Office of Vocational and Adult Education; Overview Information; Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program (NHCTEP); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, 36685-36693 [E7-13022]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 128 (Thursday, July 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36685-36693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-13022]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Vocational and Adult Education; Overview Information; 
Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program (NHCTEP); Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.259A.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: July 5, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 6, 2007.
    Eligible Applicants: (a) Community-based organizations primarily 
serving and representing Native Hawaiians. For purposes of NHCTEP, a 
community-based organization means a public or private nonprofit 
organization that provides career and technical education, or related 
services, to individuals in the Native Hawaiian community.
    (b) Any community-based organization may apply individually or as a 
part of a consortium with one or more eligible community-based 
organizations. (34 CFR 75.127)


    Note: An applicant must include documentation, including proof 
of its non-profit status in accordance with 34 CFR 75.51, in its 
application showing that it and, if applicable, consortium members 
are eligible according to the requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) 
of the Eligible Applicants section of this notice.


    Estimated Available Funds: $2,956,000 for the first 12 months of 
the 24-month project period. Funding for the second year is subject to 
the availability of funds and to a grantee meeting the requirements of 
34 CFR 75.253. FY 2006 funds will be used for new awards under this 
competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $295,600.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.


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


    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Native Hawaiian Career and Technical 
Education Program (NHCTEP) provides grants to eligible applicants to 
plan, conduct, and administer programs, or portions of programs, that 
are authorized by and consistent with the purposes of section 116 of 
the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Act) 
for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

Background Information

    For the convenience of applicants, we describe in this notice the 
major statutory changes made to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and 
Technical Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III), which was amended by the 
Act, that affect NHCTEP.

Statutory Changes Affecting NHCTEP

    (a) Community-based organizations. Under the previous authority for 
this program, section 116(h) of Perkins III, the Secretary awarded 
grants or entered into contracts with organizations primarily serving 
and representing Native Hawaiians that were recognized by the Governor 
of the State of Hawaii to plan, conduct, and administer programs, or 
portions thereof, authorized by and consistent with the provisions of 
Perkins III. Under the new program authority, in section 116(h) of the 
Act, the Secretary awards grants or enters into contracts with 
community-based organizations primarily serving and representing Native 
Hawaiians to plan, conduct, and administer programs, or portions 
thereof, that are authorized by and consistent with the provisions of 
section 116 of the Act for the benefit of Native Hawaiians. As a result 
of this change, the Secretary will be making multiple grant awards in 
FY 2007, rather than making a single award; FY 2007 awards will be made 
only to community based organizations; and the Governor of the State of 
Hawaii will not have a role in determining which community based 
organizations receive NHCTEP awards.
    (b) Purpose. In the Act, Congress has expanded and added elements 
to the statement of purpose, most significantly by stating that, among 
other statutory purposes, programs should build on the efforts of 
States and localities to develop challenging academic and technical 
standards and to assist students in meeting such standards, including 
in preparation for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations in 
emerging or established professions. (20 U.S.C. 2301(1)) Congress also 
has added to the statement of purpose the requirement that programs 
provide technical assistance that promotes leadership, initial 
preparation, and professional development at the State and local 
levels, and improves the quality of, career and technical education 
teachers, faculty, administrators, and counselors. (20 U.S.C. 2301(5)) 
Additionally, the Act's purpose section has been amended to include 
supporting partnerships among secondary schools, postsecondary 
institutions, baccalaureate degree-granting

[[Page 36686]]

institutions, area career and technical education schools, local 
workforce investment boards, business and industry, and intermediaries, 
as well as providing individuals with opportunities throughout their 
lives to develop, in conjunction with other education and training 
programs, the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United States 
competitive. (20 U.S.C. 2301(6) and (7))
    (c) Definitions. In the Act, Congress has amended the definitions 
of certain terms that affect NHCTEP. Most significantly, the term 
``career and technical education'' has replaced the term ``vocational 
and technical education'' throughout the Act. Thus, in this notice we 
use the term ``career and technical education.'' Moreover, under the 
new definition of career and technical education, the sequence of 
courses provided as part of a career and technical education program 
must provide students with coherent and rigorous content aligned with 
challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and 
skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current 
or emerging professions. (20 U.S.C. 2302(5)(A)(i)) Under section 8(e) 
of the Act, for secondary programs, ``coherent and rigorous content'' 
is determined in a manner consistent with section 1111(b)(1)(D) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). (20 
U.S.C. 2306a)
    (d) Special Populations. Paragraph (F) of the definition of 
``Special Populations'' in section 3(29) of the Act uses the term 
``individuals with limited English proficiency'' instead of the phrase 
``individuals with other barriers to educational achievement, including 
individuals with limited English proficiency'' that was used in Perkins 
III. (20 U.S.C. 2302(29)(F)) Although the Act no longer includes, 
within the definition of ``special populations,'' the phrase 
``individuals with other barriers to educational achievement,'' under 
section 324 of the Act, NHCTEP students with other barriers to 
educational achievement may receive assistance for tuition and fees, 
dependent care, transportation, books, and supplies that are necessary 
for a student to participate in a project funded under this program. 
(20 U.S.C. 2414(b))


