[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 54 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13372-13373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6950]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.215P]


Fund for the Improvement of Education Program--Assessment 
Development Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 1997

    Purpose of Program: To fund projects that develop, evaluate and 
field-test assessments aligned with challenging State content 
standards. The Secretary intends to provide Federal financial 
assistance to assist eligible applicants in the development or 
modification of such assessments that can be used to improve classroom 
instruction, motivate all students to improve educational performance, 
and provide examples for students, teachers and parents of the learning 
outcomes that can be expected for all students.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local 
educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education, and 
other public and private agencies, organizations, and institutions, 
including consortia of such organizations, are eligible to receive 
funds under these priorities.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 30, 1997.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 29, 1997.
    Applications Available: March 24, 1997.
    Estimated Available Funds: Up to $4,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $1,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10 awards.

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

    Maximum Award: The Secretary does not consider an application that 
proposes a budget exceeding $1,000,000 for the first budget period of 
12 months.
    Project Period: Up to 48 months.
    Budget Period: 12 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86; and (b) The regulations in 34 CFR Parts 98, 99, and 
700.

Priorities

    The priorities in the notice of final priorities for this program, 
published in the Federal Register on April 1, 1996 (61 FR 14392) and 
repeated below apply to this competition.
    Absolute Priority 1--Projects that develop, field-test, and 
evaluate assessments that are aligned to State content standards.

[[Page 13373]]

    Absolute Priority 2--Projects that modify, field-test, and evaluate 
assessments to address the needs of children and youth with 
disabilities or limited English proficiency.
    Assessments to be modified must be those developed under priority 
(1) or similar assessments developed for all students and aligned to 
State content standards.
    All projects must--
    (a) Examine the validity and reliability of the assessment for the 
particular purposes for which the assessment was developed;
    (b) Ensure that the assessment is consistent with relevant, 
nationally recognized professional and technical standards for 
assessments;
    (c) Devote special attention to how the assessment treats all 
students, especially with regard to race, gender, ethnicity, 
disability, and language proficiency of those students; and
    (d) Be developed by, or under the direction of, an SEA, LEA, or 
consortia of those agencies.

Invitational Priorities

    Within the absolute priorities specified in this notice, the 
Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the 
invitational priorities in the next two paragraphs. However, an 
application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities 
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
    Invitational Priority 1--Projects that focus on the assessment of 
reading and mathematics and are used to meet the assessment 
requirements of ESEA Title I.
    Invitational Priority 2--Projects that involve consortia of states 
working together to develop or modify assessment instruments aligned 
with content standards.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Applicants are encouraged 
to request an application by facsimile machine: David Sweet, (202) 219-
2135, by electronic mail: Paige--R[email protected], or by mail: Assessment 
Development Grant Application, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New 
Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room 510, Washington, D.C. 20208-5573. However, if 
that is not convenient, you may use voicemail: (202) 219-2079. 
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; on the Internet Gopher Server at (gopher://
gcs.ed.gov); or on the World Wide Web at (http://gcs.ed.gov). However, 
the official application notice for a discretionary grant competition 
is the notice published in the Federal Register.

    Program authority: 20 U.S.C. 8001.

    Dated: March 14, 1997.
Marshall S. Smith,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 97-6950 Filed 3-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P