Family & Community Students & Families Student and Secondary Support
21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Grant Program
(Federally funded through NCLB Title IVB - Fund Code 647)

Technical Assistance (TA)

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the Department) seeks to provide guidance and assistance for the enhancement and sustainability of Massachusetts 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC). Some forms of TA that the Department offers include research-based evaluation tools, site visits to 21^st CCLC Programs, on-site and telephone/email consultations, and customized training and professional development.

Through a multi-tiered system of TA, the Department seeks to build the capacity of 21^st CCLC programs:

• to implement innovative teaching approaches such as project-based & theme-based learning;
• to organize effective homework centers;
• to strengthen program sustainability; and
• to conduct quality improvement through techniques such as data-driven decision-making.

After School & Out-of-School Time Online Resources

Search our annotated bibliographies of online resources for after school enrichment programming. Some of the resource categories include homework help, applied math & science, teaching English language learners, and financing & sustainability resources.

Assessment Tools for Continuous Program Improvement

In collaboration with the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), the Department created the Survey of After-School Youth Outcomes (SAYO) and the Assessment of Afterschool Program Practices (APT).

Survey of After School Youth Outcomes (SAYO)

SAYO, a research-based evaluation system, enables after-school programs to assess changes in youth that are associated with participation in a high-quality after-school program and likely to occur over a one-year period.

Assessment of After School Program Practices (APT)

The APT is an observational instrument used to assess the extent to which 21st CCLC programs are implementing practices congruent with their desired SAYO outcomes. For more details, see APT description or APT tool   .