[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 23 (Friday, February 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5972-5977]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2225]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Comprehensive School Reform Quality Initiatives Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.332B.

    Note: This notice describes two separate competitions--one 
competition for Category 1 grant awards and one competition for 
Category 2 grant awards. Applicants must specify in their 
application whether they are applying for Category 1 or Category 2 
grant awards.


DATES: Applications Available: February 4, 2005.
    Notification of Intent To Apply: March 7, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 5, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 6, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Public or private organizations that provide 
educational services to public elementary or secondary schools.
    Estimated Available Funds: A total of approximately $12 million for 
the two categories of grants described in this notice. (Of this amount, 
approximately $5 million is from the fiscal year FY 2004 Comprehensive 
School Reform (CSR) Quality Initiatives appropriation and approximately 
$7 million is from the FY 2005 CSR Quality Initiatives appropriation.)
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a 
sufficient number of high-quality applications, we may make additional 
awards in FY 2006 from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Please see the chart (chart) elsewhere 
in this notice under section II, Award Information.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: See chart.
    Estimated Number of Awards: At least one award in each of the two 
categories described in this notice. Any additional awards will be 
distributed between Category 1 and Category 2 grants based on the 
quality of the applications.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the CSR Quality Initiatives 
program, authorized under section 1608 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), is to provide discretionary 
grants to support activities that will enhance the State-administered 
CSR program and to enable schools that have been identified for 
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under Part A of Title 
I of the ESEA to meet their State's definition of adequate yearly 
progress (AYP).
    Under this program, the Secretary awards funds to support two 
specific categories of activities:
    Category 1--The grantee provides technical assistance to States, 
school districts, and schools in making informed decisions regarding 
approving or selecting providers of comprehensive school reform, and
    Category 2--The grantee supports capacity building for 
comprehensive school reform providers to expand their work in more 
schools, ensure quality, and promote financial stability.
    The Category 1 and Category 2 competitions announced in this notice 
are independent competitions. The Department will evaluate and fund the 
Category 1 and Category 2 applications separately.
    Priorities: These priorities are from the notice of final 
priorities for this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register.

Absolute Priorities

    (1) Absolute priority applicable to both Category 1 and Category 2 
applicants.
    For FY 2004 and FY 2005 and any subsequent year in which we make 
awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this 
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we only 
consider Category 1 and Category 2 applicants that meet this priority. 
This priority is:
    The grantee will assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in more 
than one State.
    (2) Absolute priority applicable to Category 1 applicants only.
    For FY 2004 and FY 2005 and any subsequent year in which we make 
awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this 
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we only 
consider Category 1 applicants that meet this priority. This priority 
is:
    The applicant must demonstrate, in its grant application, that its 
CSR Quality Initiatives award will be matched with funds from one or 
more private organizations. For each year that a grantee receives a CSR 
Quality Initiatives award, the match, including any in-kind 
contributions, must total at least 10 percent of the award.

Competitive Preference Priorities

    (1) Competitive preference priority applicable to Category 1 
applicants only.
    For FY 2004 and FY 2005 and any subsequent year in which we make 
awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this 
priority is a competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to 10 additional points to a Category 1 
applicant, depending on

[[Page 5973]]

the extent to which the applicant meets this priority. This priority 
is:
    The grantee will provide assistance to States, LEAs, and schools in 
approving or selecting a comprehensive school reform provider or in 
developing comprehensive school reforms, for schools that are 
identified as being in need of improvement, corrective action, or 
restructuring under section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 
1965, as amended. The applicant will provide a plan for providing 
States, LEAs and schools with information tools and technical 
assistance in such areas as using data to identify the instructional 
needs of students and to clarify the technical assistance and 
professional development needs of teachers and administrators.
    (2) Competitive preference priority applicable to Category 2 
applicants only.
    For FY 2004 and FY 2005 and any subsequent year in which we make 
awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this 
priority is a competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to 10 additional points to a Category 2 
applicant, depending on the extent to which the applicant meets this 
priority. This priority is:
    The applicant will implement activities to develop and field-test 
specific strategies to: (1) Meet the needs of students who have been 
traditionally underserved by comprehensive school reform providers, 
such as students with disabilities and students with limited English 
proficiency and to integrate those strategies into scientifically 
research-based comprehensive school reforms, or (2) increase the 
capacity of comprehensive reform providers to serve students in rural 
areas. These strategies could be additions or enhancements to existing 
CSR models or services already being provided.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) the Notice of Final Priorities 
for the program published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register.

