Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program-Enhanced Assessment Instruments; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards Using Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Funds, 10244-10248 [E9-5097]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10244-10248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5097]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program--Enhanced 
Assessment Instruments; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards 
Using Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Funds

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.368A.


DATES: Applications Available: March 10, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 11, 2009.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to enhance the 
quality of assessment instruments and systems used by States for 
measuring the achievement of all students.
    Priorities: This competition includes four absolute priorities and 
three competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), the absolute priorities are from section 6112 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 
U.S.C. 7301a). The competitive preference priorities are from Appendix 
E to the notice of final requirements for optional State consolidated 
applications submitted under section 9302 of the ESEA, published in the 
Federal Register on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2008 funds, these priorities are 
absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 
applications that meet one or more of these priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1. Collaborate with institutions of higher 
education, other research institutions, or other organizations to 
improve the quality, validity, and reliability of State academic 
assessments beyond the requirements for these assessments described in 
section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA.
    Absolute Priority 2. Measure student academic achievement using 
multiple measures of student academic achievement from multiple 
sources.
    Absolute Priority 3. Chart student progress over time.
    Absolute Priority 4. Evaluate student academic achievement through 
the development of comprehensive academic assessment instruments, such 
as performance- and technology-based academic assessments.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we 
award

[[Page 10245]]

up to an additional 35 points to an application, depending on how well 
an application meets these competitive preference priorities.
    For FY 2008 funds, these priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1. Accommodations and alternate 
assessments (up to 20 points). Applications that can be expected to 
advance practice significantly in the area of increasing accessibility 
and validity of assessments for students with disabilities or limited 
English proficiency, or both, including strategies for test design, 
administration with accommodations, scoring, and reporting.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2. Collaborative efforts (up to 10 
points). Applications that are sponsored by a consortium of States.
    Competitive Preference Priority 3. Dissemination (up to 5 points). 
Applications that include an effective plan for dissemination of 
results.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7301a and 7842.

    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final requirements 
published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967).

    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: $8,760,000 in FY 2008 funds.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$2,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,460,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 6.

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

    Project Period: Up to 18 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) as 
defined in section 9101(41) of the ESEA and consortia of such SEAs.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: An application from a consortium of SEAs must designate 
one SEA as the fiscal agent.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can access the 
electronic grant application for the Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
Grants Program at https://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA 
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search 
(e.g., search for 84.368, not 84.368A). You can also obtain a copy of 
the application package by contacting the program contact persons 
listed under Agency Contacts in section VII of this notice.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under 
Accessible 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 competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application and the absolute and 
competitive preference priorities. You must limit Part III to the 
equivalent of no more than 40 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 no smaller than 11.0 point for 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. (Font sizes that round up to 11, such as 
10.7 point, will be considered as smaller than 11.0.)
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet, budget section 
(chart and narrative), assurances and certifications, response 
regarding research activities involving human subjects, General 
Education Provisions Act 427 response, one-page abstract, personnel 
r[eacute]sum[eacute]s, and letters of support; however, discussion of 
how the application meets the absolute priorities, how well the 
application meets the competitive preference priorities, and how well 
the application addresses each of the selection criteria must be 
included within the application narrative and therefore is subject to 
the page limit.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that 
exceed the page limit or exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you 
apply other standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 10, 2009.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 11, 2009.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (https://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 of 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.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    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 competition 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 Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
competition, CFDA number 84.368A, 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

[[Page 10246]]

submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a 
grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Enhanced 
Assessment Instruments competition at https://www.Grants.gov. You must 
search for the downloadable application package for this competition by 
the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.368, not 84.368A).
    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--after 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 competition to ensure that 
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures 
pertaining to Grants.gov at https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) 
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative 
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. 
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 
Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your 
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please 
note that the registration process may take five or more business days 
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you 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.
     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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT of 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 4:30:00 
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

[[Page 10247]]

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: Gregory Dennis, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W243, 
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Fax: (202) 205-4921.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.368A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    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 84.368A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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 competition are 
from Appendix E to the notice of final requirements published in the 
Federal Register on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967) 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 
Notification (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, or at the end of 
your no-cost extension, if any, you must submit a final performance 
report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. 
Grantees must also submit an interim progress report twelve months 
after the award date 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: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed four measures 
to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments Grants Program: (1) The number of States that participate 
in Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants projects funded by this 
competition; (2) the percentage of grantees that, at least twice during 
the period of their grants, make available to SEA staff in non-
participating States and to assessment researchers information on 
findings resulting from the Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants 
through presentations at national conferences, publications in refereed 
journals, or other products disseminated to the assessment community; 
(3) for each grant cycle and as determined by an expert panel, the 
percentage of Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants that yield 
significant research, methodologies, products, or tools regarding 
assessment systems or assessments; and (4) for each grant cycle and as 
determined by an expert panel, the percentage of Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments Grants that yield significant research, methodologies, 
products, or tools specifically regarding accommodations and alternate 
assessments for students with disabilities and limited English

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proficient students. Grantees will be expected to include in their 
performance reports information about the accomplishments of their 
projects because the Department will need to implement and aggregate 
data on these measures.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For Further Information Contact: Collette Roney or Sharon Hall, 
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3W118, Washington, DC 20202-
6132. Telephone: (202) 260-0934, or by e-mail: Collette.Roney@ed.gov or 
Sharon.Hall@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to one of 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/.

    Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated 
authority to Joseph C. Conaty, Director, Academic Improvement and 
Teacher Quality Programs for the Office of Elementary and Secondary 
Education, to perform the functions of the Assistant Secretary for 
Elementary and Secondary Education.

    Dated: March 5, 2009.
Joseph C. Conaty,
Director, Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs.
 [FR Doc. E9-5097 Filed 3-9-09; 8:45 am]
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