    Note: Refer to the Direct assistance to students and Student 
stipends sections of this notice for guidance on providing financial 
assistance for tuition, dependent care, transportation, books, 
supplies, and stipends.

Authorized Programs, Services, and Activities

    (a) Authorized Programs. Under section 116(e) of the Act, 
educational programs, services, and activities funded under NHCTEP must 
support and help to improve career and technical education programs. 
(20 U.S.C. 2326(e)) This requirement, along with the statutory 
definition of career and technical education, aligns NHCTEP with other 
programs authorized under the Act that require grantees to offer a 
sequence of courses that provides individuals with coherent and 
rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and 
relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further 
education and careers in current or emerging professions. (20 U.S.C. 
2302(5)) Under section 116(h) of the Act, eligible community-based 
organizations receive NHCTEP grants to plan, conduct, and administer 
programs, or portions thereof, that are consistent with the purposes of 
section 116 of the Act, for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.
    Under this competition the Secretary awards grants to carry out 
projects that--
    (1) Provide organized educational activities offering a sequence of 
courses that--
    (i) Provide individuals with coherent and rigorous content aligned 
with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge 
and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in 
current or emerging professions;
    (ii) Provide technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized 
credential, a certificate, or an associate degree; and
    (iii) Include competency-based applied learning that contributes to 
the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving 
skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, 
and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of an 
industry, including entrepreneurship, of an individual.
    Projects may include prerequisite courses (other than remedial 
courses) that meet the definitional requirements of section 3(5)(A) of 
the Act. (20 U.S.C. 2302(5)(A)) In addition, at the secondary level, 
coherent and rigorous academic curriculum must be aligned with 
challenging academic content standards and student achievement 
standards in reading/language arts and mathematics that the State in 
which the applicant is located has established under the ESEA. Contacts 
for State NCLB programs may be found on the Internet at: https://
www.ed.gov/about/contacts/State/;
    (2) Develop new programs, services, or activities or improve or 
expand existing programs, services, or activities that are consistent 
with the purposes of the Act. In other words, the Department will 
support ``expansions'' or ``improvements'' that include, but are not 
necessarily limited to, the expansion of effective programs or 
practices; upgrading of activities, equipment, or materials; increasing 
staff capacity; adoption of new technology; modification of curriculum; 
or implementation of new policies to improve program effectiveness and 
outcomes; and
    (3) Funds a career and technical education program, service, or 
activity that--
    (i) Is a new program, service, or activity that was not provided by 
the applicant during the instructional term (a defined period, such as 
a semester, trimester, or quarter, within the academic year) that 
preceded the request for funding under NHCTEP;
    (ii) Will improve or expand an existing career and technical 
education program; or
    (iii) Inherently improves career and technical education.


    Note: A program, service, or activity ``inherently improves 
career and technical education'' if it--
    (a) Develops new career and technical education programs of 
study that will be approved by the appropriate accreditation agency;
    (b) Strengthens the rigor of the academic and career and 
technical components of funded programs;
    (c) Uses curriculum that is aligned with industry-recognized 
standards and will result in students attaining industry-recognized 
credentials, certificates, or degrees;
    (d) Integrates academics (other than remedial courses) with 
career and technical education programs through a coherent sequence 
of courses to ensure learning in the core academic and career and 
technical subjects;
    (e) Links career and technical education at the secondary level 
with career and technical education at the postsecondary level and 
facilitates students' pursuit of a baccalaureate degree;
    (f) Expands the scope, depth, and relevance of curriculum, 
especially content that provides students with a comprehensive 
understanding of all aspects of an industry and a variety of hands-
on, job-specific experiences; and
    (g) Offers--
    (1) Work-related experience, internships, cooperative education, 
school-based enterprises, entrepreneurship, community service 
learning, and job shadowing that are related to career and technical 
education programs;
    (2) Coaching/mentoring, support services, extra help for 
students after school, on the

