[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12819-12823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5165]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Upward Bound Program; Reopening the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 
Competition for Certain Applicants To Submit Amended Applications; 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 84.047A

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education is reopening the Upward Bound (UB) 
program FY 2012 competition and accepting amended applications for new 
awards for the UB program FY 2012 competition from a limited number of 
applicants that may have been affected by incorrect information 
provided by the Department regarding Competitive Preference Priority 
1--Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: March 2, 2012.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 16, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Waters, Upward Bound Program, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 7000, Washington, DC 
20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7586, or by email: [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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 19, 2011, we published a notice 
in the Federal Register (76 FR 78621) inviting applications for new 
awards for FY 2012 for the UB Program (NIA). On January 25, 2012, we 
published a second notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 3751) 
extending the deadline date for the transmittal of applications to 
February 1, 2012, and extending the deadline date for Intergovernmental 
Review to April 2, 2012.
    Shortly before the revised application deadline date, it came to 
the Department's attention that some informational materials made 
available on a Department Web site contained an error that may have led 
some applicants to incorrectly respond to one of the competitive 
preference priorities. Following a review of the nature and extent of 
the error and concerns about its potential effects on applicants' 
scores, the Department is reopening the competition for two weeks to 
provide time for applicants that submitted timely applications under 
the February 1, 2012, deadline and that may have been affected by this 
error to submit amended applications.
    This opportunity will be limited to a specific subset of applicants 
that meet certain demonstrated criteria. The Department will compare 
amended applications submitted in accordance with this notice with the 
original submissions to ensure the applicant satisfies the criteria for 
a resubmission. The Department will not accept any amended application 
that fails to meet the criteria set forth in this notice.

[[Page 12820]]

    In the NIA, the Department announced three competitive preference 
priorities to which potential applicants could respond. This notice 
reopens the competition for applicants that addressed Competitive 
Preference Priority 1--Turning Around Persistently Lowest-Achieving 
Schools. The priority provided additional points for applicants 
proposing to serve persistently lowest-achieving schools. This priority 
was from the notice of final supplemental priorities and definitions 
for discretionary grant programs, published in the Federal Register on 
December 15, 2010 (75 FR 78486), and corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 
27637) and includes a regulatory definition for the term ``persistently 
lowest-achieving schools.''
    A frequently asked questions document (FAQ) posted on the 
Department's Web site provided a link to the Department's Web page for 
the School Improvement Grants program where applicants could go to 
obtain a list of persistently lowest-achieving schools. This list, 
however, was outdated, and the FAQ incorrectly stated that schools 
listed as ``Tier III'' on the list would be considered persistently 
lowest-achieving schools.
    So that applicants that submitted an application on or before the 
February 1, 2012, application deadline date and addressed Competitive 
Preference Priority 1 are not disadvantaged by the Department's error, 
we are reopening the application period for this group of applicants.
    To assist these applicants in correctly responding to Competitive 
Preference Priority 1, we are publishing a revised and up-to-date list 
of those schools that the Department considers persistently lowest-
achieving schools for purposes of this Competitive Preference Priority. 
This list does not include Tier III schools, which are not persistently 
lowest-achieving schools. Only schools identified on this list as Tier 
I or Tier II schools are considered by the Department to be 
persistently lowest-achieving schools for the purposes of scoring 
responses to Competitive Preference Priority 1. This list can be found 
at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.html.
    Applicants that successfully submitted an application on or before 
the February 1, 2012, application deadline date and addressed 
Competitive Preference Priority 1 will have until March 16, 2012 to 
submit an amended application. However, because the Department is 
offering this opportunity solely to correct a specific error, we will 
only accept applications from applicants that meet the following 
criteria. An applicant must:
     Have submitted a timely application on or before the 
application deadline date of February 1, 2012.
     Have addressed Competitive Preference Priority 1--Turning 
Around Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools in that application.
     Submit an amended application that, as compared to its 
original application, proposes to serve a different set of target 
schools or a different distribution of students within the target 
schools identified in its original application.
    Because the Department is reopening the competition to a limited 
number of applicants who may have been disadvantaged by the 
Department's error in responding to Competitive Preference Priority 1, 
applicants that submit an amended application should limit their 
amendments to making changes that are needed as a result of adjusting 
the schools they are proposing to serve or the distribution of the 
students they are proposing to serve within their target schools. 
Applicants should not make changes to their applications that are not 
related to adjusting their target schools or their distribution of 
students within target schools in response to the information provided 
in this notice on how to correctly respond to Competitive Preference 
Priority 1.
    In addition, we note that there is no requirement that an applicant 
that addressed Competitive Preference Priority 1 amend its application. 
If an applicant chooses not to amend its application, or does not meet 
the third criterion for submitting an amended application, the 
application it originally submitted will be reviewed and scored.
    We are not reopening the application period for any other 
applicants. Thus, applications that were not timely submitted may not 
be submitted as part of this reopening. In addition, applications that 
were timely submitted but did not address Competitive Preference 
Priority 1 are not affected by this error and may not be amended.
    All information in the December 19, 2011, notice, as amended by the 
January 25, 2012, notice, remains the same for any amendments to 
applications that are submitted in response to this reopening notice, 
except for the updates to the DATES section, the specific criteria 
provided in this notice, and the following instructions for submitting 
amended applications.
    1. Address to Request the Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet by downloading the package from 
the program Web site at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/trioupbound/index.html.
    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 original 
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.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an amended application, together with the 
forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
amended application. You must limit the amended application narrative 
(Part III) to no more than 60 pages. However, any amended application 
addressing the competitive preference priorities may include up to four 
additional pages for each priority addressed (a total of 12 pages if 
all three priorities are addressed) in a separate section of the 
amended application submission to discuss how the amended application 
meets the competitive preference priority or priorities. These 
additional pages cannot be used for or transferred to the project 
narrative. Partial pages will count as a full page toward the page 
limit. For purpose of determining compliance with the page limit, each 
page on which there are words will be counted as one full page. 
Applicants must 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 amended application narrative, except 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.
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An amended application submitted in any other 
font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limits do not apply to Part I, the Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424); Part II, the budget information summary form (ED 
Form 524); the assurances and certifications; the UB Program Profile; 
or the one-page Project Abstract narrative. If you include any

