Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Comprehensive Centers; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 2005, 32583-32594 [05-11097]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 106 (Friday, June 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32583-32594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11097]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Comprehensive Centers; Notice Inviting Applications for 
New Awards for Fiscal Year 2005

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.283B.

DATES: Applications Available: June 3, 2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 23, 2005.
    Dates of Pre-Application Meetings: The Department will conduct 
briefings on this competition via conference call to clarify the 
purposes of the program and the selection criteria and process at 11 
a.m. on each of the following dates: Applicants for Regional Centers 
June 13 and 17; Applicants for Content Centers June 22 and 23. Please 
e-mail Enid Simmons at enid.simmons@ed.gov to register for a call date 
and time and obtain the conference call number and code.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 18, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 17, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: Research organizations, institutions, 
agencies, institutions of higher education, or partnerships among such 
entities, or individuals, with the demonstrated ability or capacity to 
carry out the activities described in this notice. An application from 
a consortium of eligible entities must include a consortium agreement. 
Letters of support do not meet the requirement for a consortium 
agreement.

    Note: The Department will reject any application that does not 
meet these eligibility requirements.

    Estimated Number of Awards: The Secretary intends to support 21 
awards under this competition. Sixteen awards will support Regional 
comprehensive centers (Regional Centers) to serve States within defined 
geographic boundaries. The States and territories to be served by each 
Regional Center are described in this notice under Absolute Priorities 
for Regional Centers. Five awards will support Content comprehensive 
centers (Content Centers), each having a specific content expertise and 
focus, to support the work of the Regional Centers. These five Content 
Centers are: the Center on Assessment and Accountability, the Center on 
Instruction, the Center on Teacher Quality, the Center on Innovation 
and Improvement, and the Center on High Schools. The functions and 
activities for each of the five Content Centers are described in this 
notice under Absolute Priorities for Content Centers.

    Note: The Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (TA Act) 
provides that the Secretary must ensure that not less than one 
Comprehensive Center is established in each of the 10 geographic 
regions served by the Regional Educational Laboratories. Note that 
these regions differ, in some instances, from the Regional Centers 
described in this notice. The Secretary will consider the location 
of the proposed Regional Centers in the selection and negotiation of 
cooperative agreements to ensure that this requirement of the law is 
met.

    Estimated Available Funds: Eighteen of the 21 Centers proposed for 
funding under this competition will be supported entirely with funds 
from the Comprehensive Centers program, authorized under Title II of 
the TA Act. Three of the 21 centers will be supported with funds 
appropriated for the Comprehensive Centers program and the Special 
Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination program, which is 
authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as 
amended (IDEA).
    The estimated available funds from the Comprehensive Centers 
program for FY 2005 is $40 million. Of that amount, an estimated $35 
million will be used to fund Regional Centers and $5 million will be 
used to fund the Content Centers. FY 2005 funds will support awards for 
the first budget period of the project, which is the first nine months 
of the project period. Funding for the subsequent 12-month budget 
periods for years two through five (FY 2006 through FY 2009) is 
contingent on appropriation levels. For FY 2006, the President's 
budget, if funded at the requested level, would provide approximately 
$56.8 million for the Comprehensive Centers program.
    The estimated total funds from the Special Education Technical 
Assistance and Dissemination program for FY 2005 is $3 million to 
provide partial support for three of the Content Centers for the first 
budget period of the project.
    Depending on appropriation levels, a total of up to $3 million from 
the Special Education Technical Assistance

[[Page 32584]]

