80_FR_32324 80 FR 32216 - Applications for New Awards; Investing in Innovation Fund-Validation Grants

80 FR 32216 - Applications for New Awards; Investing in Innovation Fund-Validation Grants

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 108 (June 5, 2015)

Page Range32216-32228
FR Document2015-13672

Overview Information: Investing in Innovation Fund--Validation grants. Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.411B (Validation grants).

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32216-32228]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13672]



Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / 
Notices

[[Page 32216]]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Investing in Innovation Fund--
Validation Grants

AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: 
    Overview Information:
    Investing in Innovation Fund--Validation grants.
    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2015.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.411B 
(Validation grants).

DATES: 
    Applications Available: June 8, 2015.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: June 25, 2015.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 4, 2015.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 5, 2015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), 
established under section 14007 of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides funding to support (1) local 
educational agencies (LEAs), and (2) nonprofit organizations in 
partnership with (a) one or more LEAs or (b) a consortium of schools. 
The i3 program is designed to generate and validate solutions to 
persistent educational challenges and to support the expansion of 
effective solutions to serve substantially larger numbers of students. 
The central design element of the i3 program is its multi-tier 
structure that links the amount of funding that an applicant may 
receive to the quality of the evidence supporting the efficacy of the 
proposed project. Applicants proposing practices supported by limited 
evidence can receive relatively small grants that support the 
development and initial evaluation of promising practices and help to 
identify new solutions to pressing challenges; applicants proposing 
practices supported by evidence from rigorous evaluations, such as 
large randomized controlled trials, can receive sizable grants to 
support expansion across the country. This structure provides 
incentives for applicants to build evidence of effectiveness of their 
proposed projects and to address the barriers to serving more students 
across schools, districts, and States.
    As importantly, all i3 projects are required to generate additional 
evidence of effectiveness. All i3 grantees must use part of their 
budgets to conduct independent evaluations (as defined in this notice) 
of their projects. This ensures that projects funded under the i3 
program contribute significantly to improving the information available 
to practitioners and policymakers about which practices work, for which 
types of students, and in what contexts.
    The Department awards three types of grants under this program: 
``Development'' grants, ``Validation'' grants, and ``Scale-up'' grants. 
These grants differ in terms of the level of prior evidence of 
effectiveness required for consideration of funding, the level of scale 
the funded project should reach, and, consequently, the amount of 
funding available to support the project.
    This notice invites applications for Validation grants only. The 
notice inviting applications for Scale-up grants is published elsewhere 
in this issue of the Federal Register. The notice inviting applications 
for Development grants was published in the Federal Register on March 
30, 2015 (80 FR 16648) and is available at http://www.thefederalregister.org/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-30/pdf/2015-07213.pdf.
    Validation grants provide funding to support expansion of projects 
supported by moderate evidence of effectiveness (as defined in this 
notice) to the national level (as defined in this notice) or regional 
level (as defined in this notice). Validation grants must further 
assess the effectiveness of the i3-supported practice through a 
rigorous evaluation, with particular focus on the populations for, and 
the contexts in, which the practice is most effective. We expect and 
consider it appropriate that each applicant propose to use the 
Validation funding to build its capacity to deliver the i3-supported 
practice, particularly early in the funding period, to successfully 
reach the level of scale proposed in its application. Additionally, we 
expect each applicant to address any specific barriers to the growth or 
scaling of the organization or practice (including barriers related to 
cost-effectiveness) in order to deliver the i3-supported practice at 
the proposed level of scale and provide strategies to address these 
barriers as part of its proposed scaling plan.
    All Validation grantees must evaluate the effectiveness of the 
practice that the supported project implements and expands. We expect 
that these evaluations will be conducted in a variety of contexts and 
for a variety of students, will identify the core elements of the 
practice, and will codify the practices to support adoption or 
replication by the applicant and other entities.
    We remind LEAs of the continuing applicability of the provisions of 
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students who 
may be served under i3 grants. Any grants in which LEAs participate 
must be consistent with the rights, protections, and processes 
established under IDEA for students who are receiving special education 
and related services or are in the process of being evaluated to 
determine their eligibility for such services.
    As described later in this notice, in connection with making 
competitive grant awards, an applicant is required, as a condition of 
receiving assistance under this program, to make civil rights 
assurances, including an assurance that its program or activity will 
comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 
and the Department's section 504 implementing regulations, which 
prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Regardless of 
whether a student with disabilities is specifically targeted as a 
``high-need student'' (as defined in this notice) in a particular grant 
application, recipients are required to comply with all legal 
nondiscrimination requirements, including, but not limited to the 
obligation to ensure that students with disabilities are not denied 
access to the benefits of the recipient's program because of their 
disability. The Department also enforces Title II of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as the regulations implementing Title 
II of the ADA, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability 
by public entities.
    Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination 
on the basis of race, color, and national origin. Title IX of the 
Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of 
sex. On December 2, 2011, the Departments of Education and Justice 
jointly issued guidance that explains how educational institutions can 
promote student diversity or avoid racial isolation within the 
framework of Title VI (e.g., through consideration of the racial 
demographics of neighborhoods when drawing assignment zones for schools 
or through targeted recruiting efforts). The ``Guidance on the 
Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity and Avoid Racial Isolation 
in Elementary and Secondary Schools'' is available on the Department's 
Web site at www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/guidance-ese-201111.pdf.
    Background: Through its competitions, the i3 program strives to

[[Page 32217]]

improve the academic achievement of high-need students by accelerating 
the identification of promising solutions to pressing challenges in 
kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) public education. The i3 program 
supports the evaluation of the efficacy of such solutions, and the 
development of new approaches to scaling effective practices to serve 
more students. Through five competitions, the i3 program has built a 
portfolio of grantees that are serving high-need students and building 
rigorous evidence regarding different approaches to addressing critical 
challenges in education. When selecting the priorities for a given 
competition, the Department considers several factors, including the 
Department's policy priorities, the need for new solutions in a 
particular priority area, the extent of the existing evidence in the 
field supporting effective practices in a particular priority area, 
whether other available funding exists for a particular priority area, 
and the results and lessons learned from projects funded through prior 
i3 competitions.
    In previous i3 Validation competitions, the Department has included 
priorities for supporting students with disabilities and English 
learners. As a result, various i3-supported projects are developing and 
implementing approaches to better serve those student groups. Although 
the FY 2015 i3 Validation competition does not include specific 
priorities for supporting English learners or students with 
disabilities, we require all grantees to serve high-need student 
populations, and we encourage applicants to consider ways in which 
their proposed projects could serve students with disabilities or 
English learners. We expect that the portfolio of i3-supported projects 
will contribute to schools' and educators' capacity to serve all 
students, including students with disabilities and English learners.
    All i3 grantees are expected to improve academic outcomes for high-
need students (as defined in this notice). The FY 2015 Validation 
competition sets out four absolute priorities and allows an applicant 
to choose which absolute priority it will address; however, applicants 
applying under the Serving Rural Communities priority (Absolute 
Priority 4) must also address one of the other three absolute 
priorities, as described below, while serving students enrolled in 
rural LEAs (as defined in this notice). These absolute priorities, as 
described below, represent persistent challenges in public education 
for which there are solutions that are supported by rigorous and 
generalizable evidence. We also include three competitive preference 
priorities.
    First, we include an absolute priority for projects designed to 
support novice teachers and novice principals. Effective teachers and 
principals are critical factors in improving student achievement, and 
emerging studies suggest that the first few years of a teacher's or 
principal's tenure are critical to their professional trajectory, 
including their levels of satisfaction, retention rates and 
effectiveness. For example, models aimed at doing multiple related 
teacher reforms at once--from recruiting and preparing to rewarding 
teachers for student achievement growth and taking on additional 
responsibilities--can have positive effects on student outcomes at the 
elementary school level.\1\ As researchers and practitioners explore 
various strategies for training and supporting novice teachers and 
principals, the Department seeks to validate and expand models that 
enhance teachers' and school leaders' skills and experiences in their 
first few years on the job.
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    \1\ Schleicher, A. (2012), Ed., Preparing Teachers and 
Developing School Leaders for the 21st Century: Lessons from around 
the World, OECD Publishing.
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    Second, we include an absolute priority for projects designed to 
implement and support the transition to internationally benchmarked, 
college- and career-ready academic content standards. Many states have 
recently raised the expectations for what their students should be able 
to learn and do across the K-12 grade span, so that all students will 
be adequately prepared for the rigorous demands of college and career. 
As the 2015 Brown Center Report on American Education \2\ points out, 
ongoing analysis of the effects of implementing high standards within 
and across States is crucial to ensuring their effectiveness in 
improving student achievement. Developing and implementing approaches 
that provide students and educators necessary information and support 
throughout this transition to higher standards is key to ensuring that 
this shift results in improvements in student learning and skills. 
Through this priority, we seek projects that leverage data from 
assessments that are aligned with internationally benchmarked, college- 
and career-ready standards to inform instruction and, ultimately, to 
support and improve student achievement.
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    \2\ Loveless, Tom. How Well are American Students Learning? 
(March 2015). The 2015 Brown Center Report on American Education. 
Volume III, Number 4. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/~/
media/Research/Files/Reports/2015/03/BCR/2015-Brown-Center-
Report_FINAL.pdf?la=en.
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    Third, we include an absolute priority focused on implementing 
comprehensive high school reform strategies in high schools that are 
eligible to operate Title I schoolwide programs under Section 1114 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 
or in schools that can demonstrate that not less than 40 percent of 
students are from low-income families. These strategies encompass a 
broad spectrum of interventions, including, but not limited to: 
Implementing a rigorous college- and career-ready curriculum that links 
student work and real-world experiences; providing accelerated learning 
opportunities that allow students to earn credit toward a postsecondary 
degree, including dual enrollment programs and early-college high 
school strategies; implementing early warning indicator systems to 
identify and target supports for struggling students; personalizing 
learning for students; and strengthening relationships with business 
and post-secondary partners to link student work to real-world 
expectations and experiences. There is a particular need to improve 
readiness for college and careers in science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics (STEM) fields, both because these are high-growth 
fields and because too many of our high schools fall short in these 
areas. There is also evidence demonstrating that comprehensive academic 
supports for high school students can improve student outcomes, 
increasing high school graduation and college preparation,\3\ including 
for high-need students.\4\
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    \3\ Fryer, Roland G. (April 2014). Injecting Charter School Best 
Practices into Traditional Public Schools: Evidence from Field 
Experiments. Available at: http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/fryer/files/2014_injecting_charter_school_best_practices_into_traditional_public_schools.pdf; Sinclair, M.F., Christenson, S.L., Lehr, C.A., & 
Anderson, A.R. (2003). Facilitating student engagement: Lessons 
learned from Check & Connect longitudinal studies. The California 
School Psychologist, 8(1), 29-42. IES Intervention Report Available 
at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=78; and 
Constantine, J.M., Seftor, N.S., Martin, E.S., Silva, T., & Myers, 
D. (2006). A study of the effect of the Talent Search program on 
secondary and postsecondary outcomes in Florida, Indiana, and Texas: 
Final report from phase II of the national evaluation. Report 
prepared by Mathematica Policy Research for the U.S. Department of 
Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, 
Policy and Program Studies Service. Washington, DC: U.S. Department 
of Education. IES Intervention Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=508.
    \4\ Bloom, D., Gardenhire-Crooks, A., & Mandsager, C. (2009). 
Reengaging high school dropouts: Early results of the National Guard 
Youth ChalleNGe Program evaluation. New York, NY: MDRC; Cave, G., 
Bos, H., Doolittle, F., & Toussaint, C. (1993). JOBSTART: Final 
report on a program for school dropouts. New York, NY: MDRC. IES 
Intervention Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=248; and Larson, K.A., & Rumberger, R.W. 
(1995). ALAS: Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success. In 
H. Thornton (Ed.), Staying in school. A technical report of three 
dropout prevention projects for junior high school students with 
learning and emotional disabilities. Minneapolis, MN: University of 
Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. IES Intervention 
Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=22.

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[[Page 32218]]

    Finally, we include an absolute priority for serving rural 
communities. Students living in rural communities face unique 
challenges, such as lack of access to specialized courses. Applicants 
applying under this priority must also address one of the other three 
absolute priorities established for the FY 2015 i3 Validation 
competition, as described above, while serving students enrolled in 
rural local educational agencies (as defined in this notice).
    We also include three competitive preference priorities in the FY 
2015 Validation competition. The Department encourages applicants to 
design projects that address these competitive preference priorities in 
their applications.
    First, we include a competitive preference priority focused on 
improving cost-effectiveness and productivity. Improvements in 
operational, organizational, and instructional processes and structures 
will enable organizations to strengthen their results, and to do so in 
a more efficient manner. Applicants should provide detailed information 
about how they aim to modify their processes and structures to improve 
productivity, and how they will evaluate whether the proposed projects 
are cost-effective when implemented. This may include assessing the 
cost of comparable or alternative approaches. In order to receive 
competitive preference points, applicants addressing this priority must 
provide a detailed budget, an examination of different types of costs, 
and a plan to monitor and evaluate cost savings, all of which are 
essential to improving productivity.
    Second, we include a competitive preference priority for projects 
that enable the broad adoption of effective practices. This competitive 
preference priority rewards applicants that will implement systematic 
methods for identifying and supporting the expansion of these 
practices. While all Validation grantees must codify the core elements 
of their i3-supported practices, we are interested in projects that 
focus particularly on the documentation and replication of practices 
that have been demonstrated to be effective. In addition, practitioners 
and policymakers need access to strong, reliable data to make informed 
decisions about adopting effective practices, particularly to replace 
less effective alternatives. This competitive preference priority 
supports strategies that identify key elements of effective practices 
and that capture lessons learned about the implementation of these 
practices. In addition, an applicant addressing this priority must 
commit to implementing their approach in multiple settings and 
locations in order to ensure that the practice can be successfully 
replicated in different contexts.
    Third, in order to expand the reach of the i3 program and encourage 
entities that have not previously received an i3 grant to apply, the 
Department includes a competitive preference priority for novice i3 
applicants. A novice i3 applicant is an applicant that has never 
received a grant under the i3 program. An applicant must identify 
whether it is a novice applicant when completing the applicant 
information sheet. Instructions on how to complete the applicant 
information sheet are included in the application package.
    In summary, applications must address one of the first three 
absolute priorities for this competition and propose projects designed 
to implement practices that serve students who are in grades K-12 at 
some point during the funding period. If an applicant chooses to also 
address the absolute priority regarding students in rural LEAs, that 
applicant must also address one of the other three absolute priorities 
established for the FY 2015 i3 Validation competition, as described 
above, while serving students enrolled in rural LEAs (as defined in 
this notice). Additionally, applicants must be able to show moderate 
evidence of effectiveness for the proposed process, product, strategy, 
or practice included in their applications. Applicants should carefully 
review all of the requirements in the Eligibility Information section 
of this notice for instructions on how to demonstrate moderate evidence 
of effectiveness and for information on the other eligibility and 
program requirements.
    The i3 program includes a statutory requirement for a private-
sector match for all i3 grantees. For Validation grants, an applicant 
must obtain matching funds or in-kind donations from the private sector 
equal to at least 10 percent of its grant award. Each highest-rated 
application, as identified by the Department following peer review of 
the applications, must submit evidence of at least 50 percent of the 
required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant. An 
applicant must provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the 
required private-sector match no later than three months after the 
project start date (i.e., for the FY 2015 competition, three months 
after January 1, 2016, or by April 1, 2016). The grant will be 
terminated if the grantee does not secure its private-sector match by 
the established deadline.
    This notice includes selection criteria for the FY 2015 Validation 
competition that are designed to ensure that applications selected for 
funding have the potential to generate substantial improvements in 
student achievement (and other key outcomes), and include well-
articulated plans for the implementation and evaluation of the proposed 
projects. Applicants should review the selection criteria and 
submission instructions carefully to ensure their applications address 
this year's criteria.
    An entity that submits an application for a Validation grant must 
include the following information in its application: An estimate of 
the number of students to be served by the project; evidence of the 
applicant's ability to implement and appropriately evaluate the 
proposed project; and information about its capacity (e.g., management 
capacity, financial resources, and qualified personnel) to implement 
the project at a national or regional level, working directly or 
through partners. We recognize that LEAs are not typically responsible 
for taking their practices, strategies, or programs to scale; however, 
all applicants can and should partner with others to disseminate their 
effective practices, strategies and programs and take them to scale.
    The Department will screen applications that are submitted for 
Validation grants in accordance with the requirements in this notice 
and determine which applications meet the eligibility and other 
requirements. Peer reviewers will review all applications for 
Validation grants that are submitted by the established deadline.
    Applicants should note, however, that we may screen for eligibility 
at multiple points during the competition process, including before and 
after peer review; applicants that are determined to be ineligible will 
not receive a grant award regardless of peer reviewer scores or 
comments. If we determine that a Validation grant application is not 
supported by moderate evidence of effectiveness, or that the applicant 
does not demonstrate the required prior record of improvement, or does 
not meet any other i3 requirement, the

