Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow: Programs for Master's Degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or Critical Foreign Language Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, 31840-31845 [E8-12512]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31840-31845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12512]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information; Teachers 
for a Competitive Tomorrow: Programs for Master's Degrees in Science, 
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics or Critical Foreign Language 
Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 
(FY) 2008

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.381B.


DATES: Applications Available: June 6, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 2008.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 17, 2008.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the program is to develop and 
implement 2- or 3-year part-time master's degree programs in science, 
technology, engineering, mathematics, or critical foreign language 
education for teachers in order to enhance the teachers' content 
knowledge and pedagogical skills; and to develop programs for 
professionals in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or 
critical foreign language that lead to a master's degree in teaching 
that results in teacher certification.
    Priorities: We are establishing this priority for the FY 2008 grant 
competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the 
list of unfunded applicants from this competition, in accordance with 
section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 
U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Absolute Priority: This priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this 
priority.
    This priority is:
    Projects whose primary focus is on placing participants in high-
need local educational agencies (LEAs). The definition of high-need LEA 
can be found in 20 U.S.C. 9812(3), and is described below.
    Invitational Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly 
interested in applications that address the following priorities.
    For FY 2008 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from 
the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, these priorities 
are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give 
an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive 
or absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    Invitational Priority 1: Projects that propose to design 
specialized master's degree programs that enable native speakers of 
critical foreign languages to become credentialed teachers, or that 
directly engage native speakers in the preparation of teachers, or 
programs that are uniquely designed to train science, technology, 
engineering, or mathematics professionals to become credentialed 
teachers.
    Invitational Priority 2: Projects that propose to train prospective 
teachers in psychometrics, including training in developing, 
interpreting and using assessment results to improve classroom 
instruction and student achievement, or that provide teachers with 
experiences in rigorous research.
    Definition: For purposes of this competition and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition, critical foreign languages are defined as Arabic, 
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, and Turkish.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and definitions. 
Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary to exempt from 
rulemaking requirements, regulations governing the first grant 
competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. 
This is the first grant competition for this program under 20 U.S.C. 
9811, et seq. and therefore qualifies for this exemption. In order to 
ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forego public 
comment on the absolute priority and the definition of critical foreign 
languages under section

[[Page 31841]]

437(d)(1) of GEPA. This absolute priority and definition will apply to 
the FY 2008 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make 
awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9811, et seq.

