81_FR_52576 81 FR 52424 - Applications for New Awards; Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grant Program-Enhanced Assessment Instruments

81 FR 52424 - Applications for New Awards; Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grant Program-Enhanced Assessment Instruments

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 152 (August 8, 2016)

Page Range52424-52432
FR Document2016-18532

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 152 (Monday, August 8, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 152 (Monday, August 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52424-52432]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18532]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
Grant Program--Enhanced Assessment Instruments

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Overview Information:
    Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grant Program--Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments.
    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 
2016.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.368A.

Dates: 
    Applications Available: August 8, 2016.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: August 29, 2016.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 22, 2016.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: November 21, 2016.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments Grant program, also called the Enhanced Assessment Grants 
(EAG) program, is to enhance the quality of assessment instruments and 
assessment systems used by States for measuring the academic 
achievement of elementary and secondary school students.
    Priorities: This competition includes four absolute priorities and 
three competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), the absolute priorities are from section 6112 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), as 
amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), 20 U.S.C. 
7301a. The competitive preference priorities are from the Department's 
notice of final priorities published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register.
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2016 and any subsequent year in which 
we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet one or more of the 
absolute priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1--Collaboration.
    Collaborate with institutions of higher education, other research 
institutions, or other organizations to improve the quality, validity, 
and reliability of State academic assessments beyond the requirements 
for these assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA, as 
amended by NCLB.
    Absolute Priority 2--Use of Multiple Measures of Student Academic 
Achievement.
    Measure student academic achievement using multiple measures of 
student academic achievement from multiple sources.
    Absolute Priority 3--Charting Student Progress Over Time.
    Chart student progress over time.
    Absolute Priority 4--Comprehensive Academic Assessment Instruments.
    Evaluate student academic achievement through the development of 
comprehensive academic assessment instruments, such as performance- and

[[Page 52425]]

technology-based academic assessments.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2016 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications 
from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference 
priorities. For Competitive Preference Priority 1, under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department awards up to an additional 15 points to 
an application, depending on how well the application meets the 
priority. Specifically, the Department awards up to an additional 10 
points to an application depending on how well the application meets 
parts (a) and (c), and up to an additional five points to an 
application depending on how well the application meets parts (b) and 
(c). For Competitive Preference Priority 2, under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department awards up to an additional 10 points, 
depending on how well the application meets the priority. Specifically, 
the Department awards up to an additional five points to an application 
depending on how well the application meets parts (a) and (c), and up 
to an additional five points to an application depending on how well 
the application meets parts (b) and (c). An applicant may choose to 
respond to either or both parts (a) and (b) of either of these 
priorities. For Competitive Preference Priority 3, under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department awards up to an additional five points 
to an application, depending on how well the application meets this 
priority. An applicant may choose to respond to and earn points for how 
well the application meets multiple competitive preference priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1--Developing Innovative Assessment 
Item Types and Design Approaches. (Up to 15 points.)
    Under this priority, SEAs must:
    (a) Develop, evaluate, and implement new, innovative item types for 
use in summative assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, or 
science;
    (1) Development of innovative item types under paragraph (a) may 
include, for example, performance tasks; simulations; or interactive, 
multi-step, technology-rich items that can support competency-based 
assessments or portfolio projects;
    (2) Projects under this priority must be designed to develop new 
methods for collecting evidence about a student's knowledge and 
abilities and ensure the quality, validity, reliability, and fairness 
(such as by incorporating principles of universal design for learning) 
of the assessment and comparability of student data; or
    (b) Develop new approaches to transform traditional, end-of-year 
summative assessment forms with many items into a series of modular 
assessment forms, each with fewer items than the end-of-year summative 
assessment.
    (1) To respond to paragraph (b), applicants must develop modular 
assessment approaches which can be used to provide timely feedback to 
educators and parents as well as be combined to provide a valid, 
reliable, and fair summative assessment of individual students.
    (c) Applicants proposing projects under either paragraph (a) or (b) 
must provide a dissemination plan to share lessons learned and best 
practices such that their projects can serve as models and resources 
that can be shared with other States.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2--Improving Assessment Scoring and 
Score Reporting. (Up to 10 points.)
    Under this priority, SEAs must:
    (a) Develop innovative tools that leverage technology to score 
assessments;
    (1) To respond to paragraph (a), applicants must propose projects 
to reduce the time it takes to provide test results to educators, 
parents, and students and to make it more cost-effective to include 
non-multiple choice items on assessments. These innovative tools must 
improve automated scoring of student assessments, in particular non-
multiple choice items in reading/language arts, mathematics, or 
science; or
    (b) Propose projects, in consultation with organizations 
representing parents (including parents of English learners and parents 
of students with disabilities), students, teachers, counselors, and 
school administrators to address needs related to score reporting and 
improve the utility of information about student performance included 
in reports of assessment results and provide better and more timely 
information to educators and parents;
    (1) To respond to paragraph (b), applicants must include one or 
more of the following in their projects:
    (i) Developing enhanced score reporting templates or digital 
mechanisms for communicating assessment results and their meaning (such 
as by providing clear and actionable next steps for parents);
    (ii) Improving the assessment literacy of educators and parents to 
help them interpret test results and to support teaching and learning 
in the classroom (such as by providing training on test development and 
interpretation of test scores); and
    (iii) Developing mechanisms for secure transmission and individual 
use of assessment results by students and parents.
    (c) Applicants proposing projects under either paragraph (a) or (b) 
must provide a dissemination plan to share lessons learned and best 
practices such that their projects can serve as models and resources 
that can be shared with other States.
    Competitive Preference Priority 3--Inventory of State and Local 
Assessment Systems. (Up to 5 points.)
    (a) Under this priority, SEAs must--
    (1) Review statewide and local assessments to ensure that each test 
is of high quality, maximizes instructional goals, has a clear purpose 
and utility, and is designed to help students demonstrate mastery of 
State standards;
    (2) Determine whether assessments are serving their intended 
purpose to measure student achievement and identify gaps in students' 
knowledge and skills and to eliminate redundant and unnecessary 
testing; and
    (3) Review State and LEA strategies and activities related to test 
preparation to make sure those strategies and activities are focused on 
academic content and not on test-taking skills.
    (b) To meet the requirements in paragraph (a), SEAs must ensure 
that tests, including statewide and local assessments are--
    (1) Worth taking, meaning that assessments are a component of good 
instruction and require students to perform the same kind of complex 
work they do in an effective classroom and the real world;
    (2) High quality, resulting in actionable, objective information 
about students' knowledge and skills, including by assessing the full 
range of relevant State standards, eliciting complex student 
demonstrations or applications of knowledge, providing an accurate 
measure of student achievement, and producing information that can be 
used to measure student growth accurately over time;
    (3) Time-limited, in order to balance instructional time and the 
need for assessments, for example, by eliminating duplicative 
assessments and assessments that incentivize low-quality test 
preparation strategies that consume valuable classroom time;
    (4) Fair for all students and used to support equity in educational 
opportunity by ensuring that accessibility features and accommodations 
level the playing field so tests accurately reflect what all students, 
including students with disabilities and English learners, know and can 
do;

[[Page 52426]]

    (5) Fully transparent to students and parents, so that States and 
districts can clearly explain to parents the purpose, the source of the 
requirement (if appropriate), and the use by teachers and schools, and 
provide feedback to parents and students on student performance; and
    (6) Tied to improving student learning as tools in the broader work 
of teaching and learning.
    (c) Approaches to assessment inventories under paragraph (a) must 
include:
    (1) Review of the schedule for administration of all assessments 
required at the Federal, State, and local levels;
    (2) Review of the purpose of, and legal authority for, 
administration of all assessments required at the Federal, State, and 
local levels; and
    (3) Feedback on the assessment system from stakeholders, which 
could include information on how teachers, principals, other school 
leaders, and administrators use assessment data to inform and 
differentiate instruction, how much time teachers spend on assessment 
preparation and administration, and the assessments that 
administrators, teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, 
and students do and do not find useful.
    (d) Projects under this priority--
    (1) Must be no longer than 12 months;
    (2) Must include a longer-term project plan, understanding that, 
beginning with FY 2017, there may be dedicated Federal funds for 
assessment audit work as authorized under section 1202 of the ESEA, as 
amended by the ESSA, and understanding that States and LEAs may use 
other Federal funds, such as the State assessment grant funds, 
authorized under section 1201 of the ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, 
consistent with the purposes for those funds, to implement such plans; 
and
    (3) Must have a budget of $200,000 or less.
    Requirements: The following requirements are from the notice of 
final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for 
this program published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2011 (76 FR 
21985) (2011 NFP). With respect to requirement (b), the Department 
notes that the Race to the Top Assessment program ended in 2015. As a 
result, while the grantees will be expected to meet this requirement 
broadly, they will not need to coordinate with the Race to the Top 
Assessment program.
    An eligible applicant awarded a grant under this program must:
    (a) Evaluate the validity, reliability, and fairness of any 
assessments or other assessment-related instruments developed under a 
grant from this competition, and make available documentation of 
evaluations of technical quality through formal mechanisms (e.g., peer-
reviewed journals) and informal mechanisms (e.g., newsletters), both in 
print and electronically;
    (b) Actively participate in any applicable technical assistance 
activities conducted or facilitated by the Department or its designees, 
coordinate with the Race To The Top Assessment program in the 
development of assessments under this program, and participate in other 
activities as determined by the Department;
    (c) Develop a strategy to make student-level data that result from 
any assessments or other assessment-related instruments developed under 
a grant from this competition available on an ongoing basis for 
research, including for prospective linking, validity, and program 
improvement studies; \1\
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    \1\ Eligible applicants awarded a grant under this program must 
comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) 
and 34 CFR part 99, as well as State and local requirements 
regarding privacy.
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    (d) Ensure that any assessments or other assessment-related 
instruments developed under a grant from this competition will be 
operational (ready for large-scale administration) at the end of the 
project period;
    (e) Ensure that funds awarded under the EAG program are not used to 
support the development of standards, such as under the English 
language proficiency assessment system priority or any other priority;
    (f) Maximize the interoperability of any assessments and other 
assessment-related instruments developed with funds from this 
competition across technology platforms and the ability for States to 
move their assessments from one technology platform to another by doing 
the following, as applicable, for any assessments developed with funds 
from this competition by--
    (1) Developing all assessment items in accordance with an industry-
recognized, open-licensed, interoperability standard that is approved 
by the Department during the grant period, without non-standard 
extensions or additions; and
    (2) Producing all student-level data in a manner consistent with an 
industry-recognized open-licensed interoperability standard that is 
approved by the Department during the grant period;
    (g) Unless otherwise protected by law or agreement as proprietary 
information, make any assessment content (i.e., assessments and 
assessment items) and other assessment-related instruments developed 
with funds from this competition freely available to States, technology 
platform providers, and others that request it for purposes of 
administering assessments, provided that those parties receiving 
assessment content comply with consortium or State requirements for 
test or item security; and
    (h) For any assessments and other assessment-related instruments 
developed with funds from this competition, use technology to the 
maximum extent appropriate to develop, administer, and score the 
assessments and report results.
    Definitions: The following definitions are from the 2011 NFP and 
the notice of final priorities, requirement, definitions, and selection 
criteria for this program published in the Federal Register on May 23, 
2013 (78 FR 31343) (2013 NFP).
    English learner means a child, including a child aged three and 
younger, who is an English learner consistent with the definition of a 
child who is ``limited English proficient,'' as applicable, in section 
9101(25) of the ESEA, as amended by NCLB. (2013 NFP)
    Student with a disability means a student who has been identified 
as a child with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act, as amended. (2011 NFP)
    Program Authority: Section 6112 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by NCLB, and section 
1203(b)(1) of the ESEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act 
(Pub. L. 114-95) (ESSA).
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (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 as 
regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The notice of 
final priorities published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register. (e) The 2011 NFP and the 2013 NFP.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

