[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 150 (Friday, August 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45373-45378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15632]



[[Page 45373]]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Vocational and Adult Education; Overview Information; 
State Scholars Initiative; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.051U.


DATES: Applications Available: August 5, 2005. Deadline for Transmittal 
of Applications: September 6, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: National nonprofit organizations or agencies 
that--
    (1) Have background and expertise in the education field and have 
been in existence for at least three years;
    (2) Have worked actively with members of the business and education 
communities in one or more States, or at the national level, in 
carrying out the nonprofit entity's core activities; and
    (3) Have been providing technical assistance to local educational 
agencies (LEAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), secondary schools, 
educational institutions, or nonprofit educational organizations or 
agencies, on curriculum or other educational matters.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,800,000 during the 24-month project 
period. The grant made under this competition will be made from FY 2004 
and FY 2005 funds.
    Estimated Size of Award: $4,800,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1.


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


    Note: The yearly operating budget for the grantee's 
administrative and direct program activity costs must be approved by 
the Department and is limited to between $600,000 and $800,000, 
except as approved by the Department. The major portion of the grant 
funds must be used to support contracts with State-level business-
education partnerships (as defined elsewhere in this notice) that 
the grantee selects to carry out the State Scholars Initiative 
(Initiative) activities.


    Note: Any remaining FY 2003 funds currently held by the Center 
for State Scholars, the current grantee for the Initiative, will be 
transferred to the grantee selected under this competition and will 
be used to reimburse existing State-level business-education 
partnerships that were selected by the Center for State Scholars.


    Note: The Assistant Secretary plans to make an award to the 
entity selected under this competition through a cooperative 
agreement. The Assistant Secretary expects the Department's 
interaction with the grant recipient to be characterized by 
continuing and regular participation in the project, unusually close 
collaboration with the grant recipient, and direct operational 
involvement in Initiative activities.


    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: Section 114 of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational 
and Technical Education Act of 1998 (Act), 20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq., 
authorizes the Secretary to support, among other things, development, 
dissemination, evaluation and assessment, capacity building, and 
technical assistance with regard to vocational education to further the 
purposes of the Act. The purpose of the Initiative is to support a 
national nonprofit organization or agency that will fund and provide 
technical assistance, monitoring, oversight, and cost reimbursements to 
State-level business-education partnerships that will encourage and 
motivate high school students to enroll in and complete rigorous 
courses of study that will benefit them in their future careers, 
postsecondary education, or training.

Requirements

    Background: The Initiative is designed to support the goals and 
objectives of the Act and is fully aligned with the principles and 
objectives of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 
amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
    A number of studies indicate that rigorous academic course work in 
high school is essential to future academic and career success. In 
fact, studies show that students who lack strong academic preparation 
tend to face limited career and educational choices and to encounter 
greater difficulty in the workplace and college. (Condition of 
Education 2001, NCES 2001; Credits and Attainment: Returns to 
Postsecondary Education Ten Years After High School, NCES 2001). 
Unfortunately, many high school students' academic preparation is 
inferior. In fact, less than one-third (31 percent) of all 1995-1996 
graduates took the minimum number of courses recommended for college 
entrance by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. (High 
School Academic Curriculum and The Persistence Path Through College, 
NCES, 2001). For example, in the fall of 2000, 28 percent of entering 
freshmen in postsecondary institutions enrolled in at least one 
remedial course in reading, writing, or mathematics. (Remedial 
Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions in Fall 2000, 
NCES, 2004). Unfortunately, for each remedial class a student takes, 
his or her chance of dropping out of college increases by 20 percent. 
(American Diploma Project, 2002). Accordingly, it is important to the 
future success of high school students that they be motivated and 
encouraged to select and complete strong academic courses of study.
    Under the Initiative, the Assistant Secretary seeks to fund a 
national nonprofit organization or agency that will fund and provide 
technical assistance, monitoring, oversight, and cost reimbursements to 
State-level business-education partnerships that will encourage and 
motivate high school students to enroll in and complete rigorous 
courses of study that will benefit them in their future careers, 
postsecondary education, or training. While the grantee will encourage 
all students to pursue a rigorous course of study, a particular focus 
of the Initiative is to persuade and motivate vocational and technical 
students to select and complete strong academic courses of study in 
high school.
    Anticipated outcomes for participating students include increased 
enrollment in rigorous courses of study and increased enrollment in, 
and completion of, postsecondary education or additional vocational and 
technical education and training after high school.

