[Federal Register: May 7, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 88)]
[Notices]
[Page 23006-23008]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07my01-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CDFA No. 84.215F]
Physical Education for Progress Grant Program
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority and selection criteria for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2001.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces the final priority and selection
criteria under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
Title X, Part L, Physical Education for Progress Grant Program. The
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education will administer this grant
competition. The Secretary takes this action to help initiate, expand,
and improve physical education programs in local educational agencies.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority and selection criteria are effective June
18, 2001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Connie Ann Deshpande, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room 3E332, Washington, DC
20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 401-2140, email address:
Connie.Deshpande@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed at the beginning of
this section.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which the Secretary chooses to use this final priority and selection
criteria, we invite applications through a notice in the Federal
Register. A notice inviting applications under this competition is
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
General
In making awards under this grant competition, the Secretary shall
ensure an equitable distribution of awards between local educational
agencies serving urban and rural areas, and between local educational
agencies serving large and small numbers of students. Contingent upon
the availability of funds, the Secretary may make additional awards in
FY 2002 from the rank-ordered list of nonfunded applications from this
competition.
Administrative Costs
Not more than 5 percent of the grant funds made available to a
local educational agency under this program in any fiscal year may be
used for administrative costs.
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Federal Share
The Federal share for grants under this program may not exceed 90
percent of the total cost of a project.
Prohibition Against Supplanting
Grant funds made available under this program shall be used to
supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local funds
available for physical education activities.
Participation of Home Schooled or Private School Students
An applicant for funds under this program may provide for the
participation of home schooled children and their parents and teachers,
or children enrolled in private non-profit elementary and secondary
schools, and their parents and teachers. Applicants are not required to
propose services for these groups.
Special Rule
Grant funds made available under this program shall not be used to
fund extracurricular activities.
Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and Title X, Part L of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8351 et
seq.), the Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that
meet the following priority, and funds under this competition only
those applications that meet the following absolute priority: Local
educational agency (LEA) projects to initiate, expand, and improve
physical education programs in schools. Such programs must be designed
to assist the LEA in making progress toward meeting State standards for
physical education, by providing funds for training and education of
teachers and staff, and for equipment and support, to enable students
in one or more grades kindergarten through 12 to participate actively
in physical education activities. Under this absolute priority, to be
considered for funding, an applicant is required to:
(1) Have conducted a needs assessment of how well its current
physical education program is enabling the LEA to attain State
standards for physical education;
(2) Based on the results of that needs assessment, include in its
application a description of how the proposed activities will help the
LEA make progress toward meeting State standards for physical
education; and;
(3) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will
be measured annually.
Competitive Preference: Within the absolute priority in this
notice, the Secretary gives preference to applications that meet the
following competitive priority: Applicants that provide an assurance
that at least one-half of the funding provided to them under this
program will be used to benefit students who attend schools identified
for improvement by their States, consistent with the requirements in
Title I, Section 1116(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2) the Secretary awards 5 points to an
application that meets this competitive priority. These points are in
addition to any points the applicant earns under the selection criteria
for the program.
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. (20 points)
In determining the need for the proposed project, the following
factors are considered:
(a) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (10 points)
(b) 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. (10 points)
(2) Significance. (20 points)
In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
following factors are considered:
(a) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system
change or improvement. (10 points)
(b) The extent to which the proposed project involves the
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on,
or are alternatives to, existing strategies. (5 points)
(c) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and student achievement. (5 points)
(3) Quality of the project design. (45 points)
In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project,
the following factors are considered:
(a) The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a
coherent, sustained program of training in the field. (20 points)
(b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (10 points)
(c) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(5 points)
(d) 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. (10 points)
(4) 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. (5 points)
(b) 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. (5 points)
(c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking
Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on a proposed priority and selection criteria. However, in
order to make timely grant awards in fiscal year (FY) 2001, the
Secretary has decided to issue this notice without first publishing a
proposed priority and selection criteria for public comment. This
priority will apply to the FY 2001 grant competition only. The
Secretary takes this action under section 437(d)(1) of the General
Education Provisions Act.
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.
[[Page 23008]]
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program.
Applicable Program Regulations: (a) The Education Department
General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR part 299.
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 the following site:
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister
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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 84.215F, Physical
Education for Progress Grant Program)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8351.
Dated: April 27, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary
Education.
[FR Doc. 01-11441 Filed 5-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U