Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 1956-1960 [E8-217]

Download as PDF 1956 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.351C. Dates: Applications Available: January 10, 2008. Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: February 11, 2008. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 29, 2008. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 29, 2008. Full Text of Announcement yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES2 I. Funding Opportunity Description Purpose of Program: This program supports the implementation of highquality professional development model programs in music, dance, drama, media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts, for arts educators and other instructional staff of kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) students in high-poverty schools. Grants are intended to strengthen the capacity of teachers and schools to deliver standards-based arts education programs and to raise student academic achievement in the arts and ensure that all students meet challenging State academic content standards. Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority, requirements, and definitions for this program (NFP), published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2005 (70 FR 16242). Absolute Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority. This priority is: This priority supports professional development programs for K–12 arts educators and other instructional staff that use innovative instructional methods and current knowledge from education research and focus on— (1) The development, enhancement, or expansion of standards-based arts education programs; or (2) The integration of standards-based arts instruction with other core academic area content. In order to meet this priority, an applicant must demonstrate that the project for which it seeks funding is linked to State and national standards intended to enable all students to meet VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:32 Jan 09, 2008 Jkt 214001 challenging expectations, and to improve student and school performance. Note: National standards refers to the arts standards developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Association. The standards outline what students should know and be able to do in the arts. These are not Department standards. Application Requirement: To be eligible for PDAE Program funds, applicants must propose to carry out professional development programs for arts educators and other instructional staff of K–12 low-income children and youth by implementing projects in schools in which 50 percent or more of the children enrolled are from lowincome families (based on the poverty criteria in Title I, section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA)). (This requirement is from the NFP (see 70 FR 16242–16243)). Note: Applicants will be required to provide evidence that they are serving such schools. Definitions: As used in this notice— Arts includes music, dance, theater, media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts. Arts educator means a teacher who works in music, dance, theater, media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts. Integrate means to strengthen (i) the use of high-quality arts instruction within other academic content areas, and (ii) the place of the arts as a core academic subject in the school curriculum. Local educational agency (LEA) means— (a) A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control of or direction of, or to perform service functions for, public elementary or secondary schools in— (1) A city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State; or (2) Such combination of school districts or counties a State recognizes as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools; or (b) Any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school. (c) As used in 34 CFR parts 400, 408, 525, 526 and 527 (vocational education programs), the term also includes any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a vocational education program. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 Note: The definitions for art, art educator and integrate are from the NFP (see 70 FR 16242, 16244). The definition for LEA is from 34 CFR 77.1. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7271. Applicable Regulations: (a) 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. (b) The notice of final priority, requirements, and definitions for this program, published in the Federal Register on March 30, 2005 (70 FR 16242). Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes. Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only. II. Award Information Type of Award: Discretionary grants. Estimated Available Funds: $6,275,939. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2009 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition. Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000–$350,000 for the first year of the project. Funding for the second and third years is subject to the availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards (see 34 CFR 75.253). Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000. Estimated Number of Awards: 30. Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. Project Period: Up to 36 months. III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants: An LEA, which may be a charter school that is considered an LEA under State law and regulations, that is acting on behalf of an individual school or schools that meets the poverty criterion with respect to children from low-income families that is specified in the application requirement section elsewhere in this notice, and that must work in partnership with one or more of the following— • A State or local non-profit or governmental arts organization; • A State educational agency (SEA) or regional educational service agency; • An institution of higher education; or • A public or private agency, institution, or organization, including a museum, an arts education association, a library, a theater, or a community- or faith-based organization. E:\FR\FM\10JAN2.SGM 10JAN2 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / Notices yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES2 2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching. b. Supplement—Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements. Under section 5551(f)(2) of the ESEA, the Secretary requires that assistance provided under this program be used only to supplement, and not to supplant, any other assistance or funds made available from non-Federal sources for the activities assisted under the program. This restriction also has the effect of allowing projects to recover indirect costs only on the basis of a restricted indirect cost rate, according to the requirements in 34 CFR 75.563 and 34 CFR 76.564 through 76.569. As soon as they decide to apply, applicants are urged to contact the ED Indirect Cost Group at (202) 377–3833 for guidance about obtaining a restricted indirect cost rate to use on the Budget Information form (ED Form 524) included with the application package. 3. Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the ESEA, the Secretary requires that each entity funded under this program coordinate, to the extent practicable, each project or program carried out through its grant with appropriate activities of public or private cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including museums, arts education associations, libraries, and theaters. IV. Application and Submission Information 1. Address To Request Application Package: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794–1398. Telephone, toll free: 1– 877–433–7827. Fax: (301) 470–1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1–877– 576–7734. You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/ edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.351C. Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice. 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. VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:32 Jan 09, 2008 Jkt 214001 Notice of Intent To Apply: The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending a short e-mail message indicating the applicant’s intent to submit an application for funding. The e-mail need not include information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant’s intent to submit it. The email notification should be sent to Isadora Binder at Isadora.Binder@ed.gov. Applicants that fail to provide this email notification may still apply for funding. Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the application (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 25 pages, using the following standards: • A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. • Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. • Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). • Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. 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 resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative section (Part III). 3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: January 10, 2008. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 11, 2008. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 29, 2008. Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 1957 (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements in this notice. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual’s application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 29, 2008. 4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this program. 5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in 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 PDAE Program, CFDA Number 84.351C, must be submitted electronically using 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 email an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding E:\FR\FM\10JAN2.SGM 10JAN2 yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES2 1958 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / Notices 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 PDAE 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 (e.g., search for 84.351, not 84.351C). Please note the following: • When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation. • Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. • The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov. • You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this program to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov 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 VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:32 Jan 09, 2008 Jkt 214001 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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format. • You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction 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). • 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 EDspecified identifying number unique to your application). PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 • We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date. Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it. If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted. Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system. Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because— • You do not have access to the Internet; or • You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system; and • No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day E:\FR\FM\10JAN2.SGM 10JAN2 yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES2 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / Notices 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: Isadora Binder, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W246A, Washington, DC 20202–5950. Fax: (202) 502–5630. 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 84.351C), 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 84.351C), 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. VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:32 Jan 09, 2008 Jkt 214001 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 84.351C), 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 from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors that the reviewers will consider in determining how well an application meets the criterion. A note following a selection criterion is guidance to help applicants in preparing their applications, and is not required by statute or regulations. The criteria are as follows: (1) Significance (20 points). The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project by considering the following factors: PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 1959 (a) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the needs of the target population. (b) The potential replicability of the proposed project or strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation in a variety of settings. (2) Quality of the project design (20 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project by considering the following factors: (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (b) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance. (c) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support rigorous academic standards for students. (3) Quality of project services (20 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project by considering the following factors: (a) The quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. (b) 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) 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. (4) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed project by considering the following factors: (a) 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. (b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel. E:\FR\FM\10JAN2.SGM 10JAN2 1960 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / Notices (c) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of project consultants or subcontractors. (5) Quality of the management plan (15 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project by considering 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. (6) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points). The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project by considering the following factors: (a) 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. (b) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other settings. yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES2 Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant period. The evaluation 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 these instruments will be developed; (5) how 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. VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:32 Jan 09, 2008 Jkt 214001 2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in selecting an application for an award are as follows: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3)(ii) and (iii), the Secretary may consider an applicant’s past performance and compliance history when evaluating applications and in making funding decisions. over the course of the school year, which may include the summer, and that includes a sufficient number of hours of participation to make a significant difference in teaching and learning. Successful applicants will be expected to include professional development data in their annual performance reports to the Department. 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 Notice (GAN). We may notify you informally, also. If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify administrative and national policy requirements in the application package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice. We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also incorporates your approved application as part of your binding commitments under the grant. 3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 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. 4. Performance Measures: We have established one performance measure for the PDAE Program. This measure is: The percentage of teachers participating in the PDAE Program who receive professional development that is sustained and intensive. In implementing this measure, the Department will collect from grantees data on the extent to which they provide professional development that occurs VII. Agency Contacts PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4703 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Isadora Binder or Adrienne Dukes, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W246A, Washington, DC 20202–4260 or by email: PDAE@ed.gov. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. VIII. Other Information Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice. Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 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 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/ index.html. Dated: January 4, 2008. Morgan S. Brown, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement. [FR Doc. E8–217 Filed 1–9–08; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P E:\FR\FM\10JAN2.SGM 10JAN2

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[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 7 (Thursday, January 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1956-1960]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-217]



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Part III





Department of Education





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Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) Program; Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 7 / Thursday, January 10, 2008 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; 
Professional Development for Arts Educators (PDAE) Program; Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.351C.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: January 10, 2008.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: February 11, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 29, 2008.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 29, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program supports the implementation of 
high-quality professional development model programs in music, dance, 
drama, media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts, for arts 
educators and other instructional staff of kindergarten through grade 
12 (K-12) students in high-poverty schools. Grants are intended to 
strengthen the capacity of teachers and schools to deliver standards-
based arts education programs and to raise student academic achievement 
in the arts and ensure that all students meet challenging State 
academic content standards.
    Priority: This priority is from the notice of final priority, 
requirements, and definitions for this program (NFP), published in the 
Federal Register on March 30, 2005 (70 FR 16242).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2008 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, 
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we 
consider only applications that meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    This priority supports professional development programs for K-12 
arts educators and other instructional staff that use innovative 
instructional methods and current knowledge from education research and 
focus on--
    (1) The development, enhancement, or expansion of standards-based 
arts education programs; or
    (2) The integration of standards-based arts instruction with other 
core academic area content.
    In order to meet this priority, an applicant must demonstrate that 
the project for which it seeks funding is linked to State and national 
standards intended to enable all students to meet challenging 
expectations, and to improve student and school performance.

    Note: National standards refers to the arts standards developed 
by the Consortium of National Arts Education Association. The 
standards outline what students should know and be able to do in the 
arts. These are not Department standards.

    Application Requirement: To be eligible for PDAE Program funds, 
applicants must propose to carry out professional development programs 
for arts educators and other instructional staff of K-12 low-income 
children and youth by implementing projects in schools in which 50 
percent or more of the children enrolled are from low-income families 
(based on the poverty criteria in Title I, section 1113(a)(5) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No 
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (ESEA)). (This requirement is from the 
NFP (see 70 FR 16242-16243)).

    Note: Applicants will be required to provide evidence that they 
are serving such schools.

    Definitions: As used in this notice--
    Arts includes music, dance, theater, media arts, or visual arts, 
including folk arts.
    Arts educator means a teacher who works in music, dance, theater, 
media arts, or visual arts, including folk arts.
    Integrate means to strengthen (i) the use of high-quality arts 
instruction within other academic content areas, and (ii) the place of 
the arts as a core academic subject in the school curriculum.
    Local educational agency (LEA) means--
    (a) A public board of education or other public authority legally 
constituted within a State for either administrative control of or 
direction of, or to perform service functions for, public elementary or 
secondary schools in--
    (1) A city, county, township, school district, or other political 
subdivision of a State; or
    (2) Such combination of school districts or counties a State 
recognizes as an administrative agency for its public elementary or 
secondary schools; or
    (b) Any other public institution or agency that has administrative 
control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school.
    (c) As used in 34 CFR parts 400, 408, 525, 526 and 527 (vocational 
education programs), the term also includes any other public 
institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of 
a vocational education program.

    Note: The definitions for art, art educator and integrate are 
from the NFP (see 70 FR 16242, 16244). The definition for LEA is 
from 34 CFR 77.1.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7271.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) 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. (b) The notice of final priority, 
requirements, and definitions for this program, published in the 
Federal Register on March 30, 2005 (70 FR 16242).

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


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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $6,275,939.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2009 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$350,000 for the first year of 
the project. Funding for the second and third years is subject to the 
availability of funds and the approval of continuation awards (see 34 
CFR 75.253).
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 30.

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

    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An LEA, which may be a charter school that 
is considered an LEA under State law and regulations, that is acting on 
behalf of an individual school or schools that meets the poverty 
criterion with respect to children from low-income families that is 
specified in the application requirement section elsewhere in this 
notice, and that must work in partnership with one or more of the 
following--
     A State or local non-profit or governmental arts 
organization;
     A State educational agency (SEA) or regional educational 
service agency;
     An institution of higher education; or
     A public or private agency, institution, or organization, 
including a museum, an arts education association, a library, a 
theater, or a community- or faith-based organization.

[[Page 1957]]

    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    b. Supplement--Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Under section 5551(f)(2) of the ESEA, 
the Secretary requires that assistance provided under this program be 
used only to supplement, and not to supplant, any other assistance or 
funds made available from non-Federal sources for the activities 
assisted under the program. This restriction also has the effect of 
allowing projects to recover indirect costs only on the basis of a 
restricted indirect cost rate, according to the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.563 and 34 CFR 76.564 through 76.569. As soon as they decide to 
apply, applicants are urged to contact the ED Indirect Cost Group at 
(202) 377-3833 for guidance about obtaining a restricted indirect cost 
rate to use on the Budget Information form (ED Form 524) included with 
the application package.
    3. Coordination Requirement: Under section 5551(f)(1) of the ESEA, 
the Secretary requires that each entity funded under this program 
coordinate, to the extent practicable, each project or program carried 
out through its grant with appropriate activities of public or private 
cultural agencies, institutions, and organizations, including museums, 
arts education associations, libraries, and theaters.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll 
free: 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: https://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.351C.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team 
listed under Alternative Format in section VIII of this notice.
    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: The Department will be able to develop a 
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a 
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for 
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly 
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending 
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail need not include information 
regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's 
intent to submit it. The e-mail notification should be sent to Isadora 
Binder at Isadora.Binder@ed.gov.
    Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still 
apply for funding.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit the 
application (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 25 pages, 
using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    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 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page 
limit does apply to all of the application narrative section (Part 
III).
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: January 10, 2008.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: February 11, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 29, 2008.
    Applications for grants under this program must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 29, 2008.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section in 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 PDAE Program, CFDA Number 
84.351C, must be submitted electronically using 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.
    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

[[Page 1958]]

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 PDAE 
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 (e.g., search for 84.351, 
not 84.351C).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we 
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov 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 qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the 
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have 
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     You must attach any narrative sections of your application 
as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable 
Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file 
types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, 
we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues 
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting 
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov 
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a 
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice and 
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will 
accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem 
occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your 
ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after 
a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

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

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day

[[Page 1959]]

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: Isadora Binder, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W246A, 
Washington, DC 20202-5950.
    Fax: (202) 502-5630.
    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 
84.351C), 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 
84.351C), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

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

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
    U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, 
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.351C), 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 
from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all of the selection criteria 
is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in 
parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors that the 
reviewers will consider in determining how well an application meets 
the criterion. A note following a selection criterion is guidance to 
help applicants in preparing their applications, and is not required by 
statute or regulations. The criteria are as follows:
    (1) Significance (20 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project by considering the following 
factors:
    (a) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to build 
local capacity to provide, improve, or expand services that address the 
needs of the target population.
    (b) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.
    (2) Quality of the project design (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project by 
considering the following factors:
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build 
capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of 
Federal financial assistance.
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support 
rigorous academic standards for students.
    (3) Quality of project services (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed 
project by considering the following factors:
    (a) The quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal 
access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members 
of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
    (b) 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) 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.
    (4) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project by considering the following factors:
    (a) 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.
    (b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.

[[Page 1960]]

    (c) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (5) Quality of the management plan (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project 
by considering 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.
    (6) Quality of the project evaluation (15 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project by considering the following factors:
    (a) 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.
    (b) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

    Note: A strong evaluation plan should be included in the 
application narrative and should be used, as appropriate, to shape 
the development of the project from the beginning of the grant 
period. The evaluation 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 these instruments will be developed; (5) how 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.

    2. Review and Selection Process: Additional factors we consider in 
selecting an application for an award are as follows: In accordance 
with 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3)(ii) and (iii), the Secretary may consider an 
applicant's past performance and compliance history when evaluating 
applications and in making funding decisions.

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 Notice 
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
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.
    4. Performance Measures: We have established one performance 
measure for the PDAE Program. This measure is: The percentage of 
teachers participating in the PDAE Program who receive professional 
development that is sustained and intensive. In implementing this 
measure, the Department will collect from grantees data on the extent 
to which they provide professional development that occurs over the 
course of the school year, which may include the summer, and that 
includes a sufficient number of hours of participation to make a 
significant difference in teaching and learning. Successful applicants 
will be expected to include professional development data in their 
annual performance reports to the Department.

VII. Agency Contacts

For Further Information Contact: Isadora Binder or Adrienne Dukes, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W246A, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260 or by e-mail: PDAE@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an alternative format 
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact persons listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: 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 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: January 4, 2008.
Morgan S. Brown,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
 [FR Doc. E8-217 Filed 1-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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