Requirements

Required Demonstration of Eligibility:

    In its application narrative, the applicant must demonstrate how it 
meets the eligibility criteria.

Required Program Activities:

    Through the Initiative, the Assistant Secretary awards one grant 
under a cooperative agreement to an eligible applicant that will carry 
out the following activities:
    (a) Support of existing State-level business-education 
partnerships. The grantee must review, process, and approve, as 
appropriate, cost reimbursements to eligible State-level business-
education partnerships selected by the Center for State Scholars and 
must monitor and provide oversight to these business-education 
partnerships.
    (b) Selection of new State-level business-education partnerships. 
The grantee must--
    (1) Design, develop, and implement procedures for soliciting 
proposals from, selecting, and awarding contracts for periods of up to 
2 years, for a sum of up to $300,000 per partnership in total funding 
(except as approved by the Department) to be allocated during the 
project to, 8 to 12 new State-level business-education partnerships 
that are able to carry out the Initiative's

[[Page 45374]]

activities in the States in which the business-education partnerships 
operate;
    (2) Evaluate each business-education partnership's proposal for 
implementing the Initiative activities in its State. In evaluating each 
proposal the grantee must consider--
    (i) The proposed timeline for implementation;
    (ii) The proposed methods for sustaining the Initiative activities 
after exhausting Federal funding;
    (iii) The administrative capacity of the business-education 
partnership, including personnel qualifications, time commitments by 
key personnel, and fiscal management;
    (iv) The degree to which the business-education partnership 
coherently applies the grantee's implementation model for the 
Initiative activities and/or improves on the model; and
    (v) The degree to which the business-education partnership 
identifies its own State's needs and customizes the grantee's 
implementation model, as appropriate, to address those needs;
    (3) Ensure that each business-education partnership awarded a 
contract to participate in the project meets the following criteria:
    (i) Has played a leadership role or has carried out innovative 
educational activities in the State in which it operates;
    (ii) Has not received funding from the Center for State Scholars 
and has assured the grantee that, if selected, it would be the first 
entity in that State to receive Federal financial support under the 
Initiative;
    (iii) Has letters of support from the Chief State School Officer 
and the Governor of the State that--
    (A) Indicate their commitment to working toward aligning rigorous 
courses of study with State and local high school graduation 
requirements;
    (B) Demonstrate a willingness to collaborate with the grantee and 
the business-education partnership to carry out activities under the 
Initiative; and
    (C) State a willingness to work to identify methods and sustainable 
resources for motivating students to complete rigorous courses of 
study; and
    (iv) Has a letter of commitment to participate in the Initiative 
activities from each of at least four school districts in the State, 
with each district having at least one school with a grade 12 
participating in the Initiative activities. The letter of commitment 
must--
    (A) State in writing that the school district and participating 
school(s) have the data systems in place to collect and track the data 
required by the grantee;
    (B) Commit to providing the grantee with any and all non-
identifiable student data that the grantee requires; and
    (C) Be signed by the district superintendent and the principals of 
all participating schools.
    (c) Support of new State-level business-education partnerships. The 
grantee must review, process, and approve, as appropriate, cost 
reimbursements to the State-level business-education partnerships that 
it has selected and must monitor and provide oversight to these 
business-education partnerships.
    (d) Implementation model for use by State-level business-education 
partnerships. The grantee must disseminate a model that the State-level 
business-education partnerships it selects can use to implement 
Initiative activities in the States in which those business-education 
partnerships operate. The grantee may use materials produced by the 
Center for State Scholars to aid in its program activities. At a 
minimum, the model must--
    (1) Specify a method for disseminating to high school students, 
parents, teachers, administrators, professional associations, 
policymakers, guidance counselors, and business leaders, in a sustained 
and comprehensive way, information about the importance of rigorous 
course work in high school. The method must tie into the communication 
networks that exist in the educational arena, in order to coordinate 
the message and to avoid duplicating efforts that other organizations 
have undertaken;
    (2) Provide a comprehensive method to increase the percentage of 
students who enroll in, and complete, rigorous courses, including a 
method for maximizing business leaders' capacity to affect students' 
course enrollment patterns;
    (3) Specify a process for engaging State policymakers, school 
district administrators, and professional associations in discussions 
about the importance of aligning rigorous course work in high school 
with high school graduation requirements;
    (4) Identify techniques, methods, and resources for motivating 
students to complete a rigorous course of study;
    (5) Demonstrate a sustainable approach to funding after Federal 
funds have been expended; and
    (6) Include timelines, staffing patterns, and major activities.
    (e) Technical assistance to State-level business-education 
partnerships. The grantee must provide technical assistance to State-
level business-education partnerships with which the grantee enters 
into contracts and to which it provides reimbursements under the 
Initiative and to any and all partnerships that received funding from 
the Center for State Scholars in prior years, by offering--
    (1) Assistance in implementing the model created by the grantee;
    (2) Methods for identifying barriers to implementation of the 
Initiative activities in the State and suggesting solutions to overcome 
these barriers;
    (3) Models for sustaining the Initiative goals and objectives after 
all available Federal contract funds have been expended; and
    (4) Methods for developing partnerships with key stakeholders, such 
as parents, teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, community 
groups, and business leaders.
    (f) Dissemination. The grantee must develop materials and 
disseminate those materials through a wide variety of media, such as 
preparing and submitting articles for publication in magazines, 
newspapers, and scholarly journals, making presentations at conferences 
and other events, publishing newsletters, and disseminating information 
through the Internet or other technology. These materials must contain 
the results of research showing the benefits of rigorous coursetaking 
and offer examples of how and where the Initiative activities have been 
implemented successfully.
    (g) Communication with State-level business-education partnerships. 
The grantee must communicate with the State-level business-education 
partnerships funded by the grantee as well as those previously funded 
by the Center for State Scholars, at least quarterly to--
    (1) Discuss the progress of implementation and share promising 
practices among the partnerships via telephone;
    (2) Provide, via telephone, technical assistance in addressing 
challenges and identifying strategies for overcoming them; and
    (3) Provide regular electronic communications to and among the 
business-education partnerships to ensure that relevant research, news, 
and other information are shared in a consistent manner.
    (h) Evaluation. The grantee must enter into a contract for an 
independent third-party evaluation of the Initiative activities and the 
grantee's administration of the Initiative. The grantee must submit a 
yearly evaluation report that contains information about the measures 
listed in this paragraph (h), along with data on the performance 
measures indicated in the Performance Measures section of this notice. 
In