[[Page 32219]]

application will not be considered for funding.
    Priorities: This competition includes four absolute priorities and 
three competitive preference priorities. Absolute Priorities 1 and 4 
and the three competitive preference priorities are from the notice of 
final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for 
this program, published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2013 (78 
FR 18682) (2013 i3 NFP). Absolute Priority 2 is from the Department's 
notice of final supplemental priorities and definitions, published in 
the Federal Register on December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425) (Supplemental 
Priorities). Absolute Priority 3 is from the notice of final priority 
for this program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register (2015 i3 NFP).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which 
we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet one of these 
priorities.
    Under the Validation grant competition, each of the four absolute 
priorities constitutes its own funding category. The Secretary intends 
to award grants under each absolute priority for which applications of 
sufficient quality are submitted.
    An applicant for a Validation grant must choose one of the four 
absolute priorities. Applications will be peer reviewed and scored; 
because scores will be rank ordered by absolute priority, it is 
essential that an applicant clearly identify the specific absolute 
priority that the proposed project addresses. It is also important to 
note that applicants that choose to submit an application under the 
absolute priority for Serving Rural Communities must identify an 
additional absolute priority. Regardless, the peer-reviewed scores for 
applications submitted under the Serving Rural Communities priority 
will be ranked with other applications under its priority, and not 
included in the ranking for the additional priority that the applicant 
identified. This design helps us ensure that applicants under the 
Serving Rural Communities priority receive an ``apples to apples'' 
comparison with other rural applicants.
    These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1--Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers and 
Principals.
    Under this priority, we provide funding to projects that focus on 
developing and implementing models of induction and support for 
improving the knowledge and skills of novice teachers or novice 
principals to accelerate student performance, including but not limited 
to strategies designed to increase teacher retention or improve teacher 
or principal effectiveness.
    Absolute Priority 2--Implementing Internationally Benchmarked 
College- and Career-Ready Standards and Assessments.
    Under this priority, we provide funding to projects that are 
designed to support the implementation of, and transition to, 
internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards and 
assessments, including developing and implementing strategies that use 
the standards and information from assessments to inform classroom 
practices that meet the needs of all students.
    Absolute Priority 3--Implementing Comprehensive High School Reform 
and Redesign.
    Under this priority, we provide funding to support comprehensive 
high school reform and redesign strategies in high schools eligible to 
operate Title I school-wide programs under section 1114 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, or in 
schools that can demonstrate that not less than 40 percent of students 
are from low-income families. These strategies must be designed to 
increase the number and percentage of students who graduate from high 
school college- and career-ready and enroll in college, other 
postsecondary education, or other career and technical education.
    These strategies could include elements such as implementing a 
rigorous college- and career-ready curriculum; providing accelerated 
learning opportunities; supporting personalized learning; developing 
robust links between student work and real-world experiences to better 
prepare students for their future; improving the readiness of students 
for post-secondary education in STEM fields; or reducing the need for 
remediation, among others.
    Absolute Priority 4--Serving Rural Communities.
    Under this priority, we provide funding to projects that address 
one of the absolute priorities established for the 2015 Validation i3 
competition and under which the majority of students to be served are 
enrolled in rural local educational agencies (as defined in this 
notice).
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2015 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition, these priorities are competitive preference 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award one additional point 
to applications that meet the first competitive preference priority, 
two additional points to applications that meet the second competitive 
preference priority, and three additional points to applications that 
meet the third competitive preference priority.
    Applicants may address more than one of the competitive preference 
priorities. An applicant must identify in the project narrative section 
of its application the priority or priorities it wishes the Department 
to consider for purposes of earning competitive preference priority 
points.

    Note: The Department will not review or award points under any 
competitive preference priority that the applicant fails to clearly 
identify as the competitive preference priority or priorities the 
applicant wishes the Department to consider for purposes of earning 
competitive preference priority points.

    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1--Improving Cost-Effectiveness and 
Productivity (zero or 1 point).
    Under this priority, we provide funding to projects that address 
one of the following areas:
    (a) Substantially improving student outcomes without commensurately 
increasing per-student costs.
    (b) Maintaining student outcomes while substantially decreasing 
per-student costs.
    (c) Substantially improving student outcomes while substantially 
decreasing per-student costs.
    Other requirements related to Competitive Preference Priority 1:
    An application addressing this priority must provide--
    (1) A clear and coherent budget that identifies expected student 
outcomes before and after the practice, the cost per student for the 
practice, and a clear calculation of the cost per student served;
    (2) A compelling discussion of the expected cost-effectiveness of 
the practice compared with alternative practices;
    (3) A clear delineation of one-time costs versus ongoing costs and 
a plan for sustaining the project, particularly ongoing costs, after 
the expiration of i3 funding;
    (4) Identification of specific activities designed to increase 
substantially the cost-effectiveness of the practice, such as re-
designing costly components of the practice (while maintaining 
efficacy) or testing multiple versions of the practice in order to 
identify the most cost-effective approach; and
    (5) A project evaluation that addresses the cost-effectiveness of 
the proposed practice.

[[Page 32220]]

    Competitive Preference Priority 2--Enabling Broad Adoption of 
Effective Practices (zero or 2 points).
    Under this priority, we provide funding to projects that enable 
broad adoption of effective practices. An application proposing to 
address this priority must, as part of its application:
    (a) Identify the practice or practices that the application 
proposes to prepare for broad adoption, including formalizing the 
practice (i.e., establish and define key elements of the practice), 
codifying (i.e., develop a guide or tools to support the dissemination 
of information on key elements of the practice), and explaining why 
there is a need for formalization and codification.
    (b) Evaluate different forms of the practice to identify the 
critical components of the practice that are crucial to its success and 
sustainability, including the adaptability of critical components to 
different teaching and learning environments and to diverse learners.
    (c) Provide a coherent and comprehensive plan for developing 
materials, training, toolkits, or other supports that other entities 
would need in order to implement the practice effectively and with 
fidelity.
    (d) Commit to assessing the replicability and adaptability of the 
practice by supporting the implementation of the practice in a variety 
of locations during the project period using the materials, training, 
toolkits, or other supports that were developed for the i3-supported 
practice.
    Competitive Preference Priority--Supporting Novice i3 Applicants 
(zero or 3 points).
    Eligible applicants that have never directly received a grant under 
this program.
    Definitions: The definitions of ``large sample,'' ``logic model,'' 
``moderate evidence of effectiveness,'' ``multi-site sample,'' 
``national level,'' ``quasi-experimental design study,'' ``randomized 
controlled trial,'' ``regional level,'' ``relevant outcome,'' and 
``What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards'' are from 34 CFR 77.1. 
All other definitions are from the 2013 i3 NFP. We may apply these 
definitions in any year in which this program is in effect.
    Consortium of schools means two or more public elementary or 
secondary schools acting collaboratively for the purpose of applying 
for and implementing an i3 grant jointly with an eligible nonprofit 
organization.
    High-minority school is defined by a school's LEA in a manner 
consistent with the corresponding State's Teacher Equity Plan, as 
required by section 1111(b)(8)(C) of the ESEA. The applicant must 
provide, in its i3 application, the definition(s) used.
    High-need student means a student at risk of educational failure or 
otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as students 
who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools (as defined 
in this notice), who are far below grade level, who have left school 
before receiving a regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not 
graduating with a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster 
care, who have been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are 
English learners.
    High school graduation rate means a four-year adjusted cohort 
graduation rate consistent with 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1) and may also 
include an extended-year adjusted cohort graduation rate consistent 
with 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1)(v) if the State in which the proposed project 
is implemented has been approved by the Secretary to use such a rate 
under Title I of the ESEA.
    Independent evaluation means that the evaluation is designed and 
carried out independent of, but in coordination with, any employees of 
the entities who develop a process, product, strategy, or practice and 
are implementing it.
    Innovation means a process, product, strategy, or practice that 
improves (or is expected to improve) significantly upon the outcomes 
reached with status quo options and that can ultimately reach 
widespread effective usage.
    Large sample means an analytic sample of 350 or more students (or 
other single analysis units), or 50 or more groups (such as classrooms 
or schools) that contain 10 or more students (or other single analysis 
units).
    Logic model (also referred to as theory of action) means a well-
specified conceptual framework that identifies key components of the 
proposed process, product, strategy, or practice (i.e., the active 
``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the 
relevant outcomes) and describes the relationships among the key 
components and outcomes, theoretically and operationally.
    Moderate evidence of effectiveness means that (i) There is at least 
one study of the effectiveness of the process, product, strategy, or 
practice being proposed that meets the What Works Clearinghouse 
Evidence Standards without reservations, found a statistically 
significant favorable impact on a relevant outcome (as defined in this 
notice) (with no statistically significant and overriding unfavorable 
impacts on that outcome for relevant populations in the study or in 
other studies of the intervention reviewed by and reported on by the 
What Works Clearinghouse), and includes a sample that overlaps with the 
populations or settings proposed to receive the process, product, 
strategy, or practice. (ii) There is at least one study of the 
effectiveness of the process, product, strategy, or practice being 
proposed that meets the What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards 
with reservations, found a statistically significant favorable impact 
on a relevant outcome (as defined in this notice) (with no 
statistically significant and overriding unfavorable impacts on that 
outcome for relevant populations in the study or in other studies of 
the intervention reviewed by and reported on by the What Works 
Clearinghouse), includes a sample that overlaps with the populations or 
settings proposed to receive the process, product, strategy, or 
practice, and includes a large sample (as defined in this notice) and a 
multi-site sample (as defined in this notice). (Note: Multiple studies 
can cumulatively meet the large and multisite sample requirements as 
long as each study meets the other requirements in this paragraph).
    Multi-site sample means more than one site, where site can be 
defined as an LEA, locality, or State.
    National level describes the level of scope or effectiveness of a 
process, product, strategy, or practice that is able to be effective in 
a wide variety of communities, including rural and urban areas, as well 
as with different groups (e.g., economically disadvantaged, racial and 
ethnic groups, migrant populations, individuals with disabilities, 
English learners, and individuals of each gender).
    Nonprofit organization means an entity that meets the definition of 
``nonprofit'' under 34 CFR 77.1(c), or an institution of higher 
education as defined by section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended.
    Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that 
attempts to approximate an experimental design by identifying a 
comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important 
respects. These studies, depending on design and implementation, can 
meet What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards with reservations (but 
not What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards without reservations).
    Randomized controlled trial means a study that employs random 
assignment of, for example, students, teachers, classrooms, schools, or 
districts to receive the intervention being evaluated (the treatment 
group) or not to receive the intervention (the control group). The 
estimated effectiveness of the

[[Page 32221]]

intervention is the difference between the average outcomes for the 
treatment group and for the control group. These studies, depending on 
design and implementation, can meet What Works Clearinghouse Evidence 
Standards without reservations.
    Regional level describes the level of scope or effectiveness of a 
process, product, strategy, or practice that is able to serve a variety 
of communities within a State or multiple States, including rural and 
urban areas, as well as with different groups (e.g., economically 
disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups, migrant populations, 
individuals with disabilities, English learners, and individuals of 
each gender). For an LEA-based project to be considered a regional-
level project, a process, product, strategy, or practice must serve 
students in more than one LEA, unless the process, product, strategy, 
or practice is implemented in a State in which the State educational 
agency is the sole educational agency for all schools.
    Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) (or the ultimate 
outcome if not related to students) the proposed process, product, 
strategy or practice is designed to improve; consistent with the 
specific goals of a program.
    Rural local educational agency means a local educational agency 
(LEA) that is eligible under the Small Rural School Achievement (SRSA) 
program or the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized 
under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA. Eligible applicants may determine 
whether a particular LEA is eligible for these programs by referring to 
information on the Department's Web site at www2.ed.gov/nclb/freedom/local/reap.html.
    Student achievement means--
    (a) For grades and subjects in which assessments are required under 
ESEA section 1111(b)(3): (1) A student's score on such assessments and 
may include (2) other measures of student learning, such as those 
described in paragraph (b), provided they are rigorous and comparable 
across schools within an LEA.
    (b) For grades and subjects in which assessments are not required 
under ESEA section 1111(b)(3): Alternative measures of student learning 
and performance such as student results on pre-tests, end-of-course 
tests, and objective performance-based assessments; student learning 
objectives; student performance on English language proficiency 
assessments; and other measures of student achievement that are 
rigorous and comparable across schools within an LEA.
    Student growth means the change in student achievement (as defined 
in this notice) for an individual student between two or more points in 
time. An applicant may also include other measures that are rigorous 
and comparable across classrooms.
    What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards means the standards set 
forth in the What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook 
(Version 3.0, March 2014), which can be found at the following link: 
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.
    Program Authority: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, 
Division A, Section 14007, Pub. L. 111-5.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) EDGAR in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget 
Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension 
(Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as 
regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements 
for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended in 2 CFR 
part 3474. (d) 2013 i3 NFP (78 FR 18681). (e) 2015 i3 NFP, published 
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. (f) The Supplemental 
Priorities (79 FR 73425).

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreements or discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $112,400,000.
    These estimated available funds are the total available for all 
three types of grants under the i3 program (Development, Validation, 
and Scale-up grants). Contingent upon the availability of funds and the 
quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 or 
later years from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards:
    Development grants: Up to $3,000,000.
    Validation grants: Up to $12,000,000.
    Scale-up grants: Up to $20,000,000.

    Note: The upper limit of the range of awards (e.g., $12,000,000 
for Validation grants) is referred to as the ``maximum amount of 
awards'' in section 5 of this notice.

    Estimated Average Size of Awards:
    Development grants: $3,000,000.
    Validation grants: $11,500,000.
    Scale-up grants: $19,000,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards:
    Development grants: 9-11 awards.
    Validation grants: 2-4 awards.
    Scale-up grants: 0-1 awards.

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

    Project Period: 36-60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Innovations that Improve Achievement for High-Need Students: All 
grantees must implement practices that are designed to improve student 
achievement (as defined in this notice) or student growth (as defined 
in this notice), close achievement gaps, decrease dropout rates, 
increase high school graduation rates (as defined in this notice), or 
increase college enrollment and completion rates for high-need students 
(as defined in this notice).
    2. Innovations that Serve Kindergarten-through-Grade-12 (K-12) 
Students: All grantees must implement practices that serve students who 
are in grades K-12 at some point during the funding period. To meet 
this requirement, projects that serve early learners (i.e., infants, 
toddlers, or preschoolers) must provide services or supports that 
extend into kindergarten or later years, and projects that serve 
postsecondary students must provide services or supports during the 
secondary grades or earlier.
    3. Eligible Applicants: Entities eligible to apply for i3 grants 
include either of the following:
    (a) An LEA.
    (b) A partnership between a nonprofit organization and--
    (1) One or more LEAs; or
    (2) A consortium of schools.
    Statutory Eligibility Requirements: Except as specifically set 
forth in the Note about Eligibility for an Eligible Applicant that 
Includes a Nonprofit Organization that follows, to be eligible for an 
award, an eligible applicant must--
    (a)(1) Have significantly closed the achievement gaps between 
groups of students described in section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA 
(economically disadvantaged students, students from major racial and 
ethnic groups, students with limited English proficiency, students with 
disabilities); or
    (2) Have demonstrated success in significantly increasing student 
academic achievement for all groups of students described in that 
section;
    (b) Have made significant improvements in other areas, such as

[[Page 32222]]

high school graduation rates (as defined in this notice) or increased 
recruitment and placement of high-quality teachers and principals, as 
demonstrated with meaningful data;
    (c) Demonstrate that it has established one or more partnerships 
with the private sector, which may include philanthropic organizations, 
and that organizations in the private sector will provide matching 
funds in order to help bring results to scale; and
    (d) In the case of an eligible applicant that includes a nonprofit 
organization, provide in the application the names of the LEAs with 
which the nonprofit organization will partner, or the names of the 
schools in the consortium with which it will partner. If an eligible 
applicant that includes a nonprofit organization intends to partner 
with additional LEAs or schools that are not named in the application, 
it must describe in the application the demographic and other 
characteristics of these LEAs and schools and the process it will use 
to select them.

    Note: An entity submitting an application should provide, in 
Appendix C, under ``Other Attachments Form,'' of its application, 
information addressing the eligibility requirements described in 
this section. An applicant must provide, in its application, 
sufficient supporting data or other information to allow the 
Department to determine whether the applicant has met the 
eligibility requirements. Note that in order to address the 
statutory eligibility requirement above, applicants must provide 
data that demonstrate a change. In other words, applicants must 
provide data for at least two points in time when addressing this 
requirement in Appendix C of their applications. If the Department 
determines that an applicant has provided insufficient information 
in its application, the applicant will not have an opportunity to 
provide additional information.


    Note about LEA Eligibility: For purposes of this program, an LEA 
is an LEA located within one of the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.