[[Page 52427]]

    Estimated Available Funds: $8,860,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 from the list of 
unfunded applications from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000 to $4,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $2,500,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3-6.

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

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

    Note:  For Competitive Preference Priority 1 and Competitive 
Preference Priority 2, applicants should submit a single budget and 
propose a project period of up to 48 months. Applicants should 
propose a project period that is up to 48 months, based on a 
timeline that takes into account the urgency of the need of the 
final project findings and products to be accessible to the field. 
Subject to the availability of future years' funds, the Department 
may make supplemental grant awards to grants awarded in this 
competition. Applicants that address Competitive Preference Priority 
3 may not propose a project period of greater than 12 months or a 
budget of greater than $200,000. If an applicant addresses 
Competitive Preference Priority 3, as well as one of the other 
competitive preference priorities, then that portion of the proposed 
project period attributable to the project activities under 
Competitive Preference Priority 3 may not exceed 12 months; and that 
portion of the proposed budget attributable to the project 
activities under Competitive Preference Priority 3 may not exceed 
$200,000.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) as 
defined in section 9101(41) of the ESEA, as amended by NCLB, and 
consortia of such SEAs.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: An application from a consortium of SEAs must designate 
one SEA as the fiscal agent.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Donald Peasley, Office 
of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E124, Washington, DC 20202-6132. 
Telephone: (202) 453-7982 or by email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
    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 program contact person listed in 
this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content and form of an application, together with the 
forms you must submit, are in the application package for this 
competition. Page Limit: The project narrative is where you, the 
applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to 
evaluate your application. You must limit the application narrative to 
the equivalent of no more than 65 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
     Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, 
Courier New, or Arial.
    The page limit applies to the project narrative, including the 
table of contents, which must include a discussion of how the 
application meets one or more of the absolute priorities; if 
applicable, how the application meets one or more of the competitive 
preference priorities; and how well the application addresses each of 
the selection criteria. The page limit also applies to any attachments 
to the project narrative other than the items mentioned in Part 6 of 
the application package, including the references/bibliography. In 
other words, the entirety of the project narrative, including the 
aforementioned discussion and any attachments to the project narrative, 
must be limited to the equivalent of no more than 65 pages. The only 
allowable attachments other than those included in the project 
narrative are outlined in Part 6, ``Other Attachments Forms,'' in the 
application package. Any attachments other than those included within 
the page limit of the project narrative and those outlined in Part 6 
will not be reviewed.
    The 65-page limit, or its equivalent, does not apply to the 
following sections of an application: Part 1 (including the response 
regarding research activities involving human subjects); Part 2 (budget 
information); Part 3 (two-page project abstract); Part 5 (the budget 
narrative); Part 6 (memoranda of understanding or other binding 
agreement, if applicable; copy of applicant's indirect cost rate 
agreement; letters of commitment and support from collaborating SEAs 
and organizations; other attachments forms, including, if applicable, 
references/bibliography for the project narrative and individual 
r[eacute]sum[eacute]s for project director(s) and key personnel); and 
Part 7 (standard assurances and certifications). Applicants are 
encouraged to limit each r[eacute]sum[eacute] to no more than five 
pages.
    In addition, do not use hyperlinks in an application. Reviewers 
will be instructed not to follow hyperlinks if included. Our reviewers 
will not read any pages of your project narrative that exceed the page 
limit, or the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other 
standards. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications that meet 
the page limit following the standards outlined in this section rather 
than submitting applications that are the equivalent of the page limit 
applying other standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: August 8, 2016.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: August 29, 2016.
    We will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing 
grant applications if we have a better understanding of the number of 
applicants that intend to apply for funding under this competition. 
Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us 
of the applicant's intent to submit an application for funding. This 
notification should be brief, and identify the SEA applicant and, if 
applicable, the SEA that it will designate as the fiscal agent for an 
award (e.g., in the case of consortia applicants). Submit this 
notification by email to [email protected] with ``Intent to Apply'' 
in the email subject line or mail to Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E124, Washington, DC 20202-
6132. Applicants that do not provide this email notification may still 
apply for funding.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 22, 2016.
    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

[[Page 52428]]

Other Submission Requirements in section IV 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 For Further Information 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: November 21, 2016.
    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), 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 at the 
following Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. 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 to 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 you enter into the SAM database. 
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, it may be 24 to 48 
hours before you can access the information in, and 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 under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the EAG competition, CFDA number 
84.368A, 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 EAG 
competition 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 
84.326, not 84.326A).
    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 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. In addition, for specific guidance and 
procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please 
refer to the Grants.gov Web site at:

[[Page 52429]]

www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.
     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 read-only, non-modifiable 
Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload an interactive or 
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 
non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a 
password-protected file, we will not review that material. Please note 
that this could result in your application not being considered for 
funding because the material in question--for example, the application 
narrative--is critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For 
that reason it is important to allow yourself adequate time to upload 
all material as PDF files. The Department will not convert material 
from other formats to PDF.
     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. Grants.gov 
will also notify you automatically by email if your application met all 
the Grants.gov validation requirements or if there were any errors 
(such as submission of your application by someone other than a 
registered Authorized Organization Representative, or inclusion of an 
attachment with a file name that contains special characters). You will 
be given an opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit, but you 
must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.
    Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the 
Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you 
an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application.
    These emails do not mean that your application is without any 
disqualifying errors. While your application may have been successfully 
validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the Department's application 
requirements as specified in this notice and in the application 
instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, for instance, failure 
to upload attachments in a read-only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to 
submit a required part of the application; or failure to meet applicant 
eligibility requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that your 
submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements.
     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 For Further Information 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 the 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will 
contact you after we determine 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: Donald Peasley, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E124, 
Washington, DC 20202-6132. FAX: (202) 401-1557.
    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 84.368A), 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.

[[Page 52430]]

    (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.
    We will not consider applications postmarked after the application 
deadline date.

    Note:  The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a 
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with 
your local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.368A), 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 this competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210. We will award up to 120 points to an 
application under the selection criteria; the total possible points for 
each selection criterion are noted in parentheses.
    (a) Need for project. (5 points)
    The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In 
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers 
the following factors:
    1. The magnitude of severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    2. The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the 
activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    3. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses.
    (b) Significance. (25 points)
    The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project. 
In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    1. The significance of the problem or issue to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    2. The potential contribution of the proposed project to the 
development and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the 
field of study.
    3. The potential for generalizing from the findings or results of 
the proposed project.
    4. The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies.
    5. The likely utility of the products (such as information, 
materials, processes, or techniques) that will result from the proposed 
project, including the potential for their being used effectively in a 
variety of other settings.
    (c) Quality of the project design. (35 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed 
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed 
project, 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.
    2. The extent to which there is a conceptual framework underlying 
the proposed research or demonstration activities and the quality of 
that framework.
    3. The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a 
coherent, sustained, program of research and development in the field, 
including, as appropriate, a substantial addition to an ongoing line of 
inquiry.
    4. The extent to which the proposed project is based upon a 
specific research design, and the quality and appropriateness of that 
design, including the scientific rigor of the studies involved.
    5. The extent to which the proposed development efforts include 
adequate quality controls and, as appropriate, repeated testing of 
products.
    6. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.
    7. The quality of the methodology to be employed in the proposed 
project.
    8. The potential and planning for the incorporation of project 
purposes, activities, or benefits into the ongoing work of the 
applicant beyond the end of the grant.
    (d) Quality of project services. (5 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided 
by the proposed project. In determining the quality of the services to 
be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the 
quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and 
treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups 
that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, 
national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    1. The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    2. The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as 
measured against rigorous academic standards.
    (e) Quality of project personnel. (8 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry 
out the proposed project. In determining the quality of project 
personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant 
encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of 
groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, 
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. In addition, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of the project director or principal investigator.
    2. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel.
    3. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of project consultants or subcontractors.
    (f) Adequacy of resources. (12 points)

[[Page 52431]]

