FR Doc 05-1652
[Federal Register: January 28, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 18)]
[Notices]
[Page 4097-4101]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja05-64]
Download: 
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview
Information; Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program;
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.364A.
Dates:
Applications Available: January 28, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 14, 2005.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 13, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in which at
least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families
with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent
satisfactory data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time
this notice is published. This data is Small Area Income and Poverty
Estimates for school districts for income year 2002. A list of LEAs
with their family poverty rates (based on this Census Bureau data) is
posted on our Web site at:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.
Estimated Available Funds: $19,683,264. Of that amount, $19,092,766
will be awarded competitively. Contingent upon the availability of
funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may make additional
awards in FY 2006 from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000 to $350,000.
Note: Actual award amounts will be based on the number of
schools and students served by the project.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $190,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to improve
student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students
with
[[Page 4098]]
increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped,
technologically advanced school library media centers; and well-
trained, professionally certified school library media specialists.
Priority: Under this competition we are particularly interested in
applications that address the following priority.
Invitational Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is an invitational
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that
meets this invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference
over other applications.
Under this priority the Secretary strongly encourages applicants to
focus their efforts on elementary schools to maximize the impact of the
project on improving reading achievement.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6383.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The notice of final clarification of
eligible local activities, published April 5, 2004 in the Federal
Register, 69 FR 17894.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $19,683,264. Of that amount, $19,092,766
will be awarded competitively. Contingent upon the availability of
funds and quality of applications, the Secretary may make additional
awards in FY 2006 from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition.
Note: Actual award amounts will be based on the number of
schools and students served by the project.
Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000 to $350,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $190,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs in which at least 20 percent of the
students served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the
poverty line based on the most recent satisfactory data available from
the U.S. Census Bureau at the time this notice is published. This data
is Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for school districts for
income year 2002. A list of LEAs with their family poverty rates (based
on this Census Bureau data) is posted on our Web site at:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching, but does involve supplement-not-supplant funding
provisions. Funds made available under this program must be used to
supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds
expended to carry out activities relating to library, technology, or
professional development activities (20 U.S.C. 6383(i)).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: You may 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:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/applicant.html. To obtain a copy from
ED Pubs, write or call the following: 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 number 84.364A.
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 under Section VII of this notice.
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. An
Eligibility Form is included in the application package. You must fill
out the Eligibility Form, following the instructions provided in the
application package.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the narrative to the equivalent of no more
than 15 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.
The page limit does not apply to the forms, budget section, budget
justification, assurances and certifications, one-page abstract,
endnotes, or resumes. However, you must include all of the application
narrative in the narrative section. Charter Schools and State
Administered Schools must include some form of documentation from their
State Educational Agency (SEA) confirming eligibility for this program.
This documentation is not counted toward the page limit.
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.
Appendices to the narrative are not permitted, with the exception
of resumes and endnotes. None of the material sent as appendices to the
narrative, with the exception of resumes and endnotes, will be sent to
the reviewers.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: January 28, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: March 14, 2005.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) available through the Department's e-Grants system. 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 in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 13, 2005.
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.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
[[Page 4099]]
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 requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
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.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Improving Literacy Through School
Libraries program--CFDA Number 364A must be submitted electronically
using e-Application available through the Department's e-Grants system,
accessible through the e-Grants portal page at:
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
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. The e-Application system will not accept an application
for this competition after 4:30 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 regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. 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
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Any narrative sections of your application should be
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF
(Portable Document) format.
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 acknowledgement 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 ED 424 after following these
steps:
(1) Print ED 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 ED 424.
(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to (202) 742-5418.
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 System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically 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 electronic 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
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. If the system is down 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 the
Department's e-Application system.
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 the e-Application system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Department's e-Application system; 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
prevent 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: Irene Harwarth, U.S.
Department of Education, Room 3W227, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 260-8969.
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 any 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 applicable
following address:
[[Page 4100]]
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.364A)
400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.364A)
7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
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. Secretary 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
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 84.364A, 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 ED424 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 notification
of application receipt 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
1. Selection Criteria: We use 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 is indicated in parentheses.
We evaluate an application by determining how well the proposed
project meets the following criteria:
(a) Meeting the purpose of the statute (10 points). How well the
proposed project addresses the intended outcome of the statute to
improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing
students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials;
a well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media center;
and well-trained, professionally certified school library media
specialists.
(b) Need for school library resources (10 points). How well the
applicant demonstrates the need for school library media improvement,
based on the age and condition of school library media resources,
including: Book collections; access of school library media centers to
advanced technology; and the availability of well-trained,
professionally certified school library media specialists, in schools
served by the applicant.
(c) Use of funds (50 points). How well the applicant will use the
funds made available through the grant to carry out one or more of the
following activities that meet its demonstrated needs:
(1) Acquiring up-to-date school library media resources, including
books.
(2) Acquiring and using advanced technology, incorporated into the
curricula of the school, to develop and enhance the information
literacy, information retrieval, and critical thinking skills of
students.
(3) Facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks
among schools and school library media centers, and public and academic
libraries, where possible.
(4) Providing professional development for school library media
specialists, that improves literacy in grades K-3 as well as
professional development for school library media specialists as
described in section 1222(d)(2) of the ESEA (as described in the
clarification of eligible local activities as published in the notice
of final clarification of eligible local activities published April 5,
2004, in the Federal Register, 69 FR 17894) and providing activities
that foster increased collaboration between school library media
specialists, teachers, and administrators.
(5) Providing students with access to school libraries during non-
school hours, including the hours before and after school, during
weekends, and during summer vacation periods.
(d) Use of scientifically based research (10 points). How well the
applicant will use programs and materials that are grounded in
scientifically based research, as defined in section 9101(37) of the
ESEA, in carrying out one or more of the activities described under
criterion (c).
(e) Broad-based involvement and coordination (10 points). How well
the applicant will extensively involve school library media
specialists, teachers, administrators, and parents in the proposed
project activities and effectively coordinate the funds and activities
provided under this program with other literacy, library, technology,
and professional development funds and activities.
(f) Evaluation of quality and impact (10 points). How well the
applicant will collect and analyze data on the quality and impact of
the proposed project activities, including the extent to which the
availability of, the access to, and the use of up-to-date school
library media resources in the elementary schools and secondary schools
served by the applicant were increased; and the impact on improving the
reading skills of students.
2. Review and Selection Process: An additional factor we consider
in selecting an application for an award is the equitable distribution
of grants across geographic regions and among LEAs serving urban and
rural areas.
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
[[Page 4101]]
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.
4. Performance Measures: In response to the Government Performance
and Results Act (GPRA), the Department developed two measures for
evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Improving Literacy Through
School Libraries program. These measures gauge improvement in student
achievement and resources in the schools and districts served by the
Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program by assessing
increases in: (1) The percentage of participating schools and districts
that exceed State Adequate Yearly Progress targets for reading
achievement for all students; and (2) the school library media
collections at participating schools, compared to schools not
participating in the program.
The Department will collect data for these measures from grantees'
annual performance reports and other existing data sources.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact: Irene Harwarth, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W227, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 401-3751 or by e-mail: Irene.Harwarth@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: January 25, 2005.
Raymond Simon,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 05-1652 Filed 1-27-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U