[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 104 (Friday, May 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31099-31103]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12581]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; National Resource Centers Program 
for Foreign Language and Area Studies or Foreign Language and 
International Studies Program and Foreign Language and Area Studies 
Fellowships Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

    National Resource Centers (NRC) Program for Foreign Language and 
Area Studies or Foreign Language and International Studies Program and 
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) Program.
    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.015A and 
84.015B.

    Note: This notice invites applications for two separate 
competitions. For funding and other key information for the two 
competitions, see the Award Information section of this notice.


Dates: Applications Available: May 30, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 30, 2014.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 28, 2014.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Programs: The NRC Program provides grants to 
institutions of higher education and consortia of such institutions to 
establish, strengthen, and operate comprehensive and undergraduate 
foreign language and area or international studies centers to serve as 
national resources for (a) teaching of any modern foreign language; (b) 
instruction in fields needed to provide full understanding of areas, 
regions, or countries in which the modern foreign language is commonly 
used; (c) research and training in international studies and 
international and foreign language aspects of professional and other 
fields of study; and (d) instruction and research on issues in world 
affairs that concern one or more countries.
    The FLAS Program allocates academic year and summer fellowships to 
institutions of higher education and consortia of institutions of 
higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate and graduate 
students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related 
area or international studies.
    Priorities: This notice contains one absolute priority, two 
competitive preference priorities, and one invitational priority for 
NRC Program applicants. The NRC absolute priority is from 34 CFR 
656.23(a)(4). The NRC Competitive Preference Priorities 1 and 2 are 
from the notice of final priorities for the NRC program published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    This notice also contains two competitive preference priorities and 
one invitational priority for FLAS Program applicants. The FLAS 
Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from the notice of final 
priorities for the FLAS Program published elsewhere in this issue of 
the Federal Register. The FLAS Competitive Preference Priority 2 is 
from 34 CFR 657.22(a)(2).
    NRC Program Priorities:
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2014, this priority is an absolute 
priority for the NRC Program. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider 
only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Applications that provide for teacher training activities on the 
language, languages, area studies, or thematic focus of the center.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2014, these priorities 
are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we 
award up to an additional five points to an application, depending on 
how well the application meets NRC Competitive Preference Priority 1, 
and up to an additional five points to an application, depending on how 
well the application meets NRC Competitive Preference Priority 2. An 
applicant may receive a maximum of 10 points for its response to these 
competitive preference priorities.
    These priorities are:
    NRC Competitive Preference Priority 1 (0-5 points): Applications 
that propose significant and sustained collaborative activities with 
one or more Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) (as defined in this 
notice) or with one or more community colleges (as defined in this 
notice).
    These activities must be designed to incorporate international, 
intercultural, or global dimensions into the

[[Page 31100]]

curriculum at the MSI(s) or community college(s), and to improve 
foreign language, area, and international studies or international 
business instruction at the MSI(s) or community college(s). If an 
applicant institution is an MSI or a community college (as defined in 
this notice), that institution may propose intra-campus collaborative 
activities instead of, or in addition to, collaborative activities with 
other MSIs or community colleges.
    For the purpose of this priority:
    Community college means an institution that meets the definition in 
section 312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) 
(20 U.S.C. 1058(f)); or an institution of higher education (as defined 
in section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that awards degrees and 
certificates, more than 50 percent of which are not bachelor's degrees 
(or an equivalent) or master's, professional, or other advanced 
degrees.
    Minority-Serving Institution means an institution that is eligible 
to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of Title 
III, under part B of Title III, or under Title V of the HEA.
    You may view lists of Title III and Title V eligible institutions 
at the following links:

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/t3t5-eligibles-2014.pdf
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iduesaitcc/tribal-newgrantees2013.pdf
http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduesaitcc/tribal-f-nccgrantees2013.pdf.

    Note: The eligibility status is still current for institutions 
listed at the links above. You may also view the list of 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities at 34 CFR 608.2.