    Program Authority:  20 U.S.C. 6518.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grant.
    Estimated Available Funds: Approximately $12 million.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the receipt of a 
sufficient number of high-quality applications, we may make additional 
awards in FY 2006 from the rank-ordered list of unfunded applications 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards, Estimated Size of Awards, and Funding 
Cycle:
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04FE05.000

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    Estimated Number of Awards: At least one award under both Category 
1 and Category 2. Additional funds will be distributed between Category 
1 and Category 2 grants based on the quality of the applications.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

[[Page 5975]]

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Public or private organizations that 
provide educational services to public elementary or secondary schools.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The following matching requirement is 
for Category 1 (technical assistance in making informed decisions) 
applicants only. For each year that a Category 1 grantee receives a CSR 
Quality Initiatives award, the match, including any in-kind 
contributions, must total at least 10 percent of the award. Please 
refer to the Category 1 absolute priorities for more information.
    There is no matching requirement for Category 2 (development and 
capacity building) applicants.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package for this program via the Internet at the following 
address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/qualinits/applicant.html.
    You also may request an application package by mail at: Education 
Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. 
Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use 
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll 
free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.332B
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed elsewhere in this notice under section VII. Agency 
Contact.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this program. An 
applicant must indicate whether it is applying for funding from 
Category 1 or Category 2.
    Notification of Intent to Apply: We will be able to develop a more 
efficient process for reviewing grant applications if we have a better 
understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for 
funding.
    Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to send a 
notification of its intent to apply for funding to the following 
address: [email protected]. Please indicate which category the 
potential applicant intends to apply under. The notification of intent 
to apply for funding is optional and should not include information 
regarding the proposed application.
    Page Limit: Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit their 
application to 40 pages.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: February 4, 2005.
    Notification of Intent to Apply: March 7, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 5, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this program may be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants system, or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6.
    Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 6, 2005.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    If you submit your application to us electronically, you must use 
e-Application available through the Department's e-Grants system, 
accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in e-Application is voluntary.
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application 
for this program after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do 
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application 
process.
     The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site 
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is 
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on 
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to 
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Any narrative sections of your application should be 
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement that will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you

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are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the 
application deadline date because the e-Application system is 
unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day in 
order to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by hand 
delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    1. You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or 
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore 
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all 
registered users who have initiated an e-Application.
    Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of the Department's e-Application system. If the e-
Application system is available, and, for any reason, you are unable to 
submit your application electronically or you do not receive an 
automatic acknowledgement of your submission, you may submit your 
application in paper format by mail or hand delivery in accordance with 
the instructions in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service:
    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: 84.332B, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-
4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier:
    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center--Stop 
4260, Attention: 84.332B, 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-
1506.

    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    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; or
    4. Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    1. A private metered postmark, or
    2. A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 84.332B, 550 12th 
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-
4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    1. You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter, 
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application.
    2. The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgement within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: We will use different selection criteria for 
the Category 1 and Category 2 applications. These criteria are from the 
regulations at 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the program objective for the Comprehensive School 
Reform program is to increase the number of CSR program schools that 
will be removed from school improvement status under Title I of the 
ESEA. Specifically for the CSR Quality Initiatives program, one 
performance indicator and related measure for each category have been 
developed for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the CSR Quality 
Initiatives program.
    For Category 1 (technical assistance in making informed decisions) 
projects, the performance indicator is ``the usefulness of products and 
services developed through technical assistance addressed through a 
survey of target audience members.'' With respect to this indicator, 
the measure that the Department will specifically look at is ``the 
percentage of all products and services that receive target audience 
ratings for usefulness of high and above.''

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    For Category 2 (model development and capacity building) projects, 
the indicator is ``the relevance of the projects funded by this 
program.'' With respect to this indicator, the performance measure is 
the ``percentage of new research projects funded by the CSR Quality 
Initiatives program that are deemed to be of high relevance to 
education practice.''
    All Category 1 and Category 2 grantees will be expected to submit 
an annual performance report addressing these performance measures. 
Data from the performance measures are included in the yearly report to 
Congress, key stakeholders, and the public.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheila Sjolseth, U.S. Department of 
Education, OESE/AITQ, 400 Maryland Ave, SW., FB-6, Room 3W237, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone (202) 260-5619 or by email 
[email protected] or by Internet at the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/qualinits/index.html.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http:// 
www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: February 1, 2005.
Raymond Simon,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary, Education.
[FR Doc. 05-2225 Filed 2-3-05; 8:45 am]
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