[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7861-7868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-2964]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Early Childhood Educator Professional Development (ECEPD) 
Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.349A.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: February 20, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 20, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 19, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: A partnership that has not previously received 
an ECEPD grant and that consists of at least one entity from each of 
the following categories:
    (i) One or more institutions of higher education (IHEs), or other 
public or private entities (including faith-based organizations), that 
provide professional development for early childhood educators who work 
with children from low-income families in high-need communities.
    (ii) One or more public agencies (including local educational 
agencies (LEAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), State human 
services agencies, and State and local agencies administering programs 
under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990), Head 
Start agencies, or private organizations (including faith-based 
organizations).
    (iii) If feasible, an entity with demonstrated experience in 
providing training to educators in early childhood education programs 
concerning identifying and preventing behavior problems or working with 
children identified as or suspected to be victims of abuse. This entity 
may be one of the partners described in paragraphs (i) and (ii) under 
Eligible Applicants.
    A partnership may apply for these funds only if one of the partners 
currently provides professional development for early childhood 
educators working in programs located in high-need communities with 
children from low-income families.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$14,549,000 for the ECEPD program for FY 2007, of which we anticipate 
$14,330,765 would be available for these grants. For FY 2007, 
approximately 1 percent of the ECEPD appropriation would be set aside 
to administer the grant award competition, and 0.5 percent would be set 
aside for evaluation activities authorized under section 9601 
(Evaluations) of the ESEA as amended by NCLB, 20 U.S.C. 7941(a). 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 if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $2,400,000-$4,800,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $3,600,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3-6 awards.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the ECEPD program is to enhance 
the school readiness of young children, particularly disadvantaged 
young children, and to prevent them from encountering difficulties once 
they enter school, by improving the knowledge and skills of early 
childhood educators who work in communities that have high 
concentrations of children living in poverty.
    Projects funded under the ECEPD program provide high-quality, 
sustained, and intensive professional development for these early 
childhood educators in how to provide developmentally appropriate 
school-readiness services for preschool-age children that are based on 
the best available research on early childhood pedagogy and on child 
development and learning. For these grants, the Department is 
increasing the emphasis on the quality of program evaluations.
    The specific activities for which recipients may use grant funds 
are identified in the application package.
    Priorities:
    This competition includes one absolute priority, and, within that 
priority, one competitive preference priority and three invitational 
priorities as follows.
    In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from 
section 2151(e)(5)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965, as amended (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 6651(e)(5)(A).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    High-Need Communities.
    The applicant partnership, if awarded a grant, shall use the grant 
funds to carry out activities that will improve the knowledge and 
skills of early childhood educators who are working in early childhood 
programs that are located in high-need communities.
    An eligible applicant must demonstrate in its application how it 
meets the statutory requirement in section 2151(e)(5)(A) of the ESEA by 
including relevant demographic and socioeconomic data about the high-
need community in which each program is located, as indicated in the 
application package. (See section 2151(e)(3)(B)(i) of the ESEA.)
    High-need community, as defined in section 2151(e)(9)(B) of the 
ESEA, means--
    (a) A political subdivision of a State, or a portion of a political 
subdivision of a State, in which at least 50 percent of the children 
are from low-income families; or
    (b) A political subdivision of a State that is among the 10 percent 
of political subdivisions of the State having the greatest numbers of 
such children.

    Note: The following additional terms used in or related to this 
absolute priority have statutory definitions that are included in 
the application package: Early childhood educator and low-income 
family.

    Competitive Preference Priority: Within this absolute priority, we 
give competitive preference to applications that address the following 
priority.
    This priority is from the notice of final priority for 
Scientifically Based Evaluation Methods, published in the Federal 
Register on January 25, 2005 (70 FR 3586), available at: http://

[[Page 7862]]

