Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Advanced Placement (AP)Test Fee Program, CFDA 84.330B; Notice announcing application deadline [OESE]

FR Doc E6-19674
[Federal Register: November 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 224)]
[Notices]
[Page 67346-67348]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21no06-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.330B]

Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department
of Education.

ACTION: Notice announcing application deadline.

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SUMMARY: Under the AP Test Fee Program, we award grants to eligible
State educational agencies (SEAs) in order to enable them to pay all or
a portion of advanced placement test fees on behalf of eligible low-
income students who: (1) Are enrolled in an advanced placement course;
and (2) plan to take an advanced placement exam. The program is
designed to increase the number of low-income students who take
advanced placement tests and receive scores for which college academic
credit is awarded. In this notice we establish the deadline for
submission of the fiscal year (FY) 2007 AP Test Fee Program grant
applications.
Applications Available: November 21, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 5, 2007.
Applications for grants under this program 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 the section on Other Submission Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for intergovernmental review: March 6, 2007.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Who Is Eligible for an Award Under the AP Test Fee Program?

Eligible applicants under the AP Test Fee Program are: SEAs in any
State, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the freely associated
states of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.

Note: For purposes of this program, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
is treated as an SEA.

Note: Current grantees under this program that expect to have
sufficient carryover funds to cover FY 2007 exam fees for eligible
low-income students should not apply for a new award under this
competition. Applicants requesting new awards for FY 2007 must
submit an application to the Department of Education electronically
by the deadline established in this notice.

Funding and Award Information

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$122,175,000 for the AP Test Fee and Advanced Placement Incentive (API)
programs for FY 2007. Of the requested amount, approximately $12
million would be required to fully fund applications for the AP Test
Fee program. The remaining funds would support API grants. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action.
However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete
the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $15,000-$500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $171,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 34.
Project Period: 12 months.

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

Statutory Funding Requirement: In accordance with section 1703 of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA),
the Department gives priority to applications submitted under this
competition over applications submitted under the API program
competition (CFDA No. 84.330C).
Award Basis: The Department intends to fund, at some level, all
applications that meet the minimum Requirements for Approval of
Application as described in the application package for this
competition and that demonstrate need for new or additional funds for
FY 2007. Also, in determining whether to approve an application for a
new award (including the amount of the award) from an applicant with a
current grant under the program, the Department will consider the
amount of any carryover funds under the existing grant.
Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this
program 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 Advanced Placement Test Fee
Program--CFDA Number 84.330B must be submitted electronically using the
Governmentwide Grants.gov appply 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 Advanced
Placement Test Fee Program at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search

for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search
(e.g., search for 84.330, not 84.330B).
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 time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/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/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/time stamped by the

[[Page 67347]]

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 of the 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 successfully submit 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 typically included 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 above or submit a password protected file, we will not review
that material.
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 will then retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
to you by e-mail a second notification that 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 as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 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: Extensions referred to 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 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: Ms. Lynyetta Johnson,
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3C151,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 205-4921.
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:

[[Page 67348]]

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.330B), 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
84.330B), 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. 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, 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:
(CFDA Number 84.330B), 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--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 grant
application receipt acknowledgment 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lynyetta Johnson, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-6200.
Telephone: (202) 260-1990 or via Internet:
advancedplacementprogram@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 notice in an alternative format
(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as 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: 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
.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6531-6537.

Dated: November 16, 2006.
Henry L. Johnson,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E6-19674 Filed 11-20-06; 8:45 am]

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