Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 47 / Thursday, March 10, 2011 / Notices 13143 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

Additional factors we consider in 

selecting an application for an award are 

as follows: The Training and Advisory 

Services Program will award one EAC 

grant per geographical region. See 34 

CFR 272.31(b). 

3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 

74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may 

impose special 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 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has 

not fulfilled the conditions of a prior 

grant; or is otherwise not responsible. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may notify you informally, 

also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to http:// 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Department has established the 

following Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) performance 

measures for the Training and Advisory 

Services—Equity Assistance Centers 

program, adapted from a set of common 

measures developed to help assess 

performance across the Department’s 

technical assistance programs: 

Program Goal: To support access and 

equity in public schools and help school 

districts solve equity problems in 

education related to race, gender, and 

national origin. 

Objective 1: Provide high-quality 

technical assistance and training to 

public school districts in addressing 

equity in education. 

Measure 1: The percentage of 

customers of EACs that develop, 

implement, or improve their policies or 

practices, or both, in eliminating, 

reducing, or preventing harassment, 

conflict, and school violence. 

Measure 2: The percentage of 

customers of EACs that develop, 

implement, or improve their policies or 

practices, or both, ensuring that 

students of different race, sex, and 

national origin have equitable 

opportunity for high-quality instruction. 

Measure 3: The percentage of 

customers of EACs that report the 

products and services they received 

from the EACs are of high quality. 

Measure 4: The percentage of 

customers who report that the products 

and services they received from the 

EACs are of high usefulness to their 

policies and practices. 

All grantees will be expected to 

submit, as part of their annual and final 

performance reports, quantitative data 

documenting their progress with regard 

to these performance measures. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award, the Secretary may 

consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the 

extent to which a grantee has made 

‘‘substantial progress toward meeting the 

objectives in its approved application.’’ 

This consideration includes the review 

of a grantee’s progress in meeting the 

targets and projected outcomes in its 

approved application, and whether the 

grantee has expended funds in a manner 

that is consistent with its approved 

application and budget. In making a 

continuation grant, the Secretary also 

considers whether the grantee is 

operating in compliance with the 

assurances in its approved application, 

including those applicable to Federal 

civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: Fran 

Walter, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 

3W115, Washington, DC 20202–6400. 

Telephone: (202) 205–9198 or by e-mail: 

fran.walter@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the 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 computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under For Further 

Information Contact in section VII of 

this notice. Electronic Access to This 

Document: You can view this 

document, as well as all other 

documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. Note: The 

official version of this document is the 

document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available on GPO Access at: http:// 

www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html. 

Dated: March 7, 2011. 

Thelma Mele ́ndez de Santa Ana, 

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5544 Filed 3–9–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Striving Readers Comprehensive 

Literacy Grant Program; Office of 

Elementary and Secondary Education; 

Overview Information; Striving 

Readers Comprehensive Literacy 

Grant Program; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2011 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.371C. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 10, 

2011. 


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13144 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 47 / Thursday, March 10, 2011 / Notices 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

April 1, 2011. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 9, 2011. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 5, 2011. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Striving Readers Comprehensive 

Literacy grant program (SRCL) is to 

advance literacy skills—including preliteracy skills, reading, and writing—for 

students from birth through grade 12, 

including limited-English-proficient 

students and students with disabilities. 

Through this program, the 

Department will award competitive 

grants to State educational agencies 

(SEAs) to support competitive subgrants 

to local educational agencies (LEAs), 

including charter schools that are 

considered LEAs under State law, or 

other eligible entities for the purpose of 

advancing literacy skills. 

Priorities: This notice contains three 

priorities, two of which are absolute and 

one of which is competitive preference. 

We are establishing these priorities for 

the FY 2011 grant competition and any 

subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, in 

accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the 

General Education Provisions Act 

(GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). 

Absolute Priorities: The first two 

priorities, Improving Learning 

Outcomes and Enabling More DataBased Decision-Making, are absolute 

priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we 

consider only applications that meet 

these priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Priority 1: Improving Learning 

Outcomes 

Background: Improving the language 

and literacy development of 

disadvantaged students is essential to 

improving academic achievement for 

these students in all content areas. The 

2009 National Assessment of 

Educational Progress (NAEP) results 

show disproportionately large numbers 

of disadvantaged students struggle with 

developing the necessary pre-literacy 

and literacy skills needed to read, 

comprehend, and use language 

effectively. This results in persistent 

gaps in academic achievement through 

the elementary and secondary school 

years and in high school graduation 

rates, and presents civic and economic 

difficulties for these students later in 

life. Meeting the language and literacy 

needs of disadvantaged students, 

including limited-English-proficient 

students and students with disabilities, 

is a particular focus of the SRCL 

program. 

Priority 

To meet this priority, an applicant 

must propose a project that is designed 

to improve school readiness and success 

through grade 12 in the area of language 

and literacy development for 

disadvantaged students (as defined in 

this notice). 