[[Page 45375]]

addition to information describing the grantee's progress on the 
performance measures, the evaluation must also include the following:
    (1) The use of existing data sources, or the establishment of new 
data sources or systems, to ascertain, at a minimum:
    (A) Course enrollment data, including, but not limited to, the 
percentage of students in participating schools, districts, and States 
completing the entire rigorous course of study and the percentage of 
students completing each class that is a component of the rigorous 
course of study, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, family income 
level, limited English proficiency, gender, and disability.
    (B) The impact of the Initiative on student, teacher, guidance 
counselor, and parent attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs about the 
importance of rigorous course taking and its effect on postsecondary 
and occupational outcomes.
    (2) An assessment of promising practices for implementing the 
Initiative activities in all the business-education partnerships 
selected by the Center for State Scholars and by the grantee.
    (3) An analysis of the grantee's effectiveness in serving as a 
technical assistance provider to all the business-education 
partnerships selected by the Center for State Scholars and by the 
grantee.
    (4) An implementation study comparing the manner in which the 
Initiative was carried out in all the business-education partnerships 
selected by the Center for State Scholars and by the grantee.
    (i) Submission of Interim Reports. The grantee must submit a 
progress report to the Department within 15 days of the end of each 
project quarter (except for the final project quarter in which a final 
report must be submitted as described in paragraph (k) in this section) 
that--
    (1) Provides an update on the completion of project goals and 
activities by the grantee and by all the business-education 
partnerships selected by the Center for State Scholars and by the 
grantee;
    (2) Outlines any major challenges to achieving project goals and 
the grantee's strategies for addressing these challenges;
    (3) Describes any major changes in the project activities; and
    (4) Gives a financial report about expenditures per budget category 
and links the Initiative goals to the expenditures.
    (j) Submission of Annual Evaluation Report. The grantee must submit 
to the Department, within 15 days of the conclusion of each project 
year, an evaluation report that addresses the requirements in paragraph 
(h) in this section.
    (k) Submission of Final Report. The grantee must submit to the 
Department, within three months of the conclusion of the project 
period, a final report that--
    (1) Outlines the activities and accomplishments of the grantee and 
all the business-education partnerships selected by the Center for 
State Scholars and by the grantee;
    (2) Provides information about the promising practices developed 
through the project that were carried out by the grantee and by all the 
business-education partnerships selected by the Center for State 
Scholars and by the grantee;
    (3) Includes the findings of the independent third-party 
evaluation; and
    (4) Reports on the performance measures described in the 
Performance Measures section of this notice.