    The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project. In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed 
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, 
supplies, and other resources, from the application organization or the 
lead applicant organization.
    2. The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the 
proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.
    3. The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the 
proposed project.
    4. The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the 
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.
    (g) Quality of the management plan. (12 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the 
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. 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.
    2. The adequacy of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous 
improvement in the operation of the proposed project.
    3. The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products 
and services from the proposed project.
    4. The extent to which the time commitments of the project director 
and principal investigator and other key project personnel are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project.
    (h) Quality of the project evaluation. (10 points)
    The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be 
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the 
evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    3. The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of 
objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended 
outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative 
data to the extent possible.
    4. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    5. The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.
    (i) Strategy to scale. (8 points)
    The Secretary considers the applicant's strategy to scale the 
proposed project. In determining the applicant's capacity to scale the 
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    1. The applicant's capacity (e.g., in terms of qualified personnel, 
financial resources, or management capacity) to further develop and 
bring to scale the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice, or 
to work with others to ensure that the proposed process, product, 
strategy, or practice can be further developed and brought to scale, 
based on the findings of the proposed project.
    2. The mechanisms the applicant will use to broadly disseminate 
information on its project so as to support further development or 
replication.
    3. 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.
    2. Review and Selection Process: 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 
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. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under this competition the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. 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.
    4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this 
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project 
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently 
$150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2), we must make a judgment about 
your integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under 
Federal awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before 
we make an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about 
you that is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred 
to as the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System 
(FAPIIS)), accessible through SAM. You may review and comment on any 
information about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and 
that is currently in FAPIIS.
    Please note that, if the total value of your currently active 
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the 
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity 
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2 
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal 
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.

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

[[Page 52432]]

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 multiyear 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.
    (c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the Secretary may provide a grantee 
with additional funding for data collection analysis and reporting. In 
this case the Secretary establishes a data collection period.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993, the Department has developed four measures to 
evaluate the overall effectiveness of the EAG program: (1) The number 
of States that participate in EAG projects funded by this competition; 
(2) the percentage of grantees that, at least twice during the period 
of their grants, make available to SEA staff in non-participating 
States and to assessment researchers information on findings resulting 
from the EAG through presentations at national conferences, 
publications in refereed journals, or other products disseminated to 
the assessment community; (3) for each grant cycle and as determined by 
an expert panel, the percentage of EAG that yield significant research, 
methodologies, products, or tools regarding assessment systems or 
assessments; and (4) for each grant cycle and as determined by an 
expert panel, the percentage of EAG that yield significant research, 
methodologies, products, or tools specifically regarding accommodations 
and alternate assessments for students with disabilities and limited 
English proficient students. Grantees will be expected to include in 
their interim and final performance reports information about the 
accomplishments of their projects because the Department will need data 
on these measures.
    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, if the 
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the 
performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
    In making a continuation award, 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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3e124, Washington, DC 20202-
6132. Telephone: (202) 453-7982 or by email: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), 
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 
the program contact person listed under For Further Information 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 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: August 1, 2016.
Ann Whalen,
Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Delegated the Duties of Assistant 
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2016-18532 Filed 8-5-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P



                                                  52424                                     Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                                                                                                                                                                         Parents of dependents and       Dependents
                                                                                                                                                                                                       independents with dependents     and independ-
                                                                                                                                                                                                            other than a spouse          ents without
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         dependents
                                                                                                                      State                                                                               Percent of Total Income        other than a
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           spouse

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Under $15,000     $15,000 & Up        All
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            (%)

                                                  Oregon .........................................................................................................................................                 7                6               5
                                                  Pennsylvania ................................................................................................................................                    5                4               3
                                                  Rhode Island ................................................................................................................................                    7                6               4
                                                  South Carolina .............................................................................................................................                     5                4               3
                                                  South Dakota ...............................................................................................................................                     2                1               1
                                                  Tennessee ...................................................................................................................................                    2                1               1
                                                  Texas ...........................................................................................................................................                3                2               1
                                                  Utah .............................................................................................................................................               5                4               3
                                                  Vermont .......................................................................................................................................                  6                5               3
                                                  Virginia .........................................................................................................................................               6                5               4
                                                  Washington ..................................................................................................................................                    3                2               1
                                                  West Virginia ................................................................................................................................                   3                2               2
                                                  Wisconsin .....................................................................................................................................                  7                6               4
                                                  Wyoming ......................................................................................................................................                   2                1               1
                                                  Other ............................................................................................................................................               2                1               1



                                                     Accessible Format: Individuals with                                      DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION                                                    75.105(b)(2)(iv), the absolute priorities
                                                  disabilities can obtain this document in                                                                                                               are from section 6112 of the Elementary
                                                  an accessible format (e.g., braille, large                                  Applications for New Awards;                                               and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
                                                  print, audiotape, or compact disc) on                                       Enhanced Assessment Instruments                                            as amended (ESEA), as amended by the
                                                  request to the contact person listed                                        Grant Program—Enhanced                                                     No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
                                                  under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION                                               Assessment Instruments                                                     (NCLB), 20 U.S.C. 7301a. The
                                                  CONTACT in this notice.                                                     AGENCY: Office of Elementary and                                           competitive preference priorities are
                                                                                                                              Secondary Education, Department of                                         from the Department’s notice of final
                                                     Electronic Access to This Document:                                                                                                                 priorities published elsewhere in this
                                                  The official version of this document is                                    Education.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         issue of the Federal Register.
                                                  the document published in the Federal                                       ACTION: Notice.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            Absolute Priorities: For FY 2016 and
                                                  Register. Free Internet access to the                                                                                                                  any subsequent year in which we make
                                                                                                                                Overview Information:
                                                  official edition of the Federal Register                                      Enhanced Assessment Instruments                                          awards from the list of unfunded
                                                  and the Code of Federal Regulations is                                      Grant Program—Enhanced Assessment                                          applications from this competition,
                                                  available via the Federal Digital System                                    Instruments.                                                               these priorities are absolute priorities.
                                                  at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you                                       Notice inviting applications for new                                     Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider
                                                  can view this document, as well as all                                      awards for fiscal year (FY) 2016.                                          only applications that meet one or more
                                                  other documents of this Department                                            Catalog of Federal Domestic                                              of the absolute priorities.
                                                  published in the Federal Register, in                                       Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.368A.                                            These priorities are:
                                                  text or Adobe Portable Document                                             DATES:                                                                        Absolute Priority 1—Collaboration.
                                                  Format (PDF). To use PDF you must                                             Applications Available: August 8,                                           Collaborate with institutions of higher
                                                  have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is                                         2016.                                                                      education, other research institutions, or
                                                  available free at this site.                                                  Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:                                  other organizations to improve the
                                                                                                                              August 29, 2016.                                                           quality, validity, and reliability of State
                                                     You may also access documents of the                                       Deadline for Transmittal of                                              academic assessments beyond the
                                                  Department published in the Federal                                         Applications: September 22, 2016.                                          requirements for these assessments
                                                  Register by using the article search                                          Deadline for Intergovernmental                                           described in section 1111(b)(3) of the
                                                  feature at: www.federalregister.gov.                                        Review: November 21, 2016.                                                 ESEA, as amended by NCLB.
                                                  Specifically, through the advanced                                                                                                                        Absolute Priority 2—Use of Multiple
                                                  search feature at this site, you can limit                                  Full Text of Announcement
                                                                                                                                                                                                         Measures of Student Academic
                                                  your search to documents published by                                       I. Funding Opportunity Description                                         Achievement.
                                                  the Department.                                                                Purpose of Program: The purpose of                                         Measure student academic
                                                     Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1087rr.                                     the Enhanced Assessment Instruments                                        achievement using multiple measures of
                                                                                                                              Grant program, also called the Enhanced                                    student academic achievement from
                                                    Dated: August 3, 2016.
                                                                                                                              Assessment Grants (EAG) program, is to                                     multiple sources.
                                                  James W. Runcie,                                                            enhance the quality of assessment                                             Absolute Priority 3—Charting Student
                                                  Chief Operating Officer Federal Student Aid.                                instruments and assessment systems                                         Progress Over Time.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES




                                                  [FR Doc. 2016–18723 Filed 8–5–16; 8:45 am]                                  used by States for measuring the                                              Chart student progress over time.
                                                  BILLING CODE 4000–01–P                                                      academic achievement of elementary                                            Absolute Priority 4—Comprehensive
                                                                                                                              and secondary school students.                                             Academic Assessment Instruments.
                                                                                                                                 Priorities: This competition includes                                      Evaluate student academic
                                                                                                                              four absolute priorities and three                                         achievement through the development
                                                                                                                              competitive preference priorities. In                                      of comprehensive academic assessment
                                                                                                                              accordance with 34 CFR                                                     instruments, such as performance- and


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014         22:23 Aug 05, 2016          Jkt 238001       PO 00000        Frm 00028        Fmt 4703       Sfmt 4703       E:\FR\FM\08AUN1.SGM       08AUN1


                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices                                            52425