[[Page 36687]]

weekends, and/or during the summers so they can meet higher 
standards;
    (3) Career guidance and academic counseling for students 
participating in career and technical education programs under 
NHCTEP;
    (4) Placement services for students who have successfully 
completed career and technical education programs and attained a 
technical skill proficiency that is aligned with industry-recognized 
standards;
    (5) Professional development programs for teachers, counselors, 
and administrators;
    (6) Strong partnerships among grantees and local educational 
agencies, postsecondary institutions, community leaders, adult 
education providers, and, as appropriate, other entities, such as 
employers, labor organizations, parents, and local partnerships, to 
enable students to achieve State academic standards and career and 
technical skills;
    (7) The use of student assessment and evaluation data to improve 
continually instruction and staff development; or
    (8) Research, development, demonstration, dissemination, 
evaluation and assessment, capacity-building, and technical 
assistance related to career and technical education programs.


    (b) Student stipends.
    (1) A portion of an award under this program may be used to provide 
stipends to help students meet the costs of participation in a NHCTEP 
project.
    (2) To be eligible for a stipend a student must--
    (i) Be enrolled in a career and technical education project funded 
under this program;
    (ii) Be in regular attendance in a NHCTEP project and meet the 
training institution's attendance requirement;
    (iii) Maintain satisfactory progress in his or her program of study 
according to the training institution's published standards for 
satisfactory progress; and
    (iv) Have an acute economic need that--
    (A) Prevents participation in a project funded under this program 
without a stipend; and
    (B) Cannot be met through a work-study program.
    (3) The amount of a stipend is the greater of either the minimum 
hourly wage prescribed by State or local law, or the minimum hourly 
wage established under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
    (4) A grantee may award a stipend only if the stipend combined with 
other resources the student receives does not exceed the student's 
financial need. A student's financial need is the difference between 
the student's cost of attendance and the financial aid or other 
resources available to defray the student's cost of attending a NHCTEP 
project.
    (5) To calculate the amount of a student's stipend, a grantee would 
multiply the number of hours a student actually attends career and 
technical education instruction by the amount of the minimum hourly 
wage that is prescribed by State or local law or by the minimum hourly 
wage that is established under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
    Example: If a grantee uses the Fair Labor Standards Act minimum 
hourly wage of $5.15 and a student attends classes for 20 hours a 
week, the student's stipend would be $103 for the week during which 
the student attends classes ($5.15 x 20 = $103).


    Note: Grantees must maintain records that fully support their 
decisions to award stipends to students, as well as the amounts that 
are paid, such as proof of a student's enrollment in the NHCTEP 
project, stipend applications, timesheets showing the number of 
hours of attendance that are confirmed in writing by an instructor, 
student financial status information, and evidence that a student 
could not participate in the NHCTEP project without a stipend. (20 
U.S.C. 1232f; 34 CFR 75.700-75.702; 75.730; and 75.731)


    (6) An eligible student may earn a stipend when taking a course for 
the first time, although a stipend may not be provided to a student who 
has already taken, completed, and had the opportunity to benefit from a 
course and is merely repeating the course.
    (7) An applicant must include, in its application, the procedure it 
intends to use to determine student eligibility for stipends and 
stipend amounts, and its oversight procedures for the awarding and 
payment of stipends.
    (c) Direct assistance to students. A grantee may provide direct 
assistance to a student only if the following conditions are met:
    (1) The recipient of the direct assistance is an individual who is 
a member of a special population and who is participating in a NHCTEP 
project.
    (2) The direct assistance is needed to address barriers to the 
individual's successful participation in a NHCTEP project.
    (3) The direct assistance is part of a broader, more generally 
focused program or activity to address the needs of an individual who 
is a member of a special population.


    Note: Direct assistance to individuals who are members of 
special populations is not, by itself, a ``program or activity for 
special populations.''


