65034 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Innovation and Improvement 

(OII) Overview Information; Advanced 

Placement Incentive (API) Program; 

Notice Inviting Applications for New 

Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.330C.

Dates: Applications Available:

November 9, 2004. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

December 15, 2004. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: January 5, 2005. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: March 7, 2005. 

Eligible Applicants:

(a) State educational agencies (SEAs); 

(b) Local educational agencies (LEAs), 

including charter schools that are 

considered LEAs under State law; or 

(c) National nonprofit educational 

entities with expertise in advanced 

placement services.

Note: In the case of an eligible entity that 

is an SEA, the SEA may use API grant funds 

to award subgrants to LEAs to enable those 

LEAs to carry out authorized activities that 

support the absolute priority for this 

competition.

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$51,534,000 for the Advanced 

Placement programs for FY 2005. The 

actual level of funding depends on final 

congressional action. The Department is 

inviting applications for this 

competition now so that it may be 

prepared to make awards following final 

congressional action on the 

Department’s appropriation bill. Based 

on the Administration’s request, we 

estimate that $25 million will be 

available for new awards under this 

competition.

Note: In accordance with statutory 

requirements, this estimate is based on the 

amount of funds the Secretary estimates will 

be available after the Department has 

awarded grants under the Advanced 

Placement Test Fee program, which is being 

announced separately under CFDA number 

84.330B.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$500,000—$1,000,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$750,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 32.

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months. 

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The API 

program, funded under section 1705 of 

Title I, Part G of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965 

(ESEA), as amended by the No Child 

Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), awards 

competitive grants designed to increase 

the successful participation of lowincome students in pre-advanced 

placement and advanced placement 

courses and tests. By supporting 

increased access to and participation in 

pre-advanced placement and advanced 

placement courses and tests, the 

program provides greater opportunities 

for low-income students to achieve to 

high standards in English, mathematics, 

science, and other core subjects. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

one absolute priority and four 

competitive preference priorities. In 

accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) 

and (b)(2)(v), these priorities are from 

the priorities and allowable activities 

specified in section 1705(c) and (d) of 

the ESEA, as amended by the NCLB (20 

U.S.C. 6535–6537). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2005 this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: Implementation of 

Pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced 

Placement Programs in High-Poverty 

Schools. The Secretary establishes an 

absolute priority for applications that: 

(1) Demonstrate an intent to carry out 

activities that target schools, or LEAs 

operating schools, with a high 

concentration of low-income students 

(and, if the applicant is an LEA, propose 

to serve schools with a high 

concentration of low-income students); 

and 

(2) Propose to develop, enhance, or 

expand pre-advanced placement 

courses, in conjunction with advanced 

placement courses, in English, 

mathematics, science, and other core 

academic areas at the middle or high 

school level. Effective pre-advanced 

placement programs should increase the 

level of participation of low-income 

students who enroll and succeed in 

advanced placement courses and tests 

in core academic areas. Proposals may 

include vertical teams training, highquality professional development for 

pre-advanced placement and advanced 

placement teachers, and coordination of 

curriculum design and development 

between middle and high school 

teachers.

Notes: (1) Pre-advanced placement courses 

are intended to provide middle and high 

school students with the critical thinking 

skills, content knowledge, and study habits 

necessary for successful participation in 

advanced placement courses. Applicants 

should explain why the courses supported by 

the proposed project qualify as pre-advanced 

placement or advanced placement. 

(2) For the definitions of low-income 

individual (including a list of other types of 

data that may be used to verify low-income 

status) and high concentration of low-income 

students, see the definitions in Section III. 3. 

Other of this notice.

Allowable Activities: Activities 

supported under this priority must be 

designed to expand access for lowincome individuals to pre-advanced 

placement and advanced placement 

programs and must involve one or more 

of the following: 

• Teacher training; 

• Pre-advanced placement course 

development; 

• Coordination and articulation 

between grade levels to prepare students 

to enter and succeed in advanced 

placement courses; 

• Books and supplies; 

• Activities to increase the 

availability of, and participation in, online advanced placement courses; or 

• Any other activity directly related 

to expanding access to and participation 

in pre-advanced placement and 

advanced placement programs, 

particularly for low-income individuals. 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2005 these priorities are competitive 

preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(i), we award up to an 

additional sixteen (16) points to an 

application, depending on the extent to 

which the application meets one or 

more of these priorities. 

