30798 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No: 84.346]

Career Resource Network State

Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for

New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000

Notice to Applicants: This notice is a

complete application package. Together

with the statute authorizing the program

and the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR),

the notice contains all of the

information, application forms, and

instructions needed to apply for a grant

under this program.

Purpose of Program: To promote

improved career and education

decision-making by individuals.

Eligible Applicants: State entities

designated jointly by the Governor and

the State Board for Vocational and

Technical Education of any of the 50

States, the Virgin Islands, the

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the

District of Columbia, Guam, American

Samoa, the Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic

of the Marshall Islands, the Federated

States of Micronesia, and the Republic

of Palau are eligible for an award under

this process. However, the Marshall

Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,

and the Republic of Palau are eligible to

receive funds only in Fiscal Years 2000

and 2001. A State may designate an

entity other than a State agency to

perform the grant functions under this

program. However, if a designated entity

is not a part of the State government, the

eligible agency for the State under

section 112 of the Carl D. Perkins

Vocational and Technical Education Act

of 1998 (Perkins III) must apply for the

grant. In that event the eligible agency

under Perkins III will be the grant

recipient and must either directly

administer the grant or supervise the

administration of the project, as

required by 34 CFR 75.701.

Not more than one grant will be

awarded to serve the residents of a

single State or outlying area in this

competition.

To receive funding, each applicant

must submit evidence that the

designated entity, whether it is part of

the State government or another entity

that will perform the grant function for

the eligible agency under Perkins III, has

been designated jointly by the Governor

and the State Board for Vocational and

Technical Education. In any case, if the

designated entity is not a State agency,

the eligible agency under Perkins III and

the Governor are accountable for the

proper expenditure of funds.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: June 12, 2000.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: June 26, 2000.

Available Funds: $7,650,000 for the

first 12 months of the 24-month project

period. Funding for the second 12-

month period of the 24-month project

period is subject to the availability of

funds and to a grantee meeting the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253.

Estimated Range of Awards: The

actual amount of each award made

under this competition will depend on

such factors as the scope and quality of

the application and will be determined

during pre-award clarification

discussions with the Department’s

Office Vocational and Adult Education,

Division of Vocational-Technical

Education. However, the Department

strongly encourages all applicants to

consider these factors and the estimated

grant amounts provided below, in

deciding the amount of funds to request.

The estimated grant amounts were

determined by allocating to every State

and outlying area a minimum amount

that the Department believes is

necessary to carry out an effective

program and distributing the remaining

funds on the basis of each State’s or

outlying area’s respective share of the

funds allocated by formula under

section 111 of Perkins III. The formula

set out in section 111 takes into account

State population and per capita income,

among other factors. These grant

estimates assume that all 59 eligible

applicants will submit applications

which meet the requirements

established by the statute and this

notice and are determined by the

Department to merit funding, based on

the criteria described in this notice.

Eligible applicant

Estimated

grant

amount

ALABAMA ................................. $135,784

ALASKA .................................... 107,805

ARIZONA .................................. 135,592

ARKANSAS .............................. 121,442

CALIFORNIA ............................ 308,427

COLORADO ............................. 125,341

CONNECTICUT ........................ 115,719

DELAWARE .............................. 107,887

FLORIDA .................................. 192,076

GEORGIA ................................. 155,340

HAWAII ..................................... 109,555

IDAHO ...................................... 111,645

ILLINOIS ................................... 173,013

INDIANA ................................... 144,210

IOWA ........................................ 122,170

KANSAS ................................... 119,933

KENTUCKY .............................. 133,158

LOUISIANA ............................... 139,401

MAINE ...................................... 109,555

MARYLAND .............................. 127,940

MASSACHUSETTS .................. 132,081

MICHIGAN ................................ 167,939

MINNESOTA ............................ 131,603

MISSISSIPPI ............................ 124,948

Eligible applicant

Estimated

grant

amount

MISSOURI ................................ 140,010

MONTANA ................................ 109,309

NEBRASKA .............................. 112,836

NEVADA ................................... 110,416

NEW HAMPSHIRE ................... 109,555

NEW JERSEY .......................... 139,790

NEW MEXICO .......................... 115,237

NEW YORK .............................. 195,114

NORTH CAROLINA ................. 153,627

NORTH DAKOTA ..................... 107,805

OHIO ......................................... 179,969

OKLAHOMA ............................. 128,991

OREGON .................................. 123,549

PENNSYLVANIA ...................... 175,751

RHODE ISLAND ....................... 109,555

SOUTH CAROLINA .................. 131,604

SOUTH DAKOTA ..................... 107,805

TENNESSEE ............................ 140,160

TEXAS ...................................... 251,418

UTAH ........................................ 122,369

VERMONT ................................ 107,805

VIRGINIA .................................. 143,609

WASHINGTON ......................... 137,193

WEST VIRGINIA ...................... 115,608

WISCONSIN ............................. 138,598

WYOMING ................................ 107,805

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ....... 107,805

PUERTO RICO ......................... 134,182

AMERICAN SAMOA ................. 85,732

NORTHERN MARIANAS ......... 85,732

GUAM ....................................... 86,306

VIRGIN ISLANDS ..................... 86,051

MARSHALL ISLANDS .............. 65,380

MICRONESIA ........................... 65,380

PALAU ...................................... 65,380

Total ................................... 7,650,000

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$129,661 for 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 59.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: 24 months.

