Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII); Overview Information; Ready-to-Learn Television Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, 13515-13521 [2010-6289]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 54 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13515-13521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6289]



[[Page 13515]]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII); Overview Information; 
Ready-to-Learn Television Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.295A.

    Dates:
    Applications Available: March 22, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 21, 2010.
    Date of Meeting for Prospective Applicants: April 8, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 21, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 20, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program:
    The Ready-to-Learn Television Program is designed to: (1) 
Facilitate student academic achievement by supporting the development 
and distribution of educational video programming for preschool and 
elementary school children and their parents; and (2) develop and 
disseminate educational outreach materials and programs that are 
designed to promote school readiness, are interactive, and use multiple 
innovative technologies and digital media platforms.
    Background:
    Research shows that building and fostering numeracy and spatial 
thinking skills in young children are critical to eliminating 
differences in student achievement or student growth that tend to 
develop between children from low-income families and children from 
middle-income families during their school years.\1\
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    \1\ National Research Council. 1998. Preventing Reading 
Difficulties in Young Children.
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    Authorized under section 2431 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), the Ready-to-Learn Television 
Program has in the past focused primarily on supporting the development 
and distribution of educational television content. Through this 
competition, the Secretary is encouraging applicants to use transmedia 
storytelling, as defined in this notice, to deliver early learning 
content. Individual studies show that low-income preschool children, in 
particular, can benefit substantially from participating in a media-
rich curriculum that exposes them to educational content, and engages 
them in learning activities through a variety of educational media 
platforms, including television, video, and online games.\2\ To ensure 
that the transmedia content benefits the widest audience possible, we 
encourage applicants to provide access to the early learning content 
through open educational resources.
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    \2\ Penuel, W. R., Pasnik, S., Bates, L., Townsend, E., 
Gallagher, L. P., Llorente, C., & Hupert, N. (2009). Preschool 
teachers can use a media-rich curriculum to prepare low-income 
children for school success: Results of a randomized controlled 
trial. New York and Menlo Park, CA: Education Development Center, 
Inc., and SRI International.
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    Section 2431 of the ESEA requires that projects funded under this 
program provide educational outreach at the local level. To ensure that 
low-income children benefit from the early learning content developed 
under this program, the Ready-to-Learn Television Program seeks to 
support a variety of content-related activities where programming and 
outreach are blended and reach high-need communities. To carry out 
these activities, applicants may wish to consider partnering with 
persistently lowest achieving schools (as defined in the final 
requirements for the School Improvement Grants program, 74 FR 65618; 75 
FR 3375), a media production program within an accredited postsecondary 
institution, and a teacher preparation program within an accredited 
postsecondary institution that focuses on early childhood education.
    The Secretary also encourages applicants to consider developing 
rigorous research and evaluation strategies to increase the body of 
knowledge about the impact of educational technology on improving 
school readiness and success for low-income children.
    Statutory Requirements:
    As set forth in section 2431 of the ESEA, to be eligible to receive 
a cooperative agreement under the Ready-to-Learn Television Program, an 
applicant must:
    (1) Develop, produce, and distribute educational and instructional 
video programming for preschool and elementary school children and 
their parents in order to facilitate student academic achievement;
    (2) Facilitate the development, directly or through contracts with 
producers of children and family educational television programming, of 
educational programming for preschool and elementary school children, 
and the accompanying support materials and services that promote the 
effective use of such programming;
    (3) Facilitate the development of programming and digital content 
containing Ready-to-Learn-based children's programming and resources 
for parents and caregivers that is specially designed for nationwide 
distribution over public television stations' digital broadcasting 
channels and the Internet;
    (4) Contract with entities (such as public telecommunications 
entities) so that programs developed under this section are 
disseminated and distributed to the widest possible audience 
appropriate to be served by the programming, and through the use of the 
most appropriate distribution technologies; and
    (5) Develop and disseminate education and training materials, 
including interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance 
learning technologies, that are designed--
    (i) To promote school readiness; and
    (ii) To promote the effective use of materials developed under 
paragraphs (2) and (3) among parents, teachers, Head Start providers, 
Even Start providers, providers of family literacy services, child care 
providers, early childhood development personnel, elementary school 
teachers, public libraries, and after-school program personnel caring 
for preschool and elementary school children.
    Priorities: This competition contains two invitational priorities 
and one competitive preference priority.
    Invitational Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly 
interested in applications that address the following priorities. For 
FY 2010 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. Applications that provide for the 
development of high-quality, age-appropriate educational content in 
reading and/or mathematics that is designed to increase the literacy 
and/or numeracy skills of low-income children ages two to eight years 
old. This invitational priority encourages applicants to deliver early 
learning content through the well-planned and coordinated use of 
multiple media platforms, commonly known as transmedia storytelling, as 
defined in this notice. Applicants are also encouraged to develop 
effective outreach strategies, activities, and materials that are 
designed to