[[Page 12821]]

attachments or appendices, these items will be counted as part of Part 
III, the amended application narrative, for purposes of the page-limit 
requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection 
criteria, which also includes the budget narrative, in Part III, the 
amended application narrative.
    We will reject your amended application if you exceed the page 
limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 2, 2012.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Amended Applications: March 16, 2012.
    Amended applications for grants under this program must be 
submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). 
For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
amended 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 the Other Submission Requirements section 
of this notice.
    We do not consider an amended 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 the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section 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 amended application is under review by the Department and, 
if you are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    5. Other Submission Requirements: Amended 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 Amended Applications.
    Amended applications for grants under the Upward Bound Grant 
Competition, CFDA number 84.047A, must be submitted electronically 
using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. 
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the original 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your amended application. You may not email an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your amended 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 one week before the amended 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 one week before the amended application deadline date is 
provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission 
Requirement.
    You may access the original electronic grant application for the 
Upward Bound Grant competition at 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 84.047, not 84.047A).
    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 amended 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 amended application 
deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not 
accept your amended 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 amended application deadline date. We do not consider 
an amended application that does not comply with the deadline 
requirements. When we retrieve your amended application from 
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your amended 
application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the amended 
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 amended 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 amended 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 amended 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 amended 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 amended application as files in a .PDF (Portable 
Document) read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an 
interactive or fillable .PDF file. If you upload a file type other than 
a read-only, non-modifiable .PDF or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic amended application must comply with any 
page-limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your amended 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 amended application from 
Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by email. This second 
notification indicates that the Department has received your amended

[[Page 12822]]

application and has assigned your amended application a PR/Award number 
(an ED-specified identifying number unique to your amended 
application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Amended Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical 
Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems 
submitting your amended 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 amended 
application on the amended 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 amended application 
electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your amended 
application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere 
in this notice.
    If you submit an amended application after 4:30:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the amended application deadline date, please 
contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
section 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 amended 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 
amended application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
amended application deadline date. The Department will contact you 
after a determination is made on whether your amended 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 
amended application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an 
amended 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 one week before the amended application 
deadline date (seven calendar days or, if the seventh calendar day 
before the amended 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 amended application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than one week before the revised 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 
amended application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Ken Waters, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K St. NW., Room 7000, Washington, DC 
20006-8510. FAX: (202) 502-7857.
    Your paper revised application must be submitted in accordance with 
the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Amended 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 amended application to the Department. You 
must mail the original and two copies of your amended application, on 
or before the amended application deadline date, to the Department at 
the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application 
Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.047A), 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 amended 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 amended application is postmarked after the amended 
application deadline date, we will not consider your amended 
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 Amended Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper amended 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your amended application by hand, on or before the 
amended application deadline date, to the Department at the following 
address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.047A), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7041, 
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 
a.m. and 4:30:00 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 amended 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 
amended application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant amended application. If you do not receive 
this notification within 15 business days from the amended application 
deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 20 U.S.C. 1070a-13.
    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.
    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

[[Page 12823]]

and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal 
Digital System at: 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: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: February 28, 2012.
Eduardo M. Ochoa,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2012-5165 Filed 3-1-12; 8:45 am]
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