[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13735-13740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6370]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information;
Charter Schools Program (CSP): State Educational Agencies; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.282A.
Dates:
Applications Available: March 23, 2010.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2010.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 30, 2010.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the CSP is to increase national
understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of
high-quality charter schools available to students across the Nation by
providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, and
initial implementation of charter schools, and to evaluate the effects
of charter schools, including their effects on students, student
academic achievement, staff, and parents. The Secretary awards grants
to State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to conduct charter
school programs in their States. SEAs use their CSP funds to award
subgrants to non-SEA eligible applicants for planning, program design,
and initial implementation of a charter school, and to support the
dissemination of information about charter schools, including
successful practices in charter schools.
Priorities: This competition includes four competitive preference
priorities and one invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(1) and 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), competitive preference
priorities 1 through 4 are from section 5202(e) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 7221a(e).
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2010 and any subsequent
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from
this competition, these priorities are competitive preference
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional
forty (40) points to an application, depending on how well the
application meets one or more of these priorities.
Note: In order to receive preference under these priorities, an
applicant must identify the priority or priorities that it believes
it meets and provide documentation, including citations and examples
from their State's charter school law, supporting its claims. In
order to receive points for priority 1 or to receive points for
priorities 2 through 4, an application must meet priority 1 and must
meet one or more of priorities 2 through 4.
An SEA that meets priority 1 but does not meet one or more of
priorities 2 through 4 will not receive any points for priorities 1
through 4.
An SEA that does not meet priority 1 but meets one or more of
priorities 2 through 4 will not receive any points for priorities 2
through 4.
These priorities are:
Priority 1--Periodic Review and Evaluation (10 points). The State
provides for periodic review and evaluation by the authorized public
chartering agency of each charter school at least once every five
years, unless required more frequently by State law, to determine
whether the charter school is meeting the terms of the school's
charter, and is meeting or exceeding the student academic achievement
requirements and goals for charter schools as set forth under State law
or the school's charter.
Priority 2--Number of High-Quality Charter Schools (10 points). The
State has demonstrated progress in increasing the number of high-
quality charter schools that are held accountable in the terms of the
schools' charters for meeting clear and measurable objectives for the
educational progress of the students attending the schools, in the
period prior to the period for which an SEA applies for a grant under
this competition.
[[Page 13736]]
Priority 3--One Authorized Public Chartering Agency Other than a
Local Educational Agency (LEA), or an Appeals Process (10 points). The
State--
(a) Provides for one authorized public chartering agency that is
not an LEA, such as a State chartering board, for each individual or
entity seeking to operate a charter school pursuant to State law; or
(b) In the case of a State in which LEAs are the only authorized
public chartering agencies, allows for an appeals process for the
denial of an application for a charter school.
Priority 4--High Degree of Autonomy (10 points). The State ensures
that each charter school has a high degree of autonomy over the charter
school's budgets and expenditures.
Under this competition we are particularly interested in
applications that address the following priority.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2010, this priority is an
invitational priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an
application that meets this invitational priority a competitive or
absolute preference over other applications.
This priority is:
High-Quality Charter Schools in Urban or Rural Areas.
The Secretary is particularly interested in projects designed to
enhance and expand a State's capacity to support high-quality charter
schools in one or more geographic areas, particularly urban and rural
areas, in which a large proportion or number of public schools have
been identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
under Title I, Part A of the ESEA. The proposed project should be based
on research evidence and demonstrate effective practices in building
charter school capacity through one or more of the following types of
activities: (1) The dissemination of information on the implementation
of the school turnaround and restart models (as described in the Notice
of Final Requirements for the School Improvement Grants published in
the Federal Register on December 10, 2009 (74 FR 65618)) in charter
schools and information on best practices for turning around the public
schools identified as the persistently-lowest achieving schools under
Title I, Part A of the ESEA; (2) the creation of new charter schools in
the vicinity of public schools closed as a consequence of a LEA
implementing a restructuring plan under section 1116(b)(8) of the ESEA,
provided that this is done in coordination with the LEA; or (3) the
identification and replication of high-performing charter schools in
``high-need communities'', as this term is defined in section
2151(e)(9)(B) of the (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 6651(e)(9)(B).
