Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Grants

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 62 (Wednesday, April 1, 1998)]

[Notices]

[Pages 15994-16022]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 98-8356]

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Part V

Department of Education

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Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Grants; Notice

Federal Register/Vol. 63, No. 62/Wednesday, April 1, 1998/Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA NO.: 84.314A]

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Grants

AGENCY: Department of Education.

Notice inviting State applications for new awards with fiscal year

(FY) 1998 funds, and waiver of reporting requirements for Even Start

Statewide Family Literacy Initiative grants

Note to Applicants: This notice is a complete application package.

Together with the statute authorizing the program and the Education

Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), the notice

contains all of the information, application forms, and instructions

needed to apply for a grant under this competition. Only a State office

or agency may apply.

Purpose of Program: To enable States to plan and implement

statewide family literacy initiatives under the Even Start Family

Literacy Program. Initiative activities must be conducted through a

consortium of State, local, and other institutions, organizations, or

agencies.

Eligible Applicants: State office or agency.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 29, 1998.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 28, 1998.

Available funds: $1,000,000.

Note: Under this program, States receiving grants must make

available non-Federal contributions in an amount equal to not less

than the Federal funds provided under the grant, as required by

section 1202(c)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

(ESEA). Grantees may not use funds awarded under these grants for

indirect costs either as a direct charge or as part of the matching

requirement.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$250,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $200,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 5.

Note: This Department is not bound by any estimates in this

notice.

Project Period: Up to 24 months.

Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).

(2) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that Apply to Department

Regulations).

(3) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental Review of Department of

Education Programs and Activities).

(4) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments).

(5) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education Provisions Act--Enforcement).

(6) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions on Lobbying).

(7) 34 CFR Part 85 (Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free

Workplace (Grants)).

Description of Program: States receiving funds under this grant

authority will use these funds to plan and implement statewide family

literacy initiatives under the Even Start Family Literacy Program to

coordinate and integrate existing Federal, State, and local literacy

resources. These resources must include, but are not limited to,

resources available under Even Start, the Adult Education Act, Head

Start, and the Family Support Act of 1988 (or successor statutes).

Initiative activities must be conducted through a consortium of State,

local, and other institutions, organizations, or agencies. The State

must make available non-Federal contributions in an amount not less

than the Federal funds provided under the grant for the costs to be

incurred by the consortium in carrying out the activities for which the

grant is awarded.

Invitational Priority: The Secretary is particularly interested in

applications that meet the following invitational priority. However, an

application that meets this invitational priority does not receive

competitive or absolute preference over other applications (34 CFR

75.105(c)(1)).

Invitational Priority--Statewide family literacy initiatives that:

Coordinate their activities with State and local endeavors

under the America Reads Challenge initiative, including Federal Work-

Study tutoring programs and America Reads/Read*Write*Now pilot sites

(information about the America Reads Challenge is available by

telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or TDD 1-800-437-0833; and through the

Department's Web site at www.ed.gov/inits/americareads); and

Develop State capacity to coordinate and integrate

existing resources that support family literacy and core family

literacy components (early childhood education, adult basic and

secondary education, and parenting education), and, especially

resources focusing on--

(1) Young children's cognitive and language development, and

parents' involvement in that early development; and

(2) English literacy for families with limited English proficiency.

Waiver of Reporting Requirement

Under the EDGAR, an applicant generally must submit annual

performance and financial reports to the Department. (See 34 CFR

75.720, 80.40, and 80.41). However, in the interest of reducing burden

at the State level, the Secretary has determined that performance and

financial reports are unnecessary until the end of the project period

(up to 24 months), and therefore waives the requirements for

performance and financial reports at the end of the first year (unless

the end of the first year coincides with the end of the project

period). This waiver is in accordance with the Secretary's authority

under these regulations.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary uses the following selection criteria to evaluate

applications for grants under this competition.

(1) The maximum composite score for all of these criteria is 100

points.

(2) The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in

parentheses.

(a) Meeting the purposes of the authorizing statute. (10 points).

The Secretary considers how well the project will meet the purpose of

section 1202(c) of the ESEA (Even Start Statewide Family Literacy

Initiatives grants). In determining how well the project will meet the

purpose of section 1202(c), the Secretary considers how well the

project will enable the State to plan and implement a statewide family

literacy initiative, through a consortium of entities, to coordinate

and integrate existing Federal, State, and local literacy resources

consistent with the purpose of the Even Start Family Literacy Program

(Part B of Title I of the ESEA).

(b) Need for project. (10 points). The Secretary considers the need

for the proposed project. In determining the need for the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or

the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.

Note: The Secretary invites applicants to describe any existing

State initiatives to promote family literacy.

(ii) The extent to which the proposed project will focus on serving

or otherwise addressing the needs of disadvantaged individuals.

(iii) The extent to which the proposed project will prepare

personnel for fields in which shortages have been demonstrated.

(c) Significance. (20 points). The Secretary considers the

significance of

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the proposed project. In determining the significance of the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(i) The national significance of the proposed project.

(ii) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system

change or improvement.

(iii) The potential contribution of the proposed project to the

development and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the

field of study.

(iv) The extent to which the proposed project is likely to yield

findings that may be utilized by other appropriate agencies and

organizations.

(d) Quality of the project design. (20 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:

(i) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build

capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of

Federal financial assistance.

(ii) The extent to which the design of the proposed project

reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice.

(iii) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated

with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community,

State, and Federal resources.

(iv) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a

comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support

rigorous academic standards for students.

(e) Quality of project personnel. (10 points). The Secretary

considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed

project. (1) 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. (2) In addition, the Secretary

considers the following factors:

(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,

of the project director or principal investigator.

(ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and

experience, of key project personnel.

(iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and

experience, or project consultants or subcontractors.

(f) Adequacy of resources. (10 points.) 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:

(i) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in

the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.

(ii) 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. (10 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:

(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives

of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly

defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing

project tasks.

(ii) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives

are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including

those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of

disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of

services, or others, as appropriate.

(h) Quality of 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:

(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,

feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the

proposed project.

(ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide

performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward

achieving intended outcomes.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order

12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the

regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

The objective of the Executive Order is to foster an

intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying

on State and local processes for State and local government

coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of

Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process

under Executive Order 12372. Applicants proposing to perform activities

in more than one State should immediately contact the Single Point of

Contact for each of those States and follow the procedure established

in each State under the Executive Order. The addresses of individual

State Single Point of Contact are in the appendix to this notice.

In States that have not established a process or chosen a program

for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit

comments directly to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a

State Single Point of Contact and any comments from State, areawide,

regional, and local entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the

date indicated in this notice to the following address: The Secretary,

E.O. 12372--CFDA #84.314A, U.S. Department of Education, Room 6300, 600

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202.

Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as

applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be

hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date

indicated in this notice.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE ADDRESS IS NOT THE SAME ADDRESS AS THE

ONE TO WHICH THE APPLICANT SUBMITS ITS COMPLETED APPLICATION. DO NOT

SEND APPLICATIONS TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for a grant, the applicant

shall--

(1) Mail the original and two copies of the application on or

before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application

Control Center, Attention: Patricia McKee (CFDA #84.314A), Compensatory

Education Programs, Room 3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D

Streets, SW, Washington, DC 20202-4725;

or

(2) Hand deliver the original and two copies of the application by

4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date to: U.S.

Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:

Patricia McKee (CFDA #84.314A), Compensatory Education Programs, Room

3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th and D Streets, SW, Washington,

DC 20202-4725.

(b) An applicant must show one of the following as proof of

mailing:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

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(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the

U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial

carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary.

(c) If any application is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service,

the Secretary does not accept either of the following as proof of

mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

Notes: (1) The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a

dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application

Receipt Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an applicant fails to

receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from the

date of mailing the application,the applicant should call the U.S.

Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 708-9494.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the envelope and--if not

provided by the Department--in Item 10 of the Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if

any--of the competition under which the application is being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this application is divided into three parts plus a

statement regarding estimated public reporting burden and various

assurances and certifications. These parts and additional materials are

organized in the same manner that the submitted application should be

organized and submitted. The parts and additional materials are as

follows:

Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424 (Rev.

4-88)) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No.

524) and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative.

Additional Materials

Estimated Public Reporting Burden.

Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B).

Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension,and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 80-

0013).

Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and

Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014, 9/90)

and instructions.

Note: ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and should

not be transmitted to the Department.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL) (if

applicable) and instructions; and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Continuation Sheet (Standard Form LLL-A). (See amendments by 61 FR 1412

(1/19/96).

Notice to all Applicants (Section 427 of the General Education

Provisions Act).

An applicant may submit information on photostatic copies of the

application, budget forms, assurances, and certifications. However, the

application form, assurances, and certifications must each have an

original signature. No grant may be awarded unless a completed

application form, including the signed assurances and certifications,

have been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia McKee, Compensatory Education

Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department

of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW (4400, Portals), Washington,

DC 20202-6132. Telephone (202) 260-0991. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an

alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer

diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding

paragraph.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application

package in an alternate format, also, by contacting that person.

However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format

the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or

portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the

following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you

have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing

Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.

Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone (202) 219-1511

or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option

G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

Note: The official version of a document is the document

published in the Federal Register.

Information about the Department's funding opportunities including

copies of application notices for discretionary grant competitions, can

be viewed on the Department's electronic bulletin board (ED Board),

telephone (202) 260-9950; or on the Internet Gopher Server at

GOPHER.ED.GOV (under Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases).

However, the official application notice for a discretionary grant

competition is the notice published in the Federal Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. section 6362(c).

Dated: March 26, 1998.

Gerald N. Tirozzi,

Assistant Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education.

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[FR Doc. 98-8356 Filed 3-31-98; 8:45 am]

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