[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 117 (Friday, June 18, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34716-34720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-14732]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; High School Graduation Initiative; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.360.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: June 18, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: July 7, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 28, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The High School Graduation Initiative (formerly 
known as the School Dropout Prevention (SDP) program) awards grants to 
local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs) 
to support the implementation of effective, sustainable, and 
coordinated dropout prevention and reentry programs in schools that 
serve students in grades 6 through 12 and that have event dropout rates 
that are above the State average event dropout rate or are middle 
schools that feed students into such schools.\1\
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    \1\ According to the National Center for Education Statistics 
(NCES), in the 2007-08 school year, the most recent school year for 
which data are available, the national event dropout rate for public 
high schools in the 49 reporting States and the District of Columbia 
was 4.1 percent. The rate ranged from 1.7 percent in Indiana and New 
Jersey to 7.5 percent in Louisiana. Twenty-six States had event 
dropout rates for public high schools of 4 percent or less; four 
States had event dropout rates for public high schools of 6 percent 
or more (Stillwell, R. (2010). Public School Graduates and Dropouts 
From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2007-08 (NCES 2010-341)).
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    Priorities: This notice includes two priorities. In accordance with 
34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), Priority 1 is from the allowable activities 
specified in the statute (see section 1825(1) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 
6561d(1))). Priority 2 is from the notice of final priorities, 
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the SDP program, 
published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2005 (70 FR 39499) (2005 
SDP program NFP).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2010 and any subsequent year in which 
we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet these priorities.
    These priorities are:

Absolute Priority 1: Effective Early Identification, Prevention, and 
Intervention Programs.

    This priority supports projects that propose to establish, enhance, 
or expand effective early intervention programs designed to identify 
at-risk students and prevent such students from dropping out of school 
and effective programs to identify and encourage youth who have already 
dropped out of school to reenter school and complete their secondary 
education (20 U.S.C. 6561d(1)).

Absolute Priority 2: Collaboration with Other Agencies

    Under this priority, an applicant must include in its application 
evidence that other public or private entities will be involved in, or 
provide financial support for, the implementation of the activities 
described in the application. Applicants may involve such State 
agencies as those responsible for administering postsecondary 
education, Title I of the Workforce Investment Act, Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program, foster care, juvenile justice, and others. 
Applicants also may collaborate with business and industry, civic 
organizations, foundations, and community- and faith-based 
organizations, among other private-sector entities.
    Acceptable evidence of collaboration is a memorandum of 
understanding or other document signed by the principal officer of each 
participating agency that identifies (1) how the agency will be 
involved in the implementation of the project or (2) the financial 
resources (cash or in-kind) that it will contribute to support the 
project, or both.
    Definitions. In addition to the definitions in the authorizing 
statute and 34 CFR 77.1, the following definitions also apply to this 
program. These definitions are from the 2005 SDP program NFP.
    High school dropout means an individual who--
    (a) Was enrolled in a district in grades nine through 12 at some 
time during the preceding school year;
    (b) Was not enrolled at the beginning of the current school year;
    (c) Has not graduated or completed a program of studies by the 
maximum age established by a State;
    (d) Has not transferred to another public school district, a 
nonpublic school, or a State-approved educational program; and
    (e) Has not left school because of death, illness, or a school-
approved absence.
    State event dropout rate means the dropout rate calculated by 
dividing the number of high school dropouts (as defined elsewhere in 
this notice) in the State by the total number of students enrolled in 
grades 9 through 12 in public schools in the State during the current 
school year. This calculation is based upon the annual school event 
dropout rate calculation of the National Center for Education 
Statistics' Common Core of Data.
    School event dropout rate means the dropout rate calculated by 
dividing the number of high school dropouts (as defined elsewhere in 
this notice) in a school by the total number of students enrolled in 
grades 9 through 12 in that school during the current school year.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6551 et seq. and the 2010 Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, Public Law 111-117.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final priorities, 
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the SDP program, 
published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2005 (70 FR 39499).

