[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 101 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: X94-40526]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 26, 1994]


_______________________________________________________________________

Part IV





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________




Indian Vocational Education Training Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1995
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No: 84.101]

 
Indian Vocational Education Training Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1995

    Notice to Applicants: This notice is a complete application 
package. Together with the statute authorizing the program and 
applicable regulations governing the program, including the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), the notice 
contains all of the information, application forms, and instructions 
needed to apply for a grant under this competition.
    Purpose of Program: To provide financial assistance to Indian 
tribes and certain schools funded by the Department of the Interior to 
plan, conduct, and administer projects, or portions of projects, that 
are authorized by and consistent with the Carl D. Perkins Vocational 
and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990 (Act), as amended, 20 
U.S.C. 2301 et seq.
    Eligible Applicants: The following entities are eligible for an 
award under this program:
    (a) A tribal organization of any Indian tribe that is eligible to 
contract with the Secretary of the Interior under the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act or under the Act of April 
16, 1934.
    (b) A Bureau-funded school offering a secondary program.
    (c) Any tribal organization or Bureau-funded school described in 
paragraph (a) or (b) of this section may apply individually or jointly 
as part of a consortium with one or more eligible tribal organizations 
or schools.
    When seeking to apply for funds as a consortium, individual 
eligible applicants must enter into an agreement signed by all members 
of the consortium and designating one member of the consortium as the 
applicant and grantee. The consortium's agreement must detail the 
activities each member of the consortium plans to perform, and must 
bind each member to every statement and assurance made in the 
consortium's application. The designated applicant must submit the 
consortium's agreement with its application.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 29, 1994.
    Available Funds: $4,122,387 for the first 12 months of the 24-month 
project period. Funding for the second 12-month period of the 24-month 
project period is subject to the availability of funds and to a grantee 
meeting the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $45,000 to $595,000 for the first 12 
months.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $374,762.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 11.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as follows:
    (1) 34 CFR Part 74 (Administration of Grants to Institutions of 
Higher Education, Hospitals, and Nonprofit Organizations).
    (2) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).
    (3) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that Apply to Department 
Regulations).
    (4) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments).
    (5) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education Provisions Act--Enforcement).
    (6) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).
    (7) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension 
(Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free 
Workplace (Grants)).
    (8) 34 CFR Part 86 (Drug-Free Schools and Campuses).
    (b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR Parts 400 and 401.

Definitions

    Applicants are encouraged to take particular note of the following 
definitions that are contained in 34 CFR 401.5:
    ``Act of April 16, 1934'' means the Federal law commonly known as 
the ``Johnson-O'Malley Act,'' that authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior to make contracts for the education of Indians and other 
purposes.
    ``Bureau'' means the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the 
Interior.
    ``Bureau-Funded School'' means--
    (1) A Bureau-operated elementary or secondary day or boarding 
school or a Bureau-operated dormitory for students attending a school 
other than a Bureau school;
    (2) An elementary or secondary school or a dormitory that receives 
financial assistance for its operation under a contract or agreement 
with the Bureau under sections 102, 104(1), or 208 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450f, 450h(1), 
and 458d; or
    (3) A school for which assistance is provided under the Tribally 
Controlled Schools Act of 1988.
    ``Indian Tribe'' means any Indian tribe, band, Nation, or other 
organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village or 
regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant 
to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688) that is 
federally recognized as eligible for the special programs and services 
provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as 
Indians.
    ``Tribal organization'' means the recognized governing body of any 
Indian tribe or any legally established organization of Indians that is 
controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by that governing body or that is 
democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to 
be served by the organization and that includes the maximum 
participation of Indians in all phases of its activities. However, in 
any case where a contract is let or grant made to an organization to 
perform services benefiting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of 
each of those Indian tribes must be a prerequisite to the letting or 
making of that contract or grant.