    Note about Eligibility for an Eligible Applicant that Includes a 
Nonprofit Organization: The authorizing statute specifies that an 
eligible applicant that includes a nonprofit organization meets the 
requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of the eligibility 
requirements for this program if the nonprofit organization has a 
record of significantly improving student achievement, attainment, 
or retention. For an eligible applicant that includes a nonprofit 
organization, the nonprofit organization must demonstrate that it 
has a record of significantly improving student achievement, 
attainment, or retention through its record of work with an LEA or 
schools. Therefore, an eligible applicant that includes a nonprofit 
organization does not necessarily need to include as a partner for 
its i3 grant an LEA or a consortium of schools that meets the 
requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of the eligibility 
requirements in this notice.

    In addition, the authorizing statute specifies that an eligible 
applicant that includes a nonprofit organization meets the requirements 
of paragraph (c) of the eligibility requirements in this notice if the 
eligible applicant demonstrates that it will meet the requirement for 
private-sector matching.
    4. Cost Sharing or Matching: To be eligible for an award, an 
applicant must demonstrate that one or more private-sector 
organizations, which may include philanthropic organizations, will 
provide matching funds in order to help bring project results to scale. 
An eligible Validation applicant must obtain matching funds, or in-kind 
donations, equal to at least 10 percent of its Federal grant award. The 
highest-rated eligible applicants must submit evidence of 50 percent of 
the required private-sector matching funds following the peer review of 
applications. A Federal i3 award will not be made unless the applicant 
provides adequate evidence that the 50 percent of the required private-
sector match has been committed or the Secretary approves the eligible 
applicant's request to reduce the matching-level requirement. An 
applicant must provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of required 
private-sector match three months after the project start date.
    The Secretary may consider decreasing the matching requirement on a 
case-by-case basis, and only in the most exceptional circumstances. An 
eligible applicant that anticipates being unable to meet the full 
amount of the private-sector matching requirement must include in its 
application a request that the Secretary reduce the matching-level 
requirement, along with a statement of the basis for the request.

    Note: An applicant that does not provide a request for a 
reduction of the matching-level requirement in its application may 
not submit that request at a later time.

    5. Other: The Secretary establishes the following requirements for 
the i3 program. These requirements are from the 2013 i3 NFP. We may 
apply these requirements in any year in which this program is in 
effect.
     Evidence Standards: To be eligible for an award, an 
application for a Validation grant must be supported by moderate 
evidence of effectiveness (as defined in this notice).

    Note: An applicant should identify up to two study citations to 
be reviewed against What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards for 
the purposes of meeting the i3 evidence standard requirement. An 
applicant should clearly identify these citations in Appendix D, 
under the ``Other Attachments Form,'' of its application. The 
Department will not review a study citation that an applicant fails 
to clearly identify for review. In addition to the two study 
citations, applicants should include a description of the 
intervention(s) the applicant plans to implement and the intended 
student outcomes that the intervention(s) attempts to impact in 
Appendix D.

    An applicant must either ensure that all evidence is available to 
the Department from publicly available sources and provide links or 
other guidance indicating where it is available; or, in the 
application, include copies of evidence in Appendix D. If the 
Department determines that an applicant has provided insufficient 
information, the applicant will not have an opportunity to provide 
additional information at a later time.

    Note: The evidence standards apply to the prior research that 
supports the effectiveness of the proposed project. The i3 program 
does not restrict the source of prior research providing evidence 
for the proposed project. As such, an applicant could cite prior 
research in Appendix D for studies that were conducted by another 
entity (i.e., an entity that is not the applicant) so long as the 
prior research studies cited in the application are relevant to the 
effectiveness of the proposed project.

     Funding Categories: An applicant will be considered for an 
award only for the type of i3 grant (i.e., Development, Validation, and 
Scale-up grants) for which it applies. An applicant may not submit an 
application for the same proposed project under more than one type of 
grant.
     Limit on Grant Awards: (a) No grantee may receive more 
than two new grant awards of any type under the i3 program in a single 
year; (b) in any two-year period, no grantee may receive more than one 
new Scale-up or Validation grant; and (c) no grantee may receive in a 
single year new i3 grant awards that total an amount greater than the 
sum of the maximum amount of funds for a Scale-up grant and the maximum 
amount of funds for a Development grant for that year. For example, in 
a year when the maximum award value for a Scale-up grant is $20 million 
and the maximum award value for a Development grant is $3 million, no 
grantee may receive in a single year new grants totaling more than $23 
million.
     Subgrants: In the case of an eligible applicant that is a 
partnership between a nonprofit organization and (1) one or more LEAs 
or (2) a consortium of schools, the partner serving as the applicant 
and, if funded, as the grantee,

[[Page 32223]]

may make subgrants to one or more entities in the partnership.
     Evaluation: The grantee must conduct an independent 
evaluation (as defined in this notice) of its project. This evaluation 
must estimate the impact of the i3-supported practice (as implemented 
at the proposed level of scale) on a relevant outcome (as defined in 
this notice). The grantee must make broadly available digitally and 
free of charge, through formal (e.g., peer-reviewed journals) or 
informal (e.g., newsletters) mechanisms, the results of any evaluations 
it conducts of its funded activities. For Scale-up and Validation 
grants, the grantee must also ensure that the data from its evaluation 
are made available to third-party researchers consistent with 
applicable privacy requirements.
    In addition, the grantee and its independent evaluator must agree 
to cooperate with any technical assistance provided by the Department 
or its contractor and comply with the requirements of any evaluation of 
the program conducted by the Department. This includes providing to the 
Department, within 100 days of a grant award, an updated comprehensive 
evaluation plan in a format and using such tools as the Department may 
require. Grantees must update this evaluation plan at least annually to 
reflect any changes to the evaluation. All of these updates must be 
consistent with the scope and objectives of the approved application.
     Communities of Practice: Grantees must participate in, 
organize, or facilitate, as appropriate, communities of practice for 
the i3 program. A community of practice is a group of grantees that 
agrees to interact regularly to solve a persistent problem or improve 
practice in an area that is important to them.
     Management Plan: Within 100 days of a grant award, the 
grantee must provide an updated comprehensive management plan for the 
approved project in a format and using such tools as the Department may 
require. This management plan must include detailed information about 
implementation of the first year of the grant, including key 
milestones, staffing details, and other information that the Department 
may require. It must also include a complete list of performance 
metrics, including baseline measures and annual targets. The grantee 
must update this management plan at least annually to reflect 
implementation of subsequent years of the project.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html. To obtain a 
copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. 
Department of Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. 
Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (703) 605-6794. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), 
call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at 
its email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.411B.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the person or team listed under 
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
    2.a. 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.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Submit Application: June 25, 2015.
    We will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing 
grant applications if we know the approximate number of applicants that 
intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the 
Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify us of 
the applicant's intent to submit an application by completing a Web-
based form. When completing this form, applicants will provide (1) the 
applicant organization's name and address and (2) the one absolute 
priority the applicant intends to address. Applicants may access this 
form online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VX6M7SF . Applicants that 
do not complete this form may still submit an application. Page Limit: 
The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, 
the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to 
evaluate your application. Applicants should limit the application 
narrative [Part III] for a Validation grant application to no more than 
35 pages. Applicants are also strongly encouraged not to include 
lengthy appendices that contain information that they were unable to 
include within the page limits for the narrative. Applicants should use 
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.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial.
    The page limit for the application does not apply to Part I, the 
cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative 
budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or 
the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of 
support of the application. However, the page limit does apply to all 
of the application narrative section [Part III] of the application.
    b. Submission of Proprietary Information:
    Given the types of projects that may be proposed in applications 
for the i3 program, some applications may include business information 
that applicants consider proprietary. The Department's regulations 
define ``business information'' in 34 CFR 5.11.
    Consistent with the process followed in the prior i3 competitions, 
we plan on posting the project narrative section of funded i3 
applications on the Department's Web site so you may wish to request 
confidentiality of business information. Identifying proprietary 
information in the submitted application will help facilitate this 
public disclosure process.
    Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your 
application any information that you feel is exempt from disclosure 
under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act. In the appropriate 
Appendix section of your application, under ``Other Attachments Form,'' 
please list the page number or numbers on which we can find this 
information. For additional information please see 34 CFR 5.11(c).
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Submit Application: June 25, 2015.
    Informational Meetings: The i3 program intends to hold Webinars 
designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants for 
all three types of grants. Detailed information

[[Page 32224]]

regarding these meetings will be provided on the i3 Web site at 
www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 4, 2015.
    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 in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission 
Requirements of 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 Agency Contact in section VII of this notice. 
If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 
individual with a disability in connection with the application 
process, the individual's application remains subject to all other 
requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 5, 2015.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 
competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification 
Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the 
Department of Education, you must--
    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award 
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 
Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information 
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you 
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
    You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 
can be created within one-to-two business days.
    If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or 
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. 
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal 
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a 
new TIN, please allow two-five weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by 
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal 
financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, 
please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number 
and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to 
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in 
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through 
Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make 
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with 
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update 
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, 
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with 
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the 
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements:
    Applications for grants for the i3 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 i3 program, CFDA number 84.411B 
(Validation grants), must be submitted electronically using the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at 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 email 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 i3 program 
at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application 
package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the 
CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.411, not 
84.411B).
    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 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if 
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. 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 
4:30:00 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

[[Page 32225]]

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 competition 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 under News and Events on the Department's G5 
system home page at www.G5.gov.
     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: The 
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.
     You must upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) 
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or 
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 
non-modifiable PDF 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 then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by email. 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, toll free, 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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person 
listed under Agency Contact in section VII of this notice 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 4:30:00 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 
prevents 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: Kelly Terpak, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4C107, 
Washington, DC 20202-5930. FAX: (202) 205-5631.
    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 following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.411B), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    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,

[[Page 32226]]

Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.411B), 550 12th 
Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for the Validation 
competition are from the 2013 i3 NFP and 34 CFR 75.210, and are listed 
below.
    The points assigned to each criterion are indicated in the 
parentheses next to the criterion. An applicant may earn up to a total 
of 100 points based on the selection criteria for the application.

    Note:  An applicant must provide information on how its proposed 
project addresses the selection criteria in the project narrative 
section of its application. In responding to the selection criteria, 
applicants should keep in mind that peer reviewers may consider only 
the information provided in the written application when scoring and 
commenting on the application. Therefore, applicants should 
structure their applications with the goal of helping peer reviewers 
understand the following:
     What the applicant is proposing to do, including the 
absolute priority (or, if the applicant has selected the absolute 
priority for Serving Rural Communities, the absolute priorities) 
under which the applicant intends the application to be reviewed;
     How the proposed project will reach a national or 
regional level of scale that the applicant was previously unable to 
reach; and
     What the outcomes of the project will be if it is 
successful, including how those outcomes will be evaluated.

    Selection Criteria for the Validation Grant Application:
    A. Significance (up to 15 points).
    In determining the significance of the project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (1) 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. (34 CFR 75.210)
    (2) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings. (34 CFR 75.210)
    (3) The extent to which the proposed project addresses a challenge 
for which there is a national need for solutions that are better than 
the solutions currently available. (2013 i3 NFP)
    B. Strategy to Scale (up to 30 points).
    In determining the applicant's capacity to scale the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates there is unmet 
demand for the process, product, strategy or practice that will enable 
the applicant to reach the level of scale that is proposed in the 
application. (34 CFR 75.210)
    (2) The extent to which the applicant will use grant funds to 
address a particular barrier or barriers that prevented the applicant, 
in the past, from reaching the level of scale proposed in the 
application. (2013 i3 NFP)
    (3) The mechanisms the applicant will use to broadly disseminate 
information on its project so as to support further development or 
replication. (34 CFR 75.210)
    C. Quality of the Project Design and Management Plan (up to 35 
points).
    In determining the quality of the proposed project design, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(34 CFR 75.210)
    (2) 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. (34 CFR 75.210)
    (3) The clarity and coherence of the applicant's multi-year 
financial and operating model and accompanying plan to operate the 
project at a national or regional level (as defined in this notice) 
during the project period. (2013 i3 NFP)
    (4) The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project. (34 CFR 75.210)
    D. Quality of the Project Evaluation (up to 20 points).
    In determining the quality of the project evaluation to be 
conducted, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (1) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will, if well 
implemented, produce evidence about the project's effectiveness that 
would meet the What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards without 
reservations.\5\ (2013 i3 NFP)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ See What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards 
Handbook. (Version 2.1, September 2011), which can currently be 
found at the following link: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2) The clarity and importance of the key questions to be addressed 
by the project evaluation, and the appropriateness of the methods for 
how each question will be addressed. (2013 i3 NFP)
    (3) The extent to which the evaluation will study the project at 
the proposed level of scale, including, where appropriate, generating 
information about potential differential effectiveness of the project 
in diverse settings and for diverse student population groups. (2013 i3 
NFP)
    (4) The extent to which the evaluation plan includes a clear and 
credible analysis plan, including a proposed sample size and minimum 
detectable effect size that aligns with the expected project impact, 
and an analytic approach for addressing the research questions. (2013 
i3 NFP)
    (5) The extent to which the evaluation plan clearly articulates the 
key components and outcomes of the project, as well as a measurable 
threshold for acceptable implementation. (2013 i3 NFP)
    (6) The extent to which the proposed project plan includes 
sufficient resources to carry out the project evaluation effectively. 
(2013 i3 NFP)

    Note: Applicants are encouraged to design an evaluation that 
will report findings on English Learners, students with 
disabilities, and other subgroups. Additionally, applicants may wish 
to review the following technical assistance resources on 
evaluation: (1) WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/references/idocviewer/doc.aspx?docid=19&tocid=1; 
and (2) IES/NCEE Technical Methods papers: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/tech_methods/. In addition, we invite applicants to view two 
optional Webinar recordings that were hosted by the Institute of 
Education Sciences. The first Webinar discussed strategies for 
designing and executing well-designed quasi-experimental design 
studies. Applicants interested in viewing this Webinar may find more 
information at the following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/news.aspx?sid=23. We also encourage applicants to review a second 
Webinar recorded by the IES that focused on more rigorous evaluation 
designs. This Webinar

[[Page 32227]]

discusses strategies for designing and executing studies that meet 
WWC standards without reservations. Applicants interested in 
reviewing this Webinar may find more information at the following 
Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/News.aspx?sid=18.

    2. Review and Selection Process: As described earlier in this 
notice, before making awards, we will screen applications submitted in 
accordance with the requirements in this notice to determine whether 
applications have met eligibility and other requirements. This 
screening process may occur at various stages of the process; 
applicants that are determined to be ineligible will not receive a 
grant, regardless of peer reviewer scores or comments.
    For the application review processes, we will use independent peer 
reviewers with varied backgrounds and professions including pre-
kindergarten-grade 12 teachers and principals, college and university 
educators, researchers and evaluators, social entrepreneurs, strategy 
consultants, grant makers and managers, and others with education 
expertise. All reviewers will be thoroughly screened for conflicts of 
interest to ensure a fair and competitive review process.
    Peer reviewers will read, prepare a written evaluation, and score 
the assigned applications, using the selection criteria provided in 
this notice. For Validation grant applications, the Department intends 
to conduct a single tier review. If an eligible applicant has chosen to 
address either of the first two competitive preference priorities 
(Improving Cost-Effectiveness and Productivity or Enabling Broad 
Adoption of Effective Practices) in order to earn competitive 
preference priority points, reviewers will review and score these 
competitive preference priorities. If competitive preference priority 
points are awarded, those points will be included in the eligible 
applicant's overall score. If an eligible applicant chooses to address 
the last competitive preference priority (Supporting Novice i3 
Applicants) in order to earn competitive preference priority points, 
the Department will review its list of previous i3 grantees in scoring 
this competitive preference priority.
    We remind potential applicants that, in reviewing applications in 
any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under 
34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the applicant in carrying 
out a previous award, such as the applicant's use of funds, achievement 
of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The 
Secretary may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a 
timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable 
quality.
    In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary 
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal 
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or 
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department 
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
    3. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may 
impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk 
conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially 
stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or 
other management system that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 
200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or 
is otherwise not responsible.