    (4) The grant funds used for direct assistance must be expended to 
supplement, and not supplant, assistance that is otherwise available 
from non-Federal sources. For example, generally, a community-based 
organization could not use NHCTEP funds to provide child care for 
single parents if non-Federal funds previously were made available for 
this purpose, or if non-Federal funds are used to provide child care 
services for single parents participating in non-career and technical 
education programs and these services otherwise would have been 
available to career and technical education students in the absence of 
NHCTEP funds.
    (5) In determining how much of the NHCTEP grant funds it will use 
for direct assistance to an eligible student, a grantee considers 
whether the specific services to be provided are a reasonable and 
necessary cost of providing career and technical education programs for 
special populations. However, the Secretary does not envision a 
circumstance in which it would be a reasonable and necessary 
expenditure of NHCTEP project funds for a grantee to utilize a majority 
of a project's budget to pay direct assistance to students, in lieu of 
providing the students served by the project with career and technical 
education.

Additional Program Requirements

    (a) Career and technical education agreement. Any applicant that is 
not proposing to provide career and technical education directly to 
Native Hawaiian students and proposes instead to pay one or more 
qualified educational entities to provide such career and technical 
education to Native Hawaiian students must include with its application 
a written career and technical education agreement between the 
applicant and the educational entity. The written agreement must 
describe the commitment between the applicant and the educational 
entity and must include, at a minimum, a statement of the 
responsibilities of the applicant and the entity. The agreement must be 
signed by the appropriate individuals on behalf of each party, such as 
the authorizing official or administrative head of the applicant Native 
Hawaiian community-based organization.
    (b) Limitation on services. Section 315 of the Act prohibits the 
use of funds received under the Act to provide career and technical 
education programs to students prior to the seventh grade.
    (c) Supplement-Not-Supplant. In accordance with section 311(a) of 
the Act, funds under this program may not be used to supplant non-
Federal funds used to carry out career and technical education 
activities and tech prep program activities. Furthermore, the 
prohibition against supplanting also means that grantees are required 
to use their negotiated restricted indirect cost rates under this 
program. (34 CFR 75.563).

[[Page 36688]]

    The Secretary cautions applicants not to plan to use funds under 
NHCTEP to replace otherwise available non-Federal funding for ``direct 
assistance to students,'' (as defined elsewhere in this notice) and 
family assistance programs. For example, NHCTEP funds must not be used 
to supplant non-Federal funds to pay the costs of students' tuition, 
dependent care, transportation, books, supplies, and other costs 
associated with participation in a career and technical education 
program.
    Further, funds under NHCTEP may not be used to replace Federal 
student financial aid. The Secretary wishes to highlight that the Act 
does not authorize the Secretary to fund projects that serve primarily 
as entities through which students may apply for and receive tuition 
and other financial assistance.

Evaluation Requirements

    To ensure the high quality of NHCTEP projects and the achievement 
of the goals and purposes of section 116(h) of the Act, each grantee 
must budget for and conduct an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness 
of its program. An independent evaluator must conduct the evaluation. 
The evaluation must--
    (a) Be appropriate for the project and be both formative and 
summative in nature; and
    (b) Include--
    (1) Collection and reporting of the performance measures for NHCTEP 
that are identified in the Performance Measures section of this notice; 
and
    (2) Qualitative and quantifiable data with respect to--
    (i) Academic and career and technical competencies demonstrated by 
the participants and the number and kinds of academic and work 
credentials acquired by individuals, including participation in 
programs providing skill proficiency assessments, industry 
certifications, or training at the associate degree level that is 
articulated with an advanced degree option;
    (ii) Enrollment, completion, and placement of participants by 
gender, for each occupation for which training was provided;
    (iii) Job or work skill attainment or enhancement, including 
participation in apprenticeship and work-based learning programs, and 
student progress in achieving technical skill proficiencies necessary 
to obtain employment in the field for which the student has been 
prepared, including attainment or enhancement of technical skills in 
the industry the student is preparing to enter;
    (iv) Activities during the formative stages of the project, to help 
guide and improve the project, as well as a summative evaluation that 
includes recommendations for disseminating information on project 
activities and results;
    (v) The number and percentage of students who obtained industry-
recognized credentials, certificates, or degrees;
    (vi) The outcomes of students' technical assessments, by type and 
scores, if available;
    (vii) The rates of attainment of a proficiency credential or 
certificate, in conjunction with a secondary school diploma;
    (viii) The effectiveness of the project, including a comparison 
between the intended and observed results and a demonstration of a 
clear link between the observed results and the specific treatment 
given to project participants;
    (ix) The extent to which information about or resulting from the 
project was disseminated at other sites, such as through the grantee's 
development and use of guides or manuals that provide step-by-step 
directions for practitioners to follow when initiating similar efforts; 
and
    (x) The impact of the project, e.g., follow-up data on students' 
employment, sustained employment, promotions, further and continuing 
education or training, or the impact the project had on Native Hawaiian 
economic development or career and technical education activities.