Definitions:

    In addition to the definitions contained in the Act and the 
applicable sections of the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR), the following definitions also apply to this 
Initiative and competition:
    The term rigorous course of study, rigorous course taking, rigorous 
coursework, or strong academic course of study means course work which, 
at a minimum, consists of the following: four credits of English, three 
credits of math (Algebra I, geometry, and Algebra II), three credits of 
basic lab science (biology, chemistry, and physics), three and one-half 
credits of social studies (chosen from U.S. and world history, 
geography, economics, and government), and two credits of the same 
language other than English.
    The term State-level business-education partnership or business-
education partnership means an entity that leads or implements 
educational initiatives throughout the State and whose members include 
individuals from the education and business communities.
    The term grantee or grant recipient means the national nonprofit 
organization or agency that is selected and receives a Federal grant 
from the Department under this competition and utilizes that grant for 
allowable purposes under the terms of a cooperative agreement between 
the grantee and the Department.
    The term national nonprofit organization or agency does not include 
SEAs, LEAs, or institutions of higher education, as defined in section 
101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed program requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria. Section 437(d)(2) of the General 
Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(2)), however, allows the 
Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements, regulations where the 
Secretary determines that conducting rulemaking will cause extreme 
hardship to the intended beneficiaries of the program affected by the 
regulations.
    The Secretary has determined that conducting rulemaking for this 
competition under the Initiative would cause extreme hardship to the 
beneficiaries of this program. Under a cooperative agreement with the 
Department, the current grantee under the Initiative, the Center for 
State Scholars, has provided technical assistance, oversight, 
monitoring support, and cost reimbursements to 14 State-level business-
education partnerships for a multi-year period. On June 21, 2005, 
however, the Center for State Scholars notified the Department that it 
did not intend to continue as Initiative grantee and would be 
terminating its activities under the cooperative agreement on September 
30, 2005.
    The Department has not yet awarded FY 2004 or 2005 Initiative 
funds. Unless a new grantee is selected and awarded an Initiative grant 
by September 30, 2005, FY 2004 funds for the Initiative will lapse and 
will no longer be available for obligation by the Department. To 
conduct rulemaking at this time would not allow us to make an award of 
FY 2004 funds by September 30, 2005. The lapsing of FY 2004 funds would 
cause extreme hardship to the 14 current State business-education 
partnerships providing services under the Initiative, to future 
partnerships yet to be selected, and overall to all intended Initiative 
beneficiaries. Without such funds, the partnership programs currently 
in operation could cease, and students would not receive future 
services under the Initiative from new business-education partnerships.
    Furthermore, in order to provide for continuity of effective 
program services under the Initiative, the Secretary believes that a 
grant award for at least a two-year period is necessary and that an 
award of only FY 2004 funds at this time would cause substantial harm 
to program beneficiaries. The requirements, definitions, and selection 
criteria established in this notice will

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apply to this grant competition for FY 2004 and FY 2005 funds only.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2324(c)(6)(A).
    Applicable Regulations: EDGAR in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,800,000 during the 24-month project 
period. The grant made under this competition will be made from FY 2004 
and FY 2005 funds.
    Estimated Size of Award: $4,800,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1.


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


    Note: The yearly operating budget for the grantee's 
administrative and direct program activity costs must be approved by 
the Department and is limited to between $600,000 and $800,000, 
except as approved by the Department. The major portion of the grant 
funds must be used to support contracts with State-level business-
education partnerships that the grantee selects to carry out the 
Initiative activities.


    Note: Any remaining FY 2003 funds currently held by the Center 
for State Scholars will be transferred to the grantee selected under 
this competition and will be used to reimburse existing State-level 
business-education partnerships that were selected by the Center for 
State Scholars.


    Note: The Assistant Secretary plans to make an award to the 
entity selected under this competition through a cooperative 
agreement. The Assistant Secretary expects the Department's 
interaction with the grant recipient to be characterized by 
continuing and regular participation in the project, unusually close 
collaboration with the grant recipient, and direct operational 
involvement in Initiative activities.