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); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, 
also.
    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: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition, 
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and 
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply 
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
    (b) 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 
performance report that provides the most current performance and 
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The overall purpose of the i3 program is 
to expand the implementation of, and investment in, innovative 
practices that are demonstrated to have an impact on improving student 
achievement or student growth for high-need students. We have 
established several performance measures for the i3 Validation grants.
    Short-term performance measures: (1) The percentage of grantees 
that reach their annual target number of students as specified in the 
application; (2) the percentage of programs, practices, or strategies 
supported by a Validation grant with ongoing well-designed and 
independent evaluations that will provide evidence of their 
effectiveness at improving student outcomes; (3) the percentage of 
programs, practices, or strategies supported by a Validation grant with 
ongoing evaluations that are providing high-quality implementation data 
and performance feedback that allow for periodic assessment of progress 
toward achieving intended outcomes; and (4) the cost per student 
actually served by the grant.
    Long-term performance measures: (1) The percentage of grantees that 
reach the targeted number of students specified in the application; (2) 
the percentage of programs, practices, or strategies supported by a 
Validation grant that implement a completed well-designed, well-
implemented and independent evaluation that provides evidence of their 
effectiveness at improving student outcomes; (3) the percentage of 
programs, practices, or strategies supported by a Validation grant with 
a completed well-designed, well-implemented and independent evaluation 
that provides information about the key elements and the approach of 
the project so as to facilitate replication or testing in other 
settings; and (4) the cost per student for programs, practices, or 
strategies that were proven to be effective at improving educational 
outcomes for students.
    5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee 
has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of 
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is 
consistent with its approved application and budget; and,

[[Page 32228]]

if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, 
the performance targets in the grantee's approved application. In 
making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers whether the 
grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved 
application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws 
that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving 
Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 
106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

VII. Agency Contact

    Kelly Terpak, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue 
SW., Room 4C107, Washington, DC 20202-5930. Telephone: (202) 453-7122. 
FAX: (202) 205-5631 or by email: i3@ed.gov.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the Federal Relay Service, toll 
free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to 
either program contact person listed under Agency Contact in section 
VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.thefederalregister.org/fdsys. At this site you can 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). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: May 27, 2015.
Nadya Chinoy Dabby,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2015-13672 Filed 6-4-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P



                                                    32216                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION                                    As importantly, all i3 projects are                 practices to support adoption or
                                                                                                            required to generate additional evidence               replication by the applicant and other
                                                    Applications for New Awards;                            of effectiveness. All i3 grantees must use             entities.
                                                    Investing in Innovation Fund—                           part of their budgets to conduct                          We remind LEAs of the continuing
                                                    Validation Grants                                       independent evaluations (as defined in                 applicability of the provisions of the
                                                                                                            this notice) of their projects. This                   Individuals with Disabilities Education
                                                    AGENCY: Office of Innovation and                        ensures that projects funded under the                 Act (IDEA) for students who may be
                                                    Improvement, Department of Education.                   i3 program contribute significantly to                 served under i3 grants. Any grants in
                                                    ACTION: Notice.                                         improving the information available to                 which LEAs participate must be
                                                                                                            practitioners and policymakers about                   consistent with the rights, protections,
                                                    SUMMARY:                                                                                                       and processes established under IDEA
                                                                                                            which practices work, for which types
                                                      Overview Information:                                 of students, and in what contexts.                     for students who are receiving special
                                                      Investing in Innovation Fund—                            The Department awards three types of                education and related services or are in
                                                    Validation grants.                                      grants under this program:                             the process of being evaluated to
                                                      Notice inviting applications for new                  ‘‘Development’’ grants, ‘‘Validation’’                 determine their eligibility for such
                                                    awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015.                       grants, and ‘‘Scale-up’’ grants. These                 services.
                                                      Catalog of Federal Domestic                           grants differ in terms of the level of                    As described later in this notice, in
                                                    Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.411B                       prior evidence of effectiveness required               connection with making competitive
                                                    (Validation grants).                                    for consideration of funding, the level of             grant awards, an applicant is required,
                                                    DATES:                                                  scale the funded project should reach,                 as a condition of receiving assistance
                                                      Applications Available: June 8, 2015.                 and, consequently, the amount of                       under this program, to make civil rights
                                                      Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:               funding available to support the project.              assurances, including an assurance that
                                                    June 25, 2015.                                             This notice invites applications for                its program or activity will comply with
                                                      Deadline for Transmittal of                           Validation grants only. The notice                     Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
                                                    Applications: August 4, 2015.                           inviting applications for Scale-up grants              1973, as amended and the Department’s
                                                      Deadline for Intergovernmental                        is published elsewhere in this issue of                section 504 implementing regulations,
                                                    Review: October 5, 2015.                                the Federal Register. The notice inviting              which prohibit discrimination on the
                                                    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                              applications for Development grants                    basis of disability. Regardless of
                                                                                                            was published in the Federal Register                  whether a student with disabilities is
                                                    Full Text of Announcement                               on March 30, 2015 (80 FR 16648) and                    specifically targeted as a ‘‘high-need
                                                    I. Funding Opportunity Description                      is available at http://www.gpo.gov/                    student’’ (as defined in this notice) in a
                                                                                                            fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-03-30/pdf/2015-                      particular grant application, recipients
                                                       Purpose of Program: The Investing in                 07213.pdf.                                             are required to comply with all legal
                                                    Innovation Fund (i3), established under                    Validation grants provide funding to                nondiscrimination requirements,
                                                    section 14007 of the American Recovery                  support expansion of projects supported                including, but not limited to the
                                                    and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA),                    by moderate evidence of effectiveness                  obligation to ensure that students with
                                                    provides funding to support (1) local                   (as defined in this notice) to the national            disabilities are not denied access to the
                                                    educational agencies (LEAs), and (2)                    level (as defined in this notice) or                   benefits of the recipient’s program
                                                    nonprofit organizations in partnership                  regional level (as defined in this notice).            because of their disability. The
                                                    with (a) one or more LEAs or (b) a                      Validation grants must further assess the              Department also enforces Title II of the
                                                    consortium of schools. The i3 program                   effectiveness of the i3-supported                      Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
                                                    is designed to generate and validate                    practice through a rigorous evaluation,                as well as the regulations implementing
                                                    solutions to persistent educational                     with particular focus on the populations               Title II of the ADA, which prohibit
                                                    challenges and to support the expansion                 for, and the contexts in, which the                    discrimination on the basis of disability
                                                    of effective solutions to serve                         practice is most effective. We expect                  by public entities.
                                                    substantially larger numbers of students.               and consider it appropriate that each                     Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
                                                    The central design element of the i3                    applicant propose to use the Validation                prohibits discrimination on the basis of
                                                    program is its multi-tier structure that                funding to build its capacity to deliver               race, color, and national origin. Title IX
                                                    links the amount of funding that an                     the i3-supported practice, particularly                of the Education Amendments of 1972
                                                    applicant may receive to the quality of                 early in the funding period, to                        prohibits discrimination on the basis of
                                                    the evidence supporting the efficacy of                 successfully reach the level of scale                  sex. On December 2, 2011, the
                                                    the proposed project. Applicants                        proposed in its application.                           Departments of Education and Justice
                                                    proposing practices supported by                        Additionally, we expect each applicant                 jointly issued guidance that explains
                                                    limited evidence can receive relatively                 to address any specific barriers to the                how educational institutions can
                                                    small grants that support the                           growth or scaling of the organization or               promote student diversity or avoid
                                                    development and initial evaluation of                   practice (including barriers related to                racial isolation within the framework of
                                                    promising practices and help to identify                cost-effectiveness) in order to deliver                Title VI (e.g., through consideration of
                                                    new solutions to pressing challenges;                   the i3-supported practice at the                       the racial demographics of
                                                    applicants proposing practices                          proposed level of scale and provide                    neighborhoods when drawing
                                                    supported by evidence from rigorous                     strategies to address these barriers as                assignment zones for schools or through
                                                    evaluations, such as large randomized                   part of its proposed scaling plan.                     targeted recruiting efforts). The
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                    controlled trials, can receive sizable                     All Validation grantees must evaluate               ‘‘Guidance on the Voluntary Use of Race
                                                    grants to support expansion across the                  the effectiveness of the practice that the             to Achieve Diversity and Avoid Racial
                                                    country. This structure provides                        supported project implements and                       Isolation in Elementary and Secondary
                                                    incentives for applicants to build                      expands. We expect that these                          Schools’’ is available on the
                                                    evidence of effectiveness of their                      evaluations will be conducted in a                     Department’s Web site at www.ed.gov/
                                                    proposed projects and to address the                    variety of contexts and for a variety of               ocr/docs/guidance-ese-201111.pdf.
                                                    barriers to serving more students across                students, will identify the core elements                 Background: Through its
                                                    schools, districts, and States.                         of the practice, and will codify the                   competitions, the i3 program strives to


                                               VerDate Sep<11>2014   19:14 Jun 04, 2015   Jkt 235001   PO 00000   Frm 00001   Fmt 4701   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\05JNN2.SGM   05JNN2


                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                                     32217

                                                    improve the academic achievement of                     generalizable evidence. We also include                instruction and, ultimately, to support
                                                    high-need students by accelerating the                  three competitive preference priorities.               and improve student achievement.
                                                    identification of promising solutions to                   First, we include an absolute priority                 Third, we include an absolute priority
                                                    pressing challenges in kindergarten                     for projects designed to support novice                focused on implementing
                                                    through grade 12 (K–12) public                                                                                 comprehensive high school reform
                                                                                                            teachers and novice principals. Effective
                                                    education. The i3 program supports the                                                                         strategies in high schools that are
                                                                                                            teachers and principals are critical
                                                    evaluation of the efficacy of such                                                                             eligible to operate Title I schoolwide
                                                                                                            factors in improving student
                                                    solutions, and the development of new                                                                          programs under Section 1114 of the
                                                                                                            achievement, and emerging studies
                                                    approaches to scaling effective practices                                                                      Elementary and Secondary Education
                                                                                                            suggest that the first few years of a
                                                    to serve more students. Through five                                                                           Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), or in
                                                                                                            teacher’s or principal’s tenure are                    schools that can demonstrate that not
                                                    competitions, the i3 program has built a                critical to their professional trajectory,
                                                    portfolio of grantees that are serving                                                                         less than 40 percent of students are from
                                                                                                            including their levels of satisfaction,                low-income families. These strategies
                                                    high-need students and building                         retention rates and effectiveness. For
                                                    rigorous evidence regarding different                                                                          encompass a broad spectrum of
                                                                                                            example, models aimed at doing                         interventions, including, but not limited
                                                    approaches to addressing critical                       multiple related teacher reforms at
                                                    challenges in education. When selecting                                                                        to: Implementing a rigorous college- and
                                                                                                            once—from recruiting and preparing to                  career-ready curriculum that links
                                                    the priorities for a given competition,
                                                                                                            rewarding teachers for student                         student work and real-world
                                                    the Department considers several
                                                                                                            achievement growth and taking on                       experiences; providing accelerated
                                                    factors, including the Department’s
                                                                                                            additional responsibilities—can have                   learning opportunities that allow
                                                    policy priorities, the need for new
                                                                                                            positive effects on student outcomes at                students to earn credit toward a
                                                    solutions in a particular priority area,
                                                                                                            the elementary school level.1 As                       postsecondary degree, including dual
                                                    the extent of the existing evidence in the
                                                                                                            researchers and practitioners explore                  enrollment programs and early-college
                                                    field supporting effective practices in a
                                                                                                            various strategies for training and                    high school strategies; implementing
                                                    particular priority area, whether other
                                                                                                            supporting novice teachers and                         early warning indicator systems to
                                                    available funding exists for a particular
                                                                                                            principals, the Department seeks to                    identify and target supports for
                                                    priority area, and the results and lessons
                                                                                                            validate and expand models that                        struggling students; personalizing
                                                    learned from projects funded through
                                                                                                            enhance teachers’ and school leaders’                  learning for students; and strengthening
                                                    prior i3 competitions.
                                                                                                            skills and experiences in their first few              relationships with business and post-
                                                       In previous i3 Validation                            years on the job.                                      secondary partners to link student work
                                                    competitions, the Department has
                                                                                                               Second, we include an absolute                      to real-world expectations and
                                                    included priorities for supporting
                                                                                                            priority for projects designed to                      experiences. There is a particular need
                                                    students with disabilities and English
                                                                                                            implement and support the transition to                to improve readiness for college and
                                                    learners. As a result, various i3-
                                                                                                            internationally benchmarked, college-                  careers in science, technology,
                                                    supported projects are developing and
                                                                                                            and career-ready academic content                      engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
                                                    implementing approaches to better serve
                                                                                                            standards. Many states have recently                   fields, both because these are high-
                                                    those student groups. Although the FY
                                                                                                            raised the expectations for what their                 growth fields and because too many of
                                                    2015 i3 Validation competition does not
                                                                                                            students should be able to learn and do                our high schools fall short in these
                                                    include specific priorities for supporting
                                                                                                            across the K–12 grade span, so that all                areas. There is also evidence
                                                    English learners or students with
                                                                                                            students will be adequately prepared for               demonstrating that comprehensive
                                                    disabilities, we require all grantees to
                                                                                                            the rigorous demands of college and                    academic supports for high school
                                                    serve high-need student populations,
                                                                                                            career. As the 2015 Brown Center                       students can improve student outcomes,
                                                    and we encourage applicants to
                                                                                                            Report on American Education 2 points                  increasing high school graduation and
                                                    consider ways in which their proposed
                                                                                                            out, ongoing analysis of the effects of                college preparation,3 including for high-
                                                    projects could serve students with
                                                                                                            implementing high standards within                     need students.4
                                                    disabilities or English learners. We
                                                    expect that the portfolio of i3-supported               and across States is crucial to ensuring
                                                                                                                                                                      3 Fryer, Roland G. (April 2014). Injecting Charter
                                                    projects will contribute to schools’ and                their effectiveness in improving student
                                                                                                                                                                   School Best Practices into Traditional Public
                                                    educators’ capacity to serve all students,              achievement. Developing and                            Schools: Evidence from Field Experiments.
                                                    including students with disabilities and                implementing approaches that provide                   Available at: http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/fryer/
                                                    English learners.                                       students and educators necessary                       files/2014_injecting_charter_school_best_practices_
                                                                                                            information and support throughout this                into_traditional_public_schools.pdf; Sinclair, M.F.,
                                                       All i3 grantees are expected to                                                                             Christenson, S.L., Lehr, C.A., & Anderson, A.R.
                                                    improve academic outcomes for high-                     transition to higher standards is key to               (2003). Facilitating student engagement: Lessons
                                                    need students (as defined in this notice).              ensuring that this shift results in                    learned from Check & Connect longitudinal studies.
                                                    The FY 2015 Validation competition                      improvements in student learning and                   The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 29–42. IES
                                                                                                            skills. Through this priority, we seek                 Intervention Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/
                                                    sets out four absolute priorities and                                                                          ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=78; and
                                                    allows an applicant to choose which                     projects that leverage data from                       Constantine, J.M., Seftor, N.S., Martin, E.S., Silva,
                                                    absolute priority it will address;                      assessments that are aligned with                      T., & Myers, D. (2006). A study of the effect of the
                                                    however, applicants applying under the                  internationally benchmarked, college-                  Talent Search program on secondary and
                                                                                                            and career-ready standards to inform                   postsecondary outcomes in Florida, Indiana, and
                                                    Serving Rural Communities priority                                                                             Texas: Final report from phase II of the national
                                                    (Absolute Priority 4) must also address                                                                        evaluation. Report prepared by Mathematica Policy
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                                                                                                              1 Schleicher, A. (2012), Ed., Preparing Teachers     Research for the U.S. Department of Education,
                                                    one of the other three absolute
                                                                                                            and Developing School Leaders for the 21st             Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy
                                                    priorities, as described below, while                   Century: Lessons from around the World, OECD           Development, Policy and Program Studies Service.
                                                    serving students enrolled in rural LEAs                 Publishing.                                            Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. IES
                                                    (as defined in this notice). These                        2 Loveless, Tom. How Well are American               Intervention Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/
                                                    absolute priorities, as described below,                Students Learning? (March 2015). The 2015 Brown        ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=508.
                                                                                                            Center Report on American Education. Volume III,          4 Bloom, D., Gardenhire-Crooks, A., & Mandsager,
                                                    represent persistent challenges in public               Number 4. Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/      C. (2009). Reengaging high school dropouts: Early
                                                    education for which there are solutions                 ∼/media/Research/Files/Reports/2015/03/BCR/            results of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe
                                                    that are supported by rigorous and                      2015-Brown-Center-Report_FINAL.pdf?la=en.                                                          Continued




