiles for K–8 ELA/Literacy, K–12 math, and 6–8 Science by the time of the grant due date .

To check if this information is complete, check the statewide Curriculum report . Or, visit your District Profiles page via Profiles Home , and select Curriculum Data from the left-hand navigation. If the required data is not complete or up-to-date, details and directions on how to enter or update this data can be found at Curriculum Data Collection webpage .

Early Literacy Universal Screening: Districts receiving this award for ELA/Literacy will be required to participate in research efforts, including providing K–3 student-level assessment data from the approved early literacy screening assessment that is administered in all schools during the award period. DESE will request that data be submitted by June 30 of each year awarded.

DESE will analyze the statewide data collected for research purposes, including evaluation of this program. Analyses will comply with state and federal confidentiality laws. PRISM Leadership Coaching: Each district and its partners participating in PRISM I will work closely with the DESE-approved PRISM Leadership Coach (TNTP).

The PRISM Leadership Coach serves as a strategic partner to district leadership and the PRISM Leadership Team, providing leadership coaching and technical assistance to support implementation of the district's Early Literacy MTSS Action Plan and broader early literacy improvement efforts.

Data Collection and Evaluation: PRISM I recipients and their partners will be required to prepare and provide data requested by the Department in order to evaluate the effectiveness of Literacy Launch and PRISM I grant funds and activities. Such data may include, but is not limited to, student assessment data, classroom walkthrough data, teacher survey responses, and participation in focus groups.

For questions regarding the evaluation of PRISM I and Literacy Launch, please reach out to Allison Pickens. The FY27 0592 PRISM I Grant will be submitted in the GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$) Continuation grant applications are considered submitted when the LEA Fiscal Representative approves the grant application in GEM$. In order to be considered for continuation funding, applicants must submit a grant application by the due date listed in the RFP.

Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms.

The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system. Last Updated: April 13, 2026 This link will take you to an external website which may or may not be accessible and WCAG 2.

1 compliant