[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 83 (Monday, April 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25463-25469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10382]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
Grants Program--Enhanced Assessment Instruments (Accessibility 
Competition)

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

ACTION: Notice.

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    Overview Information:
    Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program--Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments (Accessibility Competition) Notice inviting applications 
for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2011 funds.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.368A-2.

DATES: 
    Applications Available: April 30, 2012.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 30, 2012.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 14, 2012.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 13, 2012.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Enhanced Assessments 
Instruments Grants program, also called the Enhanced Assessment Grants 
(EAG) program, is to enhance the quality of assessment instruments and 
systems used by States for measuring the

[[Page 25464]]

academic achievement of elementary and secondary school students.
    In 2012, the Department is holding two separate competitions for FY 
2011 EAG funds. The competition announced in this notice (EAG 
Accessibility Competition) (CFDA No. 84.368A-2) will support efforts 
designed to advance practice significantly in the area of increasing 
the accessibility and validity of assessments for students with 
disabilities or limited English proficiency, or both, including 
strategies for test design, administration with accommodations, 
scoring, and reporting. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register 
we are publishing a notice inviting applications for a separate 
competition for FY 2011 EAG funds to be awarded in 2012 (the EAG 
English Language Proficiency (ELP) Competition, CFDA No. 84.368A-1). 
The Department may use any unused funds from the competition announced 
in this notice to make awards in the EAG ELP Competition. Conversely, 
the Department may use any unused funds from the EAG ELP Competition to 
make awards in the competition announced in this notice.
    Priorities: This competition includes four absolute priorities and 
three competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 
75.105(b)(2)(iv), absolute priorities 1 through 4 (Statutory 
Priorities) are based on section 6112 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7301a). Competitive 
Preference Priority 1 and Competitive Preference Priority 3 are from 
Appendix E to the notice of final requirements for optional State 
consolidated applications submitted under section 9302 of the ESEA, 
published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967). 
Competitive Preference Priority 2 is from the notice of final 
priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria, 
published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2011 (76 FR 21986).
    Absolute Priorities: For awards made from this competition in 2012 
with FY 2011 funds, and any subsequent year in which we make awards 
from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, these 
priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we 
consider only applications that meet one or more of the Statutory 
Priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Absolute Priority 1--Collaboration. Collaborate with institutions 
of higher education, other research institutions, or other 
organizations to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of 
State academic assessments beyond the requirements for these 
assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA.
    Absolute Priority 2--Use of Multiple Measures of Student Academic 
Achievement. Measure student academic achievement using multiple 
measures of student academic achievement from multiple sources.
    Absolute Priority 3--Charting Student Progress Over Time. Chart 
student progress over time.
    Absolute Priority 4--Comprehensive Academic Assessment Instruments. 
Evaluate student academic achievement through the development of 
comprehensive academic assessment instruments, such as performance- and 
technology-based academic assessments.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For awards made in 2012 with FY 
2011 funds, and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the 
list of unfunded applicants from this competition, the following 
priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 25 points to an 
application, depending on how well the application meets these 
competitive preference priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Competitive Preference Priority 1--Accommodations and Alternate 
Assessments (up to 15 points). Applications that can be expected to 
advance practice significantly in the area of increasing accessibility 
and validity of assessments for students with disabilities or limited 
English proficiency, or both, including strategies for test design, 
administration with accommodations, scoring, and reporting.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2--Collaborative Efforts Among 
States (up to 5 points).
    To meet this priority, an applicant must--
    (a) Include a minimum of 15 States in the consortium;
    (b) Identify in its application a proposed project management 
partner and provide an assurance that the proposed project management 
partner is not partnered with any other eligible applicant applying for 
an award under this competition \1\;
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    \1\ In selecting a proposed project management partner, an 
eligible applicant must comply with the requirements for procurement 
in 34 CFR 80.36.
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    (c) Provide a description of the consortium's structure and 
operation. The description must include--
    (1) The organizational structure of the consortium (e.g., 
differentiated roles that a member State may hold);
    (2) The consortium's method and process (e.g., consensus, majority) 
for making different types of decisions (e.g., policy, operational);
    (3) The protocols by which the consortium will operate, including 
protocols for member States to change roles in the consortium, for 
member States to leave the consortium, and for new member States to 
join the consortium;
    (4) The consortium's plan, including the process and timeline, for 
setting key policies and definitions for implementing the proposed 
project, including, for any assessments developed through a project 
funded by this grant, the common set of standards upon which to base 
the assessments, a common set of performance-level descriptors, a 
common set of achievement standards, common assessment administration 
procedures, common item-release and test-security policies, and a 
common set of policies and procedures for accommodations and student 
participation; and
    (5) The consortium's plan for managing grant funds received under 
this competition; and
    (d) Provide a memorandum of understanding or other binding 
agreement executed by each State in the consortium that includes an 
assurance that, to remain in the consortium, the State will adopt or 
use any instrument, including to the extent applicable, assessments, 
developed under the proposed project no later than the end of the 
project period.
    Competitive Preference Priority 3--Dissemination (5 points). 
Applications that include an effective plan for dissemination of 
results.
    Requirements: The following requirement, which was published in the 
Federal Register on April 19, 2011 (76 FR 21986), applies to this 
competition. An eligible applicant awarded a grant under this program 
must:
    Unless otherwise protected by law or agreement as proprietary 
information, make any assessment content (i.e., assessments and 
assessment items) and other assessment-related instruments developed 
with funds from this competition freely available to States, technology 
platform providers, and others that request it for purposes of 
administering assessments, provided that those parties receiving 
assessment content comply with consortium or State requirements for 
test or item security.
    Definitions: The following definition, which was published in the 
Federal Register on April 19, 2011 (76 FR 21986), applies to this 
competition.

