[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 245 (Thursday, December 21, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76890-76895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21842]



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Part VI





Department of Education





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Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 245 / Thursday, December 21, 2006 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Charter School Program (CSP); Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.282A.

DATES: Applications Available: December 21, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 16, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 17, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) in States 
with a State statute specifically authorizing the establishment of 
charter schools.

    Note: Non-SEA eligible applicants in states in which the SEA 
elects not to participate in or does not have an application 
approved under the CSP may apply for funding directly from the 
Department. The Department plans to hold a separate competition for 
non-SEA eligible applicants under CFDA Nos. 84.282B and 84.282C.

    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$72,000,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. The actual 
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process in a timely manner, if Congress appropriates funds 
for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$20,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $5,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10-12.

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


    Project Period: Up to three years.


    Note: Planning and implementation subgrants awarded by an SEA to 
non-SEA eligible applicants will be awarded for a period of up to 
three years, no more than 18 months of which may be used for 
planning and program design and no more than two years of which may 
be used for the initial implementation of a charter school. 
Dissemination subgrants are awarded for a period of up to two years.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the CSP is to increase national 
understanding of the charter school model and to expand the number of 
high-quality charter schools available to students across the Nation by 
providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, and 
initial implementation of charter schools, and to evaluate the effects 
of charter schools, including their effects on students, student 
academic achievement, staff, and parents. The Secretary awards grants 
to SEAs to enable them to conduct charter school programs in their 
States. SEAs use their CSP funds to award subgrants to non-SEA eligible 
applicants for planning, program design, and initial implementation of 
a charter school, and to support the dissemination of information 
about, including information on successful practices in, charter 
schools.
    Priorities: This competition includes five competitive preference 
priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(1) and 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), priority 1 is from the notice of final priorities for 
discretionary grant programs, published in the Federal Register on 
October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60046), and priorities 2 through 5 are from 
section 5202(e) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), 20 
U.S.C. 7221a(e).
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2007 these priorities are 
competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we give 
preference to and will award up to an additional fifty (50) points to 
an application, depending on how well the application meets these 
priorities. In order to receive preference, an applicant must identify 
the priorities that it believes it meets and provide documentation 
supporting its claims. In order to receive points for priority 2 or to 
receive points for priorities 3 through 5, an application must meet 
priority 2 and must meet one or more of priorities 3 through 5.
    An SEA that meets priority 2 but does not meet one or more of 
priorities 3 through 5 will not receive any points for priorities 2 
through 5.
    An SEA that does not meet priority 2 but meets one or more of 
priorities 3 through 5 will not receive any points for priorities 2 
through 5.
    These priorities are:
    Priority 1--Secondary Schools (10 points). Projects that support 
activities and interventions aimed at improving the academic 
achievement of secondary school students who are at greatest risk of 
not meeting challenging State academic standards and not completing 
high school.
    Priority 2--Periodic Review and Evaluation (10 points). The State 
provides for periodic review and evaluation by the authorized public 
chartering agency of each charter school at least once every five 
years, unless required more frequently by State law, to determine 
whether the charter school is meeting the terms of the school's 
charter, and is meeting or exceeding the student academic achievement 
requirements and goals for charter schools as provided under State law 
or the school's charter.
    Priority 3--Number of High-Quality Charter Schools (10 points). The 
State has demonstrated progress in increasing the number of high-
quality charter schools that are held accountable in the terms of the 
schools' charters for meeting clear and measurable objectives for the 
educational progress of the students attending the schools, in the 
period prior to the period for which an SEA applies for a grant under 
this competition.
    Priority 4--One Authorized Public Chartering Agency Other than a 
Local Educational Agency (LEA), or an Appeals Process (10 points). The 
State--
    (a) Provides for one authorized public chartering agency that is 
not an LEA, such as a State chartering board, for each individual or 
entity seeking to operate a charter school pursuant to State law; or
    (b) In the case of a State in which LEAs are the only authorized 
public chartering agencies, allows for an appeals process for the 
denial of an application for a charter school.
    Priority 5--High Degree of Autonomy (10 points). The State ensures 
that each charter school has a high degree of autonomy over the charter 
school's budgets and expenditures.

    Note: In responding to each of the competitive preference 
priorities, the Secretary encourages applicants to provide 
documentation, including citations and examples from their State's 
charter school law.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 76, 77, 79, 
80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final priorities 
for discretionary grant programs published in the Federal Register on 
October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60046).

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$72,000,000 for new awards under this program for FY 2007. The actual 
level of funding, if any, depends on final Congressional action. 
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process in a timely manner, if Congress appropriates funds 
for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$20,000,000 per year.

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    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $5,000,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10-12.

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

    Project Period: Up to three years.

    Note: Planning and implementation subgrants awarded by an SEA to 
non-SEA eligible applicants will be awarded for a period of up to 
three years, no more than 18 months of which may be used for 
planning and program design and no more than two years of which may 
be used for the initial implementation of a charter school. 
Dissemination subgrants are awarded for a period of up to two years.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs in States with a State statute 
specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools.


    Note: Non-SEA eligible applicants in States in which the SEA 
elects not to participate in or does not have an application 
approved under the CSP may apply for funding directly from the 
Department. The Department plans to hold a separate competition for 
non-SEA eligible applicants under CFDA Nos. 84.282B and 84.282C.


    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: Dean Kern, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 260-1882 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 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. The Secretary strongly 
encourages applicants to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more 
than 60 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 suggested 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: December 21, 
2006. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 16, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 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. We do not consider an application that does not 
address the application requirements, selection criteria, and other 
required information outlined in the application package.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 17, 2007.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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:
    Use of Funds for Post-Award Planning and Design of the Educational 
Program and Initial Implementation of the Charter School. A non-SEA 
eligible applicant receiving a subgrant under this program may use the 
subgrant funds only for--
    (a) Post-award planning and design of the educational program, 
which may include (i) Refinement of the desired educational results and 
of the methods for measuring progress toward achieving those results; 
and (ii) professional development of teachers and other staff who will 
work in the charter school; and
    (b) Initial implementation of the charter school, which may include 
(i) Informing the community about the school; (ii) acquiring necessary 
equipment and educational materials and supplies; (iii) acquiring or 
developing curriculum materials; and (iv) other initial operational 
costs that cannot be met from State or local sources.
    Use of Funds for Dissemination Activities. An SEA may reserve not 
more than 10 percent of its grant funds to support dissemination 
activities. A charter school may use those funds to assist other 
schools in adapting the charter school's program (or certain aspects of 
the charter school's program) or to disseminate information about the 
charter school through such activities as--
    (a) Assisting other individuals with the planning and start-up of 
one or more new public schools, including charter schools, that are 
independent of the assisting charter school and the assisting charter 
school's developers and that agree to be held to at least as high a 
level of accountability as the assisting charter school;
    (b) Developing partnerships with other public schools, including 
charter schools, designed to improve student academic achievement in 
each of the schools participating in the partnership;
    (c) Developing curriculum materials, assessments, and other 
materials that promote increased student achievement and are based on 
successful practices within the assisting charter school; and
    (d) Conducting evaluations and developing materials that document 
the successful practices of the assisting charter school and that are 
designed to improve student achievement.
    Award Basis. In determining whether to approve a grant award and 
the amount of such award, the Department will consider, among other 
things, the amount of any carryover funds the applicant has under an 
existing grant under the program.
    We reference regulations outlining additional funding restrictions 
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements. Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.

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    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the Charter School Program, CFDA 
Number 84.282A must be submitted electronically using 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.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Charter 
School 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 84.282, not 84.282A).
    Please note the following:
     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.
     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 program 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 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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     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).
    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 Grants.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 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.



[[Page 76893]]


    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.


    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Dean Kern, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, 
Washington, DC 20202-5970. FAX: (202) 205-5630.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. 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 
84.282A), 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 
84.282A), 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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You 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 84.282A), 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 date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Applicants applying for CSP grant funds must address both the 
statutory application requirements and the selection criteria described 
in the following paragraphs. An applicant may choose to respond to 
these application requirements in the context of its responses to the 
selection criteria.
    (a) Application Requirements. (i) Describe the objectives of the 
SEA's charter school grant program and describe how these objectives 
will be fulfilled, including steps taken by the SEA to inform teachers, 
parents, and communities of the SEA's charter school grant program;
    (ii) Describe how the SEA will inform each charter school in the 
State about Federal funds the charter school is eligible to receive and 
Federal programs in which the charter school may participate;
    (iii) Describe how the SEA will ensure that each charter school in 
the State receives the school's commensurate share of Federal education 
funds that are allocated by formula each year, including during the 
first year of operation of the school and a year in which the school's 
enrollment expands significantly;
    (iv) Describe how the SEA will disseminate best or promising 
practices of charter schools to each local educational agency (LEA) in 
the State;
    (v) If an SEA elects to reserve part of its grant funds (no more 
than 10 percent) for the establishment of a revolving loan fund, 
describe how the revolving loan fund would operate;
    (vi) If an SEA desires the Secretary to consider waivers under the 
authority of the CSP, include a request and justification for any 
waiver of statutory or regulatory provisions that the SEA believes is 
necessary for the successful operation of charter schools in the State; 
and
    (vii) Describe how charter schools that are considered to be LEAs 
under State law and LEAs in which charter schools are located will 
comply with sections 613(a)(5) and 613(e)(1)(B) of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act.
    (b) Selection Criteria. The following selection criteria are from 
the authorizing statute for this program and 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR.
    SEAs that propose to use a portion of their grant funds for 
dissemination activities must address each selection criterion (i) 
through (vi) individually and title each accordingly. SEAs that do not 
propose to use a portion of their grant funds for dissemination 
activities must address selection criteria (i)

[[Page 76894]]

through (iv) and (vi), and need not address selection criterion (v). 
SEAs that do not address criterion (v) because they are not proposing 
to use a portion of their grant funds for dissemination activities will 
not be penalized.
    The maximum possible score is 150 points for SEAs that do not 
propose to use grant funds to support dissemination activities and 180 
points for SEAs that propose to use grant funds to support 
dissemination activities.
    The maximum possible score for each criterion is indicated in 
parentheses following the criterion.
    In evaluating an application, the Secretary considers the following 
criteria:
    (i) The contribution the charter schools grant program will make in 
assisting educationally disadvantaged and other students to achieve 
State academic content standards and State student academic achievement 
standards (30 points).


    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to provide a 
description of the objectives for the SEA's charter school grant 
program and how these objectives will be fulfilled, including steps 
taken by the SEA to inform teachers, parents, and communities of the 
SEA's charter school grant program and how the SEA will disseminate 
best or promising practices of charter schools to each LEA in the 
State.


    (ii) The degree of flexibility afforded by the SEA to charter 
schools under the State's charter school law (30 points).


    Note: The Secretary encourages the applicant to include a 
description of how the State's law establishes an administrative 
relationship between the charter school and the authorized public 
chartering agency and exempts charter schools from significant State 
or local rules that inhibit the flexible operation and management of 
public schools.

    The Secretary also encourages the applicant to include a 
description of the degree of autonomy charter schools have achieved 
over such matters as the charter school's budget, expenditures, daily 
operation, and personnel in accordance with their State's law.
    (iii) The number of high-quality charter schools to be created in 
the State (30 points).


    Note: The Secretary considers the SEA's reasonable estimate of 
the number of new charter schools to be authorized and opened in the 
State during the three year period of this grant.


    The Secretary also considers how the SEA will inform each charter 
school in the State about Federal funds the charter school is eligible 
to receive and ensure that each charter school in the State receives 
the school's commensurate share of Federal education funds that are 
allocated by formula each year, including during the first year of 
operation of the school and during a year in which the school's 
enrollment expands significantly.
    (iv) 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 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 (30 points).


    Note: In addition to describing the proposed objectives of the 
SEA charter school grant program and how these objectives will be 
fulfilled, the Secretary encourages applicants to provide 
descriptions of the steps to be taken by the SEA to award subgrant 
funds to eligible applicants desiring to receive these funds, 
including descriptions of the peer review process the SEA will use 
to review applications for assistance, the timelines for awarding 
such funds, and how the SEA will assess the quality of the 
applications.


    (v) In the case of SEAs that propose to use grant funds to support 
dissemination activities under section 5204(f)(6) of the ESEA, the 
quality of the dissemination activities (15 points) and the likelihood 
that those activities will improve student academic achievement (15 
points).


    Note: The Secretary encourages applicants to describe the steps 
to be taken by the SEA to award these funds to eligible applicants, 
including descriptions of the peer review process the SEA will use 
to review applications for dissemination, the timelines for awarding 
such funds, and how the SEA will assess the quality of the 
applications.


    (vi) 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 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 (30 
points).


    Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the 
application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape 
the development of the project from the beginning of the grant 
period. The plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress 
toward specific project objectives and also outcome measures to 
assess the impact on teaching and learning or other important 
outcomes for project participants. More specifically, the plan 
should identify the individual and/or organization that has agreed 
to serve as evaluator for the project and describe the 
qualifications of that evaluator. The plan should describe the 
evaluation design, indicating: (1) What types of data will be 
collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) 
what methods will be used; (4) what instruments will be developed 
and when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of 
results and outcomes will be available; and (7) how the applicant 
will use the information collected through the evaluation to monitor 
progress of the funded project and to provide accountability 
information both about success at the initial site and effective 
strategies for replication in other settings. Applicants are 
encouraged to devote an appropriate level of resources to project 
evaluation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we will 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. For specific requirements on grantee reporting, please 
go to the ED Performance Report Form 524B at http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The goal of the CSP is to support the 
creation and development of a large number of high-quality charter 
schools that are free from State or local rules that inhibit flexible 
operation, are held accountable for enabling students to reach 
challenging State performance standards, and are open to all students. 
The Secretary has set three performance indicators to

[[Page 76895]]

measure this goal: (1) The number of States, including the District of 
Columbia and Puerto Rico, with charter school laws, (2) The number of 
charter schools in operation around the Nation, and (3) The percentage 
of charter school students who are achieving at or above the proficient 
level on State examinations in mathematics and reading. Additionally, 
the Secretary has established the following measure to examine the 
efficiency of the CSP: Federal cost per student in implementing a 
successful school (defined as a school in operation for three or more 
years).
    All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance 
report documenting their contribution in assisting the Department in 
meeting these performance measures.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dean Kern, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W227, FB6, Washington, DC 
20202-5961. Telephone: (202) 260-1882 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: December 18, 2006.
Morgan S. Brown,
Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Innovation and Improvement.
 [FR Doc. E6-21842 Filed 12-20-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P