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $45,000,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2011 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $350,000-$3,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $900,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $3,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education may 
change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 50.


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


    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants:
    (a) SEAs to support activities in--
    (i) schools that--
    (A) serve students in grades 6 through 12; and

[[Page 34717]]

    (B) have annual school dropout rates that are above the State 
average annual school dropout rate; or
    (ii) middle schools that feed students into schools that serve 
students in grades 6 through 12 and have annual school dropout rates 
that are above the State average annual school dropout rate.
    (b) LEAS that operate--
    (i) schools that--
    (A) serve students in grades 6 through 12; and
    (B) have annual school dropout rates that are above the State 
average annual school dropout rate; or
    (ii) middle schools that feed students into schools serve students 
in grades 6 through 12 and that have annual school dropout rates that 
are above the State average annual school dropout rate.


    Note: Applicants must identify the specific schools that will 
receive project services and provide evidence that, using the most 
recent available data, those schools serve students in grades 6 
through 12, and have annual school dropout rates that are above the 
State average annual school dropout rate or are middle schools that 
feed students into schools that serve students in grades 6 through 
12 and that have annual school dropout rates that are above the 
State average annual school dropout rate.


    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements (See section 1823(b)(1)(F) of the ESEA 
(20 U.S.C. 6561b(b)(1)(F)). This restriction also has the effect of 
allowing projects to recover indirect costs only on the basis of a 
restricted indirect cost rate, according to the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.563 and 34 CFR 76.564 through 76.569.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Theda Zawaiza, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E122, 
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 205-3783 or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible 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 program.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: July 7, 2010.
    We will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing 
grant applications if we have a better understanding of the number of 
entities that intend to apply for funding. Therefore, we strongly 
encourage each potential applicant to send a notification of its intent 
to apply for funding to [email protected] by July 7, 2010. The notification 
of intent to apply for funding is optional. Applicants that do not 
supply this e-mail notification may still apply for funding.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative to no more than 
50 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).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit does 
apply to all of the application narrative section. We further encourage 
applicants to limit resumes to no more than three pages and all other 
attachments or appendices to no more than 20 pages.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application narrative 
that exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: June 18, 2010.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: July 7, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 28, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV.7. Other Submission 
Requirements of 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 in section VII 
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the 
Department of Education, (1) you must have a Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); (2) 
you must register both of those numbers with the Central Contractor 
Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant database; and (3) 
you must provide those same numbers on your application.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one business day.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to 
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not 
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN 
associated with your DUNS

[[Page 34718]]

number is correct. Also note that you will need to update your CCR 
registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business 
days to complete.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program 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 High School Graduation 
Initiative--CFDA Number 84.360 must be submitted electronically using 
e-Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site 
at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    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.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this 
program after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait 
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you 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: the 
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. 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.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number 
(an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application 
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by 
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between 
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date; or
    (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due 
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application 
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users 
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this 
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
    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 e-Application because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
e-Application; 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 
prevents 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: Theda Zawaiza, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room E3122, 
Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 205-4921.
    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.

[[Page 34719]]

    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 following address:

U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.360), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.

    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 84.360), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 grant 
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

    Selection Criteria: The following selection criteria will be used 
to evaluate applications for new grants under this program. The 
selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210, and, 
where otherwise noted, the 2005 SDP program NFP, and sections 1823 and 
1825 of the ESEA.

    Note: The maximum score for a grant application under this 
program is 100 points. The maximum points assigned to each criterion 
and sub-criterion are indicated in parentheses.