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                                                    32218                             Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                       Finally, we include an absolute                      demonstrated to be effective. In                       least 50 percent of the required private-
                                                    priority for serving rural communities.                 addition, practitioners and                            sector match prior to the awarding of an
                                                    Students living in rural communities                    policymakers need access to strong,                    i3 grant. An applicant must provide
                                                    face unique challenges, such as lack of                 reliable data to make informed decisions               evidence of the remaining 50 percent of
                                                    access to specialized courses.                          about adopting effective practices,                    the required private-sector match no
                                                    Applicants applying under this priority                 particularly to replace less effective                 later than three months after the project
                                                    must also address one of the other three                alternatives. This competitive                         start date (i.e., for the FY 2015
                                                    absolute priorities established for the FY              preference priority supports strategies                competition, three months after January
                                                    2015 i3 Validation competition, as                      that identify key elements of effective                1, 2016, or by April 1, 2016). The grant
                                                    described above, while serving students                 practices and that capture lessons                     will be terminated if the grantee does
                                                    enrolled in rural local educational                     learned about the implementation of                    not secure its private-sector match by
                                                    agencies (as defined in this notice).                   these practices. In addition, an                       the established deadline.
                                                       We also include three competitive                    applicant addressing this priority must                   This notice includes selection criteria
                                                    preference priorities in the FY 2015                    commit to implementing their approach                  for the FY 2015 Validation competition
                                                    Validation competition. The Department                  in multiple settings and locations in                  that are designed to ensure that
                                                    encourages applicants to design projects                order to ensure that the practice can be               applications selected for funding have
                                                    that address these competitive                          successfully replicated in different                   the potential to generate substantial
                                                    preference priorities in their                          contexts.                                              improvements in student achievement
                                                    applications.                                              Third, in order to expand the reach of              (and other key outcomes), and include
                                                       First, we include a competitive                      the i3 program and encourage entities                  well-articulated plans for the
                                                    preference priority focused on                          that have not previously received an i3                implementation and evaluation of the
                                                    improving cost-effectiveness and                        grant to apply, the Department includes                proposed projects. Applicants should
                                                    productivity. Improvements in                           a competitive preference priority for                  review the selection criteria and
                                                    operational, organizational, and                        novice i3 applicants. A novice i3                      submission instructions carefully to
                                                    instructional processes and structures                  applicant is an applicant that has never               ensure their applications address this
                                                    will enable organizations to strengthen                 received a grant under the i3 program.                 year’s criteria.
                                                    their results, and to do so in a more                   An applicant must identify whether it is                  An entity that submits an application
                                                    efficient manner. Applicants should                     a novice applicant when completing the                 for a Validation grant must include the
                                                    provide detailed information about how                  applicant information sheet.                           following information in its application:
                                                    they aim to modify their processes and                  Instructions on how to complete the                    An estimate of the number of students
                                                    structures to improve productivity, and                 applicant information sheet are                        to be served by the project; evidence of
                                                    how they will evaluate whether the                      included in the application package.                   the applicant’s ability to implement and
                                                    proposed projects are cost-effective                       In summary, applications must                       appropriately evaluate the proposed
                                                    when implemented. This may include                      address one of the first three absolute                project; and information about its
                                                    assessing the cost of comparable or                     priorities for this competition and                    capacity (e.g., management capacity,
                                                    alternative approaches. In order to                     propose projects designed to implement                 financial resources, and qualified
                                                    receive competitive preference points,                  practices that serve students who are in               personnel) to implement the project at
                                                    applicants addressing this priority must                grades K–12 at some point during the                   a national or regional level, working
                                                    provide a detailed budget, an                           funding period. If an applicant chooses                directly or through partners. We
                                                    examination of different types of costs,                to also address the absolute priority                  recognize that LEAs are not typically
                                                    and a plan to monitor and evaluate cost                 regarding students in rural LEAs, that                 responsible for taking their practices,
                                                    savings, all of which are essential to                  applicant must also address one of the                 strategies, or programs to scale;
                                                    improving productivity.                                 other three absolute priorities                        however, all applicants can and should
                                                       Second, we include a competitive                     established for the FY 2015 i3                         partner with others to disseminate their
                                                    preference priority for projects that                   Validation competition, as described                   effective practices, strategies and
                                                    enable the broad adoption of effective                  above, while serving students enrolled                 programs and take them to scale.
                                                    practices. This competitive preference                  in rural LEAs (as defined in this notice).                The Department will screen
                                                    priority rewards applicants that will                   Additionally, applicants must be able to               applications that are submitted for
                                                    implement systematic methods for                        show moderate evidence of                              Validation grants in accordance with the
                                                    identifying and supporting the                          effectiveness for the proposed process,                requirements in this notice and
                                                    expansion of these practices. While all                 product, strategy, or practice included                determine which applications meet the
                                                    Validation grantees must codify the core                in their applications. Applicants should               eligibility and other requirements. Peer
                                                    elements of their i3-supported practices,               carefully review all of the requirements               reviewers will review all applications
                                                    we are interested in projects that focus                in the Eligibility Information section of              for Validation grants that are submitted
                                                    particularly on the documentation and                   this notice for instructions on how to                 by the established deadline.
                                                    replication of practices that have been                 demonstrate moderate evidence of                          Applicants should note, however, that
                                                                                                            effectiveness and for information on the               we may screen for eligibility at multiple
                                                    Program evaluation. New York, NY: MDRC; Cave,           other eligibility and program                          points during the competition process,
                                                    G., Bos, H., Doolittle, F., & Toussaint, C. (1993).     requirements.                                          including before and after peer review;
                                                    JOBSTART: Final report on a program for school
                                                    dropouts. New York, NY: MDRC. IES Intervention             The i3 program includes a statutory                 applicants that are determined to be
                                                                                                            requirement for a private-sector match                 ineligible will not receive a grant award
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                                                    Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
                                                    interventionreport.aspx?sid=248; and Larson, K.A.,      for all i3 grantees. For Validation grants,            regardless of peer reviewer scores or
                                                    & Rumberger, R.W. (1995). ALAS: Achievement for         an applicant must obtain matching                      comments. If we determine that a
                                                    Latinos through Academic Success. In H. Thornton
                                                    (Ed.), Staying in school. A technical report of three   funds or in-kind donations from the                    Validation grant application is not
                                                    dropout prevention projects for junior high school      private sector equal to at least 10                    supported by moderate evidence of
                                                    students with learning and emotional disabilities.      percent of its grant award. Each highest-              effectiveness, or that the applicant does
                                                    Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota,
                                                    Institute on Community Integration. IES
                                                                                                            rated application, as identified by the                not demonstrate the required prior
                                                    Intervention Report Available at: http://ies.ed.gov/    Department following peer review of the                record of improvement, or does not
                                                    ncee/wwc/interventionreport.aspx?sid=22.                applications, must submit evidence of at               meet any other i3 requirement, the


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                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                                32219

                                                    application will not be considered for                  or novice principals to accelerate                     meet the first competitive preference
                                                    funding.                                                student performance, including but not                 priority, two additional points to
                                                       Priorities: This competition includes                limited to strategies designed to increase             applications that meet the second
                                                    four absolute priorities and three                      teacher retention or improve teacher or                competitive preference priority, and
                                                    competitive preference priorities.                      principal effectiveness.                               three additional points to applications
                                                    Absolute Priorities 1 and 4 and the three                  Absolute Priority 2—Implementing                    that meet the third competitive
                                                    competitive preference priorities are                   Internationally Benchmarked College-                   preference priority.
                                                    from the notice of final priorities,                    and Career-Ready Standards and                           Applicants may address more than
                                                    requirements, definitions, and selection                Assessments.                                           one of the competitive preference
                                                    criteria for this program, published in                    Under this priority, we provide                     priorities. An applicant must identify in
                                                    the Federal Register on March 27, 2013                  funding to projects that are designed to               the project narrative section of its
                                                    (78 FR 18682) (2013 i3 NFP). Absolute                   support the implementation of, and                     application the priority or priorities it
                                                    Priority 2 is from the Department’s                     transition to, internationally                         wishes the Department to consider for
                                                    notice of final supplemental priorities                 benchmarked college- and career-ready                  purposes of earning competitive
                                                    and definitions, published in the                       standards and assessments, including                   preference priority points.
                                                    Federal Register on December 10, 2014                   developing and implementing strategies
                                                                                                                                                                     Note: The Department will not review or
                                                    (79 FR 73425) (Supplemental Priorities).                that use the standards and information                 award points under any competitive
                                                    Absolute Priority 3 is from the notice of               from assessments to inform classroom                   preference priority that the applicant fails to
                                                    final priority for this program,                        practices that meet the needs of all                   clearly identify as the competitive preference
                                                    published elsewhere in this issue of the                students.                                              priority or priorities the applicant wishes the
                                                    Federal Register (2015 i3 NFP).                            Absolute Priority 3—Implementing                    Department to consider for purposes of
                                                       Absolute Priorities: For FY 2015 and                 Comprehensive High School Reform and                   earning competitive preference priority
                                                    any subsequent year in which we make                    Redesign.                                              points.
                                                    awards from the list of unfunded                           Under this priority, we provide                        These priorities are:
                                                    applicants from this competition, these                 funding to support comprehensive high                     Competitive Preference Priority 1—
                                                    priorities are absolute priorities. Under               school reform and redesign strategies in               Improving Cost-Effectiveness and
                                                    34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only                    high schools eligible to operate Title I               Productivity (zero or 1 point).
                                                    applications that meet one of these                     school-wide programs under section                        Under this priority, we provide
                                                    priorities.                                             1114 of the Elementary and Secondary                   funding to projects that address one of
                                                       Under the Validation grant                           Education Act of 1965, as amended, or                  the following areas:
                                                    competition, each of the four absolute                  in schools that can demonstrate that not                  (a) Substantially improving student
                                                    priorities constitutes its own funding                  less than 40 percent of students are from              outcomes without commensurately
                                                    category. The Secretary intends to                      low-income families. These strategies                  increasing per-student costs.
                                                    award grants under each absolute                        must be designed to increase the                          (b) Maintaining student outcomes
                                                    priority for which applications of                      number and percentage of students who                  while substantially decreasing per-
                                                    sufficient quality are submitted.                       graduate from high school college- and                 student costs.
                                                       An applicant for a Validation grant                  career-ready and enroll in college, other                 (c) Substantially improving student
                                                    must choose one of the four absolute                    postsecondary education, or other career               outcomes while substantially decreasing
                                                    priorities. Applications will be peer                   and technical education.                               per-student costs.
                                                    reviewed and scored; because scores                        These strategies could include                         Other requirements related to
                                                    will be rank ordered by absolute                        elements such as implementing a                        Competitive Preference Priority 1:
                                                    priority, it is essential that an applicant             rigorous college- and career-ready                        An application addressing this
                                                    clearly identify the specific absolute                  curriculum; providing accelerated                      priority must provide—
                                                    priority that the proposed project                      learning opportunities; supporting                        (1) A clear and coherent budget that
                                                    addresses. It is also important to note                 personalized learning; developing                      identifies expected student outcomes
                                                    that applicants that choose to submit an                robust links between student work and                  before and after the practice, the cost
                                                    application under the absolute priority                 real-world experiences to better prepare               per student for the practice, and a clear
                                                    for Serving Rural Communities must                      students for their future; improving the               calculation of the cost per student
                                                    identify an additional absolute priority.               readiness of students for post-secondary               served;
                                                    Regardless, the peer-reviewed scores for                education in STEM fields; or reducing                     (2) A compelling discussion of the
                                                    applications submitted under the                        the need for remediation, among others.                expected cost-effectiveness of the
                                                    Serving Rural Communities priority will                    Absolute Priority 4—Serving Rural                   practice compared with alternative
                                                    be ranked with other applications under                 Communities.                                           practices;
                                                    its priority, and not included in the                      Under this priority, we provide                        (3) A clear delineation of one-time
                                                    ranking for the additional priority that                funding to projects that address one of                costs versus ongoing costs and a plan for
                                                    the applicant identified. This design                   the absolute priorities established for                sustaining the project, particularly
                                                    helps us ensure that applicants under                   the 2015 Validation i3 competition and                 ongoing costs, after the expiration of i3
                                                    the Serving Rural Communities priority                  under which the majority of students to                funding;
                                                    receive an ‘‘apples to apples’’                         be served are enrolled in rural local                     (4) Identification of specific activities
                                                    comparison with other rural applicants.                 educational agencies (as defined in this               designed to increase substantially the
                                                                                                            notice).                                               cost-effectiveness of the practice, such
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                                                       These priorities are:
                                                       Absolute Priority 1—Improving the                       Competitive Preference Priorities: For              as re-designing costly components of the
                                                    Effectiveness of Teachers and                           FY 2015 and any subsequent year in                     practice (while maintaining efficacy) or
                                                    Principals.                                             which we make awards from the list of                  testing multiple versions of the practice
                                                       Under this priority, we provide                      unfunded applicants from this                          in order to identify the most cost-
                                                    funding to projects that focus on                       competition, these priorities are                      effective approach; and
                                                    developing and implementing models of                   competitive preference priorities. Under                  (5) A project evaluation that addresses
                                                    induction and support for improving the                 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award one                    the cost-effectiveness of the proposed
                                                    knowledge and skills of novice teachers                 additional point to applications that                  practice.


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                                                    32220                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                       Competitive Preference Priority 2—                   1111(b)(8)(C) of the ESEA. The                         and reported on by the What Works
                                                    Enabling Broad Adoption of Effective                    applicant must provide, in its i3                      Clearinghouse), and includes a sample
                                                    Practices (zero or 2 points).                           application, the definition(s) used.                   that overlaps with the populations or
                                                       Under this priority, we provide                         High-need student means a student at                settings proposed to receive the process,
                                                    funding to projects that enable broad                   risk of educational failure or otherwise               product, strategy, or practice. (ii) There
                                                    adoption of effective practices. An                     in need of special assistance and                      is at least one study of the effectiveness
                                                    application proposing to address this                   support, such as students who are living               of the process, product, strategy, or
                                                    priority must, as part of its application:              in poverty, who attend high-minority                   practice being proposed that meets the
                                                       (a) Identify the practice or practices               schools (as defined in this notice), who               What Works Clearinghouse Evidence
                                                    that the application proposes to prepare                are far below grade level, who have left               Standards with reservations, found a
                                                    for broad adoption, including                           school before receiving a regular high                 statistically significant favorable impact
                                                    formalizing the practice (i.e., establish               school diploma, who are at risk of not                 on a relevant outcome (as defined in
                                                    and define key elements of the practice),               graduating with a diploma on time, who                 this notice) (with no statistically
                                                    codifying (i.e., develop a guide or tools               are homeless, who are in foster care,                  significant and overriding unfavorable
                                                    to support the dissemination of                         who have been incarcerated, who have                   impacts on that outcome for relevant
                                                    information on key elements of the                      disabilities, or who are English learners.             populations in the study or in other
                                                    practice), and explaining why there is a                   High school graduation rate means a                 studies of the intervention reviewed by
                                                    need for formalization and codification.                four-year adjusted cohort graduation                   and reported on by the What Works
                                                       (b) Evaluate different forms of the                  rate consistent with 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1)               Clearinghouse), includes a sample that
                                                    practice to identify the critical                       and may also include an extended-year                  overlaps with the populations or
                                                    components of the practice that are                     adjusted cohort graduation rate                        settings proposed to receive the process,
                                                    crucial to its success and sustainability,              consistent with 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1)(v) if              product, strategy, or practice, and
                                                    including the adaptability of critical                  the State in which the proposed project                includes a large sample (as defined in
                                                    components to different teaching and                    is implemented has been approved by                    this notice) and a multi-site sample (as
                                                    learning environments and to diverse                    the Secretary to use such a rate under                 defined in this notice). (Note: Multiple
                                                    learners.                                               Title I of the ESEA.                                   studies can cumulatively meet the large
                                                       (c) Provide a coherent and                              Independent evaluation means that                   and multisite sample requirements as
                                                    comprehensive plan for developing                       the evaluation is designed and carried                 long as each study meets the other
                                                    materials, training, toolkits, or other                 out independent of, but in coordination                requirements in this paragraph).
                                                    supports that other entities would need                 with, any employees of the entities who                   Multi-site sample means more than
                                                    in order to implement the practice                      develop a process, product, strategy, or               one site, where site can be defined as an
                                                    effectively and with fidelity.                          practice and are implementing it.                      LEA, locality, or State.
                                                       (d) Commit to assessing the                             Innovation means a process, product,                   National level describes the level of
                                                    replicability and adaptability of the                   strategy, or practice that improves (or is             scope or effectiveness of a process,
                                                    practice by supporting the                              expected to improve) significantly upon                product, strategy, or practice that is able
                                                    implementation of the practice in a                     the outcomes reached with status quo                   to be effective in a wide variety of
                                                    variety of locations during the project                 options and that can ultimately reach                  communities, including rural and urban
                                                    period using the materials, training,                   widespread effective usage.                            areas, as well as with different groups
                                                    toolkits, or other supports that were                      Large sample means an analytic                      (e.g., economically disadvantaged, racial
                                                    developed for the i3-supported practice.                sample of 350 or more students (or other               and ethnic groups, migrant populations,
                                                       Competitive Preference Priority—                     single analysis units), or 50 or more                  individuals with disabilities, English
                                                    Supporting Novice i3 Applicants (zero                   groups (such as classrooms or schools)                 learners, and individuals of each
                                                    or 3 points).                                           that contain 10 or more students (or                   gender).
                                                       Eligible applicants that have never                  other single analysis units).                             Nonprofit organization means an
                                                    directly received a grant under this                       Logic model (also referred to as theory             entity that meets the definition of
                                                    program.                                                of action) means a well-specified                      ‘‘nonprofit’’ under 34 CFR 77.1(c), or an
                                                       Definitions: The definitions of ‘‘large              conceptual framework that identifies                   institution of higher education as
                                                    sample,’’ ‘‘logic model,’’ ‘‘moderate                   key components of the proposed                         defined by section 101(a) of the Higher
                                                    evidence of effectiveness,’’ ‘‘multi-site               process, product, strategy, or practice                Education Act of 1965, as amended.
                                                    sample,’’ ‘‘national level,’’ ‘‘quasi-                  (i.e., the active ‘‘ingredients’’ that are                Quasi-experimental design study
                                                    experimental design study,’’                            hypothesized to be critical to achieving               means a study using a design that
                                                    ‘‘randomized controlled trial,’’ ‘‘regional             the relevant outcomes) and describes                   attempts to approximate an
                                                    level,’’ ‘‘relevant outcome,’’ and ‘‘What               the relationships among the key                        experimental design by identifying a
                                                    Works Clearinghouse Evidence                            components and outcomes, theoretically                 comparison group that is similar to the
                                                    Standards’’ are from 34 CFR 77.1. All                   and operationally.                                     treatment group in important respects.
                                                    other definitions are from the 2013 i3                     Moderate evidence of effectiveness                  These studies, depending on design and
                                                    NFP. We may apply these definitions in                  means that (i) There is at least one study             implementation, can meet What Works
                                                    any year in which this program is in                    of the effectiveness of the process,                   Clearinghouse Evidence Standards with
                                                    effect.                                                 product, strategy, or practice being                   reservations (but not What Works
                                                       Consortium of schools means two or                   proposed that meets the What Works                     Clearinghouse Evidence Standards
                                                    more public elementary or secondary                     Clearinghouse Evidence Standards                       without reservations).
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                                                    schools acting collaboratively for the                  without reservations, found a                             Randomized controlled trial means a
                                                    purpose of applying for and                             statistically significant favorable impact             study that employs random assignment
                                                    implementing an i3 grant jointly with an                on a relevant outcome (as defined in                   of, for example, students, teachers,
                                                    eligible nonprofit organization.                        this notice) (with no statistically                    classrooms, schools, or districts to
                                                       High-minority school is defined by a                 significant and overriding unfavorable                 receive the intervention being evaluated
                                                    school’s LEA in a manner consistent                     impacts on that outcome for relevant                   (the treatment group) or not to receive
                                                    with the corresponding State’s Teacher                  populations in the study or in other                   the intervention (the control group). The
                                                    Equity Plan, as required by section                     studies of the intervention reviewed by                estimated effectiveness of the