Requirements:
Applicants approved for funding under this competition must attend
a two-day meeting for project directors in the Washington, DC area
during each year of the project. Applicants are encouraged to include
the cost of attending this meeting in their proposed budgets.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79,
80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds:
The FY 2010 appropriation for the Charter Schools Program is
$256,031,000, of which an estimated $124,237,000 will be used for this
competition. Contingent upon the availability of funds, and the quality
of the applications, we may make additional awards later in FY 2010 and
FY 2011 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $1,000,000-$15,000,000 per year.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $8,000,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 6-10.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice. The estimated range, size, and number of awards are based on
a single 12-month budget period. However, the Department may choose
to fund more than 12 months of a project using the FY 2010 funds.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
Note: Planning and implementation subgrants awarded by an SEA to
non-SEA eligible applicants will be awarded for a period of up to
three years, no more than 18 months of which may be used for
planning and program design and no more than two years of which may
be used for the initial implementation of a charter school.
Dissemination subgrants are awarded for a period of up to two years.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs in States with a State statute
specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools.
Note: Non-SEA eligible applicants in States in which the SEA
elects not to participate in or does not have an application
approved under the CSP may apply for funding directly from the
Department. The Department plans to hold a separate competition for
non-SEA eligible applicants under CFDA numbers 84.282B and 84.282C.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Leslie Hankerson or
Richard Payton, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 4W249, Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 205-8524, or
(202) 453-7698 or by e-mail: [email protected] or
[email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting 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.
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. The Secretary strongly
encourages applicants to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more
than 60 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).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
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, the
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 23, 2010.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 2010.
[[Page 13737]]
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV.6. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 30, 2010.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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: The following funding restrictions apply
to this competition:
Use of Funds for Post-Award Planning and Design of the Educational
Program and Initial Implementation of the Charter School. A non-SEA
eligible applicant receiving a subgrant under this program may use the
subgrant funds only for--
(a) Post-award planning and design of the educational program,
which may include (i) refinement of the desired educational results and
of the methods for measuring progress toward achieving those results;
and (ii) professional development of teachers and other staff who will
work in the charter school; and
(b) Initial implementation of the charter school, which may include
(i) Informing the community about the school; (ii) acquiring necessary
equipment and educational materials and supplies; (iii) acquiring or
developing curriculum materials; and (iv) other initial operational
costs that cannot be met from State or local sources. (20 U.S.C.
7221c(f)(3))
Use of Funds for Dissemination Activities. An SEA may reserve not
more than 10 percent of its grant funds to support dissemination
activities (20 U.S.C. 7221c(f)(1)). A charter school may use those
funds to assist other schools in adapting the charter school's program
(or certain aspects of the charter school's program) or to disseminate
information about the charter school through such activities as--
(a) Assisting other individuals with the planning and start-up of
one or more new public schools, including charter schools, that are
independent of the assisting charter school and the assisting charter
school's developers and that agree to be held to at least as high a
level of accountability as the assisting charter school;
(b) Developing partnerships with other public schools, including
charter schools, designed to improve student academic achievement in
each of the schools participating in the partnership;
(c) Developing curriculum materials, assessments, and other
materials that promote increased student achievement and are based on
successful practices within the assisting charter school; and
(d) Conducting evaluations and developing materials that document
the successful practices of the assisting charter school and that are
designed to improve student achievement (20 U.S.C. 7221c(f)(6)(B)(i)
through (iv)).
Award Basis. In determining whether to approve a grant award and
the amount of such award, the Department will consider, among other
things, the amount of any carryover funds the applicant has under an
existing CSP grant and the applicant's performance and use of funds
under a previous or existing award under any Department program (34 CFR
75.233(b) and 75.217(d)(ii)).