                                                  technology-based academic                                  (b) Develop new approaches to                         (iii) Developing mechanisms for
                                                  assessments.                                            transform traditional, end-of-year                    secure transmission and individual use
                                                     Competitive Preference Priorities: For               summative assessment forms with many                  of assessment results by students and
                                                  FY 2016 and any subsequent year in                      items into a series of modular                        parents.
                                                  which we make awards from the list of                   assessment forms, each with fewer items                  (c) Applicants proposing projects
                                                  unfunded applications from this                         than the end-of-year summative                        under either paragraph (a) or (b) must
                                                  competition, these priorities are                       assessment.                                           provide a dissemination plan to share
                                                  competitive preference priorities. For                     (1) To respond to paragraph (b),                   lessons learned and best practices such
                                                  Competitive Preference Priority 1, under                applicants must develop modular                       that their projects can serve as models
                                                  34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department                  assessment approaches which can be                    and resources that can be shared with
                                                  awards up to an additional 15 points to                 used to provide timely feedback to                    other States.
                                                  an application, depending on how well                   educators and parents as well as be                      Competitive Preference Priority 3—
                                                  the application meets the priority.                     combined to provide a valid, reliable,                Inventory of State and Local Assessment
                                                  Specifically, the Department awards up                  and fair summative assessment of                      Systems. (Up to 5 points.)
                                                  to an additional 10 points to an                        individual students.                                     (a) Under this priority, SEAs must—
                                                  application depending on how well the                      (c) Applicants proposing projects                     (1) Review statewide and local
                                                  application meets parts (a) and (c), and                under either paragraph (a) or (b) must                assessments to ensure that each test is
                                                  up to an additional five points to an                   provide a dissemination plan to share                 of high quality, maximizes instructional
                                                  application depending on how well the                   lessons learned and best practices such               goals, has a clear purpose and utility,
                                                  application meets parts (b) and (c). For                that their projects can serve as models               and is designed to help students
                                                  Competitive Preference Priority 2, under                and resources that can be shared with                 demonstrate mastery of State standards;
                                                  34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department                  other States.                                            (2) Determine whether assessments
                                                  awards up to an additional 10 points,                      Competitive Preference Priority 2—                 are serving their intended purpose to
                                                  depending on how well the application                   Improving Assessment Scoring and                      measure student achievement and
                                                  meets the priority. Specifically, the                   Score Reporting. (Up to 10 points.)                   identify gaps in students’ knowledge
                                                  Department awards up to an additional                      Under this priority, SEAs must:                    and skills and to eliminate redundant
                                                  five points to an application depending                    (a) Develop innovative tools that                  and unnecessary testing; and
                                                  on how well the application meets parts                 leverage technology to score                             (3) Review State and LEA strategies
                                                  (a) and (c), and up to an additional five               assessments;                                          and activities related to test preparation
                                                  points to an application depending on                      (1) To respond to paragraph (a),                   to make sure those strategies and
                                                  how well the application meets parts (b)                applicants must propose projects to                   activities are focused on academic
                                                  and (c). An applicant may choose to                     reduce the time it takes to provide test              content and not on test-taking skills.
                                                  respond to either or both parts (a) and                 results to educators, parents, and                       (b) To meet the requirements in
                                                  (b) of either of these priorities. For                  students and to make it more cost-                    paragraph (a), SEAs must ensure that
                                                  Competitive Preference Priority 3, under                effective to include non-multiple choice              tests, including statewide and local
                                                  34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the Department                  items on assessments. These innovative                assessments are—
                                                  awards up to an additional five points                  tools must improve automated scoring                     (1) Worth taking, meaning that
                                                  to an application, depending on how                     of student assessments, in particular                 assessments are a component of good
                                                  well the application meets this priority.               non-multiple choice items in reading/                 instruction and require students to
                                                  An applicant may choose to respond to                   language arts, mathematics, or science;               perform the same kind of complex work
                                                  and earn points for how well the                        or                                                    they do in an effective classroom and
                                                  application meets multiple competitive                     (b) Propose projects, in consultation              the real world;
                                                  preference priorities.                                  with organizations representing parents                  (2) High quality, resulting in
                                                     These priorities are:                                (including parents of English learners                actionable, objective information about
                                                     Competitive Preference Priority 1—                   and parents of students with                          students’ knowledge and skills,
                                                  Developing Innovative Assessment Item                   disabilities), students, teachers,                    including by assessing the full range of
                                                  Types and Design Approaches. (Up to                     counselors, and school administrators to              relevant State standards, eliciting
                                                  15 points.)                                             address needs related to score reporting              complex student demonstrations or
                                                     Under this priority, SEAs must:                      and improve the utility of information                applications of knowledge, providing an
                                                     (a) Develop, evaluate, and implement                 about student performance included in                 accurate measure of student
                                                  new, innovative item types for use in                   reports of assessment results and                     achievement, and producing
                                                  summative assessments in reading/                       provide better and more timely                        information that can be used to measure
                                                  language arts, mathematics, or science;                 information to educators and parents;                 student growth accurately over time;
                                                     (1) Development of innovative item                      (1) To respond to paragraph (b),                      (3) Time-limited, in order to balance
                                                  types under paragraph (a) may include,                  applicants must include one or more of                instructional time and the need for
                                                  for example, performance tasks;                         the following in their projects:                      assessments, for example, by
                                                  simulations; or interactive, multi-step,                   (i) Developing enhanced score                      eliminating duplicative assessments and
                                                  technology-rich items that can support                  reporting templates or digital                        assessments that incentivize low-quality
                                                  competency-based assessments or                         mechanisms for communicating                          test preparation strategies that consume
                                                  portfolio projects;                                     assessment results and their meaning                  valuable classroom time;
                                                     (2) Projects under this priority must                (such as by providing clear and                          (4) Fair for all students and used to
                                                  be designed to develop new methods for                  actionable next steps for parents);                   support equity in educational
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                                                  collecting evidence about a student’s                      (ii) Improving the assessment literacy             opportunity by ensuring that
                                                  knowledge and abilities and ensure the                  of educators and parents to help them                 accessibility features and
                                                  quality, validity, reliability, and fairness            interpret test results and to support                 accommodations level the playing field
                                                  (such as by incorporating principles of                 teaching and learning in the classroom                so tests accurately reflect what all
                                                  universal design for learning) of the                   (such as by providing training on test                students, including students with
                                                  assessment and comparability of student                 development and interpretation of test                disabilities and English learners, know
                                                  data; or                                                scores); and                                          and can do;


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                                                  52426                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                    (5) Fully transparent to students and                 assessment-related instruments                        assessments and assessment items) and
                                                  parents, so that States and districts can               developed under a grant from this                     other assessment-related instruments
                                                  clearly explain to parents the purpose,                 competition, and make available                       developed with funds from this
                                                  the source of the requirement (if                       documentation of evaluations of                       competition freely available to States,
                                                  appropriate), and the use by teachers                   technical quality through formal                      technology platform providers, and
                                                  and schools, and provide feedback to                    mechanisms (e.g., peer-reviewed                       others that request it for purposes of
                                                  parents and students on student                         journals) and informal mechanisms                     administering assessments, provided
                                                  performance; and                                        (e.g., newsletters), both in print and                that those parties receiving assessment
                                                    (6) Tied to improving student learning                electronically;                                       content comply with consortium or
                                                  as tools in the broader work of teaching                   (b) Actively participate in any                    State requirements for test or item
                                                  and learning.                                           applicable technical assistance activities            security; and
                                                    (c) Approaches to assessment                          conducted or facilitated by the                         (h) For any assessments and other
                                                  inventories under paragraph (a) must                    Department or its designees, coordinate               assessment-related instruments
                                                  include:                                                with the Race To The Top Assessment                   developed with funds from this
                                                    (1) Review of the schedule for                        program in the development of                         competition, use technology to the
                                                  administration of all assessments                       assessments under this program, and                   maximum extent appropriate to
                                                  required at the Federal, State, and local               participate in other activities as                    develop, administer, and score the
                                                  levels;                                                 determined by the Department;                         assessments and report results.
                                                    (2) Review of the purpose of, and legal                  (c) Develop a strategy to make                       Definitions: The following definitions
                                                  authority for, administration of all                    student-level data that result from any               are from the 2011 NFP and the notice
                                                  assessments required at the Federal,                    assessments or other assessment-related               of final priorities, requirement,
                                                  State, and local levels; and                            instruments developed under a grant                   definitions, and selection criteria for
                                                    (3) Feedback on the assessment                        from this competition available on an                 this program published in the Federal
                                                  system from stakeholders, which could                   ongoing basis for research, including for             Register on May 23, 2013 (78 FR 31343)
                                                  include information on how teachers,                    prospective linking, validity, and                    (2013 NFP).
                                                  principals, other school leaders, and                   program improvement studies; 1                          English learner means a child,
                                                  administrators use assessment data to                      (d) Ensure that any assessments or                 including a child aged three and
                                                  inform and differentiate instruction,                   other assessment-related instruments                  younger, who is an English learner
                                                  how much time teachers spend on                         developed under a grant from this                     consistent with the definition of a child
                                                  assessment preparation and                              competition will be operational (ready                who is ‘‘limited English proficient,’’ as
                                                  administration, and the assessments that                for large-scale administration) at the end            applicable, in section 9101(25) of the
                                                  administrators, teachers, principals,                   of the project period;                                ESEA, as amended by NCLB. (2013
                                                  other school leaders, parents, and                         (e) Ensure that funds awarded under                NFP)
                                                  students do and do not find useful.                     the EAG program are not used to                         Student with a disability means a
                                                    (d) Projects under this priority—                     support the development of standards,                 student who has been identified as a
                                                    (1) Must be no longer than 12 months;                 such as under the English language                    child with a disability under the
                                                    (2) Must include a longer-term project                proficiency assessment system priority                Individuals with Disabilities Education
                                                  plan, understanding that, beginning                     or any other priority;                                Act, as amended. (2011 NFP)
                                                  with FY 2017, there may be dedicated                       (f) Maximize the interoperability of                 Program Authority: Section 6112 of
                                                  Federal funds for assessment audit work                 any assessments and other assessment-                 the Elementary and Secondary
                                                  as authorized under section 1202 of the                 related instruments developed with                    Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as
                                                  ESEA, as amended by the ESSA, and                       funds from this competition across                    amended by NCLB, and section
                                                  understanding that States and LEAs may                  technology platforms and the ability for              1203(b)(1) of the ESEA, as amended by
                                                  use other Federal funds, such as the                    States to move their assessments from                 the Every Student Succeeds Act (Pub. L.
                                                  State assessment grant funds, authorized                one technology platform to another by                 114–95) (ESSA).
                                                  under section 1201 of the ESEA, as                      doing the following, as applicable, for                 Applicable Regulations: (a) The
                                                  amended by the ESSA, consistent with                    any assessments developed with funds                  Education Department General
                                                  the purposes for those funds, to                        from this competition by—                             Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
                                                  implement such plans; and                                  (1) Developing all assessment items in             34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86,
                                                    (3) Must have a budget of $200,000 or                 accordance with an industry-                          97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of
                                                  less.                                                   recognized, open-licensed,                            Management and Budget Guidelines to
                                                    Requirements: The following                           interoperability standard that is                     Agencies on Governmentwide
                                                  requirements are from the notice of final               approved by the Department during the                 Debarment and Suspension
                                                  priorities, requirements, definitions, and              grant period, without non-standard                    (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as
                                                  selection criteria for this program                     extensions or additions; and                          adopted and amended as regulations of
                                                  published in the Federal Register on                       (2) Producing all student-level data in            the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c)
                                                  April 19, 2011 (76 FR 21985) (2011                      a manner consistent with an industry-                 The Uniform Administrative
                                                  NFP). With respect to requirement (b),                  recognized open-licensed                              Requirements, Cost Principles, and
                                                  the Department notes that the Race to                   interoperability standard that is                     Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
                                                  the Top Assessment program ended in                     approved by the Department during the                 in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and
                                                  2015. As a result, while the grantees                   grant period;                                         amended as regulations of the
                                                                                                             (g) Unless otherwise protected by law
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                                                  will be expected to meet this                                                                                 Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The
                                                  requirement broadly, they will not need                 or agreement as proprietary information,              notice of final priorities published
                                                  to coordinate with the Race to the Top                  make any assessment content (i.e.,                    elsewhere in this issue of the Federal
                                                  Assessment program.                                                                                           Register. (e) The 2011 NFP and the 2013
                                                                                                            1 Eligible applicants awarded a grant under this
                                                    An eligible applicant awarded a grant                                                                       NFP.
                                                                                                          program must comply with the Family Educational
                                                  under this program must:                                Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and 34 CFR part
                                                    (a) Evaluate the validity, reliability,                                                                     II. Award Information
                                                                                                          99, as well as State and local requirements
                                                  and fairness of any assessments or other                regarding privacy.                                       Type of Award: Discretionary grants.


