[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 47 (Thursday, March 11, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12154-12156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6071]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.330]


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Advanced Placement 
Incentive Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 1999.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary invites applications for new awards for FY 1999 
under the Advanced Placement Incentive Program and announces deadline 
dates for the transmittal of applications for funding under the 
program. This is a discretionary grant program.
    Purpose of Program: The primary purpose of the Advanced Placement 
Incentive Program is to enable States to reimburse part or all of the 
cost of advanced placement test fees for low-income individuals who (1) 
are enrolled in an advanced placement class; and (2) plan to take an 
advanced placement test. In addition, a State educational agency (SEA) 
in a State in which no eligible low-income individual is required to 
pay more than a nominal fee to take advanced placement tests in core 
subjects may use any grant funds, that remain after test fees have been 
paid on behalf of all eligible low-income individuals, for activities 
directly related to increasing (a) the enrollment of low-income 
individuals in advanced placement courses; (b) the participation of 
low-income individuals in advanced placement tests; and (c) the 
availability of advanced placement courses in schools serving high-
poverty areas. This program is authorized under Title VIII, Part B, of 
the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 (1998 Amendments) (20 U.S.C. 
1070a-11, note).
    Who May Apply: SEAs in any State, including the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic 
of Palau.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 26, 1999.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 26, 1999.

[[Page 12155]]

    Applications Available: March 11, 1999.
    Available Funds: $4,000,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $2,000 to $400,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $68,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 59.

    Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of 
potential applicants. The Department is not bound by any estimates 
in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 15 months. States receiving grants under this 
program may use the funds to support allowable activities undertaken in 
State FY 1999, FY 2000, or both.

Requirements for Approval of Applications for Funds to Pay the Cost 
of Advanced Placement Test Fees Only

    In order to receive funding under this program, an SEA must submit 
to the Department an application that contains the following:
    (a) A description of the advanced placement test fees the State 
will pay on behalf of individual students, including the approximate 
number of students on whose behalf the State will pay the fees and the 
approximate date the State expects each student to take the advanced 
placement exam;
    (b) A description of the method by which eligible low-income 
individuals will be identified, and the steps the State will take to 
ensure that any students receiving payments under this program are 
eligible for such payments;
    (c) A description of the State's plan to disseminate information on 
the availability of test fee payments to eligible individuals through 
secondary school teachers and guidance counselors;
    (d) The number of children in the State who were eligible to be 
counted under section 1124(c) of Title I, Part A of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended (20 U.S.C. 6333(c)), 
during the preceding State fiscal year;
    (e) A description of the State's plan to evaluate the effectiveness 
of the program;
    (f) An assurance that any funds received under this program will 
only be used to pay advanced placement test fees for eligible low-
income individuals, except as provided in section 810(d)(1) of the 1998 
Amendments;
    (g) An assurance that the State will document the eligibility of 
each individual on whose behalf the State pays part or all of an 
advanced placement test fee in accordance with the terms of section 
402A(e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended; and
    (h) An assurance that funds provided under this program will be 
used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, local, or 
private funds available to assist low-income individuals in paying for 
advanced placement testing.
    Requirements for Approval of Applications That Contain Proposals to 
Use Grant Funds for Activities Authorized Under Section 810(d)(1)
    SEAs that include in their applications proposals to use any grant 
funds, that remain after test fees have been paid on behalf of all 
eligible low-income individuals in the State, for activities authorized 
under section 810(d)(1) of the 1998 Amendments, must submit an 
application to the Department that contains (1) the information 
described above (Requirements for Approval of Applications for Funds to 
Pay the Cost of Advanced Placement Test Fees Only); and (2) the 
following:
    (a) An assurance that no eligible low-income individual in the 
State will be required to pay more than a nominal fee to take advanced 
placement tests in core subjects; and
    (b) A supplemental narrative that addresses the selection criteria 
described below.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary will use the following selection criteria to evaluate 
the section of the application that proposes to use any grant funds, 
that remain after advanced placement test fees have been paid on behalf 
of all low-income individuals in the State, to support activities 
authorized under section 810(d)(1) of the 1998 Amendments.

(Note: These selection criteria will not apply to the section of the 
application that proposes to use grant funds to pay advanced 
placement test fees).

    These criteria are taken from the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations, as codified at 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum 
total score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is as follows:
    (a) Need for project--10 points.
    (b) Significance--5 points.
    (c) Quality of project design--25 points.
    (d) Quality of project services--25 points.
    (e) Quality of project personnel--10 points.
    (f) Adequacy of resources--10 points.
    (g) Quality of the management plan--10 points.
    (h) Quality of the project evaluation--5 points.