These priorities are: Competitive 

Preference Priority 1: Up to ten (10) 

points for demonstrating a pervasive 

need for the development of preadvanced placement or advanced 

placement courses for middle or high 

schools where there are few or no 

advanced placement courses currently 

available. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Up 

to two (2) points for demonstrating 

involvement of business and 

community organizations in the 

activities assisted. 

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Up 

to two (2) points for demonstrating the 

availability of matching funds from 

State, local, or other sources to pay for 

a portion of the cost of activities to be 

assisted. 

Competitive Preference Priority 4: Up 

to two (2) points for demonstrating the 

intent to carry out activities to increase 

the availability of, and participation in, 

on-line advanced placement courses.

Note: These priority points are in addition 

to any points the applicant earns under the 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 65035

Selection Criteria described elsewhere in this 

notice (see V. Application Review 

Information). The Selection Criteria will not 

be used to evaluate these competitive 

preference priorities.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6535–

6537. 

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 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

only.

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$51,534,000 for this program for FY 

2005. The actual level of funding 

depends on final congressional action. 

The Department is inviting applications 

for this competition now so that it may 

be prepared to make awards following 

final congressional action on the 

Department’s appropriation bill. Based 

on the Administration’s request, we 

estimate that $25 million will be 

available for new awards under this 

competition.

Note: In accordance with statutory 

requirements, this estimate is based on the 

amount of funds the Secretary estimates will 

be available after the Department has 

awarded grants under the Advanced 

Placement Test Fee program, which is being 

announced separately under CFDA number 

84.330B.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$500,000–$1,000,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$750,000. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 32.

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants:

(a) SEAs; 

(b) LEAs, including charter schools 

that are considered LEAs under State 

law; or 

(c) National nonprofit educational 

entities with expertise in advanced 

placement services.

Note: In the case of an eligible entity that 

is an SEA, the SEA may use API grant funds 

to award subgrants to LEAs to enable those 

LEAs to carry out authorized activities that 

support the absolute priority for this 

competition.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not involve cost 

sharing or matching but does involve 

supplement-not-supplant funding 

provisions. 

Supplement not Supplant: Funds 

provided under this program must be 

used only to supplement and not 

supplant other non-Federal funds that 

are available to assist low-income 

individuals in paying advanced 

placement test fees (20 U.S.C. 6536). 

3. Other: Definitions. The following 

definitions are taken from the API 

Program authorizing statute, in Title I, 

Part G of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6537). 

They are repeated in this application 

notice for the convenience of the 

applicant. 

(a) The term advanced placement test

means an advanced placement test 

administered by the College Board or 

approved by the Secretary.

Note: The Department has approved 

advanced placement tests administered by 

the International Baccalaureate Organization. 

As part of the grant application process, 

applicants may request approval of tests from 

other educational entities that provide 

comparable programs of rigorous academic 

courses and testing through which students 

may earn college credit.

(b) The term high concentration of 

low-income students, used with respect 

to a school, means a school that serves 

a student population 40 percent or more 

of whom are low-income individuals.

(c) The term low-income individual

means an individual who is determined 

by an SEA or LEA to be a child, ages 5 

through 19, from a low-income family 

on the basis of data used by the 

Secretary to determine allocations under 

section 1124 of the ESEA, data on 

children eligible for free or reducedprice lunches under the National School 

Lunch Act, data on children in families 

receiving assistance under Part A of 

Title IV of the Social Security Act, or 

data on children eligible to receive 

medical assistance under the Medicaid 

program under Title XIX of the Social 

Security Act, or through an alternate 

method that combines or extrapolates 

from those data. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You may obtain an application 

package via Internet or from the ED 

Publication Center (ED Pubs). To obtain 

a copy via Internet use the following 

address: http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/

apply/grantapps/index.

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write 

or call the following: Education 

Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 

1398, Jessup, MD 20794–1398. 

Telephone (toll free): 1–877–433–7827. 

FAX: (301) 470–1244. If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD), you may call (toll free): 1–877–

576–7734. 

You may also contact ED Pubs at its 

Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/

edpubs.html or you may contact ED 

Pubs at its e-mail address: 

edpubs@inet.ed.gov.

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.330C. 

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 elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact). 