Applicable Statute and Regulations:

(a) The relevant provisions of the Carl

D. Perkins Vocational and Technical

Education Act of 1998 (Perkins III), 20

U.S.C.A. 2301 et seq., in particular,

section 118(b).

(b) The Education Department

General Administrative Regulations

(EDGAR) as follows:

(1) 34 CFR Part 75 (Direct Grant

Programs).

(2) 34 CFR Part 77 (Definitions that

Apply to Department Regulations).

(3) 34 CFR Part 79 (Intergovernmental

Review of Department of Education

Programs and Activities).

(4) 34 CFR Part 80 (Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments).

(5) 34 CFR Part 81 (General Education

Provisions Act—Enforcement).

(6) 34 CFR Part 82 (New Restrictions

on Lobbying).

(7) 34 CFR Part 85 (Government-wide

Debarment and Suspension

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices 30799

(Nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for Drug-Free

Workplace (Grants)).

(8) 34 CFR Part 86 (Drug and Alcohol

Abuse Prevention).

(9) 34 CFR Part 97 (Protection of

Human Subjects).

(10) 34 CFR Part 98 (Student Rights In

Research, Experimental Programs and

Testing).

(11) 34 CFR Part 99 (Family

Educational Rights and Privacy).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Supporting the career development of

young people and helping them to make

informed choices about their

educational and career options have

become important components of State

and local efforts to reform schools and

improve student achievement.

Understanding the connection between

what is taught in the classroom and how

that knowledge will be used in a future

career can make learning more

meaningful to students, increase their

motivation to learn, and improve

student results. Reform-driven

innovations such as charter schools,

magnet schools, and career academies,

include models that use broad career

areas as the context for teaching

challenging academic content and

technical skills. These and other models

incorporate early exposure to career

possibilities, and the educational

requirements needed to pursue them, as

strategies to help students and parents

make decisions that best meet each

student’s individual interests, needs,

and aspirations.

Research also indicates that many

young people, particularly those from

low-income families, do not enroll in

postsecondary education because they

lack sufficient information about career

opportunities and the education and

training required for entry into and

success in their chosen field. Students

who do not develop a career and

education plan prior to entering

secondary school are less likely to enroll

in school courses required for college

entry and do not plan adequately for

college education financing. Effective

career guidance and academic

counseling can help ensure that

students and their parents set their

sights high, plan for, and are prepared

for postsecondary education.

While career development is

particularly important for young people,

individuals of all ages need access to

information and guidance on careers.

New technologies, heightened global

competition, and the information

revolution are transforming the nature

of work and careers. Individuals can no

longer assume that they will work for

the same organization, remain within

the same industry, or even require the

same technical skills during their entire

working lives. They must have access to

career and educational information so

that they may become active in making

decisions regarding their occupation. To

succeed in our dynamic, rapidlychanging economy, all individuals need

up-to-date academic and technical

skills, as well as access to career and

education information, so that they may

become active and effective managers of

their own careers.

Growing recognition of the important

role that career guidance and academic

counseling services play in supporting

student success is evidenced by the

variety of Federal, State, and local

programs which promote and support

these services. Several Department of

Education programs, including Perkins

III State grants, Tech-Prep, GEAR-UP,

and TRIO programs, provide funding for

career guidance and academic

counseling services for students. In

addition, the School-to-Work

Opportunities Program, jointlyadministered by the Department of

Education and the Department of Labor,

has provided ‘‘venture capital’’ to State

and local partnerships, to initiate or

expand a wide range of career

development activities for young

people. Many States, local educational

agencies, and institutions of higher

education also support career guidance

and academic counseling services for

students. In addition, with assistance

under Title I of the Workforce

Investment Act (WIA), States and

localities are building One-Stop Career

Center systems that offer all individuals

information and assistance in obtaining

employment, training, and education.

Career Resource Network Grants

Career Resource Network grants

provided under section 118 of Perkins

III support the implementation of

Statewide, systemic strategies for

providing young people and adults with

these critical career information

resources and the skills they need to

make effective educational and career

decisions throughout their lives.

To achieve this goal, State entities

may engage in a variety of activities

such as research and innovative product

development, professional development

activities, development of career

information delivery systems, and the

development and dissemination of

curricula and other learning resources.

Coordination With Related Program

Activities

To assist States in improving student

performance and outcomes, all

programmatic and technical assistance

activities need to be coordinated within

a continuous improvement framework.