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                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices                                            52427

                                                    Estimated Available Funds:                               Individuals with disabilities can                  project abstract); Part 5 (the budget
                                                  $8,860,000.                                             obtain a copy of the application package              narrative); Part 6 (memoranda of
                                                    Contingent upon the availability of                   in an accessible format (e.g., braille,               understanding or other binding
                                                  funds and the quality of applications,                  large print, audiotape, or compact disc)              agreement, if applicable; copy of
                                                  we may make additional awards in FY                     by contacting the program contact                     applicant’s indirect cost rate agreement;
                                                  2016 from the list of unfunded                          person listed in this section.                        letters of commitment and support from
                                                  applications from this competition.                        2. Content and Form of Application                 collaborating SEAs and organizations;
                                                    Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000                   Submission: Requirements concerning                   other attachments forms, including, if
                                                  to $4,000,000.                                          the content and form of an application,               applicable, references/bibliography for
                                                    Estimated Average Size of Awards:                     together with the forms you must                      the project narrative and individual
                                                  $2,500,000.                                             submit, are in the application package                résumés for project director(s) and key
                                                    Estimated Number of Awards: 3–6.                      for this competition. Page Limit: The                 personnel); and Part 7 (standard
                                                    Note: The Department is not bound by any              project narrative is where you, the                   assurances and certifications).
                                                  estimates in this notice.                               applicant, address the selection criteria             Applicants are encouraged to limit each
                                                                                                          that reviewers use to evaluate your                   résumé to no more than five pages.
                                                     Project Period: Up to 48 months.                     application. You must limit the                          In addition, do not use hyperlinks in
                                                     Note: For Competitive Preference Priority 1          application narrative to the equivalent               an application. Reviewers will be
                                                  and Competitive Preference Priority 2,                  of no more than 65 pages, using the                   instructed not to follow hyperlinks if
                                                  applicants should submit a single budget and            following standards:                                  included. Our reviewers will not read
                                                  propose a project period of up to 48 months.               • A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side            any pages of your project narrative that
                                                  Applicants should propose a project period              only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom,             exceed the page limit, or the equivalent
                                                  that is up to 48 months, based on a timeline
                                                                                                          and both sides.                                       of the page limit if you apply other
                                                  that takes into account the urgency of the
                                                  need of the final project findings and
                                                                                                             • Double space (no more than three                 standards. Applicants are encouraged to
                                                  products to be accessible to the field. Subject         lines per vertical inch) all text in the              submit applications that meet the page
                                                  to the availability of future years’ funds, the         application narrative, including titles,              limit following the standards outlined
                                                  Department may make supplemental grant                  headings, footnotes, quotations,                      in this section rather than submitting
                                                  awards to grants awarded in this                        references, and captions, as well as all              applications that are the equivalent of
                                                  competition. Applicants that address                    text in charts, tables, figures, and                  the page limit applying other standards.
                                                  Competitive Preference Priority 3 may not               graphs.                                                  3. Submission Dates and Times:
                                                  propose a project period of greater than 12                • Use a font that is either 12 point or               Applications Available: August 8,
                                                  months or a budget of greater than $200,000.            larger or no smaller than 10 pitch                    2016.
                                                  If an applicant addresses Competitive                   (characters per inch).                                   Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:
                                                  Preference Priority 3, as well as one of the               • Use one of the following fonts:                  August 29, 2016.
                                                  other competitive preference priorities, then
                                                  that portion of the proposed project period
                                                                                                          Times New Roman, Courier, Courier                        We will be able to develop a more
                                                  attributable to the project activities under            New, or Arial.                                        efficient process for reviewing grant
                                                  Competitive Preference Priority 3 may not                  The page limit applies to the project              applications if we have a better
                                                  exceed 12 months; and that portion of the               narrative, including the table of                     understanding of the number of
                                                  proposed budget attributable to the project             contents, which must include a                        applicants that intend to apply for
                                                  activities under Competitive Preference                 discussion of how the application meets               funding under this competition.
                                                  Priority 3 may not exceed $200,000.                     one or more of the absolute priorities; if            Therefore, we strongly encourage each
                                                                                                          applicable, how the application meets                 potential applicant to notify us of the
                                                  III. Eligibility Information                            one or more of the competitive                        applicant’s intent to submit an
                                                    1. Eligible Applicants: State                         preference priorities; and how well the               application for funding. This
                                                  educational agencies (SEAs) as defined                  application addresses each of the                     notification should be brief, and identify
                                                  in section 9101(41) of the ESEA, as                     selection criteria. The page limit also               the SEA applicant and, if applicable, the
                                                  amended by NCLB, and consortia of                       applies to any attachments to the project             SEA that it will designate as the fiscal
                                                  such SEAs.                                              narrative other than the items                        agent for an award (e.g., in the case of
                                                    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This                     mentioned in Part 6 of the application                consortia applicants). Submit this
                                                  competition does not require cost                       package, including the references/                    notification by email to
                                                  sharing or matching.                                    bibliography. In other words, the                     Donald.Peasley@ed.gov with ‘‘Intent to
                                                    3. Other: An application from a                       entirety of the project narrative,                    Apply’’ in the email subject line or mail
                                                  consortium of SEAs must designate one                   including the aforementioned                          to Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of
                                                  SEA as the fiscal agent.                                discussion and any attachments to the                 Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
                                                                                                          project narrative, must be limited to the             Room 3E124, Washington, DC 20202–
                                                  IV. Application and Submission                          equivalent of no more than 65 pages.                  6132. Applicants that do not provide
                                                  Information                                             The only allowable attachments other                  this email notification may still apply
                                                     1. Address to Request Application                    than those included in the project                    for funding.
                                                  Package: Donald Peasley, Office of                      narrative are outlined in Part 6, ‘‘Other                Deadline for Transmittal of
                                                  Elementary and Secondary Education,                     Attachments Forms,’’ in the application               Applications: September 22, 2016.
                                                  U.S. Department of Education, 400                       package. Any attachments other than                      Applications for grants under this
                                                  Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E124,                        those included within the page limit of               competition must be submitted
                                                  Washington, DC 20202–6132.                              the project narrative and those outlined              electronically using the Grants.gov
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                                                  Telephone: (202) 453–7982 or by email:                  in Part 6 will not be reviewed.                       Apply site (Grants.gov). For information
                                                  Donald.Peasley@ed.gov.                                     The 65-page limit, or its equivalent,              (including dates and times) about how
                                                     If you use a telecommunications                      does not apply to the following sections              to submit your application
                                                  device for the deaf (TDD) or a text                     of an application: Part 1 (including the              electronically, or in paper format by
                                                  telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay                 response regarding research activities                mail or hand delivery if you qualify for
                                                  Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877–                 involving human subjects); Part 2                     an exception to the electronic
                                                  8339.                                                   (budget information); Part 3 (two-page                submission requirement, please refer to