[[Page 25465]]

    Student with a disability means a student who has been identified 
as a child with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act, as amended.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7301a and 7842.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Debarment and Suspension 
regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The notice of final requirements 
for optional State consolidated applications submitted under section 
9302 of the ESEA, published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2002 (67 
FR 35967). (d) The notice of final priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria, published in the Federal Register 
on April 19, 2011 (76 FR 21986). (e) The notice of final revision to 
selection criteria, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $3,900,000 in FY 2011 funds to be 
awarded in 2012. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the 
quality of applications, we may make additional awards with FY 2012 
funds from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $1,000,000 to $3,000,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $1,950,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 2.

    Note: Applicants should submit a single budget request for a 
single budget and project period of up to 24 months. Subject to the 
availability of future years' funds, the Department may make 
supplemental grant awards to the grants awarded with FY 2011 funds.


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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months.

III. Eligibility Information

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

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can access the 
electronic grant application for the Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
Grants 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 
84.368, not 84.368A). Your search will result in two grant 
opportunities; be sure to select the opportunity for the EAG 
Accessibility Competition application package. You can also obtain a 
copy of the application package by contacting the program contact 
persons listed under Agency Contacts in section VII of this notice.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the person listed under Accessible 
Format in section VIII of this notice.
    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.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part 4 of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application and the absolute and 
competitive preference priorities. You must limit the application 
narrative (Part IV) to the equivalent of no more than 45 pages, using 
the following standards:
    <bullet> A ``page'' is 8.5<gr-thn-eq> x 11<gr-thn-eq>, on one side 
only with 1'' margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    <bullet> Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    <bullet> Times New Roman font no smaller than 11.0 point for all 
text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs. (Font sizes that round up to 11, 
such as 10.7 point, will be considered as smaller than 11.0.)
    <bullet> Any screen shots included as part of the application 
narrative should follow these standards or, if other standards are 
applied, be sized to equal the equivalent amount of space if these 
standards were applied.
    The page limit does not apply to: Part 1 (including the response 
regarding research activities involving human subjects); Parts 2 and 5 
(the budget sections, including the chart and narrative budget 
justification); Part 3 (one-page project abstract); Part 6 (other 
attachments forms, including, if applicable, references/bibliography 
for the application narrative; r[eacute]sum[eacute]s for the project 
director and key personnel--applicants are encouraged to limit each 
r[eacute]sum[eacute] to no more than five pages; memoranda of 
understanding or other binding agreement; assurance regarding 
management partner; copy of indirect cost rate agreement; and letters 
of commit and support); and Part 7 (the assurances and certifications, 
including the General Education Provisions Act 427 response).
    The page limit applies to Part 4 project narrative, including any 
table of contents for it. This section must include a discussion of how 
the application meets at least one of the absolute priorities, how well 
the application meets the competitive preference priorities (if 
applicable), and how well the application addresses each of the 
selection criteria. The page limit also applies to any attachments to 
the project narrative other than references/bibliography. In other 
words, the entirety of Part 4 of the application, including the 
discussion described in this paragraph and any attachments to the 
narrative, must be limited to the equivalent of no more than 45 pages. 
The only allowable attachments other than any included in the project 
narrative are those described in Part 6. Any attachments other than 
those included within the page limit of the project narrative and those 
outlined for Part 6 will not be reviewed.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your project narrative 
that exceed the page limit or that exceed the equivalent of the page 
limit if you apply other standards. Applicants are encouraged to submit 
applications that meet the page limit following the standards outlined 
in this section rather than submitting applications that are the 
equivalent of the page limit applying other standards.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: April 30, 2012.
    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 30, 2012.
    We will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing 
grant applications if we have a better understanding of the number of 
applicants that intend to apply for funding under this competition. 
Therefore, the Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant 
to