The identification of the major strategies

that positively impact student

performance and integration of those

strategies within a State’s performance

measurement system is critical to

achieving results. As a result, the

Department has begun to align all of its

major grant resources, initiatives, and

technical assistance activities, to assist

States in their efforts to improve student

performance. These include: Efforts to

achieve education reform through the

development of career pathway models,

funding of professional development

and training projects, and development

of performance measurement systems.

The Department views coordination and

alignment of the activities required

under section 118 to its major

initiatives, as critical in supporting

States’ efforts to improve student

performance.

In response to the changing economy

and education reform initiatives in

States, the Department identified

sixteen industry-based career areas.

These career areas represent all sectors

of the economy and include all

occupations front line through

professional/technical managers. The

career areas as they are defined in

Appendix A of this notice provide the

basis for creation of career pathway

models that can be used for the

development of both career and

academic guidance tools and resources

and curriculum development. The U.S.

Secretary of Education recently

announced the ‘‘Building Linkages’’

initiative which is designed to help

students more effectively develop and

realize career goals. The Secretary was

joined by the U.S. Secretary of

Transportation in unveiling this

initiative which uses the Department’s

16 career clusters as the basis for career

mapping and curriculum development

to prepare a student to succeed in a

particular field of endeavor. The

Department has funded the Building

Linkages projects in five of the sixteen

career areas to bring together States, in

partnership with colleges, universities

and employers, to develop curriculum

frameworks. The sixteen areas replace

the traditional areas once used by

vocational education for reporting

student enrollment. The new sixteen

areas better reflect career opportunities

in the new economy and can be aligned

to existing career areas identified by

30800 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices

States. These sixteen career areas are

(See Appendix A for definitions):

(a) Agriculture and Natural Resources

(b) Construction

(c) Manufacturing

(d) Logistics, Transportation And

Distribution Services

(e) Information Technology Services

(f) Wholesale/Retail Sales And Service

(g) Financial Services

(h) Hospitality And Tourism

(i) Business And Services

(j) Health Services

(k) Human Services

(l) Arts And Communications Services

(m) Legal And Protective Services

(n) Scientific Research And Technical

Services

(o) Education And Training Services

(p) Public Administration/Government

Services

Career information products

organized by the sixteen career cluster

areas are used by career guidance and

academic counseling programs, schools,

teachers, students and parents to

understand and explore broad career

pathways within and among these

career areas. Career areas provide the

structure for converting labor market

information into useable career

information resources and tools for a

variety of users. Organizing education

by broad career areas and pathways

represents a new direction in education

and will require training and technical

assistance to teachers, school

administrators, and counselors to

effectively assist students and parents in

using this information.

In addition, Perkins III shares a

number of common performance goals

with WIA titles I and II, including

academic and skill attainment, program

completion, and placement and

retention in employment and

postsecondary education. The

Department encourages State entities to

align their products and services with

performance measurement systems

under development by Federal and State

education, vocational education,

workforce development programs, and

labor market information organizations

in order to support State and local

efforts to meet performance targets in

their performance measurement

systems.

Since 1976, most States and outlying

areas have received grants from the

National Occupational Information

Coordinating Committee (NOICC) to

support interagency State Occupational

Information Coordinating Committees

(SOICCs) under the Carl D. Perkins

Vocational and Applied Technology

Education Act of 1990 (P.L. 101–392)

and its predecessors. Since 1982, States

and outlying areas have also received

such grants under the Job Training

Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA) (PL 102–

367). Funding for these grants ends on

June 30, 2000, with the expiration of

JTPA. While some of the activities

authorized under section 118 of Perkins

III are similar to those which could have

been carried out under the SOICC grant

program, there are some significant

differences which should be noted by

applicants.

Unlike the previous SOICC grant

program, the development,

implementation, and maintenance of

occupational information systems and

labor market information products are

not authorized uses of funds under

section 118 of Perkins III. Section 15 of

the Wagner-Peyser Act as amended by

the Workforce Investment Act (WIA)

authorizes States and outlying areas to

collect, analyze, and disseminate

occupational and labor market

information. In contrast, section 118 of

Perkins III funds may be used by States

and outlying areas for the development

and delivery of career counseling and

educational guidance resources and

services, which utilize the occupational

and labor market information.

Further, none of the functions and

activities assisted under section 118

may duplicate functions and activities

carried out under the WIA or section 15

of the Wagner-Peyser Act. To assist jobseekers as well as employers, the

Department of Labor has created

America’s Career Kit, an array of online

information resources on job openings,

persons looking for employment and

their qualifications, and education and

training opportunities. With assistance

under Title I of the WIA, States and

localities are building One-Stop Career

Center systems that offer all individuals

information and assistance in obtaining

employment, training, and education.