    NRC Competitive Preference Priority 2 (0-5 points): Applications 
that propose collaborative activities with units such as schools or 
colleges of education, schools of liberal arts and sciences, post-
baccalaureate teacher education programs, and teacher preparation 
programs on or off the national resource center campus.
    These collaborative activities are designed to support the 
integration of an international, intercultural, or global dimension and 
world languages into teacher education and/or to promote the 
preparation and credentialing of more foreign language teachers in less 
commonly taught languages (LCTLs) for which there is a demand for 
additional teachers to meet existing and expected future kindergarten 
through grade 12 language program needs.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2014, this priority is an 
invitational priority for the NRC Program. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), 
we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a 
competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Programs or projects that develop, maintain, or enhance linkages 
with overseas institutions of higher education or other educational 
organizations, especially by centers that focus on sub-Saharan Africa, 
South Asia, and Southeast Asia, in order to improve understanding of 
these societies and provide for greater engagement with institutions in 
these areas.
    FLAS Program Priorities:
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2014, these priorities 
are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we 
award an additional five points to an application that meets FLAS 
Competitive Preference Priority 1, and an additional five points to an 
application that meets FLAS Competitive Preference Priority 2. An 
applicant may receive a maximum of 10 points for its response to these 
competitive preference priorities.
    These priorities are:
    FLAS Competitive Preference Priority 1: Applications that propose 
to give preference when awarding fellowships to undergraduate students, 
graduate students, or both, to students who demonstrate financial need 
as indicated by the students' expected family contribution, as 
determined under part F of title IV of the HEA. This need determination 
will be based on the students' financial circumstances and not on other 
aid. The applicant must describe how it will ensure that all fellows 
who receive such preference show potential for high academic 
achievement based on such indices as grade point average, class 
ranking, or similar measures that the institution may determine. For 
grants awarded with fiscal year 2014 funds, the preference applies to 
fellowships awarded for study during academic years 2015-16, 2016-17, 
and 2017-18.
    FLAS Competitive Preference Priority 2: Applications that propose 
to make 25 percent or more of academic year FLAS fellowships in any of 
the 78 priority languages selected from the U.S. Department of 
Education's list of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs).
    The list includes the following: Akan (Twi-Fante), Albanian, 
Amharic, Arabic (all dialects), Armenian, Azeri (Azerbaijani), Balochi, 
Bamanakan (Bamana, Bambara, Mandikan, Mandigo, Maninka, Dyula), 
Belarusian, Bengali (Bangla), Berber (all languages), Bosnian, 
Bulgarian, Burmese, Cebuano (Visayan), Chechen, Chinese (Cantonese), 
Chinese (Gan), Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Min), Chinese (Wu), 
Croatian, Dari, Dinka, Georgian, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew (Modern), 
Hindi, Igbo, Indonesian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kashmiri, Kazakh, 
Khmer (Cambodian), Kirghiz, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kurdish 
(Sorani), Lao, Malay (Bahasa Melayu or Malaysian), Malayalam, Marathi, 
Mongolian, Nepali, Oromo, Panjabi, Pashto, Persian (Farsi), Polish, 
Portuguese (all varieties), Quechua, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, 
Sinhala (Sinhalese), Somali, Swahili, Tagalog, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, 
Thai, Tibetan, Tigrigna, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukranian, Urdu, Uyghur/
Uigur, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba, and Zulu.
    Invitational Priority: For FY 2014, this priority is an 
invitational priority for the FLAS Program. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), 
we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority a 
competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
    This priority is:
    Applications that propose to award academic year fellowships in any 
of the priority languages used in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and 
Southeast Asia.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1122.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 
84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department debarment and 
suspension regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations in 34 
CFR part 655. (d) The regulations for the NRC Program in 34 CFR part 
656. (e) The regulations for the FLAS Program in 34 CFR part 657.


    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 institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) only.

