Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Overview Information; Advanced Placement Incentive (API) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, 8782-8787 [06-1506]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8782-8787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-1506]



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Part IV





Department of Education





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Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Overview Information; 
Advanced Placement Incentive (API) Program; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2006 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Overview 
Information; Advanced Placement Incentive (API) Program; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

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

DATES: 
    Applications Available: February 17, 2006.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 17, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 19, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants:
    (a) State educational agencies (SEAs);
    (b) Local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools 
that are considered LEAs under State law; or
    (c) National nonprofit educational entities with expertise in 
advanced placement services.

    Note: In the case of an eligible entity that is an SEA, the SEA 
may use API grant funds to award subgrants to LEAs to enable those 
LEAs to carry out authorized activities that meet the absolute 
priority for this competition.

    Estimated Available Funds: $15.3 million. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards for FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$1,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $611,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

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


    Note: In accordance with section 1703 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left 
Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA) these estimates are based on the amount of 
funds the Secretary estimates will be available after the Department 
has awarded grants under the Advanced Placement Test Fee program, 
which is being announced separately under CFDA number 84.330B.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The API program, authorized under section 1705 
of Title I, Part G of the ESEA, awards competitive grants designed to 
increase the successful participation of low-income students in 
advanced placement courses and tests. By supporting increased access to 
and participation in advanced placement courses and tests, the program 
provides greater opportunities for low-income students to achieve to 
high standards in English, mathematics, science, and other core 
subjects.
    Priorities: This competition includes one absolute priority, five 
competitive preference priorities, and two invitational priorities. In 
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and (b)(2)(v), these priorities 
are from the priorities and allowable activities specified in section 
1705(c) and (d) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6535-6537).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Implementation of Advanced Placement Programs in High-Poverty 
Schools. The Secretary establishes an absolute priority for 
applications that:
    Propose to develop, enhance, or expand advanced placement programs 
in high schools with a high concentration of low-income students and a 
pervasive need for access to advanced placement programs. Effective 
advanced placement programs, including, but not limited to, advanced 
placement programs administered by the College Board and the 
International Baccalaureate Organization, should be designed to 
increase the number of low-income students who enroll and succeed in 
advanced placement courses and tests.

    Note: For definitions of advanced placement test, low-income 
individual (including a list of the types of data that may be used 
to verify low-income status), and high concentration of low-income 
students, see the definitions in Section III. 3. Other of this 
notice.

    Allowable Activities: Activities supported under this competition 
must be designed to expand access for low-income individuals to 
advanced placement programs and must involve one or more of the 
following:
     Teacher training.
     Pre-advanced placement course development.
     Coordination and articulation between grade levels to 
prepare students to enroll and succeed in advanced placement courses.
     Books and supplies.
     Activities to increase the availability of, and 
participation in, on-line advanced placement courses.
     Any other activity directly related to expanding access to 
and participation in advanced placement incentive programs, 
particularly for low-income individuals.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2006 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2), we give preference to and will 
award up to an additional nineteen (19) points to an application that 
meets one or more of these priorities over an application of comparable 
merit that does not meet one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1: Up to eight (8) points for 
demonstrating a focus on developing or expanding advanced placement 
programs and participation in the core academic areas of English, 
mathematics, and science.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2: Up to five (5) points for 
developing or expanding pre-advanced placement courses or programs, 
aligned with advanced placement courses or programs, intended to 
provide middle or high school students with the critical thinking 
skills, content knowledge, and study habits necessary for successful 
participation in advanced placement courses and exams. Applicants 
should explain why the courses supported by the proposed project 
qualify as pre-advanced placement or advanced placement.
    Competitive Preference Priority 3: Up to two (2) points for 
demonstrating the involvement of business and community organizations 
in the activities assisted.
    Competitive Preference Priority 4: Up to two (2) points for 
demonstrating the availability of matching funds from State, local, or 
other sources to pay for a portion of the cost of activities to be 
assisted.
    Competitive Preference Priority 5: Up to two (2) points for 
demonstrating the intent to carry out activities to increase the 
availability of, and participation in, on-line advanced placement 
courses.