Section 15 of the Wagner-Peyser Act

also provides States and outlying areas

with assistance in collecting, analyzing,

and disseminating occupational and

labor market information. Section 118

funds may not be used to duplicate any

of these or other activities assisted

under WIA, but may be used to

supplement and enhance them. For

example, professional development

activities or other resources developed

to support academic counseling and

career guidance for young people may

be made available to youth-serving

programs that receive assistance under

WIA Title I, provided that they do not

duplicate functions or activities that are

assisted by WIA. The Secretary

encourages applicants to collaborate

with State and local recipients of WIA

funds in deciding how they will

implement the activities required by

section 118(b) both to ensure that funds

are used most effectively and that the

non-duplication requirements of section

118(c)(2) are fulfilled.

Finally, applicants should note that

States and outlying areas are not

required to establish or maintain

interagency State Occupational

Information Coordinating Committees in

order to receive funds under section

118. Support for these bodies, however,

is an eligible use of funds. States and

outlying areas may find these bodies to

be an effective means of coordinating

their section 118 activities with related

State and Federal initiatives.

Required Activities

(a) Under this competition, grantees

must carry out projects that—

(1) Provide support for a career

guidance and academic counseling

program designed to promote improved

career and education decision-making

by individuals, especially in areas of

career information delivery and use;

(2) Make available to students,

parents, teachers, administrators, and

counselors, and to improve accessibility

with respect to, information and

planning resources that relate

educational preparation to career goals

and expectations;

(3) Equip teachers, administrators,

and counselors with the knowledge and

skills needed to assist students and

parents with career exploration,

educational opportunities, and

education financing;

(4) Assist appropriate State entities in

tailoring career-related educational

resources and training for use by such

entities;

(5) Improve coordination and

communication among administrators

and planners of programs authorized by

Perkins III and by section 15 of the

Wagner-Peyser Act at Federal, State, and

local levels to ensure non-duplication of

efforts and the appropriate use of shared

information and data; and

(6) Provide ongoing means for

customers, such as students and

parents, to provide comments and

feedback on products and services and

to update resources, as appropriate, to

better meet customer requirements.

(b) Grants may be used to supplement,

but not to duplicate, activities under

section 15 of the Wagner-Peyser Act.

(c) Functions and activities assisted

under a grant may not duplicate the

functions and activities carried out

under Public Law 105–220; Workforce

Investment Act of 1998.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices 30801

Priorities

Invitational Priorities

We are particularly interested in

applications that meet the following

priorities.

Invitational Priority 1. Applications

that propose to align products and

services to be provided with the sixteen

industry-based career areas identified in

this notice and required as the reporting

framework for the new student

enrollment form which is part of the

Consolidated Annual Report (CAR)

required for basic grants under Perkins

III. These career areas are set forth fully

in the supplementary information

section of this notice and are defined in

Appendix A to this notice.

Invitational Priority 2. Applications

that propose to develop products and

services that assist State and local users

to achieve student outcomes established

by performance measurement and

accountability systems under

development by Federal and State

education, vocational education, and

workforce development programs.

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.

Selection Criteria

The Secretary uses the following

selection criteria to evaluate

applications for new grants under this

competition. The Secretary awards a

total possible score of 100 points. The

maximum possible score for each

criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(a) Required Activities. (65 points)

The Secretary reviews each application

to determine the extent to which it

will—

(1) Provide support for a career

guidance and academic counseling

program designed to promote improved

career and education decision-making

by individuals, especially in areas of

career information delivery and use;

(2) Make availabale to students,

parents, teachers, administrators, and

counselors, and to improve accessibility

with respect to, information and

planning resources that relate

educational preparation to career goals

and expectations;

(3) Equip teachers, administrators,

and counselors with the knowledge and

skills needed to assist students and

parents with career exploration,

educational opportunities, and

education financing;

(4) Assist appropriate State entities in

tailoring career-related educational

resources and training for use by such

entities;

(5) Improve coordination and

communication among administrators

and planners of programs authorized by

the Act and by section 15 of the WagnerPeyser Act at Federal, State, and local

levels to ensure non-duplication of

efforts and the appropriate use of shared

information and data; and

(6) Provide ongoing means for

customers, such as students and parents

to provide comments and feedback on

products and services and to update

resources, as appropriate, to better meet

customer requirments.

(b) Quality of the project design. (10

points)

(1) The Secretary considers the

quality of the design of the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the quality of the

design of the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the following

factors:

(i) The extent to which the goals,

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved

by the proposed project are clearly

specified and measurable.

(ii) The extent to which the proposed

project will be coordinated with similar

or related efforts, and with other

appropriate community, State, and

Federal resources.

(iii) The extent to which performance

feedback and continuous improvement

are integral to the design of the

proposed project.

(c) Adequacy of resources. (5 points)

(1) The Secretary considers the

adequacy of resources for the proposed

project.

(2) In determining the adequacy of

resources for the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the following

factors:

(i) The extent to which the budget is

adequate to support the proposed

project.

(ii) The extent to which the costs are

reasonable in relation to the objectives,

design, and potential significance of the

proposed project.

(d) Quality of the management plan.

(10 points)

(1) The Secretary considers the

quality of the management plan for the

proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the

management plan for the proposed

project, the Secretary considers the

following factors:

(i) The adequacy of the management

plan to achieve the objectives of the

proposed project on time and within

budget, including clearly defined

responsibilities, timelines, and

milestones for accomplishing project

tasks.

