Applications for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program, 15975-15979 [2014-06387]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 56 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15975-15979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06387]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee 
Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

Advanced Placement Test Fee Program

    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.330B.

    DATES:
    Applications Available: March 24, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 8, 2014.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 7, 2014.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee program 
awards grants to eligible State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable 
them to pay all or a portion of advanced placement test fees on behalf 
of eligible low-income students who (1) are enrolled in an advanced 
placement course and (2) plan to take an advanced placement exam. The 
program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who 
take advanced placement tests and receive scores for which college 
academic credit is awarded.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6534.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administration Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department suspension and 
debarment regulations in 2 CFR Part 3485.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $28,483,000.
    Due to limited funds, the Department does not plan to make new or 
continuation awards under the Advanced Placement Incentive program in 
FY 2014.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $13,235-$10,757,186.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $662,395.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 43.

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

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs in any State, including the District 
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, and the freely associated states of the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic 
of Palau (subject to continued eligibility).

    Note: For the purposes of this program, the Bureau of Indian 
Education in the U.S. Department of the Interior is treated as an 
SEA.


[[Page 15976]]


    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Section 1706 of the ESEA requires that 
grant funds provided under the AP Test Fee program supplement, and not 
supplant, other non-Federal funds that are available to assist low-
income individuals in paying for the cost of advanced placement test 
fees.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: To obtain an application 
package via the Internet use the following address: www.ed.gov/programs/apfee/applicant.html.
    To obtain an application package from the Department use the 
following address: Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E224, Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone: 
(202) 260-1541 or by email: francisco.ramirez@ed.gov.
    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.
    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 program.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 24, 2014.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 8, 2014.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
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.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 7, 2014.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is 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 package for this program.
    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, 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 business day.
    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: https://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: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an 
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in 
this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications

    Applications for grants under the AP Test Fee program, CFDA number 
84.330B, 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

[[Page 15977]]

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 AP Test Fee 
program at 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 84.330, 
not 84.330B).
    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 program 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 https://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 (a Department-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 
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 
prevents 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: Francisco Ramirez, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E224, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. 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

[[Page 15978]]

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 
84.330B), 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 84.330B), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7041, 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. Review and Selection Process: The Department intends to fund, at 
some level, all applications that meet the requirements for Approval of 
Application as described in the application package for this program 
and that demonstrate need for new or additional funds to pay advanced 
placement exam fees on behalf of low-income students for school years 
2013-14 and/or 2014-15.
    For FY 2014, the Department expects to award approximately 
$28,483,000 in new grants under this program. Based on the anticipated 
number of applications and other available information, the Department 
expects this amount to be sufficient to pay (1) all but $18 of the cost 
of each advanced placement exam taken by low-income students in school 
year 2013-14; and (2) all but $18 of the cost of some of the advanced 
placement exams taken by low-income students in school year 2014-15. 
Accordingly, SEAs may use AP Test Fee program funds to cover a portion 
of the cost of each approved advanced placement exam taken by low-
income students in school years 2013-14 and 2014-15 as follows: (a) up 
to $37 for each Advanced Placement test administered by the College 
Board; (b) up to $86 for each Diploma Programme test administered by 
the International Baccalaureate Organization; and (c) up to $39 for 
each Advanced Subsidiary test and up to $68 for each Advanced test 
administered by Cambridge International Examinations. To the extent 
that FY 2014 funds are insufficient to cover the cost of advanced 
placement exams taken by low-income students in school year 2014-15, 
contingent upon the availability of funds, the Department may award 
supplemental funds to existing grantees in FY 2015 to cover the cost of 
advanced placement exams taken by low-income students in school year 
2014-15.

    Note: AP Test Fee program funds may not be used to pay advanced 
placement test candidate registration fees on behalf of low-income 
students. Therefore, the student registration fee charged by the 
International Baccalaureate Organization and the candidate fee 
charged by the Cambridge International Examinations are not 
allowable costs under this program.

    Further information and instructions on how to request funds for 
school years 2013-14 and 2014-15 are included in the application 
package for this program.
    Also, in determining whether to approve an application for a new 
award (including the amount of the award) from an applicant with a 
current grant under this program, the Department will consider the 
amount of any unexpended funds under the existing grant and the 
applicant's use of funds under previous AP Test Fee grant awards.
    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).
    2. 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 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

[[Page 15979]]

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 and 
section 1704(f) of the ESEA should you receive funding under the 
competition. The reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 do 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. 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: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed five 
performance measures to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the AP 
Test Fee program: (1) The number of advanced placement tests taken by 
low-income public school students nationally; (2) The number of 
advanced placement tests taken by minority (Hispanic, Black, Native 
American) public school students nationally; (3) The percentage of 
advanced placement tests passed (for AP exams, scores of 3-5) by low-
income public school students nationally; (4) The number of advanced 
placement tests passed (for AP exams, scores of 3-5) by low-income 
public school students nationally; and (5) The cost per passage of an 
advanced placement test taken by a low-income public school student. 
The information provided by grantees in their final performance reports 
will be one of the sources of data for the measures. Other sources of 
data include the College Board, IB Americas, and University of 
Cambridge International Examinations.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E224, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1541 or by email: francisco.ramirez@ed.gov.
    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 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 19, 2014.
Deborah Delisle,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2014-06387 Filed 3-21-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P