Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, CFDA Number 84.165A [OII]

FR Doc E7-4271
[Federal Register: March 9, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 46)]
[Notices]
[Page 10722-10729]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09mr07-64]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information;
Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP); Notice Inviting Applications
for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.165A.
Dates:
Applications Available: March 9, 2007.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 6, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 27, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 27, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia
of LEAs.
Estimated Available Funds: $100,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $350,000-$4,000,000 per year.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,500,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount
exceeding the maximum amount of $4,000,000 per year specified in
section 5309(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
as amended (ESEA) for a single fiscal year. We may choose not to
further consider or review applications with budget requests for any
12-month budget period that exceed this amount, if we conclude, during
our initial review of the application, that the proposed goals and
objectives cannot be obtained with the specified maximum amount.
Estimated Number of Awards: 40.

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

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The MSAP provides grants to eligible LEAs and
consortia of LEAs to support magnet schools that are part of an
approved desegregation plan. Through the implementation of magnet
schools, these program resources can be used in pursuit of the
objectives of the ESEA, which supports State and local efforts to
enable all elementary and secondary students to achieve to high
standards and holds schools, LEAs, and States accountable for ensuring
that their students do so. In particular, the MSAP provides an
opportunity for eligible entities to focus on expanding their capacity
to provide public school choice to students who attend schools
identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under
Title I, Part A of the ESEA (Title I).

[[Page 10723]]

Priorities: This competition includes four competitive preference
priorities and one invitational priority that are explained in the
following paragraphs.
Competitive Preference Priorities: In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(ii), Priorities 1, 2 and 3 are from the regulations for
this program (34 CFR 280.32). Priority 4 is from the notice of final
priority for this program (NFP), published elsewhere in this issue of
the Federal Register.
For FY 2007 these priorities are competitive preference priorities.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 40 points
depending on how well the application meets these priorities. The
maximum possible points for each priority are indicated in parentheses
following the name of the competitive preference priority. These points
are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection
criteria.
These priorities are:
Priority 1--Need for assistance (up to 10 additional points). The
Secretary evaluates the applicant's needs for assistance under the MSAP
regulations in 34 CFR part 280, by considering--
(a) The costs of fully implementing the magnet schools project as
proposed;
(b) The resources available to the applicant to carry out the
project if funds under the program were not provided;
(c) The extent to which the costs of the project exceed the
applicant's resources; and
(d) The difficulty of effectively carrying out the approved plan
and the project for which assistance is sought, including consideration
of how the design of the magnet schools project--e.g., the type of
program proposed, the location of the magnet school within the LEA--
impacts on the applicant's ability to successfully carry out the
approved plan.
Priority 2--New or revised magnet schools projects (up to 10
additional points). The Secretary determines the extent to which the
applicant proposes to carry out new magnet schools projects or
significantly revise existing magnet schools projects.
Priority 3--Selection of students (up to 10 additional points). The
Secretary determines the extent to which the applicant proposes to
select students to attend magnet schools by methods such as lottery,
rather than through academic examination.
Priority 4--Expanding Capacity to Provide Choice (up to 10
additional points). This priority supports projects that will--
(1) Help parents whose children attend low-performing schools (that
is, schools that have been identified for school improvement,
corrective action, or restructuring under Title I of the ESEA) by--
(a) Selecting schools identified for school improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring under Title I as magnet schools to be funded
under this project and improving the quality of teaching and
instruction in these schools; or
(b) Maximizing the opportunity for students in low-performing
schools to attend higher-performing magnet schools funded under the
project and thereby reduce minority group isolation in the low-
performing sending schools; and
(2) Effectively inform parents whose children attend low-performing
schools about choices that are available to them in the magnet schools
to be funded under the project.

Note: For the purpose of selecting applications under this
priority, school improvement has the meaning given in 34 CFR
200.32(a)(1), corrective action has the meaning given in 34 CFR
200.33(a), and restructuring has the meaning given in 34 CFR
200.34(a).
Invitational Priority: For FY 2007 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.

This priority is:
Priority 5--Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Evaluation Designs.
This invitational priority supports projects proposing an evaluation
plan that is based on rigorous scientifically based research methods to
assess the effectiveness of a particular intervention. The Secretary
intends that this priority will allow program participants and the
Department to determine whether the project produces meaningful effects
on student achievement or teacher performance.
Evaluation methods using an experimental design are best for
determining project effectiveness. Thus, when feasible, the project
must use an experimental design under which participants--e.g.,
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools--are randomly assigned to
participate in the project activities being evaluated or to a control
group that does not participate in the project activities being
evaluated.
If random assignment is not feasible, the project may use a quasi-
experimental design with carefully matched comparison conditions. This
alternative design attempts to approximate a randomly assigned control
group by matching participants--e.g., students, teachers, classrooms,
or schools--with non-participants having similar pre-program
characteristics.
In cases where random assignment is not possible and participation
in the intervention is determined by a specified cutting point on a
quantified continuum of scores, regression discontinuity designs may be
employed.
For projects that are focused on special populations in which
sufficient numbers of participants are not available to support random
assignment or matched comparison group designs, single-subject designs
such as multiple baseline or treatment-reversal or interrupted time
series that are capable of demonstrating causal relationships can be
employed.
Proposed evaluation strategies that use neither experimental
designs with random assignment nor quasi-experimental designs using a
matched comparison group nor regression discontinuity designs will not
be considered responsive to the priority when sufficient numbers of
participants are available to support these designs. Evaluation
strategies that involve too small a number of participants to support
group designs must be capable of demonstrating the causal effects of an
intervention or program on those participants.
The proposed evaluation plan must describe how the project
evaluator will collect--before the project intervention commences and
after it ends--valid and reliable data that measure the impact of
participation in the program or in the comparison group.
In determining the quality of the evaluation method, we will
consider the extent to which the applicant presents a feasible,
credible plan that includes the following:
(1) The type of design to be used (that is, random assignment or
matched comparison). If matched comparison, include in the plan a
discussion of why random assignment is not feasible.
(2) Outcomes to be measured.
(3) A discussion of how the applicant plans to assign students,
teachers, classrooms, or schools to the project and control group or
match them for comparison with other students, teachers, classrooms, or
schools.
(4) A proposed evaluator, preferably independent, with the
necessary background and technical expertise to carry out the proposed
evaluation. An independent evaluator does not have any authority over
the project and is not involved in its implementation.

Definitions

As used in this invitational priority--

[[Page 10724]]

Scientifically based research (section 9101(37) of the ESEA as
amended, 20 U.S.C. 7801(37)):
(A) Means research that involves the application of rigorous,
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid
knowledge relevant to education activities and programs; and
(B) Includes research that--
(i) Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation
or experiment;
(ii) Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the
stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
(iii) Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide
reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across
multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same
or different investigators;
(iv) Is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs
in which individuals, entities, programs, or activities are assigned to
different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the
effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-
assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those
designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls;
(v) Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient
detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the
opportunity to build systematically on their findings; and
(vi) Has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a
panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective,
and scientific review.
Random assignment or experimental design means random assignment of
students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to participate in a project
being evaluated (treatment group) or not participate in the project
(control group). The effect of the project is the difference in
outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
Quasi experimental designs include several designs that attempt to
approximate a random assignment design.
Carefully matched comparison groups design means a quasi-
experimental design in which project participants are matched with non-
participants based on key characteristics that are thought to be
related to the outcome.
Regression discontinuity design means a quasi-experimental design
that closely approximates an experimental design. In a regression
discontinuity design, participants are assigned to a treatment or
control group based on a numerical rating or score of a variable
unrelated to the treatment such as the rating of an application for
funding. Eligible students, teachers, classrooms, or schools above a
certain score (``cut score'') are assigned to the treatment group and
those below the score are assigned to the control group. In the case of
the scores of applicants' proposals for funding, the ``cut score'' is
established at the point where the program funds available are
exhausted.
Single subject design means a design that relies on the comparison
of treatment effects on a single subject or group of single subjects.
There is little confidence that findings based on this design would be
the same for other members of the population.
Treatment reversal design means a single subject design in which a
pre-treatment or baseline outcome measurement is compared with a post-
treatment measure. Treatment would then be stopped for a period of
time, a second baseline measure of the outcome would be taken, followed
by a second application of the treatment or a different treatment. For
example, this design might be used to evaluate a behavior modification
program for disabled students with behavior disorders.
Multiple baseline design means a single subject design to address
concerns about the effects of normal development, timing of the
treatment, and amount of the treatment with treatment-reversal designs
by using a varying time schedule for introduction of the treatment and/
or treatments of different lengths or intensity.
Interrupted time series design means a quasi-experimental design in
which the outcome of interest is measured multiple times before and
after the treatment for program participants only.

