[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58252-58255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24151]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Statewide, Longitudinal Data Systems 
Program

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Overview Information: Statewide, Longitudinal Data Systems Program. 
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2012.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.372A.

DATES: Request for Applications (RFA) Available: September 15, 2011.
    Application Package Available: September 26, 2011.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 15, 2011.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Statewide, Longitudinal Data Systems 
program awards grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to design, 
develop, and implement statewide, longitudinal data systems to 
efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use 
individual student data. The Department's long-term goal in operating 
the program is to help all States create comprehensive P-20W (early 
learning through workforce) systems that foster the generation and use 
of accurate and timely data, support analysis and informed decision-
making at all levels of the education system, increase the efficiency 
with which data may be analyzed to support the continuous improvement 
of education services and outcomes, facilitate research to improve 
student academic achievement and close achievement gaps, support 
education accountability systems, and simplify the processes used by 
SEAs to make education data transparent through Federal and public 
reporting.

Priorities

    SEAs may apply for grants under one of three priorities:
    (1) To design, develop, and implement statewide, longitudinal 
kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) data systems;
    (2) To develop and link early childhood data to the State's K-12 
data system; or
    (3) To develop and link postsecondary and/or workforce data to the 
State's K-12 data system.
    Grants will not be made available to support ongoing maintenance of 
data systems.
    An SEA may submit only one application under this competition.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9607.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 
85, 97, 98, and 99. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are 
applicable, except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 
75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 
75.211, 75.217(a)-(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$100,000,000 for this program in FY 2012. Although Congress has not 
enacted a final appropriation for FY 2012, the Institute of Education 
Sciences (Institute or IES) is inviting applications for this 
competition now so that it may be prepared to make awards following 
final action on the Department's appropriations bill. The actual award 
of grants will depend on the availability of funds.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for the 
entire project period.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding the following amounts for a project period of 36 
months:
    For grants to design, develop, and implement a K-12 statewide, 
longitudinal data system (Priority 1), $5,000,000.
    For grants to develop and link early childhood data to the State's 
K-12 data system (Priority 2) or to develop and link postsecondary and/
or workforce data to the State's K-12 data system (Priority 3), 
$4,000,000.
    The Director of the Institute may change the maximum amount through 
a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards made under this 
competition will depend upon the quality of the applications received 
and the level of funding available.

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

    Project Period: Three years.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are limited to SEAs. An 
SEA is the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of 
elementary schools and secondary schools. See 20 U.S.C. 9601 (which 
incorporates by reference the definition of SEA set out in section 9101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 7801). The SEAs of the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands are eligible.
    SEAs that received SLDS grants in June 2010 from funds appropriated 
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) will 
not be considered for 2012 SLDS grants under this competition. Their 
ARRA SLDS grants, awarded in FY 2010, will still be underway when the 
2012 grants are awarded.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require 
cost sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: A supplement-not-supplant requirement 
applies to this program. Funds made available under this grant program 
are to supplement, and not supplant, other State or local funds used 
for developing

[[Page 58253]]

or improving State data systems. The grants are expected to assist SEAs 
in their efforts to design, develop, and implement statewide, 
longitudinal data systems, but not to supplant State and local funds. 
That is, the Institute expects grant funding to augment existing State 
and local funds devoted to this effort.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. RFA and Other Information: Information regarding program and 
application requirements for this competition will be contained in the 
IES RFA package, which will be available on September 15, 2011, at the 
following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/.
    2. Application Package: The application package with forms and 
instructions for applying to this competition will be available no 
later than September 26, 2011, at http://www.Grants.gov (see section 
IV. 5. Other Submission Requirements of this notice).
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Request for Applications (RFA) Available: September 15, 2011.
    Application Package Available: September 26, 2011.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 15, 2011.
    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 in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 5. 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. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must--
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the Central 
Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant 
database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active CCR registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    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 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.
    In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, 
you must (1) Be designated by your organization as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with 
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the 
following Grants.gov Web page: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.
    5. 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 Statewide, Longitudinal Data 
Systems competition, CFDA Number 84.372A, must be submitted 
electronically using the 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 Statewide, 
Longitudinal Data Systems competition at http://www.Grants.gov. You 
must search for the downloadable application package for this 
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha 
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.372, not 84.372A).
    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 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your 
application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does 
not comply with the deadline requirements. 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 4:30:00 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.

[[Page 58254]]

     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 under News and Events on the Department's G5 
system home page at http://www.G5.gov.
     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 upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a .PDF (Portable Document) 
format only. If you upload a file type other than a .PDF 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, toll free, 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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this 
notice 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 4:30:00 
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: Ellie McCutcheon, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 600e, 
Washington, DC 20208-5530. FAX: (202) 219-1466.
    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 following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number: 
84.372A), 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

[[Page 58255]]

address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Number: 84.372A), 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--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

    1. Selection Criteria: Information regarding selection criteria and 
review procedures for this competition will be provided in the RFA 
package.
    2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants 
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, 
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past 
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as 
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and 
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider 
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or 
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary 
may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is 
not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; 
has a financial or other management system that does not meet the 
standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled 
the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

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.
    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: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply 
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) 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.
    4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of this 
program, the Institute will determine at the end of each grant whether 
the SEA has in operation a statewide, longitudinal data system that 
meets the conditions of the grant. Grantees will be expected to report 
in annual and final reports on the status of their development and 
implementation of these systems.
    5. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for a two-day 
meeting for project directors to be held in Washington, DC.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tate Gould, U.S. Department of 
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, 
NW., room 9023, Washington, DC 20006-5651. Telephone: (202) 219-7080 or 
by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service, 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 compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: September 15, 2011.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2011-24151 Filed 9-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P