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                                                  52428                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                  Other Submission Requirements in                        may take upwards of several weeks,                    qualify for one of these exceptions.
                                                  section IV of this notice.                              depending on the completeness and                     Further information regarding
                                                     We do not consider an application                    accuracy of the data you enter into the               calculation of the date that is two weeks
                                                  that does not comply with the deadline                  SAM database. Thus, if you think you                  before the application deadline date is
                                                  requirements.                                           might want to apply for Federal                       provided later in this section under
                                                     Individuals with disabilities who                    financial assistance under a program                  Exception to Electronic Submission
                                                  need an accommodation or auxiliary aid                  administered by the Department, please                Requirement.
                                                  in connection with the application                      allow sufficient time to obtain and                      You may access the electronic grant
                                                  process should contact the person listed                register your DUNS number and TIN.                    application for the EAG competition at
                                                  under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION                           We strongly recommend that you                        www.Grants.gov. You must search for
                                                  CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If               register early.                                       the downloadable application package
                                                  the Department provides an                                                                                    for this competition by the CFDA
                                                                                                             Note: Once your SAM registration is active,
                                                  accommodation or auxiliary aid to an                    it may be 24 to 48 hours before you can               number. Do not include the CFDA
                                                  individual with a disability in                         access the information in, and submit an              number’s alpha suffix in your search
                                                  connection with the application                         application through, Grants.gov.                      (e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326A).
                                                  process, the individual’s application                                                                            Please note the following:
                                                                                                             If you are currently registered with                  • When you enter the Grants.gov site,
                                                  remains subject to all other
                                                                                                          SAM, you may not need to make any                     you will find information about
                                                  requirements and limitations in this
                                                                                                          changes. However, please make certain                 submitting an application electronically
                                                  notice.
                                                     Deadline for Intergovernmental                       that the TIN associated with your DUNS                through the site, as well as the hours of
                                                  Review: November 21, 2016.                              number is correct. Also note that you                 operation.
                                                     4. Intergovernmental Review: This                    will need to update your registration                    • Applications received by
                                                  competition is subject to Executive                     annually. This may take three or more                 Grants.gov are date and time stamped.
                                                  Order 12372 and the regulations in 34                   business days.                                        Your application must be fully
                                                  CFR part 79. Information about                             Information about SAM is available at              uploaded and submitted and must be
                                                  Intergovernmental Review of Federal                     www.SAM.gov. To further assist you                    date and time stamped by the
                                                  Programs under Executive Order 12372                    with obtaining and registering your                   Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
                                                  is in the application package for this                  DUNS number and TIN in SAM or                         p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
                                                  competition.                                            updating your existing SAM account,                   application deadline date. Except as
                                                     5. Funding Restrictions: We reference                we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet,                 otherwise noted in this section, we will
                                                  regulations outlining funding                           which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/                   not accept your application if it is
                                                  restrictions in the Applicable                          fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.                       received—that is, date and time
                                                  Regulations section of this notice.                        In addition, if you are submitting your            stamped by the Grants.gov system—after
                                                     6. Data Universal Numbering System                   application via Grants.gov, you must (1)              4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
                                                  Number, Taxpayer Identification                         be designated by your organization as an              the application deadline date. We do
                                                  Number, and System for Award                            Authorized Organization Representative                not consider an application that does
                                                  Management: To do business with the                     (AOR); and (2) register yourself with                 not comply with the deadline
                                                  Department of Education, you must—                      Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these                requirements. When we retrieve your
                                                     a. Have a Data Universal Numbering                   steps are outlined at the following                   application from Grants.gov, we will
                                                  System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer                     Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/                  notify you if we are rejecting your
                                                  Identification Number (TIN);                            web/grants/register.html.                             application because it was date and time
                                                     b. Register both your DUNS number                       7. Other Submission Requirements:                  stamped by the Grants.gov system after
                                                  and TIN with the System for Award                       Applications for grants under this                    4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
                                                  Management (SAM), the Government’s                      competition must be submitted                         the application deadline date.
                                                  primary registrant database;                            electronically unless you qualify for an                 • The amount of time it can take to
                                                     c. Provide your DUNS number and                      exception to this requirement in                      upload an application will vary
                                                  TIN on your application; and                            accordance with the instructions in this              depending on a variety of factors,
                                                     d. Maintain an active SAM                            section.                                              including the size of the application and
                                                  registration with current information                      a. Electronic Submission of                        the speed of your Internet connection.
                                                  while your application is under review                  Applications.                                         Therefore, we strongly recommend that
                                                  by the Department and, if you are                          Applications for grants under the EAG              you do not wait until the application
                                                  awarded a grant, during the project                     competition, CFDA number 84.368A,                     deadline date to begin the submission
                                                  period.                                                 must be submitted electronically using                process through Grants.gov.
                                                     You can obtain a DUNS number from                    the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply                      • You should review and follow the
                                                  Dun and Bradstreet at the following                     site at www.Grants.gov. Through this                  Education Submission Procedures for
                                                  Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/                        site, you will be able to download a                  submitting an application through
                                                  webform. A DUNS number can be                           copy of the application package,                      Grants.gov that are included in the
                                                  created within one to two business days.                complete it offline, and then upload and              application package for this competition
                                                     If you are a corporate entity, agency,               submit your application. You may not                  to ensure that you submit your
                                                  institution, or organization, you can                   email an electronic copy of a grant                   application in a timely manner to the
                                                  obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue                  application to us.                                    Grants.gov system. You can also find the
                                                  Service. If you are an individual, you                     We will reject your application if you             Education Submission Procedures
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                                                  can obtain a TIN from the Internal                      submit it in paper format unless, as                  pertaining to Grants.gov under News
                                                  Revenue Service or the Social Security                  described elsewhere in this section, you              and Events on the Department’s G5
                                                  Administration. If you need a new TIN,                  qualify for one of the exceptions to the              system home page at www.G5.gov. In
                                                  please allow two to five weeks for your                 electronic submission requirement and                 addition, for specific guidance and
                                                  TIN to become active.                                   submit, no later than two weeks before                procedures for submitting an
                                                     The SAM registration process can take                the application deadline date, a written              application through Grants.gov, please
                                                  approximately seven business days, but                  statement to the Department that you                  refer to the Grants.gov Web site at:


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                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices                                               52429

                                                  www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/                   a unique PR/Award number for your                     application deadline date and time or if the
                                                  apply-for-grants.html.                                  application.                                          technical problem you experienced is
                                                     • You will not receive additional                       These emails do not mean that your                 unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
                                                  point value because you submit your                     application is without any disqualifying         Exception to Electronic Submission
                                                  application in electronic format, nor                   errors. While your application may have        Requirement: You qualify for an
                                                  will we penalize you if you qualify for                 been successfully validated by                 exception to the electronic submission
                                                  an exception to the electronic                          Grants.gov, it must also meet the              requirement, and may submit your
                                                  submission requirement, as described                    Department’s application requirements          application in paper format, if you are
                                                  elsewhere in this section, and submit                   as specified in this notice and in the         unable to submit an application through
                                                  your application in paper format.                       application instructions. Disqualifying        the Grants.gov system because––
                                                     • You must submit all documents                      errors could include, for instance,              • You do not have access to the
                                                  electronically, including all information               failure to upload attachments in a read-       Internet; or
                                                  you typically provide on the following                  only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to             • You do not have the capacity to
                                                  forms: The Application for Federal                      submit a required part of the                  upload large documents to the
                                                  Assistance (SF 424), the Department of                  application; or failure to meet applicant      Grants.gov system; and
                                                  Education Supplemental Information for                  eligibility requirements. It is your              • No later than two weeks before the
                                                  SF 424, Budget Information—Non-                         responsibility to ensure that your             application deadline date (14 calendar
                                                  Construction Programs (ED 524), and all                 submitted application has met all of the       days or, if the fourteenth calendar day
                                                  necessary assurances and certifications.                Department’s requirements.                     before the application deadline date
                                                     • You must upload any narrative                         • We may request that you provide us        falls on a Federal holiday, the next
                                                  sections and all other attachments to                   original signatures on forms at a later        business day following the Federal
                                                  your application as files in a read-only,               date.                                          holiday), you mail or fax a written
                                                  non-modifiable Portable Document                           Application Deadline Date Extension
                                                                                                                                                         statement to the Department, explaining
                                                  Format (PDF). Do not upload an                          in Case of Technical Issues with the
                                                                                                                                                         which of the two grounds for an
                                                  interactive or fillable PDF file. If you                Grants.gov System: If you are
                                                                                                                                                         exception prevents you from using the
                                                  upload a file type other than a read-                   experiencing problems submitting your
                                                                                                                                                         Internet to submit your application.
                                                  only, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word,                   application through Grants.gov, please
                                                                                                                                                            If you mail your written statement to
                                                  Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a                   contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
                                                                                                                                                         the Department, it must be postmarked
                                                  password-protected file, we will not                    toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
                                                                                                                                                         no later than two weeks before the
                                                  review that material. Please note that                  obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
                                                                                                                                                         application deadline date. If you fax
                                                  this could result in your application not               Number and must keep a record of it.
                                                                                                             If you are prevented from                   your written statement to the
                                                  being considered for funding because                                                                   Department, we must receive the faxed
                                                                                                          electronically submitting your
                                                  the material in question—for example,                                                                  statement no later than two weeks
                                                                                                          application on the application deadline
                                                  the application narrative—is critical to a                                                             before the application deadline date.
                                                                                                          date because of technical problems with
                                                  meaningful review of your proposal. For                                                                   Address and mail or fax your
                                                                                                          the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
                                                  that reason it is important to allow                                                                   statement to: Donald Peasley, U.S.
                                                                                                          an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
                                                  yourself adequate time to upload all                                                                   Department of Education, 400 Maryland
                                                                                                          Washington, DC time, the following
                                                  material as PDF files. The Department                                                                  Avenue SW., Room 3E124, Washington,
                                                                                                          business day to enable you to transmit
                                                  will not convert material from other                                                                   DC 20202–6132. FAX: (202) 401–1557.
                                                                                                          your application electronically or by
                                                  formats to PDF.                                                                                           Your paper application must be
                                                                                                          hand delivery. You also may mail your
                                                     • Your electronic application must                                                                  submitted in accordance with the mail
                                                                                                          application by following the mailing
                                                  comply with any page-limit                                                                             or hand-delivery instructions described
                                                                                                          instructions described elsewhere in this
                                                  requirements described in this notice.                                                                 in this notice.
                                                                                                          notice.
                                                     • After you electronically submit                       If you submit an application after             b. Submission of Paper Applications
                                                  your application, you will receive from                 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on          by Mail.
                                                  Grants.gov an automatic notification of                 the application deadline date, please             If you qualify for an exception to the
                                                  receipt that contains a Grants.gov                      contact the person listed under FOR            electronic submission requirement, you
                                                  tracking number. This notification                      FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in                 may mail (through the U.S. Postal
                                                  indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not               section VII of this notice and provide an      Service or a commercial carrier) your
                                                  receipt by the Department. Grants.gov                   explanation of the technical problem           application to the Department. You
                                                  will also notify you automatically by                   you experienced with Grants.gov, along         must mail the original and two copies
                                                  email if your application met all the                   with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case          of your application, on or before the
                                                  Grants.gov validation requirements or if                Number. We will accept your                    application deadline date, to the
                                                  there were any errors (such as                          application if we can confirm that a           Department at the following address:
                                                  submission of your application by                       technical problem occurred with the            U.S. Department of Education,
                                                  someone other than a registered                         Grants.gov system and that the problem         Application Control Center, Attention:
                                                  Authorized Organization                                 affected your ability to submit your           (CFDA Number 84.368A), LBJ Basement
                                                  Representative, or inclusion of an                      application by 4:30:00 p.m.,                   Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
                                                  attachment with a file name that                        Washington, DC time, on the                    Washington, DC 20202–4260.
                                                  contains special characters). You will be               application deadline date. We will                You must show proof of mailing
                                                  given an opportunity to correct any                                                                    consisting of one of the following:
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                                                                                                          contact you after we determine whether
                                                  errors and resubmit, but you must still                 your application will be accepted.                (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
                                                  meet the deadline for submission of                                                                    postmark.
                                                  applications.                                              Note: The extensions to which we refer in      (2) A legible mail receipt with the
                                                                                                          this section apply only to the unavailability
                                                     Once your application is successfully                of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov date   of mailing stamped by the U.S.
                                                  validated by Grants.gov, the Department                 system. We will not grant you an extension     Postal Service.
                                                  will retrieve your application from                     if you failed to fully register to submit your    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
                                                  Grants.gov and send you an email with                   application to Grants.gov before the           receipt from a commercial carrier.