    Area of National Need: In accordance with section 601(c) of the HEA 
(20 U.S.C. 1121(c)), the Secretary has consulted with and received 
recommendations regarding national need for expertise in foreign 
language and world regions from the head officials of a wide range of 
Federal agencies. The Secretary has taken these recommendations into 
account and a list of foreign languages and world regions identified by 
the Secretary as areas of national need may be found on the following 
Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/iegps/consultation-2014.pdf.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

[[Page 31101]]

    Estimated Available Funds:
    NRC Program: $22,743,107.
    FLAS Program: $30,398,500.
    The estimated funds to be allocated to each world area are as 
follows:
    NRC Program: Africa ($2,370,671); Canada ($385,178); East Asia 
($3,574,282); International ($1,730,010); Latin America ($3,300,340); 
Middle East ($3,302,898); Russia/Eastern Europe/Eurasia ($2,612,477); 
South Asia ($2,130,312); Southeast Asia ($1,607,434); Western Europe 
($1,729,505).
    FLAS Program: Africa ($3,310,140); Canada ($272,190); East Asia 
($4,693,950); International ($1,652,490); Latin America ($4,156,300); 
Middle East ($4,504,393); Russia/Eastern Europe/Eurasia ($4,712,370); 
South Asia ($2,978,075); Southeast Asia ($2,270,452); Western Europe 
($1,848,140).
    Estimated Range of Awards:
    NRC Program: $115,000 to $285,000 per year.
    FLAS Program: $150,000 to $350,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards:
    NRC Program: $200,000 per year.
    FLAS Program: $250,000 per year.
    Estimated FLAS Program Subsistence Allowance: The academic year 
2014-2015 subsistence allowance for a graduate student fellowship is 
$15,000; the academic year subsistence allowance for an undergraduate 
student fellowship is $5,000. The summer 2015 subsistence allowance is 
$2,500 for graduate and undergraduate student fellowships.
    Estimated FLAS Program Institutional Payment: The academic year 
2014-2015 institutional payment for a graduate student fellowship is 
$18,000; the academic year 2014-2015 institutional payment for an 
undergraduate student fellowship is $10,000. The summer 2015 
institutional payment is $5,000 for graduate and undergraduate student 
fellowships.
    Estimated Number of Awards:
    NRC Program: 105.
    FLAS Program: 108.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education or 
consortia of institutions of higher education.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: These programs do not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Monet Peterson-Cox, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 6089, Washington, DC 
20006. Telephone: (202) 502-7726 or by email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of an application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) 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 these programs. 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 narrative to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages 
for a single institution application or the equivalent of no more than 
60 pages for a consortium application, 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, except titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, captions, and all text in charts, 
tables, figures and graphs. These items may be single-spaced. Charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs in the application narrative count toward 
the page limit.
     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. Applications submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to the Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424); the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information form (SF 424); Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs (ED524); the assurances and certifications; the one-page 
project abstract; the acronym guide, project budget line item detail 
pages, or performance measure forms (PMFs); or the project personnel 
biographical profiles or course list.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: May 30, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 30, 2014.
    Applications for grants under these competitions must be submitted 
in paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including 
dates and times) about how to submit your application by mail or hand 
delivery, please refer to section IV. 7. 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 
one of the persons 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. Deadline for 
Intergovernmental Review: August 28, 2014.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: These programs are 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 packages for these 
competitions.
    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 System for Award Management: 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 System for Award 
Management (SAM) (formerly 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 SAM 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

[[Page 31102]]

can be created within one to two business days.
    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 SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by 
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal 
financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, 
please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number 
and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note:  Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to 
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in 
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through 
Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, 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 registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
these competitions must be submitted in paper format by mail or hand 
delivery.
    a. Submission of Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application by mail (through the U.S. Postal 
Service or a commercial carrier), 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 Numbers 84.015A and 84.015B)
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.