    (a) Need for the Project. In determining the need for the proposed 
project, we will consider the extent to which the proposed project will 
target secondary schools serving students in grades 6 through 12 that 
have the highest annual school dropout rates or the middle schools that 
feed students into those secondary schools (20 U.S.C 
6561b(b)(1)(A)(ii)) (10 points).
    (b) Quality of Project Services.
    (1) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by 
the proposed project, we will consider 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 (5 points).
    (2) In addition, we will consider the following:
    (A) The likely effectiveness, based on research, data, and the 
needs of the target population, to implement the proposed project, of--
    (i) The early intervention programs that the proposed project will 
implement to identify at-risk students, based on data (20 U.S.C. 
6561d(1)(A)); and
    (ii) The dropout prevention programs that the proposed project will 
carry out (20 U.S.C. 6561a(a)(1)(B)) (15 points);
    (B) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to be 
effective, based on research, data, and the needs of the target 
population, in identifying and assisting youth who have already dropped 
out of school to reenter school and complete their secondary education 
(20 U.S.C. 6561d(1)(C)) (25 points);
    (C) 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 (5 points);
    (D) The extent to which the activities to be assisted conform with 
research knowledge about school dropout prevention and reentry (20 
U.S.C. 6561b(b)(1)(G)) (10 points); and
    (E) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project involve the collaboration and commitment of appropriate 
partners for maximizing the effectiveness of project services (7 
points).
    c. Quality of the Management Plan. In determining the quality of 
the management plan for the proposed project, we will consider the 
following:
    (1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including the extent 
to which the plan clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of 
each agency and its key personnel and establishes detailed timelines 
and milestones for accomplishing each of the project tasks (2005 SDP 
program NFP) (15 points); and
    (2) 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 
(3 points).
    d. Quality of Assessment of Project Effectiveness. In determining 
the quality of the applicant's plan to assess the project's 
effectiveness, we consider the extent to which the methods proposed by 
the applicant are sufficiently rigorous to determine the effectiveness 
of the project (20 U.S.C. 6561b(b)(1)(A)(iii)) (5 points).

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    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.

[[Page 34720]]

    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. Grant Administration: Projects funded under this competition are 
encouraged to budget for a two-day meeting for project directors to be 
held annually in Washington, DC.
    4. 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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    5. Performance Measures: The Department has established the 
following Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) 
performance measures for this program:
    (1) For each high school served by the project, the school's 
graduation rate, as defined in the State's approved accountability plan 
for Part A of Title I of the ESEA, as well as the graduation rates for 
the following subgroups:
    (A) Major racial and ethnic groups;
    (B) Students with disabilities;
    (C) Students with limited English proficiency; and
    (D) Economically disadvantaged students.

    Note: The Department will identify each school's graduation 
rate, as well as the graduation rates for the subgroups identified 
in this section, using the data that are now reported to the 
Department by SEAs using the EDEN Submission System (ESS). Grantees 
will not be required to provide these data.

    (2) The number and percentage of students enrolled in grades 9 
through 12 in schools or programs served by the project who, during the 
most recent school year, earned one quarter of the credits necessary to 
graduate from high school with a regular diploma.
    (3)(A) The number and percentage of students served by the project 
who had not attended school for 60 or more instructional days 
immediately prior to their participation in the project; and
    (B) The average daily attendance of such students while 
participating in the project.
    (4)(A) The number and percentage of students served by the project 
during the most recent school year who were two or more years behind 
their expected age and credit accumulation in high school; and
    (B) The number and percentage of such students who earned one half 
or more of the credits they need to graduate with a regular diploma.
    (5) For each school served by the project that includes an eighth 
grade--
    (A) The average daily attendance of such school; and
    (B) The number and percentage of students enrolled in the eighth 
grade who enrolled in ninth grade at the start of the next school year.
    These measures constitute the Department's indicators of success 
for this program. Consequently, we advise an applicant for a grant 
under this program to give careful consideration to these measures in 
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation for its proposed project. 
Each grantee will be required to provide, in its annual performance and 
final reports, data about its progress in meeting these measures.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Theda Zawaiza, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E122, Washington, DC 20202. 
Telephone: (202) 205-3783 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to either program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can 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.

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    Dated: June 15, 2010.
Thelma Mel[eacute]ndez de Santa Ana,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-14732 Filed 6-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P