Priority 2: Enabling More Data-Based 

Decision-Making 

Background: Accurate, timely, 

relevant, and appropriate data, and the 

effective use of that data for informed 

decision-making, are essential to the 

continuous improvement of children’s 

literacy and language development. In 

developing comprehensive literacy 

plans and programs, it is important for 

States to consider strategies that provide 

educators, as well as families and other 

key stakeholders, with the data they 

need and the capacity and training to 

use those data to improve school 

readiness, respond to the learning and 

academic needs of students, improve 

educator effectiveness, inform 

professional development practices and 

approaches, and make informed 

decisions that increase student preliteracy, literacy, and language 

development. 

Priority 

To meet this priority, an applicant 

must propose a project that is designed 

to collect, analyze, and use high-quality 

and timely data, especially on program 

participant outcomes, in accordance 

with privacy requirements (as defined 

in this notice), to improve instructional 

practices, policies, and student 

outcomes in early learning settings and 

in elementary and secondary schools. 

Competitive Preference Priorities: The 

following priority is a competitive 

preference priority. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(ii) we award up to an 

additional five points to an application 

that meets this priority. 

This priority is: 

Competitive Preference Priority: 

Effective Use of Technology 

Background: The effective use of 

technology is a critical tool for 

improving learning outcomes and 

providing teachers with high-quality 

professional development. Use of 

concepts, ideas, programming 

techniques, and computer-assisted text 

displays that give access to the text for 

students who cannot access traditional 

print, including limited-Englishproficient children and students with 

disabilities, is a basic tenet of universal 

design for learning and can help 

improve students’ literacy and language 

development and identify and address 

student learning challenges. 

Priority 

To meet this priority, an applicant 

must (1) propose to use technology— 

which may include technology to 

support principles of universal design 

for learning (as defined in this notice)— 

to address student learning challenges; 

and (2) provide, in its application, an 

evidence-based (as defined in this 

notice) rationale that its proposed 

technology program, practice, or 

strategy will increase student 

engagement and achievement or 

increase teacher effectiveness. 

Program Requirements 

Statutory Requirements (see 

Department of Education 

Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111– 

117)). An SEA awarded a grant under 

this program— 

(a) Must subgrant no less than 95 

percent of funds received under this 

competition to LEAs or, in the case of 

early literacy, to LEAs or other nonprofit 

providers of early childhood education 

that partner with a public or private 

nonprofit organization or agency with a 

demonstrated record of effectiveness in 

improving the early literacy 

development of children from birth 

through kindergarten entry and in 

providing professional development (as 

defined in this notice) in early literacy, 

giving priority to such agencies or other 

entities serving greater numbers or 

percentages of disadvantaged students; 

(b) Must ensure that at least— 

(1) 15 percent of the funds it 

subgrants to LEAs or other nonprofit 

providers of early childhood education 

(SRCL subgranted funds) are used to 

serve children from birth through age 5; 

(2) 40 percent of its SRCL subgranted 

funds are used to serve students in 

kindergarten through grade 5; and 

(3) 40 percent of its SRCL subgranted 

funds are used to serve students in 

middle and high school, including an 

equitable distribution of funds between 

middle and high schools; 

(c) May reserve up to 5 percent of 

funds received under this competition 

for State leadership activities, including 

technical assistance and training, data 

collection, reporting, and 

administration. 

Additional Requirements 

The Department establishes the 

following additional requirements for 

the FY 2011 competition and any 


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subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

An SEA awarded a grant under this 

program— 

(a) Must develop or update, 

implement, and continuously improve a 

comprehensive State literacy plan (as 

defined in this notice); 

(b) Must align the use of Federal and 

State funds and programs within the 

SEA and in LEAs in the State, including 

funds under Title I, Title II–A, and Title 

III of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA), and, as appropriate, under the 

Head Start Act, the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act, and the Carl 

D. Perkins Career and Technical 

Education Act of 2006, to support a 

coherent approach to funding and 

implementing effective literacy 

instruction (as defined in this notice) for 

disadvantaged students; 

(c) Must make the process and the 

results of its review of subgrant 

applications publicly available, 

including the procedures the SEA used 

to review and judge the evidence base 

and the alignment with State standards 

for the curricula and materials LEAs 

propose to use; and 

(d) Must ensure that SRCL subgrant 

funds are used to implement a 

comprehensive and coherent literacy 

program that serves students from birth 

through grade 12, or at any period in the 

birth through grade 12 continuum as 

determined by a needs assessment, and 

includes each of the components of 

effective literacy instruction and that— 

(1) Provides effective professional 

development in literacy, including in 

instructional strategies to meet the 

literacy needs of disadvantaged students 

such as limited-English-proficient 

students and students with disabilities, 

to teachers of reading, English, or 

language arts, which may also include 

professional development in literacy for 

teachers of other subjects and for 

teachers or instructional providers for 

children from birth through age five; 

(2) Uses curriculum and instructional 

materials that are aligned with State 

standards, incorporate the components 

of effective literacy instruction, and, as 

appropriate, incorporate technology and 

principles of universal design for 

learning to support children and youth 

with diverse learning needs, including 

disadvantaged students; 

(3) Uses coherent assessment systems 

that are aligned with State standards 

and assessments and that include— 

(i) Valid and reliable screening 

measures or strategies; 

