[Federal Register: December 15, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 241)]
[Notices]
[Page 75514-75518]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15de06-43]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and
Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students; Overview
Information; National Professional Development Program; Notice inviting
applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2007.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.195N
Dates:
Applications Available: December 15, 2006.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 1, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 1, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 1, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs) in
consortia with State educational agencies (SEAs) or local educational
agencies (LEAs).
Note: Eligible applicants seeking to apply as a consortium
should read and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through
75.129.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$38,100,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2007. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action.
However, we are inviting applicants to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-300,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $257,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 148.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the National Professional
Development Program is to provide for professional development
activities that will improve classroom instruction for limited English
proficient (LEP) children and assist educational personnel working with
such children to meet high professional standards, including standards
for certification and licensure as teachers who work in language
standards for certification and licensure as teachers who work in
language instruction education programs or serve LEP children.
Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested
in applications that address the following priorities.
Invitational Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give
an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive
or absolute preference over other applications.
These priorities are as follows:
Invitational Priority #1. Projects designed to improve a teacher
education program in order to better prepare all teachers to provide
effective instruction to LEP students. In such projects, IHEs would
collaborate with both an LEA and SEA on such activities as: (1)
professional development to improve
[[Page 75515]]
the ability of higher education faculty in preparing prospective
teachers to teach LEP students, and (2) the development of teacher
education curricula that (a) are aligned with State content standards
and State English language proficiency standards (b) prepare all
teacher candidates in an institution to provide instruction that
accelerates LEP students' acquisition of language (including the
acquisition of academic language skills), literacy, and content
knowledge.
Invitational Priority #2. Projects that conduct post-training
assessment and collect post-training data on the effectiveness of
program graduates and completers in order to determine the impact of
the project on the academic achievement and English language
development of LEP students in grades kindergarten through 12.
Invitational Priority #3. Projects that support high-quality
professional development for secondary content teachers to help these
teachers improve academic achievement and literacy and language
development of LEP students, including by preparing teachers to provide
instruction that reflections aligned State English language proficiency
standards and State content standards and assessments.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6861.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds; The Administration has requested
$38,100,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2007. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action.
However, we are inviting applicants to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $257,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 148.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicant: IHEs in consortia with SEAs or LEAs.
Note: Eligible applicants seeking to apply as a consortium
should read and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through
75.129.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Patrice Swann, U.S.
Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 10070, Potomac
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20024-6121. Telephone: (202) 245-7130, or
by e-mail: patrice.swann@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contracting the program contact
person listed in this section.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an
application for funding. The e-mail does not need to include
information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the
applicant's intent to submit it. This e-mail notification should be
sent to Yvonne Putney-Mathieu at: yvonne.mathieu@ed.gov.
We will consider an application submitted by the deadline date for
transmittal of applications, even if the applicant did not provide us
notice of its intent to apply.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 30 pages using the following standards.
A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet;
Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one
page abstract. However, you must include all of the application
narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 15, 2006.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 1, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 1, 2007.
Applications for grants under this program may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV.6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 1, 2007.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail
or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. To comply with the
President's Management Agenda, we are participating as a partner in the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. The National Professional
Development Program, 84.195N, is included in this project. We request
your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use
[[Page 75516]]
the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov.
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the National
Professional Development Program at http://www.grants.gov/. You must
search for the downloadable application package for this program or
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.195, not 84.195N).
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants. gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants. gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf
.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp
). These steps include (1)
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition, you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including all information you
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education
Supplemental information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
If you submit your application electronically, you must
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document format. If you
upload a file type other than the three file types specified in this
paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that
material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grant.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed
elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that problem affected your
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. we will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to
[[Page 75517]]
the Department at the applicable following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA 84.195 N, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: CFDA Number 84.195 N,
7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery. If you submit
your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier
service) must deliver the original and two copies of your application
by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department
at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.195 N), 550 12th Street,
SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) you must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424, the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The maximum score for all of these
criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is
indicated in parentheses.
(a) Need for project. (5 points)
The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the proposed project will provide services
or otherwise address the needs of students at risk of educational
failure.
(2) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services,
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude
of those gaps and weaknesses.
(3) The extent to which the proposed project will prepare personnel
for fields in which shortages have been demonstrated.
(b) Quality of the project design. (50 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(2) 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.
(3) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
(4) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and to support
rigorous academic standards for students.
(5) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build
capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of
Federal financial assistance.
(c) Quality of project personnel. (5 Points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry
out the proposed project.
(1) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability.
(2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director or principal investigator.
(3) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key personnel.
(d) Quality of the management plan. (10 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) 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.
(2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
(3) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
(e) Quality of the project evaluation. (30 points)
The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project.
(2) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible.
(3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for
examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
(4) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes.
VI. Award Administration Information
(1) Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify
your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and
[[Page 75518]]
send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may also notify you
informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
(2) Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice. We reference the regulations
outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice and include these and other specific
conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved
application as part of your binding commitments under the grant.
(3) Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
CFR 75.118.
(4) Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance
and Results Act (GPRA), the Department developed three quantitative
measures for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the NPD Program.
We will expect each IHE, in consortium with its partnering LEA or SEA,
that carries out a project funded under this competition to document
the extent to which the project is achieving against these performance
measures. These measures are:
(1) The percentage of pre-service program graduates who are placed
in instructional settings serving limited English proficient students
within one year of graduation.
(2) The percentage of pre-service program graduates who meet NCLB
Highly Qualified Teacher requirements.
(3) The percentage of in-service teacher completers who are
providing instructional services to limited English proficient
students.
Grantees will be expected to report on progress in meeting these
performance measures for the NPD Program in their Annual Performance
Report and in their Final Performance Report.
In addition to the GPRA measures, the Department has developed two
additional measures, program measures, used to help monitor the
effectiveness of the NPD Program. We will expect each IHE, in
consortium with its partnering LEA or SEA, that carries out a project
funded under this competition to document the extent to which the
project is helping the Department meet these program measures. These
measures are:
(1) The effectiveness of graduates/completers in the instructional
meeting.
(2) The degree to which IHE pre-service and in-service training
programs are aligned with K-12 State standards and assessments,
including English language proficiency standards and content standards.
Grantees will be expected to report on progress in meeting these
performance measures for the NPD Program in their Annual Performance
Report and in their Final Performance Report.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Ana Garcia, U.S. Department of
Education, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Room 10072,
Washington, DC 20024-6121. (202) 245-7153. ana.garcia@ed.gov; or
Trini Torres-Carrion, U.S. Department of Education, Potomc Center
Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Room 10082, Washington, DC 20024-6121.
(202) 245-7134. trinidad.torres-carrier@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this
section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.htm1
.
Dated: December 12, 2006.
Kathleen Leos,
Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language
Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited
English Proficient Students.
[FR Doc. 06-9726 Filed 12-14-06; 8:45 am]
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