[Federal Register: April 6, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 67)]
[Notices]
[Page 18191-18193]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap00-139]
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Part IV
Department of Education
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Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities National Programs Federal Activities--Effective
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are
Suspended or Expelled; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities-Effective
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are
Suspended or Expelled
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority and selection criteria.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces a final priority and selection
criteria for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 under Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Effective
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are
Suspended or Expelled. The Secretary may use this priority and
selection criteria for competitions in FY 2001 and later years. The
Secretary takes this action to focus Federal financial assistance on an
identified national need to reduce student suspensions and expulsions
and ensure educational progress of suspended and expelled students.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority and selection criteria are effective May
8, 2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ann Weinheimer, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room 3E330, Washington, Dc
20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 708-5939. If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay
Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
Note: This notice of final priority does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition
is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The
notice inviting applications will specify the date and time by which
applications for this competition must be received by the
Department. Applications received after that time will not be
eligible for funding. Postmarked dates will not be accepted.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary published a notice of proposed
priority and selection criteria for this competition in the Federal
Register on February 14, 2000, (Volume 65, Number 30, pages 7420-7421).
Except for minor editorial revisions, there are no differences between
the notice of proposed priority and selection criteria and this notice
of final priority and selection criteria.
Public Comment
In the notice of proposed priority and selection criteria, the
Secretary invited comments on the proposed priority and selection
criteria. The only substantive comment we received suggested a change
the law does not authorize the Secretary to make under the applicable
statutory authority.
General
In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take
into consideration the geographic distribution of the projects in
addition to the rank order of applicants.
Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make
additional awards in Fiscal Year 2001 from the rank-ordered list of
nonfunded applications from this competition.
Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary gives an absolute
preference to applications that meet the following priority. The
Secretary funds under this competition only those applications that
meet this absolute priority:
Absolute Priority--Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate Strategies to
Reduce the Number and Duration of Student Suspensions and Expulsions
and Ensure Continued Educational Progress for Students Who Are
Suspended or Expelled From School
Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants under this competition are
public and private non-profit organizations and individuals.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary uses the following selection
criteria to evaluate applications for new grants under this
competition. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points.
The maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is
indicated in parentheses.
(1) Need for Project (10 Points)
In determining the need for the proposed project the following
factor is considered: 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) Quality of the Project Design (30 Points)
In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project,
the following factors are considered:
(A) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(6 points)
(B) The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental
involvement. (6 points)
(C) 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. (6 points)
(D) The extent to which the proposed project represents an
exceptional approach to the priority. (6 points)
(E) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community,
State and Federal resources. (6 points)
(3) Quality of Project Services (30 Points)
In determining the quality of the proposed project services, the
following factors are considered:
(A) The extent to which the quality and sufficiency of strategies
for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project
participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been
underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age or
disability. (6 points)
(B) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or
beneficiaries of those services. (8 points)
(C) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed
project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as
measured against rigorous academic standards. (8 points)
(D) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
project involve the collaboration of appropriate community partners for
maximizing the effectiveness of project services. (8 points)
(4) Quality of Project Personnel (15 Points)
In determining the quality of project personnel, the following
factors are considered:
(A) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been
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underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or
disability. (5 points)
(B) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel. (10 points)
(5) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 Points)
In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors
are considered:
(A) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project. (10 points)
(B) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)
Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.
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, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with
Search, which is available free at either of the previous 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://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184M Office of
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition
to Reduce Student Suspensions and Expulsions and Ensure Educational
Progress of Suspended and Expelled Students)
Dated: March 31, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-8450 Filed 4-5-00; 8:45 am]
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