[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2091-2093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-529]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies;
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Overview Information;
Notice Inviting Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.060A.
Dates:
Part I of the Formula Grant Electronic Application System for
Indian Education (EASIE) Applications Available: January 13, 2011.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part I Applications: February 14, 2011,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Part II of Formula Grant (EASIE) Applications Available: April 4,
2011.
Deadline for Transmittal of Part II Applications: May 6, 2011,
11:59:59 p.m., Washington, DC time.
Applicants must meet the deadlines for both Part I and Part II to
receive funds as part of the initial grant awards, which are expected
to be issued around July 1, 2011. If there are funds remaining after
the initial grant awards are made, the Department will give priority to
applicants that filed a timely application for Part I, but missed the
deadline for Part II. Applicants that missed the Part I deadline will
only be funded if there are funds remaining after awards are made to
all applicants that met the Part I deadline (including those applicants
that met the Part I deadline, but missed the Part II deadline).
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 5, 2011.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Program: The Indian Education
Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies program provides grants to
support local educational agencies (LEAs) and other eligible entities
described in this notice in their efforts to reform and improve
elementary and secondary school programs that serve Indian students.
The Department funds programs designed to help Indian students meet the
same State academic content and student academic achievement standards
used for all students. In addition, under section 7116 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), the
Secretary will, upon receipt of an acceptable plan for the integration
of education and related services, authorize the entity receiving the
funds under this program to consolidate, in accordance with the
entity's plan, the funds for any Federal program exclusively serving
Indian children, or the funds reserved under any Federal program to
exclusively serve Indian children, that are awarded under a statutory
or administrative formula to the entity, for the purpose of providing
education and related services to Indian students. Instructions for
submitting an integration of education and related services plan are
included in the EASIE described elsewhere in this notice under
Application Process and Submission Information.
Note: Under the Indian Education Formula Grants to Local
Educational Agencies program, applicants are required to develop the
project for which application is made (a) in open consultation with
parents of Indian children and teachers and, if appropriate, Indian
students from secondary schools, including through public hearings
held to provide a full opportunity to understand the program and to
offer recommendations regarding the program (section 7114(c)(3)(C)
of the ESEA); (b) with the participation of a parent committee
selected in accordance with section 7114(c)(4) of the ESEA and with
the written approval of that parent committee (section 7114(c)(4) of
the ESEA).
Eligible Applicants: LEAs, including charter schools authorized as
LEAs under State law, certain schools funded by the Bureau of Indian
Education of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Indian tribes
under certain conditions, as prescribed by section 7112(c) of the ESEA.
Application Process and Submission Information:
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement
in accordance with the instructions in this section. 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 dates for both Part I and Part II
applications, 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.
Formula Grant EASIE Electronic Application System: Formula Grant
EASIE is an easy-to-use, electronic application system. It communicates
with data from State submissions to EDFacts, the Department's data
collection system that contains performance information from State
educational agencies about schools and Federal education programs. To
the extent that your State has provided the necessary EDFacts data
files, Formula Grant EASIE will be able to interface with EDFacts and
pull those LEA-specific data into the application. Additionally, this
system allows the Department to review applications and interact online
with applicants during the application review and approval process.
The Formula Grant EASIE application is divided into two parts--Part
I and Part II.
Part I, Student Count, provides the appropriate data-entry screens
to submit your Indian student count totals.
Part II, Program and Budget Information, provides your award
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amount based on the Indian student count total submitted under Part I.
Part II also enables you to enter student performance data, identify
your project's services and activities, and build a realistic program
budget based on a known grant amount. Based on student assessment data,
you will select your program objectives and services from a variety of
menu options that were designed with grantee input.
Registration for Formula Grant EASIE: Entities are encouraged to
register as soon as possible at the registration Web site: http://www.easie.org to ensure that any potential registration issues are
resolved prior to the deadline for the submission of an application.
The purpose of the initial registration is to re-activate entities'
access to EASIE and to ensure that the correct entity information
(e.g., NCES or DUNS numbers) is pre-populated into the first part of
EASIE. The registration Web site does not serve as the entity's grant
application. The registration may be completed by current, former, and
new applicants interested in submitting an Indian Formula Grant EASIE
application. For information on how to register, contact the EDFacts
Partner Support Center listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
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 the EASIE system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the EASIE system; 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: Bernard Garcia, U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Indian Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202-6335. FAX: (202) 205-
0606. Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
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 U.S. Department of
Education, Office of Indian Education. You must mail the original and
two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline
date, to the Office of Indian Education at the following address: U.S.
Department of Education, Office of Indian Education, Attention: CFDA
Number 84.060A, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E307, Washington, DC
20202-6335.
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.
Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You 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, Office of Indian Education, Attention:
CFDA Number 84.060A, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E307, Washington,
DC 20202-6335.
The Program Office accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m.
and 4:30:00 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 Program Office 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
date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Office of
Indian Education at (202) 260-3774.
Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the Central
Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active CCR registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one business day.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take
three or more business days to complete.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$104,331,000 for this program for FY 2011. The actual level of funding,
if any, depends on final Congressional action. However, we are inviting
applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if
Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $4,000-$2,750,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $82,475.
[[Page 2093]]
Estimated Number of Awards: 1,265.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice and funding levels may change based on final appropriations
for the program.
Project Period: 12 months.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the following
key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency
of the Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies
program: (1) The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native
students in grades four and eight who score at or above the basic level
in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP);
(2) the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students in
grades four and eight who score at or above the basic level in
mathematics on the NAEP; (3) the percentage of American Indian and
Alaska Native students in grades three through eight meeting State
performance standards by scoring at the proficient or the advanced
levels in reading and mathematics on State assessments; (4) the
difference between the percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native
students in grades 3 through 8 at the proficient or advanced levels in
reading and mathematics on State assessments and the percentage of all
students scoring at those levels; (5) the percentage of American Indian
and Alaska Native students who graduate from high school; and (6) the
percentage of funds used by grantees prior to award close-out.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact the EDFacts Partner Support
Center, telephone: 877-457-3336 (877-HLP-EDEN) or by e-mail at: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
EDFacts Partner Support Center, toll free, at 1-888-403-3336 (888-403-
EDEN).
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) by contacting the EDFacts
Partner Support Center.
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.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7421 et seq.
Dated: January 7, 2011.
Thelma Mel[eacute]ndez de Santa Ana,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2011-529 Filed 1-11-11; 8:45 am]
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