and Dissemination program will be available for awards to the co-funded 
Content Centers in subsequent budget periods. The Department 
anticipates that each program will provide approximately 50 percent of 
the annual funding for the three co-funded Content Centers during the 
first budget period of the project. The co-funded Content Centers will 
be the Center on Instruction, the Center on Teacher Quality and the 
Center on High Schools.
    Estimated Range of Awards: The estimated range of awards for 
Regional Centers is $750,000 to $4,604,348 from FY 2005 funds for the 
first budget period, covering the first 9 months of the project period. 
Funding for each Regional Center was calculated by formula, based 
equally on shares of population and poor children, ages 5-17 in the 
States (including DC, Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas) served by 
each Regional Center. Department estimates for awards to each Regional 
Center are provided at: https://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/.
    The estimated range of awards for Content Centers is $1,000,000 to 
$2,000,000 for the first budget period, which includes the first nine 
months of the project period.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Regional Centers--$2,187,500 in 
the first budget period (FY 2005) and approximately $2,895,313 in each 
subsequent budget period; the three co-funded Content Centers--
$2,000,000 in the first budget period (FY 2005) and approximately 
$2,500,000 in each subsequent budget period; the other two Content 
Centers--$1,000,000 in the first budget period (FY 2005) and 
approximately $1,500,000 in each subsequent budget period.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Budget Period: Nine months for the first budget period only. Each 
subsequent budget period will be 12 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Comprehensive Centers program supports the 
establishment of not fewer than 20 comprehensive technical assistance 
centers that provide technical assistance to States as States work to 
help districts and schools to close achievement gaps in core content 
areas and raise student achievement in schools, especially those in 
need of improvement (as defined by Section 1116(b), of the Elementary 
and Secondary Act, as amended (ESEA)) in implementing the school 
improvement provisions under section 1116 of ESEA.
    Centers established under this program will replace the existing 
Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers, the Regional Technology in 
Education Consortia, the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for 
Mathematics and Science Education, and the Regional Mathematics and 
Science Education Consortia.
    Background: The ESEA, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001 (NCLB), holds States accountable for closing achievement gaps and 
ensuring that all children, regardless of ethnicity, income, language 
or disability, receive a high quality education and meet State academic 
standards by 2013-2014.
    To that end, NCLB requires States to set standards for student 
performance, implement statewide testing and accountability systems to 
measure school and student performance toward achieving those 
standards, adopt research-based instructional and program improvements 
related to teaching and learning in the classroom, ensure that all 
teachers in core subject areas are highly qualified, and improve or 
ultimately restructure schools that are consistently low-performing.
    The comprehensive centers funded under this competition will begin 
providing technical assistance at a time when States, districts, and 
schools have accomplished much of the initial implementation of NCLB.
    The new centers funded under this competition will provide 
intensive technical assistance in several areas that are key to success 
in meeting NCLB goals. Recent assessments conducted to help determine 
technical assistance priorities for the Comprehensive Centers program 
indicate that States need assistance, for example, to implement school 
improvement efforts to help meet school and district adequate yearly 
progress requirements; to identify and adopt instructional and 
assessment methods that have been proven effective through 
scientifically based research, especially for students with special 
needs; to design programs and strategies and allocate resources to 
recruit, retain, and train talented teachers and school leaders; and to 
enhance assessment and accountability systems.
    Because States have the primary responsibility for school 
improvement efforts, these centers will focus their technical 
assistance on States and on helping States increase their capacity to 
provide sustained support to districts and schools as they implement 
NCLB reforms.
    The new centers will serve as field agents for the Department to 
further States' understanding of the provisions and purposes of NCLB 
and related Federal programs and help them adopt proven approaches to 
achieve the school improvement and student performance goals required 
under NCLB. The centers will work closely with, and leverage the 
resources of, other technical assistance providers and research 
organizations, including the Regional Educational Laboratories, the 
Special Education Technical Assistance Network, the Parental 
Information and Resource Centers, the Equity Assistance Centers, the 
Reading First National Technical Assistance Center, the Institute of 
Education Sciences' research centers and its What Works Clearinghouse, 
and other Federal, regional, and State entities and postsecondary 
institutions, to gather and disseminate information and knowledge about 
what works and to help States translate that knowledge into meaningful 
practice.
    The approach to technical assistance delivery for the centers is 
two-tiered: The Regional Centers will have the primary relationships 
with, and provide services to, the States in their regions; in serving 
their State clients, the Regional Centers will draw heavily on the 
research-based information, products, guidance, and knowledge on key 
NCLB topics supplied by the Content Centers.
    The Department intends to have substantial and sustained 
involvement in the activities of each center funded under this 
competition, including shaping grantee priorities, activities, and 
major products to meet the purposes of this program. The Department 
also intends to partner with the centers, particularly the Content 
Centers, to convene national conferences to disseminate information and 
resources about Departmental priorities related to NCLB. The details 
and parameters of the Department's expectations and involvement with 
each center funded under this competition will be included in the 
Department's cooperative agreement with the grantee that receives an 
award for that center under this competition.
    Regional Advisory Committees: To help inform the Secretary's 
priorities for the centers funded under this competition, the Secretary 
(in accordance with section 206 of the TA Act) established 10 Regional 
Advisory Committees (RACs) charged with conducting education needs 
assessments within the geographical regions served by the current 
regional educational laboratories.
    The RACs conducted their needs assessments during the period from 
December 2004 to March 2005 and

[[Page 32585]]

submitted their reports to the Secretary on March 31, 2005. The full 
reports are available at: https://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/.
    Applicants for the centers are encouraged to consider the specific 
priorities and recommendations contained in the RAC reports when 
preparing their applications.
    Priorities: This competition contains three sets of absolute 
priorities (Absolute Priorities for All Centers (priorities one and 
two), Absolute Priorities for Regional Centers (priorities three 
through six), and Absolute Priorities for Content Centers (priorities 
seven through eleven)). We are establishing these absolute priorities 
for the FY 2005 grant competition only, in accordance with section 437 
(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act.
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute 
priorities.
    For Regional Center awards, under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3) we consider 
only applications that meet the Absolute Priorities for All Centers 
(priorities one and two) and Absolute Priorities for Regional Centers 
(priorities three through six).
    For Content Center awards, under 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3) we consider 
only applications that meet the Absolute Priorities for All Centers 
(priorities one and two) and one of the priorities under Absolute 
Priorities for Content Centers (i.e., priorities 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11).

    Note: If an applicant wants to apply for funding for more than 
one center, it must submit separate applications for each proposed 
center.

Absolute Priorities for All Centers

    Priority 1--Focus on States. To meet this priority, applicants must 
propose a plan of technical assistance specifically focused on helping 
States implement the provisions of NCLB applicable to States, and 
helping States build the capacity to help school districts and schools 
implement NCLB provisions and programs.
    To the extent an applicant proposes to work with individual school 
districts and schools, the applicant must propose a technical 
assistance plan that only proposes work with districts and schools 
where the effort--(a) Involves a high leverage strategy (i.e., reaches 
a large number or proportion of schools, teachers, and administrators 
needing the assistance within the State); (b) responds to a need 
identified by the State; and (c) is planned and coordinated with the 
State.

    Note: This priority does not support research, program 
evaluation, or curriculum development. Thus, an applicant will not 
satisfy this priority if it proposes a technical assistance plan 
to--
    (a) Design or develop curricula or instructional materials for 
use in classrooms or develop professional development programs where 
proven models already exist; or
    (b) conduct basic research or program evaluations on behalf of 
States or districts.