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: Applicants 

that plan to apply for funding under this 

program notice are encouraged to 

indicate an intent to apply via e-mail 

notification sent to the API program 

manager, Madeline Baggett, at 

madeline.baggett@ed.gov no later than 

December 15, 2004. Applicants that fail 

to supply this e-mail notification may 

still apply for funding under this notice. 

Page Limit for Program Narrative: The 

program narrative is where you, the 

applicant, address the selection criteria 

(i.e., within the context of the absolute 

priority) as well as the competitive 

preference priorities that reviewers use 

to evaluate your application. You must 

limit the program narrative to the 

equivalent of no more than 75 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 

program 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 applies only to the 

program narrative section of the 

application. A complete description of 

the requirements for the program 

narrative section is found in the 

application package in Section C: 

Application Forms and Instructions. 

Our reviewers will not read any pages 

of your program narrative that—

65036 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 

∑ Exceed the page limit if you apply 

these standards; or

∑ Exceed the equivalent of the page 

limit if you apply other standards. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: November 9, 

2004. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply:

December 15, 2004. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: January 5, 2005. 

Applications for grants under the API 

program competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

available through the Department’s eGrants system. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically or to request a waiver of 

the electronic submission requirement, 

please refer to Section IV. 6. Other 

Submission Requirements in this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the 

application requirements. Deadline for 

Intergovernmental Review: March 7, 

2005. 

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 

the regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements:

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically, unless you request a 

waiver of this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. Applications for grants 

under the API Program-CFDA Number 

84.330C must be submitted 

electronically using e-Application 

available through the Department’s eGrants system, accessible through the eGrants portal page at: http://egrants.ed.gov.

If you are unable to submit an 

application through the e-Grants system, 

you may submit a written request for a 

waiver of the electronic submission 

requirement. In your request, you 

should explain the reason or reasons 

that prevent you from using the Internet 

to submit your application. Address 

your request to: Madeline Baggett, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Room 4W210, 

Washington, DC 20202–5943. Please 

submit your request no later than two 

weeks before the application deadline 

date. Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

If, within two weeks of the 

application deadline date, including the 

application deadline date itself, you are 

unable to submit an application 

electronically, you must submit a paper 

application in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. The paper application 

must include a written request for a 

waiver documenting the reasons that 

prevented you from using the Internet to 

submit your application electronically. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please note the following: 

∑ You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

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

application deadline date. The eApplication system will not accept an 

application for the API Program 

competition after 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. Therefore, we 

strongly recommend that you do not 

wait until the application deadline date 

to begin the application process.

• The regular hours of operation of 

the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. Monday 

until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. 

Thursday until midnight Saturday, 

Washington, DC time. Please note that 

the system is unavailable on Sundays, 

and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 

6 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC 

time, for maintenance. Any 

modifications to these hours are posted 

on the e-Grants Web site. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you request a 

waiver and submit your application in 

paper format because you were 

prevented from submitting it 

electronically as required. 

• You must 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 electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to download 

it and print a copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgement that 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 ED 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

1. Print ED 424 from e-Application. 

2. The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

3. Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the ED 424. 

4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of System Unavailability: If you 

are prevented from electronically 

submitting your application on the 

application deadline date because the eApplication 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 

electronic application for this 

competition; and 

2. (a) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for 60 minutes or more 

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 

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. If the system is down and 

therefore the application deadline is 

extended, an e-mail is sent to all 

registered users who have initiated an 

application. 

Extensions referred to in this section 

apply only to the unavailability of the 

Department’s e-Application system. If 

the e-Application system is available, 

and you are unable to submit your 

application electronically or you do not 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 65037

receive an automatic acknowledgement 

of your submission, you may submit 

your application in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery in accordance 

with the instructions in this notice. 

Your paper application must be 

accompanied by a written request for 

waiver of the electronic submission 

requirement documenting the reasons 

that prevented you from using the 

Internet to submit your application 

electronically. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. If you submit your application 

in paper format by mail (through the 

U.S. Postal Service or a commercial 

carrier), you must send the original and 

two copies of your application, on or 

before the application deadline date, to 

the Department at the applicable 

following address: 

By mail through the U.S. Postal 

Service: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.330C), 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202–

4260; or 

By mail through a commercial carrier:

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center-Stop 4260, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.330C), 

7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 

20785–1506. 

The Application Control Center will 

mail a Grant Application Receipt 

Acknowledgment to you. If you do not 

receive the notification of application 

receipt within 15 business days from the 

mailing of your application, you should 

call the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6288. 

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; or 

4. Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the U.S. Secretary 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, or 

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: Applicants should note that 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 have requested 

a waiver of 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 84.330C, 550 12th Street, 

SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 

a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of the ED 424 the 

CFDA number—and suffix letter, if 

any—of the competition under which 

you are submitting your application. 

2. The Application Control Center 

will mail a Grant Application Receipt 

Acknowledgment to you. If you do not 

receive the notification of application 

receipt 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 

Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and section 1705(f) of the 

ESEA. These selection criteria apply to 

the absolute priority and allowable 

activities only. The maximum score for 

all of the selection criteria is 100 points. 

The maximum score for each criterion is 

indicated in parentheses with the 

criterion. The maximum number of 

points an application may earn based on 

the competitive preference priorities 

and the selection criteria is 116 points. 

The criteria are as follows: 

(a) Significance (20 points). The 

Secretary considers the significance of 

the proposed project. In determining the 

significance of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(1) The likelihood that the proposed 

project will result in system changes or 

improvements. 

(2) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project, 

especially improvements in teaching 

and student achievement. 

(b) Quality of the Project Design (20 

points). The Secretary considers the 

quality of the design of the proposed 

project. In determining the quality of the 

design of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(1) The extent to which the proposed 

project represents an exceptional 

approach for meeting the priority or 

priorities established for this 

competition. 

(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. 

(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 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. 

(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 the following 

factors: 

(1) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of the 

project director.

(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 

65038 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 216 / Tuesday, November 9, 2004 / Notices 

proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks. 

(2) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

other key project personnel are 

appropriate and adequate to meet the 

objectives of the proposed project. 

(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 the 

following factors: 

(1) 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. 

(2) The extent to which the evaluation 

meets the reporting requirements of 

section 1705(f)(1) of the authorizing 

statute.

Note: A strong evaluation plan should be 

included in the application narrative and 

should be used, as appropriate, to shape the 

development of the project from the 

beginning of the grant period. The plan 

should include benchmarks to monitor 

progress toward specific project objectives 

and also outcome measures to assess the 

impact on teaching and learning or other 

important outcomes for project participants. 

More specifically, the plan should identify 

the individual and/or organization that has 

agreed to serve as evaluator for the project 

and describe the qualifications of that 

evaluator. The plan should describe the 

evaluation design, indicating: (1) What types 

of data will be collected; (2) when various 

types of data will be collected; (3) what 

methods will be used; (4) what instruments 

will be developed and when; (5) how the 

data will be analyzed; (6) when reports of 

results and outcomes will be available; and 

(7) how the applicant will use the 

information collected through the evaluation 

to monitor progress of the funded project and 

to provide accountability information both 

about success at the initial site and effective 

strategies for replication in other settings. 

Applicants are encouraged to devote an 

appropriate level of resources to project 

evaluation.

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. Grant Administration: Applicants 

approved for funding under this 

competition may be required to attend 

a one- or two-day Grants Administration 

meeting in Washington, DC during the 

first year of the grant. The cost of 

attending this meeting may be paid from 

API program grant funds or State or 

local resources. 

4. 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 meets the 

reporting requirements in section 

1705(f)(1) of the ESEA and provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as specified by 

the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. 

5. Performance Measures: The 

Secretary has developed four 

performance measures for assessing the 

effectiveness of the two Advanced 

Placement programs authorized under 

Title I, Part G of the ESEA. These 

measures are: 

(a) Number of Advanced Placement 

(AP) tests taken by low-income students 

nationally; 

(b) Number of International 

Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by lowincome students nationally; 

(c) Percentage of low-income students 

served by the Department’s Advanced 

Placement programs who receive a 

passing score on AP tests; and

(d) Percentage of low-income students 

served by the Department’s Advanced 

Placement programs who receive a 

passing score on IB tests. 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Madeline E. Baggett, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 4W210, Washington, DC 20202–

5943. Telephone number: (202) 260–

2502 or by e-mail: 

madeline.baggett@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: November 3, 2004. 

Nina Shokraii Rees, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and 

Improvement.

[FR Doc. 04–24896 Filed 11–8–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P