(ii) Valid and reliable diagnostic and 

progress-monitoring measures; 

(iii) The systematic use of the 

assessment data to inform instruction, 

interventions, professional 

development, and continuous program 

improvement; and 

(iv) Appropriate accommodations 

necessary to ensure that all children and 

youth, including disadvantaged 

students, are reliably and accurately 

assessed; 

(4) Implements interventions to 

ensure that all children and youth, 

including both children and youth who 

have mastered the material ahead of 

their peers and children and youth 

struggling with the material, are served 

appropriately; 

(5) Provides language- and text-rich 

classroom, school, and early learning 

program environments that engage and 

motivate children and youth in 

speaking, listening, reading, and 

writing; and 

(6) Informs continuous improvement 

by monitoring program implementation 

and outcomes, including the 

effectiveness of professional 

development, and tracking 

implementation and outcomes at the 

LEA or early childhood education 

provider, school, classroom, and student 

levels. 

Program Definitions: In addition to 

the definitions in the authorizing statute 

and in 34 CFR 77.1, we establish the 

following definitions to apply to the FY 

2011 competition and any subsequent 

year in which we make awards from the 

list of unfunded applicants from this 

competition: 

Comprehensive State literacy plan: 

The term ‘‘comprehensive State literacy 

plan’’ means a plan (which may be a 

component or modification of the plan 

submitted under the Striving Readers 

Comprehensive Literacy formula grant 

program, CFDA 84.371B) that addresses 

the pre-literacy and literacy needs of 

children from birth through grade 12, 

including limited-English-proficient 

students and students with disabilities; 

aligns policies, resources, and practices; 

contains clear instructional goals; and 

sets high expectations for all students 

and student subgroups. 

Disadvantaged students: The term 

‘‘disadvantaged students’’ means 

children and students at risk of 

educational failure, such as children 

and students who are living in poverty, 

who are limited-English-proficient, who 

are far below grade level or who are not 

on track to becoming college- or careerready by graduation, who have left 

school before receiving a regular high 

school diploma, who are at risk of not 

graduating with a diploma on time, who 

are homeless, who are in foster care, 

who are pregnant or parenting 

teenagers, who have been incarcerated, 

who are new immigrants, who are 

migrant, or who have disabilities. 

Effective literacy instruction: The term 

‘‘effective literacy instruction’’ means 

developmentally appropriate, explicit, 

evidence-based, and systematic 

instruction that provides students 

with— 

(i) Early development and grade-level 

mastery of (A) oral language skills, both 

listening and speaking, (B) phonological 

awareness, using a wide vocabulary, (C) 

conventional forms of grammar, and (D) 

academic language; 

(ii) The ability to read regularly 

spelled words and high-frequency 

irregularly spelled words with 

automaticity and to decode regularly 

spelled unfamiliar words accurately, 

using phonemic awareness, print 

awareness, alphabet knowledge, and 

knowledge of English spelling patterns; 

(iii) The ability to read texts 

accurately, fluently, and with 

comprehension, relying on knowledge 

of the vocabulary in those texts and of 

the background information that the 

students possess; 

(iv) The ability to read with a purpose 

and the capacity to differentiate 

purposes and to select and apply 

comprehension strategies appropriate to 

achieving the purpose; 

(v) An understanding of, and ability to 

adapt to, the varying demands of 

different genres, formats, and types of 

texts across the core content areas in 

order to comprehend texts of 

appropriate levels of complexity and 

content, including texts necessary for 

mastery of grade-level standards; 

(vi) The ability to effectively access, 

critically evaluate, and appropriately 

synthesize information from a variety of 

sources and formats; 

(vii) The development and 

maintenance of a motivation to read and 

write, as reflected in habits of reading 

and writing regularly and of discussing 

one’s reading and writing with others; 

and 

(viii) The ability to write clearly, 

accurately, and quickly so as to 

communicate ideas and deepen 

comprehension in ways that fit purpose, 

audience, occasion, discipline, and 

format; adhere to conventions of 

spelling and punctuation; and benefit 

from revision so as to improve clarity, 

coherence, logical development, and the 

precise use of language. 

With respect to programs serving 

children birth through age five, the term 

‘‘effective literacy instruction,’’ means 

supporting young children’s early 

language and literacy development 

through developmentally appropriate, 

explicit, intentional, and systematic 


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1For purposes of this notice, the term ‘‘principles 

of scientific research’’ has the meaning provided in 

section 200(18) of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended; that is, it means principles of 

research that— 

(A) Apply rigorous, systematic, and objective 

methodology to obtain reliable and valid knowledge 

relevant to education activities and programs; 

(B) Present findings and make claims that are 

appropriate to, and supported by, the methods that 

have been employed; and 

(C) Include, appropriate to the research being 

conducted— 

(i) Use of systematic, empirical methods that 

draw on observation or experiment; 

(ii) Use of data analyses that are adequate to 

support the general findings; 

(iii) Reliance on measurements or observational 

methods that provide reliable and generalizable 

findings; 