(ii) 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.

(iii) 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.

(e) Quality of the project evaluation.

(10 points)

(1) The Secretary considers the

quality of the evaluation to be

conducted of the proposed project.

(2) In determining the quality of the

evaluation, the Secretary considers the

following factors:

(i) 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.

(ii) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation will provide performance

feedback and permit periodic

assessment of progress toward achieving

intended outcomes.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Progarms

This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

(Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR

part 79.

One of the objectives of the Executive

Order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and to strengthen

federalism by relying on State and local

processes for State and local

government coordination and review of

proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the

appropriate State Single Point of

Contact to find out about, and to comply

with, the State’s process under

Executive Order 12372. Applicants

proposing to perform activities in more

than one State should immediately

contact the Single Point of Contact for

each of those States and follow the

procedures established in each State

under the executive order. If you want

to know the name and address of any

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC),

see the list published in the Federal

Register on April 28, 1999 (64 FR

22963), or you may view the latest

SPOC list on the OMB web site at the

following address: http://

www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants.

In States that have not established a

process or chosen a program for review,

30802 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices

State, area-wide, regional, and local

entities, may submit comments directly

to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation

and other comments submitted by a

State Single Point of Contact and any

comments from State, area-wide,

regional, and local entities must be

mailed or hand-delivered by the date

indicated in this notice to the following

address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372–

CFDA# 84.346, U.S. Department of

Education, Room 7E200, Washington,

DC 20202–0125.

Proof of mailing will be determined

on the same basis as applications (see 34

CFR 75.102). Recommendations or

comments may be hand-delivered until

4:30 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date

indicated in this notice.

Please note that the above address is

not the same address as the one to

which the applicant submits its

completed application. Do not send

applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

Applicants are required to submit one

original signed application and two

copies of the grant application. All

forms and assurances must have ink

signatures. Please mark applications as

‘‘original’’ or ‘‘copy.’’ To aid with the

review of applications, the Department

encourages applicants to submit four

additional copies of the grant

application. The Department will not

penalize applicants who do not provide

additional copies.

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for

a grant under this process, the applicant

must either—

(1) Mail the original and two copies of

the application on or before the

deadline date to: U.S. Department of

Education, Application Control

Center, Attention: (CFDA# 84.346),

Washington, D.C. 20202–4725, or

(2) Hand deliver the original and two

copies of the application by 4:30 p.m.

(Washington, D.C. time) on or before

the deadline date to: U.S. Department

of Education, Application Control

Center, Attention: (CFDA #84.346),

Room #3633, Regional Office Building

#3, 7th and D Streets, S.W.,

Washington, D.C.

(b) An applicant must show one of the

following as proof of mailing:

(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.

(c) If an application is mailed through

the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary

does not accept either of the following

as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by

the U.S. Postal Service.

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

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before

relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center will

mail a Grant Application Receipt

Acknowledgment to each applicant. If an

applicant fails to receive the notification of

application receipt within 15 days from the

date of mailing the application, the applicant

should call the U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center at (202) 708–

9494.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and—if not provided by the

Department—in Item 10 of the Application

for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424)

the CFDA number—and suffix letter, if any—

of the process under which the application

is being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

All forms and instructions are

included at the end of this notice.

Questions and answers pertaining to

this program are included, as Appendix

B, to assist potential applicants.

To apply for an award under this

program, your application must be

organized in the following order and

include the following five parts. The

parts and additional materials are as

follows (See application forms and

instructions at the end of this notice):

(1) Application for Federal Education

Assistance (ED 424 (Rev. 1/12/99)) and

instructions.

(2) Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED Form No.

524) and instructions.

(3) Budget Narrative.

(4) Program Narrative.

(5) Additional Assurances and

Certifications:

a. Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

b. Certification regarding Lobbying,

Debarment, Suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED 80–0013)

and instructions.

c. Certification regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered

Transactions (ED Form 80–0014, 9/90)

and instructions.

Note: ED Form 80–0014 is intended for the

use of grantees and should not be transmitted

to the Department.)

d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions. This document has been

marked to reflect statutory changes. See

the notice published by the Office of

Management and Budget at 61 FR 1413

(January 19, 1996).

No grant may be awarded unless a

completed application form has been

received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Marcel R. DuVall, Division of

Vocational-Technical Education, Office

of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, S.W. (Room 4317, Mary E.

Switzer Building), Washington, D.C.

20202–7241. Telephone (202) 260–4982.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time,

Monday through Friday. Individuals

with disabilities may obtain this notice

in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large

print, audiotape, or computer diskette)

on request to the contact persons listed

at the beginning of this paragraph.

Please note, however, that the

Department is not able to reproduce in

an alternate format the standard forms

included in the notice.