Invitational Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) the Secretary is authorized to invite 
applications that meet certain priorities. In this competition, the 
Secretary seeks to encourage Indian program applicants to initiate and 
establish tech-prep projects that are similar to those operated by 
States under the Perkins Act. Therefore, the Secretary is particularly 
interested in applications that meet the following invitational 
priority, although an application that meets this invitational priority 
will not receive competitive or absolute preference over applications 
that do not meet this priority.
    Projects that propose a tech-prep education program that combines a 
secondary and postsecondary program and that--
    (a) Leads to an associate degree or two-year certificate;
    (b) Provides technical preparation in at least one field of 
engineering technology, applied science, mechanical, industrial, or 
practical art or trade, or agriculture, health, or business;
    (c) Builds student competence in mathematics, science, and 
communications (including through applied academics) through a 
sequential course of study; and
    (d) Leads to placement in employment.
    Furthermore, the Secretary encourages applicants addressing this 
invitational priority to propose projects that provide for the 
following:
    (a) An articulation agreement to be carried out between 
instructional and service providers at the secondary or adult and 
postsecondary levels. (``Articulation agreement'' means a commitment to 
a program designed to provide students with a non-duplicative sequence 
of progressive achievement leading to competencies in a tech-prep 
education program.)
    (b) The implementation of an educational program that will be 
carried out under an articulation agreement between the members of a 
consortium that includes the two years of secondary schooling preceding 
graduation (including programs for adult learners) and either two years 
of higher education, or two years of apprenticeship training that 
follows secondary level instruction. The program should also provide a 
common core of required proficiency in applied mathematics, science, 
communications, and technologies designed to lead to an associate 
degree or a two-year certificate of proficiency in a specific career 
field.
    (c) The development of tech-prep education curricula appropriate to 
the needs of the participants.
    (d) Inservice training for teachers that--
    (1) Is designed to train teachers to implement curricula for a 
tech-prep education program effectively;
    (2) Provides for joint training for teachers from all participating 
instructional and service providers; and
    (3) May provide training on weekends, evenings, or during the 
summer in the form of sessions, institutes, or workshops.
    (e) Training activities for counselors designed to enable 
counselors to more effectively--
    (1) Recruit students for tech-prep education programs;
    (2) Ensure that students successfully complete tech-prep education 
programs; and
    (3) Ensure that students are placed in appropriate employment.
    (f) Equal access to all tech-prep education programs to students 
who are members of ``special populations'' as that term is defined in 
34 CFR 400.4(b).
    A project under this priority may also--
    (a) Provide for the acquisition of tech-prep education program 
equipment; and
    (b) Acquire, as a part of the planning activities, technical 
assistance from sources that have successfully designed, established, 
and operated tech-prep programs.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in 34 CFR 
401.21 to evaluate applications for new grants under this competition.
    The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    The program regulations in 34 CFR 401.20(b) provide that the 
Secretary may award up to 100 points for the selection criteria in 34 
CFR 401.21, including a reserved 15 points that may be assigned by the 
Secretary among the published criteria in the notice for each program 
competition. For this competition, the Secretary distributes the 15 
points reserved in 34 CFR 401.20(b), as follows:
    Need (34 CFR 401.21(b)). Five points are added to this criterion 
for a possible total of 20 points.
    Plan of operation (34 CFR 401.21(c)). Five points are added to this 
criterion for a possible total of 20 points.
    Budget and cost effectiveness (34 CFR 401.21(e)). Five points are 
added to this criterion for a possible total of 10 points.
    (a) Program factors. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the extent to which it--
    (1) Proposes measurable goals for student enrollment, completion, 
and placement (including placement in jobs or military specialties and 
in continuing education or training opportunities) that are realistic 
in terms of stated needs, resources, and job opportunities in each 
occupation for which training is to be provided;
    (2) Proposes goals that take into consideration any related goals 
or standards developed for Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) 
programs (42 U.S.C. 681 et seq.) and Job Training Partnership Act 
(JTPA) (29 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) training programs operating in the 
area, and, where appropriate, any goals set by the State Board for 
vocational education for the occupation and geographic area;
    (3) Describes, for each occupation for which training is to be 
provided, how successful program completion will be determined in terms 
of academic and vocational competencies demonstrated by enrollees prior 
to completion and any academic or work credentials acquired by 
enrollees upon completion;
    (4) Demonstrates the active commitment in the project's planning 
and operation by advisory committees, tribal planning offices, the JOBS 
program office, the JTPA program director, and potential employers such 
as tribal enterprises, private enterprises (on or off the reservation), 
and other organizations;
    (5) Is targeted to individuals with inadequate skills to assist 
those individuals in obtaining new employment; and
    (6) Includes a thorough description of the approach to be used, 
including some or all of the following components:
    (i) Methods of participant selection.
    (ii) Assessment and feedback of participant progress.
    (iii) Coordination of vocational instruction, academic instruction, 
and support services such as counseling, transportation, and child 
care.
    (iv) Curriculum and, if appropriate, approaches for providing on-
the-job training experience.
    (b) Need. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each application to 
determine the extent to which the project addresses specific needs, 
including--
    (1) The job market and related needs (such as educational level) of 
the target population;
    (2) Characteristics of that population, including an estimate of 
those to be served by the project;
    (3) How the project will meet the needs of the target population; 
and
    (4) A description of any ongoing and planned activities relative to 
those needs, including, if appropriate, how the State plan developed 
under 34 CFR 403.30-403.34 is designed to meet those needs.
    (c) Plan of operation. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the 
project, including--
    (1) The establishment of objectives that are clearly related to 
projects goals and activities and are measurable with respect to 
anticipated enrollments, completions, and placements;
    (2) A management plan that describes the chain of command, how 
staff will be managed, how coordination among staff will be 
accomplished, and timelines for each activity; and
    (3) The way the applicant intends to use its resources and 
personnel to achieve each objective.
    (d) 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 of the project director;
    (ii) The qualifications of each of the other key personnel to be 
used on the project;
    (iii) The time, including justification for the time that each one 
of the key personnel, including the project director, will commit to 
the project; and
    (iv) Subject to the Indian preference provisions of the Indian 
Self-Determination Act (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.) that apply to grants and 
contracts to tribal organizations, 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 disabling condition.
    (2) To determine personnel qualifications, the Secretary 
considers--
    (i) The experience and training of key personnel in project 
management and in the objectives of the project; and
    (ii) Any other qualifications of key personnel that pertain to the 
quality of the project.
    (e) Budget and cost effectiveness. (10 points) The Secretary 
reviews each application to determine the extent to which--
    (1) The budget is adequate to support the project activities;
    (2) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the 
project and the number of participants to be served; and
    (3) The budget narrative justifies the expenditures.
    (f) Evaluation plan. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each 
application to determine the quality of the evaluation plan for the 
project, including the extent to which--
    (1) The plan identifies, at a minimum, types of data to be 
collected and reported with respect to the academic and vocational 
competencies demonstrated by participants and the number and kind of 
academic and work credentials acquired by participants who complete the 
training;
    (2) The plan identifies, at a minimum, types of data to be 
collected and reported with respect to the achievement of project goals 
for the enrollment, completion, and placement of participants. The data 
must be broken down by sex and by occupation for which the training was 
provided;
    (3) The methods of evaluation are appropriate for the project and, 
to the extent possible, are objective and produce data that are 
quantifiable; and
    (4) The methods of evaluation provide periodic data that can be 
used by the project for ongoing program improvement.
    (h) Employment opportunities. (10 points) The Secretary reviews 
each application to determine the quality of the plan for job placement 
of participants who complete training under this program, including--
    (1) The expected employment opportunities (including any military 
specialties) and any additional educational or training opportunities 
that are related to the participants' training;
    (2) Information and documentation concerning potential employers' 
commitment to hire participants who complete training; and
    (3) An estimate of the percentage of trainees expected to be 
employed (including self-employed individuals) in the field for which 
they were trained following completion of training.

