5324 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2004 / Notices 

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: There are reporting 

requirements under this program, 

including under section 5505(a) of the 

ESEA and 34 CFR 75.590 and 75.720. In 

accordance with section 5505(a) of the 

ESEA, grantees under this program are 

required to submit an annual report 

that: (1) Describes the activities 

conducted during the preceding year; 

and (2) demonstrates that progress has 

been made toward meeting State 

standards for physical education. In 

accordance with 34 CFR 75.590, 

grantees must submit an annual 

performance report that evaluates: 

a. Progress in achieving the objectives 

in the approved application; 

b. The effectiveness of the project in 

meeting the purposes of the program; 

and 

c. The effect of the project on 

participants served by the project. 

The annual performance report must 

address these reporting requirements 

and progress toward meeting the 

following performance measures 

established by the Secretary for this 

program.

In addition, at the end of the project 

period, a final performance and 

financial report must be submitted as 

specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 

75.720. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Secretary has established the following 

key performance measures for assessing 

the effectiveness of the Carol M. White 

Physical Education Program: 

a. The number and percentage of 

students served by the grant actively 

participating in physical education 

activities will increase; and 

b. The number and percentage of 

students served by the grant who make 

progress toward meeting State standards 

for physical education will increase. 

These two measures constitute the 

Department’s indicators of success for 

this program. Consequently, applicants 

for a grant under this program are 

advised to give careful consideration to 

these two outcomes in conceptualizing 

the design, implementation, and 

evaluation of their proposed project. If 

funded, applicants will be asked to 

collect and report data in their annual 

performance reports about progress 

toward these goals. The Secretary will 

also use this information to respond to 

reporting requirements concerning this 

program established in Section 5421(f) 

of the ESEA. 

VII. Agency Contacts

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann 

Weinheimer or Pat Rattler, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., room 3E–330, 

Washington, DC 20202–6450. 

Telephone: (202) 260–5939 or by e-mail: 

Ann.Weinheimer@ed.gov or 

Pat.Rattler@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

format (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the program contact persons 

listed in this section. 

VIII. Other Information 

Electronic Access to This Document:

You may 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. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC, area at (202) 512–1530.

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: January 30, 2004. 

William Modzeleski, 

Associate Deputy Under Secretary, Office of 

Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

[FR Doc. 04–2284 Filed 2–3–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of English Language 

Acquisition, Language Enhancement, 

and Academic Achievement for 

Limited English Proficient Students: 

Overview Information; National 

Professional Development Program; 

Notice Inviting Applications for New 

Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.195N.

DATES: Applications Available: February 

4, 2004. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

February 19, 2004. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 5, 2004. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 4, 2004. 

Eligible Applicants: Institutions of 

higher education in consortia with State 

educational agencies or local 

educational agencies. 

Estimated Available Funds:

3,100,000. 

Estimated Range of Awards:

$100,000–$150,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$125,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the National Professional Development 

Program is to provide for professional 

development activities that will 

improve classroom instruction for 

limited English proficient (LEP) 

children and assist educational 

personnel working with such children 

to meet high professional standards, 

including standards for certification and 

licensure as teachers who work in 

language instruction education 

programs or serve LEP children. 

Priorities: Under this competition we 

are particularly interested in 

applications that address the following 

priorities. 

Invitational Priorities: For FY 2004 

these priorities are invitational 

priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we 

do not give an application that meets 

these invitational priorities a 

competitive or absolute preference over 

other applications. 

These priorities are:

Invitational Priority 1. Applications 

that propose to prepare teachers to 

involve parents and community groups 

in school improvement. 

Invitational Priority 2. Applications 

that propose professional development 

that is designed to prepare regular 

classroom teachers in curricula, 

instructional strategies, and assessment 

of LEP students and that is aligned with 

State academic content standards, 

academic achievement standards, and 

English language proficiency standards. 

Invitational Priority 3. Applications 

that propose professional development 

that is designed to prepare noninstructional staff, such as counselors

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2004 / Notices 5325

and administrators to meet the needs of 

LEP students. 

Invitational Priority 4. Applications 

that propose to prepare participants 

with proficiency in a language other 

than English and high academic 

achievement to teach in dual language 

programs, including providing 

professional development to ensure that 

participants meet the Highly Qualified 

Teacher requirements of the No Child 

Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and that 

they are prepared to provide challenging 

content in languages of instruction. 