    Priority 2--Crosscutting Expertise. To meet this priority, an 
applicant must demonstrate that proposed center staff has expertise on 
several issues of crosscutting importance related to the delivery of 
technical assistance in specific regions and content areas. These 
issues are:
    (a) Proven strategies for addressing the needs of schools with 
populations at risk of failure, especially children who have limited 
proficiency in English, children with disabilities, and children from 
economically disadvantaged families.
    (b) Effective uses of technology to improve instruction, and as an 
efficient means of delivering technical assistance.
    (c) Implementing school improvement reforms within urban and rural 
contexts.

Absolute Priorities for Regional Centers

    Background: Regional Centers must provide frontline assistance to 
States to help them implement NCLB and other related Federal school 
improvement programs and help increase State capacity to assist 
districts and schools meet their student achievement goals. Regional 
Centers must be embedded in regions and responsible for developing 
strong relationships and partnerships within their regional community. 
While Content Centers must focus almost entirely on specific content 
areas, analyzing research, developing useful products and tools for 
Regional Centers and other clients, the Regional Centers will be the 
``on the ground'' providers to States.
    Drawing from the information and resources provided by the Content 
Centers funded through this competition and other sources, the Regional 
Centers must provide a program of technical assistance to States that 
will enable them to among other things--
    (a) Assess the improvement needs of districts and schools and 
assist them in developing solutions to address those needs;
    (b) build and sustain systemic support for district and school 
improvement efforts to (i) close existing achievement gaps; and (ii) 
adopt proven practices to improve instruction and achievement outcomes 
for students in schools identified as in need of improvement; and
    (b) improve the tools and systems for school improvement and 
accountability for the achievement outcomes.

Text of Priorities

    Priority 3--Location of Regional Centers. The Secretary will award 
grants to establish 16 Regional Centers serving States and territories. 
In order to meet the requirement of this priority, a proposed Regional 
Center must serve one of the following regions:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Regional comprehensive center                    Region
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New England............................  Connecticut, Maine,
                                          Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
                                          Rhode Island, and Vermont.
New York...............................  New York.
Mid-Atlantic...........................  Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,
                                          Pennsylvania, and Washington,
                                          DC.
Appalachia.............................  Kentucky, Tennessee, North
                                          Carolina, Virginia, and West
                                          Virginia.
Southeast..............................  Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi,
                                          Louisiana, and South Carolina.
Florida and Islands....................  Florida, Puerto Rico, and the
                                          Virgin Islands.
Great Lakes West.......................  Wisconsin and Illinois.
Great Lakes East.......................  Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
North Central..........................  North Dakota, South Dakota,
                                          Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Mid-Continent..........................  Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and
                                          Missouri.
Texas..................................  Texas.
West/Southwest.........................  Nevada, Utah, Colorado,
                                          Arizona, and New Mexico.
California.............................  California.
Northwest..............................  Idaho, Montana, Oregon,
                                          Washington, and Wyoming.
Alaska.................................  Alaska.
Pacific................................  American Samoa, Commonwealth of
                                          the Northern Mariana Islands,
                                          Federated States of Micronesia
                                          (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and
                                          Yap), Guam, Hawaii, Republic
                                          of the Marshall Islands, and
                                          the Republic of Palau.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Priority 4--Regional Technical Assistance Activities. To meet this 
priority, the work of the proposed Regional Centers must involve 
activities that address State technical assistance needs by--
    (a) Working closely with each State in its region on an ongoing 
basis;
    (b) linking States with the resources of Content Centers, 
Department staff, Regional Educational Laboratories, The What Works 
Clearinghouse, and other entities that have, or may be able to,

[[Page 32586]]

