[Federal Register: April 18, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 20884-20885]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ap00-125]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.338]


Reading Excellence Program

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2000.

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    Purpose of Program: The Reading Excellence Program provides
competitive grants to eligible State educational agencies to award
competitive subgrants to local educational agencies to fund local
reading improvement programs and tutorial assistance programs.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) that were
not funded in FY 1999; the District of Columbia; Puerto Rico; the
Virgin Islands; Guam; American Samoa; and the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
    Applications Available: April 14, 2000.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 22, 2000.

    Note: An application for an award may be submitted by electronic
mail (email), regular mail, or hand delivery.

Special Instructions for Applications Submitted by Email

    Applications submitted by email should include an electronic return
receipt and should be emailed to:

grantspolicy@ed.gov

Applications submitted by email may be submitted in one of the
following formats: (1) Microsoft Word (Version Word 95 or Word 97) or
(2) portable document format (PDF). The preferred version is Word 97;
however, all versions must have text search capability. The electronic
version will be the official file copy. To ensure the integrity of the
program, the Department will return a printed version to the applicant.
The returned receipt and copy will be considered proof of receipt. All
forms requiring original signatures (ED-424, Application for Federal
Education Assistance; SF 424B, Assurances: Non-Construction Programs;
ED 80-0013, Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension
and other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;
ED 80-0014, Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension,
Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier Covered Transactions;
and Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) must be mailed to the
Department by the deadline date, as set out above under the Deadline
for Transmittal section. Please send a hard copy of your application in
addition to

[[Page 20885]]

the electronic copy to ensure that your application is formatted
properly when printed.

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for
transmitting applications differ from those in 34 CFR 75.102
(EDGAR). Under 5 U.S.C. 553, the Department generally offers
interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed
regulations. However, these exceptions to EDGAR 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.

    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 21, 2000.
    Estimated Available Funds: $241,100,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$60,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $20,092,000.
    Estimate Number of Awards: 12.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Minimum Grant Award for SEAs: $500,000 for SEAs, $100,000 minimum
for territories.

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

    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria reviewers
use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the
equivalent of no more than 100 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.
    * Single space (no more than six lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative.
    * Use a font that is either 11-point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    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, the letters of support or the two
permissible appendices. However, you must include all of the
application narrative in Part III.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that:
    * Exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or
    * Exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other
standards.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) 34 CFR part 299; and (c) the notice of
final priorities, application requirements, and selection criteria as
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
    For Applications and Further Information: Send an email message
requesting an application to:
reading_excellence@ed.gov
    You may also receive an application by downloading it from the
reading excellence website:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/REA/index.html
or by contacting Nancy Rhett, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 5C141, Washington, DC 20202-6200; Telephone:
(202) 260-8228. 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 by contacting Katie Mincey, Director, Alternate
Format Center, 330 C St. SW, Room 1000, Washington, DC 20202-4560; by
calling (202) 260-9895 or 205-8113; or by emailing:

katie_mincey@ed.gov

Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternate format by contacting Ms. Mincey. However, the
Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard
forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov.fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF file you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program,
which is available free at either of the preceding sites. If you have
questions about using the 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://access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6661 et seq.

    Dated: April 12, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-9640 Filed 4-13-00; 1:32 pm]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P