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                                                  52430                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                    (4) Any other proof of mailing                           1. The magnitude of severity of the                   5. The extent to which the proposed
                                                  acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.                 problem to be addressed by the                        development efforts include adequate
                                                  Department of Education.                                proposed project.                                     quality controls and, as appropriate,
                                                    If you mail your application through                     2. The magnitude of the need for the               repeated testing of products.
                                                  the U.S. Postal Service, we do not                      services to be provided or the activities                6. The extent to which the design of
                                                  accept either of the following as proof                 to be carried out by the proposed                     the proposed project reflects up-to-date
                                                  of mailing:                                             project.                                              knowledge from research and effective
                                                    (1) A private metered postmark.                          3. The extent to which specific gaps               practice.
                                                    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by               or weaknesses in services,                               7. The quality of the methodology to
                                                  the U.S. Postal Service.                                infrastructure, or opportunities have                 be employed in the proposed project.
                                                    We will not consider applications                     been identified and will be addressed by                 8. The potential and planning for the
                                                  postmarked after the application                        the proposed project, including the                   incorporation of project purposes,
                                                  deadline date.                                          nature and magnitude of those gaps or                 activities, or benefits into the ongoing
                                                    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not                weaknesses.                                           work of the applicant beyond the end of
                                                  uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before                 (b) Significance. (25 points)                      the grant.
                                                  relying on this method, you should check                   The Secretary considers the                           (d) Quality of project services. (5
                                                  with your local post office.                            significance of the proposed project. In              points)
                                                                                                          determining the significance of the                      The Secretary considers the quality of
                                                    c. Submission of Paper Applications                                                                         the services to be provided by the
                                                                                                          proposed project, the Secretary
                                                  by Hand Delivery.                                                                                             proposed project. In determining the
                                                                                                          considers the following factors:
                                                    If you qualify for an exception to the                   1. The significance of the problem or              quality of the services to be provided by
                                                  electronic submission requirement, you                  issue to be addressed by the proposed                 the proposed project, the Secretary
                                                  (or a courier service) may deliver your                 project.                                              considers the quality and sufficiency of
                                                  paper application to the Department by                     2. The potential contribution of the               strategies for ensuring equal access and
                                                  hand. You must deliver the original and                 proposed project to the development                   treatment for eligible project
                                                  two copies of your application by hand,                 and advancement of theory, knowledge,                 participants who are members of groups
                                                  on or before the application deadline                   and practices in the field of study.                  that have traditionally been
                                                  date, to the Department at the following                   3. The potential for generalizing from             underrepresented based on race, color,
                                                  address: U.S. Department of Education,                  the findings or results of the proposed               national origin, gender, age, or
                                                  Application Control Center, Attention:                  project.                                              disability. In addition, the Secretary
                                                  (CFDA Number 84.368A), 550 12th                            4. The extent to which the proposed                considers the following factors:
                                                  Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center                   project involves the development or                      1. The extent to which the training or
                                                  Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.                       demonstration of promising new                        professional development services to be
                                                    The Application Control Center                        strategies that build on, or are                      provided by the proposed project are of
                                                  accepts hand deliveries daily between                   alternatives to, existing strategies.                 sufficient quality, intensity, and
                                                  8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,                    5. The likely utility of the products              duration to lead to improvements in
                                                  DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,                     (such as information, materials,                      practice among the recipients of those
                                                  and Federal holidays.                                   processes, or techniques) that will result            services.
                                                     Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper              from the proposed project, including the                 2. The likelihood that the services to
                                                  Applications: If you mail or hand deliver               potential for their being used effectively            be provided by the proposed project
                                                  your application to the Department—                     in a variety of other settings.                       will lead to improvements in the
                                                     (1) You must indicate on the envelope                   (c) Quality of the project design. (35             achievement of students as measured
                                                  and—if not provided by the Department—in                points)                                               against rigorous academic standards.
                                                  Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,                     The Secretary considers the quality of                (e) Quality of project personnel. (8
                                                  including suffix letter, if any, of the
                                                                                                          the design of the proposed project. In                points)
                                                  competition under which you are submitting
                                                  your application; and                                   determining the quality of the design of                 The Secretary considers the quality of
                                                     (2) The Application Control Center will              the proposed project, the Secretary                   the personnel who will carry out the
                                                  mail to you a notification of receipt of your           considers the following factors:                      proposed project. In determining the
                                                  grant application. If you do not receive this              1. The extent to which the goals,                  quality of project personnel, the
                                                  notification within 15 business days from the           objectives, and outcomes to be achieved               Secretary considers the extent to which
                                                  application deadline date, you should call              by the proposed project are clearly                   the applicant encourages applications
                                                  the U.S. Department of Education                        specified and measurable.                             for employment from persons who are
                                                  Application Control Center at (202) 245–                   2. The extent to which there is a                  members of groups that have
                                                  6288.                                                   conceptual framework underlying the                   traditionally been underrepresented
                                                                                                          proposed research or demonstration                    based on race, color, national origin,
                                                  V. Application Review Information                       activities and the quality of that                    gender, age, or disability. In addition,
                                                    1. Selection Criteria: The selection                  framework.                                            the Secretary considers the following
                                                  criteria for this competition are from 34                  3. The extent to which the proposed                factors:
                                                  CFR 75.210. We will award up to 120                     activities constitute a coherent,                        1. The qualifications, including
                                                  points to an application under the                      sustained, program of research and                    relevant training and experience, of the
                                                  selection criteria; the total possible                  development in the field, including, as               project director or principal
                                                  points for each selection criterion are                 appropriate, a substantial addition to an
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                                                                                                                                                                investigator.
                                                  noted in parentheses.                                   ongoing line of inquiry.                                 2. The qualifications, including
                                                    (a) Need for project. (5 points)                         4. The extent to which the proposed                relevant training and experience, of key
                                                    The Secretary considers the need for                  project is based upon a specific research             project personnel.
                                                  the proposed project. In determining the                design, and the quality and                              3. The qualifications, including
                                                  need for the proposed project, the                      appropriateness of that design,                       relevant training and experience, of
                                                  Secretary considers the following                       including the scientific rigor of the                 project consultants or subcontractors.
                                                  factors:                                                studies involved.                                        (f) Adequacy of resources. (12 points)


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                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices                                            52431