(iv) Strong claims of causal relationships, only 

with research designs that eliminate plausible 

competing explanations for observed results, such 

as, but not limited to, random-assignment 

experiments; 

(v) Presentation of studies and methods in 

sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication 

or, at a minimum, to offer the opportunity to build 

systematically on the findings of the research; 

(vi) Acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or 

critique by a panel of independent experts through 

a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific 

review; and 

(vii) Consistency of findings across multiple 

studies or sites to support the generality of results 

and conclusions. 

instruction, in language- and literacyrich environments, that provides 

children with foundational skills and 

dispositions for literacy, such as— 

(i) Rich vocabulary development; 

(ii) Expressive language skills; 

(iii) Receptive language skills; 

(iv) Comprehension; 

(v) Phonological awareness; 

(vi) Print awareness; 

(vii) Alphabet knowledge; 

(viii) Book knowledge; 

(ix) Emergent writing skills; 

(x) Positive dispositions toward 

language and literacy-related activities; 

and 

(xi) Other skills that correlate with 

later literacy achievement. 

Evidence-based: The term ‘‘evidence– 

based’’ means— 

(i) Based on a comprehensive, 

unbiased review and weighing of one or 

more evaluation studies that— 

(A) Have been carried out consistent 

with the principles of scientific 

research 1; 

(B) Have strong internal and external 

validity; and 

(C) Support the direct attribution of 

one or more outcomes to the program, 

practice, or policy; or 

(ii) In the absence of one or more 

studies described in paragraph (i) of this 

definition, based on a comprehensive, 

unbiased review and weighing of data 

analysis, research, or one or more 

evaluation studies of relevant programs, 

policies, or practices, that— 

(A) Were carried out consistent with 

the principles of scientific research; and 

(B) Are accompanied by strategies to 

generate more robust evidence over time 

through research, evaluation, and data 

analysis, including the measurement of 

performance with reliable process and 

outcome indicators and the 

implementation of evaluations with 

strong internal and external validity 

where feasible and appropriate. 

Privacy requirements: The term 

‘‘privacy requirements’’ means the 

requirements of the Family Educational 

Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 

U.S.C. 1232g, and its implementing 

regulations in 34 CFR part 99, the 

Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, as well as all 

applicable Federal, State, and local 

requirements regarding privacy. 

Professional development: The term 

‘‘professional development’’ means 

coordinated and aligned activities that 

are designed to increase the 

effectiveness of educators, which may 

include teachers, principals, other 

school leaders, specialized instructional 

support personnel, paraprofessionals, 

early childhood educators, and other 

school staff, and that— 

(i) Are based, to the extent possible, 

on an analysis of data and evidence that 

indicates the needs of students and 

teachers; 

(ii) Are evidence-based and 

implemented with meaningful tracking 

of impact on educator practices and 

effectiveness; 

(iii) Foster individual and collective 

responsibility for improving student 

academic achievement; 

(iv) Align with State academic content 

standards or State early learning 

standards, as appropriate, with LEA and 

school or early learning program 

improvement goals, and with school or 

early learning program instructional 

materials; 

(v) Focus on understanding what and 

how students learn and on how to 

address students’ learning needs, 

including by reviewing and analyzing 

student work and achievement data and 

adjusting instructional strategies, 

assessments, and materials based on 

that review and analysis; 

(vi) Where appropriate, focus on 

improving both content knowledge and 

pedagogical skill; 

(vii) Set clear educator learning goals 

based on student and teacher learning 

needs; 

(viii) Address educator needs 

identified through evaluation, including 

by providing support for teachers and 

principals who earn evaluation ratings 

indicating the need for opportunities to 

improve their knowledge and skills; 

(ix) Are designed to provide educators 

with the instructional strategies 

necessary to meet the needs of 

disadvantaged students, including 

limited-English-proficient students and 

students with disabilities; 

(x) Are active, sustained, intensive, 

and classroom-or early learning 

program-focused in order to have a 

positive and lasting impact on 

classroom or early learning program 

instruction and educator effectiveness; 

(xi) Are, in general, provided through 

school- or early learning program-based, 

job-embedded opportunities for 

educators to work collaboratively and 

transfer new knowledge into classroom 

or early learning program practice, such 

as through classroom coaching, data 

analysis teams, observations of 

classroom practice, and the provision of 

common planning time; and 

(xii) Are, as appropriate— 

(A) Designed to improve educators’ 

ability to collect, manage, and analyze 

data to improve instruction, student 

support services, decision-making, 

school improvement efforts, early 

learning program quality improvement 

efforts, and accountability; 

(B) Designed to provide educators 

with the knowledge and skills to work 

more effectively with families; 

(C) Provided through workshops, 

courses, institutes, on-line learning, and 

other activities that advance and 

supplement school-based or early 

learning program-based professional 

development; 

(D) Implemented with the 

involvement of external experts with 

relevant expertise, including content 

expertise; and 

(E) Designed to provide joint 

professional development activities, for 

school staff and other early childhood 

educators in publicly funded centerbased programs, that address the 

transition to elementary school, 

including issues related to school 

readiness across all major domains of 

early learning. 