[[Page 13516]]

supplement and enhance early learning content and improve the reading 
literacy and/or mathematics skills and early learning outcomes of low-
income children.
    Invitational Priority 2. Applications that provide for the 
development and dissemination of products and results through open 
educational resources (OER). OER are teaching, learning, and research 
resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under 
an intellectual property license that permits their free use or 
repurposing by others. This invitational priority encourages 
applications that describe how the applicants will make their Ready-to-
Learn products and resources freely available through various media 
platforms in an effort to share content, proven teaching strategies, 
and lessons learned in implementing Ready-to-Learn properties and 
resources with other early childhood and early elementary school 
educators.

    Note: Each applicant addressing this priority is encouraged to 
include plans for how the applicant will disseminate resources, for 
example through a Web site that is freely available to all users. 
Each applicant is also encouraged to include plans specifying how 
the project will identify quality resources, including content and/
or outreach activities, for presentation to other educators and 
parents.

    Competitive Preference Priority: This priority is from the notice 
of final priority for Scientifically Based Evaluation Methods, 
published in the Federal Register on January 25, 2005 (70 FR 3586). For 
FY 2010 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list 
of unfunded applicants from this competition, this priority is a 
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award 
up to an additional 20 points to an application, depending on how well 
an application meets this priority. These points are in addition to any 
points the application earns under the selection criteria.
    When using the priority to give competitive preference to an 
application, we will review the applications using a two-stage review 
process. In the first stage, we will review the applications based on 
the selection criteria without taking the competitive priority into 
account. In the second stage of the process, we will review the 
applications rated highest in the first stage of the process to 
determine whether they will receive the competitive preference points. 
We will consider awarding competitive preference points only to those 
applicants with top-ranked scores based on the selection criteria.
    This priority is:
    The Secretary establishes a priority for projects proposing an 
evaluation plan that is based on rigorous scientifically based research 
methods to assess the effectiveness of a particular intervention. The 
Secretary intends that this priority will allow program participants 
and the Department to determine whether the project produces meaningful 
effects on student achievement or teacher performance.
    Evaluation methods using an experimental design are best for 
determining project effectiveness. Thus, when feasible, the project 
must use an experimental design under which participants--e.g., 
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools--are randomly assigned to 
participate in the project activities being evaluated or to a control 
group that does not participate in the project activities being 
evaluated.
    If random assignment is not feasible, the project may use a quasi-
experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. This 
alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned control 
group by matching participants--e.g., students, teachers, classrooms, 
or schools--with non-participants having similar pre-program 
characteristics.
    In cases where random assignment is not possible and participation 
in the intervention is determined by a specified cut-off point on a 
quantified continuum of scores, regression discontinuity designs may be 
employed.
    For projects that are focused on special populations in which 
sufficient numbers of participants are not available to support random 
assignment or matched comparison group designs, single-subject designs 
such as multiple baseline or treatment-reversal or interrupted time 
series that are capable of demonstrating causal relationships can be 
employed.
    Proposed evaluation strategies that use neither experimental 
designs with random assignment nor quasi-experimental designs using a 
matched comparison group nor regression discontinuity designs will not 
be considered responsive to the priority when sufficient numbers of 
participants are available to support these designs. Evaluation 
strategies that involve too small a number of participants to support 
group designs must be capable of demonstrating the causal effects of an 
intervention or program on those participants.
    The proposed evaluation plan must describe how the project 
evaluator will collect--before the project intervention commences and 
after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the impact of 
participation in the program or in the comparison group.
    Points awarded under this priority will be determined by the 
quality of the proposed evaluation method. In determining the quality 
of the evaluation method, we will consider the extent to which the 
applicant presents a feasible, credible plan that includes the 
following:
    (1) The type of design to be used (that is, random assignment or 
matched comparison). If matched comparison, include in the plan a 
discussion of why random assignment is not feasible.
    (2) Outcomes to be measured.
    (3) A discussion of how the applicant plans to assign students, 