Definitions

    Acute economic need means an income that is at or below the 
national poverty level according to the latest available data from the 
U.S. Department of Commerce or the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services Poverty Guidelines.
    Career and technical education means organized educational 
activities that--
    (a) Offer a sequence of courses that--
    (1) Provides individuals with coherent and rigorous content aligned 
with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge 
and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in 
current or emerging professions;
    (2) Provides technical skills proficiency, an industry-recognized 
credential, a certificate, or an associate degree; and
    (3) May include prerequisite courses (other than remedial courses) 
that meet the requirements of this definition; and
    (b) Include competency-based applied learning that contributes to 
the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving 
skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, 
and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of an 
industry, including entrepreneurship, of an individual. (20 U.S.C. 
2302(5))
    Coherent sequence of courses means a series of courses in which 
career and academic education is integrated, and that directly relates 
to, and leads to, both academic and occupational competencies. The term 
includes competency-based education and academic education, and adult 
training or retraining, including sequential units encompassed within a 
single adult retraining course, that otherwise meets the requirements 
of this definition.
    Direct assistance to students means tuition, dependent care, 
transportation, books, and supplies that are necessary for a student to 
participate in a project funded under this program.
    Individual with a disability means an individual with any 
disability (as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)). (20 U.S.C. 2302(17))
    Individual with limited English proficiency means a secondary 
school student, an adult, or an out-of-school youth, who has limited 
ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English 
language, and--
    (a) Whose native language is a language other than English; or
    (b) Who lives in a family or community environment in which a 
language other than English is the dominant language. (20 U.S.C. 
2302(16))
    Native Hawaiian means any individual any of whose ancestors were 
natives, prior to 1778, of the area that now comprises the State of 
Hawaii. (20 U.S.C. 2326(a)(4))
    Non-traditional fields means occupations or fields of work, 
including careers in computer science, technology, and other current 
and emerging high-skill occupations, for which individuals from one 
gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in 
each such occupation or field of work. (20 U.S.C. 2302(20))
    Special populations means--
    (a) Individuals with disabilities;
    (b) Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including 
foster children;
    (c) Individuals preparing for non-traditional fields;
    (d) Single parents, including single pregnant women;
    (e) Displaced homemakers; and
    (f) Individuals with limited English proficiency. (20 U.S.C. 
2302(29))
    Stipend means a subsistence allowance for a student that is 
necessary for the student to participate in a project funded under this 
program.

[[Page 36689]]

    Support services means services related to curriculum modification, 
equipment modification, classroom modification, supportive personnel, 
and instructional aids and devices. (20 U.S.C. 2302(31))
    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 non-statutory requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria. However, section 437(d)(1) of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)), allows 
the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements, non-statutory 
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria governing the first 
grant competition under a new or substantially revised program 
authority. This is the first grant competition for this program under 
section 116 of the Act and, therefore, qualifies for this exemption. In 
order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forgo 
public comment on the non-statutory requirements, definitions, and 
selection criteria under the authority of section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. 
These non-statutory requirements, definitions, and selection criteria 
will apply to the FY 2006 competition only.
    Program Authority: The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 
Education Act of 2006 (Act), Public Law 109-270, 20 U.S.C. 2301, et 
seq., in particular, section 116(a)-(h). (20 U.S.C. 2326(a)-(h))
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 81, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,956,000 for the first 12 months of 
the 24-month project period. Funding for the second year is subject to 
the availability of funds and to a grantee meeting the requirements of 
34 CFR 75.253.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$500,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $295,600.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 10.


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


    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: (a) Community-based organizations primarily 
serving and representing Native Hawaiians. For purposes of NHCTEP, a 
community-based organization means a public or private nonprofit 
organization that provides career and technical education, or related 
services, to individuals in the Native Hawaiian community.
    (b) Any community-based organization may apply individually or as a 
part of a consortium with one or more eligible community-based 
organizations. (34 CFR 75.127)


    Note: An applicant must include documentation, including proof 
of its non-profit status in accordance with 34 CFR 75.51, in its 
application showing that it and, if applicable, consortium members 
are eligible according to the requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) 
of the Eligible Applicants section of this notice.