Electronic Access to This Department

Anyone may view this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (pdf) on the World

Wide Web at either of the following

sites:

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

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

To use the pdf you must have the

Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either

of the preceding sites. If you have

questions about using the pdf, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office toll

free at 1–888–293–6498.

Additionally, this notice, as well as

other documents concerning the

implementation of the Carl D. Perkins

Vocational and Technical Education Act

of 1998, is available on the World Wide

Web at the following site: http://

www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/VocEd/

InfoBoard/legis.html.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2328.

Dated: May 9, 2000.

Robert Muller,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Vocational and

Adult Education.

Appendix A—Sixteen Career Areas

Definitions

(a) Agriculture and Natural Resources,

comprised of courses and/or programs

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices 30803

related to planning, managing and

performing agricultural production and

horticulture and landscaping services and

related professional and technical services,

mining and extraction operations, and

managing and conserving natural resources

and related environmental services;

(b) Construction, comprised of courses

and/or programs relating to designing,

planning, managing, building, and

maintaining physical structures and the

larger building environment including

roadways and bridges and industrial,

commercial and residential facilities and

buildings;

(c) Manufacturing, comprised of courses

and/or programs related to planning,

managing and performing the processing of

materials into intermediate or final products

and related professional and technical

support activities such as production

planning and control, maintenance and

manufacturing/process engineering;

(d) Logistics, Transportation and

Distribution Services, comprised of courses

and/or programs related to planning,

management, and movement of people,

materials, and goods by road, pipeline, air,

rail and water and related professional and

technical support services such as

transportation infrastructure planning and

management, logistics services, mobile

equipment and facility maintenance;

(e) Information Technology Services,

comprised of courses and/or programs

related to designing, developing, managing

and operating communication and

information technology networks and related

hardware and software for the recording,

storage, transformation, transmission and

distribution of voice, video, images, and data

including both telecommunications and

computing services;

(f) Wholesale/Retail Sales and Services,

comprised of courses and/or programs

related to planning, managing and

performing wholesaling and retailing services

and related marketing and distribution

support services including merchandise/

product management and promotion;

(g) Financial Services, comprised of

courses and/or programs related to planning,

managing and providing banking,

investment, financial planning, and

insurance services;

(h) Hospitality and Tourism, comprised of

courses and/or programs related to

hospitality and tourism and to planning,

managing and providing lodging, food,

recreation, convention and tourism, and

related planning and support services such as

travel-related services;

(i) Business and Services, comprised of

courses and/or programs related to planning,

managing, and providing administrative

support, information processing, accounting,

and human resource management services

and related management support services;

(j) Health Services, comprised of courses

and/or programs related to planning,

managing, and providing diagnostic,

therapeutic, and information and

environmental services in health care;

exhibiting, performing, writing, and

publishing multimedia content, including

visual and performing arts and design,

journalism, and entertainment services;

(k) Human Services, comprised of courses

and/or programs related to planning,

managing, and providing human services

including social and related community

services;

(l) Arts And Communications Services,

comprised of courses and/or programs

related to designing, producing, exhibiting,

performing, writing, and publishing

multimedia content, including visual and

performing arts and design, journalism, and

entertainment services;

(m) Legal And Protective Services,

comprised of courses and/or programs

related to planning, managing and providing

judicial, legal, and protective services,

including professional and technical support

services in the fire protection and criminal

justice systems;

(n) Scientific Research And Technical

Services, comprised of courses and/or

programs related to planning, managing, and

providing scientific research and professional

and technical services (e.g., physical science,

social science, engineering), including

laboratory and testing services, and research

and development services;

(o) Education And Training Services,

comprised of courses and/or programs

related to planning, managing and providing

education and training services, and related

learning support services, including

assessment and library and information

services; and

(p) Public Administration/Government

Services, comprised of courses and/or

programs related to planning, managing and

providing government, legislative,

administrative and regulatory services and

related general purpose government services

at the Federal, State and local levels.

Appendix B—Questions and Answers

Potential applicants frequently direct

questions to officials of the Department

regarding application notices and

programmatic and administrative regulations

governing various direct grant programs. To

assist potential applicants, the Department

has assembled the following most commonly

asked questions followed by the

Department’s answers.

Q. Can we get an extension of the

deadline?

A. No. A closing date may be changed only

under extraordinary circumstances. Any

change must be announced in the Federal

Register and must apply to all applications.

Waivers for individual applications cannot

be granted regardless of the circumstances.

Q. How many copies of the application

should I submit and must they be bound?

A. Applicants are required to submit one

original and two copies of the grant

application. To aid with the review of

applications, the Department encourages

applicants to submit four additional copies of

the grant application. The Department will

not penalize applicants who do not provide

additional copies. Sending applications in

notebooks, binders, folders, or other

coverings is strongly discouraged.

Q. We just missed the deadline for the XXX

competition. May we submit under another

competition?

A. Yes, however, the likelihood of success

is not good. A properly prepared application

must meet the specifications of the

competition to which it is submitted.

Q. I’m not sure which competition is most

appropriate for my project. What should I do?