www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2005-1/012505a.html.
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 20 
points to an application, depending on how well the application meets 
this priority.
    When using the priority to give competitive preference to an 
application, the Secretary will review applications using a two-stage 
process. In the first stage, the application will be reviewed without 
taking the priority into account. In the second stage of review, the 
applications rated highest in stage one will be reviewed for 
competitive preference. We consider awarding additional (competitive 
preference) points only to those applicants with top-ranked scores on 
the selection criteria.
    This priority is:
    Scientifically Based Evaluation Methods.
    The Secretary establishes a priority for projects proposing an 
evaluation plan that is based on rigorous scientifically based research 
methods to assess the effectiveness of a particular intervention, as 
described in the following paragraphs. The Secretary intends that this 
priority will allow program participants and the Department to 
determine whether the project produces meaningful effects on student 
achievement or teacher performance.
    Evaluation methods using an experimental design are best for 
determining project effectiveness. Thus, when feasible, the project 
must use an experimental design under which participants (e.g., 
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools) are randomly assigned to 
participate in the project activities being evaluated or to a control 
group that does not participate in the project activities being 
evaluated.
    If random assignment is not feasible, the project may use a quasi-
experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. This 
alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned control 
group by matching participants (e.g., students, teachers, classrooms, 
or schools) with non-participants having similar pre-program 
characteristics.
    In cases where random assignment is not possible and participation 
in the intervention is determined by a specified cutting point on a 
quantified continuum of scores, regression discontinuity designs may be 
employed.
    For projects that are focused on special populations in which 
sufficient numbers of participants are not available to support random 
assignment or matched comparison group designs, single-subject designs 
such as multiple baseline or treatment-reversal or interrupted time 
series that are capable of demonstrating causal relationships can be 
employed.
    Proposed evaluation strategies that use neither experimental 
designs with random assignment nor quasi-experimental designs using a 
matched comparison group nor regression discontinuity designs will not 
be considered responsive to the priority when sufficient numbers of 
participants are available to support these designs. Evaluation 
strategies that involve too small a number of participants to support 
group designs must be capable of demonstrating the causal effects of an 
intervention or program on those participants.
    The proposed evaluation plan must describe how the project 
evaluator will collect--before the project intervention commences and 
after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the impact of 
participation in the program or in the comparison group.
    If the priority is used as a competitive preference priority, 
points awarded under this priority will be determined by the quality of 
the proposed evaluation method. In determining the quality of the 
evaluation method, we will consider the extent to which the applicant 
presents a feasible, credible plan that includes the following:
    (1) The type of design to be used (e.g., random assignment or 
matched comparison). If matched comparison, include in the plan a 
discussion of why random assignment is not feasible.
    (2) Outcomes to be measured.
    (3) A discussion of how the applicant plans to assign students, 
teachers, classrooms, or schools to the project and control group or 
match them for comparison with other students, teachers, classrooms, or 
schools.
    (4) A proposed evaluator, preferably independent, with the 
necessary background and technical expertise to carry out the proposed 
evaluation. An independent evaluator does not have any authority over 
the project and is not involved in its implementation.
    In general, depending on the implemented program or project, under 
a competitive preference priority, random assignment evaluation methods 
will receive more points than matched comparison evaluation methods.

Definitions

    As used in this notice--
    Scientifically based research (section 9101(37) of the ESEA as 
amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), 20 U.S.C. 
7801(37)):
    (A) Means research that involves the application of rigorous, 
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid 
knowledge relevant to education activities and programs; and
    (B) Includes research that--
    (i) Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation 
or experiment;
    (ii) Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the 
stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
    (iii) Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide 
reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across 
multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same 
or different investigators;
    (iv) Is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs 
in which individuals, entities, programs, or activities are assigned to 
different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the 
effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-
assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those 
designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls;
    (v) Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient 
detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the 
opportunity to build systematically on their findings; and
    (vi) Has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a 
panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, 
and scientific review.
    Random assignment or experimental design means random assignment of 
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to participate in a project 
being evaluated (treatment group) or not participate in the project 
(control group). The effect of the project is the difference in 
outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
    Quasi-experimental designs include several designs that attempt to 
approximate a random assignment design.
    Carefully matched comparison groups design means a quasi-
experimental design in which project participants are matched with non-
participants based on key characteristics that are thought to be 
related to the outcome.
    Regression discontinuity design means a quasi-experimental design 
that closely approximates an experimental design. In a regression 
discontinuity design, participants are assigned to a treatment or 
control group based on a numerical rating or score of a variable 
unrelated to the treatment such as the rating of an application for 
funding. Eligible students, teachers, classrooms, or schools above a 
certain score (``cut

[[Page 7863]]

score'') are assigned to the treatment group and those below the score 
are assigned to the control group. In the case of the scores of 
applicants' proposals for funding, the ``cut score'' is established at 
the point where the program funds available are exhausted.
    Single subject design means a design that relies on the comparison 
of treatment effects on a single subject or group of single subjects. 
There is little confidence that findings based on this design would be 
the same for other members of the population.
    Treatment reversal design means a single subject design in which a 
pre-treatment or baseline outcome measurement is compared with a post-
treatment measure. Treatment would then be stopped for a period of 
time, a second baseline measure of the outcome would be taken, followed 
by a second application of the treatment or a different treatment. For 
example, this design might be used to evaluate a behavior modification 
program for disabled students with behavior disorders.
    Multiple baseline design means a single subject design to address 
concerns about the effects of normal development, timing of the 
treatment, and amount of the treatment with treatment-reversal designs 
by using a varying time schedule for introduction of the treatment and/
or treatments of different lengths or intensity.
    Interrupted time series design means a quasi-experimental design in 
which the outcome of interest is measured multiple times before and 
after the treatment for program participants only.
    Invitational Priorities: Within the absolute priority, we are 
particularly interested in applications that address the following 
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:

Invitational Priority 1--English Language Acquisition Plan

    For applicants serving children with limited English proficiency, 
the Secretary is especially interested in applications that include a 
specific plan for the development of English language acquisition for 
these children from the start of their preschool experience. The ECEPD 
program is designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten with the 
necessary cognitive, early language, and literacy skills for success in 
school. School success often is dependent on each child entering 
kindergarten being as proficient as possible in English so that the 
child is ready to benefit from formal reading instruction in English 
when the child starts school.
    The English language acquisition plan should, at a minimum: (1) 
Include a description of the approach for the development of language, 
based on the linguistic factors or skills that serve as the foundation 
for a strong language base, which is a necessary precursor for success 
in the development of pre-literacy and literacy skills for children 
with limited English proficiency; (2) explain the acquisition 
strategies, based on best available valid and reliable research, that 
the applicant will use to address English language acquisition in a 
multi-lingual classroom; (3) describe how the project will facilitate 
the children's transition to English proficiency by means such as the 
use of print-rich instructional activities in appropriate multiple 
languages, and hiring bilingual teachers, paraprofessionals, or 
translators to work in the preschool classroom; (4) include intensive 
professional development for instructors and paraprofessionals on the 
development of English language proficiency; and (5) include a timeline 
that describes benchmarks for the introduction of the development of 
English language proficiency and the use of measurement tools.
    Ideally, at least one instructional staff member in each ECEPD 
classroom should be dual-language proficient both in a child's first 
language and in English to facilitate the child's understanding of 
instruction and transition to English proficiency. At a minimum, each 
classroom should include a teacher who is proficient in English.

Invitational Priority 2--Classroom Curricula and Teacher Professional 
Development

    The Secretary is especially interested in applications that focus 
the professional development provided through this project that will be 
provided for early childhood educators on specific curricula promoting 
young children's school readiness in the areas of language and 
cognitive development and early reading and numeracy skills that are 
being used in those educators' early childhood programs, and on the 
research base supporting that curricula. In addition to being based on 
scientifically based research, the curricula should have standardized 
training procedures and published curriculum materials to support 
implementation by the early childhood educators. The chosen curricula 
should include a scope and sequence of skills and content with concrete 
instructional goals that are designed to promote early language, 
reading, and numeracy skills.
    The need for rigorous preschool curricula is driven by the national 
focus on high-quality preschool experiences that prepare children for 
formal reading instruction in the elementary grades. The professional 
development in the ECEPD program provides opportunities for the program 
participants to achieve greater understanding of the implementation of 
scientifically based curricula that focus on early language, reading, 
and numeracy skills of young children. Grantees should focus on 
assisting the early childhood educators to implement fully the selected 
curricula and on measuring learning outcomes for the children taught by 
those educators.

Invitational Priority 3--Applications That Include One or More 
Privately Funded Preschools as Participating Sites

    Under the third invitational priority, the Secretary is especially 
interested in applications that include, as a participating site (or 
sites), one or more privately funded preschools, such as a preschool 
operated by a faith-based organization, located in a high-need 
community that serves concentrations of children from low-income 
families.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6651(e).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
    (b) The notice of final priority for Scientifically Based 
Evaluation Methods, published in the Federal Register on January 25, 
2005 (70 FR 3586).

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    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 
$14,549,000 for the ECEPD program for FY 2007, of which we anticipate 
$14,330,765 would be available for these grants. For FY 2007, 
approximately 1 percent of the ECEPD appropriation would be set aside 
to administer the grant award competition and 0.5 percent would be set 
aside for evaluation activities authorized under section 9601 
(Evaluations) of the ESEA as amended by NCLB, 20 U.S.C. 7941(a). The 
actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.

[[Page 7864]]

However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete 
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $2,400,000-$4,800,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $3,600,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3-6 awards.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: A partnership that has not previously 
received an ECEPD grant and that consists of at least one entity from 
each of the following categories:
    (i) One or more IHEs, or other public or private entities 
(including faith-based organizations), that provide professional 
development for early childhood educators who work with children from 
low-income families in high-need communities.
    (ii) One or more public agencies (including LEAs, SEAs, State human 
services agencies, and State and local agencies administering programs 
under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990), Head 
Start agencies, or private organizations (including faith-based 
organizations).
    (iii) If feasible, an entity with demonstrated experience in 
providing training to educators in early childhood education programs 
concerning identifying and preventing behavior problems or working with 
children identified as or suspected to be victims of abuse. This entity 
may be one of the partners described in paragraphs (i) and (ii) under 
Eligible Applicants.
    A partnership may apply for these funds only if one of the partners 
currently provides professional development for early childhood 
educators working in programs located in high-need communities with 
children from low-income families.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Each partnership that receives a grant 
under this program must provide (1) at least 50 percent of the total 
cost of the project for the entire grant period; and (2) at least 20 
percent of the project cost for each year. The project may provide 
these funds from any source, other than this program, including other 
Federal sources. The partnership may satisfy these cost-sharing 
requirements by providing contributions in cash or in-kind, fairly 
evaluated, including plant, equipment, and services. Only allowable 
costs may be counted as part of the grantee's share. For example, a 
grantee generally may not count toward its share the salary costs of 
teachers who are participating in the grant, except for (under certain 
circumstances) the portion of time that a teacher participates in 
direct professional development or administering assessments under the 
grant. In addition, any indirect costs over and above the allowable 
amount may not be counted toward a grantee's share. For additional 
information about indirect costs, see section IV.5. Funding 
Restrictions of this notice.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain an application via the Internet, use the 
following Internet address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/eceducator/index.html.
    To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following: 
Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. 
Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use 
a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll 
free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.349A.
    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 section VII. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT of this 
notice. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of the application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limits: You must include in Part I of the application an 
Abstract briefly describing your proposed project. You must limit the 
Abstract to one (1) page.
    The application narrative for this program (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 of the application to the equivalent of no more than 30 
typed pages. Part IV of the application is where you, the applicant, 
provide a budget narrative that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the budget narrative in Part IV of the 
application to the equivalent of no more than 5 typed pages. Part V of 
the application is where you, the applicant, include the Appendices 
described later in this section, including any response to the 
Competitive Preference Priority-Scientifically Based Evaluation 
Methods. You must limit any response to the Competitive Preference 
Priority to no more than 3 typed pages.
    For all page limits, use 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 and budget narratives, including titles, 
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. Text in 
tables, charts, or graphs, and the limited Appendices, may be single 
spaced.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). You may use other point fonts for 
any tables, charts, graphs, and the limited Appendices, but those 
tables, charts, graphs and limited Appendices should be in a font size 
that is easily readable by the reviewers of your application.
     Any tables, charts, or graphs are included in the overall 
narrative page limit. The limited Appendices, including the partnership 
agreement required as a group agreement under 34 CFR 75.128, and any 
Competitive Preference Priority response, are not part of the overall 
narrative page limits.
     Appendices are limited to the following: Absolute Priority 
Form (required); partnership agreement (required); any response to the 
Competitive Preference Priority; and any position descriptions (and 
resumes or curriculum vitae if available) of key personnel (including 
key contract personnel and consultants).
    Other application materials are limited to the specific materials 
indicated in the application package, and may not include any video or 
other non-print materials.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
     Exceed the page limits if you apply these standards; or
     Exceed the equivalent of the page limits if you apply 
other standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times.
    Applications Available: February 20, 2007.