Universal design for learning (UDL): 

The term ‘‘universal design for 

learning’’, as defined under section 103 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 

amended, means a scientifically valid 

framework for guiding educational 

practice that— 

(i) Provides flexibility in the ways 

information is presented, in the ways 

students respond or demonstrate 

knowledge and skills, and in the ways 

students are engaged; and 

(ii) Reduces barriers in instruction, 

provides appropriate accommodations, 

supports, and challenges, and maintains 

high achievement expectations for all 

students, including students with 


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disabilities and students who are 

limited-English-proficient. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally 

offers interested parties the opportunity 

to comment on proposed priorities, 

requirements, definitions, and selection 

criteria. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 

however, allows the Secretary to exempt 

from rulemaking requirements, 

regulations governing the first grant 

competition under a new or 

substantially revised program authority. 

This is the first grant competition for 

this program as provided under the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 

(Pub. L. 111–117) under the authority in 

section 1502 of the ESEA and therefore 

qualifies for this exemption. To receive 

public input on the structure of this 

competition, the Department held a 

public input meeting on November 19, 

2010. This full-day meeting featured 

two panels of experts and elicited over 

50 comments, both written and offered 

in person. In order to ensure timely 

grant awards, the Secretary has decided 

to forgo public comment on the 

priorities, additional requirements, 

definitions, and selection criteria under 

section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These 

priorities, additional requirements, 

definitions, and selection criteria will 

apply to the FY 2011 grant competition 

and any subsequent year in which we 

make awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Program Authority: Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111–117) 

and 20 U.S.C. 6492. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except Federally 

recognized Indian Tribes. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$178,000,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2012 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$3,000,000–$70,000,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$25,000,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 3–18. 

Maximum Award: In order to balance 

the goal of stimulating comprehensive 

literacy reform by funding high-quality 

plans with the goal of recognizing a 

number of States that can serve as 

models for other States, the Department 

has developed mandatory budget limits 

by category of SEA awarded a grant 

under this program. These limits were 

determined by ranking every State 

according to its share of the national 

population of children in poverty ages 

5 through 17 based on data from ‘‘Table 

1: 2009 Poverty and Median Income 

Estimates—States’’ released by the Small 

Area Estimates Branch of the U.S. 

Census Bureau in December 2010. The 

Department identified the natural breaks 

in the data and then developed budget 

ranges for each category taking into 

consideration the total amount of funds 

available for awards under this program. 

These budget limits are mandatory for 

the SRCL competition. SRCL grantees 

will serve as models of best practices in 

comprehensive literacy education across 

the States and the country; accordingly, 

we want to ensure that the Secretary can 

fund, at an adequate level, a sufficient 

number of high-quality applications 

with available funding. 

For the FY 2011 competition and any 

subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, the 

applicant’s proposed budget must 

conform to the following budget limits: 

Category 1—up to $70 million: 

California, Texas. 

Category 2—up to $50 million: 

Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, 

New York, North Carolina, Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico. 

Category 3—up to $30 million: 

Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New 

Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, 

Virginia, Washington. 

Category 4—up to $15 million: 

Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, 

Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, 

Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Oklahoma, Oregon, West Virginia, 

Wisconsin, Utah. 

Category 5—up to $8 million: Alaska, 

Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, 

Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New 

Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, 

South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming. 

While each SEA applying for funds 

under this competition should develop 

a budget that is appropriate for the plan 

it outlines in its application, we will not 

consider an application if its budget 

request exceeds the budget limit 

provided in this notice for the 

applicant’s category. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

Budget Periods and Continuation 

Grants: Grants awarded under this 

competition may be for a project period 

of up to five years. Depending on the 

availability of funds, the Department 

will make continuation awards for years 

two and three of the project period in 

accordance with section 75.253 of 

EDGAR (34 CFR 75.253). However, to 

ensure that continuation funds will be 

used only for high-quality and effective 

projects, in determining whether to 

award continuation grants for years four 

and five the Department will consider 

the following factors: (1) Whether funds 

are available; (2) whether the grantee 

meets the requirements in section 

75.253 of EDGAR; and (3) whether the 

grantee is achieving the intended 

outcomes of the grant and shows 

improvement against baseline measures 

on the following indicators: 

(a) Demonstration of progress in the 

implementation of a comprehensive 

State literacy plan. 

(b) Demonstration of increased 

alignment of Federal and State funds 

and programs to support a coherent 

approach to effective literacy 

instruction. 

(c) Demonstration that it has provided 

high-quality technical assistance to 

subgrantees and implemented a rigorous 

monitoring process to ensure that SRCL 

subgrant funds are used to support 

effective literacy instruction. 

(d) Demonstration that it collects, 

analyzes, and uses high-quality and 

timely data, especially on program 

participant outcomes, to improve 

instructional practices, policies, and 

student outcomes in early learning 

programs and in schools. 