A. We are happy to discuss any such

questions with you and provide clarification

on the unique elements of the various

competitions.

Q. Will you help us prepare our

application?

A. We are happy to provide general

program information. Clearly, it would not be

appropriate for staff to participate in the

actual writing of an application, but we can

respond to specific questions about

application requirements, evaluation criteria,

and the priorities. Applicants should

understand, however, that prior contact with

the Department is not required, nor will it in

any way influence the success of an

application.

Q. When will I find out if I’m going to be

funded?

A. You can expect to receive notification

as soon as possible after the application

closing date, depending on the number of

applications received and the number of

Department competitions with similar

closing dates.

Q. Once my application has been reviewed

by the review panel, can you tell me the

outcome?

A. No. Every year we are called by a

number of applicants who have a legitimate

reason for needing to know the outcome of

the panel review prior to official notification.

Some applicants need to make job decisions,

some need to notify a local school district,

etc. Regardless of the reason, because final

funding decisions have not been made at that

point, we cannot share information about the

results of panel review with anyone.

Q. Will my application be returned if I am

not funded?

A. No. We no longer return unsuccessful

applications. Thus, applicants should retain

at least one copy of the application.

Q. Can I obtain copies of reviewers’

comments?

A. Upon written request, reviewers’

comments will be mailed to unsuccessful

applicants.

Q. Is travel allowed under these projects?

A. Travel associated with carrying out the

project is allowed. Because we may

30804 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices

request the project director of funded projects

to attend an annual project directors’

meeting, you may also wish to include a trip

or two to Washington, DC in the travel

budget. Travel to conferences is sometimes

allowed when the purpose of the conference

will be of benefit and relates to the project.

Q. If my application receives high scores

from the reviewers, does that mean that I will

receive funding?

A. Not necessarily. It is often the case that

the number of applications scored highly by

the reviewers exceeds the dollars available

for funding projects under a particular

competition. The order of selection, which is

based on the scores of all the applications

reviewed and other relevant factors,

determines the applications that can be

funded.

Q. What happens during pre-award

clarification discussions?

A. During pre-award clarification

discussions, technical and budget issues may

be raised. These are issues that have been

identified during the panel and staff reviews

that require clarification. Sometimes issues

are stated as ‘‘conditions.’’ These are issues

that have been identified as so critical that

the award cannot be made unless those

conditions are met. Questions may also be

raised about the proposed budget. Generally,

these issues are raised because an application

contains inadequate justification or

explanation of a particular budget item, or

because the budget item seems unimportant

to the successful completion of the project.

If you are asked to make changes that you

feel could seriously affect the project’s

success, you may provide reasons for not

making the changes or provide alternative

suggestions. Similarly, if proposed budget

reductions will, in your opinion, seriously

affect the project activities, you may explain

why and provide additional justification for

the proposed expenses. An award cannot be

made until all issues under discussion have

been resolved.

Q. How do I provide an assurance?

A. Except for SF–424B,

‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs,’’ you may provide an

assurance simply by stating in writing

that you are meeting a prescribed

requirement.

Q. Where can copies of the Federal

Register, program regulations, and

Federal statutes be obtained?

A. Copies of these materials can

usually be found at your local library. If

not, they can be obtained from the

Government Printing Office by writing

to Superintendent of Documents, U.S.

Government Printing Office,

Washington, DC 20402. Telephone:

(202) 708–8228. When requesting copies

of regulations or statutes, it is helpful to

use the specific name or public law,

number of a statute, or part number of

a regulation. The material referenced in

this notice should be referred to as

follows:

(a) The Carl D. Perkins Vocational

Technical Education Act of 1998 (Pub.

L. 105–332) may be obtained (1) from

the Government Printing Office by

writing to Superintendent of

Documents, P.O. Box 371954,

Pittsburgh, PA 15250–7954 or

telephoning (202) 512–1800, or (2)

online from the Library of Congress at

Http://thomas.loc.gov.

(b) A copy of the Code of Federal

Regulations that contains the Education

Department General Administrative

Regulations, 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79,

80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99, may

be obtained from the Government

Printing Office Government Printing

Office by writing to Superintendent of

Documents, P.O. Box 371954,

Pittsburgh, PA 15250–7954 or

telephoning (202) 512–1800, or (2) on

the internet at: http://

www.access.gpo.gov/su docs or http://

www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr.

(c) Federal Register notices can also

be accessed on the internet at: http://

www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

Estimated Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB

control number for this information

collection is 1830–0541. (Expiration

date: 05/31/2003). The time required to

complete this information collection is

estimated to average 36 hours per

response, including the time to review

instructions, search existing data

resources, gather the data needed, and

complete and review the information

collection.

If you have any comments concerning

the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or

suggestions for improving this grant

application, please write to: U.S.

Department of Education, Washington,

D.C. 20202–4651.

