Institute of Education Sciences; Overview Information; Grant Program for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009., 37872-37876 [E9-17908]
Download as PDF
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES2
37872
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Notices
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Certification:
The Secretary certifies that this
proposed regulatory action will not have
a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities.
The small entities that this proposed
regulatory action will affect are small
LEAs receiving funds under this
program and small IHEs.
This proposed regulatory action will
not have a significant economic impact
on small LEAs because they will be able
to meet the costs of compliance with
this regulatory action using the funds
provided under this program.
With respect to small IHEs, the U.S.
Small Business Administration Size
Standards define these institutions as
‘‘small entities’’ if they are for-profit or
nonprofit institutions with total annual
revenue below $5,000,000 or if they are
institutions controlled by small
governmental jurisdictions, which are
comprised of cities, counties, towns,
townships, villages, school districts, or
special districts, with a population of
less than 50,000. Based on data from the
Department’s Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS), up to
532 small IHEs with revenues of less
than $5 million may be affected by this
proposed requirement. These small IHEs
represent only 15 percent of degreegranting IHEs. In addition, only 161,155
students (0.7 percent) enrolled in
degree-granting IHEs in fall 2007
attended these small institutions. As the
burden for indicators (c)(12) and (c)(13)
is driven by the number of students for
whom IHEs would be required to submit
data, small IHEs will require
significantly less effort to adhere to
these proposed regulations than would
be the case for larger IHEs. Based on
IPEDS data, the Department estimates
that 18,050 of these students are firsttime freshmen. As stated earlier in the
Summary of Costs and Benefits section
of this notice, the Department estimates
that, as required by proposed indicator
(c)(12), IHEs will be able confirm the
enrollment of 20 first-time freshmen per
hour. Applying this estimate to the
estimated number of first-time freshmen
at small IHEs, the Department estimates
that these IHEs would need to spend
8,058 hours to respond to this proposed
requirement at a total cost of $201,450
(assuming a cost of $25 per hour).
The effort involved in reporting the
number of students enrolling in a public
IHE who complete at least one year’s
worth of college credit applicable
toward a degree within two years as
required by indicator (c)(13) would also
apply to small IHEs. For this proposed
requirement, the Department also
estimates that IHEs will be able to report
the credit completion status of 20 first-
VerDate Nov<24>2008
20:46 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
time freshmen per hour. Again applying
this data entry rate to the estimated
number of first-time freshmen at small
IHEs, the Department estimates that
these IHEs would need to spend 8,058
hours to respond to this proposed
requirement at a total cost of $201,450.
The total cost of these proposed
requirements for small IHEs is,
therefore, $402,900, and the estimated
cost per small IHE is $757. The
Department has, therefore, determined
that the regulations would not represent
a significant burden on small
not-for-profit IHEs.
It is also important to note that States
may use their Government Services
Fund allocations to help small IHEs
meet the costs of complying with the
requirements that affect them, and
public IHEs may use Education
Stabilization Fund dollars they receive
for that purpose.
In addition, the Department believes
the benefits provided under this
proposed regulatory action will
outweigh the burdens on these
institutions of complying with the
proposed requirements. One of these
benefits will be the provision of better
information on student success in
postsecondary education to
policymakers, educators, parents, and
other stakeholders. The Department
believes that the information gathered
and reported as a result of these
requirements will improve public
accountability for performance; help
States, LEAs, and schools learn from
one another and improve their decisionmaking; and inform Federal
policymaking.
A second major benefit is that better
public information on State and local
progress in the four reform areas will
likely spur more rapid progress on those
reforms, because States and LEAs that
appear to be lagging in one area or
another may see a need to redouble their
efforts. The Department believes that
more rapid progress on the essential
educational reforms will have major
benefits nationally, and that these
reforms have the potential to drive
dramatic improvements in student
outcomes. The proposed requirements
that apply to IHEs should, in particular,
spur more rapid implementation of P–
16 State longitudinal data systems.
The Secretary invites comments from
small IHEs and small LEAs as to
whether they believe this proposed
regulatory action would have a
significant economic impact on them
and, if so, requests evidence to support
that belief.