Special Consideration

    Under 34 CFR 401.20(e), in addition to the 100 points to be awarded 
based on the selection criteria in 34 CFR 401.21, the Secretary awards:
    (a) Up to five points to applications proposing exemplary 
approaches that involve, coordinate with, or encourage tribal economic 
development plans; and
    (b) Five points to applications from tribally controlled community 
colleges that--
    (1) Are accredited or are candidates for accreditation by a 
nationally recognized accreditation organization as an institution of 
postsecondary vocational education; or
    (2) Operate vocational education programs that are accredited or 
are candidates for accreditation by a nationally recognized 
accreditation organization and issue certificates for completion of 
vocational education programs.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

    (a) If an applicant wants to apply for a grant under this 
competition, the applicant must--
    (1) Mail the original and six copies of the application on or 
before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application 
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA #84.101), Washington, DC 20202-4725.
    (2) Hand deliver the original and six copies of the application by 
4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date to: U.S. 
Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA 
84.101), Room #3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D 
Streets, SW., Washington, DC.
    (b) An applicant must show one of the following as proof of 
mailing:
    (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.
    (c) If an application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, 
the Secretary does 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.

    Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a 
date postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should 
check with its local post office.

    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application 
Receipt Acknowledgement to each applicant. If an applicant fails to 
receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from 
the date of mailing the application, the applicant should call the 
U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 
708-9494.
    (3) The applicant must indicate on the envelope and--if not 
provided by the Department--in Item 10 of the Application for 
Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA number--and suffix 
letter, if any--of the competition under which the application is 
being submitted.

    Application Instructions and Forms: To apply for an award under 
this program competition, your application must be organized in the 
following order and include the following five parts. The parts and 
additional materials are as follows:
    Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 (Rev. 
4-88)) and instructions.
    Part II: Budget Information.
    Part III: Budget Narrative.
    Part IV: Program Narrative.
    Part V: Additional Assurances and Certifications:
    a. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B).
    b. Certification regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension, and 
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 
80-0013) and instructions.
    c. Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and 
Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED Form 80-0014, 
9/90) and instructions.

    (Note: ED Form 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and 
should not be transmitted to the Department.)

    d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL-A) (if 
applicable) and Instructions, and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 
Continuation Sheet (Standard Form LLL-A).
    All forms and instructions are included as appendix A of this 
notice. Questions and answers pertaining to this program are included, 
as appendix B, to assist potential applicants.
    All applicants must submit ONE original signed application, 
including ink signatures on all forms and assurances and six copies of 
the application. Please mark each application as original and copy. 
Indian tribes may choose to submit two copies with the original.
    No grant may be awarded unless a completed application form has 
been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roberta M. Lewis, Special Programs 
Branch, Division of National Programs, Office of Vocational and Adult 
Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW. (room 
4512, Mary E. Switzer Building), Washington, DC 20202-7242. Telephone 
(202) 205-5680. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time Monday through 
Friday.
    Information about the Department's funding opportunities, including 
copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can 
be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board), 
telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at 
GOPHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases). 
However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant 
competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2313(b).

    Dated: May 19, 1994.
Augusta Souza Kappner,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education.

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P