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                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                              32221

                                                    intervention is the difference between                     Student growth means the change in                    Estimated Average Size of Awards:
                                                    the average outcomes for the treatment                  student achievement (as defined in this                  Development grants: $3,000,000.
                                                    group and for the control group. These                  notice) for an individual student                        Validation grants: $11,500,000.
                                                    studies, depending on design and                        between two or more points in time. An                   Scale-up grants: $19,000,000.
                                                    implementation, can meet What Works                     applicant may also include other                         Estimated Number of Awards:
                                                    Clearinghouse Evidence Standards                        measures that are rigorous and                           Development grants: 9–11 awards.
                                                    without reservations.                                   comparable across classrooms.                            Validation grants: 2–4 awards.
                                                       Regional level describes the level of                   What Works Clearinghouse Evidence                     Scale-up grants: 0–1 awards.
                                                    scope or effectiveness of a process,                    Standards means the standards set forth                  Note: The Department is not bound by any
                                                    product, strategy, or practice that is able             in the What Works Clearinghouse                        estimates in this notice.
                                                    to serve a variety of communities within                Procedures and Standards Handbook                        Project Period: 36–60 months.
                                                    a State or multiple States, including                   (Version 3.0, March 2014), which can be
                                                    rural and urban areas, as well as with                  found at the following link: http://                   III. Eligibility Information
                                                    different groups (e.g., economically                    ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/                                      1. Innovations that Improve
                                                    disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups,                DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.                               Achievement for High-Need Students:
                                                    migrant populations, individuals with                      Program Authority: American                         All grantees must implement practices
                                                    disabilities, English learners, and                     Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,                 that are designed to improve student
                                                    individuals of each gender). For an LEA-                Division A, Section 14007, Pub. L. 111–                achievement (as defined in this notice)
                                                    based project to be considered a                        5.                                                     or student growth (as defined in this
                                                    regional-level project, a process,                         Applicable Regulations: (a) EDGAR in                notice), close achievement gaps,
                                                    product, strategy, or practice must serve               34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86,               decrease dropout rates, increase high
                                                    students in more than one LEA, unless                   97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of                      school graduation rates (as defined in
                                                    the process, product, strategy, or                      Management and Budget Guidelines to                    this notice), or increase college
                                                    practice is implemented in a State in                   Agencies on Governmentwide                             enrollment and completion rates for
                                                    which the State educational agency is                   Debarment and Suspension                               high-need students (as defined in this
                                                    the sole educational agency for all                     (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as                 notice).
                                                    schools.                                                adopted and amended as regulations of                     2. Innovations that Serve
                                                       Relevant outcome means the student                   the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c)                 Kindergarten-through-Grade-12 (K–12)
                                                    outcome(s) (or the ultimate outcome if                  The Uniform Administrative                             Students: All grantees must implement
                                                    not related to students) the proposed                   Requirements, Cost Principles, and                     practices that serve students who are in
                                                    process, product, strategy or practice is               Audit Requirements for Federal Awards                  grades K–12 at some point during the
                                                    designed to improve; consistent with                    in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and                      funding period. To meet this
                                                    the specific goals of a program.                        amended in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) 2013                   requirement, projects that serve early
                                                       Rural local educational agency means                 i3 NFP (78 FR 18681). (e) 2015 i3 NFP,                 learners (i.e., infants, toddlers, or
                                                    a local educational agency (LEA) that is                published elsewhere in this issue of the               preschoolers) must provide services or
                                                    eligible under the Small Rural School                   Federal Register. (f) The Supplemental                 supports that extend into kindergarten
                                                    Achievement (SRSA) program or the                       Priorities (79 FR 73425).                              or later years, and projects that serve
                                                    Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS)                                                                             postsecondary students must provide
                                                    program authorized under Title VI, Part                   Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79
                                                                                                            apply to all applicants except federally               services or supports during the
                                                    B of the ESEA. Eligible applicants may                                                                         secondary grades or earlier.
                                                                                                            recognized Indian tribes.
                                                    determine whether a particular LEA is                                                                             3. Eligible Applicants: Entities eligible
                                                    eligible for these programs by referring                  Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86              to apply for i3 grants include either of
                                                    to information on the Department’s Web                  apply to institutions of higher education              the following:
                                                    site at www2.ed.gov/nclb/freedom/local/                 only.                                                     (a) An LEA.
                                                    reap.html.                                                                                                        (b) A partnership between a nonprofit
                                                       Student achievement means—                           II. Award Information                                  organization and—
                                                       (a) For grades and subjects in which                    Type of Award: Cooperative                             (1) One or more LEAs; or
                                                    assessments are required under ESEA                     agreements or discretionary grants.                       (2) A consortium of schools.
                                                    section 1111(b)(3): (1) A student’s score                  Estimated Available Funds:                             Statutory Eligibility Requirements:
                                                    on such assessments and may include                     $112,400,000.                                          Except as specifically set forth in the
                                                    (2) other measures of student learning,                    These estimated available funds are                 Note about Eligibility for an Eligible
                                                    such as those described in paragraph                    the total available for all three types of             Applicant that Includes a Nonprofit
                                                    (b), provided they are rigorous and                     grants under the i3 program                            Organization that follows, to be eligible
                                                    comparable across schools within an                     (Development, Validation, and Scale-up                 for an award, an eligible applicant
                                                    LEA.                                                    grants). Contingent upon the availability              must—
                                                       (b) For grades and subjects in which                 of funds and the quality of applications,                 (a)(1) Have significantly closed the
                                                    assessments are not required under                      we may make additional awards in FY                    achievement gaps between groups of
                                                    ESEA section 1111(b)(3): Alternative                    2016 or later years from the list of                   students described in section 1111(b)(2)
                                                    measures of student learning and                        unfunded applicants from this                          of the ESEA (economically
                                                    performance such as student results on                  competition.                                           disadvantaged students, students from
                                                    pre-tests, end-of-course tests, and
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                                                                                                               Estimated Range of Awards:                          major racial and ethnic groups, students
                                                    objective performance-based                                Development grants: Up to                           with limited English proficiency,
                                                    assessments; student learning                           $3,000,000.                                            students with disabilities); or
                                                    objectives; student performance on                         Validation grants: Up to $12,000,000.                  (2) Have demonstrated success in
                                                    English language proficiency                               Scale-up grants: Up to $20,000,000.                 significantly increasing student
                                                    assessments; and other measures of                        Note: The upper limit of the range of                academic achievement for all groups of
                                                    student achievement that are rigorous                   awards (e.g., $12,000,000 for Validation               students described in that section;
                                                    and comparable across schools within                    grants) is referred to as the ‘‘maximum                   (b) Have made significant
                                                    an LEA.                                                 amount of awards’’ in section 5 of this notice.        improvements in other areas, such as


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                                                    32222                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                    high school graduation rates (as defined                include as a partner for its i3 grant an LEA           evidence standard requirement. An applicant
                                                    in this notice) or increased recruitment                or a consortium of schools that meets the              should clearly identify these citations in
                                                    and placement of high-quality teachers                  requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of the          Appendix D, under the ‘‘Other Attachments
                                                                                                            eligibility requirements in this notice.               Form,’’ of its application. The Department
                                                    and principals, as demonstrated with                                                                           will not review a study citation that an
                                                    meaningful data;                                           In addition, the authorizing statute                applicant fails to clearly identify for review.
                                                      (c) Demonstrate that it has established               specifies that an eligible applicant that              In addition to the two study citations,
                                                    one or more partnerships with the                       includes a nonprofit organization meets                applicants should include a description of
                                                    private sector, which may include                       the requirements of paragraph (c) of the               the intervention(s) the applicant plans to
                                                    philanthropic organizations, and that                   eligibility requirements in this notice if             implement and the intended student
                                                    organizations in the private sector will                the eligible applicant demonstrates that               outcomes that the intervention(s) attempts to
                                                    provide matching funds in order to help                 it will meet the requirement for private-              impact in Appendix D.
                                                    bring results to scale; and                             sector matching.                                          An applicant must either ensure that
                                                      (d) In the case of an eligible applicant                 4. Cost Sharing or Matching: To be                  all evidence is available to the
                                                    that includes a nonprofit organization,                 eligible for an award, an applicant must               Department from publicly available
                                                    provide in the application the names of                 demonstrate that one or more private-                  sources and provide links or other
                                                    the LEAs with which the nonprofit                       sector organizations, which may include                guidance indicating where it is
                                                    organization will partner, or the names                 philanthropic organizations, will                      available; or, in the application, include
                                                    of the schools in the consortium with                   provide matching funds in order to help                copies of evidence in Appendix D. If the
                                                    which it will partner. If an eligible                   bring project results to scale. An eligible            Department determines that an
                                                    applicant that includes a nonprofit                     Validation applicant must obtain                       applicant has provided insufficient
                                                    organization intends to partner with                    matching funds, or in-kind donations,                  information, the applicant will not have
                                                    additional LEAs or schools that are not                 equal to at least 10 percent of its Federal            an opportunity to provide additional
                                                    named in the application, it must                       grant award. The highest-rated eligible                information at a later time.
                                                    describe in the application the                         applicants must submit evidence of 50                    Note: The evidence standards apply to the
                                                    demographic and other characteristics                   percent of the required private-sector                 prior research that supports the effectiveness
                                                    of these LEAs and schools and the                       matching funds following the peer                      of the proposed project. The i3 program does
                                                    process it will use to select them.                     review of applications. A Federal i3                   not restrict the source of prior research
                                                       Note: An entity submitting an application            award will not be made unless the                      providing evidence for the proposed project.
                                                    should provide, in Appendix C, under                    applicant provides adequate evidence                   As such, an applicant could cite prior
                                                    ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ of its                      that the 50 percent of the required                    research in Appendix D for studies that were
                                                    application, information addressing the                                                                        conducted by another entity (i.e., an entity
                                                                                                            private-sector match has been                          that is not the applicant) so long as the prior
                                                    eligibility requirements described in this              committed or the Secretary approves the
                                                    section. An applicant must provide, in its                                                                     research studies cited in the application are
                                                                                                            eligible applicant’s request to reduce the             relevant to the effectiveness of the proposed
                                                    application, sufficient supporting data or
                                                    other information to allow the Department to
                                                                                                            matching-level requirement. An                         project.
                                                    determine whether the applicant has met the             applicant must provide evidence of the                   • Funding Categories: An applicant
                                                    eligibility requirements. Note that in order to         remaining 50 percent of required                       will be considered for an award only for
                                                    address the statutory eligibility requirement           private-sector match three months after                the type of i3 grant (i.e., Development,
                                                    above, applicants must provide data that                the project start date.                                Validation, and Scale-up grants) for
                                                    demonstrate a change. In other words,                      The Secretary may consider
                                                    applicants must provide data for at least two                                                                  which it applies. An applicant may not
                                                                                                            decreasing the matching requirement on
                                                    points in time when addressing this                                                                            submit an application for the same
                                                                                                            a case-by-case basis, and only in the
                                                    requirement in Appendix C of their                                                                             proposed project under more than one
                                                                                                            most exceptional circumstances. An
                                                    applications. If the Department determines                                                                     type of grant.
                                                    that an applicant has provided insufficient             eligible applicant that anticipates being                • Limit on Grant Awards: (a) No
                                                    information in its application, the applicant           unable to meet the full amount of the                  grantee may receive more than two new
                                                    will not have an opportunity to provide                 private-sector matching requirement                    grant awards of any type under the i3
                                                    additional information.                                 must include in its application a request              program in a single year; (b) in any two-
                                                                                                            that the Secretary reduce the matching-                year period, no grantee may receive
                                                      Note about LEA Eligibility: For purposes of           level requirement, along with a
                                                    this program, an LEA is an LEA located                                                                         more than one new Scale-up or
                                                                                                            statement of the basis for the request.                Validation grant; and (c) no grantee may
                                                    within one of the 50 States, the District of
                                                    Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto                    Note: An applicant that does not provide            receive in a single year new i3 grant
                                                    Rico.                                                   a request for a reduction of the matching-             awards that total an amount greater than
                                                                                                            level requirement in its application may not           the sum of the maximum amount of
                                                       Note about Eligibility for an Eligible               submit that request at a later time.                   funds for a Scale-up grant and the
                                                    Applicant that Includes a Nonprofit
                                                                                                              5. Other: The Secretary establishes the              maximum amount of funds for a
                                                    Organization: The authorizing statute
                                                    specifies that an eligible applicant that               following requirements for the i3                      Development grant for that year. For
                                                    includes a nonprofit organization meets the             program. These requirements are from                   example, in a year when the maximum
                                                    requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of the           the 2013 i3 NFP. We may apply these                    award value for a Scale-up grant is $20
                                                    eligibility requirements for this program if            requirements in any year in which this                 million and the maximum award value
                                                    the nonprofit organization has a record of              program is in effect.                                  for a Development grant is $3 million,
                                                    significantly improving student achievement,              • Evidence Standards: To be eligible                 no grantee may receive in a single year
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                                                    attainment, or retention. For an eligible               for an award, an application for a                     new grants totaling more than $23
                                                    applicant that includes a nonprofit                     Validation grant must be supported by                  million.
                                                    organization, the nonprofit organization must
                                                                                                            moderate evidence of effectiveness (as                   • Subgrants: In the case of an eligible
                                                    demonstrate that it has a record of
                                                    significantly improving student achievement,            defined in this notice).                               applicant that is a partnership between
                                                    attainment, or retention through its record of            Note: An applicant should identify up to             a nonprofit organization and (1) one or
                                                    work with an LEA or schools. Therefore, an              two study citations to be reviewed against             more LEAs or (2) a consortium of
                                                    eligible applicant that includes a nonprofit            What Works Clearinghouse Evidence                      schools, the partner serving as the
                                                    organization does not necessarily need to               Standards for the purposes of meeting the i3           applicant and, if funded, as the grantee,


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                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                             32223