(e) Demonstration of improvement on 

the program performance measures as 

set out in Performance Measures, part 5 

of section VI of this notice, to the extent 

such data is available. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

package via the Internet at: http:// 

www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreadersliteracy/applicant.html, or by contacting 

Miriam Lund, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 3E245, Washington, DC 20202– 

6200. Telephone: (202) 401–2871 or by 

e-mail: striving.readers.

comprehensive.literacy@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 


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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 computer 

diskette) by contacting the program 

contact person listed in this section. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

April 1, 2011. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

is where you, the applicant, address the 

selection criteria that reviewers use to 

evaluate your application. You must 

limit the application narrative to 50 

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. 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

Our reviewers will not read any pages 

of your application that exceed the page 

limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 10, 

2011. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

April 1, 2011. We will be able to 

develop a more efficient process for 

reviewing grant applications if we are 

aware of the number of applicants that 

intend to apply for funding under this 

competition. Therefore, the Secretary 

strongly encourages each potential 

applicant to notify us of the applicant’s 

intent to submit an application for 

funding by sending a short e-mail 

message providing the applicant 

organization’s name and address. The 

Secretary requests that this e-mail be 

sent to striving.readers.

comprehensive.literacy@ed.gov with 

‘‘Intent to Apply’’ in the e-mail subject 

line. Applicants that do not provide this 

e-mail notification may still apply for 

funding. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 9, 2011. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under 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: July 5, 2011. 

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 Central Contractor 

Registry: 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 Central Contractor 

Registry (CCR), the Government’s 

primary registrant database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active CCR registration 

with current information while your 

application is under review by the 

Department and, if you are awarded a 

grant, during the project period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one business day. 

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 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The CCR registration process may take 

five or more business days to complete. 

If you are currently registered with the 

CCR, 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 CCR 

registration on an annual basis. This 

may take three or more business days to 

complete. 

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 in the Grants.gov 3- 

Step Registration Guide (see http:// 

www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.gov

RegistrationBrochure.pdf). 

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 

Striving Readers Comprehensive 

Literacy Grant program, CFDA number 

84.371C, must be submitted 

electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at http://www.Grants.gov. Through this 

site, you will be able to download a 

copy of the application package, 

complete it offline, and then upload and 

submit your application. You may not 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 Striving Readers 

Comprehensive Literacy Grant program 

at www.Grants.gov. You must search for 

the downloadable application package 

for this competition by the CFDA 

number. Do not include the CFDA 

number’s alpha suffix in your search 

(e.g., search for 84.371, not 84.371C). 

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 


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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 http://www.G5.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: the Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must attach any narrative 

sections of your application as files in 

a .PDF (Portable Document) format only. 

If you upload a file type other than a 

.PDF or submit a password-protected 

file, we will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. (This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department.) The 

Department then will retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov and send a 

second notification to you by e-mail. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to 

your application). 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under 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 that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. The 

Department will contact you after a 

determination is made on whether your 

application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

the Grants.gov system because— 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevent you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. 

If you mail your written statement to 

the Department, it must be postmarked 

no later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Miriam Lund, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 3E245, Washington, 

DC 20202. FAX: (202) 260–8969. 

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 84.371C), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

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

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 


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If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.371C), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, 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 maximum 

score for all of the selection criteria is 

100 points. The maximum score for 

each criterion and subcriterion is 

indicated in parentheses. The selection 

criteria for this competition are as 

follows: 

(A) Quality of State-level activities. 

(37 points) In determining the quality of 

State-level activities, the Secretary 

considers: 

(i) How the SEA will carry out the 

required State-level activities (described 

in the Additional Requirements section 

of this notice) and how it will align 

those activities with its comprehensive 

State literacy plan (10 points). 

(ii) The SEA’s goals for improving 

student literacy outcomes throughout 

the State for all students (e.g., limitedEnglish-proficient students and students 

with disabilities), including a 

description of the data (which may 

include data gathered through a needs 

assessment) that the SEA has considered 

or will consider and a clear and credible 

path that the SEA will take to achieve 

these goals with the support of its LEAs 

(8 points). 

(iii) How the SEA will provide 

technical assistance and support to its 

SRCL subgrantees (and, at its discretion, 

to other LEAs or early childhood 

education providers) to enable them to 

implement a high-quality 

comprehensive literacy program and to 

improve student achievement in core 

academic subjects (5 points). 

(iv) How the SEA will evaluate the 

State’s progress in improving 

achievement in literacy for children and 

youth from birth through grade 12, 

including disadvantaged students, 

including: (1) Whether the evaluation 

will be conducted by an independent 

evaluator (whose role in the project is 

limited solely to conducting the 

evaluation); (2) whether the evaluation 

will use methods that are thorough, 

feasible, and appropriate to the 

objectives of the proposed project; and 

(3) how the SEA will use evidence to 

inform and continuously improve the 

design and implementation of its 

activities (10 points). 

(v) How the SEA will disseminate 

information on project outcomes, 

disaggregated by student subgroup, and 

in formats that are easily understood by, 

and accessible to, the public, and how 

the SEA will make that information 

useful to varied groups (such as 

families, educators, researchers, other 

experts, early childhood education 

providers, and State leaders) (4 points). 