teachers, classrooms, or schools to the project and control group or 
match them for comparison with other students, teachers, classrooms, or 
schools.
    (4) A proposed evaluator, preferably independent, with the 
necessary background and technical expertise to carry out the proposed 
evaluation. An independent evaluator does not have any authority over 
the project and is not involved in its implementation.
    In general, depending on the implemented program or project, under 
a competitive preference priority, random assignment evaluation methods 
will receive more points than matched comparison evaluation methods.
    While we will not score applicants based on the invitational 
priorities, we encourage applicants to take advantage of the 
competitive preference priority if their model allows them to do so.
    Definitions:
    As used in invitational priority 1 in this notice:
    Transmedia storytelling means conveying content and themes to 
audiences through the well-planned, connected use of multiple media 
platforms (examples include but may not be limited to: television, Web 
sites, cell phones, e-books, electronic games, handheld devices, and 
other yet to be developed technologies).
    As used in the competitive preference priority in this notice--
    Scientifically based research (section 9101(37) of the ESEA, 20 
U.S.C. 7801(37)):
    (A) Means research that involves the application of rigorous, 
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid 
knowledge relevant to education activities and programs; and
    (B) Includes research that--
    (i) Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation 
or experiment;

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    (ii) Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the 
stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
    (iii) Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide 
reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across 
multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same 
or different investigators;
    (iv) Is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs 
in which individuals, entities, programs, or activities are assigned to 
different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the 
effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-
assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those 
designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls;
    (v) Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient 
detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the 
opportunity to build systematically on their findings; and
    (vi) Has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a 
panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, 
and scientific review.
    Random assignment or experimental design means random assignment of 
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to participate in a project 
being evaluated (treatment group) or not participate in the project 
(control group). The effect of the project is the difference in 
outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
    Quasi-experimental designs include several designs that attempt to 
approximate a random assignment design.
    Carefully matched comparison groups design means a quasi-
experimental design in which project participants are matched with non-
participants based on key characteristics that are thought to be 
related to the outcome.
    Regression discontinuity design means a quasi-experimental design 
that closely approximates an experimental design. In a regression 
discontinuity design, participants are assigned to a treatment or 
control group based on a numerical rating or score of a variable 
unrelated to the treatment such as the rating of an application for 
funding. Eligible students, teachers, classrooms, or schools above a 
certain score (``cut score'') are assigned to the treatment group and 
those below the score are assigned to the control group. In the case of 
the scores of applicants' proposals for funding, the ``cut score'' is 
established at the point where the program funds available are 
exhausted.
    Single subject design means a design that relies on the comparison 
of treatment effects on a single subject or group of single subjects. 
There is little confidence that findings based on this design would be 
the same for other members of the population.
    Treatment reversal design means a single subject design in which a 
pre-treatment or baseline outcome measurement is compared with a post-
treatment measure. Treatment would then be stopped for a period of 
time, a second baseline measure of the outcome would be taken, followed 
by a second application of the treatment or a different treatment. For 
example, this design might be used to evaluate a behavior modification 
program for disabled students with behavior disorders.
    Multiple baseline design means a single subject design to address 
concerns about the effects of normal development, timing of the 
treatment, and amount of the treatment with treatment-reversal designs 
by using a varying time schedule for introduction of the treatment and/
or treatments of different lengths or intensity.
    Interrupted time series design means a quasi-experimental design in 
which the outcome of interest is measured multiple times before and 
after the treatment for program participants only.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6775.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final priority for 
Scientifically Based Evaluation Methods, published in the Federal 
Register on January 25, 2005 (70 FR 3586).

