FR Doc 04-4766
[Federal Register: March 3, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 10006-10009]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr04-53]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education
Overview Information; Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants
Program--Partnership Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.336B,
84.336D.
DATES: Applications Available: March 3, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Pre-Applications: April 2, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Full Applications: June 14, 2004.
Note: The Department will invite full applications from those
partnerships whose pre-applications ranked highly enough to be
competitive at the full application stage. Only those partnerships
that are invited to submit a full application will be eligible to
receive a grant award.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 12, 2004.
Eligible Applicants: Eligible partnerships, which include, at a
minimum:
a. a partner institution: a private independent or State-supported
public institution of higher education with an eligible teacher
education program;
b. a school of arts and sciences; and
c. a high-need local educational agency.
A partnership may include additional entities, as listed in title
II, part A, section 203(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA). An eligible partnership may include a Governor, State
educational agency, the State board of education, the State agency for
higher education, an institution of higher education not described in
item a, a public charter school, a public or private elementary school
or secondary school, a public or private nonprofit educational
organization, a business, a teacher organization, or a pre-kindergarten
program.
Note: A partnership that received a previous partnership grant
under section 203 of the HEA is not eligible for a FY 2004 grant.
Estimated Available Funds: $28,800,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000--$2,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,100,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to provide
grants to promote improvements in the quality of new teachers, with the
ultimate goal of increasing student achievement in the nation's K-12
classrooms. Partnership grants are designed to promote significant
improvements in teacher education by strengthening the vital role of K-
12 educators in the design and implementation of effective teacher
education programs, and by increasing collaboration among these
educators and institutions of higher education and schools of arts and
sciences.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority
is taken from the regulations for this program (34 CFR 611.25).
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2004, this priority is a
competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award
up to an additional 10 points to an application, depending on how well
the application meets this priority.
This priority is a significant role for private business in the
design and implementation of the project.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1023 et seq.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The regulations for this program in
34 CFR part 611.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $28,800,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000--$2,000,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,100,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible partnerships which include, at a
minimum:
a. a partner institution: a private independent or State-supported
public institution of higher education with an eligible teacher
education program;
b. a school of arts and sciences; and
c. a high-need local educational agency.
[[Page 10007]]
A partnership may include additional entities, listed in title II,
part A, section 203(b) of the HEA. An eligible partnership may include
a Governor, State educational agency, the State board of education, the
State agency for higher education, an institution of higher education
not described in item a, a public charter school, a public or private
elementary school or secondary school, a public or private nonprofit
educational organization, a business, a teacher organization, or a pre-
kindergarten program.
Note: A partnership that received a previous partnership grant,
under section 203 of the HEA, is not eligible for a FY 2004 grant.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: See 34 CFR 611.62 for cost sharing and
matching requirements.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs 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 numbers 84.336B, 336D.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact
person listed in section VII.
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 intent to submit form is included in
the application package.
Pre-application: The pre-application narrative and estimated budget
information is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria
that reviewers use to evaluate your pre-application.
Page Limit: You must limit the pre-application abstract to the
equivalent of no more than one page and the narrative to the equivalent
of no more than 10 pages. You must limit the estimated budget narrative
to the equivalent of no more than 3 pages.
For the pre-application abstract, narrative and estimated budget
narrative the following standards apply:
[sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5[sec] x 11[sec], on one side only, with
1[sec] margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
[sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the pre-application narrative and estimated budget
narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations,
references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables,
figures, and graphs.
[sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Full Applications: The application
narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria
that reviewers use to evaluate your application.
You must limit the full application narrative to the equivalent of
no more than 50 pages. In addition, you must limit your accompanying
abstract to the equivalent of no more than one page, your work plan to
the equivalent of no more than 10 pages, your budget narrative to the
equivalent of no more than 10 pages, and your evaluation plan to the
equivalent of no more than 5 pages.