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notify us of the applicant's intent to submit an application for 
funding by sending a short email message. This short email should 
provide the applicant organization's name and address. The Secretary 
requests that this email be sent to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#03406c6f6f667777662d516c6d667a4366672d646c75"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d3e12111118090918532f121318043d1819531a120b">[email protected]</span></a> with ``Intent 
to Apply'' in the email subject line. Applicants that do not provide 
this email notification may still apply for funding.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 14, 2012.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). Note that 
applications for this EAG Accessibility Competition must be submitted 
under CFDA number 84.368A-2; only applications for the EAG ELP 
Competition should be submitted under CFDA number 84.368A-1. 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: August 13, 2012.
    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 in 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 Web page: www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.
    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 Enhanced Assessment Instruments 
Grants Program, CFDA number 84.368A-2, must be submitted electronically 
using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. 
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the 
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit 
your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant 
application to us. You should submit applications to this competition, 
the EAG Accessibility Competition, under CFDA number 84.368A-2; do not 
submit applications for this competition under CFDA number 84.368A-1, 
which is the number for the EAG ELP Competition.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Enhanced 
Assessment Instruments Grants 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 84.368, not 84.368A).
    Please note the following:
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must 
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if 
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from 
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application 
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through

[[Page 25467]]

Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this 
competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely 
manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education 
Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on 
the Department's G5 system home page at www.G5.gov.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: The 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications.
    <bullet> You must upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) 
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or 
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 
non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not 
review that material.
    <bullet> Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
    <bullet> After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by email. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 
identifying number unique to your application).
    <bullet> 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--
    <bullet> You do not have access to the Internet; or
    <bullet> You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system;

and

    <bullet> 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: Collette Roney, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 3W210, 
Washington, DC 20202. Fax: (202) 260-7764.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.368A-2), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

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

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:

[[Page 25468]]

(CFDA Number 84.368A-2), 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 selection criteria for this competition 
are from the notice of final priorities, requirements, definitions, and 
selection criteria, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal 
Register and are listed in the application package.
    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. 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).
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed four measures 
to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments Grants program: (1) The number of States that participate 
in Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants projects funded by this 
competition; (2) the percentage of grantees that, at least twice during 
the period of their grants, make available to SEA staff in non-
participating States and to assessment researchers information on 
findings resulting from the Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants 
through presentations at national conferences, publications in refereed 
journals, or other products disseminated to the assessment community; 
(3) for each grant cycle and as determined by an expert panel, the 
percentage of Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants that yield 
significant research, methodologies, products, or tools regarding 
assessment systems or assessments; and (4) for each grant cycle and as 
determined by an expert panel, the percentage of Enhanced Assessment 
Instruments Grants that yield significant research, methodologies, 
products, or tools specifically regarding accommodations and alternate 
assessments for students with disabilities and limited English 
proficient students. Grantees will be expected to include in their 
interim and final performance reports information about the 
accomplishments of their projects because the Department will need data 
on these measures.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Collette Roney, Enhanced Assessment 
Grants Program, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3W210, 
Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 401-5245 or by email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4605292a2a2332322368142928233f06232268212930"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="14577b7878716060713a467b7a716d5471703a737b62">[email protected]</span></a>.
    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 compact disc) on request to 
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
in section VII in this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.


[[Page 25469]]


    Dated: April 25, 2012.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2012-10382 Filed 4-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P


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