design products and services tailored to State needs;
    (c) suggesting sources of appropriate service providers or 
assistance for State activities that are not within the core mission of 
the centers--including, for example, activities to address needs 
related to curriculum development, designing school-level training 
programs, or conducting basic research or impact evaluations;
    (d) assisting State efforts to build statewide systems of support 
for districts and schools in need of improvement, partly by leveraging 
the resources of Content Centers and other sources of scientifically-
based education research and high-quality technical assistance on 
behalf of State and district clients;
    (e) working to identify, broker, leverage, and deliver information, 
resources and services from the Content Centers and other sources that 
focus on research-based knowledge of promising practices, including 
assistance to States and districts on securing high-quality consultants 
and experts to meet specific education needs;
    (f) convening, in partnership with Content Centers and others, as 
appropriate, States and districts to receive training and information 
on best practices and research-based improvement strategies;
    (g) providing guidance and training on implementation of 
requirements under NCLB and other related Federal programs;
    (h) facilitating collaboration at the State level to align Federal, 
State, district and school improvement programs and help States 
understand and use the flexibility provided by NCLB to target resources 
and programs to address the greatest needs; and
    (i) helping Content Centers to identify, document and disseminate 
emerging promising practices by working with States to distill and 
document the experiences of high-performing districts and schools.
    Priority 5--Knowledge and Expertise. To satisfy this priority, the 
proposed Regional Center must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of 
regional and local issues, conditions, and needs, particularly as those 
relate to the roles and responsibilities of States, districts, and 
schools in implementing the provisions of NCLB and other related 
Federal programs. In addition, the proposed Regional Center must have 
expertise in comprehensive planning, needs assessment, and State, 
district, and school improvement processes.
    Priority 6--Coordination and Cooperation. To meet this priority, 
the proposed Regional Center must create and maintain cooperative 
working relationships with States in their region and other technical 
assistance providers serving the region, including the Regional 
Educational Laboratories, the Special Education Technical Assistance 
Network, Parental Information and Resource Centers, Equity Assistance 
Centers, the Reading First National Technical Assistance Center, and 
other regional and State entities, including for example, regional 
service providers and post-secondary institutions.
    Absolute Priorities for Content Centers: There are five priorities 
under these Absolute Priorities for Content Centers. Each priority 
corresponds to one of the Content Centers the Department intends to 
fund through this competition (i.e., Priority 7--Center on Assessment 
and Accountability, Priority 8--Center on Instruction, Priority 9--
Center on Teacher Quality, Priority 10--Center on Innovation and 
Improvement, and Priority 11--Center on High Schools). To be eligible 
to receive funding for a Content Center under this competition, an 
applicant must meet the requirements of only one of the priorities in 
this section.
    Together, the five Content Centers cover a spectrum of inter-
related school improvement and technical assistance areas. The Content 
Centers will work closely with Regional Centers to provide technical 
assistance to States.
    While Regional Centers will have the primary relationships to 
States in their regions, Content Centers will supply much of the common 
research-based information, products, guidance, analyses, and knowledge 
on certain key NCLB topics that Regional Centers will use when working 
with States.
    The purpose of having national level Content Centers is to avoid 
duplication of efforts across centers in key NCLB areas and to ensure 
depth of content knowledge in these areas.
    Because the Content Center focus areas cut across the school 
improvement process, Content Centers will also connect and collaborate 
with each other as a network and a central source of knowledge, 
resources and tools that stakeholders can readily access to find 
information and resources to address their needs in one or more of the 
content areas covered by the five Content Centers.
    Content Centers will have in-depth knowledge of the content and 
research related to the center's focus area; expertise in evaluating 
existing resources and synthesizing information into a meaningful and 
useful knowledge base; the ability to translate and communicate that 
knowledge; and the ability to collaborate with other providers and 
research institutions, broker resources and connect technical 
assistance resources at a national level to identify and share the best 
practices of States and districts.
    Content Centers will facilitate access to, and use of, existing 
research and proven practice by analyzing, synthesizing, and 
disseminating information on proven, promising and emerging practices 
and strategies in the Center's focus area, as well as develop tools for 
Regional Centers to use in providing assistance to States.
    In general, the Content Centers will, among other things--
    (a) Identify, organize, select and translate existing key research 
knowledge pertaining to the Center's content-focus area and communicate 
the information in ways that are highly relevant and highly useful to 
State and local level policy makers and practitioners;
    (b) Benchmark State and district practices for implementing NCLB 
provisions and school improvement interventions related to the center's 
area of focus and identify promising approaches that can be shared with 
States and districts;
    (c) Convene States and districts, researchers and other experts to 
learn from each other about practical strategies for implementing NCLB 
provisions and programs related to the Center's area of focus;
    (d) Train Regional Center staff on what is known about 
scientifically valid practices and programs;
    (e) Collaborate with Regional Centers to address specific requests 
for assistance from States within the regions;
    (f) Communicate to the field, including through national 
conferences, Department guidance related to the center's content focus 
and examples of workable strategies and systems for implementing 
provisions and programs that have produced positive outcomes for 
schools and students; and
    (g) Design needs assessment and data analysis tools that States and 
districts can use to benchmark their own programs and progress.
    Priority 7--Center on Assessment and Accountability. Background: 
The Assessment and Accountability Center will focus on State and school 
district implementation of NCLB assessment and accountability 
requirements, including support for administration of accountability 
plans, and the design and administration of effective models, 
strategies and tools for the following:
    (a) Implementing valid, standards-based testing and large scale 
assessment programs, especially for students with

[[Page 32587]]