                                                    may make subgrants to one or more                       IV. Application and Submission                         lengthy appendices that contain
                                                    entities in the partnership.                            Information                                            information that they were unable to
                                                       • Evaluation: The grantee must                          1. Address to Request Application                   include within the page limits for the
                                                    conduct an independent evaluation (as                   Package: You can obtain an application                 narrative. Applicants should use the
                                                    defined in this notice) of its project.                 package via the Internet or from the                   following standards:
                                                                                                            Education Publications Center (ED                         • A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″ , on one side
                                                    This evaluation must estimate the
                                                                                                            Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet,              only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom,
                                                    impact of the i3-supported practice (as
                                                                                                            use the following address: http://                     and both sides.
                                                    implemented at the proposed level of                                                                              • Double space (no more than three
                                                    scale) on a relevant outcome (as defined                www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/
                                                                                                                                                                   lines per vertical inch) all text in the
                                                    in this notice). The grantee must make                  index.html. To obtain a copy from ED
                                                                                                                                                                   application narrative, including titles,
                                                    broadly available digitally and free of                 Pubs, write, fax, or call the following:
                                                                                                                                                                   headings, footnotes, quotations,
                                                    charge, through formal (e.g., peer-                     ED Pubs, U.S. Department of Education,
                                                                                                                                                                   references, and captions.
                                                    reviewed journals) or informal (e.g.,                   P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304.                     • Use a font that is either 12 point or
                                                    newsletters) mechanisms, the results of                 Telephone, toll free: 1–877–433–7827.                  larger or no smaller than 10 pitch
                                                    any evaluations it conducts of its                      FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you use a                      (characters per inch).
                                                    funded activities. For Scale-up and                     telecommunications device for the deaf                    • Use one of the following fonts:
                                                    Validation grants, the grantee must also                (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call,                 Times New Roman, Courier, Courier
                                                    ensure that the data from its evaluation                toll free: 1–877–576–7734.                             New, or Arial.
                                                    are made available to third-party                          You can contact ED Pubs at its Web                     The page limit for the application
                                                    researchers consistent with applicable                  site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its                   does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet;
                                                    privacy requirements.                                   email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.                     Part II, the budget section, including the
                                                                                                               If you request an application from ED               narrative budget justification; Part IV,
                                                       In addition, the grantee and its                     Pubs, be sure to identify this program or
                                                    independent evaluator must agree to                                                                            the assurances and certifications; or the
                                                                                                            competition as follows: CFDA number                    one-page abstract, the resumes, the
                                                    cooperate with any technical assistance                 84.411B.
                                                    provided by the Department or its                                                                              bibliography, or the letters of support of
                                                                                                               Individuals with disabilities can                   the application. However, the page limit
                                                    contractor and comply with the                          obtain a copy of the application package               does apply to all of the application
                                                    requirements of any evaluation of the                   in an accessible format (e.g., braille,                narrative section [Part III] of the
                                                    program conducted by the Department.                    large print, audiotape, or compact disc)               application.
                                                    This includes providing to the                          by contacting the person or team listed                   b. Submission of Proprietary
                                                    Department, within 100 days of a grant                  under Accessible Format in section VIII                Information:
                                                    award, an updated comprehensive                         of this notice.                                           Given the types of projects that may
                                                    evaluation plan in a format and using                      2.a. Content and Form of Application                be proposed in applications for the i3
                                                    such tools as the Department may                        Submission: Requirements concerning                    program, some applications may
                                                    require. Grantees must update this                      the content of an application, together                include business information that
                                                    evaluation plan at least annually to                    with the forms you must submit, are in                 applicants consider proprietary. The
                                                    reflect any changes to the evaluation.                  the application package for this                       Department’s regulations define
                                                    All of these updates must be consistent                 competition.                                           ‘‘business information’’ in 34 CFR 5.11.
                                                    with the scope and objectives of the                       Deadline for Notice of Intent to                       Consistent with the process followed
                                                    approved application.                                   Submit Application: June 25, 2015.                     in the prior i3 competitions, we plan on
                                                       • Communities of Practice: Grantees                     We will be able to develop a more                   posting the project narrative section of
                                                    must participate in, organize, or                       efficient process for reviewing grant                  funded i3 applications on the
                                                                                                            applications if we know the                            Department’s Web site so you may wish
                                                    facilitate, as appropriate, communities
                                                                                                            approximate number of applicants that                  to request confidentiality of business
                                                    of practice for the i3 program. A
                                                                                                            intend to apply for funding under this                 information. Identifying proprietary
                                                    community of practice is a group of
                                                                                                            competition. Therefore, the Secretary                  information in the submitted
                                                    grantees that agrees to interact regularly
                                                                                                            strongly encourages each potential                     application will help facilitate this
                                                    to solve a persistent problem or improve
                                                                                                            applicant to notify us of the applicant’s              public disclosure process.
                                                    practice in an area that is important to
                                                                                                            intent to submit an application by                        Consistent with Executive Order
                                                    them.
                                                                                                            completing a Web-based form. When                      12600, please designate in your
                                                       • Management Plan: Within 100 days                   completing this form, applicants will                  application any information that you
                                                    of a grant award, the grantee must                      provide (1) the applicant organization’s               feel is exempt from disclosure under
                                                    provide an updated comprehensive                        name and address and (2) the one                       Exemption 4 of the Freedom of
                                                    management plan for the approved                        absolute priority the applicant intends                Information Act. In the appropriate
                                                    project in a format and using such tools                to address. Applicants may access this                 Appendix section of your application,
                                                    as the Department may require. This                     form online at https://                                under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’
                                                    management plan must include detailed                   www.surveymonkey.com/r/VX6M7SF .                       please list the page number or numbers
                                                    information about implementation of                     Applicants that do not complete this                   on which we can find this information.
                                                    the first year of the grant, including key              form may still submit an application.                  For additional information please see 34
                                                    milestones, staffing details, and other                 Page Limit: The application narrative
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                                                                                                                                                                   CFR 5.11(c).
                                                    information that the Department may                     (Part III of the application) is where you,               3. Submission Dates and Times:
                                                    require. It must also include a complete                the applicant, address the selection                      Deadline for Notice of Intent to
                                                    list of performance metrics, including                  criteria that reviewers use to evaluate                Submit Application: June 25, 2015.
                                                    baseline measures and annual targets.                   your application. Applicants should                       Informational Meetings: The i3
                                                    The grantee must update this                            limit the application narrative [Part III]             program intends to hold Webinars
                                                    management plan at least annually to                    for a Validation grant application to no               designed to provide technical assistance
                                                    reflect implementation of subsequent                    more than 35 pages. Applicants are also                to interested applicants for all three
                                                    years of the project.                                   strongly encouraged not to include                     types of grants. Detailed information


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                                                    32224                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                    regarding these meetings will be                        awarded a grant, during the project                    (Validation grants), must be submitted
                                                    provided on the i3 Web site at                          period.                                                electronically using the
                                                    www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/                          You can obtain a DUNS number from                    Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site
                                                    index.html.                                             Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number                      at www.Grants.gov. Through this site,
                                                       Deadline for Transmittal of                          can be created within one-to-two                       you will be able to download a copy of
                                                    Applications: August 4, 2015.                           business days.                                         the application package, complete it
                                                       Applications for grants under this                     If you are a corporate entity, agency,               offline, and then upload and submit
                                                    competition must be submitted                           institution, or organization, you can                  your application. You may not email an
                                                    electronically using the Grants.gov                     obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue                 electronic copy of a grant application to
                                                    Apply site (Grants.gov). For information                Service. If you are an individual, you                 us.
                                                    (including dates and times) about how                   can obtain a TIN from the Internal                        We will reject your application if you
                                                    to submit your application                              Revenue Service or the Social Security                 submit it in paper format unless, as
                                                    electronically, or in paper format by                   Administration. If you need a new TIN,                 described elsewhere in this section, you
                                                    mail or hand delivery if you qualify for                please allow two-five weeks for your                   qualify for one of the exceptions to the
                                                    an exception to the electronic                          TIN to become active.                                  electronic submission requirement and
                                                    submission requirement, please refer to                   The SAM registration process can take                submit, no later than two weeks before
                                                    section IV. 7. Other Submission                         approximately seven business days, but                 the application deadline date, a written
                                                    Requirements of this notice.                            may take upwards of several weeks,                     statement to the Department that you
                                                                                                            depending on the completeness and                      qualify for one of these exceptions.
                                                       We do not consider an application
                                                                                                            accuracy of the data entered into the                  Further information regarding
                                                    that does not comply with the deadline
                                                                                                            SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you
                                                    requirements.                                                                                                  calculation of the date that is two weeks
                                                                                                            think you might want to apply for
                                                       Individuals with disabilities who                                                                           before the application deadline date is
                                                                                                            Federal financial assistance under a
                                                    need an accommodation or auxiliary aid                                                                         provided later in this section under
                                                                                                            program administered by the
                                                    in connection with the application                                                                             Exception to Electronic Submission
                                                                                                            Department, please allow sufficient time
                                                    process should contact the person listed                                                                       Requirement.
                                                                                                            to obtain and register your DUNS
                                                    under Agency Contact in section VII of                                                                            You may access the electronic grant
                                                                                                            number and TIN. We strongly
                                                    this notice. If the Department provides                                                                        application for the i3 program at
                                                                                                            recommend that you register early.
                                                    an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an                                                                        www.Grants.gov. You must search for
                                                    individual with a disability in                           Note: Once your SAM registration is active,          the downloadable application package
                                                    connection with the application                         you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the          for this competition by the CFDA
                                                                                                            information to be available in Grants.gov and
                                                    process, the individual’s application                   before you can submit an application through
                                                                                                                                                                   number. Do not include the CFDA
                                                    remains subject to all other                            Grants.gov.                                            number’s alpha suffix in your search
                                                    requirements and limitations in this                                                                           (e.g., search for 84.411, not 84.411B).
                                                    notice.                                                   If you are currently registered with                    Please note the following:
                                                                                                            SAM, you may not need to make any
                                                       Deadline for Intergovernmental                                                                                 • When you enter the Grants.gov site,
                                                    Review: October 5, 2015.                                changes. However, please make certain
                                                                                                                                                                   you will find information about
                                                       4. Intergovernmental Review: This                    that the TIN associated with your DUNS
                                                                                                                                                                   submitting an application electronically
                                                    competition is subject to Executive                     number is correct. Also note that you
                                                                                                                                                                   through the site, as well as the hours of
                                                    Order 12372 and the regulations in 34                   will need to update your registration
                                                                                                                                                                   operation.
                                                                                                            annually. This may take three or more
                                                    CFR part 79. Information about                                                                                    • Applications received by Grants.gov
                                                    Intergovernmental Review of Federal                     business days.
                                                                                                              Information about SAM is available at                are date and time stamped. Your
                                                    Programs under Executive Order 12372                                                                           application must be fully uploaded and
                                                                                                            www.SAM.gov. To further assist you
                                                    is in the application package for this                                                                         submitted and must be date and time
                                                                                                            with obtaining and registering your
                                                    competition.                                                                                                   stamped by the Grants.gov system no
                                                                                                            DUNS number and TIN in SAM or
                                                       5. Funding Restrictions: We reference                                                                       later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
                                                                                                            updating your existing SAM account,
                                                    regulations outlining funding                                                                                  time, on the application deadline date.
                                                                                                            we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet,
                                                    restrictions in the Applicable                                                                                 Except as otherwise noted in this
                                                                                                            which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/
                                                    Regulations section of this notice.                                                                            section, we will not accept your
                                                                                                            fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
                                                       6. Data Universal Numbering System                     In addition, if you are submitting your              application if it is received—that is, date
                                                    Number, Taxpayer Identification                         application via Grants.gov, you must (1)               and time stamped by the Grants.gov
                                                    Number, and System for Award                            be designated by your organization as an               system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
                                                    Management: To do business with the                     Authorized Organization Representative                 DC time, on the application deadline
                                                    Department of Education, you must—                      (AOR); and (2) register yourself with                  date. We do not consider an application
                                                       a. Have a Data Universal Numbering                   Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these                 that does not comply with the deadline
                                                    System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer                     steps are outlined at the following                    requirements. When we retrieve your
                                                    Identification Number (TIN);                            Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/                   application from Grants.gov, we will
                                                       b. Register both your DUNS number                    web/grants/register.html.                              notify you if we are rejecting your
                                                    and TIN with the System for Award                         7. Other Submission Requirements:                    application because it was date and time
                                                    Management (SAM) (formerly the                            Applications for grants for the i3                   stamped by the Grants.gov system after
                                                    Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the                                                                        4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
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                                                                                                            program must be submitted
                                                    Government’s primary registrant                         electronically unless you qualify for an               the application deadline date.
                                                    database;                                               exception to this requirement in                          • The amount of time it can take to
                                                       c. Provide your DUNS number and                      accordance with the instructions in this               upload an application will vary
                                                    TIN on your application; and                            section.                                               depending on a variety of factors,
                                                       d. Maintain an active SAM                              a. Electronic Submission of                          including the size of the application and
                                                    registration with current information                   Applications.                                          the speed of your Internet connection.
                                                    while your application is under review                    Applications for grants under the i3                 Therefore, we strongly recommend that
                                                    by the Department and, if you are                       program, CFDA number 84.411B                           you do not wait until the application


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                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                             32225

                                                    deadline date to begin the submission                   toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must                 no later than two weeks before the
                                                    process through Grants.gov.                             obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case                  application deadline date. If you fax
                                                       • You should review and follow the                   Number and must keep a record of it.                   your written statement to the
                                                    Education Submission Procedures for                       If you are prevented from                            Department, we must receive the faxed
                                                    submitting an application through                       electronically submitting your                         statement no later than two weeks
                                                    Grants.gov that are included in the                     application on the application deadline                before the application deadline date.
                                                    application package for this competition                date because of technical problems with                  Address and mail or fax your
                                                    to ensure that you submit your                          the Grants.gov system, we will grant you               statement to: Kelly Terpak, U.S.
                                                    application in a timely manner to the                   an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,                       Department of Education, 400 Maryland
                                                    Grants.gov system. You can also find the                Washington, DC time, the following                     Avenue SW., Room 4C107, Washington,
                                                    Education Submission Procedures                         business day to enable you to transmit                 DC 20202–5930. FAX: (202) 205–5631.
                                                    pertaining to Grants.gov under News                     your application electronically or by                    Your paper application must be
                                                    and Events on the Department’s G5                       hand delivery. You also may mail your                  submitted in accordance with the mail
                                                    system home page at www.G5.gov.                         application by following the mailing                   or hand delivery instructions described
                                                       • You will not receive additional                    instructions described elsewhere in this               in this notice.
                                                    point value because you submit your                     notice.                                                  b. Submission of Paper Applications
                                                    application in electronic format, nor                     If you submit an application after                   by Mail.
                                                    will we penalize you if you qualify for                 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on                    If you qualify for an exception to the
                                                    an exception to the electronic                          the application deadline date, please                  electronic submission requirement, you
                                                    submission requirement, as described                    contact the person listed under Agency                 may mail (through the U.S. Postal
                                                    elsewhere in this section, and submit                   Contact in section VII of this notice and              Service or a commercial carrier) your
                                                    your application in paper format.                       provide an explanation of the technical                application to the Department. You
                                                       • You must submit all documents                      problem you experienced with                           must mail the original and two copies
                                                    electronically, including all information               Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov                  of your application, on or before the
                                                    you typically provide on the following                  Support Desk Case Number. We will                      application deadline date, to the
                                                    forms: The Application for Federal                      accept your application if we can                      Department at the following address:
                                                    Assistance (SF 424), the Department of                  confirm that a technical problem                       U.S. Department of Education,
                                                    Education Supplemental Information for                  occurred with the Grants.gov system                    Application Control Center, Attention:
                                                    SF 424, Budget Information—Non-                         and that that problem affected your                    (CFDA Number 84.411B), LBJ Basement
                                                    Construction Programs (ED 524), and all                 ability to submit your application by                  Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
                                                    necessary assurances and certifications.                4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on                  Washington, DC 20202–4260.
                                                       • You must upload any narrative                      the application deadline date. The                       You must show proof of mailing
                                                    sections and all other attachments to                   Department will contact you after a                    consisting of one of the following:
                                                    your application as files in a PDF                      determination is made on whether your                    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
                                                    (Portable Document) read-only, non-                     application will be accepted.                          postmark.
                                                    modifiable format. Do not upload an                                                                              (2) A legible mail receipt with the
                                                    interactive or fillable PDF file. If you                   Note: The extensions to which we refer in
                                                                                                            this section apply only to the unavailability          date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
                                                    upload a file type other than a read-                   of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov         Postal Service.
                                                    only, non-modifiable PDF or submit a                    system. We will not grant you an extension               (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
                                                    password-protected file, we will not                    if you failed to fully register to submit your         receipt from a commercial carrier.
                                                    review that material.                                   application to Grants.gov before the                     (4) Any other proof of mailing
                                                       • Your electronic application must                   application deadline date and time or if the
                                                                                                                                                                   acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.
                                                    comply with any page-limit                              technical problem you experienced is
                                                                                                            unrelated to the Grants.gov system.                    Department of Education.
                                                    requirements described in this notice.                                                                           If you mail your application through
                                                       • After you electronically submit                       Exception to Electronic Submission                  the U.S. Postal Service, we do not
                                                    your application, you will receive from                 Requirement: You qualify for an                        accept either of the following as proof
                                                    Grants.gov an automatic notification of                 exception to the electronic submission                 of mailing:
                                                    receipt that contains a Grants.gov                      requirement, and may submit your                         (1) A private metered postmark.
                                                    tracking number. (This notification                     application in paper format, if you are                  (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
                                                    indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not               unable to submit an application through                the U.S. Postal Service.
                                                    receipt by the Department.) The                         the Grants.gov system because—                           If your application is postmarked after
                                                    Department then will retrieve your                         • You do not have access to the                     the application deadline date, we will
                                                    application from Grants.gov and send a                  Internet; or                                           not consider your application.
                                                    second notification to you by email.                       • You do not have the capacity to
                                                    This second notification indicates that                 upload large documents to the                            Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not
                                                    the Department has received your                        Grants.gov system; and                                 uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
                                                                                                               • No later than two weeks before the                relying on this method, you should check
                                                    application and has assigned your
                                                                                                                                                                   with your local post office.
                                                    application a PR/Award number (an ED-                   application deadline date (14 calendar
                                                    specified identifying number unique to                  days or, if the fourteenth calendar day                  c. Submission of Paper Applications
                                                    your application).                                      before the application deadline date                   by Hand Delivery.
                                                       • We may request that you provide us                 falls on a Federal holiday, the next                     If you qualify for an exception to the
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                                                    original signatures on forms at a later                 business day following the Federal                     electronic submission requirement, you
                                                    date.                                                   holiday), you mail or fax a written                    (or a courier service) may deliver your
                                                       Application Deadline Date Extension                  statement to the Department, explaining                paper application to the Department by
                                                    in Case of Technical Issues with the                    which of the two grounds for an                        hand. You must deliver the original and
                                                    Grants.gov System: If you are                           exception prevents you from using the                  two copies of your application by hand,
                                                    experiencing problems submitting your                   Internet to submit your application.                   on or before the application deadline
                                                    application through Grants.gov, please                     If you mail your written statement to               date, to the Department at the following
                                                    contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,                    the Department, it must be postmarked                  address: U.S. Department of Education,