(B) Quality of the State subgrant 

competition. (28 points) In determining 

the quality of the applicant’s proposed 

SRCL subgrant competition, the 

Secretary considers: 

(i) The extent to which the SEA will 

run a rigorous, high-quality competition 

for subgrants, including how it will 

review and judge: 

(a) The LEA’s or early childhood 

education provider’s capacity to 

successfully implement its proposal (3 

points). 

(b) The extent to which each SRCL 

subgrant applicant has proposed a 

comprehensive high-quality literacy 

program that meets all of the 

requirements set out in paragraph (d) of 

the Additional Requirements section in 

this notice and that (8 points): 

(1) Addresses the needs of 

disadvantaged students and proposes to 

implement activities in schools and 

early learning programs with the highest 

levels of need and capacity for 

improvement. 

(2) Is informed by a needs assessment 

described in the application and is 

designed to support effective teaching 

and to improve student achievement of 

struggling readers. 

(3) Involves other agencies, nonprofit 

organizations, community-based 

organizations, and families in activities 

that promote the implementation of 

effective literacy instruction for 

disadvantaged students. 

(c) The extent to which each SRCL 

subgrant applicant demonstrates that it 

will implement a coherent strategy to 

improve literacy instruction that aligns 

activities under the SRCL subgrant with 

literacy instruction supported with 

other Federal funds, including with 

funds the entity receives under Title I, 

Title II–A, and Title III of the ESEA and, 

as appropriate, the Head Start Act, the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

Technical Education Act of 2006, and 

State and local funds (2 points). 

(ii) The extent to which the SEA will 

give priority to LEAs or providers of 

early childhood education that propose 

to serve high-poverty schools or a highpoverty population, based on a 

definition of poverty and process for 

applying the priority provided by the 

State (6 points). 

(iii) The extent to which the SEA will 

give priority to LEAs or providers of 

early childhood education whose 

applications are supported by the 

strongest available evidence (4 points). 

(iv) The extent to which the SEA will 

develop or update a process, or use an 

existing process, to review and judge the 

evidence base and alignment with State 

standards for the curricula and materials 

that LEAs propose to use in 

implementing their subgrants, and how 

the SEA will make the process and 

results of any such review publicly 

available (5 points). 

(C) Project management. (15 points) 

The Secretary considers the following 

factors in determining the quality of the 

project management plan: 

(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 (6 points). 

(ii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

personnel (5 points). 


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(iii) The extent to which the State will 

ensure a diversity of perspectives in the 

design and implementation of the 

proposed project, including those of: 

Families, teachers, early childhood 

education professionals, officials from 

other State and local agencies, Head 

Start Advisory Councils, professional 

organizations, institutions of higher 

education, community-based 

organizations, and libraries (4 points). 

(D) Adequacy of resources. (20 points) 

The Secretary considers the following 

factors in determining the adequacy of 

resources for the proposed project: 

(i) The extent to which the costs 

described in the SEA’s budget are 

reasonable in relation to the number of 

objectives, design, and potential 

significance of the proposed project (10 

points). 

(ii) The quality of the SEA’s plan to 

ensure that SRCL subgrant funds are 

allocated as follows: 

• At least 15 percent to serve children 

from birth through age five. 

• At least 40 percent to serve students 

in kindergarten through grade five. 

• At least 40 percent to serve students 

in middle and high school, through 

grade 12, including an equitable 

distribution of funds between middle 

and high schools (4 points). 

(iii) The extent to which the SEA will 

use the grant to leverage other State and 

Federal funds in order to maximize the 

impact of the grant and how it will 

support LEAs and early childhood 

education providers in integrating funds 

with other local, State, and Federal 

funds and in developing a plan for 

sustaining funding after the end of the 

subgrant (3 points). 

(iv) The extent to which the SEA will 

award SRCL subgrants of sufficient size 

to support projects that improve 

instruction for a significant number of 

students in the high-need schools or 

early learning programs serving children 

birth through five that the SRCL 

subgrantee would serve (3 points). 

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 also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 

74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may 

impose special 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 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has 

not fulfilled the conditions of a prior 

grant; or is otherwise not responsible. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may notify you informally, 

also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Transparency: After awards are 

made under this competition, all of the 

submitted applications (both successful 

and unsuccessful), together with 

reviewer scores and comments for those 

applications, will be posted on the 

Department’s Web site. 

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to http:// 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/

appforms/appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: The 

Department has established the 

following Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) performance 

measures for the Striving Readers 

Comprehensive Literacy grant program: 

(1) The percentage of participating 4- 

year-old children who achieve 

significant gains in oral language skills. 

(2) The percentage of participating 

5th-grade students who meet or exceed 

proficiency on State English language 

arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA. 

(3) The percentage of participating 

8th-grade students who meet or exceed 

proficiency on State English language 

arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA. 

(4) The percentage of participating 

high school students who meet or 

exceed proficiency on State English 

language arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA. 

Alternative Measures 

All States are required to report on 

Performance Measure 1 above. States 

have the option of either reporting on 

Performance Measures 2, 3, and 4 above, 

or reporting on the following growth 

measures: 

(2) The percentage of participating 

5th-grade students who meet or exceed 

proficiency on State English language 

arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA, including those 

students who demonstrate adequate 

growth under the State’s Departmentapproved growth model and are counted 

as meeting or exceeding proficiency for 

purposes of accountability 

determinations. 