limited English proficiency and special education students, and using 
classroom data designed to diagnose needs, guide instruction, and 
regularly monitor progress.
    (b) Implementing data systems that support student assessment, 
program accountability, reporting requirements, and school improvement 
efforts.
    (b) Training data users, including State and district and policy 
makers, program and school officials, administrators and classroom 
teachers to use data effectively in making instructional and school 
improvement decisions.
    Text of Priority: To meet this priority, an applicant must 
demonstrate--
    (a) In-depth understanding of and the ability to apply that 
understanding to testing, assessment and data systems issues 
confronting States and districts as they design and manage statewide 
accountability systems; and
    (b) In-depth knowledge and understanding of--
     The range of assessment models, methods and tests 
available and their applicability for various testing purposes for 
diverse learners, including, for example, English language learners and 
students with disabilities;
     Test development, test reliability and validity issues for 
different types of tests, and for measuring the academic progress of 
diverse learners;
     Curriculum to test alignment issues and strategies;
     Methods, systems, and rubrics for scoring tests and 
reporting the results; and
     How to interpret and use test results to inform decisions 
about student progress and education practice.
    To meet the priority for the Assessment and Accountability Center, 
an applicant also must demonstrate expertise in designing or helping 
States and districts design data systems, establishing system 
standards, policies and procedures, and implementing an integrated 
assessment and accountability system that can yield real-time data to 
inform on-going decisions about student and school performance and 
program improvement. The center must work closely with other technical 
assistance providers, including the National Center on Education 
Outcomes and National Collaborative Center on Standards and Assessment 
Development.
    Priority 8--Center on Instruction. Background: The Center on 
Instruction will focus on helping States and districts evaluate and 
select evidence-based interventions and practices to improve 
instruction for students in the content areas of reading/literacy, 
language arts, mathematics, and science, and English language 
acquisition. The Center on Instruction will disseminate existing 
research and information on proven instructional practices that work to 
help schools and districts identified as in need of improvement to 
improve the academic achievement of students from diverse backgrounds, 
including economically disadvantaged students, students who are 
receiving special education, students who have limited proficiency in 
English, migrant students, and other students and groups of students 
who are at risk of academic failure.
    Instructional practices must include interventions designed to 
provide intensive support for students with disabilities, including 
students with disabilities who need modified achievement standards as 
described in ``Raising Achievement: A New Path for No Child Left 
Behind'', which can be found at https://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/
2005/04/04072005.html.
    Text of Priority: To receive funding under this priority, the 
proposed center must--
    (a) Disseminate guidance for policy makers and practitioners on how 
to understand and interpret scientifically based research to evaluate 
instructional strategies and programs and their application and 
effectiveness in instructional practice;
    (b) On issues related to early reading/language arts instruction, 
work closely with the Reading First National Technical Assistance 
Center and act as a provider of knowledge and research, consistent with 
that delivered to Reading First grantees;
    (c) Help identify and track proven, as well as promising and 
emerging, practices around adolescent literacy; and
    (d) Focus on analyzing and disseminating information on practices 
based on scientifically valid research and other promising practices in 
math and science instruction.
    Staff of the proposed center must have extensive content knowledge 
and understanding of emerging and promising practices that can be 
shared with States and districts. Specifically, to meet this priority, 
an applicant must demonstrate--
    (a) In-depth knowledge of instructional practices and strategies 
that work to improve schools and the academic achievement of students 
from diverse backgrounds, including economically disadvantaged 
students, students who are receiving special education, students who 
are limited English proficient, migrant students, and other students 
and groups of students who are at risk of academic failure;
    (b) In-depth knowledge of evidence-based instructional 
interventions and features that improve achievement, particularly in 
reading and math, of students with disabilities, including students 
with disabilities who need modified achievement standards (Features 
that are extremely important for implementing, evaluating, and 
sustaining effective instruction for students with disabilities include 
intensity, duration, development of individual education plans, student 
grouping, the use of data to measure progress and inform instruction, 
and fidelity.);
    (c) In-depth knowledge of instructional practices that work to help 
districts and schools identified as in need of improvement to improve 
the academic achievement of students from diverse backgrounds; and
    (d) The ability to translate and communicate that knowledge in ways 
that are meaningful and useful to the Content Center's Regional Center 
clients and to education policy makers and practitioners.
    Finally, because a proportion of the funding for the Center on 
Instruction comes from the Special Education Technical Assistance and 
Dissemination program, to meet this priority, an applicant's plan of 
activities must provide for a level of technical assistance benefiting 
students with disabilities that is consistent with that proportion of 
funding. Thus, for the first budget period (FY 2005), grantees must 
target 50 percent of services to support technical assistance needs 
related to identifying evidence-based interventions and practices that 
work to improve instruction and academic achievement in the content 
areas of reading/literacy, language arts, mathematics, and science for 
students with disabilities. For subsequent years, applicants must 
propose technical assistance benefiting students with disabilities that 
is equivalent to $1 million per year.
    Priority 9--Center on Teacher Quality. Background: This center will 
focus on helping Regional Centers and States to identify proven and 
promising practices and strategies to meet a range of teacher quality 
goals under NCLB, including: (a) Recruitment, retention and selection 
of highly qualified teachers who have the greatest chance to succeed, 
particularly in districts and schools identified as in need of 
improvement; (b) support, induction, pay for performance/differentiated 
compensation systems, and mentoring strategies and programs that may

[[Page 32588]]