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

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $900,000.
    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: $200,000-$250,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $225,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $250,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum 
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: An institution of higher education on 
behalf of a department of science, technology, engineering, 
mathematics, or a critical foreign language, or on behalf of a 
department or school with a competency-based degree program (in 
science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or a critical foreign 
language) that includes teacher certification. Eligible applicants must 
enter into a partnership that shall include:
    i. An eligible applicant;
    ii. (a) A department within the eligible applicant that provides a 
program of study in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or a 
critical foreign language; and (b) A school, department, or program of 
education within the eligible applicant, or a two-year institution of 
higher education that has a teacher preparation offering or a dual 
enrollment program with the eligible applicant; or
    iii. A department or school within the eligible applicant with a 
competency-based degree program (in science, technology, engineering, 
mathematics, or a critical foreign language) that includes teacher 
certification; and
    iv. Not less than one high-need LEA and a public school or a 
consortium of public schools served by the agency.
    A partnership may include a nonprofit organization that has a 
demonstrated record of providing expertise or support to meet the 
purposes of this initiative.
    2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: Under 20 U.S.C. 9815(b), each grant 
recipient must provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 
percent of the amount of the grant to carry out the activities 
supported by the grant.
    b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: Under 20 U.S.C. 9815(c), grant funds 
provided under this program must be used to supplement, and not 
supplant, other Federal or State funds.
    3. Other: Definition of ``high-need LEA'' and other eligibility 
information. An eligible applicant must propose a project performed by 
a partnership that includes one or more ``high-need LEAs.'' As defined 
in 20 U.S.C. 9812(3), the term ``high-need LEA'' is an LEA--
    (A)(1) That serves not fewer than 10,000 children from low-income 
families, or (2) for which not less than 20 percent of the children 
served by the LEA are from low-income families, or (3) with a total of 
less than 600 students in average daily attendance at the schools that 
are served by the agency and all of whose schools are designated with a 
school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary; 
and
    (B)(1) for which there is a high percentage of teachers providing 
instruction in academic subject areas or grade levels for which the 
teachers are not highly qualified; or (2) for which there is a high 
teacher turnover rate or a high percentage of teachers with emergency, 
provisional, or temporary certification or licensure.
    So that the Department may be able to confirm the eligibility of 
the LEAs participating in the project, applicants are expected to 
include information in their applications that demonstrates that each 
participating LEA in the partnership is a high-need LEA, as defined in 
20 U.S.C. 9812(3). Generally, this information should be based on the 
most recent available data on the number of children from low-income 
families that the LEA serves. Under components (A)(1) and (A)(2) of the 
statutory definition of high-need LEA, an LEA must show that it serves 
not fewer than 10,000 children from low-income families or that not 
less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are children 
from low-income families. Under 20 U.S.C. 9812(1), the term ``children 
from low-income families'' means children described in section 
1124(c)(1)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 6333(c)(1)(A). The eligibility of an LEA as a ``high-
need LEA'' under component (A)(1) or (A)(2) will be determined on the 
basis of the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. U.S. Census Bureau 
data are available for all school districts with geographic boundaries 
that existed when the U.S. Census Bureau collected its information. The 
link to the census data is: https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/
district.html. The Department also makes these data available at its 
Web site at: https://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.
    Some LEAs, such as newly formed school districts or charter schools 
in States that accord them LEA status, are not included in Census 
Bureau poverty data. Eligibility of these particular LEAs will be 
determined on a case-by-case basis after review of information in the 
application that addresses, as well as possible, the number or 
percentage of children from low-income families these LEAs serve.
    The school locale codes referenced in component (A)(3) of the 
definition of ``high-need LEA'' are part of a classification system 
designed to describe a geographic area in which a school is located. 
Locale codes 41, 42, and 43 relate to rural areas. General information 
regarding the locale classification system and information regarding 
the locale codes for specific LEAs is available on the National Center 
for Education Statistics (NCES) Web site at: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/
rural_locales.asp
    With regard to component (B)(1) of the definition of ``high-need 
LEA,'' for purposes of this program, an LEA has ``a high percentage of 
teachers providing instruction in the academic subject areas or grade 
levels for which the teachers are not highly qualified'' if the 
percentage of its classes taught by teachers who are not highly 
qualified exceeds the percentage for the State. The Department expects 
that LEAs that rely on component (B)(1) of the definition will 
demonstrate their eligibility with information regarding the percentage 
of teachers providing instruction in the academic subject areas or 
grade levels for which the teachers are not highly qualified in the LEA 
and the State.
    For component (B)(2) of the definition of ``high-need LEA,'' the 
data that LEAs likely will find most readily available

[[Page 31842]]

on the percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary 
certification or licensing are the data they provide to their States 
for inclusion in the reports on the quality of teacher preparation that 
the States provide to the Department in October of each year as 
required by Section 207 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended 
(HEA). In these reports, States provide the percentage of teachers in 
their LEAs teaching on waivers of State certification, both on a 
statewide basis and in high-poverty LEAs. The ``provisional'' HEA Title 
II accountability data for the national percentage of teachers on 
waivers to full State certification is 1.5 percent for the 2006-2007 
reporting year.
    Because the Department is in the process of certifying all data 
received in the October 2007 State HEA Section 207 reports, the data in 
these reports, including the national average of teachers on waivers of 
State certification, are still provisional. However, to provide 
adequate time for the preparation and review of project applications 
and award of new grants, the Department will use the 1.5 percent 
national average for the purpose of this competition. Accordingly, an 
LEA will be considered to have met component (B)(2) of the definition 
if the data that it provided to the State for the purpose of the 
State's October 2007 HEA Section 207 report demonstrate that at least 
1.5 percent of its teachers were on waivers of State certification 
requirements.
    Consistent with the methodology the Department uses in the 
Transition to Teaching Program, in which participating LEAs were 
required to be ``high-need LEAs'' (as defined in Section 2102(3) of the 
ESEA), the Department will determine that an LEA with over 1.5 percent 
of its teachers having emergency, provisional, or temporary 
certification or licensing (i.e., teachers on waivers), as reflected in 
data the State uses to compile its October 2007 State report, has a 
``high percentage'' of its teachers in this category. We expect that an 
LEA that chooses not to rely on the data provided to the State for 
purposes of October 2007 reporting required by Section 207 of the HEA 
will provide other evidence that demonstrates that it meets the 
eligibility requirement under component (B)(2) of the statutory 
definition of ``high-need LEA.'' Moreover, should an LEA with a 
percentage of teachers on waivers of less than 1.5 percent believe it, 
too, has a ``high percentage'' of its teachers with emergency, 
provisional, or temporary certification or licensing, the Department 
will determine whether that LEA meets element (B)(2) of the definition 
of high-need LEA on a case-by-case basis.
    Under element (B)(2), an LEA may also demonstrate that it is 
``high-need'' by demonstrating that it has a high teacher turnover 
rate. For this program, we adopt the standard used in the Teacher 
Quality Enhancement Grants Program, under which the Department 
considers ``high teacher turnover'' to be an attrition rate among 
classroom teachers of 15 percent or more over the last three school 
years. See 34 CFR 611.1 (definition of ``high-need local educational 
agency''). This standard is consistent with Department data that 
indicates that 16 percent of teachers teaching during the 2003-04 
school year did not return to teach in the same school the following 
school year.
    See Marvel, J., Lyter, D.M., Peltola, P., Strizek, G.A., and 
Morton, B.A. (2006). Teacher Attrition and Mobility: Results from the 
2004-05 Teacher Follow-up Survey (NCES 2007-307). U.S. Department of 
Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: 
U.S. Government Printing Office.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet by downloading the package at 
https://www.Grants.gov.
    You also may obtain a copy of the application package at the 
following address: Brenda Shade, Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow 
Program-Master's Degrees, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, 
NW., room 7090, Washington, DC 20006-8513. Telephone: (202) 502-7773. 
E-mail address: Brenda.Shade@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an 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 program.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative 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).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font 
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications, or the one-page abstract.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: June 6, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 21, 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: September 17, 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.

