Native American and Alaska Native Children in School Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, CFDA Number 84.365C [OELA]

FR Doc E5-7011
[Federal Register: December 7, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 234)]
[Notices]
[Page 72791-72795]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07de05-34]
Download:
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and
Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students; Overview
Information; Native American and Alaska Native Children in School
Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.365C.
Dates: Applications Available: December 5, 2005.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: December 30, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 18, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: March 18, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: The following entities, when they operate
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools primarily for Native
American children (including Alaska Native children), are eligible
applicants under this program: Indian tribes; tribally sanctioned
educational authorities; Native Hawaiian or Native American Pacific
Islander native language educational organizations; elementary schools
or secondary schools that are operated or funded by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA), or a consortium of such schools; elementary
schools or secondary schools operated under a contract with or grant
from the BIA in consortium with another such school or a tribal or
community organization; and elementary schools or secondary schools
operated by the BIA and an institution of higher education (IHE), in
consortium with elementary schools or secondary schools operated under
a contract with or a grant from the BIA or a tribal or community
organization.

Note: Any eligible entity that receives Federal financial
assistance under this program is not eligible to receive a subgrant
under section 3114 of Title III of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (Pub. L. 107-110)(NCLB).

[[Page 72792]]

Note: Eligible applicants seeking to apply as a consortium
should read and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through
75.129.

Estimated Available Funds: $4,950,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 33.

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 for eligible entities to develop high levels of academic
attainment in English among limited English proficient (LEP) children,
and to promote parental and community participation in language
instruction educational programs.
Priorities: Under this competition we are particularly interested
in applications that address the following priorities.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2006 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 propose to prepare
teachers to more effectively involve parents and community groups in
school improvement.
Invitational Priority 2. Applications that propose instructional
services at the secondary school level that are designed to reduce the
high school drop-out rate of LEP students.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6821(c)(1)(A)-6822.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, and 99.

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 IHEs only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $4,950,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 33.

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

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: The following entities, when they operate
elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools primarily for Native
American children (including Alaska Native children), are eligible
applicants under this program: Indian tribes; tribally sanctioned
educational authorities; Native Hawaiian or Native American Pacific
Islander native language educational organizations; elementary schools
or secondary schools that are operated or funded by the BIA, or a
consortium of such schools; elementary schools or secondary schools
operated under a contract with or grant from the BIA in consortium with
another such school or a tribal or community organization; and
elementary schools or secondary schools operated by the BIA and an IHE,
in consortium with elementary schools or secondary schools operated
under a contract with or a grant from the BIA or a tribal or community
organization.

Note: Any eligible entity that receives Federal financial
assistance under this program is not eligible to receive a subgrant
under section 3114 of Title III of the ESEA, as amended by NCLB.

Note: Eligible applicants applying as a consortium should read
and follow the regulations in 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129.

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

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Patrice Swann, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave, SW., Potomac Center Plaza,
room 10070, Washington, DC 20202-6510. Telephone: (202) 245-7130, or by
e-mail: patrice.swann@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
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 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: If you intend to apply for a grant under
this competition, contact Patrice Swann: Telephone: (202) 245-7130 or
by e-mail: patrice.swann@ed.gov.

Note: We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. However, we will consider an
application submitted by the deadline date for transmittal of
applications, even if the applicant did not provide us notice of its
intent to apply. Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of
the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection
criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must
limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 35 pages using the
following standards.

A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 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.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: December 5,
2005.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: December 30, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 18, 2006.
Applications for grants under this program may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Web site (Grants.gov), or in paper
format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates and
times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by mail
or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: March 18, 2006.
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

[[Page 72793]]

is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. We have been accepting
applications electronically through the Department's e-Application
system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply
with the President's Management Agenda, we are continuing to
participate as a partner in the new government wide Grants.gov Apply
site in FY 2006. The Native American and Alaska Native Children in
School Program-CFDA Number 84.365C is one of the programs included in
this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.grants.gov.
Through this

site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package,
complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You
may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for The Native
American and Alaska Native Children in School Program at: http://www.Grants.gov.
You must search for the downloadable application

package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA
number's alpha suffix in your search.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov at
http://e-grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf
To submit your application through Grants.gov, you must

complete the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted
) and provide on your application the same D-

U-N-S number used with the registration. Please note that the
registration process may take five or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including all
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to
submit your application electronically, 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 above or submit a password
protected file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability:
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date,
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with
the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to
submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system.
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to
the Grants.gov system.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail. If you submit your
application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or
a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of
your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the
Department at the applicable following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.365C), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.

By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.365C), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.

[[Page 72794]]

Regardless of which address you use, 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, or
(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, or
(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 submit
your application in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a courier
service) 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 84.365C), 550 12th Street, SW.,
Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of
the competition under which you are submitting your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment 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 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and section 3115 of the ESEA, as amended by
NCLB. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. The
maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.
(a) Project activities. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine how well the applicant proposes to carry out
activities that will--
(1) Increase the English language proficiency of LEP children by
providing high-quality language instruction educational programs that
are based on scientifically based research demonstrating the
effectiveness of the programs in increasing English proficiency and
student academic achievement in core academic subjects;
(2) Provide high-quality professional development to classroom
teachers (including teachers in classroom settings of language
instruction educational programs), principals, administrators, and
other school or community-based organizational personnel, that is--
(i) Designed to improve the quality of instruction to and
assessment of LEP children;
(ii) Designed to enhance the ability of such teachers to understand
and use curricula, assessment measures, and instructional strategies
for LEP children; and
(iii) Based on scientifically based research demonstrating the
effectiveness of the professional development in substantially
increasing these teachers' subject matter knowledge, teaching
knowledge, and teaching skills.
(b) Need for project. (10 points) The Secretary considers the need
for the proposed project. In determining the need for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the
proposed project.
(2) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
(3) The extent to which the proposed project will provide services
or otherwise address the needs of students at risk of educational
failure.
(c) Significance. (5 points) The Secretary considers the
significance of the proposed project. In determining the significance
of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the importance or
magnitude of the results or outcomes likely to be attained by the
proposed project, especially improvements in teaching and student
achievement.
(d) Quality of the project design. (15 points) The Secretary
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In
determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(2) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target
population or other identified needs.
(3) 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) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
(5) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and to support
rigorous academic standards for students.
(6) The quality of the proposed demonstration design and procedures
for documenting project activities and results.
(7) The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental
involvement.
(8) The quality of the methodology to be employed in the proposed
project.
(e) 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 factors:
(1) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director.
(2) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel.
(3) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of project consultants or subcontractors.
(f) Adequacy of resources. (10 points) The Secretary considers the
adequacy of resources for the proposed project. In determining the
adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed project.

[[Page 72795]]

(2) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.
(3) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the
number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and
benefits.
(g) Quality of the management plan. (15 points) The Secretary
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(1) 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.
(2) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate
to meet the objectives of the proposed project.
(3) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
(h) Quality of the project evaluation. (20 points) The Secretary
considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project.
(2) 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.
(3) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for
examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
(4) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
timely guidance for quality assurance.
(5) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes.

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: The performance measures for the Native
American and Alaska Native Children in School Program are:
(1) The percentage of limited English proficiency (LEP) students in
the program who make gains in English.
(2) The percentage of LEP students in the program who make gains in
core academic subjects.
Grantees will be expected to report on progress in meeting these
performance measures for the Native American and Alaska Native Children
in School Program in their Annual Performance Report and in their Final
Performance Report.

VII. Agency Contact

For Further Information Contact: Trini Torres, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., Potomac Center Plaza, room 1082, Washington, DC 20202-6510.
Telephone: (202) 245-7134, or by e-mail:
trinidad.torres-carrion@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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: November 30, 2005.
Kathleen Leos,
Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language
Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited
English Proficient Students.
[FR Doc. E5-7011 Filed 12-6-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P