If you have comments or concerns

regarding the status of your individual

submission of this grant application,

write directly to: Dr. Marcel R. DuVall,

Division of Vocational and Technical

Education, Office of Vocational and

Adult Education, U.S. Department of

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

(Room 4325, Mary E. Switzer Building),

Washington D.C. 20202–7242.

Instructions for Budget Information

Sections A and B—Budget Summary

by Categories

1. Personnel: Show salaries to be paid

to personnel for each budget year.

2. Fringe Benefits: Indicate the rate

and amount of fringe benefits for each

budget year.

3. Travel: Indicate the amount

requested for both local and out of State

travel of Project Staff for each budget

year. Include funds for at least two trips

per year for two people to attend the

Project Directors’ Workshop.

4. Equipment: Indicate the cost of

non-expendable personal property that

has a cost of $5,000 or more per unit for

each budget year.

5. Supplies: Include the cost of

consumable supplies and materials to be

used during the project period for each

budget year.

6. Contractual: Show the amount to

be used for: (1) procurement contracts

(except those which belong on other

lines such as supplies and equipment);

and (2) subcontracts for each budget

year.

7. Construction: Not Applicable.

8. Other: Indicate all direct costs not

clearly covered by lines 1 through 6

above, including consultants and capital

expenditures for each budget year.

9. Total Direct Cost: Show the total for

Lines 1 through 8 for each budget year.

10. Indirect Costs: Indicate the rate

and amount of indirect costs for each

budget year.

11. Training/stipend Cost: Not

applicable. This item pertains only to

student and institutional allowances.

12. Total Costs: Show total for lines 9

through 11 for each budget year.

Instructions for Budget Narrative

The budget narrative should explain,

justify, and, if needed, clarify your

budget summary. For each line item

(personnel, fringe benefits, travel, etc.)

in your budget, explain why it is there

and how you computed the costs.

Please limit this section to no more

than five pages. Be sure that each page

of your application is numbered

consecutively.

Instructions for Program Narrative

The program narrative will comprise

the largest portion of your application.

This part is where you spell out the

who, what, when, why, and how, of

your proposed project.

Although you will not have a form to

fill out for your narrative, there is a

format. This format is based on the

selection criteria. Because your

application will be reviewed and rated

by a review panel on the basis of the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 93 / Friday, May 12, 2000 / Notices 30805

selection criteria, your narrative should

follow the order and format of the

criteria.

Before preparing your application,

you should carefully read the legislation

and EDGAR regulations governing this

program, eligibility requirements,

priorities, and the selection criteria for

this process.

Your program narrative should be

clear, concise, and to the point. Begin

the narrative with a one page abstract or

summary of your project. Then describe

the project in detail, addressing each

selection criterion in order.

The Secretary strongly suggests that

you limit the program narrative to no

more than 30 double-spaced, typed

pages (on one side only), although the

Secretary will consider your application

if it is longer. Be sure to number

consecutively ALL pages in your

application.

You may include supporting

documentation as appendices to the

program narrative. Be sure that this

material is concise and pertinent to this

program.

You are advised that—

(a) The Secretary considers only

information contained in the

application in ranking applications for

funding consideration. Letters of

support sent separately from the formal

application package are not considered

in the review by the technical review

panels. (34 CFR 75.217)

(b) The technical review panel

evaluates each application solely on the

basis of the selection criteria contained

in this notice.

(c) Letters of support included as

appendices to an application, that are of

direct relevance to or contain

commitments that pertain to the

established selection criteria, such as

commitment of resources, will be

reviewed by the panel. As noted above

in paragraph (a), letters of support sent

separately from the formal application

package are not considered in the

review by the technical review panel.

(34 CFR 75.217)

Performance Measures

The Government Performance and

Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) places new

management expectations and

requirements on Federal departments

and agencies by creating a framework

for more effective planning, budgeting,

program evaluation, and fiscal

accountability for Federal programs.

The intent of GPRA is to improve public

confidence by holding departments and

agencies accountable for achieving

program results. Under GPRA,

Departments and agencies must clearly

describe the goals and objectives of their

programs.

As required by GPRA, the Department

of Education has prepared a strategic

plan for 1998–2002. This plan reflects

the Department’s priorities and

integrates them with its mission and

program authorities and describes how

the Department will work to improve

education for all children and adults in

the United States.

standards so that they are prepared for

responsible citizenship, further

learning, and productive employment.

Among the objectives for Goal 1 is that

schools help all students make

successful transitions to college and

careers.

Factors that may be considered in

evaluating the success of the program

may include:

(1) Number of people trained by the

career resource grant recipient;

(2) Improved and expanded use of

career development products and

services; and

(3) Number of students who had

access to career development products

and services.

An evaluation plan must be included

in each Career Resource Network grant.

The application should describe the

plan in detail including the following

information: (1) What types of data will

be collected; (2) what instruments will

be used; (3) when reports of results and

outcomes will become available; and (4)

how information will be used by the

project to monitor progress and to

provide accountability information to

stakeholders.

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[FR Doc. 00–11992 Filed 5–11–00; 8:45 am]

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