[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 34, Volume 3]
[Revised as of July 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 34CFR411.21]

[Page 81-82]
 
                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION
 
  CHAPTER IV--OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                                EDUCATION
 
PART 411--VOCATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
             Subpart C--How Does the Secretary Make a Grant?
 
Sec. 411.21  What selection criteria does the Secretary use?

    The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an 
application:
    (a) National need. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the extent to which the project would make a 
contribution of national significance, as measured by such factors as--
    (1) The need for the project in relation to any program priority 
announced in the Federal Register; and
    (2) The likelihood that the project will make an important 
contribution to vocational education.
    (b) Plan of operation. (25 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the 
project, including--
    (1) High quality in the design of the project;
    (2) An effective plan of management that ensures proper and 
efficient administration of the project;
    (3) A clear description of how the objectives of the project relate 
to the purposes of the program;
    (4) The quality of the applicant's plans to use its resources and 
personnel to achieve each objective; and
    (5) How the applicant will ensure that project participants who are 
otherwise eligible to participate are selected without regard to race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (c) Key personnel. (15 points) (1) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of key personnel the applicant 
plans to use on the project, including--
    (i) The qualifications of the project director;
    (ii) The qualifications of each of the other key personnel to be 
used in the project;

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    (iii) The appropriateness of the time that each one of the key 
personnel, including the project director, will commit to the project; 
and
    (iv) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment 
practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected for employment 
without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability.
    (2) To determine personnel qualifications under paragraphs (c)(1)(i) 
and (ii) of this section, the Secretary considers--
    (i) Experience and training in fields related to the objectives of 
the project;
    (ii) Experience and training in project management; and
    (iii) Any other qualifications that pertain to the quality of the 
project.
    (d) Budget and cost effectiveness. (10 points) The Secretary reviews 
each application to determine the extent to which--
    (1) The budget for the project is adequate to support the project 
activities; and
    (2) Costs are reasonable and necessary in relation to the objectives 
of the project.
    (e) Evaluation plan. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the evaluation plan for the 
project, including the extent to which the applicant's methods of 
evaluation--
    (1) Are clearly explained and appropriate to the project;
    (2) To the extent possible, are objective and produce data that are 
quantifiable;
    (3) Includes activities during the formative stages of the project 
to help guide and improve the project, as well as a summative evaluation 
that includes recommendations for replicating project activities and 
results;
    (4) If appropriate, identifies expected outcomes of the project 
participants and how those outcomes will be measured;
    (5) If appropriate, will provide a comparison between intended and 
observed results, and lead to the demonstration of a clear link between 
the observed results and the specific treatment of project participants; 
and
    (6) To the extent possible, include a third party evaluation.
    (f) Adequacy of resources. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the adequacy of the resources that the 
applicant plans to devote to the project, including facilities, 
equipment, and supplies.
    (g) Dissemination plan. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the dissemination plan for the 
project, including--
    (1) The extent to which the project is designed to yield outcomes 
that can be readily disseminated;
    (2) A clear description of the project outcomes; and
    (3) A detailed description of how information and materials will be 
disseminated, including--
    (i) Provisions for publicizing the project at the local, State, and 
national levels by conducting or delivering presentations at 
conferences, workshops, and other professional meetings and by preparing 
materials for journals articles, newsletters, and brochures;
    (ii) Provisions for demonstrating the methods and techniques used by 
the project to others interested in replicating these methods and 
techniques; and
    (iii) Provisions for assisting others to adopt and successfully 
implement the project or methods and techniques used by the project.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control No. 1830-
0013)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2402)