[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12991-12995]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05682]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems 
Program

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

    Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program.
    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2015.

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

    Dates:
    Request for Applications Available: March 12, 2015.
    Application Package Available: March 19, 2015.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Letters of Intent: April 13, 2015.
    Dates of Informational Meetings: The Institute of Education 
Sciences (IES) intends to hold webinars designed to provide technical 
assistance to interested applicants. Detailed information regarding 
these webinars will be provided on IES' Web site at http://ies.ed.gov/funding.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 10, 2015.

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: Over the past decade, States have made a great deal of 
progress in developing Statewide longitudinal data systems, most of 
them with the assistance of SLDS Program funds. This competition will 
focus on enhancing States' capacity to use those systems to identify 
problems and drive improvement efforts. States may apply for funds to 
address up to two of the priority data use cases described in this 
section. SEAs may apply for grants selecting up to two of the following 
data use priorities:
    (1) Financial Equity and Return on Investment;
    (2) Educator Talent Management;
    (3) Early Learning;
    (4) College and Career;
    (5) Evaluation and Research; or
    (6) Instructional Support.
    Grants will not be made available to support ongoing maintenance of 
data systems. Use of data supported by these grants must be in 
accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as well 
as any other applicable Federal and State laws or regulations 
concerning the confidentiality of individual records.
    An SEA may submit only one application under this competition.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9607.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 77, 82, 84, 97, 98, 
and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment 
and

[[Page 12992]]

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended 
as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements 
for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended in 2 CFR 
part 3474. 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: $27,000,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $1,000,000 to $7,000,000 for the entire 
project period. The size of the individual grants will depend on the 
scope of the projects proposed.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $7,000,000 (up to $3,500,000 per priority) for the 
entire project period of 48 months.
    The Director of IES 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 requested.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

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.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require 
cost sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: The Educational Technical Assistance 
Act of 2002 requires that funds made available under this grant program 
be used to supplement, and not supplant, other State or local funds 
used for developing or using State data systems.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Request for Applications: Information regarding program and 
application requirements for this competition will be contained in the 
Request for Applications, which will be available on March 12, 2015, at 
the following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the Request for 
Applications and the application package in an accessible format (e.g., 
braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disk) by contacting he 
person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of 
this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application are in the Request for 
Applications. The forms that must be submitted are in the application 
package for this competition.
    Letter of Intent to Apply: April 13, 2015.
    We ask potential applicants to submit a letter of intent, 
indicating the Priority or Priorities under which the State intends to 
apply for funding. We use the information in the letters of intent to 
identify the expertise needed for the scientific review panels and to 
secure a sufficient number of reviewers. For this reason, letters of 
intent are optional but strongly encouraged. We request that letters of 
intent be submitted using the link at: https://iesreview.ed.gov/.
    Eligible entities that do not provide this notification may still 
apply for funding.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Request for Applications Available: March 12, 2015.
    Application Package Available: March 19, 2015.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Letters of Intent to Apply: April 13, 
2015.
    Dates of Informational Meetings: We intend to hold webinars 
designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants. 
Detailed information regarding these meetings will be provided on the 
IES Web site at http://ies.ed.gov/funding.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 10, 2015.
    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. 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 competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in CFR part 79.
    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 
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 two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but

[[Page 12993]]

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.
    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: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
    7. 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 Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at 
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 email 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 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.
     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) 
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 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 email. 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

[[Page 12994]]

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 Pelaez, 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: 
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 address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.372A), 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 10 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 Request 
for Applications.
    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).
    4. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may 
impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk 
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 2 CFR part 
200, subpart D; 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 version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, 
also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.

[[Page 12995]]

    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 www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of this 
program, the Department has established three performance measures that 
assess progress toward our strategic goal of ensuring that data are 
available to inform educational decisions by supporting States' 
development and implementation of Statewide longitudinal data systems. 
The Department measures: (1) The number of States that link K-12 data 
with early childhood data; (2) the number of States that link K-12 data 
with postsecondary data; and (3) the number of States that link K-12 
and postsecondary data with workforce data. In addition, grantees will 
be expected to report in their annual and final performance reports on 
their progress in achieving the project objectives proposed in their 
grant applications and on the status of their development and 
implementation of a Statewide longitudinal data system.
    5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee 
has made substantial progress in meeting the goals and objectives of 
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is 
consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the 
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the 
performance targets in the grantee's approved application. 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: Nancy Sharkey, U.S. Department of 
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street NW., 
Room 9101, Washington, DC 20006-5651. Telephone: (202) 502-7494 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 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 in 
this section.

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 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: March 9, 2015.
Sue Betka,
Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2015-05682 Filed 3-11-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P