[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 23640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11374]



[[Page 23639]]

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Part VII





Department of Education





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National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Program; 
Applications Invitation for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 82 / Wednesday, April 29, 1998 / 
Notices  

[[Page 23640]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.902E]


The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1998

    Purpose of Program: To conduct the sampling and data collection 
component for the 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 National Assessment of 
Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP supports the National Education Goals 
by providing measures of progress toward the Goals.
    Eligible Applicants: Individuals, public, private, for-profit, and 
non-profit institutions, agencies, and other qualified organizations or 
consortia of such institutions, agencies, and organizations.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 1, 1998.
    Applications Available: May 1, 1998.
    Available Funds: In FY 1998, $700,000 will be available for the 
sampling and data collection component. It is anticipated that in FYs 
1999 through 2002, an average amount of $7,500,000 will be available 
annually.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 85, and 86; (b) the regulations in 34 CFR 700.30 and 34 CFR part 
98; and (c) 48 CFR part 31 (Contracts with Commercial Organizations).

    Supplementary Information: NAEP is authorized by section 411 of the 
National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010). Section 412 
of this law provides for the establishment of the National Assessment 
Governing Board (NAGB)(20 U.S.C. 9011). The law requires the NAGB, 
among other responsibilities, to formulate the policy guidelines for 
the National Assessment and select the subject areas to be assessed. A 
cooperative agreement is currently in operation to develop assessment 
instruments for the 2000 assessment.

Priority

Absolute Priority

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and 20 U.S.C. 9010-9011, the Secretary 
gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the priority in 
the next paragraph. The Secretary funds under this competition only 
applications that meet this absolute priority.

Sampling and Data Collection for the National Assessment of Educational 
Progress

    The grantee must use sampling techniques that produce data that are 
representative on a national, regional, and State basis. The grantee 
must collect data for mathematics, science, history, geography, reading 
and writing in grades 4, 8, and 12 from a nationally representative 
sample. The grantee must also monitor data collection in each 
participating State in mathematics, science, reading and writing in 
fourth and eighth grades.
    In carrying out the National Assessment, the grantee shall not 
collect any data that are not directly related to the appraisal of 
educational performance, achievement, and traditional demographic 
reporting variables, and shall ensure that all personally identifying 
information about students, their educational performance, and their 
families remains confidential.

Evaluation Criteria

    The Secretary selects from the criteria in 34 CFR 700.30(e) to 
evaluate applications for new grants under this competition. Under 34 
CFR 700.30(a), the Secretary announces in the application package the 
evaluation criteria selected for this competition and the maximum 
weight assigned to each criterion.
    For Applications or Information Contact: Laurence Ogle, U.S. 
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 
Office of Educational Research and Improvement, room 404A, 555 New 
Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20208-5653. E-mail: 
[email protected]. Telephone: (202) 219-1761. 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.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or diskette) 
on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format, also, by contacting that person. 
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative 
format the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-1.

    Dated: April 24, 1998.
Ricky Takai,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 98-11374 Filed 4-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P