[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 34, Volume 3]

[Revised as of July 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 34CFR426.21]



[Page 105-107]

 

                           TITLE 34--EDUCATION

 

  CHAPTER IV--OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF 

                                EDUCATION

 

PART 426_COOPERATIVE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM--Table of Contents

 

             Subpart C_How Does the Secretary Make an Award?

 

Sec. 426.21  What selection criteria does the Secretary use for the 

Demonstration Projects?



    The Secretary uses the following criteria to evaluate an application 

for a demonstration project:

    (a) Program factors. (10 points) The Secretary reviews the 

application to assess the quality of the proposed project, including the 

extent to which the project will provide--

    (1) Vocational education to meet current and projected occupational 

needs; and

    (2) For adequate and appropriate involvement and cooperation of the 

public and private sectors in the project, including--

    (i) A clear identification of the public and private sector entities 

involved in the project;

    (ii) A description of public and private sector involvement in the 

planning of the project; and

    (iii) A description of public and private sector involvement in the 

operation of the project.

    (b) Educational significance. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each 

application to determine the extent to which the applicant--

    (1) Bases the proposed project on successfully designed, 

established, and operated model vocational education programs that 

include components similar to the components required by this program, 

as evidenced by empirical data from those programs in such factors as--

    (i) Student performance and achievement;

    (ii) High school graduation;

    (iii) Placement of students in jobs, including military service; and

    (iv) Successful transfer of students to a variety of postsecondary 

education programs;

    (2) Proposes project objectives that contribute to the improvement 

of education; and

    (3) Proposes to use unique and innovative techniques to produce 

benefits that address educational problems and needs that are of 

national significance.

    (c) Plan of operation. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each 

application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the 

project, including--

    (1) The quality of the project design, especially the establishment 

of measurable objectives for the project that are based on the project's 

overall goals;

    (2) The extent to which the plan of management is effective and 

ensures proper and efficient administration of the project over the 

award period;

    (3) How well the objectives of the project relate to the purpose of 

the program;

    (4) The quality of the applicant's plan 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.

    (d) Evaluation plan. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each 

application to determine the quality of the project's evaluation plan, 

including the extent to which the plan--

    (1) Is clearly explained and is appropriate to the project;

    (2) To the extent possible, is objective and will produce data that 

are quantifiable;

    (3) Identifies expected outcomes of the participants and how those 

outcomes will be measured;

    (4) 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;



[[Page 106]]



    (5) 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) Will yield results that can be summarized and submitted to the 

Secretary for review by the Department's Program Effectiveness Panel as 

defined in 34 CFR 400.4(b).

    (e) Demonstration and dissemination. (10 points) The Secretary 

reviews each application for information to determine the effectiveness 

and efficiency of the plan for demonstrating and disseminating 

information about project activities and results throughout the project 

period, including--

    (1) High quality in the design of the demonstration and 

dissemination plan and procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of 

the dissemination plan;

    (2) Disseminating the results of the project in a manner that would 

meet the requirement in Sec. 426.31;

    (3) Identification of target groups and 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 journal articles, 

newsletters, and brochures;

    (4) Provisions for demonstrating the methods and techniques used by 

the project to others interested in replicating these methods and 

techniques, such as by inviting them to observe project activities;

    (5) A description of the types of materials the applicant plans to 

make available to help others replicate project activities and the 

methods for making the materials available; and

    (6) Provisions for assisting others to adopt and successfully 

implement the project or methods and techniques used by the project.

    (f) Key personnel. (10 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, in relation to project requirements, of the 

project director;

    (ii) The qualifications, in relation to project requirements, of 

each of the other key personnel to be used in the project. For the 

Community-Based Organization Projects, the Secretary determines the 

qualifications, in relation to project requirements, of health 

professionals serving as preceptors and counselors and of each of the 

other key personnel to be used in the project;

    (iii) The appropriateness of the time that each person referred to 

in paragraphs (f)(1) (i) and (ii) of this section 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 (f)(1) 

(i) and (ii) of this section, the Secretary considers--

    (i) The experience and training of key personnel in project 

management and in fields related to the objectives of the project. For 

the Program for Model Consumer and Homemaking Education Projects, the 

Secretary also considers the experience and training of key personnel in 

consumer and homemaking education; and

    (ii) Any other qualifications of key personnel that pertain to the 

quality of the project.

    (g) Budget and cost effectiveness. (10 points) The Secretary reviews 

each application to determine the extent to which the budget--

    (1) Is cost effective and adequate to support the project 

activities;

    (2) Contains costs that are reasonable and necessary in relation to 

the objectives of the project; and

    (3) Proposes using non-Federal resources available from appropriate 

employment, training, and education agencies in the State to provide 

project services and activities and to acquire project equipment and 

facilities. For the Community-Based Organization Projects, the Secretary 

also determines the extent to which the budget includes in-kind 

contributions from partnership members.

    (h) Adequacy of resources and commitment. (5 points) (1) The 

Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the 

applicant plans to devote adequate resources to the



[[Page 107]]



project. The Secretary considers the extent to which the--

    (i) Facilities that the applicant plans to use are adequate; and

    (ii) Equipment and supplies that the applicant plans to use are 

adequate.

    (2) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the 

commitment to the project, including whether the--

    (i) Uses of non-Federal resources are adequate to provide project 

services and activities, especially resources of community organizations 

and State and local educational agencies; and

    (ii) Applicant has the capacity to continue, expand, and build upon 

the project when Federal assistance under this part ends.



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

0013)



(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2420a)