    b. Submission of Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application by hand delivery, you (or a courier 
service) 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 Numbers 84.015A and 84.015B)
550 12th Street SW.,
Room 7039, 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 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. General: Applications are divided into categories based on their 
focus on a single country or on a world area, such as Africa, East 
Asia, or the Middle East, or on international studies. For FY 2014, all 
NRC and FLAS applications will be assigned to a geographic or 
international studies review panel, based on the designation that the 
applicant has specified on the form (page 25) in its application. The 
peer reviewers are selected on the basis of their area studies, 
international studies, and modern foreign language expertise. For the 
competitions, each distinct geographic or international studies reader 
panel will separately review, score, and rank its assigned NRC and FLAS 
grant applications. For the NRC Program and for the FLAS Program, the 
Department will select applications for funding consideration from each 
distinct reader panel based on their ranking from highest to lowest 
within that panel.
    2. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for the NRC Program 
are in 34 CFR 656.21 and 656.22 and are listed in the application 
package. The selection criteria for the FLAS Program are in 34 CFR 
657.21 and are listed in the application package.
    3. 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).
    4. 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); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic

[[Page 31103]]

version of your 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 these 
competitions, you must ensure that you have in place the necessary 
processes and systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 
CFR part 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 specified by the Secretary in 34 
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For the NRC and FLAS Programs, final 
and annual reports must be submitted into the International Resource 
Information System (IRIS) online data and reporting system. You can 
view the performance report screens and instructions at:

http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/NRC.pdf
http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/FLAS_director.pdf
http://iris.ed.gov/iris/pdfs/FLAS_fellow.pdf.

    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has established the 
following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of 
the NRC Program and the FLAS Program:

NRC Program

    a. Percentage of priority languages defined by the Secretary taught 
at NRCs.
    b. Percentage of NRC grants teaching intermediate or advanced 
courses in priority languages as defined by the Secretary.
    c. Percentage of NRCs that increased the number of intermediate or 
advanced level language courses in the priority and/or LCTLs during the 
course of the grant period (long-term measure).
    d. Percentage of NRCs that increased the number of certificate, 
minor, or major degree programs in the priority and/or LCTLs, area 
studies, or international studies during the course of the four-year 
grant period.
    e. Percentage of less and least commonly taught languages as 
defined by the Secretary taught at Title VI NRCs.
    f. Cost per NRC that increased the number of intermediate or 
advanced level language courses in the priority and/or LCTLs during the 
course of the grant period.

    FLAS Program

    a. Percentage of FLAS-graduated fellows who secured employment that 
utilizes their foreign language and area studies skills within eight 
years after graduation based on a FLAS tracking survey.
    b. Percentage of FLAS master's and doctoral graduates who studied 
priority languages as defined by the Secretary.
    c. Percentage of FLAS fellows who increased their foreign language 
reading, writing, and/or listening/speaking scores by at least one 
proficiency level.
    d. Cost per FLAS fellowship program fellow who increased his/her 
reading, writing, and/or listening/speaking language score by at least 
one proficiency level.
    5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, the 
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the extent to which a 
grantee has made ``substantial progress toward meeting the objectives 
in its approved application.'' This consideration includes review of a 
grantee's progress in meeting the targets and projected outcomes in its 
approved application, and whether the grantee has expended funds in a 
manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget. In 
making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers whether the 
grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved 
application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws 
that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving 
Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 
106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The following persons on the NRC/FLAS 
team: Tim Duvall, Telephone: (202) 502-7622 or by email: 
[email protected]; Cheryl E. Gibbs, Telephone: (202) 502-7634 or by 
email: [email protected]; Kate Maloney, Telephone: (202) 502-7521 or 
by email: [email protected]; or Stephanie McKissic, Telephone: (202) 
502-7589 or by email: [email protected], U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20006-8521.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, 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 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: 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 this 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search function 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: May 27, 2014.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Senior Director, Policy Coordination, Development, and Accreditation 
Service, delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of 
the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-12581 Filed 5-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P