[[Page 7865]]

    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 20, 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.
    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: June 19, 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: (a) Indirect Costs. For purposes of 
indirect cost charges, the Secretary considers all ECEPD program grants 
to be ``educational training grants'' within the meaning of section 
75.562(a) of EDGAR. Consistent with 34 CFR 75.562, the indirect cost 
rate for any recipient other than a State agency or agency of local 
government (such as an LEA or a federally recognized Indian tribal 
government) is limited to a maximum of eight percent, or the amount of 
the recipient's actual indirect costs permitted by its negotiated 
indirect cost rate agreement, whichever is less. This indirect cost 
limit applies to cost-type contracts only if those contracts are for 
educational training as defined in 34 CFR 75.562. Further information 
about indirect cost rates is in the application package for this 
competition.
    (b) Pre-award Costs. For FY 2007 the Secretary approves, under 
sections 75.263 and 74.25(e)(1) of Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations, pre-award costs incurred by recipients of 
ECEPD grants more than 90 calendar days before the grant award. 
Specifically, the Secretary approves necessary and reasonable pre-award 
costs incurred by grant recipients for up to 90 days before the 
application deadline date. These pre-award costs must be related to the 
needs assessment that applicants conduct under section 
2151(e)(3)(B)(iii) of the ESEA before submitting their applications to 
determine the most critical professional development needs of the early 
childhood educators to be served by the project and in the broader 
community.
    Applicants incur any pre-award costs at their own risk. The 
Secretary is under no obligation to reimburse these costs if for any 
reason the applicant does not receive an award or if the award is less 
than anticipated and inadequate to cover these costs.
    We reference additional 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 electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the ECEPD program, CFDA 84.349A 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 ECEPD 
program at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable 
application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include 
the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.349 
not 84.349A).
    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 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 at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the 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/section 910/
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

[[Page 7866]]

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 as 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.

    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: Rosemary V. Fennell, 
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3C122, 
Washington, DC 20202-6132. FAX: (202) 260-7764.
    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 84.349A, 
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 84.349A, 
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 84.349A, 550 12th Street,

[[Page 7867]]

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 
the 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

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from section 75.210 of EDGAR. The maximum score for all the 
selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion 
is indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors 
that the reviewers will consider in determining how well an application 
meets the criterion. The selection criteria are as follows:
    (a) Need for project (up to 10 points).
    (1) The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.
    (2) In determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the proposed project will focus on 
serving or otherwise addressing the needs of disadvantaged individuals.
    (b) Significance (up to 10 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance 
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (i) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely 
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in 
teaching and student achievement.
    (ii) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    (c) Quality of the project design (up to 20 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:
    (i) The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a 
coherent, sustained program of training in the field.
    (ii) The extent to which the design of the proposed project 
reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    (d) Quality of project services (up to 10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the services to be provided by 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and 
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for 
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or 
beneficiaries of those services.
    (ii) The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    (e) Quality of project personnel (up to 10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project. 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 been 
traditionally underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, 
gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary considers the 
following factors:
    (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and 
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (f) Quality of the management plan (up to 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:
    (i) 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.
    (ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project.
    (g) Quality of the project evaluation (up to 25 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:
    (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    (h) Adequacy of Resources (up to 5 points). The Secretary considers 
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project. In determining the 
adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    (i) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.
    (ii) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated 
commitment of appropriate entities to such support.
    2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider 
in selecting an application for an award is geographical distribution 
(section 2151(e)(4)(B) of the ESEA).

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 Notice 
(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

[[Page 7868]]

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: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: For FY 2007, grants under the ECEPD 
program will be governed by the achievement indicators that the 
Secretary published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2003 (68 FR 
15646). These achievement indicators are included in the application 
package.
    In addition, under the Government Performance and Results Act of 
1993 (GPRA), the Secretary has established the following measures for 
evaluating the overall effectiveness of the ECEPD program, which are 
coordinated with the program's achievement indicators and are included 
in the application package: (1) The ECEPD teacher's average score on 
the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO); and (2) 
the percentage of children who demonstrate improved readiness for 
school in the areas of early language (as measured by the Peabody 
Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT-III), Receptive) and early literacy 
(as measured by the PALS Pre-K, Upper Case Alphabet Knowledge subtask). 
The coordination of these achievement indicators and performance 
measures is designed to improve program management, and to help 
Congress, the Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and 
others review a program's progress toward its goals. All grantees must 
document participant outcomes on these performance measures in the 
annual performance report referenced in section VI. 3. of this notice. 
The applicant's evaluation design provided in response to the selection 
criterion for Quality of project evaluation in section V. 1. of this 
notice should include the use of these assessment tools, at a minimum.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosemary Fennell, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3C-122, Washington, DC 20202-
6132. Telephone: (202) 260-0792, 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: February 15, 2007.
Raymond Simon,
Deputy Secretary for Education.
[FR Doc. E7-2964 Filed 2-20-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P