We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements. Applications for grants under
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the CSP, CFDA number 84.282A, must be
submitted electronically using e-Application, accessible through the
Department's e-Grants Web site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this
competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m.
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modification to these hours are
posted in the e-Grants Web site.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms: the
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. 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
[[Page 13738]]
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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement that will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2)(a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date; or
(b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this
extension or to confirm our acknowledgement of any system
unavailability, you may contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere
in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency
Contacts) or (2) the e-Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-
Application is unavailable due to technical problems with the system
and, therefore, the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be
sent to all registered users who have initiated an e-Application.
Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the unavailability
of e-Application.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through e-Application because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
e-Application; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Leslie Hankerson or
Richard Payton, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 4W249, Washington, DC 20202-5970. FAX: (202) 205-5630.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, 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 84.282A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260. 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.
V. Application Review Information
Application Requirements: Applicants applying for CSP grant funds
must address both the following application requirements, which are
based on the statute, and the selection criteria described in this
notice. An applicant may choose to respond to the application
requirements in the context of its responses to the selection criteria.
(i) Describe the objectives of the SEA's charter school grant
program and how these objectives will be fulfilled, including steps
taken by the SEA to inform teachers, parents, and communities of the
SEA's charter school grant program;
(ii) Describe how the SEA will inform each charter school in the
State about Federal funds the charter school is eligible to receive and
Federal programs in which the charter school may participate;
(iii) Describe how the SEA will ensure that each charter school in
the State receives the school's commensurate share of Federal education
funds that are allocated by formula each year, including during the
first year of operation of the school and a year in which the school's
enrollment expands significantly;
(iv) Describe how the SEA will disseminate best or promising
practices of charter schools to each LEA in the State;
(v) If an SEA elects to reserve part of its grant funds (no more
than 10 percent) for the establishment of a revolving loan fund,
describe how the revolving loan fund would operate;
(vi) If an SEA desires the Secretary to consider waivers under the
authority of the CSP, include a request and justification for any
waiver of statutory or regulatory provisions that the SEA believes is
necessary for the successful operation of charter schools in the State;
and
[[Page 13739]]
(vii) Describe how charter schools that are considered to be LEAs
under State law and LEAs in which charter schools are located will
comply with sections 613(a)(5) and 613(e)(1)(B) of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act.
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from the authorizing statute for this program and 34 CFR 75.210 of
EDGAR and are as follows:
SEAs that propose to use a portion of their grant funds for
dissemination activities must address each selection criterion (i)
through (vii) individually and title each accordingly. SEAs that do not
propose to use a portion of their grant funds for dissemination
activities must address selection criteria (i) through (v) and (vii)
only. SEAs that do not address criterion (vi) because they are not
proposing to use a portion of their grant funds for dissemination
activities will not be penalized. The maximum possible score is 180
points for SEAs that do not propose to use grant funds to support
dissemination activities and 210 points for SEAs that propose to use
grant funds to support dissemination activities. The maximum possible
score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses following the
criterion.
(i) The contribution the charter schools grant program will make in
assisting educationally disadvantaged and other students to achieve
State academic content standards and State student academic achievement
standards (30 points).
Note: The Secretary encourages the applicant to provide a
description of the objectives for the SEA's charter school grant
program and to explain how these objectives will be fulfilled,
including steps taken by the SEA to inform teachers, parents, and
communities of the SEA's charter school grant program and how the
SEA will disseminate best or promising practices of charter schools
to each LEA in the State.
(ii) The degree of flexibility afforded by the SEA to charter
schools under the State's charter school law (30 points).
Note: The Secretary encourages the applicant to include a
description of how the State's law establishes an administrative
relationship between the charter school and the authorized public
chartering agency and exempts charter schools from significant State
or local rules that inhibit the flexible operation and management of
public schools.
The Secretary also encourages the applicant to include a
description of the degree of autonomy charter schools have achieved
over such matters as the charter school's budget, expenditures, daily
operation, and personnel in accordance with their State's law.
(iii) The number of high-quality charter schools to be created in
the State (30 points).
Note: The Secretary considers the SEA's reasonable estimate of
the number of new charter schools to be authorized and opened in the
State during the three-year period of this grant.
The Secretary also considers how the SEA will inform each charter
school in the State about Federal funds the charter school is eligible
to receive and ensure that each charter school in the State receives
the school's commensurate share of Federal education funds that are
allocated by formula each year, including during the first year of
operation of the school and during a year in which the school's
enrollment expands significantly.
(iv) 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 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 (30 points).
Note: In addition to describing the proposed objectives of the
SEA charter school grant program and how these objectives will be
fulfilled, the Secretary encourages applicants to provide
descriptions of the steps to be taken by the SEA to award subgrant
funds to eligible applicants desiring to receive these funds,
including descriptions of the peer review process the SEA will use
to review applications for assistance, the timelines for awarding
such funds, and how the SEA will assess the quality of the
applications.
(v) The SEA's plan to monitor and hold accountable authorized
public chartering agencies through such activities as providing
technical assistance or establishing a professional development
program, which may include providing authorized public chartering
agency staff with training and assistance on planning and systems
development, so as to improve the capacity of those agencies to
authorize, monitor, and hold accountable charter schools (30 points).
(vi) In the case of SEAs that propose to use grant funds to support
dissemination activities under section 5204(f)(6) of the ESEA, the
quality of the dissemination activities (15 points) and the likelihood
that those activities will improve student academic achievement (15
points).
Note: The Secretary encourages the applicant to describe the
steps to be taken by the SEA to award these funds to eligible
applicants, including a description of the peer review process the
SEA will use to review applications for dissemination, the timelines
for awarding such funds, and how the SEA will assess the quality of
the applications.
(vii) 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 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 (30 points).
Note: The Secretary encourages the applicant to include a strong
evaluation plan in the application narrative and to use that plan,
as appropriate, to shape the development of the project from the
beginning of the grant period. The Secretary encourages the
applicant to design the plan so that it includes (a) benchmarks to
monitor progress toward specific project objectives and (b) outcome
measures to assess the impact on teaching and learning or other
important outcomes for project participants. In its plan, we
encourage the applicant to identify the individual and/or
organization that will serve as the evaluator and to describe the
qualifications of the evaluator. We also encourage the applicant to
describe, in its application, the evaluation design, indicating: (1)
The types of data that will be collected; (2) when various types of
data will be collected; (3) the methods that will be used; (4) the
instruments that will be developed and when; (5) how the data will
be analyzed; (6) when reports of results and outcomes will be
available; and (7) how the applicant will use the information
collected through the evaluation to monitor progress of the funded
project and to provide accountability information both about success
at the initial site and about effective strategies for replication
in other settings. Applicants are encouraged to devote an
appropriate level of resources to project evaluation.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
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
[[Page 13740]]
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 directed by the Secretary
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The goal of the CSP is to support the
creation and development of a large number of high-quality charter
schools that are free from State or local rules that inhibit flexible
operation, are held accountable for enabling students to reach
challenging State performance standards, and are open to all students.
The Secretary has set two performance indicators to measure progress
toward this goal: (1) The number of charter schools in operation around
the Nation, and (2) the percentage of fourth- and eighth-grade charter
school students who are achieving at or above the proficient level on
State examinations in mathematics and reading/language arts.
Additionally, the Secretary has established the following measure to
examine the efficiency of the CSP: Federal cost per student in
implementing a successful school (defined as a school in operation for
three or more years).
All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance
report documenting their contribution in assisting the Department in
meeting these performance measures.
VII. Agency Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leslie Hankerson or Richard Payton,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W249,
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 205-8524 or (202) 453-7698
or by e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT of section VII in this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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.
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.html.
Dated: March 17, 2010.
James H. Shelton, III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2010-6370 Filed 3-22-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P