[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 64 (Monday, April 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16574-16576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8278]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Notice Inviting Applications and Establishing Requirements for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 64 / Monday, April 5, 1999 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.338]


Notice Inviting Applications and Establishing Requirements for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice Inviting Applications and Establishing Requirements for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999.

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Reading Excellence Program

    Purpose of Program: The Reading Excellence Program provides 
competitive reading and literacy grants to eligible State educational 
agencies (SEAs). SEAs, in turn, will award competitive subgrants to 
local educational agencies (LEAs) to fund local reading improvement 
programs and tutorial assistance programs.
    Background: The Reading Excellence Act (REA), Part C, Title II of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), was enacted 
as Title VIII of the Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations Act of 1999 by Section 
101(f) of Pub. L. 105-277, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of FY 1999. 
Section 2253 of the REA authorizes a Reading and Literacy Grant Program 
to SEAs. Grants are to be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible 
SEAs, which in turn will make competitive subgrants to LEAs for two 
types of programs: Local Reading Improvement subgrants and Tutorial 
Assistance subgrants.
    The purposes of the program are: (1) To provide children with the 
readiness skills they need to learn to read once they enter school; (2) 
to teach every child to read in the child's early childhood years--(a) 
as soon as the child is ready to read; or (b) as soon as possible once 
the child enters school, but not later than the third grade; (3) to 
improve the reading skills of students, and the instructional practices 
for current teachers (and, as appropriate, other instructional staff) 
who teach reading, through the use of findings from scientifically 
based reading research, including findings relating to phonemic 
awareness, systematic phonics, fluency, and reading comprehension; (4) 
to expand the number of high-quality family literacy programs; and (5) 
to provide early literacy intervention to children who are experiencing 
reading difficulties in order to reduce the number of children who are 
incorrectly identified as a child with a disability and inappropriately 
referred to special education.
    Each SEA that receives funds must award subgrants on a competitive 
basis to eligible LEAs under two programs: Local Reading Improvement 
and Tutorial Assistance.
    To be eligible for a Local Reading Improvement subgrant, an LEA 
must: (a) have at least one school that is identified for school 
improvement under section 1116(c) of ESEA in the geographic area served 
by the agency; (b) have the largest or second largest number of 
children who are counted under section 1124(c) of ESEA, in comparison 
to all other LEAs in the State; or (c) have the highest or second 
highest school-age child poverty rate, in comparison to all other LEAs 
in the State.
    To be eligible for a Tutorial Assistance subgrant, an LEA must meet 
one of the three conditions listed for Local Reading Improvement 
subgrants or have at least one school in the geographic area served by 
the agency that (i) is located in an area designated as an empowerment 
zone under part I of sub-chapter U of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986; or (ii) is located in an area designated as an enterprise 
community under the same part.
    Eligible Applicants: SEAs of each of the 50 states, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible to 
apply for a grant.
    Applications Available: April 5, 1999.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 7, 1999.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 6, 1999.

    Note: Applications must be submitted on or before May 7, 1999, 
to be considered for funding. An application for an award may be 
submitted by electronic mail (email), regular mail, or hand 
delivery. Applications may not be faxed. The following are accepted 
for proof of submittal: (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) an electronic 
return receipt (for emailed applications); or (5) any other proof of 
mailing acceptable to the Secretary.

    Special instructions for applications submitted by email: 
Applications submitted by email should include an electronic return 
receipt and should be mailed to [email protected]. Applications 
submitted by email may be submitted in one of the following formats: 
(1) Microsoft Word (Version Word 95 or Word 97) or (2) portable 
document format (PDF). The preferred version is Word 97; however, all 
versions must have text search capability. The electronic version will 
be the official file copy. To ensure the integrity of the program, the 
Department will return a printed version to the applicant. The returned 
receipt and copy will be considered proof of receipt. All forms 
requiring original signatures (ED-424, Application for Federal 
Education Assistance; SF 424B, Assurances: Non-Construction Programs; 
ED 80-0013, Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension 
and other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; 
ED 80-0014, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions; 
and Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) must be mailed to the 
Department by the deadline date, as set out above under Deadline for 
Transmittal.
    Available Funds: $241,100,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000--$30,000,000 per award.
    Minimum Grant Award for SEAs Receiving a Grant: $500,000 for SEAs; 
$100,000 minimum for territories.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $11,500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 22.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 85, and 86; and (b) 34 CFR Part 299, General Provisions governing 
Titles I through XIII of ESEA.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: In accordance with the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the 
Secretary to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on 
proposed regulations. Section 437(d)(1) of the General Education 
Provisions Act (GEPA), however, exempts from this requirement rules 
that apply to the first competition under a new or substantially 
revised program. The Secretary, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of 
GEPA, has decided to forgo public comment on an absolute priority and a 
requirement in order to ensure the timely award of funds. The Secretary 
issues an absolute priority elsewhere in this notice and establishes 
the following requirement: the SEA must submit with its application the 
proposed LEA subgrant application(s) and a description of the 
procedures, including review criteria, the SEA will use to award 
subgrants; the LEA application(s) and description will be reviewed as 
part of the State application by the peer review panel.

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This requirement will apply only to the competition for FY 1999 funds.
    Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) of EDGAR, the 
Secretary has the authority to establish an absolute priority for 
applications under programs administered by the Department. For all 
funds to be awarded under this competition, the Secretary establishes 
an absolute priority to applicants that propose projects that 
exclusively fund, at the subgrant level, activities to improve 
elementary school reading instruction and related early childhood, 
professional development, family literacy, and tutorial assistance 
activities. To qualify for this priority, States could not fund, at the 
subgrant level, any activities for middle schools or high schools. 
Under this competition, the Secretary will consider for funding only 
those applications that meet this absolute priority.
    Competitive Priority: Section 2253(c)(2)(C) of the Reading 
Excellence Act requires that priority shall be given to applications 
from SEAs whose States have modified, are modifying, or provide an 
assurance that they will modify within 18 months after receiving an REA 
grant the SEA's elementary school teacher certification requirements. 
The modification must increase the training and the methods of teaching 
reading required for certification as an elementary school teacher to 
reflect scientifically based reading research. However, nothing in the 
REA shall be construed to establish a national system of teacher 
certification.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and (c)(2), respectively, the 
Secretary is not required to seek public comment on a specific priority 
set out in the statute and can implement that priority as a competitive 
preference. The Secretary will award 10 additional points to applicants 
that meet the REA competitive priority.
    Selection Criteria: Under 34 CFR 75.210, the Secretary has chosen 
the following selection criteria. The maximum possible score for each 
criterion is indicated in parentheses with the criterion. The Secretary 
awards up to 100 points for all criteria. In addition, an applicant may 
be awarded 10 additional points under the Competitive Priority 
announced in this notice.
    (a) Significance (10 points). (1) The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factor:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    (b) Quality of project design (30 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. (2) In 
determining the quality of the proposed project design, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated 
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, 
State, and Federal resources.
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project design reflects up-
to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    (iii) The extent to which the proposed project is based upon a 
specific research design, and the quality and appropriateness of that 
design, including the scientific rigor of the studies involved.
    (iv) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support 
rigorous academic standards for students.
    (v) The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental 
involvement.
    (c) Quality of project services (35 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed 
project. (2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided 
by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and 
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for 
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. (3) In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following:
    (i) The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    (ii) The extent to which the technical assistance services to be 
provided by the proposed project involve the use of efficient 
strategies, including the use of technology, as appropriate, and the 
leveraging of non-project resources.
    (iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the 
proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and 
effective practice.
    (iv) The extent to which the services to be provided by the 
proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended 
recipients or beneficiaries of those services.
    (v) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for 
maximizing the effectiveness of project services.
    (d) Adequacy of resources (10 points). (1) The Secretary considers 
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project. (2) In determining 
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the following factor:
    (i) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and 
benefits.
    (e) Quality of the management plan (5 points). (1) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factor:
    (i) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives 
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including 
those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of 
disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 
services, or others, as appropriate.
    (f) Quality of the project evaluation (10 points). (1) The 
Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of 
the proposed project. (2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, 
the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.

Intergovernmental Review

    The Reading and Excellence Act in this notice is subject to the 
requirements of Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 
Part 79. The objective of the Executive order is to foster an 
intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.
    For Applications or Information Contact: To request an application 
or to

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obtain further information about the competition, contact Dr. Joseph 
Conaty, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 
5C141, Washington, DC 20202-6200; call (202) 260-8228; or email 
[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) by contacting Katie Mincey, Director, Alternate Format 
Center, 330 C St. SW, Room 1000, Washington, DC 20202-4560; by calling 
(202) 260-9895 or 205-8113; or by emailing [email protected]. 
Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternate format by contacting Ms. Mincey. 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 the following 
site:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

    To use the PDF version you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader 
program, which is available free by going through the previous site. If 
you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
office at (202) 512-1530 or toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may 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 this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

    Electronic Submission of Applications: Applications for this grant 
may be submitted by email, regular mail, or hand delivery. Electronic 
submission is the preferred method of submission. To ensure application 
integrity, a printed version of all electronic submissions will be 
returned to applicants.

    Program Authority: Reading Excellence Act, Part C, Title II of 
ESEA, was enacted as Title VIII of the Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations 
Act of 1999 by Section 101(f) of Pub. L. 105-277, the Omnibus 
Appropriations Act of FY 1999.

    Dated: March 30, 1999.
Judith Johnson,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 99-8278 Filed 3-31-99; 3:27 pm]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P