    Note: These priority points are in addition to any points the 
applicant earns under the selection criteria described elsewhere in 
this notice (See V. Application Review Information). In order to 
receive additional points under a competitive preference priority, 
an application must provide documentation supporting its claim that 
it meets each priority addressed.

    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2006 and any subsequent year in 
which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applicants from this

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competition, these priorities are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets these 
invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority 1: Development of Advanced Placement Courses 
in Critical Foreign Languages. The Secretary encourages applicants to 
develop, enhance, or expand advanced placement courses in the critical 
foreign languages of Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, and 
languages in the Indic, Iranian, and Turkic language families.
    Invitational Priority 2: Development of Advanced Placement Programs 
in Public Schools Identified for Improvement, Corrective Action, or 
Restructuring Under Title I, Part A of the ESEA. The Secretary 
encourages applicants to develop, enhance, or expand advanced placement 
programs in English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, or other 
core academic areas in schools with a high concentration of low-income 
students that have been identified for improvement, corrective action, 
or restructuring under Title I, Part A of the ESEA.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6535-6537.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative 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 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $15.3 million. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may 
make additional awards for FY 2007 from the list of unfunded applicants 
from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000--$1,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $611,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

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


    Note: In accordance with section 1703 of the ESEA, these 
estimates are based on the amount of funds the Secretary estimates 
will be available after the Department has awarded grants under the 
Advanced Placement Test Fee program, which is being announced 
separately under CFDA number 84.330B.

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants:
    (a) SEAs;
    (b) LEAs, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under 
State law; or
    (c) National nonprofit educational entities with expertise in 
advanced placement services.

    Note: In the case of an eligible entity that is an SEA, the SEA 
may use API grant funds to award subgrants to LEAs to enable those 
LEAs to carry out authorized activities that support the absolute 
priority for this competition.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching but does involve supplement-not-supplant funding 
provisions.
    Supplement-not-Supplant: Funds provided under this program must be 
used only to supplement, and not supplant, other non-Federal funds that 
are available to assist low-income individuals in paying advanced 
placement test fees or to expand access to advanced placement or pre-
advanced placement courses (20 U.S.C. 6536).
    3. Other: Definitions. The following definitions are taken from the 
API program authorizing statute in Title I, Part G of the ESEA (20 
U.S.C. 6537). They are repeated in this application notice for the 
convenience of the applicant.
    (a) The term advanced placement test means an advanced placement 
test administered by the College Board or approved by the Secretary.

    Note: The Department approves advanced placement tests 
administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization. As 
part of the grant application process, applicants may request 
approval of tests from other educational entities that provide 
comparable programs of rigorous academic courses and testing through 
which students may earn college credit.

    (b) The term high concentration of low-income students, used with 
respect to a school, means a school that serves a student population 40 
percent or more of whom are low-income individuals.
    (c) The term low-income individual means an individual who is 
determined by an SEA or LEA to be a child, ages 5 through 19, from a 
low-income family on the basis of data used by the Secretary to 
determine allocations under section 1124 of the ESEA, data on children 
eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the National School 
Lunch Act, data on children in families receiving assistance under Part 
A of Title IV of the Social Security Act, or data on children eligible 
to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program under Title 
XIX of the Social Security Act, or through an alternate method that 
combines or extrapolates from those data.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You may obtain an 
application package via Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center. To obtain a copy via Internet use the following address: http:/
/www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.
    To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write or call the following: 
Education Publications Center, 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 from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.330C.
    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 this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact).
    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.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: Applicants that plan to apply for 
funding under this program notice are encouraged to indicate an intent 
to apply via e-mail notification sent to the API program at 
advancedplacementprogram@ed.gov no later than March 17, 2006. 
Applicants that fail to supply this e-mail notification may still apply 
for funding under this notice.
    Page Limit for Project Narrative: The project narrative is where 
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria (i.e., within the 
context of the absolute priority) as well as the competitive preference 
priorities that reviewers use to evaluate your application. Applicants 
are strongly encouraged to limit the project narrative (text plus all 
figures, charts, tables, and diagrams) to the equivalent of no more 
than 25 pages, using the following standards:

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     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the project narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover 
sheet; the budget section, including the budget narrative 
justification; the assurances and certifications; the project abstract; 
the resumes; and the appendices.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: February 17, 
2006.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: March 17, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 18, 2006.
    Applications for grants under the API 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 by mail or hand delivery if you qualify 
for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer 
to section IV.6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
application requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 19, 2006.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 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 API program--CFDA Number 84.330C 
must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site at: 
https://www.grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download 
a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload 
and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the API program 
at: https://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.
    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 time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://eGrants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
https://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/assets/
GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.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 typically included on the Application for Federal 
Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. You 
must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a 
.DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. 
If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified 
above 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 an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.

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    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are prevented from electronically 
submitting your application on the application deadline date because of 
technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an 
extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business 
day to enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by 
hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the 
mailing instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you 
submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this 
notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an 
explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, 
along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We 
will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

    Note: Extensions referred to 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 deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system;

and

     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Madeline Baggett, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3C153, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 205-4921.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier), your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.330C), 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

or

By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.330C), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (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, or
    (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 84.330C), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the 
competition under which you are submitting your application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant 
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 and section 1705(f) of the ESEA. These selection 
criteria apply to the absolute priority and allowable activities only. 
The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The 
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses with the 
criterion. The maximum number of points an application may earn based 
on the competitive preference priorities and the selection criteria is 
119 points. The criteria are as follows:
    (a) Quality of the Project Design (30 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the extent to which the proposed project represents 
an exceptional approach for meeting the absolute priority established 
for this competition.
    (b) Quality of Project Services (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the

[[Page 8786]]

quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project. In 
determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of 
strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project 
participants who are members of groups that have been traditionally 
underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability. In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as 
measured against rigorous academic standards.
    (2) The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    (c) Quality of the Management Plan (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project. 
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate 
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
    (d) Quality of the Project Evaluation (30 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (2) The extent to which the evaluation meets the reporting 
requirements of section 1705(f)(1) of the ESEA.

    Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the project 
narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape the 
development of the project from the beginning of the grant period. 
The plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress toward 
specific project objectives and also outcome measures to assess the 
impact on teaching and learning or other important outcomes for 
project participants. More specifically, the plan should identify 
the individual or organization that has agreed to serve as evaluator 
for the project and describe the qualifications of that evaluator. 
The plan should describe the evaluation design, indicating: (1) What 
types of data will be collected; (2) when various types of data will 
be collected; (3) what methods will be used; (4) what instruments 
will be developed and when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) 
when reports of results and outcomes will be available; and (7) how 
the applicant will use the information collected through the 
evaluation to monitor progress of the funded project and to provide 
accountability information both about success at the initial site 
and about effective strategies for replication in other settings. 
Applicants are encouraged to devote an appropriate level of 
resources to project evaluation.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    Grant Administration: Applicants approved for funding under this 
competition may be required to attend an annual Grants Administration 
meeting. The cost of attending this one-to three-day meeting may be 
paid from API program grant funds or State or local resources.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that meets the reporting requirements in 
section 1705(f)(1) of the ESEA and provides the most current 
performance and financial expenditure information as specified by the 
Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. For specific requirements on grantee 
reporting, please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/
appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The Secretary has developed five 
performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the two 
Advanced Placement programs authorized under Title I, Part G of the 
ESEA. These measures are:
    (1) The number of advanced placement tests taken by low-income 
public school students nationally.
    (2) The number of advanced placement tests taken by Hispanic, 
Black, and Native American public school students nationally.
    (3) The number and percent of advanced placement tests passed by 
low-income public school students nationally.
    (4) The number of College Board and International Baccalaureate 
advanced placement tests taken in public high schools served by API 
grants, divided by the total number of juniors and seniors enrolled at 
such schools.
    (5) The cost per passage of an advanced placement test by a low-
income public school student (i.e., amount provided for AP test fees 
divided by the total number of tests passed by low-income students).

    Note: Measure number 4 is applicable to the API program and 
should be addressed within the project objectives and outcomes for 
the grant.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Madeline E. Baggett, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3C153, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Telephone number: (202) 260-2502 or by e-
mail: madeline.baggett@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this 
section.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-

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888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.


    Dated: February 14, 2006.
Henry L. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 06-1506 Filed 2-16-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P