(3) The percentage of participating 

8th-grade students who meet or exceed 

proficiency on State English/language 

arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA, including those 

students who demonstrate adequate 

growth under the State’s Departmentapproved growth model and are counted 

as meeting or exceeding proficiency for 

purposes of accountability 

determinations. 

(4) The percentage of participating 

high school students who meet or 

exceed proficiency on the State English 

language arts assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA, including those 

students who demonstrate adequate 

growth under the State’s Departmentapproved growth model and are counted 

as meeting or exceeding proficiency for 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
13152 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 47 / Thursday, March 10, 2011 / Notices 

purposes of accountability 

determinations. 

All of the performance measures 

described in this section will include 

data disaggregated for disadvantaged 

students, including limited-Englishproficient students and students with 

disabilities. 

The measures described in this 

section constitute the Department’s 

indicators of success for this program. 

Consequently, we advise an applicant 

for a grant under this program to give 

careful consideration to these measures 

in conceptualizing the approach and 

evaluation for its proposed project. Each 

grantee will be required to provide, in 

its annual performance and final 

reports, data about its progress in 

meeting these measures. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award, the Secretary may 

consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the 

extent to which a grantee has made 

‘‘substantial progress toward meeting the 

objectives in its approved application.’’ 

This consideration includes the review 

of a grantee’s progress in meeting the 

targets and projected outcomes in its 

approved application, and whether the 

grantee has expended funds in a manner 

that is consistent with its approved 

application and budget. In making a 

continuation grant, the Secretary also 

considers whether the grantee is 

operating in compliance with the 

assurances in its approved application, 

including those applicable to Federal 

civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). In 

addition, in making continuation 

awards for years four and five, the 

Department will consider whether the 

grantee is achieving the intended 

outcomes of the grant and shows 

improvement against baseline data on 

specific indicators (listed in this notice 

under Budget Periods and Continuation 

Grants). 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: 

Miriam Lund, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 3E245, Washington, DC 20202– 

6200. Telephone: (202) 401–2871 or by 

e-mail: striving.readers.

comprehensive.literacy@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the 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 computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under For Further 

Information Contact in section VII of 

this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: March 7, 2011. 

Thelma Mele ́ndez de Santa Ana, 

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5545 Filed 3–9–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

RIN 1855–ZA07 

Promise Neighborhoods Program 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.215P. 

AGENCY: Office of Innovation and 

Improvement, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities, 

requirements, definitions, and selection 

criteria. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education 

(Secretary) proposes priorities, 

requirements, definitions, and selection 

criteria under the legislative authority of 

the Fund for the Improvement of 

Education Program (FIE), title V, part D, 

subpart 1, sections 5411 through 5413 of 

the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA). The Secretary may use one or 

more of these priorities, requirements, 

definitions, and selection criteria for 

Promise Neighborhoods competitions 

for fiscal year (FY) 2011 and later years. 

We take this action to focus Federal 

assistance on projects that are designed 

to create a comprehensive continuum of 

solutions, including education programs 

and family and community supports, 

with great schools at the center. The 

continuum of solutions must be 

designed to significantly improve the 

educational and developmental 

outcomes of children and youth, from 

birth through college and to a career. We 

intend that these projects support 

organizations that focus on serving highneed neighborhoods, have a strategy to 

build a continuum of solutions, and 

have the capacity to achieve results. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before April 11, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

this notice to Jill Staton, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 4W245, 

Washington, DC 20202–5970. 

If you prefer to send your comments 

by e-mail, use the following address: 

pn2011comments@ed.gov. You must 

include the term ‘‘PN—Comments on FY 

2011 Proposed Priority’’ in the subject 

line of your electronic message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill 

Staton. Telephone: (202) 453–6615 or by 

e-mail: pn2011comments@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 

Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments regarding this 

notice. To ensure that your comments 

have maximum effect in developing the 

notice of final priorities, requirements, 

definitions, and selection criteria, we 

urge you to identify clearly the specific 

proposed priority, requirement, 

definition, or selection criterion that 

each comment addresses. 

We invite you to assist us in 

complying with the specific 

requirements of Executive Order 12866 

and its overall requirement of reducing 

regulatory burden that might result from 

the proposed priorities, requirements, 

definitions, and selection criteria. Please 

let us know of any further ways we 

could reduce potential costs or increase 

potential benefits while preserving the 

effective and efficient administration of 

the program. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about this notice in room 4W335, 400 

Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, 

DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 

4:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, 

Monday through Friday of each week 

except Federal holidays. 

Assistance to Individuals With 

Disabilities in Reviewing the 

Rulemaking Record: On request we will 

provide an appropriate accommodation 

or auxiliary aid to an individual with a 

disability who needs assistance to 

review the comments or other 

documents in the public rulemaking 

record for this notice. If you want to 

schedule an appointment for this type of 

accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES