[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 241 (Friday, December 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75514-75518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9726]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and 
Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students; Overview 
Information; National Professional Development Program; Notice inviting 
applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2007.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.195N

    Dates:
    Applications Available: December 15, 2006.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 1, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 1, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 1, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs) in 
consortia with State educational agencies (SEAs) or local educational 
agencies (LEAs).

    Note:  Eligible applicants seeking to apply as a consortium 
should read and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through 
75.129.

    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$38,100,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2007. The actual 
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applicants to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $257,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 148.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the National Professional 
Development Program is to provide for professional development 
activities that will improve classroom instruction for limited English 
proficient (LEP) children and assist educational personnel working with 
such children to meet high professional standards, including standards 
for certification and licensure as teachers who work in language 
standards for certification and licensure as teachers who work in 
language instruction education programs or serve LEP children.
    Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested 
in applications that address the following priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give 
an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive 
or absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are as follows:
    Invitational Priority #1. Projects designed to improve a teacher 
education program in order to better prepare all teachers to provide 
effective instruction to LEP students. In such projects, IHEs would 
collaborate with both an LEA and SEA on such activities as: (1) 
professional development to improve

[[Page 75515]]

the ability of higher education faculty in preparing prospective 
teachers to teach LEP students, and (2) the development of teacher 
education curricula that (a) are aligned with State content standards 
and State English language proficiency standards (b) prepare all 
teacher candidates in an institution to provide instruction that 
accelerates LEP students' acquisition of language (including the 
acquisition of academic language skills), literacy, and content 
knowledge.
    Invitational Priority #2. Projects that conduct post-training 
assessment and collect post-training data on the effectiveness of 
program graduates and completers in order to determine the impact of 
the project on the academic achievement and English language 
development of LEP students in grades kindergarten through 12.
    Invitational Priority #3. Projects that support high-quality 
professional development for secondary content teachers to help these 
teachers improve academic achievement and literacy and language 
development of LEP students, including by preparing teachers to provide 
instruction that reflections aligned State English language proficiency 
standards and State content standards and assessments.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6861.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds; The Administration has requested 
$38,100,000 for new awards for this program for FY 2007. The actual 
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applicants to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $257,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 148.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicant: IHEs in consortia with SEAs or LEAs.

    Note: Eligible applicants seeking to apply as a consortium 
should read and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through 
75.129.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Patrice Swann, U.S. 
Department of Education, 550 12th Street, SW., room 10070, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20024-6121. Telephone: (202) 245-7130, 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 a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contracting 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.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a 
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a 
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for 
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly 
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending 
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail does not need to include 
information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the 
applicant's intent to submit it. This e-mail notification should be 
sent to Yvonne Putney-Mathieu at: [email protected].
    We will consider an application submitted by the deadline date for 
transmittal of applications, even if the applicant did not provide us 
notice of its intent to apply.
    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 must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 30 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 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. However, you must include all of the application 
narrative in Part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: December 15, 2006.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 1, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 1, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this program may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), 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: May 1, 2007.
    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 competition.
    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. To comply with the 
President's Management Agenda, we are participating as a partner in the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. The National Professional 
Development Program, 84.195N, is included in this project. We request 
your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use

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the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. 
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the National 
Professional Development Program at http://www.grants.gov/. You must 
search for the downloadable application package for this program or 
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha 
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.195, not 84.195N).
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition, you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     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.
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
submit all documents electronically, including all information you 
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs 
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note 
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education 
Supplemental information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document format. If you 
upload a file type other than the three file types specified in this 
paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that 
material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grant.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support 
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and 
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will 
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. we will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    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

[[Page 75517]]

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 84.195 N, 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 84.195 N, 
7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which 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.
    (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.
    (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: (CFDA Number 84.195 N), 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 11 of the SF 424, the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The maximum score for all of these 
criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is 
indicated in parentheses.
    (a) Need for project. (5 points)
    The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In 
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the proposed project will provide services 
or otherwise address the needs of students at risk of educational 
failure.
    (2) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps and weaknesses.
    (3) The extent to which the proposed project will prepare personnel 
for fields in which shortages have been demonstrated.
    (b) Quality of the project design. (50 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (2) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs.
    (3) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    (4) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and to support 
rigorous academic standards for students.
    (5) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build 
capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of 
Federal financial assistance.
    (c) Quality of project personnel. (5 Points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry 
out the proposed project.
    (1) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    (3) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key personnel.
    (d) Quality of the management plan. (10 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (3) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (e) Quality of the project evaluation. (30 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be 
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the 
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (2) 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.
    (3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for 
examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
    (4) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.

VI. Award Administration Information

    (1) Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify 
your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and

[[Page 75518]]

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 
CFR 75.118.
    (4) Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance 
and Results Act (GPRA), the Department developed three quantitative 
measures for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the NPD Program. 
We will expect each IHE, in consortium with its partnering LEA or SEA, 
that carries out a project funded under this competition to document 
the extent to which the project is achieving against these performance 
measures. These measures are:
    (1) The percentage of pre-service program graduates who are placed 
in instructional settings serving limited English proficient students 
within one year of graduation.
    (2) The percentage of pre-service program graduates who meet NCLB 
Highly Qualified Teacher requirements.
    (3) The percentage of in-service teacher completers who are 
providing instructional services to limited English proficient 
students.
    Grantees will be expected to report on progress in meeting these 
performance measures for the NPD Program in their Annual Performance 
Report and in their Final Performance Report.
    In addition to the GPRA measures, the Department has developed two 
additional measures, program measures, used to help monitor the 
effectiveness of the NPD Program. We will expect each IHE, in 
consortium with its partnering LEA or SEA, that carries out a project 
funded under this competition to document the extent to which the 
project is helping the Department meet these program measures. These 
measures are:
    (1) The effectiveness of graduates/completers in the instructional 
meeting.
    (2) The degree to which IHE pre-service and in-service training 
programs are aligned with K-12 State standards and assessments, 
including English language proficiency standards and content standards.
    Grantees will be expected to report on progress in meeting these 
performance measures for the NPD Program in their Annual Performance 
Report and in their Final Performance Report.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Ana Garcia, U.S. Department of 
Education, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Room 10072, 
Washington, DC 20024-6121. (202) 245-7153. [email protected]; or
    Trini Torres-Carrion, U.S. Department of Education, Potomc Center 
Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Room 10082, Washington, DC 20024-6121. 
(202) 245-7134. [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.htm1.


    Dated: December 12, 2006.
Kathleen Leos,
Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language 
Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited 
English Proficient Students.
[FR Doc. 06-9726 Filed 12-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-M