Allowable Activities

    States receiving grants under this program may use the grant funds 
to pay advanced placement test fees for eligible low-income 
individuals. In addition, States in which no eligible low-income 
individual is required to pay more than a nominal fee to take advanced 
placement tests in core subjects may use any grant funds, that remain 
after test fees have been paid on behalf of all eligible low-income 
individuals, for activities directly related to increasing (a) the 
enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; (b) 
the participation of low-income individuals in advanced placement 
tests; and (c) the availability of advanced placement courses in 
schools serving high-poverty areas.

Allocation of Funds

    The Department intends to allocate approximately $2 million of the 
funds available under this program to States for the purpose of paying 
advanced placement test fees on behalf of eligible low-income 
individuals. The Department intends to fund--at some level--all 
applications (1) meeting the minimum requirements for approval of 
applications described in this notice; and (2) proposing to use grant 
funds for the purpose of paying test fees. In determining grant award 
amounts, the Department will consider the number of children in the 
State eligible to be counted under section 1124(c) of the ESEA, in 
relation to the number of such children in all States. The Department 
will also consider the State's description of the advanced placement 
test fees it intends to pay, and whether those fees are reasonable and 
allowable. The application package will provide each State with an 
estimate of the approximate amount of grant funds it can expect to 
receive for the purpose of paying test fees if all States participate 
in the program. In the event that all States do not participate in the 
program, the Department will reallocate the funds that would have been 
awarded to the non-participating States.
    The Department intends to allocate approximately $2 million of the 
funds available under this program to States for the purpose of 
supporting activities directly related to increasing (a) the enrollment 
of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; (b) the 
participation of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; 
and (c) the availability of advanced placement courses in schools 
serving high-poverty areas. Proposals by SEAs to use grant funds for 
activities authorized under section 810(d)(1) of the program statute

[[Page 12156]]

will be evaluated based on the selection criteria described above. The 
Department will also consider the number of children in the State 
eligible to be counted under section 1124(c) of the ESEA, in relation 
to the number of such children in all States.

Waiver of Rulemaking

    Because the Department intends to fund all applications meeting the 
minimum requirements for approval of applications described in this 
notice and proposing to use grant funds for the purpose of paying test 
fees, Department regulations governing the selection of new 
discretionary grant projects, codified at 34 CFR 75.200-75.222, will 
apply only to the section of the application that proposes to use grant 
funds for activities authorized under section 810(d)(1) of the 1998 
Amendments. While it is generally the practice of the Secretary to 
offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on a regulation 
before it is implemented, section 437(d)(1) of the General Education 
Provisions Act exempts from formal rulemaking requirements regulations 
governing the first grant competition under a new or substantially 
revised program authority (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). In order to make 
awards on a timely basis, the Secretary has decided to publish this 
regulation in final under the authority of section 437(d).

APPLICABLE STATUTE AND REGULATIONS: Title VIII, Part B of the 1998 
Amendments (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11, note). The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 75, 76, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86.
    The following definitions and other provisions are taken from the 
Advanced Placement Incentive Program statute, in Title VIII, Part B of 
the 1998 Amendments (20 U.S.C. 1070a-11, note). They are repeated in 
this application notice for the convenience of the applicant.

Definitions

    As used in this section:
    (a) The term ``advanced placement test'' includes only an advanced 
placement test approved by the Secretary of Education for the purposes 
of this program.
    (b) The term ``low-income individual'' has the meaning given the 
term in section 402A(g)(2) of the [HEA].

    Note: Under section 402A(g)(2) of the HEA, as amended, the term 
``low-income individual'' means an individual from a family whose 
taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of 
an amount equal to the poverty level determined by using criteria of 
poverty established by the Bureau of the Census (20 U.S.C. 1070a-
11(g)(2)).

Information Dissemination

    The SEA shall disseminate information regarding the availability of 
test fee payments under this program to eligible individuals through 
secondary school teachers and guidance counselors.

Supplementation of Funding

    Funds provided under this program must be used to supplement and 
not supplant other non-Federal funds that are available to assist low-
income individuals in paying advanced placement test fees.

FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank B. Robinson, U.S. 
Department of Education, School Improvement Programs, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, S.W., Room 3C153, Washington, D.C. 20202-6140. Telephone (202) 
260-2669. Internet address: [email protected] 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 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) upon request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that 
person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternate 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. 1070a-11, note.

    Dated: March 4, 1999.
Judith Johnson,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 99-6071 Filed 3-10-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U