[Federal Register: March 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 53)]
[Notices]
[Page 14729-14749]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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Part VI
Department of Education
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Bilingual Education: Field-Initiated Research Program; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.292B]
Bilingual Education: Field-Initiated Research Program; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000
Note to Applicants: This notice is a complete application package.
Together with the statute authorizing the program and applicable
regulations governing this program, including the Education Department
General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this notice contains all of
the information, application forms, and instructions needed to apply
for a grant under this program. The statutory authorization for this
program is contained in section 7132 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 7452, as amended by the
Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103-382 (October 20,
1994).
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to provide
grants for field-initiated research activities related to the
improvement of bilingual education and special alternative
instructional programs for limited English proficient (LEP) children
and youth.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, nonprofit
organizations, State educational agencies, and local educational
agencies that have received grants under subparts 1 or 2 of Part A (or
Part A or Part B, as in effect prior to October 20, 1994) of Title VII
of the ESEA within the previous five years.
Applications Available: March 17, 2000.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 17, 2000.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 16, 2000.
Available Funds: $180,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $50,000-$70,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $60,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: 12 months.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99 the regulations in 34 CFR part 299,
General Provisions, ESEA.
Description of Program
Funds under this program are available to carry out field-initiated
research conducted by current or recent recipients of grants under
subparts 1 or 2 who have received those grants within the previous five
years. Research under this program may provide for longitudinal studies
of students or teachers in bilingual education, monitoring the
education of those students from entry in bilingual education through
secondary school completion.
Priorities
Invitational Priority: The Secretary is particularly interested in
applications that meet the following invitational priority. However, an
application that meets this invitational priority does not receive
competitive or absolute preference over other applications (34 CFR
75.105(c)(1)):
Applications that propose to focus on research that leads to
answering significant questions on the assessment of academic
achievement for LEP students.
Note: For further information on assessment issues, see ``High
Stakes Assessment: A Research Agenda for English Language
Learners,'' which is available from the National Clearinghouse for
Bilingual Education, telephone--1-800-321-6223 or website at: http:/
/www.ncbe.gwu.edu
Selection Criteria
The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in 34 CFR
75.210 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.
(a) Need for the project (5 points). (1) The Secretary considers
the need for the proposed project. (2) In determining the need for the
proposed project, the Secretary considers 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.
(b) Significance (10 points). (1) The Secretary considers the
significance of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The significance of the problem or issue to be addressed by the
proposed project.
(ii) The potential contribution of the proposed project to
increased knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues,
or effective strategies.
(iii) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in
system change or improvement.
(iv) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and student achievement.
(c) Quality of the project design (50 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(ii) The extent to which the proposed project is based upon a
specific research design, and the quality and appropriateness of that
design, including the scientific rigor of the studies involved.
(iii) The extent to which the design of the proposed project
includes a thorough, high-quality review of the relevant literature, a
high-quality plan for project implementation, and the use of
appropriate methodological tools to ensure successful achievement of
project objectives.
(iv) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a
comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support
rigorous academic standards for students.
(d) Quality of project personnel (20 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed
project.
(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability.
(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director or principal investigator.
(ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of key project personnel.
(e) Adequacy of resources (5 points). (1) The Secretary considers
the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.
(2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
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(i) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the
proposed project.
(ii) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to
the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed
project.
(f) Quality of the management plan (10 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks.
(ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
project.
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs
This program is subject to the requirements of Executive order
12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the Executive order is
to foster an intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism
by relying on State and local processes for State and local government
coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of
Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process
under Executive order 12372. Applicants proposing to perform activities
in more than one State should immediately contact the Single Point of
Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established
in each State under the Executive order. If you want to know the name
and address of any State Single Point of Contact, see the list
published in the Federal Register on April 28, 1999 (64 FR 22963); or
you may view the latest SPOC list on the OMB Web site at the following
address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants
In States that have not established a process or chosen a program
for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit
comments directly to the Department. Any State Process Recommendation
and other comments submitted by a State Single Point of Contact and any
comments from State, areawide, regional, and local entities must be
mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in this notice to the
following address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372--CFDA# 84.292B, U.S.
Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-0124.
Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as
applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be
hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (EST) on the date indicated in this
Notice.
Please note that the above address is not the same address as the
one to which the applicant submits its completed application. Do not
send applications to the above address.
Instructions for Transmittal of Applications
(a) If an applicant wants to apply for a grant, the applicant
must--
(1) Mail the original and two copies of the application on or
before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application
Control Center, Attention (CFDA# 84.292B), Washington, DC 20202-4725 or
(2) Hand-deliver the original and two copies of the application by
4:30 p.m. (EST) on or before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA# 84.292B), Room
3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D Streets, SW.,
Washington, DC.
(b) An applicant must show one of the following as proof of
mailing:
(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.
(c) If an application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service,
the Secretary does 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.
Notes:
(1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check
with its local post office.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application
Receipt Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an applicant fails to
receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from
the date of mailing the application, the applicant should call the
U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202)
708-9495.
(3) The applicant must indicate on the envelope and--if not
provided by the Department--in Item 3 of the Application for Federal
Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which the application is being
submitted.
Application Instructions and Forms
The appendix to this notice contains the following forms and
instructions, plus a statement regarding estimated public reporting
burden, a notice to applicants regarding compliance with section 427 of
the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), a checklist for
applicants, various assurances, certifications, and required
documentation:
a. Instructions for the Application Narrative.
b. Additional Guidance.
c. Estimated Public Reporting Burden Statement.
d. Notice to All Applicants.
e. Checklist for Applicants.
f. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424) and
instructions.
g. Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No. 524)
and instructions.
h. Eligibility Certification.
i. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B) and
instructions.
j. Certifications Regarding: Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED
80-0013) and instructions.
k. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and
Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 9/90)
and instructions.
Note: ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and should
not be transmitted to the Department.
l. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if
applicable) and instructions. This document has been marked to reflect
statutory changes. See the notice published in the Federal Register (61
FR 1413) by the Office of Management and Budget on January 19, 1996.
An applicant may submit information on a photostatic copy of the
application and budget forms, the assurances, and the certifications.
However, the application form, the assurances, and the certifications
must each have an original signature.
All applicants must submit ONE original signed application,
including ink signatures on all forms and assurances, and TWO copies of
the application. Please mark each application as ``original'' or
``copy.'' No grant may be awarded unless a completed application has
been received.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Socorro Lara, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW., Room 5086, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-6510. Telephone: (202) 205-9730. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph. Please note, however, that the Department is not able to
reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the
notice.
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 preceding sites. If
you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government
Printing Office 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.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7452.
Dated: March 10, 2000.
Art Love,
Acting Director, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages
Affairs.
Estimated Public Reporting Burden Statement
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this
information collection is OMB No. 1885-0547 (Exp. 04/30/2002). The time
required to complete this information collection is estimated to
average 145 hours per response, including the time to review
instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed,
and complete and review the information collection. If you have any
comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions
for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education,
Washington, DC 20202-4651.
If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your
individual submission of this form, write directly to: Office of
Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5086, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-6510.
Application Instructions
Mandatory Page Limit for the Application Narrative
The narrative portion of the application must not exceed the
equivalent of 50 pages, using the following standards:
* A pageis 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 narrative section must be paginated and should include a one-
page abstract. The 50-page limit applies to the abstract, proposal
narrative, charts, graphs, tables, graphics, budget narrative, position
descriptions (and resumes, if included), and any appendices. The page
limit does not apply to application forms, attachments to those forms,
assurances, certifications, and the table of contents. The page limit
applies only to item 11 and not to the other items in the Checklist for
Applicants. Applications with a narrative section that exceeds the page
limit will not be considered for funding. The narrative section should
begin with an abstract that includes a short description of the
population to be served by the project, project objectives, and planned
project activities. If, to meet the page limit, you use more than one
side of the page, you use a larger page, or you use a print size,
spacing, or margins smaller than the standards in this notice, we will
reject your application.
Selection Criteria
The narrative should address fully all aspects of the selection
criteria in the order listed and should give detailed information
regarding each criterion. Do not simply paraphrase the criteria. Do not
include resumes or curriculum vitae for project personnel; provide
position descriptions instead.
Additional Guidance
Table of Contents
The application should include a table of contents listing the
sections in the order required.
Budget
Budget line items must support the goals and objectives of the
proposed project and must be directly related to the instructional
design and all other project components.
Final Application Preparation
Use the Checklist for Applicants to verify that your application is
complete. Submit three copies of the application, including an original
copy containing an original signature for each form requiring the
signature of the authorized representative. Do not use elaborate
bindings or covers. The application package must be mailed or hand-
delivered to the Application Control Center (ACC) and postmarked by the
deadline date.
Submission of Application to State Educational Agency
Section 7116(a)(2) of the ESEA, 20 U.S.C. 7426(a)(2), requires all
applicants except schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to
submit a copy of their application to their State educational agency
(SEA) for review and comment. Section 75.156 of EDGAR requires these
applicants to submit their application to the SEA on or before the
deadline date for submitting their application to the Department of
Education. This section of EDGAR also requires applicants to attach to
their application a copy of their letter that requests the SEA to
comment on the application (34 CFR 75.156). A copy of this letter
should be attached to the Project Documentation Form contained in this
application package. Applicants that do not submit a copy of their
application to their state educational agency in accordance with these
statutory and regulatory requirements will not be considered for
funding.
Checklist for Applicants
The following forms and other items must be included in the
application in the order listed below:
1. Application for Federal Assistance Form (OMB No. 1875-0106).
2. Budget Information Form (ED Form No. 524).
3. Itemized budget for each year.
4. Assurances--Non-Construction Programs Form (SF 424B).
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5. Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and
Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements Form
(ED 80-0013).
6. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility
and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions Form (ED 80-
0014) (if applicable).
7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form (SF-LLL).
8. Copy of letter requesting SEA comment on the application.
9. Form on General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirement
(See section entitled NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS (OMB No. 1801-0004)).
10. Table of Contents.
11. Application narrative, including abstract (not to exceed 50
pages).
12. One original and two copies of the application for transmittal
to the Education Department's Application Control Center.
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[FR Doc. 00-6651 Filed 3-16-00; 8:45 am]
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