[[Page 31843]]

    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 Teachers for a Competitive 
Tomorrow: Programs for Master's Degrees in Science, Technology, 
Engineering, Mathematics, or Critical Foreign Language Education, CFDA 
Number 84.381B must be submitted electronically using the Government 
wide Grants.gov Apply site at https://www.Grants.gov. Through this site, 
you will be able to download a copy of the application package, 
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You 
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for Teachers for a 
Competitive Tomorrow: Programs for Master's Degrees in Science, 
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or Critical Foreign Language 
Education, 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 84.381, not 84.381B).
    Please note the following:
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if 
it is received--that is date and time stamped--by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from 
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application 
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you 
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. 
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to 
Grants.gov 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

[[Page 31844]]

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 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: Brenda Shade, U.S. 
Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 7090, Washington, DC 
20006-8526. FAX: (202) 502-7699.
    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 84.381B), 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 
84.381B), 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 84.381B), 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

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are 
from section 6114 of the America COMPETES Act, 20 U.S.C. 9813 and from 
34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed in the application package.

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 specified by the Secretary in 
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 review section 6113(e) of the America COMPETES Act, 20 U.S.C. 
9813(e), and

[[Page 31845]]

go to: https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The objective of Teachers for a 
Competitive Tomorrow: Programs for Master's Degrees in Science, 
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or Critical Foreign Language 
Education is to train program participants as highly qualified teachers 
in these subject areas and to place them in high-need LEAs. Under the 
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the following measures 
will be used by the Department in assessing the performance of the 
program.
    (1) The percentage of program participants who earn a Master's 
degree and certification or licensure in a science, technology, 
engineering, mathematics, or critical foreign language area (includes 
previously licensed teachers who receive a Master's degree).
    (2) The percentage of program participants who become or remain a 
teacher of record in a science, technology, engineering, mathematics, 
or critical foreign language area in a high-need school.
    (3) The percentage of program participants who remain teaching in 
the science, technology, engineering, mathematics/critical foreign 
language area in a high-need school for two or more years.
    (4) The cost per program participant who remains in teaching in the 
science, technology, engineering, mathematics/critical foreign language 
area in a high-need school for two or more years.
    If funded, you will be asked to collect and report data on these 
measures in your project's annual performance report (EDGAR, 34 CFR 
75.590). Applicants are also advised to consider these measures in 
conceptualizing the design, implementation, and evaluation of their 
proposed projects because of their importance in the application review 
process. Collection of data on these measures should be a part of the 
evaluation plan, along with measures of progress on goals and 
objectives that are specific to your project.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Brenda Shade, Teachers for a 
Competitive Tomorrow Master's Degree Program, U.S. Department of 
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 7090, Washington, DC 20006-8526. 
Telephone: (202) 502-7773.
    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 person 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: May 30, 2008.
Diane Auer Jones,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
 [FR Doc. E8-12512 Filed 6-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P