increase the likelihood that highly qualified teachers will stay in 
teaching, especially in high-need districts and schools and in rural 
and urban settings; (c) expanding alternative routes to teacher 
certification and transition into teaching (including programs for mid-
career professionals, paraprofessionals, and recent college graduates) 
that have demonstrated a level of quality and intensity of training 
necessary to produce teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to 
be effective in meeting the needs of students at high risk of academic 
failure, including students who with disabilities, students who are 
limited English proficient and migrant students; (d) development and 
administration of high-quality, intensive and sustained in-service 
professional development programs to ensure that all teachers improve 
and expand their content knowledge, teaching skills and success and 
that school leaders have the knowledge and skill to support classroom 
teachers and instructional and school improvements; and (e) 
professional development programs and strategies to ensure that all 
teachers are prepared to identify and address the diverse needs of 
students in a classroom, particularly those students at risk of 
academic failure.
    The Center on Teacher Quality will draw on existing knowledge and 
resources, including research supported by the Department's Institute 
of Education Sciences and teacher quality grant programs such as 
Transition to Teaching, Troops to Teachers, Teaching American History, 
and School Leadership programs.
    Text of Priority: To meet this priority, an applicant must 
demonstrate--
    (a) In-depth knowledge of (i) what makes a highly qualified 
teacher, with a particular focus on the teaching practices and 
approaches that are linked to improvements in achievement for students 
at risk of failure; (ii) the challenges, including systemic barriers, 
States face in their efforts to recruit, select, train and retain 
highly qualified teachers, particularly to teach in high-need and low-
performing districts and schools and in urban and rural settings; and 
(iii) the available research-based strategies, practices and tools 
available to address those challenges;
    (b) expertise in identifying effective alternative routes into 
teaching and demonstrated knowledge of the various teacher 
credentialing and certification practices currently being employed by 
States; and
    (c) an understanding of the importance of principal leadership to 
hiring and retaining high-quality teachers.
    Finally, because a proportion of the funding for this Center comes 
from the Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 
program, to meet this priority, an applicant's plan of activities must 
provide for a level of technical assistance benefiting students with 
disabilities that is consistent with that proportion of funding. Thus, 
for the first budget period (FY 2005), grantees must target 50 percent 
of services to support technical assistance needs related to 
identifying and disseminating research-based knowledge and models of 
best practice to recruit, select, train and retain teachers with the 
knowledge and skills needed to be effective in meeting the needs of 
students who are receiving special education services. For subsequent 
years, applicants must propose technical assistance benefiting students 
with disabilities that is equivalent to $1 million per year.
    Priority 10--Center on Innovation and Improvement. Background: This 
center will focus on effective systems and strategies to support States 
and districts as they (1) plan and administer school improvement 
programs, and (2) implement the key choice provisions of NCLB, 
including public school choice, supplemental educational services, 
charter schools, and equitable services for private school students. 
This center will inform and support Regional Centers as they work to 
raise the capacity of States to provide sustained technical assistance 
to, and help build infrastructure supports in, districts and schools.
    To support States' and districts' plans and implementation of 
school improvement programs, the Center on Innovation and Improvement 
will work with Regional Centers and with the other Content Centers 
funded under this competition to identify school improvement processes, 
policies and practices for analyzing problems, building infrastructures 
at the district and school levels, involving teachers and parents in 
decision-making, and using Federal (especially Title I of ESEA), State 
and local resources more effectively to support improved teaching and 
learning for all students, including limited English proficient, 
migrant, and disabled students.
    The center will also identify, analyze, and disseminate new and 
emerging approaches to governance, resource management, decision 
processes, personnel systems, and program coordination and alignment at 
the district and school levels that will help make schools and 
districts in need of improvement high performing.
    To address the key choice provisions of NCLB, the center will 
assist States and districts with informing and empowering the neediest 
parents about the public school choice provisions, and with building 
capacity for public school choice, including through the development of 
high-quality charter schools. The center will also assist States and 
districts with implementing supplemental educational services by 
supporting their efforts to increase students' access to these 
services, to improve the quality of service providers, and to increase 
the variety of provider options available to parents.
    The center will also assist in expanding the number of high-quality 
charter schools available to students by focusing assistance on States, 
charter authorizers (including local school boards), and charter 
developers for the planning, implementation, and oversight of effective 
charter schools. The center will also assist States and districts in 
improving their implementation of the provisions in NCLB regarding the 
equitable participation of private school students and teachers.
    Text of Priority: In order to satisfy this priority, applicants 
must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of systemic reform and school 
improvement strategies that work to help schools in need of improvement 
close the achievement gap, as well as in-depth knowledge of the key 
choice provisions of NCLB. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability 
to translate and communicate that knowledge in ways that are meaningful 
and useful to their Regional Center clients and to education policy 
makers and practitioners.
    Priority 11--Center on High Schools. Background: The Center on High 
Schools will focus on the comprehensive reform of high schools to 
ensure that every student receives the knowledge, skills and support 
they need to graduate from high school prepared to succeed in 
postsecondary education and the workforce. The center will place 
particular emphasis on identifying new and emerging strategies that 
will benefit high schools consistently in need of improvement and 
students who are at risk of academic failure.
    Text of Priority: To satisfy this priority for a Center on High 
Schools, the proposed center must--
    (a) Identify new and emerging approaches, including those involving 
district and State systemic reforms to improve and enhance the academic 
performance of students in high schools;
    (b) identify, analyze and disseminate knowledge on strategies for: 
(i) Instituting higher academic standards, more rigorous coursework 
requirements, and assessment programs that align with

[[Page 32589]]

the performance requirements of college and work; (ii) ensuring that 
teachers and school leaders are prepared to teach and lead to academic 
excellence; (iii) instituting policies and programs to reduce the 
incidence of dropouts and increase graduation rates; (iv) increasing 
access to and improving the quality of education in the general 
education curriculum for students with disabilities in high schools; 
(v) involving parents in decisions about their child's high school 
educational program and planning for the child's post-high school 
future; (vi) adopting new approaches to governance, resource 
management, decision processes, personnel systems, and program 
coordination and alignment that may better facilitate and support high-
quality high school programs; (vii) facilitating better coordination 
between K-12 programs and postsecondary institution requirements within 
States; and (viii) helping States rethink how they might better use 
Federal, State and local programs and resources for high schools.
    To meet this priority, an applicant must also demonstrate in-depth 
understanding of: (a) The issues and challenges confronting high 
schools and the current high school reform context; (b) current 
research and practice regarding high school reform; (c) current 
research and practice regarding increasing access to and improving the 
quality of education in the general education curriculum for students 
with disabilities in high schools; and (d) the State and district 
systemic issues that need to be addressed to facilitate improvement in 
student achievement in high schools.
    Finally, because a proportion of the funding for the center comes 
from the Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination 
program, to meet this priority, an applicant's plan of activities must 
provide for a level of technical assistance benefiting students with 
disabilities that is consistent with that proportion of funding. Thus, 
for the first budget period (FY 2005), grantees must target 50 percent 
of services to support technical assistance needs related to 
identifying and disseminating new approaches for increasing access to 
and improving the quality of education in the general education high 
school curriculum for students receiving special education services. 
For subsequent years, applicants must propose technical assistance 
benefiting students with disabilities that is equivalent to $1 million 
per year. The Center on High Schools will also be expected to 
collaborate with the Department's National Dropout Prevention Center 
for Students with Disabilities.

Additional Requirements

    1. Plan of Technical Assistance. All applicants under this 
competition must submit as part of their application a 5-year plan of 
technical assistance that describes the strategies and approaches the 
applicant will use to carry out the activities of the proposed center 
in a manner that addresses the statutory requirements of sections 203 
through 207 of the TA Act, and the priorities and additional 
requirements described in this notice.
    2. Focus on Districts and Schools that are High-Need and Identified 
as in Need of Improvement. Applicants must demonstrate how the proposed 
plan of technical assistance will give priority to helping States, 
districts and schools build the capacity to develop and implement 
programs targeted specifically to meet the educational needs of 
students in school districts and schools with high percentages or 
numbers of school-age children from low income families, including such 
school districts and schools in rural and urban areas; and schools in 
the region that have been identified for school improvement under 
section 1116(b) of the ESEA.
    3. Focus on State/Regional Priorities. Applicants must tailor the 
strategies and activities they propose to address the educational 
priorities and related technical assistance needs of States. For 
Regional Centers, the proposed plan of technical assistance must 
reflect a thorough understanding of the technical assistance needs and 
propose strategies that specifically address those needs for the 
particular States the Regional Center will serve, considering: (a) The 
educational goals and priorities of States to be served, including 
major reform efforts underway; (b) the current status of States in 
meeting the requirements and goals of NCLB; (c) the types of technical 
assistance and related strategies that would help States, districts and 
schools implement the programs and goals of NCLB and close existing 
achievement gaps in the content areas; and (d) State and regional 
student demographics and other contextual factors, such as urban and 
rural locality. In the case of Content Centers, the proposed plan of 
technical assistance should address the needs of States and regions 
nationally.
    4. Allocation of Resources. Proposed technical assistance plans 
must allocate resources to and within States and regions (or, for 
Content Centers, across States and regions) in a manner that reflects 
the need for assistance, taking into account such factors as the 
proportion of economically disadvantaged students, the increased cost 
burden of service delivery in areas of sparse populations, and any 
special initiatives being undertaken by State, intermediate, local 
educational agencies, or schools funded under the jurisdiction of the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs, which may require special assistance from the 
center.
    5. Coordination and Collaboration. Each applicant must describe in 
its technical assistance plan how the proposed center will: (a) 
Communicate regularly with the U.S. Department of Education, other 
comprehensive centers, the Regional Educational Laboratories, State 
educational agencies, and other technical assistance providers as 
appropriate; and (b) how the proposed center will plan and coordinate 
activities funded under this competition with the activities of those 
other entities to leverage available knowledge and resources and avoid 
duplicating efforts.
    6. Advisory Board. Each application must propose, as part of its 
technical assistance plan, establishing an advisory board to advise the 
proposed comprehensive center on: (a) The activities of the center 
relating to its allocation of resources to and within each State in a 
manner that reflects the need for assistance in accordance with section 
203(d) of Title II of the TA Act; (b) strategies for monitoring and 
addressing the educational needs of the region, on an ongoing basis; 
(c) maintaining a high standard of quality in the performance of the 
center's activities; and (d) carrying out the center's duties in a 
manner that promotes progress toward improving student academic 
achievement.
    The plan must detail the composition of the board by name and 
affiliation in accordance with the requirements described in section 
205 of the TA Act and in the application instructions found in the 
application package. A letter of commitment from each proposed board 
member must accompany the plan.
    7. Evaluation Plan. Each applicant must provide, as part of its 
technical assistance plan, a plan to assess: (a) The needs of all 
States served by the comprehensive center on an ongoing basis, and (b) 
the progress and performance of the center in meeting the educational 
needs of their clients. The plan must identify performance objectives 
the project intends to achieve and performance measures for each 
performance objective; explain the quantitative and qualitative methods 
that will be used to collect, analyze, and

[[Page 32590]]

report performance data; and describe the methods that will be used to 
monitor progress and make mid-course corrections, as appropriate.
    8. Project Meetings. For each center under this competition, 
applicants must budget for--
    (a) The Project Director to attend a 2-day meeting in Washington, 
DC at least once a year for each year of the project period; and
    (b) key staff to attend the following:
    (i) A 2-day post-award conference with Department officials at in 
Washington, DC, to be held within 45 days from the grant award date. 
The purpose of this conference will be to--
     Refine the grantee's technical assistance plan as 
appropriate;
     Review with the grantee the Department's intentions 
regarding the role of the grantee's center(s);
     Define how the grantee's center(s) and the Department will 
work together as partners to accomplish the purposes of the grant;
     Establish lines of communication and feedback between 
grantees and the Department; and
     Establish content for cooperative agreements; and
    (ii) A 1-day annual performance review with Department officials in 
Washington, DC beginning one year after the post-award conference and 
each year of the grant thereafter.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and other non-
statutory program requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of the General 
Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232 (d)(1)), however, allows the 
Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements, regulations governing 
the first competition under a new program authority. This is the first 
competition for the new Comprehensive Centers program under Title II of 
the TA Act and therefore qualifies for this exemption. In order to 
ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forego public 
comment on the absolute priorities, selection criteria and non-
statutory requirements under section 437(d)(1). These absolute 
priorities, selection criteria and non-statutory requirements will 
apply to the FY 2005 grant competition only.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9602-9606.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administration Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Number of Awards: The Secretary intends to support 21 
awards under this competition. Sixteen awards will support Regional 
Centers to serve States within defined geographic boundaries. The 
States and territories to be served by each Regional Center are 
described in this notice under Absolute Priorities for Regional 
Centers. Five awards will support Content Centers, each having a 
specific content expertise and focus, to support the work of the 
Regional Centers. These five Content Centers are: The Center on 
Assessment and Accountability, the Center on Instruction, the Center on 
Teacher Quality, the Center on Innovation and Improvement, and the 
Center on High Schools. The functions and activities for each of the 
five Content Centers are described in this notice under Absolute 
Priorities for Content Centers.