For the full application narrative, work plan, budget narrative,
and evaluation plan the following standards apply:
[sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5[sec] x 11[sec], on one side only, with
1[sec] margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
[sbull] Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, work plan, budget narrative and
evaluation plan, including titles, headings, quotations, references,
and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures and
graphs.
[sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget
section, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract,
the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support.
We will reject your pre-application and full application if--
[sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
[sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 3, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Pre-Applications: April 2, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Full Applications: June 14, 2004.
Note: The Department will invite full applications from those
partnerships whose pre-applications ranked highly enough to be
competitive at the full application stage. Only those partnerships
that are invited to submit a full application will be eligible to
receive a grant award.
The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail
or by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are
in the application package for this program competition. The
application package also specifies the hours of operation of the e-
Application Web site.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 12, 2004.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR
part 74. We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the
Applicable Regulations section of this Notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this
program competition.
Application Procedures: The Government Paperwork Elimination Act
(GPEA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance
Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to
undertake initiatives to improve our grant processes. Enhancing the
ability of individuals and entities to conduct business with us
electronically is a major part of our response to these Acts.
Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the Internet as our chief means
of conducting transactions in order to improve services to our
customers and to simplify and expedite our business processes.
Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting
applications differ from those in the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department generally
offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed
regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and
do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not
required.
[[Page 10008]]
We are requiring that applications for grants under the Teacher
Quality Enhancement Grants Program for Partnership Grants--CFDA Numbers
84.336B, 84.336D be submitted electronically using the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-Application) available through the Department's
e-GRANTS system. The e-GRANTS system is accessible through its portal
page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov
If you are unable to submit an application through the e-GRANTS
system, you may submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic
submission requirement. In your request, you should explain the reason
or reasons that prevent you from using the Internet to submit your
application. Address your request to: Luretha Kelley, U.S. Department
of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., Room 7096, Washington, DC 20006.
Please submit your request no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper
application by the application deadline date in accordance with the
transmittal instructions in the application package. The paper
application must include a written request for a waiver documenting the
reasons that prevented you from using the Internet to submit your
application.
Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications
We are continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic
submission of applications to include additional formula grant programs
and additional discretionary grant competitions. The Teacher Quality
Enhancement Grants Program for Partnership Grants--CFDA Numbers
84.336B, 84.336D is one of the programs included in the pilot project.
If you are an applicant under Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants
Program for Partnership Grants you must submit your application to us
in electronic format or receive a waiver.
The pilot project involves the use of e-Application. If you use e-
Application, you will be entering data online while completing your
application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us. The data you enter online will be saved into a
database. We shall continue to evaluate the success of e-Application
and solicit suggestions for its improvement.
If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
[sbull] When you enter the e-Application system, you will find
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
[sbull] You will not receive additional point value because you
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize
you if you submit an application in paper format.
[sbull] You must submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
[sbull] Your e-Application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
[sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
[sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following
these steps:
1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
2. The institution'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 ED 424.
4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202)
260-1349.
[sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from submitting your application
on the application deadline date because the e-Application system is
unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day in
order 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 e-Application for this competition; and
2. (a) The e-Application system 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) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 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 acknowledgement 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.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Teacher
Quality Enhancement Grants Program for Partnership Grants at: http://e-grants.ed.gov
.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program
competition are in 34 CFR 611.21 through 611.24.
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 also notify you informally.
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. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), one measure has been developed for evaluating the
overall effectiveness of the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants Program
for Partnership Grants.
Highly Qualified Teachers: The percentage of program completers who
are highly qualified teachers.
All grantees will be expected to submit an annual performance
report documenting their success in addressing this performance
measure.
[[Page 10009]]
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Luretha Kelley, U.S. Department of
Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 7096, Washington, DC 20006-8526.
Telephone: (202) 502-7645 or by e-mail: Luretha.Kelley@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this
section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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:
http://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:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
Dated: February 27, 2004.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 04-4766 Filed 3-2-04; 8:45 am]
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