    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: National nonprofit organizations or 
agencies that--
    (i) Have background and expertise in the education field and have 
been in existence for at least three years;
    (ii) Have worked actively with members of the business and 
education communities in one or more States, or at the national level, 
in carrying out the nonprofit entity's core activities; and
    (iii) Have been providing technical assistance to LEAs, SEAs, 
secondary schools, educational institutions, or nonprofit educational 
organizations or agencies, on curriculum or other educational matters.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Rebecca Arnold, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Potomac Center Plaza, 
room 11115, Washington, DC 20202-7241. Telephone: (202) 245-7744 or by 
e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    You may also obtain an application package via the Internet at the 
following address: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/factsh/ssi.html.
    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 in this section.
    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 competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You are strongly encouraged 
to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 35 pages, using the 
following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover 
sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget 
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-
page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of 
support. However, you must include all of the application narrative in 
Part III.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: August 5, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 6, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted by 
mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates and times) 
about how to submit your application 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.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    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 competition must be submitted in paper format by mail or hand 
delivery.
    a. Submission of Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application 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: (CFDA Number 
84.051U), 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: (CFDA Number 
84.051U), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of the address you use, 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.



[[Page 45377]]


    b. Submission of Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application 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: (CFDA Number 84.051U), 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 acknowledgment 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: The Department will apply the following 
selection criteria in evaluating applications under this competition. 
The maximum total score any applicant may receive is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    (a) Technical Approach (45 points). The Assistant Secretary 
considers the quality of the technical approach of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the technical approach of the 
proposed project, the Assistant Secretary considers the following:
    (1) Implementation Model (15 points). The extent to which the 
applicant presents an outline of a model that State-level business-
education partnerships can use to implement Initiative activities in 
the States in which the business-education partnerships operate and 
that--
    (i) Comprehensively addresses the criteria outlined in paragraph 
(d) of the Requirements section of this notice; and
    (ii) Is feasible for implementation by State-level business-
education partnerships.
    (2) Program Activities (15 points). The extent to which the 
applicant presents a plan that comprehensively addresses each of the 
following required program activities:
    (i) The technical assistance activities outlined in paragraph (e) 
of the Requirements section of this notice.
    (ii) The dissemination activities outlined in paragraph (f) of the 
Requirements section of this notice.
    (iii) The communication activities outlined in paragraph (g) of the 
Requirements section of this notice.
    (3) Improvements (5 points). The extent to which the applicant--
    (i) Identifies additional activities, beyond the required program 
activities, that enhance the program's design; and
    (ii) Describes any anticipated problems and recommends solutions 
for those problems.
    (4) Business-education Partnership Contracts (10 points). The 
extent to which the applicant presents a thorough and objective 
application process for business-education partnerships seeking funding 
to implement the program in their State, which meets all of the 
requirements outlined in paragraph (b) of the Requirements section of 
this notice.
    (b) Management Plan (35 points). The Assistant Secretary considers 
the quality of the management plan of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the management plan of the proposed project, 
the Assistant Secretary considers the following:
    (1) Description of Plan (15 points). The extent to which the 
applicant includes a description, in a clear and sequential fashion, of 
the plan for managing the project.
    (2) Budget (5 points). The extent to which the budget proposes an 
appropriate distribution of available Federal resources to carry out 
the listed program requirements and a sound, well-developed financial 
management system.
    (3) Key Personnel (5 points). The extent to which key personnel 
have--
    (i) Clearly defined responsibilities;
    (ii) An appropriate amount of time committed to the project; and
    (iii) Clearly identified and documented qualifications, 
competencies, and experiences that are appropriate for the tasks to be 
carried out under this Initiative.
    (4) Experience (10 points). The extent to which the applicant 
demonstrates its overall administrative experience and capacity to 
carry out the Initiative, including a demonstration of its experience 
in leading or implementing educational initiatives and managing 
Federal, State, local, or private education grants.
    (c) Evaluation (20 points). In determining the quality of the 
evaluation plan of the proposed project, the Assistant Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant's evaluation plan conforms 
to the program requirements in paragraph (h) of the Requirements 
section of this notice.

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 Assistant 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 in 34 
CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: The grantee must collect data, and report 
annually to the Department, on the following performance measures to 
measure the effectiveness of the Initiative:
    (i) The number and percentage of students in participating schools, 
districts, and States who have four-year high school course enrollment 
plans that include the Initiative's rigorous course of study. If four-
year high school course enrollment plans do not exist in a 
participating school, then the number and percentage of students who 
have a one-or two-year high school course enrollment plan that includes 
components of the rigorous course of study.
    (ii) The availability of classes that comprise the rigorous course 
of study in participating schools, districts, and States.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Arnold, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW.,

[[Page 45378]]

Potomac Center Plaza, room 11115, Washington, DC 20202-7241. Telephone: 
(202) 245-7744 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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: August 3, 2005.
Susan Sclafani,
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 05-15632 Filed 8-4-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P