    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost 
sharing or matching requirements, but does involve supplement-not-
supplant funding provisions. (See the Supplement-Not-Supplant section 
of this notice.)

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Nancy Essey, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 11070, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-7241. Telephone: (202) 245-7789. 
Fax: (202) 245-7170 or by e-mail: nancy.essey@ed.gov.
    You may also obtain an application package via the Internet from 
the following address: https://www.ed.gov/GrantApps/.
    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 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 in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit are in the application package for this competition. Page 
Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where 
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use 
to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the equivalent 
of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side 
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
r[eacute]sum[eacute]s, the bibliography, the letters of support, or 
documentation of the applicant's eligibility. However, you must include 
all of the application narrative in Part III.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that--
     Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
     Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other 
standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: July 5, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 6, 2007.
    Applications for grants under this program may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restriction in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements 
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted 
electronically or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. 
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. 
NHCTEP, CFDA Number 84.259A, is included in this project. We request 
your participation in Grants.gov.

[[Page 36690]]

    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Governmentwide 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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for NHCTEP at 
https://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application 
package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the 
CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.259, not 
84.259A).
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.). These steps include 
(1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
submit all documents electronically, including all information you 
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs 
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note 
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If 
you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in 
this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review 
that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support 
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
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. We will 
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.


    Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply 
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the 
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed 
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before 
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem 
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.


    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two

[[Page 36691]]

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 
84.259A), 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 
84.259A), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.


    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.


    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) 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 
84.259A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays, and Federal holidays.


    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    (1) Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
as follows. The maximum score for each criterion and for each factor is 
indicated in parentheses. The maximum total score for these selection 
criteria is 110 points.
    (a) Quality of the project design. (35 points) In determining the 
quality of the design of the proposed project, we consider the 
following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to and will successfully address the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs (as evidenced by data such as 
local labor market demand, occupational trends, and surveys). (5 
points)
    (2) The extent to which goals, objectives, and outcomes are clearly 
specified and measurable (for example, we look for clear descriptions 
of proposed student career and technical education activities; 
recruitment and retention strategies; expected enrollments, 
completions, and student placements in jobs, military specialties, and 
continuing education/training opportunities; the number of teachers, 
counselors, and administrators to be trained; and identification of 
requirements for each program of study to be provided under the 
project, including related training areas and a description of 
performance outcomes). (10 points)
    (3) The extent to which the proposed project will establish 
linkages with other appropriate agencies (e.g. community, State, and 
other Federal resources) and organizations providing services to the 
target population in order to improve services to students and 
strengthen the proposed project. (5 points)
    (4) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will create and offer activities that focus on improving the 
skills necessary to gain employment in high-skill, high-wage, and high-
demand occupations, in emerging fields, or in a specific career field. 
(5 points)
    (5) The extent to which the services proposed in the project will 
create opportunities for students to acquire skills identified by the 
State at the secondary level or by industry-recognized career and 
technical education programs for licensure, degree, certification, or 
as required by a career or profession. (5 points)
    (6) The extent to which the project will provide opportunities for 
high-quality training or professional development services that-- (5 
points)
    (i) Are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to 
improvements in practice among instructional personnel;
    (ii) Will improve and increase instructional personnel's knowledge 
and skills to help students meet challenging and rigorous academic and 
career and technical skill proficiencies;
    (iii) Will advance instructional personnel's understanding of 
effective instructional strategies that are supported by 
scientifically-based research; and
    (iv) Include professional development plans that clearly address 
ways in which learning gaps will be addressed and how continuous review 
of performance will be conducted to identify training needs. (5 points)
    (b) Quality of the management plan. (15 points) In determining the 
quality of the management plan for the proposed project, we consider 
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 the milestones and performance 
standards for accomplishing project tasks. (5 points)
    (2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel, including instructors, are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project. (5 points)
    (3) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project. (5 points)
    (c) Quality of project personnel. (25 points) In determining the 
quality of project personnel, we consider the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. (5 points)
    (2) The qualifications, including relevant training, expertise, and 
experience, of the project director. (5 points)
    (3) The qualifications, including relevant training, expertise, and

[[Page 36692]]

experience, of key project personnel, especially the extent to which 
the project will use instructors who are certified to teach in the 
field in which they will provide instruction. (10 points)
    (4) The qualifications, including training, expertise, and 
experience, of project consultants. (5 points)
    (d) Adequacy of resources. (15 points) In determining the adequacy 
of resources for the proposed project, we consider the following 
factors:
    (1) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization(s) and 
the entities to be served, including the relevance and demonstrated 
commitment (e.g., articulation agreements, memoranda of understanding, 
letters of support, or commitments to employ project participants) of 
the applicant, local employers, or entities to be served by the 
project. (5 points)
    (2) The extent to which the budget is adequate and costs are 
reasonable in relation to the objectives and design of the proposed 
project. (5 points)
    (3) The potential for continued support of the project after 
Federal funding ends. (5 points)
    (e) Quality of the project evaluation. (20 points) In determining 
the quality of the evaluation, we consider the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation proposed by the 
grantee are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, 
objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project. (5 points)
    (2) 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 the performance measures discussed 
elsewhere in this notice and will produce quantitative and qualitative 
data, to the extent possible. (5 points)
    (3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and continuous improvement toward achieving 
intended outcomes. (5 points)
    (4) The quality of the proposed evaluation to be conducted by an 
external evaluator with the necessary background and technical 
expertise to carry out the evaluation. (5 points)

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.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/
appforms.html.
    We strongly encourage grantees to submit their reports through e-
Reports, the Department's electronic performance reporting initiative.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Federal departments and agencies must 
clearly describe the goals and objectives of their programs, identify 
resources and actions needed to accomplish these goals and objectives, 
develop a means of measuring progress made, and regularly report on 
their achievement. One important source of program information on 
successes and lessons learned is the project evaluation conducted under 
individual grants. The Department has developed the following core 
factors and measures for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the 
Native Hawaiian Career and Technical Education Program and projects 
supported under this competition. Consequently, we advise an applicant 
for a grant under this program to give careful consideration to these 
core factors and measures.
    (a) Number of Projects. The number of secondary, postsecondary, and 
adult programs that--
    (1) Apply industry-recognized skill standards so students can earn 
skill certificates in those projects; and
    (2) Offer skill competencies, related assessments, and industry-
recognized skill certificates in secondary and postsecondary 
institutions.
    (b) Secondary Projects. The percentage of participating secondary 
career and technical education students who--
    (1) Meet or exceed proficiency standards in reading/language arts 
and mathematics;
    (2) Attain a secondary school diploma or its State-recognized 
equivalent, or a proficiency credential in conjunction with a secondary 
school diploma; and
    (3) Attain career and technical education skill proficiencies 
aligned with industry-recognized standards; and
    (4) Are placed in postsecondary education, advanced training, 
military service, or employment in high-skill, high-wage, and high-
demand occupations or in current or emerging occupations.
    (c) Postsecondary Projects. The percentage of participating 
postsecondary students in career and technical education programs who--
    (1) Receive postsecondary degrees, certificates, or credentials;
    (2) Attain career and technical education skill proficiencies 
aligned with industry-recognized standards;
    (3) Receive industry-recognized credentials, certificates, or 
degrees;
    (4) Are retained in postsecondary education or transfer to a 
baccalaureate degree program; and
    (5) Are placed in military service or apprenticeship programs, or 
are placed in employment, receive an employment promotion, or retain 
employment.
    (d) Adult Projects. The percentage of participating adult career 
and technical education students who--
    (1) Enroll in a postsecondary education or training program;
    (2) Attain career and technical education skill proficiencies 
aligned with industry-recognized standards;
    (3) Receive industry-recognized credentials or certificates, or 
degrees; and
    (4) Are placed in employment, receive an employment promotion, or 
retain employment.


    Note: All grantees will be expected to submit an annual 
performance report addressing these performance measures, to the 
extent feasible and to the extent that they apply to each grantee's 
NHCTEP project.

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nancy Essey, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 11070, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-7241. Telephone: (202) 245 -7789, or by e-mail: 
nancy.essey@ed.gov.

[[Page 36693]]

    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 notice in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the program contact persons listed in this 
section.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this notice, as 
well as all other Department of Education documents 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 1-888-293-6498; 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 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/
index.html.


    Dated: June 29, 2007.
Troy R. Justesen,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
 [FR Doc. E7-13022 Filed 7-3-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P