                                                    The Secretary considers the adequacy                  and qualitative data to the extent                    Secretary may impose special
                                                  of resources for the proposed project. In               possible.                                             conditions and, in appropriate
                                                  determining the adequacy of resources                      4. The extent to which the methods of              circumstances, high-risk conditions on a
                                                  for the proposed project, the Secretary                 evaluation will provide performance                   grant if the applicant or grantee is not
                                                  considers the following factors:                        feedback and permit periodic                          financially stable; has a history of
                                                    1. The adequacy of support, including                 assessment of progress toward achieving               unsatisfactory performance; has a
                                                  facilities, equipment, supplies, and                    intended outcomes.                                    financial or other management system
                                                  other resources, from the application                      5. The extent to which the evaluation              that does not meet the standards in 2
                                                  organization or the lead applicant                      will provide guidance about effective                 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not
                                                  organization.                                           strategies suitable for replication or                fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant;
                                                    2. The relevance and demonstrated                     testing in other settings.                            or is otherwise not responsible.
                                                  commitment of each partner in the                          (i) Strategy to scale. (8 points)                     4. Integrity and Performance System:
                                                  proposed project to the implementation                     The Secretary considers the                        If you are selected under this
                                                  and success of the project.                             applicant’s strategy to scale the                     competition to receive an award that
                                                    3. The extent to which the budget is                  proposed project. In determining the                  over the course of the project period
                                                  adequate to support the proposed                        applicant’s capacity to scale the                     may exceed the simplified acquisition
                                                  project.                                                proposed project, the Secretary                       threshold (currently $150,000), under 2
                                                    4. The extent to which the costs are                  considers the following factors:                      CFR 200.205(a)(2), we must make a
                                                  reasonable in relation to the objectives,                  1. The applicant’s capacity (e.g., in              judgment about your integrity, business
                                                  design, and potential significance of the               terms of qualified personnel, financial               ethics, and record of performance under
                                                  proposed project.                                       resources, or management capacity) to                 Federal awards—that is, the risk posed
                                                    (g) Quality of the management plan.                   further develop and bring to scale the                by you as an applicant—before we make
                                                  (12 points)                                             proposed process, product, strategy, or               an award. In doing so, we must consider
                                                    The Secretary considers the quality of                practice, or to work with others to                   any information about you that is in the
                                                  the management plan for the proposed                    ensure that the proposed process,                     integrity and performance system
                                                  project. In determining the quality of the              product, strategy, or practice can be                 (currently referred to as the Federal
                                                  management plan for the proposed                        further developed and brought to scale,               Awardee Performance and Integrity
                                                  project, the Secretary considers the                    based on the findings of the proposed                 Information System (FAPIIS)),
                                                  following factors:                                      project.                                              accessible through SAM. You may
                                                    1. The adequacy of the management                        2. The mechanisms the applicant will               review and comment on any
                                                  plan to achieve the objectives of the                   use to broadly disseminate information                information about yourself that a
                                                  proposed project on time and within                     on its project so as to support further               Federal agency previously entered and
                                                  budget, including clearly defined                       development or replication.                           that is currently in FAPIIS.
                                                  responsibilities, timelines, and                           3. The extent to which the applicant                  Please note that, if the total value of
                                                  milestones for accomplishing project                    demonstrates there is unmet demand for                your currently active grants, cooperative
                                                  tasks.                                                  the process, product, strategy, or                    agreements, and procurement contracts
                                                    2. The adequacy of procedures for                     practice that will enable the applicant to            from the Federal Government exceeds
                                                  ensuring feedback and continuous                        reach the level of scale that is proposed             $10,000,000, the reporting requirements
                                                  improvement in the operation of the                     in the application.                                   in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII,
                                                  proposed project.                                          2. Review and Selection Process: We                require you to report certain integrity
                                                    3. The adequacy of mechanisms for                     remind potential applicants that in                   information to FAPIIS semiannually.
                                                  ensuring high-quality products and                      reviewing applications in any                         Please review the requirements in 2 CFR
                                                  services from the proposed project.                     discretionary grant competition, the                  part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant
                                                    4. The extent to which the time                       Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR                  plus all the other Federal funds you
                                                  commitments of the project director and                 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the             receive exceed $10,000,000.
                                                  principal investigator and other key                    applicant in carrying out a previous
                                                  project personnel are appropriate and                   award, such as the applicant’s use of                 VI. Award Administration Information
                                                  adequate to meet the objectives of the                  funds, achievement of project                            1. Award Notices: If your application
                                                  proposed project.                                       objectives, and compliance with grant                 is successful, we notify your U.S.
                                                    (h) Quality of the project evaluation.                conditions. The Secretary may also                    Representative and U.S. Senators and
                                                  (10 points)                                             consider whether the applicant failed to              send you a Grant Award Notification
                                                    The Secretary considers the quality of                submit a timely performance report or                 (GAN); or we may send you an email
                                                  the evaluation to be conducted of the                   submitted a report of unacceptable                    containing a link to access an electronic
                                                  proposed project. In determining the                    quality.                                              version of your GAN. We may notify
                                                  quality of the evaluation, the Secretary                   In addition, in making a competitive               you informally, also.
                                                  considers the following factors:                        grant award, the Secretary requires                      If your application is not evaluated or
                                                    1. The extent to which the methods of                 various assurances, including those                   not selected for funding, we notify you.
                                                  evaluation are thorough, feasible, and                  applicable to Federal civil rights laws                  2. Administrative and National Policy
                                                  appropriate to the goals, objectives, and               that prohibit discrimination in programs              Requirements: We identify
                                                  outcomes of the proposed project.                       or activities receiving Federal financial             administrative and national policy
                                                    2. The extent to which the methods of                 assistance from the Department of                     requirements in the application package
                                                  evaluation are thorough, feasible, and                  Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4,                and reference these and other
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                                                  appropriate to the goals, objectives, and               108.8, and 110.23).                                   requirements in the Applicable
                                                  outcomes of the proposed project.                          3. Risk Assessment and Special                     Regulations section of this notice.
                                                    3. The extent to which the methods of                 Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR                        We reference the regulations outlining
                                                  evaluation include the use of objective                 200.205, before awarding grants under                 the terms and conditions of an award in
                                                  performance measures that are clearly                   this competition the Department                       the Applicable Regulations section of
                                                  related to the intended outcomes of the                 conducts a review of the risks posed by               this notice and include these and other
                                                  project and will produce quantitative                   applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the                  specific conditions in the GAN. The


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                                                  52432                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 152 / Monday, August 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                  GAN also incorporates your approved                     projects because the Department will                    Dated: August 1, 2016.
                                                  application as part of your binding                     need data on these measures.                          Ann Whalen,
                                                  commitments under the grant.                               5. Continuation Awards: In making a                Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Delegated
                                                     3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a                 continuation award under 34 CFR                       the Duties of Assistant Secretary for
                                                  grant under this competition, you must                  75.253, the Secretary considers, among                Elementary and Secondary Education.
                                                  ensure that you have in place the                       other things: Whether a grantee has                   [FR Doc. 2016–18532 Filed 8–5–16; 8:45 am]
                                                  necessary processes and systems to                      made substantial progress in achieving                BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
                                                  comply with the reporting requirements                  the goals and objectives of the project;
                                                  in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive                    whether the grantee has expended funds
                                                  funding under the competition. This                     in a manner that is consistent with its               DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
                                                  does not apply if you have an exception                 approved application and budget; and,
                                                  under 2 CFR 170.110(b).                                 if the Secretary has established                      National Coal Council Meeting
                                                     (b) At the end of your project period,               performance measurement
                                                                                                          requirements, the performance targets in              AGENCY:   Department of Energy.
                                                  you must submit a final performance
                                                  report, including financial information,                the grantee’s approved application.                   ACTION:   Notice.
                                                  as directed by the Secretary. If you                       In making a continuation award, the                SUMMARY:   This notice announces a
                                                  receive a multiyear award, you must                     Secretary also considers whether the                  virtual meeting via WebEx of the
                                                  submit an annual performance report                     grantee is operating in compliance with               National Coal Council (NCC). The
                                                  that provides the most current                          the assurances in its approved                        Federal Advisory Committee Act (92, 86
                                                  performance and financial expenditure                   application, including those applicable               Stat. 770) requires that public notice of
                                                  information as directed by the Secretary                to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit            these meetings be announced in the
                                                  under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary                      discrimination in programs or activities              Federal Register.
                                                  may also require more frequent                          receiving Federal financial assistance
                                                                                                          from the Department (34 CFR 100.4,                    DATES: Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at 2:00
                                                  performance reports under 34 CFR
                                                  75.720(c). For specific requirements on                 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).                     p.m.
                                                  reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/                                                                           ADDRESSES: If you wish to join the
                                                                                                          VII. Agency Contact                                   meeting you must register on-line by
                                                  fund/grant/apply/appforms/
                                                  appforms.html.                                          FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                      close of business on August 26, 2016, at
                                                     (c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the                      Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of                    the following URL: https://goo.gl/forms/
                                                  Secretary may provide a grantee with                    Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,                   dQnwFBvzl7JcqWLX2.
                                                  additional funding for data collection                  Room 3e124, Washington, DC 20202–                     FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
                                                  analysis and reporting. In this case the                6132. Telephone: (202) 453–7982 or by                 Daniel Matuszak, U.S. Department of
                                                  Secretary establishes a data collection                 email: Donald.Peasley@ed.gov.                         Energy, 4G–036/Forrestal Building,
                                                  period.                                                   If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the                 1000 Independence Avenue SW.,
                                                     4. Performance Measures: Under the                   Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at            Washington, DC 20585–0001;
                                                  Government Performance and Results                      1–800–877–8339.                                       Telephone: 202–586–6915.
                                                  Act of 1993, the Department has                                                                               SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                                                                          VIII. Other Information
                                                  developed four measures to evaluate the                                                                          Purpose of the Council: The National
                                                  overall effectiveness of the EAG                           Accessible Format: Individuals with                Coal Council provides advice and
                                                  program: (1) The number of States that                  disabilities can obtain this document                 recommendations to the Secretary of
                                                  participate in EAG projects funded by                   and a copy of the application package in              Energy, on general policy matters
                                                  this competition; (2) the percentage of                 an accessible format (e.g., braille, large            relating to coal and the coal industry.
                                                  grantees that, at least twice during the                print, audiotape, or compact disc) on                    Purpose of Meeting: The National
                                                  period of their grants, make available to               request to the program contact person                 Coal Council (the Council) will hold a
                                                  SEA staff in non-participating States                   listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION                  virtual meeting via webcast at 2:00 p.m.
                                                  and to assessment researchers                           CONTACT in section VII of this notice.                Eastern Time on August 30, 2016 for the
                                                  information on findings resulting from                     Electronic Access to This Document:                sole purpose of receiving the report
                                                  the EAG through presentations at                        The official version of this document is              ‘‘CO2 Building Blocks: Assessing CO2
                                                  national conferences, publications in                   the document published in the Federal                 Utilization Options’’ from the Coal
                                                  refereed journals, or other products                    Register. Free Internet access to the                 Policy Committee. The Council
                                                  disseminated to the assessment                          official edition of the Federal Register              membership will be asked to accept the
                                                  community; (3) for each grant cycle and                 and the Code of Federal Regulations is                report and forward it to the U.S.
                                                  as determined by an expert panel, the                   available via the Federal Digital System              Secretary of Energy.
                                                  percentage of EAG that yield significant                at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you                  The draft white paper will be
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                                                  accommodations and alternate                            Department published in the Federal                   must register on-line by close of
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Document Created: 2016-08-06 03:08:09
Document Modified: 2016-08-06 03:08:09
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: August 8, 2016.
ContactDonald Peasley, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3e124, Washington, DC 20202- 6132. Telephone: (202) 453-7982 or by email: [email protected]
FR Citation81 FR 52424 

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