[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 87 (Friday, May 5, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29119-29122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09611]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) invites State
educational agencies (SEAs) to apply for fiscal year (FY) 2023 grants
to assist them in using data in Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
(SLDS) to inform their efforts to improve education in critical areas,
Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.372A. This notice relates to the
approved information collection under OMB control number 1894-0006.
DATES:
Applications Available: May 5, 2023.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 19, 2023.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 29, 2023.
Pre-Application Webinar Information: We intend to hold webinars
designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants.
Detailed information regarding these meetings will be provided on the
IES website at https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs. Please note that these Common Instructions supersede
the version published on December 27, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Sharkey, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Potomac Center Plaza, 4th Floor,
Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 987-1082. Email:
[email protected].
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The SLDS program awards grants to 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
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gaps, support education accountability systems, and simplify the
processes used by SEAs to make education data transparent through
Federal and public reporting.
Under previous competitions, IES awarded SLDS grants to 49 States,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. These
funds supported SLDS grantees in the design, development, and
implementation of statewide longitudinal kindergarten through grade 12
(K-12) data systems, or to expand their K-12 systems to include early
childhood data and/or postsecondary and workforce data. SLDS grant
awards also supported the development and implementation of systems
that link individual student data across time and across databases,
including the matching of teachers to students; promoting
interoperability across institutions, agencies, and States; and
protecting student and individual privacy consistent with applicable
privacy protection laws.
Priorities: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, States
have used their SLDS systems in unprecedented ways, including helping
to develop and implement new attendance policies and procedures,
identifying locations where internet hotspots should be added to enable
students to access academic digital content and online instruction, and
even providing a source of information on available childcare. SLDS
systems have helped States use American Rescue Plan Elementary and
Secondary School Relief (ARP ESSER) funds to safely reopen schools and
also to mitigate the learning losses that occurred during the pandemic.
Education data systems are essential for enabling States to respond to
unanticipated events quickly and effectively. To do that, SLDS systems
must be flexible enough to link new data and provide valid and reliable
information to stakeholders. The following priorities would enable
States to modernize their SLDS systems and facilitate their use to
inform policy issues.
Applicants may apply for funds to carry out projects to address one
of the following priorities for development and use of an SLDS:
(1) Infrastructure and Interoperability.
(2) College and Career.
(3) School Finance.
(4) State Policy Questions.
Under any of these priorities, States should consider how their
proposals would enhance their ability to use their SLDS to address the
needs of at-risk students, including, for example, children and youth
who are or have been homeless or in the child welfare or juvenile
justice systems.
All applicants may also apply for funds to participate in the
development of open-source data use assets built upon the Common
Education Data Standards (CEDS) and within the CEDS Open Source
Community (OSC). More information on CEDS can be found at https://ceds.ed.gov/. States participating in this project would contribute to
the identification and prioritization of data use applications (e.g.,
reports, dashboards, research request tools) for statewide longitudinal
data stored in or expressed in CEDS. State participants would then
contribute to an Agile development process to collaboratively produce
these outputs within the CEDS OSC. These outputs would be immediately
deployable within the States that participate in the project, but also
more broadly scalable to any State or education stakeholder that uses
CEDS. States that participate would be in control of the implementation
of outputs from the work and no data would be shared outside of the
State.
Only SEAs are eligible to apply. We will not award grants to
support ongoing maintenance of current data systems, but they may be
used to make more effective use of the data contained in existing
statewide systems, or to create a system where none previously existed,
or a linkage that did not already exist.
In recognition of the progress that prior grantees have made in
improving data systems and to ensure that as many States as possible
have the opportunity to receive SLDS funding, States that did not
receive SLDS grants in both the FY 2015 and FY 2019/2020 competitions
are eligible to receive grants in this competition.
Exemption from Rulemaking: Under section 191 of the Education
Sciences Reform Act, 20 U.S.C. 9581, IES is not subject to section
43(d) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C 1232(d), and is
therefore not required to offer interested parties the opportunity to
comment on priorities, selection criteria, definitions, and
requirements.
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) 34 CFR part 75, 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. (c) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment
and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and
amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
Estimated Available Funds: $43,755,985.
Estimated Range of Awards: $3,750,000 to $4,000,000 for the entire
project period of 48 months.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $3,750,000 for
the entire project period of 48 months to address one of the
priorities. States that agree to participate in the Open Source Data
Use project may request an additional $250,000 for costs associated
with the work for a project period of no more than 48 months.
Note: The Director of IES may change the maximum award through a
notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: We estimate making approximately 35
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. 7801 (which
incorporates by reference the definition of SEA in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 20
U.S.C. 7801). States and territories that did not receive SLDS grants
in both the FY 2015 and FY 2019/2020 \1\ competitions are eligible to
receive grants in this round.\2\
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\1\ Grants that were awarded to States in FY 2020 included funds
appropriated in FY 2019. These grants are referred to as FY 19/20
grants to reflect the funding source and the award date.
\2\ State and Territories eligible to apply are: Alabama,
Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Northern Mariana Islands, Connecticut, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto
Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin
Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
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2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require
cost sharing or matching.
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b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses a restricted
indirect cost rate. For more information regarding indirect costs, or
to obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate, please see www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html.
c. 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.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its application.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal
Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain requirements and information on how to
submit an application. Please note that these Common Instructions
supersede the version published on December 27, 2021.
Additional information regarding program requirements for this
competition will be contained in the Request for Applications (RFA),
which will be available on or before May 12, 2023, on the IES website
at: https://ies.ed.gov/funding/.
2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of
projects that may be proposed in applications for the SLDS grant
program, your application may include business information that you
consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define ``business information''
and describe the process we use in determining whether any of that
information is proprietary and, thus, protected from disclosure under
Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as
amended).
Because we plan to make successful applications available to the
public, you may wish to request confidentiality of business
information.
Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your
application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure
under Exemption 4. In the appropriate appendix section of your
application, under ``Other Attachments Form,'' please list the page
number or numbers on which we can find this information. For additional
information please see 34 CFR 5.11(c).
3. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
4. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
5. Notice of Intent to Apply: We ask potential applicants to submit
a letter of intent, indicating the priority 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/. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to
apply may still apply for funding; applicants that do submit a notice
of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information
provided.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: For all of its grant competitions, IES uses
selection criteria based on a peer-review process that has been
approved by the National Board for Education Sciences. The Peer Review
Procedures for Grant Applications can be found on the IES website at:
https://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/application_review.asp. For
this competition, peer reviewers will be asked to evaluate the
substantial need for the project; the quality and feasibility of its
measurable outcomes, activities, and timelines; the effectiveness of
its management and governance plan; the quality of its data security
and privacy protections; the qualifications and experience of the
personnel; and the resources of the applicant to support the proposed
activities. These criteria are described in greater detail in the RFA.
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
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
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under this program the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
200.208, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR
3473.10, 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.
4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
5. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and
Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice
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inviting applications in accordance with:
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) (2 CFR
200.216).
(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
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.
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. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to
openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in
part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of
modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those
modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent
that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or
other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works.
Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant
funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables.
This dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your
application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional
information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR
3474.20.
4. 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 multiyear 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.
5. 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 education 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.
6. 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 achieving 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 award, 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. 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.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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 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.
Mark Schneider,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2023-09611 Filed 5-4-23; 8:45 am]
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