Assessment of Educational Impact:
In accordance with section 411 of the
General Education Provisions Act, 20
U.S.C. 1221e–4, the Department invites
PO 00000
Frm 00070
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
comment on whether these
requirements do not require
transmission of information that any
other agency or authority of the United
States gathers or makes available.
Intergovernmental Review: This
program is subject to Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR
part 79. One of the objectives of the
Executive Order is to foster an
intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism. The Executive
Order relies on processes developed by
State and local governments for
coordination and review of proposed
Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early
notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or computer diskette)
on request to the program contact
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
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: July 22, 2009.
Arne Duncan,
Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. E9–17906 Filed 7–24–09; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–C
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Institute of Education Sciences;
Overview Information; Grant Program
for Statewide Longitudinal Data
Systems; Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards Under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.384A.
Dates:
Applications Available: July 24, 2009
(Request for Applications [RFA]);
August 10, 2009 (Application Package).
E:\FR\FM\29JYN2.SGM
29JYN2
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Notices
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: November 19, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES2
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
assistance under this program is to
enable State educational agencies to
design, develop, and implement
statewide, longitudinal data systems to
efficiently and accurately manage,
analyze, disaggregate and use individual
student data. The goal of the program is
to enable all States to create
comprehensive systems that permit the
generation and use of accurate and
timely data, support informed decisionmaking at all levels of the education
system, increase the efficiency with
which data may be analyzed to support
the continuous improvement of
education services and outcomes,
facilitate research to improve student
achievement and close achievement
gaps, and support education
accountability systems and public
reporting.
This competition is being conducted
with funds appropriated under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, Public Law No. 111–5
(ARRA). The purposes of the ARRA
include the following:
(a) To preserve and create jobs and
promote economic recovery.
(b) To assist those most impacted by
the recession.
(c) To provide investments needed to
increase economic efficiency by
spurring technological advances in
science and health.
(d) To invest in transportation,
environmental protection, and other
infrastructure that will provide longterm economic benefit.
(e) To stabilize State and local
government budgets in order to
minimize and avoid reductions in
essential services and
counterproductive State and local tax
increases.
Funding provided under this
competition is to be used for statewide
data systems that, in addition to P–12
data, also include postsecondary and
workforce information. Grants will
support the development and
implementation of P–20 systems that
have the capacity to link individual
student data across time and across
databases, including matching teachers
to students, promote interoperability for
easy matching and linking of data across
institutions and States, and protect
student privacy consistent with
applicable privacy protection laws. This
additional one-time funding provided
by the ARRA will permit grantee State
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:33 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
educational agencies (SEAs) to
accelerate the development of their data
systems, to include not only data related
to K–12 education, but also data on
preschool and postsecondary education
and workforce information, and to
promote linkages with other data
systems where such linkages may
inform education policy and practice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9607;
American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, Division A, Title VIII,
Public Law No. 111–5.
Applicable Regulations: The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR parts 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 97,
98, and 99. In addition, the regulations
in 34 CFR part 75 are applicable, except
for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100,
75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105,
75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209,
75.210, 75.211, 75.217, 75.219, 75.220,
75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative
agreements.
Available Funds: $245,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
Grants will range from $2,000,000 to
$20,000,000 for the entire project
period.
Estimated Number of Awards: The
number of awards made under this
competition will depend upon the
nature and quality of the applications
received.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Not to exceed 3 years.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible
applicants are limited to SEAs.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This
competition involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements. Funds
made available under this grant program
are to be used to supplement, and not
supplant, other State or local funds used
for developing State data systems.
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. RFA and Other Information:
Information regarding program and
application requirements for this
competition will be contained in the
RFA package, which will be available
on July 24, 2009, at the following Web
site: https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
2. Application Package: The
application package with forms and
instructions for applying to this
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
37873
competition will be available no later
than August 10, 2009, at the
Department’s e-Grants Web site at:
https://e-grants.ed.gov.