General

Applicants who are planning to respond to this invitational
priority are strongly encouraged to review the following technical
assistance resources:
(1) Random Assignment in Program Evaluation, Qs and As:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/resources/randomqa.pdf.
This document lists
basic questions and answers that an educator or administrator might
have about random assignment and why it is an effective and beneficial
tool to use in education.
(2) How to Report the Results of Your Study: A User-Friendly Guide
for Evaluators of Educational Programs and Practices:
http://www.whatworkshelpdesk.ed.gov/guide_SRF.pdf.
This guide can help
grantees produce reports that are user-friendly and include the
appropriate information needed to accurately and fully convey their
findings to an audience.
(3) Key Items to Get Right When Conducting a Randomized Control
Trial in Education: http://www.whatworkshelpdesk.ed.gov/guide_RCT.pdf.

This guide discusses planning a study, the random assignment process,
measuring outcomes, and analysis.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7231-7231j.

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 regulations for this program in 34
CFR part 280. (c) The amended final regulations for this program
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. (d) The NFP
for the MSAP, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
Register.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $100,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $350,000-$4,000,000 per year.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,500,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not fund any application at an amount
exceeding the maximum amount of $4,000,000 per year specified in
section 5309(c) of the ESEA for a single fiscal year. We may choose not
to further consider or review applications with budget requests for any
12-month budget period that exceed this amount, if we conclude, during
our initial review of the application, that the proposed goals and
objectives cannot be obtained with the specified maximum amount.
Estimated Number of Awards: 40.

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

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: LEAs or consortia of LEAs.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: Applicants must submit with their applications one of the
following types of plans to establish eligibility to receive MSAP
assistance: (a) A desegregation plan required by a court order; (b) a
plan required by a State agency or an official of competent
jurisdiction; (c) a plan required by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR),
United States Department of Education (ED), under Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of

[[Page 10725]]

1964 (Title VI plan); or (d) a voluntary plan adopted by the applicant
and submitted to us for approval as part of the application.
Under the MSAP regulations, applicants are required to provide all
of the information required in 34 CFR 280.20(a) through (g) in order to
satisfy the civil rights eligibility requirements found in 34 CFR
280.2(a)(2) and (b).
In addition to the particular data and other items for required and
voluntary plans described in the application package, an application
must include--
Signed civil rights assurances (included in the
application package);
A copy of the applicant's plan; and
An assurance that the plan is being implemented or will be
implemented if the application is funded.

Required Plans

1. Plans required by a court order. An applicant that submits a
plan required by a court order must submit complete and signed copies
of all court or State documents demonstrating that the magnet schools
are a part of the approved plan. Examples of the types of documents
that would meet this requirement include--
A Federal or State court order that establishes or amends
a previous order or orders by establishing additional or different
specific magnet schools;
A Federal or State court order that requires or approves
the establishment of one or more unspecified magnet schools or that
authorizes the inclusion of magnet schools at the discretion of the
applicant.
2. Plans required by a State agency or official of competent
jurisdiction. An applicant submitting a plan ordered by a State agency
or official of competent jurisdiction must provide documentation that
shows that the plan was ordered based upon a determination that State
law was violated. In the absence of this documentation, the applicant
should consider its plan to be a voluntary plan and submit the data and
information necessary for voluntary plans.
3. Title VI required plans. An applicant that submits a plan
required by OCR under Title VI must submit a complete copy of the plan
demonstrating that magnet schools are part of the approved plan.
4. Modifications to required plans. A previously approved
desegregation plan that does not include the magnet school or program
for which the applicant is now seeking assistance must be modified to
include the magnet school component. The modification to the plan must
be approved by the court, agency, or official that originally approved
the plan. An applicant that wishes to modify a previously approved OCR
Title VI plan to include different or additional magnet schools must
submit the proposed modification for review and approval to the OCR
regional office that approved its original plan.
An applicant should indicate in its application if it is seeking to
modify its previously approved plan. However, all applicants must
submit proof of approval of all modifications to their plans to ED by
June 1, 2007. Proof of plan modifications should be mailed to the
person and address identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
elsewhere in this notice.

Voluntary Plans

A voluntary plan must be approved by ED each time an application is

submitted for funding. Even if ED has approved a voluntary plan in an
LEA in the past, the plan must be resubmitted for approval as part of
the application.
The enrollment and other information as required by the regulations
in 34 CFR 280.20(f) and (g) for applicants with voluntary plans
(specific requirements are detailed in the application package) are
critical to our determination of an applicant's eligibility under a
voluntary plan.
The purposes of the MSAP include the reduction, elimination, or
prevention of minority group isolation. All voluntary plans proposed in
an LEA's application must be adequate under Title VI. The Department
believes that LEAs submitting voluntary plans can achieve the statutory
purposes of reducing, eliminating, or preventing minority group
isolation using race-neutral admissions practices. The United States
Supreme Court is expected to provide additional guidance about the use
of race in voluntary plans in two cases prior to the award of FY 2007
grants. The Department will examine the implications of those decisions
on the MSAP program when making FY 2007 awards.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Joan Scott-Ambrosio,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W236,
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 260-2715 or by e-mail:
joan.scott-ambrosio@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 competition.
Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to develop a
more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a
better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for
funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly
encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department by sending
a short e-mail message indicating the applicant's intent to submit an
application for funding. The e-mail need not include information
regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicant's
intent to submit it. This e-mail notification should be sent to
joan.scott-ambrosio@ed.gov.

Applicants that fail to provide this e-mail notification may still
apply for funding.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria and two of
the competitive preference priorities that reviewers use to evaluate
your application. The two competitive preference priorities that must
be addressed in the application narrative are Competitive Preference
Priority 1--Need for Assistance and Competitive Preference Priority 4--
Expanding Capacity to Provide Choice. You must limit Part III to the
equivalent of no more than 250 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, certifications, the desegregation plan and related
information, and the forms used to respond to Competitive Preference
Priority 2--New or revised magnet schools projects and Competitive
Preference Priority 3--

[[Page 10726]]

Selection of students; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, or
letters of support. 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.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: March 9, 2007.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: April 6, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 27, 2007.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). 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.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under For Further Information Contact. Deadline for
Intergovernmental Review: June 27, 2007.
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 specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR
280.41. We reference additional regulations outlining funding
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 this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants
under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, CFDA Number 84.165A must
be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide 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.
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.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Magnet
Schools Assistance Program at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search

for the downloadable application package for this program or
competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha
suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.165, not 84.165A).
Please note the following:
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 date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date and 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 and 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 and 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 submission 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 program 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 via Grants.gov, you must
complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp).

These steps include (1)
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative
(AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization.
Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf
). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition, you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three 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 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
all information you typically provide on the following forms:
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications. Please note that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the
Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424--have
replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
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 in this paragraph or submit a password protected file,
we will not review that material.

[[Page 10727]]

Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application 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
Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing
problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact
the Grants.gov Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
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 described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application 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. 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: The extensions to which we refer 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 application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov 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 Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov 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: Joan Scott-Ambrosio,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W225,
Washington, DC 20202-5970. Fax: (202) 205-5630.
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 an
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:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.165A), 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
84.165A), 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.
(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.
(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: (CFDA Number
84.165A), 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this
notification 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.

[[Page 10728]]

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: All of the selection criteria for this
program are from 34 CFR 280.31, with the exception of the selection
criterion for the Quality of project design. The Quality of project
design selection criterion is from sections 5305(b)(1)(A),
5305(b)(1)(B), 5305(b)(1)(D)(i), 5305(b)(2)(D) and 5307(b) of the ESEA,
in accordance with 34 CFR 75.209.
The maximum score for all the selection criteria is 100 points. The
maximum score for each criterion is included in parentheses. Each
criterion also includes the factors that reviewers will consider in
determining whether an application meets the criterion.
Points awarded under these selection criteria are in addition to
any points an applicant earns under the competitive preference
priorities in this notice. The maximum score an application may receive
based on the priority points and the selection criteria is 140 points.
(a) Plan of operation. (25 points)
(1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality
of the plan of operation for the project.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which the applicant
demonstrates--
(i) The effectiveness of its management plan to ensure proper and
efficient administration of the project;
(ii) The effectiveness of its plan to attain specific outcomes
that--
(A) Will accomplish the purposes of the program;
(B) Are attainable within the project period;
(C) Are measurable and quantifiable; and
(D) For multi-year projects, can be used to determine the project's
progress in meeting its intended outcomes;
(iii) The effectiveness of its plan for utilizing its resources and
personnel to achieve the objectives of the project, including how well
it utilizes key personnel to complete tasks and achieve the objectives
of the project;
(iv) How it will ensure equal access and treatment for eligible
project participants who have been traditionally underrepresented in
courses or activities offered as part of the magnet school, e.g., women
and girls in mathematics, science, or technology courses, and disabled
students; and
(v) The effectiveness of its plan to recruit students from
different social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds into the
magnet schools.
(b) Quality of personnel. (10 points)
(1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the
qualifications of the personnel the applicant plans to use on the
project.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which--
(i) The project director (if one is used) is qualified to manage
the project;
(ii) Other key personnel are qualified to manage the project;
(iii) Teachers who will provide instruction in participating magnet
schools are qualified to implement the special curriculum of the magnet
schools; and
(iv) The applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment
practices will ensure that its personnel are selected for employment
without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or
disability.
(3) To determine personnel qualifications, the Secretary considers
experience and training in fields related to the objectives of the
project, including the key personnel's knowledge of and experience in
curriculum development and desegregation strategies.
(c) Quality of project design. (35 points)
(1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality
of the project design based on sections 5305(b)(1)(A), 5305(b)(1)(B),
5305(b)(1)(D)(i), 5305(b)(2)(D) and 5307(b) of the ESEA.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which each magnet school
for which funding is sought will--
(i) Promote desegregation, including how each proposed magnet
school program will increase interaction among students of different
social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds;
(ii) Improve student academic achievement for all students
attending each magnet school program, including the manner and extent
to which each magnet school program will increase student academic
achievement in the instructional area or areas offered by the school;
(iii) Implement high-quality activities that are directly related
to improving student academic achievement based on the State's academic
content standards and academic achievement standards or directly
related to improving students' reading skills or knowledge of
mathematics, science, history, geography, English, foreign languages,
art, or music, or to improving vocational, technological, and
professional skills; and
(iv) Encourage greater parental decisionmaking and involvement.
(d) Budget and resources. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the adequacy of the resources and the cost-
effectiveness of the budget for the project, including--
(1) The adequacy of the facilities that the applicant plans to use;
(2) The adequacy of the equipment and supplies that the applicant
plans to use; and
(3) The adequacy and reasonableness of the budget for the project
in relation to the objectives of the project.
(e) Evaluation plan. (15 points) The Secretary determines the
extent to which the evaluation plan for the project--
(1) Includes methods that are appropriate to the project;
(2) Will determine how successful the project is in meeting its
intended outcomes, including its goals for desegregating its students
and increasing student achievement; and
(3) Includes methods that are objective and that will produce data
that are quantifiable.
(f) Commitment and capacity. (10 points)
(1) The Secretary reviews each application to determine whether the
applicant is likely to continue the magnet school activities after
assistance under the regulations is no longer available.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which the applicant--
(i) Is committed to the magnet schools project; and
(ii) Has identified other resources to continue support for the
magnet school activities when assistance under this program is no
longer available.

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

[[Page 10729]]

performance report that provides the most current performance and
financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34
CFR 75.118, including information that documents the extent of success
in addressing the performance measures described in the following
paragraph. For specific requirements on grantee reporting, please go to
the ED Performance Report Form 524B at http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.

4. Performance Measures: We have established three performance
measures for the MSAP:
(a) The percentage of magnet schools whose student applicant pool
reflects a racial and ethnic composition that, in relation to the total
enrollment of the school, reduces, eliminates or prevents minority
group isolation. The Secretary has set an overall performance target
that calls for the percentage of magnet schools whose student applicant
pool would have a beneficial effect on the reduction, prevention or
elimination of minority group isolation in participating project
schools to increase annually from a baseline established with magnet
school applicant data from the first year of the project.
(b) The percentage of magnet schools whose students from major
racial and ethnic groups meet or exceed their State's adequate yearly
progress standard, in accordance with their State's plan required by
section 1111 of the ESEA. The Secretary has set an overall performance
target that calls for the percentage of magnet schools whose students
meet or exceed the adequate yearly progress standard to increase
annually from a baseline established by participating schools'
performance in the school year prior to the beginning of the project.
(c) The percentage of magnet schools that receive assistance and
that are still operating magnet school programs three years after
Federal funding ends and the percentage of magnet schools that received
assistance that meet State standards at least three years after Federal
funding ends. The Secretary has set an overall performance target that
calls for the percentage of magnet schools that are in operation and
meet or exceed State standards three years after Federal funding ends
to increase annually from a baseline established three years after
Federal funding ceases.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven L. Brockhouse, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4W229, Washington, DC
20202-5970. Telephone: (202) 260-2476 or by e-mail:
steve.brockhouse@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: March 6, 2007.
Morgan S. Brown,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. E7-4271 Filed 3-8-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P