Invitational Priority 5. Applications 

that propose to develop or improve 

teacher preparation curricula and 

materials for all teachers to better reflect 

the needs of LEP students, and which 

may include professional development 

to improve the knowledge and skills of 

higher education faculty. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6861. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

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

84, 85, 86, 97, and 99.

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:

3,100,000. 

Estimated Range of Awards:

$100,000–$150,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$125,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 25.

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of 

higher education in consortia with State 

educational agencies or local 

educational agencies. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not involve cost sharing 

or matching. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Patrice Swann, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Ave, SW., room 5626, Washington, DC 

20202–6510. Telephone: (202) 205–

8966, or by e-mail: 

patrice.swann@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an alternative 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 

program. 

Notice of Intent to Apply: If you 

intend to apply for a grant under this 

competition, contact Robert Trifiletti: 

Telephone: (202) 205–5712 or by e-mail: 

robert.trifiletti@ed.gov. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit Part III 

to the equivalent of no more than 35 

pages using the following standards. 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ × 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides.

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one page abstract. 

However, you must include all of the 

application narrative in Part III. 

We will reject your application if—

• You apply these standards and 

exceed the page limit; or 

• You apply other standards and 

exceed the equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: February 4, 

2004. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

February 19, 2004. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 5, 2004. 

The dates and times for the 

transmittal of applications by mail or by 

hand (including a courier service or 

commercial carrier) are in the 

application package for this program. 

The application package also specifies 

the hours of operation of the eApplication Web site. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. However, we will 

consider an application, submitted by 

the deadline date for submission of 

applications, even if the applicant did 

not provide us notice of its intent to 

apply by the deadline date specified 

above. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 4, 2004. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program 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 

program. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements:

Instructions and requirements for the 

transmittal of applications by mail or by 

hand (including a courier service or 

commercial carrier) are in the 

application package for this program.

Application Procedures:

Note: Some of the procedures in these 

instructions for transmitting applications 

differ from those in the Education 

Department General Administrative 

Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under 

the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 

553) the Department generally offers 

interested parties the opportunity to 

comment on proposed regulations. However, 

these amendments make procedural changes 

only and do not establish new substantive 

policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), 

the Secretary has determined that proposed 

rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submittal 

of Applications: We are continuing to 

expand our pilot project for electronic 

submission of applications to include 

additional formula grant programs and 

additional discretionary grant 

competitions. The National Professional 

Development Program—CFDA Number 

84.195N is one of the programs included 

in the pilot project. If you are an 

applicant under the National 

Professional Development Program, you 

may submit your application to us in 

either electronic or paper format. 

The pilot project involves the use of 

the Electronic Grant Applications 

System (e-Application). If you use eApplication, you will be entering data 

online while completing your 

application. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. If you participate in this voluntary 

pilot project by submitting an 

application electronically, the data you 

enter online will be saved into a 

database. We request your participation 

in e-Application. We shall continue to 

evaluate its success and solicit 

suggestions for its improvement.

5326 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2004 / Notices 

If you participate in e-Application, 

please note the following: 

• Your participation is voluntary. 

• When you enter the e-Application 

system, you will find information about 

its hours of operation. We strongly 

recommend that you do not wait until 

the application deadline date to initiate 

an e-Application package. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit a grant 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit an 

application in paper format. 

• You may submit all documents 

electronically, including the 

Application for Federal Education 

Assistance (ED 424), Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 

assurances and certifications. 

• Your e-Application must comply 

with any page limit requirements 

described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgement, which 

will include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the Application for 

Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) 

to the Application Control Center after 

following theses steps: 

1. Print ED 424 from e-Application. 

2. The institution’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

3. Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hard 

copy signature page of the ED 424. 

4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

260–1349. 

• We may request that you give us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of System Unavailability: If you 

elect to participate in the e-Application 

pilot for the National Professional 

Development Program and you are 

prevented from submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because the e-Application system is 

unavailable, we will grant you an 

extension of one business day in order 

to transmit your application 

electronically, by mail, or by hand 

delivery. We will grant this extension 

if—

1. You are a registered user of eApplication, and you have initiated an 

e-Application for this competition; and 

2. (a) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for 60 minutes between the 

hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date; or 

(b) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for any period of time 

during the last hour of operation (that is, 

for any period of time between 3:30 p.m. 

and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on 

the application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgement of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-GRANTS help desk at 1–888–336–

8930. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the National Professional 

Development Program at: http://egrants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information 

Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are as follows: 

(a) Need for project. (10 points) 

The Secretary considers the need for 

the proposed project. In determining the 

need for the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers one or more of the 

following factors: 

(1) The magnitude of the need for the 

services to be provided or the activities 

to be carried out by the proposed 

project. 