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 listed
under Accessible Format in section VIII
of this notice.
Note: Interested potential applicants
should periodically check the Institute’s Web
site at https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
3. 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
Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
competition, CFDA Number 84.384A,
must be submitted electronically using
e-Application, accessible through the
Department’s e-Grants Web site at:
https://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic
application, you will be entering data
online that will be saved into a
database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to
us.
Please note the following:
• You must complete the electronic
submission of your grant application by
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date. E–
Application will not accept an
application for this competition after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the application
process.
• The hours of operation of the eGrants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday
until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00
a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday,
E:\FR\FM\29JYN2.SGM
29JYN2
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES2
37874
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Notices
Washington, DC time. Please note that,
because of maintenance, the system is
unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on
Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and
between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and
6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington,
DC time. Any modifications to these
hours are posted on the e-Grants Web
site.
• 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: the 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.
You must attach any narrative sections
of your application as files in a .PDF
(Portable Document) format. If you
upload a file type other than the file
type 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.
• Prior to submitting your electronic
application, you may wish to print a
copy of it for your records.
• After you electronically submit
your application, you will receive an
automatic acknowledgment that will
include a PR/Award number (an
identifying number unique to your
application).
• Within three working days after
submitting your electronic application,
fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the
Application Control Center after
following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant’s Authorizing
Representative must sign this.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the
upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the
Application Control Center at (202)
245–6272.
• We may request that you provide us
original signatures on other forms at a
later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
in Case of e-Application Unavailability:
If you are prevented from electronically
submitting your application on the
application deadline date because eApplication is unavailable, we will
grant you an extension of one business
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:33 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
day to enable you to transmit your
application electronically, by mail, or by
hand delivery. We will grant this
extension if—
(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an
electronic application for this
competition; and
(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for
60 minutes or more between the hours
of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington,
DC time, on the application deadline
date; or
(b) E-Application is unavailable for
any period of time between 3:30 p.m.
and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm
these periods of unavailability before
granting you an extension. To request
this extension or to confirm our
acknowledgment of any system
unavailability, you may contact either
(1) the person listed elsewhere in this
notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2)
the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336–
8930. If e-Application is unavailable
due to technical problems with the
system and, therefore, the application
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be
sent to all registered users who have
initiated an e-Application. Extensions
referred to in this section apply only to
the unavailability of e-Application.
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
e-Application because—
• You do not have access to the
Internet; or
• You do not have the capacity to
upload large documents to eApplication; 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 prevents 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: Elizabeth Payer, U.S.
Department of Education, 555 New
PO 00000
Frm 00072
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
Jersey Avenue, NW., room 602C Capital
Place, Washington, DC 20208. FAX:
(202) 219–1466.
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 84.384A), 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 84.384A), 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,
E:\FR\FM\29JYN2.SGM
29JYN2
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Notices
distinguishable from other funds and (b)
no later than ten days after the end of
each calendar quarter, starting on July
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper
10, 2009, submit a report to the
Applications: If you mail or hand deliver
Department that contains—
your application to the Department—
(1) The total amount of recovery funds
(1) You must indicate on the envelope
and—if not provided by the Department—in
received from the Department;
Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number for
(2) The amount of recovery funds that
this competition, 84.384A; and
were expended or obligated to projects
(2) The Application Control Center will
or activities;
mail to you a notification of receipt of your
(3) A detailed list of all projects or
grant application. If you do not receive this
activities for which recovery funds were
grant notification within 15 business days
expended or obligated, including—
from the application deadline date, you
(i) The name of the project or activity;
should call the U.S. Department of Education
(ii) A description of the project or
Application Control Center at (202) 245–
activity;
6288.
(iii) An evaluation of the completion
Individuals with disabilities can
status of the project or activity;
obtain a copy of the application package
(iv) An estimate of the number of jobs
in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
created and the number of jobs retained
large print, audiotape, or computer
by the project or activity; and
diskette) by contacting the person listed
(v) For infrastructure investments
under Accessible Format in section IX of made by State and local governments,
this notice.
the purpose, total cost, and rationale of
the agency for funding the infrastructure
Note: Interested potential applicants
should periodically check the Institute’s Web investment with funds made available
under the ARRA, and the name of the
site at https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
person to contact at the agency if there
are concerns with respect to the
V. Application Review Information
infrastructure investment; and
Selection Criteria: Information
(4) Detailed information on any
regarding selection criteria and review
subcontracts or subgrants that you
procedures for this competition will be
awarded to include the data elements
provided in the RFA package.
required to comply with the Federal
VI. Award Administration Information Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act of 2006, allowing
1. Award Notices: If your application
aggregate reporting on awards below
is successful, we notify your U.S.
$25,000 or to individuals, as prescribed
Representative and U.S. Senators and
by the Director of the Office of
send you a Grant Award Notification
Management and Budget.
(GAN). We may notify you informally,
More specific and detailed reporting
also.
If your application is not evaluated or requirements will be included in the
terms and conditions of the grant
not selected for funding, we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy contained in the GAN. At the end of
your project period, you also must
Requirements: We identify
submit a final performance report,
administrative and national policy
requirements in the application package including financial information, as
directed by the Secretary. For specific
and reference these and other
requirements on reporting, please go to
requirements in the Applicable
https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The
the terms and conditions of an award in
Request for Applications for this
the Applicable Regulations section of
competition outlines seven data system
this notice and include these and other
capabilities and 12 data system
specific conditions in the GAN. The
elements that are required of all
GAN also incorporates your approved
statewide, longitudinal data systems
application as part of your binding
developed with funds under this
commitments under the grant.
program. To evaluate the overall success
In addition, the GAN includes terms
of the program, the Institute will
and conditions necessary for effective
consider two performance measures. For
implementation of data collection and
the first measure, the Institute will
accountability requirements under the
determine annually and at the end of
ARRA.
your grant whether you have in
3. Reporting: The ARRA requires
operation a statewide, longitudinal (P–
accountability and transparency in the
use of funds provided under the law. To 20) data system that has achieved each
of the seven required system capabilities
meet the reporting requirements under
set out in the RFA, and based on this
the ARRA, you must (a) ensure that
funds provided by the ARRA are clearly information, we will determine how
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES2
DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,
and Federal holidays.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:33 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
PO 00000
Frm 00073
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
37875
many States have achieved each
capability. For the second measure, the
Institute will determine annually and at
the end of your grant whether your
system includes each of the 12 elements
required by the RFA, and based on this
information, how many States have
included each element in its system.
The 12 required data system elements
are those prescribed by the America
COMPETES Act.
States will be reporting on the
implementation of these elements in the
context of reporting for the State Fiscal
Stabilization Fund, and these State
reports will be one source of data for the
second measure. In your annual
performance reports for a grant under
this program, you will be expected to
report on the status of your achievement
of each of the required data system
capabilities and on the inclusion of each
of the required data system elements. In
your final performance report, you will
be expected to report on whether you
have achieved each of the capabilities
and whether you have included each of
the elements in your operational data
system. The Institute will also collect
information on your progress with these
requirements via its monitoring over the
course of your grant.
The Department recognizes that
requests for data and information
should reflect an integrated and
coordinated approach among the
various Recovery Act programs,
particularly the Stabilization, Race to
the Top, School Improvement Grants,
and Statewide, Longitudinal Data
Systems grant programs. Accordingly,
the Department will continue to
evaluate our requests for data and
information under this program in
context with other Recovery Act
programs.
5. Grant Administration: Applicants
should budget for a two-day meeting for
project directors to be held in
Washington, DC.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Tate
Gould, U.S. Department of Education,
National Center for Education Statistics,
1990 K Street, NW., room 9023,
Washington, DC 20006–5651.
Telephone: (202) 219–7080 or via
Internet: Tate.Gould@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal
Relay Service, 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)
E:\FR\FM\29JYN2.SGM
29JYN2
37876
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 144 / Wednesday, July 29, 2009 / Notices
mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES2
on request to the program contact
person listed here under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
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.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:33 Jul 28, 2009
Jkt 217001
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
PO 00000
Frm 00074
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
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: July 22, 2009.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. E9–17908 Filed 7–24–09; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
E:\FR\FM\29JYN2.SGM
29JYN2
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37872-37876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17908]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Institute of Education Sciences; Overview Information; Grant
Program for Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards Under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.384A.
Dates:
Applications Available: July 24, 2009 (Request for Applications
[RFA]); August 10, 2009 (Application Package).
[[Page 37873]]
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 19, 2009.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of assistance under this program is
to enable State educational agencies to design, develop, and implement
statewide, longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately
manage, analyze, disaggregate and use individual student data. The goal
of the program is to enable all States to create comprehensive systems
that permit the generation and use of accurate and timely data, support
informed decision-making at all levels of the education system,
increase the efficiency with which data may be analyzed to support the
continuous improvement of education services and outcomes, facilitate
research to improve student achievement and close achievement gaps, and
support education accountability systems and public reporting.
This competition is being conducted with funds appropriated under
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law No. 111-
5 (ARRA). The purposes of the ARRA include the following:
(a) To preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery.
(b) To assist those most impacted by the recession.
(c) To provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency
by spurring technological advances in science and health.
(d) To invest in transportation, environmental protection, and
other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefit.
(e) To stabilize State and local government budgets in order to
minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and
counterproductive State and local tax increases.
Funding provided under this competition is to be used for statewide
data systems that, in addition to P-12 data, also include postsecondary
and workforce information. Grants will support the development and
implementation of P-20 systems that have the capacity to link
individual student data across time and across databases, including
matching teachers to students, promote interoperability for easy
matching and linking of data across institutions and States, and
protect student privacy consistent with applicable privacy protection
laws. This additional one-time funding provided by the ARRA will permit
grantee State educational agencies (SEAs) to accelerate the development
of their data systems, to include not only data related to K-12
education, but also data on preschool and postsecondary education and
workforce information, and to promote linkages with other data systems
where such linkages may inform education policy and practice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9607; American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, Division A, Title VIII, Public Law No. 111-5.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 77, 80, 81, 82, 84,
85, 97, 98, and 99. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are
applicable, except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b),
75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210,
75.211, 75.217, 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
Available Funds: $245,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: Grants will range from $2,000,000
to $20,000,000 for the entire project period.
Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards made under this
competition will depend upon the nature and quality of the applications
received.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Not to exceed 3 years.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are limited to SEAs.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require
cost sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This competition involves supplement-
not-supplant funding requirements. Funds made available under this
grant program are to be used to supplement, and not supplant, other
State or local funds used for developing State data systems.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. RFA and Other Information: Information regarding program and
application requirements for this competition will be contained in the
RFA package, which will be available on July 24, 2009, at the following
Web site: https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
2. Application Package: The application package with forms and
instructions for applying to this competition will be available no
later than August 10, 2009, at the Department's e-Grants Web site at:
https://e-grants.ed.gov.
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 listed under Accessible
Format in section VIII of this notice.
Note: Interested potential applicants should periodically check
the Institute's Web site at https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
3. 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 Statewide Longitudinal Data
Systems competition, CFDA Number 84.384A, must be submitted
electronically using e-Application, accessible through the Department's
e-Grants Web site at: https://e-grants.ed.gov.
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.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this
competition after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until
8:00 p.m. Sunday,
[[Page 37874]]
Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of maintenance, the
system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on
Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. on
Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
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: the
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 .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you
upload a file type other than the file type 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.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number
(an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date; or
(b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between
3:30 p.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
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 e-Application because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
e-Application; 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
prevents 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: Elizabeth Payer, U.S.
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 602C Capital
Place, Washington, DC 20208. FAX: (202) 219-1466.
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 84.384A), 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 84.384A), 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,
[[Page 37875]]
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 for this
competition, 84.384A; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this grant 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.
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 listed under Accessible
Format in section IX of this notice.
Note: Interested potential applicants should periodically check
the Institute's Web site at https://ies.ed.gov/funding.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: Information regarding selection criteria and
review procedures for this competition will be provided in the RFA
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 of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
In addition, the GAN includes terms and conditions necessary for
effective implementation of data collection and accountability
requirements under the ARRA.
3. Reporting: The ARRA requires accountability and transparency in
the use of funds provided under the law. To meet the reporting
requirements under the ARRA, you must (a) ensure that funds provided by
the ARRA are clearly distinguishable from other funds and (b) no later
than ten days after the end of each calendar quarter, starting on July
10, 2009, submit a report to the Department that contains--
(1) The total amount of recovery funds received from the
Department;
(2) The amount of recovery funds that were expended or obligated to
projects or activities;
(3) A detailed list of all projects or activities for which
recovery funds were expended or obligated, including--
(i) The name of the project or activity;
(ii) A description of the project or activity;
(iii) An evaluation of the completion status of the project or
activity;
(iv) An estimate of the number of jobs created and the number of
jobs retained by the project or activity; and
(v) For infrastructure investments made by State and local
governments, the purpose, total cost, and rationale of the agency for
funding the infrastructure investment with funds made available under
the ARRA, and the name of the person to contact at the agency if there
are concerns with respect to the infrastructure investment; and
(4) Detailed information on any subcontracts or subgrants that you
awarded to include the data elements required to comply with the
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, allowing
aggregate reporting on awards below $25,000 or to individuals, as
prescribed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
More specific and detailed reporting requirements will be included
in the terms and conditions of the grant contained in the GAN. At the
end of your project period, you also must submit a final performance
report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary.
For specific requirements on reporting, please go to https://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The Request for Applications for this
competition outlines seven data system capabilities and 12 data system
elements that are required of all statewide, longitudinal data systems
developed with funds under this program. To evaluate the overall
success of the program, the Institute will consider two performance
measures. For the first measure, the Institute will determine annually
and at the end of your grant whether you have in operation a statewide,
longitudinal (P-20) data system that has achieved each of the seven
required system capabilities set out in the RFA, and based on this
information, we will determine how many States have achieved each
capability. For the second measure, the Institute will determine
annually and at the end of your grant whether your system includes each
of the 12 elements required by the RFA, and based on this information,
how many States have included each element in its system. The 12
required data system elements are those prescribed by the America
COMPETES Act.
States will be reporting on the implementation of these elements in
the context of reporting for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, and
these State reports will be one source of data for the second measure.
In your annual performance reports for a grant under this program, you
will be expected to report on the status of your achievement of each of
the required data system capabilities and on the inclusion of each of
the required data system elements. In your final performance report,
you will be expected to report on whether you have achieved each of the
capabilities and whether you have included each of the elements in your
operational data system. The Institute will also collect information on
your progress with these requirements via its monitoring over the
course of your grant.
The Department recognizes that requests for data and information
should reflect an integrated and coordinated approach among the various
Recovery Act programs, particularly the Stabilization, Race to the Top,
School Improvement Grants, and Statewide, Longitudinal Data Systems
grant programs. Accordingly, the Department will continue to evaluate
our requests for data and information under this program in context
with other Recovery Act programs.
5. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for a two-day
meeting for project directors to be held in Washington, DC.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Tate Gould, U.S. Department of
Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street,
NW., room 9023, Washington, DC 20006-5651. Telephone: (202) 219-7080 or
via Internet: Tate.Gould@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service, 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)
[[Page 37876]]
on request to the program contact person listed here under For Further
Information Contact.
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: July 22, 2009.
John Q. Easton,
Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. E9-17908 Filed 7-24-09; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P