    Note: The TA Act provides that the Secretary must ensure that 
not less than one Comprehensive Center is established in each of the 
10 geographic regions served by the Regional Educational 
Laboratories. Note that these regions differ, in some instances, 
from the Regional Centers described in this notice. The Secretary 
will consider the location of the proposed Regional Centers in the 
selection and negotiation of cooperative agreements to ensure that 
this requirement of the law is met.

    Estimated Available Funds: Eighteen of the 21 Centers proposed for 
funding under this competition will be supported entirely with funds 
from the Comprehensive Centers program, authorized under Title II of 
the TA Act. Three of the 21 centers will be supported with funds 
appropriated for the Comprehensive Centers program and the Special 
Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination program, which is 
authorized under IDEA.
    The estimated available funds from the Comprehensive Centers 
program for FY 2005 is $40 million. Of that amount, an estimated $35 
million will be used to fund Regional Centers and $5 million will be 
used to fund the Content Centers. FY 2005 funds will support awards for 
the first budget period of the project, which is the first nine months 
of the project period. Funding for the subsequent 12-month budget 
periods for years two through five (i.e. FY 2006 through FY 2009) is 
contingent on appropriation levels. For FY 2006, the President's 
budget, if funded at the requested level, would provide approximately 
$56.8 million for the Comprehensive Centers program.
    The estimated total funds from the Special Education Technical 
Assistance and Dissemination program for FY 2005 is $3 million to 
provide partial support for three of the Content Centers for the first 
budget period of the project.
    Depending on appropriation levels, a total of up to $3 million from 
the Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination program 
will be available for awards to the co-funded Content Centers in 
subsequent budget periods. The Department anticipates that each program 
will provide approximately 50 percent of the annual funding for the 
three co-funded Content Centers during the first budget period of the 
project. The co-funded Content Centers will be the Center on 
Instruction, the Center on Teacher Quality and the Center on High 
Schools.
    Estimated Range of Awards: The estimated range of awards for 
Regional Centers is $750,000 to $4,604,348 from FY 2005 funds for the 
first budget period, covering the first 9 months of the project period. 
Funding for each Regional Center was calculated by formula, based 
equally on shares of population and poor children, ages 5-17 in the 
States (including DC, Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas) served by 
each Regional Center. Department estimates for awards to each Regional 
Center are provided at: https://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/.
    The estimated range of awards for Content Centers is $1,000,000 to 
$2,000,000 for the first budget period, which includes the first nine 
months of the project period.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: Regional Centers--$2,187,500 in 
the first budget period (FY 2005) and approximately $2,895,313 in each 
subsequent budget period; the three co-funded Content Centers--
$2,000,000 in the first budget period (FY 2005) and approximately 
$2,500,000 in each subsequent budget period; the other two Content 
Centers--$1,000,000 in the first budget period (FY 2005) and 
approximately $1,500,000 in each subsequent budget period.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Budget Period: Nine months for the first budget period only. Each 
subsequent budget period will be 12 months.

[[Page 32591]]

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Research organizations, institutions, 
agencies, institutions of higher education, or partnerships among such 
entities, or individuals, with the demonstrated ability or capacity to 
carry out the activities described in this notice. An application from 
a consortium of eligible entities must include a consortium agreement. 
Letters of support do not meet the requirement for a consortium 
agreement.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain an application via the Internet, use the 
following address: https://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/.
    To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following: 
Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 
20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. 
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 
(toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: https://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html; or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.283B.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact 
person listed elsewhere in section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of the application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. If an 
applicant is applying for more than one center, the applicant must 
submit a separate application for each center. Notice of Intent to 
Apply: In order to expedite the process for reviewing grant 
applications, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to send a 
notification of its intent to apply for funding to the following 
address: OESE.cc@ed.gov.
    In this notice, please indicate the comprehensive center(s) for 
which you intend to apply. The notification of intent to apply for 
funding is optional and should not include information regarding your 
proposed application(s).
    Page Limit: Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit their 
application to 150 pages.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: June 3, 
2005.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 23, 2005. Dates of 
Pre-Application Meetings: The Department will conduct briefings on this 
competition via conference call to clarify the purposes of the program 
and the selection criteria and process at 11 AM on each of the 
following dates: Applicants for Regional Centers June 13 and 17; 
Applicants for Content Centers June 22 and 23. Please e-mail Enid 
Simmons at enid.simmons@ed.gov to register for a call date and time and 
obtain the conference call number and code.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 18, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically or by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV. 6.

    Note: We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements.

    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 17, 2005.
    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 competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the 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.
    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.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants 
under the new Comprehensive Center Competition CFDA Number 84.283B must 
be submitted electronically using e-Application available through the 
Department's e-Grants system, accessible through the e-Grants portal 
page at: https://e-grants.ed.gov.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application 
for this competition after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do 
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application 
process.
     The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site 
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until 
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is 
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on 
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to 
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     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 
require