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                                                    32226                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                    Application Control Center, Attention:                  strategies that build on, or are                       Secretary considers the following
                                                    (CFDA Number 84.411B), 550 12th                         alternatives to, existing strategies. (34              factors:
                                                    Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center                   CFR 75.210)                                               (1) The extent to which the methods
                                                    Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.                          (2) The potential replicability of the              of evaluation will, if well implemented,
                                                      The Application Control Center                        proposed project or strategies,                        produce evidence about the project’s
                                                    accepts hand deliveries daily between                   including, as appropriate, the potential               effectiveness that would meet the What
                                                    8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,                 for implementation in a variety of                     Works Clearinghouse Evidence
                                                    DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,                     settings. (34 CFR 75.210)                              Standards without reservations.5 (2013
                                                    and Federal holidays.                                      (3) The extent to which the proposed                i3 NFP)
                                                       Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper              project addresses a challenge for which                   (2) The clarity and importance of the
                                                    Applications: If you mail or hand deliver               there is a national need for solutions                 key questions to be addressed by the
                                                    your application to the Department—                     that are better than the solutions                     project evaluation, and the
                                                       (1) You must indicate on the envelope                currently available. (2013 i3 NFP)                     appropriateness of the methods for how
                                                    and—if not provided by the Department—in                   B. Strategy to Scale (up to 30 points).             each question will be addressed. (2013
                                                    Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,                     In determining the applicant’s                      i3 NFP)
                                                    including suffix letter, if any, of the                 capacity to scale the proposed project,                   (3) The extent to which the evaluation
                                                    competition under which you are submitting                                                                     will study the project at the proposed
                                                    your application; and
                                                                                                            the Secretary considers the following
                                                                                                            factors:                                               level of scale, including, where
                                                       (2) The Application Control Center will                                                                     appropriate, generating information
                                                    mail to you a notification of receipt of your              (1) The extent to which the applicant
                                                    grant application. If you do not receive this           demonstrates there is unmet demand for                 about potential differential effectiveness
                                                    notification within 15 business days from the           the process, product, strategy or practice             of the project in diverse settings and for
                                                    application deadline date, you should call              that will enable the applicant to reach                diverse student population groups.
                                                    the U.S. Department of Education                        the level of scale that is proposed in the             (2013 i3 NFP)
                                                    Application Control Center at (202) 245–                application. (34 CFR 75.210)                              (4) The extent to which the evaluation
                                                    6288.
                                                                                                               (2) The extent to which the applicant               plan includes a clear and credible
                                                                                                            will use grant funds to address a                      analysis plan, including a proposed
                                                    V. Application Review Information                                                                              sample size and minimum detectable
                                                                                                            particular barrier or barriers that
                                                      1. Selection Criteria: The selection                  prevented the applicant, in the past,                  effect size that aligns with the expected
                                                    criteria for the Validation competition                 from reaching the level of scale                       project impact, and an analytic
                                                    are from the 2013 i3 NFP and 34 CFR                     proposed in the application. (2013 i3                  approach for addressing the research
                                                    75.210, and are listed below.                           NFP)                                                   questions. (2013 i3 NFP)
                                                      The points assigned to each criterion                                                                           (5) The extent to which the evaluation
                                                                                                               (3) The mechanisms the applicant
                                                    are indicated in the parentheses next to                                                                       plan clearly articulates the key
                                                                                                            will use to broadly disseminate
                                                    the criterion. An applicant may earn up                                                                        components and outcomes of the
                                                                                                            information on its project so as to
                                                    to a total of 100 points based on the                                                                          project, as well as a measurable
                                                                                                            support further development or
                                                    selection criteria for the application.                                                                        threshold for acceptable
                                                                                                            replication. (34 CFR 75.210)
                                                                                                                                                                   implementation. (2013 i3 NFP)
                                                       Note: An applicant must provide                         C. Quality of the Project Design and                   (6) The extent to which the proposed
                                                    information on how its proposed project                 Management Plan (up to 35 points).                     project plan includes sufficient
                                                    addresses the selection criteria in the project            In determining the quality of the
                                                    narrative section of its application. In
                                                                                                                                                                   resources to carry out the project
                                                                                                            proposed project design, the Secretary                 evaluation effectively. (2013 i3 NFP)
                                                    responding to the selection criteria,                   considers the following factors:
                                                    applicants should keep in mind that peer                                                                          Note: Applicants are encouraged to design
                                                                                                               (1) The extent to which the goals,
                                                    reviewers may consider only the information                                                                    an evaluation that will report findings on
                                                    provided in the written application when                objectives, and outcomes to be achieved                English Learners, students with disabilities,
                                                    scoring and commenting on the application.              by the proposed project are clearly                    and other subgroups. Additionally,
                                                    Therefore, applicants should structure their            specified and measurable. (34 CFR                      applicants may wish to review the following
                                                    applications with the goal of helping peer              75.210)                                                technical assistance resources on evaluation:
                                                    reviewers understand the following:                        (2) The adequacy of the management                  (1) WWC Procedures and Standards
                                                       • What the applicant is proposing to do,             plan to achieve the objectives of the                  Handbook: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
                                                    including the absolute priority (or, if the             proposed project on time and within                    references/idocviewer/
                                                    applicant has selected the absolute priority                                                                   doc.aspx?docid=19&tocid=1; and (2) IES/
                                                                                                            budget, including clearly defined                      NCEE Technical Methods papers: http://
                                                    for Serving Rural Communities, the absolute
                                                                                                            responsibilities, timelines, and                       ies.ed.gov/ncee/tech_methods/. In addition,
                                                    priorities) under which the applicant intends
                                                    the application to be reviewed;                         milestones for accomplishing project                   we invite applicants to view two optional
                                                       • How the proposed project will reach a              tasks. (34 CFR 75.210)                                 Webinar recordings that were hosted by the
                                                    national or regional level of scale that the               (3) The clarity and coherence of the                Institute of Education Sciences. The first
                                                    applicant was previously unable to reach;               applicant’s multi-year financial and                   Webinar discussed strategies for designing
                                                    and                                                     operating model and accompanying                       and executing well-designed quasi-
                                                       • What the outcomes of the project will be           plan to operate the project at a national              experimental design studies. Applicants
                                                    if it is successful, including how those                                                                       interested in viewing this Webinar may find
                                                                                                            or regional level (as defined in this                  more information at the following Web site:
                                                    outcomes will be evaluated.                             notice) during the project period. (2013               http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
                                                      Selection Criteria for the Validation                 i3 NFP)
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                                                                                                                                                                   news.aspx?sid=23. We also encourage
                                                    Grant Application:                                         (4) The adequacy of procedures for                  applicants to review a second Webinar
                                                      A. Significance (up to 15 points).                    ensuring feedback and continuous                       recorded by the IES that focused on more
                                                      In determining the significance of the                improvement in the operation of the                    rigorous evaluation designs. This Webinar
                                                    project, the Secretary considers the                    proposed project. (34 CFR 75.210)
                                                                                                                                                                     5 See What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and
                                                    following factors:                                         D. Quality of the Project Evaluation
                                                                                                                                                                   Standards Handbook. (Version 2.1, September
                                                      (1) The extent to which the proposed                  (up to 20 points).                                     2011), which can currently be found at the
                                                    project involves the development or                        In determining the quality of the                   following link: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
                                                    demonstration of promising new                          project evaluation to be conducted, the                DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.



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                                                                                     Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices                                             32227

                                                    discusses strategies for designing and                  consider whether the applicant failed to               information as directed by the Secretary
                                                    executing studies that meet WWC standards               submit a timely performance report or                  under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary
                                                    without reservations. Applicants interested             submitted a report of unacceptable                     may also require more frequent
                                                    in reviewing this Webinar may find more
                                                                                                            quality.                                               performance reports under 34 CFR
                                                    information at the following Web site:
                                                    http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/
                                                                                                               In addition, in making a competitive                75.720(c). For specific requirements on
                                                    News.aspx?sid=18.                                       grant award, the Secretary also requires               reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/
                                                                                                            various assurances including those                     fund/grant/apply/appforms/
                                                       2. Review and Selection Process: As                  applicable to Federal civil rights laws                appforms.html.
                                                    described earlier in this notice, before                that prohibit discrimination in programs                  4. Performance Measures: The overall
                                                    making awards, we will screen                           or activities receiving Federal financial              purpose of the i3 program is to expand
                                                    applications submitted in accordance                    assistance from the Department of                      the implementation of, and investment
                                                    with the requirements in this notice to                 Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4,                 in, innovative practices that are
                                                    determine whether applications have                     108.8, and 110.23).                                    demonstrated to have an impact on
                                                    met eligibility and other requirements.                    3. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR                  improving student achievement or
                                                    This screening process may occur at                     3474.10, the Secretary may impose                      student growth for high-need students.
                                                    various stages of the process; applicants               special conditions and, in appropriate                 We have established several
                                                    that are determined to be ineligible will               circumstances, high-risk conditions on a               performance measures for the i3
                                                    not receive a grant, regardless of peer                 grant if the applicant or grantee is not               Validation grants.
                                                    reviewer scores or comments.                            financially stable; has a history of                      Short-term performance measures: (1)
                                                       For the application review processes,                unsatisfactory performance; has a                      The percentage of grantees that reach
                                                    we will use independent peer reviewers                  financial or other management system                   their annual target number of students
                                                    with varied backgrounds and                             that does not meet the standards in 2                  as specified in the application; (2) the
                                                    professions including pre-kindergarten-                 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not                       percentage of programs, practices, or
                                                    grade 12 teachers and principals, college               fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant;             strategies supported by a Validation
                                                    and university educators, researchers                   or is otherwise not responsible.                       grant with ongoing well-designed and
                                                    and evaluators, social entrepreneurs,                                                                          independent evaluations that will
                                                    strategy consultants, grant makers and                  VI. Award Administration Information                   provide evidence of their effectiveness
                                                    managers, and others with education                        1. Award Notices: If your application               at improving student outcomes; (3) the
                                                    expertise. All reviewers will be                        is successful, we notify your U.S.                     percentage of programs, practices, or
                                                    thoroughly screened for conflicts of                    Representative and U.S. Senators and                   strategies supported by a Validation
                                                    interest to ensure a fair and competitive               send you a Grant Award Notification                    grant with ongoing evaluations that are
                                                    review process.                                         (GAN); or we may send you an email                     providing high-quality implementation
                                                       Peer reviewers will read, prepare a                  containing a link to access an electronic              data and performance feedback that
                                                    written evaluation, and score the                       version of your GAN. We may notify                     allow for periodic assessment of
                                                    assigned applications, using the                        you informally, also.                                  progress toward achieving intended
                                                    selection criteria provided in this                        If your application is not evaluated or             outcomes; and (4) the cost per student
                                                    notice. For Validation grant                            not selected for funding, we notify you.               actually served by the grant.
                                                    applications, the Department intends to                    2. Administrative and National Policy                  Long-term performance measures: (1)
                                                    conduct a single tier review. If an                     Requirements: We identify                              The percentage of grantees that reach
                                                    eligible applicant has chosen to address                administrative and national policy                     the targeted number of students
                                                    either of the first two competitive                     requirements in the application package                specified in the application; (2) the
                                                    preference priorities (Improving Cost-                  and reference these and other                          percentage of programs, practices, or
                                                    Effectiveness and Productivity or                       requirements in the Applicable                         strategies supported by a Validation
                                                    Enabling Broad Adoption of Effective                    Regulations section of this notice.                    grant that implement a completed well-
                                                    Practices) in order to earn competitive                    We reference the regulations outlining              designed, well-implemented and
                                                    preference priority points, reviewers                   the terms and conditions of an award in                independent evaluation that provides
                                                    will review and score these competitive                 the Applicable Regulations section of                  evidence of their effectiveness at
                                                    preference priorities. If competitive                   this notice and include these and other                improving student outcomes; (3) the
                                                    preference priority points are awarded,                 specific conditions in the GAN. The                    percentage of programs, practices, or
                                                    those points will be included in the                    GAN also incorporates your approved                    strategies supported by a Validation
                                                    eligible applicant’s overall score. If an               application as part of your binding                    grant with a completed well-designed,
                                                    eligible applicant chooses to address the               commitments under the grant.                           well-implemented and independent
                                                    last competitive preference priority                       3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a                evaluation that provides information
                                                    (Supporting Novice i3 Applicants) in                    grant under this competition, you must                 about the key elements and the
                                                    order to earn competitive preference                    ensure that you have in place the                      approach of the project so as to facilitate
                                                    priority points, the Department will                    necessary processes and systems to                     replication or testing in other settings;
                                                    review its list of previous i3 grantees in              comply with the reporting requirements                 and (4) the cost per student for
                                                    scoring this competitive preference                     in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive                   programs, practices, or strategies that
                                                    priority.                                               funding under the competition. This                    were proven to be effective at improving
                                                       We remind potential applicants that,                 does not apply if you have an exception                educational outcomes for students.
                                                    in reviewing applications in any                        under 2 CFR 170.110(b).                                   5. Continuation Awards: In making a
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                                                    discretionary grant competition, the                       (b) At the end of your project period,              continuation award under 34 CFR
                                                    Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR                    you must submit a final performance                    75.253, the Secretary considers, among
                                                    75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the               report, including financial information,               other things: Whether a grantee has
                                                    applicant in carrying out a previous                    as directed by the Secretary. If you                   made substantial progress in achieving
                                                    award, such as the applicant’s use of                   receive a multi-year award, you must                   the goals and objectives of the project;
                                                    funds, achievement of project                           submit an annual performance report                    whether the grantee has expended funds
                                                    objectives, and compliance with grant                   that provides the most current                         in a manner that is consistent with its
                                                    conditions. The Secretary may also                      performance and financial expenditure                  approved application and budget; and,


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                                                    32228                            Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 108 / Friday, June 5, 2015 / Notices

                                                    if the Secretary has established                          If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the                  other documents of this Department
                                                    performance measurement                                 Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1–                published in the Federal Register, in
                                                    requirements, the performance targets in                800–877–8339.                                          text or Adobe Portable Document
                                                    the grantee’s approved application. In                  VIII. Other Information                                Format (PDF). To use PDF you must
                                                    making a continuation grant, the                                                                               have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
                                                    Secretary also considers whether the                       Accessible Format: Individuals with                 available free at the site.
                                                    grantee is operating in compliance with                 disabilities can obtain this document
                                                                                                            and a copy of the application package in                 You may also access documents of the
                                                    the assurances in its approved                                                                                 Department published in the Federal
                                                    application, including those applicable                 an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
                                                                                                            print, audiotape, or compact disc) on                  Register by using the article search
                                                    to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit                                                                     feature at: www.federalregister.gov.
                                                                                                            request to either program contact person
                                                    discrimination in programs or activities                                                                       Specifically, through the advanced
                                                                                                            listed under Agency Contact in section
                                                    receiving Federal financial assistance                                                                         search feature at this site, you can limit
                                                                                                            VII of this notice.
                                                    from the Department (34 CFR 100.4,                         Electronic Access to This Document:                 your search to documents published by
                                                    104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).                       The official version of this document is               the Department.
                                                    VII. Agency Contact                                     the document published in the Federal                    Dated: May 27, 2015.
                                                                                                            Register. Free Internet access to the
                                                      Kelly Terpak, U.S. Department of                      official edition of the Federal Register               Nadya Chinoy Dabby,
                                                    Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,                     and the Code of Federal Regulations is                 Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and
                                                    Room 4C107, Washington, DC 20202–                       available via the Federal Digital System               Improvement.
                                                    5930. Telephone: (202) 453–7122. FAX:                   at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you                [FR Doc. 2015–13672 Filed 6–4–15; 8:45 am]
                                                    (202) 205–5631 or by email: i3@ed.gov.                  can view this document, as well as all                 BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
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Document Created: 2015-12-15 15:21:04
Document Modified: 2015-12-15 15:21:04
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice.
DatesApplications Available: June 8, 2015.
FR Citation80 FR 32216 

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