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


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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
    Estimated Available Funds: $26,884,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $3,500,000-$5,000,000 for the first year 
of the project. Funding for the second, third, fourth, and fifth years 
is subject to availability of funds and the approval of continuation 
awards (see 34 CFR 75.253).
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $4,250,000.
    Estimated Maximum Size of Awards: $5,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 5-7.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $5,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Innovation and 
Improvement may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: To receive a cooperative agreement under 
this competition, an entity must be a public telecommunications entity 
that is able to demonstrate each of the following:
    (A) A capacity to develop and nationally distribute educational and 
instructional television programming of high quality that is accessible 
by a large majority of disadvantaged preschool and elementary school 
children.
    (B) A capacity to contract with the producers of children's 
television programming for the purpose of developing educational 
television programming of high quality.
    (C) A capacity, consistent with the entity's mission and nonprofit 
nature, to negotiate such contracts in a manner that returns to the 
entity an appropriate share of any ancillary income from sales of any 
program-related products.
    (D) A capacity to localize programming and materials to meet 
specific State and local needs and to provide educational outreach at 
the local level.

    Note: The term public telecommunications entity means any 
enterprise which (a) is a public broadcast station or a 
noncommercial telecommunications entity; and (b) disseminates public 
telecommunications services to the public. (20 U.S.C. 6775)


    Note: If more than one public telecommunications entity wishes 
to form a consortium and jointly submit a single application, they 
must follow the procedures for group applications described in 34 
CFR 75.127 through 75.129 of EDGAR.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: https://www.ed.gov/fundgrant/apply/grantapps/index. To obtain a 
copy from

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ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: U.S. Department of 
Education--ED Pubs-NTIS, PO Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone 
(toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6791. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.295A.
    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 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.
    Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a 
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a 
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for 
funding under this program. Therefore, the Secretary strongly 
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending 
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an 
application for funding. The e-mail need not include information 
regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's 
intent to submit. The e-mail notification should be sent to Joe 
Caliguro at readytolearn@ed.gov.
    Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still 
apply for funding. Meeting for Prospective Applicants: The Ready-to-
Learn program will hold a webinar for prospective applicants on April 
8, 2010 from 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Washington, DC time. The conference 
will offer information about how to apply for a Ready-to-Learn 
cooperative agreement. For information and to register, please send an 
e-mail to joseph.caliguro@ed.gov.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. Applications are strongly encouraged to limit the 
application narrative (Part III) to the equivalent of no more than 50 
single-sided 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 program narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 
New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including 
Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page 
limit does apply to all of the application narrative section (Part 
III).
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 22, 2010.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 21, 2010.
    Date of Meeting for Prospective Applicants: April 8, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 21, 2010.
    Applications for grants under this program under this competition 
must be submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant Application 
System (e-Application) accessible through the Department's e-grant 
site. For information (including dates and times) about how to submit 
your application electronically or 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 
of 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: July 20, 2010.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 
competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: An entity that receives a Ready-to-Learn 
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement may not use more than five 
percent of the amount received under the grant for administrative 
purposes. We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in 
the Applicable Regulations section of 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 Ready-to-Learn Television 
Program--CFDA Number 84.295A 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 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this 
program 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

[[Page 13519]]

until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. 
Sunday, 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 .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.
     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 form.
    (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: Joe Caliguro, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W214, 
Washington, DC 20202-5980. FAX: (202) 205-5720.
    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 84.295A), 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 84.295A), 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.

[[Page 13520]]

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 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.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from section 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all the selection 
criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is 
indicated in parentheses. Each criterion also includes the factors that 
the reviewers will consider in determining how well an application 
meets the criterion. The Note following selection criterion (6) is 
guidance to help applicants in preparing their applications and is not 
required by statute or regulations. The selection criteria are as 
follows:
    (1) Need for project (15 points). The Secretary considers the need 
for the proposed project by considering the following factors:
    (a) The extent to which the proposed project will provide services 
or otherwise address the needs of students at risk of educational 
failure.
    (b) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses.
    (2) Significance (10 points). The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project by considering the following 
factor:
    The likely utility of the products (such as information, materials, 
processes, or techniques) that will result from the proposed project, 
including the potential for their being used effectively in a variety 
of other settings.
    (3) Quality of the project design (25 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project by 
considering the following factors:
    (a) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practices.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a 
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support 
rigorous academic standards for students.
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build 
capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of 
Federal financial assistance.
    (4) Quality of project personnel (10 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary 
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability.
    In addition, the Secretary considers the following factor.
    The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of 
key project personnel.
    (5) Quality of the management plan (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project 
by considering the following factors:
    (a) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives 
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly 
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing 
project tasks.
    (b) The extent to which the time commitments of the project 
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project.
    (c) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    (6) Quality of the project evaluation (20 points). The Secretary 
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed 
project by considering the following factors:
    (a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible.
    (b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.

    Note on Factors Applicants May Wish To Consider in Developing an 
Evaluation Plan:  The quality of the evaluation plan is one of the 
selection criteria by which applications in this competition will be 
judged. A strong evaluation plan should be used, as appropriate, to 
shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant 
period. The evaluation plan should include benchmarks to monitor 
progress toward specific project objectives and also outcome 
measures to assess the impact on teaching and learning, or other 
important outcomes for project participants. More specifically, the 
plan should identify the individual or organization that has agreed 
to serve as evaluator for the project and describe the 
qualifications of that evaluator. The plan should describe the 
evaluation design, indicating: (1) What types of data will be 
collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) 
what methods will be used; (4) what instruments will be developed 
and when these instruments will be developed; (5) how the data will 
be analyzed; (6) when reports of results and outcomes will be 
available; and (7) how the applicant will use the information 
collected through the evaluation to monitor progress of the funded 
project and to provide accountability information both about success 
at the initial site and about effective strategies for replication 
in other settings. Applicants are encouraged to devote an 
appropriate level of resources to project evaluation.

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.
    3. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for a three-day 
meeting for project directors to be held in Washington, DC.
    4. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The

[[Page 13521]]

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.
    5. Performance Measures: The Department has established the 
following Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) 
performance measures for the Ready-to-Learn Television Grant Program: 
(1) the percentage of Ready-to-Learn programming and educational 
content deemed to be of high quality and (2) the percentage of Ready-
to-Learn outreach products deemed to be of high quality.
    These measures constitute the Department's indicators of success 
for this program. Consequently, we advise an applicant for a grant 
under this program to give careful consideration to these measures in 
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation for its proposed project. 
Each grantee will be required to provide, in its annual performance and 
final reports, data about its progress in meeting these measures.

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Joe Caliguro, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W214, Washington, DC 20202-
5980. Telephone: (202) 205-5449 or by e-mail: readytolearn@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 the program contact person listed under For Further 
Information Contact in section VII of 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.

    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: March 17, 2010.
James H. Shelton, III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2010-6289 Filed 3-19-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P