[Federal Register: January 25, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 17)]
[
Notices]
[Page 4544-4548]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25ja08-51]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview
Information: Alaska Native Education Program; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.356A.
DATES:
Applications Available: January 25, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 10, 2008.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to develop and
support supplemental educational programs to benefit Alaska Natives.
Permissible activities under this program include the following: (1)
Development and implementation of plans, methods, and strategies to
improve the education of Alaska Natives; (2) development of curricula
and educational programs that address the educational needs of Alaska
Native students; (3) professional development activities for educators;
(4) development and operation of home instruction programs for Alaska
Native preschool children, to ensure the active involvement of parents
in their children's education from the earliest ages; (5) family
literacy services; (6) development and operation of student enrichment
programs in science and mathematics; (7) research and data collection
activities to determine the educational status and needs of Alaska
Native children and adults; (8) other research and evaluation
activities related to programs carried out under Alaska Native
education programs; (9) remedial and enrichment programs to assist
Alaska Native students in performing at a high level on standardized
tests; (10) education and training of Alaska Native students enrolled
in a degree program that will lead to certification or licensing as
teachers; (11) parenting education for parents and caregivers of Alaska
Native children to improve parenting and caregiving skills (including
skills relating to discipline and cognitive development and parenting
education provided through in-home visitation of new mothers); (12)
activities carried out through Even Start programs under subpart 3 of
part B of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965, as amended (ESEA), and Head Start programs under the Head Start
Act, including the training of teachers for Even Start and Head Start
programs; (13) other early learning and preschool programs; (14)
dropout prevention programs; (15) career preparation activities to
enable Alaska Native children and adults to prepare for meaningful
employment, including programs providing ``tech-prep,'' mentoring,
training, and apprenticeship activities; (16) provision of operational
support and purchasing of equipment to develop regional vocational
schools in rural areas of Alaska, including boarding schools, for
Alaska Native students in grades 9 through 12, or at higher levels of
education, to provide the students with necessary resources to prepare
for skilled employment opportunities; (17) construction of facilities
that support the operation of Alaska Native education programs; and
(18) other activities, consistent with the purposes of this program, to
meet the educational needs of Alaska Native children and adults.
Priorities: This competition includes a competitive preference
priority and an invitational priority. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(iv), the competitive preference priority is from section
7304(c) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7544(c)). The invitational priority is
from the notice of final priorities for discretionary grant programs,
published in the Federal Register on October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60046).
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent
year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants
from this competition, this priority is a
[[Page 4545]]
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award
an additional five points to an application that meets this priority.
This priority is:
The Secretary gives priority to applications from Alaska Native
regional nonprofit organizations or consortia that include at least one
Alaska Native regional nonprofit organization. In order to receive a
competitive preference under this priority, an application must provide
documentation supporting its claim that it meets this priority.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent year in which
we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition, this priority is an invitational priority. 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:
Secondary Schools. Projects that support activities and
interventions aimed at improving the academic achievement of secondary
school students who are at greatest risk of not meeting challenging
State academic standards and not completing high school.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7541, et seq.; Department of Education
Appropriations Act, 2008.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final priorities for
discretionary grant programs, published in the Federal Register on
October 11, 2006 (71 FR 60046).
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $7,500,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, the Secretary may make additional awards in FY 2009 from
the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $300,000-$700,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 11-18.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: (a) Alaska Native organizations;
(b) Educational entities with experience in developing or operating
Alaska Native programs or programs of instruction conducted in Alaska
Native languages;
(c) Cultural and community-based organizations with experience in
developing or operating programs to benefit Alaska Natives; and
(d) Consortia of organizations and entities described in this
paragraph to carry out activities that meet the purposes of this
program.
Note: A State educational agency or local educational agency may
apply for an award under this program only as part of a consortium
involving an Alaska Native organization. The consortium may include
other eligible applicants.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package: You can obtain a copy of
the application package via the Internet or from the program office.
To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following addresses:
http://www.grants.gov or http://www.ed.gov/programs/alaskanative/
applicant
.html.
To obtain a copy from the program office, contact: (1) Alexis
Fisher, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
3W217, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 401-0281 or by e-
mail: alexis.fisher@ed.gov, or (2) Erica Shephard, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W205, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 205-3871 or by e-mail: erica.shephard@ed.gov.
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 application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting either of the program
contact persons 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 this competition.
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 application narrative (Part III) to the
equivalent of no more than 25 pages, 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, including 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 or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the
assurances and certifications; the abstract; the resumes; or the
appendices.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: January 25, 2008.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 10, 2008.
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. 6. 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
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
in 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 34 CFR part 79.
5. Funding Restrictions: Under section 7304(b) of the ESEA (20
U.S.C. 7544(b)), not more than five percent of the funds provided to a
grantee under this competition for any fiscal year may be used for
administrative purposes.
We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions
in the
[[Page 4546]]
Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. 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 Alaska Native Education Program,
CFDA Number 84.356A, must be submitted electronically using the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov. Through
this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application
package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Alaska
Native Education Program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for
the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search
(e.g., search for 84.356, not 84.356A).
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
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 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 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 at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp
). These steps include (1)
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
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:
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. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Assistance).
You must attach any narrative sections of your application
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file,
we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date. Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of
Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing
problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact
the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must
obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of
it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case
[[Page 4547]]
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 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: (1) Alexis Fisher, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W217,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 401-0821. FAX: (202) 260-
8969, or (2) Erica Shephard, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 3W205, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202)
205-3871. Fax: (202) 260-8969.
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 applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.356A), 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260
or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.356A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, 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 84.356A), 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 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
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all criteria is 100 points.
The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. The
selection criteria for this competition are as follows:
(a) Need for project (20 points). In determining the need for the
proposed project, the Secretary considers the magnitude of the need for
the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the
proposed project.
(b) Quality of the project design (30 points). In determining the
quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate
to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population
or other identified needs.
(c) Quality of the management plan (20 points). In determining the
quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary
considers the adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
(d) Adequacy of resources (15 points). In determining the adequacy
of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the
extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project.
(e) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points). In determining
the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers the following
factors:
(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project.
[[Page 4548]]
(ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section in this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in 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: 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 in
34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
In addition to reporting on project-defined objectives, each
grantee must report on the three performance measures described in the
next section in the grantee's annual and final reports.
4. Performance Measures: The Alaska Native Education Program seeks
to support supplemental education programs to benefit Alaska Native
populations. The Department uses the following performance measures to
assess program success: (1) The percentage of participating students
who meet or exceed proficiency standards in mathematics, science, or
reading; (2) the percentage of participating students who improve on
measures of school readiness; and (3) the dropout rate of participating
Alaska Native and American Indian middle and high school students.
VII. Agency Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: (1) Alexis Fisher, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W217, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-0281 or by e-mail: alexis.fisher@ed.gov, or
(2) Erica Shephard, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., room 3W205, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 205-3871
or by e-mail: erica.shephard@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: 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) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: 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 on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/index.html
.
Dated: January 22, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8-1341 Filed 1-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