(2) The extent to which the proposed 

project will prepare personnel for fields 

in which shortages have been 

demonstrated. 

(b) Quality of the project design. (30 

points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the design of the proposed project. In 

determining the quality of the design of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers one or more of the following 

factors: 

(1) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(2) The extent to which the design of 

the proposed project is appropriate to, 

and will successfully address, the needs 

of the target population or other 

identified needs. 

(3) The extent to which the proposed 

project is designed to build capacity and 

yield results that will extend beyond the 

period of Federal financial assistance.

(4) The extent to which the proposed 

project is part of a comprehensive effort 

to improve teaching and learning and 

support rigorous academic standards for 

students. 

(c) Quality of project services. (20 

points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the services to be provided by the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the quality and sufficiency of 

strategies for ensuring equal access and 

treatment for eligible project 

participants who are members of groups 

that have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. In addition, the Secretary 

considers one or more of the following 

factors: 

(1) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

reflect up-to-date knowledge from 

research and effective practice. 

(2) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are of 

sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services. 

(3) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services. 

(d) Quality of project personnel. (10 

points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the personnel who will carry out the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of project personnel, the 

Secretary considers the extent to which 

the applicant encourages applications 

for employment from persons who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. In addition, 

the Secretary considers one or more of 

the following factors: 

(1) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of the 

project director or principal 

investigator. 

(2) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel. 

(e) Quality of the management plan.

(10 points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the management plan for the proposed 

project. In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers one or 

more of the following factors: 

(1) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks.

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 23 / Wednesday, February 4, 2004 / Notices 5327

(2) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 

project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project. 

(3) How the applicant will ensure that 

a diversity of perspectives are brought to 

bear in the operation of the proposed 

project, including those of parents, 

teachers, the business community, a 

variety of disciplinary and professional 

fields, recipients or beneficiaries of 

services, or others, as appropriate. 

(f) Quality of the project evaluation.

(20 points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the evaluation to be conducted of the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 

considers one or more of the following 

factors: 

(1) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project. 

(2) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation provide for examining the 

effectiveness of project implementation 

strategies. 

(3) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation include the use of 

objective performance measures that are 

clearly related to the intended outcomes 

of the project and will produce 

quantitative and qualitative data to the 

extent possible. 

(4) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes. 

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 also notify you 

informally. 

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: 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 specified by 

the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. 

4. Performance Measures:

Performance measures for the National 

Professional Development Program are: 

1. Program improvement related to K–

12 state standards, scientifically based 

research practices, or development of 

subject area competence. 

2. Effectiveness of graduates/

completers in the instructional setting. 

3. The rate of placement of graduates 

in an instructional setting serving LEP 

students, within one year of graduation. 

4. The percentage of program 

completers who are highly qualified 

teachers as defined in the NCLB’s 

Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements. 

Grantees will be expected to report on 

progress in meeting the performance 

measures for the National Professional 

Development Program in their Annual 

Performance Report and in their Final 

Performance Report. 

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Samuel Lopez, 400 Maryland Avenue, 

SW., Switzer Building, room 5605, 

Washington, DC 20202–6510. 

Telephone: (202) 401–1427, or by email: Samuel.Lopez@ed.gov.

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

format (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed in this section. 

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

Electronic Access to This Document:

You may 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. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC area at (202) 512–1530.

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: January 30, 2004. 

Maria H. Ferrier, 

Deputy Under Secretary and Director for 

English Language Acquisition, Language 

Enhancement, and Academic Achievement 

for Limited English Proficient Students.

[FR Doc. 04–2285 Filed 2–3–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1820 ZA26 

National Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for 

Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services proposes priorities under the 

Rehabilitation Research and Training 

Centers (RRTC) Program for the National 

Institute on Disability and 

Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The 

Assistant Secretary may use one or more 

of these priorities for competitions in 

fiscal year (FY) 2004 and later years. We 

take this action to focus research 

attention on areas of national need. We 

intend these priorities to improve 

employment-related rehabilitation 

services and outcomes for individuals 

with disabilities.

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before March 5, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

these proposed priorities to Donna 

Nangle, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3412, 

Switzer Building, Washington, DC 

20202–2645. If you prefer to send your 

comments through the Internet, use the 

following address: 

donna.nangle@ed.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donna Nangle. Telephone: (202) 205–

5880. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the TDD number at (202) 205–4475 or 

via the Internet: donna.nangle@ed.gov.

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

format (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: