Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices 36733

Notes:

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

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before

relying on this method, an applicant should

check with the local post office.

(2) The NIFL will mail a Grant Applicant

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 NIFL at (202) 233–

2055.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and in Item 10 of the application

for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424)

the CFDA number of the competition under

which the application is being submitted.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as National Institute for Literacy

documents published in the Federal

Register, in text or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) on the Web

from the following sites:

http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/

news_events.html

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/2000_rfp.html 

To view the PDF version, you must

have the Adobe Acrobat Reader

Program.

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.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this application is

divided into three parts plus a statement

regarding estimated public reporting

burden and various assurances and

certifications. These parts and

additional materials are organized in the

same manner that the submitted

application should be organized. The

parts and additional materials follow.

(Additional forms for the completion of

this application are available from http:/

/ocfo.ed.gov/grnt/appforms.htm.)

Part I: Application for Federal

Assistance

(Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4–94)) and

instructions.

Part II. Budget Information

Non-Construction Programs (ED Form

524) and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative

Additional Materials: Estimated

Public Reporting Burden.

Assurances-Non—Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

Certification Regarding Lobbying;

Debarment, Suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED 80–0013).

Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered

Transactions (ED 80–0014, 9/90) and

instructions.

Note: ED 80–0014 is intended for the use

of recipients and should not be transmitted

to the NIFL.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions. An applicant may submit

information on a Photostat copy of the

application and budget forms, the

assurances and the certifications.

However, the application form, the

assurances, and certifications must each

have an original signature. No award

can be made unless a complete

application has been received.

Instructions for Estimated Public

Reporting Burden

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 is

under OMB control number 3430–0006,

Expiration date: 06/30/2003. The time

required to complete this information

collection is 40 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and disseminating

the data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information.

If you have any comments concerning

the accuracy of the time estimate or

suggestions for improving this form,

please write to: the National Institute for

Literacy 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 730,

Washington, DC 20006.

Dated: June 5, 2000.

Andrew J. Hartman,

Director, NIFL.

[FR Doc. 00–14547 Filed 6–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6055–01–U

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY

[CFDA NO. 84.257T]

NIFL Regional Technology Centers

Project; Notice Inviting Applications

for New Awards for Fiscal Year 2000

AGENCY: The National Institute for

Literacy (NIFL).

ACTION: Notice.

Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to

establish Regional Technology Centers

that will work with the NIFL to:

1. Expand the Literacy Information

and Communication System (LINCS)

network to include the broadest possible

range of national, state, and local

partners.

2. Extend the knowledge and use of

LINCS web sites, infrastructure,

resources, and services throughout the

state and local adult education and

adult and family literacy communities

in each region.

3. Assist the adult education and

adult and family literacy community in

integrating LINCS resources and new

technology into teaching and staff

development.

4. Enhance the literacy field’s

electronic knowledge base by creating,

collecting, and organizing new high

quality literacy information resources

on-line, especially locally developed

materials.

Each regional center will be expected

to build on the achievements of the

region’s previous regional hub (where

applicable), to work with a consortium

of partners and affiliates in the region,

and, in cooperation with them, to:

1. Build new partnerships at the

regional, state and local level (expand

the number of partners and affiliates).

2. Implement a comprehensive

regional training plan for the use of

LINCS and related technology. This

plan is to result in the effective

integration of technology in teaching

and learning.

3. Market LINCS resources and

services widely to various potential

LINCS audiences, with a priority on

adult education and adult and family

literacy practitioners.

4. Implement a regional plan to locate

and organize high quality resources,

particularly for LINCS Special

Collections, and facilitate the creation of

new resources to meet target audience

needs.

5. Connect increasingly larger

numbers of literacy stakeholders of all

kinds—researchers, practitioners,

administrators, students, and

policymakers.

6. Build evaluation tools and

methods, based on the project’s goals,

that will show the impact of LINCS use

in improving professional development

and instruction.

7. Take advantage of the strengths and

unique capabilities of each region, the

regional training centers will work with

each other and the NIFL to coordinate

their activities, and whenever possible

carryout joint activities, in order to

maximize the total mount of resources

available to LINCS and allow them to

have the greatest impact possible.

Deadline for Applications: July 15,

2000.

36734 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices

Eligible Applicants

Public and private non-profit

organizations with knowledge and

expertise adult basic education, adult

literacy, and family literacy, or consortia

of such organizations.

Available Funds

This notice envisions a three-year

cooperative agreement. In the first year,

up to $150,000 is available for each of

five grantees. Funding for years 2 and is

subject to program authorization and

availability of appropriations, and

contingent upon satisfactory completion

of the previous year’s plan of action.

Estimated Number of Awards: 5 (one

award in each region).

Estimated Award Amount: $150,000

for Year 1.

Note: The National Institute for Literacy is

not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Three years, with the

possibility of renewal for 2 subsequent

years.

Applicable Regulations

The National Institute for Literacy has

adopted the following regulations

included in the Education Department

General Administrative Regulations

(EDGAR): 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 80, 82,

and 85, and 34 CFR part 75, Secs. 75.50,

75.51, 75.100–102, 75.104, 75.109–192,

75.200–201, 75.215–217, 75.231–236,

75.250–251, 75.253, 75.261, 75.525,

75.531, 75.560–569, 75.591, 75.620–21,

75.700–707; 75.77, 75.79, 75.80–82,

75.85–86 (36/6/1997 and EDGAR

Expanded Authorities, 1/27/98).

This document is available through

your public library and on the National

Institute for Literacy web site at http:/

/www.nifl.gov/. Appropriate

administrative officials are advised to

become familiar with the policies and

procedures in the EDGAR that are

applicable to this award. If a proposal is

recommended for an award, the Grants

Officer will request certain

organizational, management, and

financial information. Grant

administration questions regarding

General Requirements, Prior Approval

Requirements, Transfer of Project

Director, and Suspension or

Termination of Award should be

referred to the Grants Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Jaleh Behroozi Soroui; LINCS Director;

National Institute for Literacy; 1775 I

Street, NW., Suite 730; Washington, DC

20006; Telephone: 202–233–2039; FAX:

202–233–2050; E-mail:

jbehroozi@nifl.gov. Information about

NIFL’s funding opportunities, including

Application Notices, etc., can be viewed

on the LINCS WWW server (under

What’s New and Grants & Funding) at

http://www.nifl.gov/LINCS. However,

the official application notice for a

discretionary grant competition is the

notice published in the Federal

Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Definitions

For purposes of this announcement,

the following definitions apply:

Adult Education and Literacy

Community—. The aggregate of

individuals and groups at all levels

nationwide that are actively involved

with adult education and adult and

family literacy instruction, including

individuals such as researchers,

practitioners, policymakers, adult

learners, and administrators, and groups

such as state and local departments of

education, human services, and labor;

libraries; community-based

organizations; businesses and labor

unions; and volunteer and civic groups.

LINCS Affiliates—National, state, or

local organizations that support LINCS

and want to be a part of the expanding

LINCS network, but are not formal

partners. (see details in appendix #1)

LINCS Network—LINCS national,

regional, state, and local partners and

affiliates.

LINCS Partners—State and, in some

cases, national organizations that

provide professional development,

technical assistance, and other

technology services to local programs.

In the case of states, there may be more

than one partner, depending on the

needs of the state and the resources

available, and decisions about the

selection of the partners are made

jointly with the state adult education

office and other state-level

organizations. Through a formal

agreement with the regional LINCS Hub,

state organizations will receive services

and contribute to LINCS. (see details in

appendix #1)

LINCS Standards—NIFL’s guidelines

and standards for organizing materials

in a uniform format for posting on the

Internet. These standards are found in

NIFL’s ‘‘Starting Point’’ manual, LINCS

Selection Criteria, (http://www.nifl.gov/

lincs/selection_criteria.html), LINCS

Special Collections Guidelines (http://

www.nifl.gov/lincs/specialcollections.html), the Adult Literacy

Thesaurus (ALT), the Adult Literacy

Thesaurus User’s Manual, and other

documentation.

LINCS Web Sites—LINCS national,

regional, and state home pages and

Special Collections.

Literacy—An individual’s ability to

read, write, and speak in English, and

compute and solve problems at levels of

proficiency necessary to function on the

job and in society, to achieve one’s goals

and develop one’s knowledge and

potential (as stated in the National

Literacy Act of 1991).

Literacy Resource Centers, State

Education Agencies—State or regional

organizations supported through

federal, state, or private funds for the

purpose of coordinating the delivery

and improvement of literacy services

across agencies and organizations in the

state or region, enhancing the capability

of state and local organizations to

provide literacy services, building a

database of literacy-related information,

and working closely with the NIFL and

other national literacy organizations to

enhance the national literacy

infrastructure.

Regional Hubs or Regional

Technology Centers—The lead site

acting as the regional focal point for

implementing LINCS grant requirements

and activities, including serving states

and local programs in that region.

Regional Library Team—As part of the

Regional Technology Center work

groups, the Regional Library Team

include librarians from the region who

work together in locating, organizing,

and evaluating quality of resources

contributed to the LINCS databases,

based on the LINCS standards.

Regional Training Team—As part of

the Regional Technology Center work

groups the Regional training team(s)

include trainers from partners and

affiliates helping to enhance training

capacity of the region through training

trainers, providing technical assistance

and resources.

Regions—Region I: Connecticut,

Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,

Maryland, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode

Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands. Region

II: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North

Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West

Virginia. Region III: Illinois, Indiana,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,

South Dakota, Wisconsin. Region IV:

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada,

New Mexico, Federal States of

Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands,

Northern Mariana Islands. Hawaii.

Region V: Alaska, Idaho, Montana,

Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Special Collections—The LINCS

Special Collections are one-stop

electronic gateways to high-quality

resources related to specific subject

areas judged to be of high interest to the

Adult Education and Literacy

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices 36735

Community. Resources include Webbased resources and resources in other

media, including descriptions of

research and evaluation results, policyrelated information, curricula, best

practices, fact sheets, and directories.

LINCS Special Collections are built

around specific content areas (such as

English Second Language), specific

settings or contexts (such as Workforce

Education), and professional

development topics (such as the use of

Technology in Professional

Development).

Appendix #1

LINCS Partners and Affiliates: The

success of LINCS as a national

information and communication system

depends on its use by practitioners in

the field. A leading strategy for

increasing its use is the LINCS structure.

NIFL’s national LINCS site is connected

to regional sites. Each regional site is

connected to key contacts in state sites.

State sites are connected to local

contacts and programs. In this way,

practitioners can begin to use LINCS at

a site near to them (their own local area

or state), while still having access to the

vast resources on the national system.

Similarly, people can enter through the

national site and find regional, state,

and local resources. State and local

association with LINCS occurs in two

ways—partnership and affiliation.

1. LINCS partners enter into formal

agreements with regional technology

centers. These agreements spell out

what services the partner will receive

and what services the partner will

render.

a. What LINCS partners receives:

(1) Direct involvement in LINCS work

groups, which participate in shaping

policies, procedures, and standards for

LINCS network.

(2) Server space (if needed) and

technical assistance to house a web site.

(3) Discussion list services and server

space for all levels.

(4) Programming codes and technical

assistance in implementing any of the

LINCS tools (calendar/grant databases,

search tools, etc.).

(5) Assistance in converting an inhouse material database to an Internet

usable database format, where it will be

added to the LINCS global database.

(6) A directory for agency-specific

materials contributed by the partner to

the LINCS databases, and search tools

that will allow users to search agencyspecific materials.

(7) National visibility for the partner’s

resources through postings on the

material database, hot sites, and listings

of events.

(8) A web-based template (with major

categories and design) for organizing

resources, with or without prepopulated resources for teachers,

learners, and administrators, search

functions, and many other useful

features.

(9) Technical assistance for web site

development and cataloging.

(10) A self-updateable comprehensive

directory of local programs.

(11) Multi-level training (including

trainer training) and materials to pass on

to local programs and practitioners in

their state.

(12) Attendance at LINCS events, with

a major portion of the expense to be

paid by the LINCS project.

(13) The opportunity to leverage

membership in LINCS for other

purposes, such as obtaining grants from

other sources.

(14) Eligibility to receive mini-grants

to help promote LINCS and the

integration of technology into teaching

and learning, or to produce new webbased resources.

(15) Involvement in facilitated joint

interagency projects with the goal of

maximizing efficiency and enhancing

the capacity of participating agencies.

(16) The opportunity to network with

other states in the region to exchange

ideas, products, and expertise.

(17) A set of national standards for

publishing materials on the Web,

including the Adult Literacy Thesaurus

(ALT). These standards are key to the

foundation of a national system.

b. What state level partners are

required to do:

(1) Represent their state and local

programs as a part of the LINCS national

system.

(2) Have (or be willing to build) the

capacity to house and maintain a web

site, and a commitment to distribute

LINCS resources to practitioners.

(3) Adopt the LINCS Web site

template, or, if there are state

restrictions, as much of the LINCS

template as possible (at a minimum, the

major categories, LINCSearch, and

LINCS logo).

(4) Contribute locally produced

materials for inclusion in the LINCS

databases.

(5) Contribute time to catalog locally

produced materials and web sites that

are on the state LINCS web site so these

can be found through the LINCS search.

(If partners do not have the resources to

catalog items directly, they can contact

their regional LINCS for cataloging

assistance.)

(6) Promote LINCS services,

resources, and standards by making

presentations, providing training,

establishing projects through minigrants to expand the integration of

technology in teaching and learning,

and reporting on these activities

quarterly.

(7) Participate in joint technology

projects and activities (i.e., regional

technology training teams and library

teams) with other partners in the state

or other states.

(8) Contribute resources to LINCS

Special Collections.

(9) Contribute calendar and news

items that would be useful for clients

outside the agencies’ service area.

2. LINCS Affiliates: In addition to

LINCS partners, there are LINCS

Affiliates. Affiliates are national, state,

or local organizations that support

LINCS and want to be a part of the

expanding LINCS network, but are not

considered partners.

a. What national, state and local

Affiliates receive:

(1) Recognition on the appropriate

LINCS web site (national, regional, or

state). .

(2) National visibility for their state

and their particular organization

resources through the LINCS Hot Sites

and LINCS multiple search programs

and also publicizing their events

through LINCS Calendar of Events.

(3) A directory (specific to their

agency) for materials they contribute to

the LINCS databases, and search tools

that will allow users to search these

materials.

(4) Online cataloging training and

technical assistance.

(5) A self-updateable comprehensive

directory of local programs.

(6) Discussion list services and server

space.

(7) Access to online training for use

with their constituencies.

(8) Training materials on the use of

LINCS and on integrating technology

into teaching and learning.

(9) The opportunity to disseminate

information about their program or

projects through the LINCS network.

(10) The opportunity to catalog their

locally produced, full-text documents

for identification through the LINCS

search engines.

(11) Invitations to attend LINCS

events.

(12) The opportunity to be part of

LINCS workgroups. ]

(13) The opportunity to network with

other LINCS partners and affiliates

b. What national, state, and local

Affiliates are encouraged to do:

(1) Contribute locally produced

materials from their Web sites for

inclusion in the LINCS databases.

(2) Adopt the LINCS Web site

template, or at a minimum, the

LINCSearch link and LINCS logo.

36736 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices

(3) Promote LINCS services and

resources in their state by making

presentations about LINCS.

(4) Contribute resources to LINCS

Special Collections.

(5) Contribute calendar and news

items that would be useful to clients

outside the agencies’ service area.

Background

The National Institute for Literacy

(NIFL), as authorized by Title II of the

Workforce Investment Act of 1998, has

the legislative mandate to develop a

national literacy database. The intent of

this mandate is to assure the

consolidation and accessibility of

scattered and hard-to-access information

resources for literacy. (See http://

www.nifl.gov/LINCS/about/

about.html#history) Now in its fifth full

year of operation, LINCS is steadily

pursuing its mission of using technology

to strengthen the adult basic education

and literacy community. Beginning in

mid-1994 with a single national site on

the Internet, LINCS is now well on its

way to fulfilling its goals. For a

summary of national and regional

LINCS achievements, go to http://

www.nifl.gov/lincs/millenium/

achievements.html.

Plans for the future: Over the past

seven years, the NIFL has provided the

leadership and tools to prepare the adult

literacy community for the 21st century

through major system-building

initiatives, including the creation of

LINCS and its regional hubs. The NIFL

intends to sustain the momentum of

building systems that help

professionalize the adult literacy

community by continuing its initiatives

in technology (view the LINCS Vision

Statement at http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/

millennium/vision.html).

Application Requirements

A. Overview of Regional Technology

Centers

The NIFL will award five grants to

public and private organizations, or

consortia of organizations, for the

support of one regional technology

center in each of the five designated

regions. No more than one grant will be

made in each region.

B. Project Narrative

The project narrative is critical and

must thoroughly reflect the capacity of

the applicant to lead the regional

technology effort, and build on the

achievements of the previous regional

hub and work with LINCS partners and

affiliates. The narrative must encompass

the full three years of project activities,

with detailed plans for Year 1 and

milestones for Years 2 and 3. The

narrative must clearly describe the

applicant’s plan for attaining

measurable goals and outcomes as

identified in each of the sections listed

below and propose specific

implementation plan. The narrative

should not exceed twenty (20) singlespaced pages, or forty (40) doublespaced pages. The narrative may be

amplified by material in attachments

and appendices, (not exceeding 20

pages) but the body should stand alone

to give a complete picture of the project.

Proposals that exceed 20 single-spaced

pages or 40 double-spaced pages will

not be reviewed. The format for the

project narrative should follow the order

and format of the following selection

criteria.

C. Selection Criteria

In evaluating applications for a grant

under this competition, the Director

uses the following selection criteria. The

maximum score for all the criteria in

this section is 100 points and the

maximum score for each criterion is

indicated in parentheses with the

criterion.

1. Mission and Strategy (5 Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the appropriateness of the

applicant’s stated mission and strategy

for the proposed regional center. The

applicant must state goals, objectives,

and overall expected project

achievements for the three year grant

period, including:

a. The degree to which the stated

mission and strategy for operating a

regional center reflect an understanding

of the purpose for this project, and

NIFL’s vision and strategy for LINCS.

b. The degree to which the

application demonstrates an

understanding of the previous regional

hub’s strengths and weaknesses; and

presents a plan to build on the work of

the previous regional hub in enhancing

the technological capacity of the

region’s adult education and literacy

community.

c. The extent to which the application

provides for a seamless and

uninterrupted transition of services and

resources from the previous Hub.

d. The quality and coherence of

proposed strategies for providing

leadership to partners and affiliates at

the state and local level in strengthening

regional collaboration, and expanding

the number of key agencies

collaborating at the state and local

levels.

e. The degree to which the project

will serve the entire adult education and

literacy community, including the full

range of public and private programs

(including libraries, local education

agencies, community colleges, volunteer

and community-based organizations,

etc.).

2. Institutional Capabilities (15 Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the qualifications and

capabilities of the organization to

sustain a long-term, high quality,

coherent program, and to act as the lead

site of a region, including consideration

of:

a. The strengths and assets of the

applying organization in terms of

overall capacity to support adult

education and literacy services its base

of financial support and commitment of

the overall organization to this project.

b. The applicant’s successful

leadership track record in establishing

and implementing a coordinated

regional and interstate/interagency plan.

c. The applicant’s successful

experience in implementing the policies

and requirements of a national project at

the regional, state, and local level. The

applicant must demonstrate how it has

built collaborative working

relationships with states and local

programs;

d. The applicant’s experience in

training and in applying technology to

enhance accessibility of information and

ease of communication;

e. The strength of the applicant’s

partnerships (existing or previous) with

private and public entities, especially

those that have resulted in leveraging

resources and enhancing the applicant’s

institutional capacity.

f. The capabilities of staff who will

oversee project implementation;

g. The applicant’s knowledge of

current Internet technologies, databases,

telecommunications practices,

equipment configurations, and

maintenance.

h. The applicant’s capacity to provide

resources—including hardware,

software, and training, and technical

assistance—to partners and affiliates in

state and local programs; and

i. The applicant’s capabilities to

leverage other funding and resources to

sustain the project at the end of the

three-year grant period.

3. Plan of Operation (30 Points)

The applicant must develop a threeyear plan of operation that addresses

both the immediate needs and the future

vision and direction of the project. The

plan must clearly identify the

measurable outcomes that will result

from project implementation. The

Director reviews each application to

determine the quality of the plan of

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices 36737

operation, including consideration of

the quality of the applicant’s plan to use

its resources, personnel, and methods to

achieve each indicated project objective,

especially in the following areas:

a. Building Partnerships and

Collaboration:

(1) The quality of the plan to establish

effective working relationships with

other organizations in the region as

required for effective development of

the project.

(2) The extent to which the

applicant’s plan includes sound

methods for achieving measurable goals

for expanding the number of LINCS

partners and affiliates in each member

state—especially those dealing with

education, labor, and human services—

that will further project objectives.

(3) The extent to which the applicant

has been able to attract formal support

or agreement from the previous hub’s

consortium members. The applicant

should include any formal agreements

or support letters as attachments to the

application.

(4) The extent that the plan provides

a measurable goal for developing local

LINCS partnerships and affiliations

(5) The quality of the plan for

leveraging additional resources for the

project at the regional level and in each

state, including a plan to develop

partnerships with technology-based

educational projects, especially those in

the areas of telecommunications, on-line

services, networking, and multi-media;

and private entities, including

telecommunication and high tech

business and industry.

b. Facilitating Communication and

Community Building: How the applicant

will enhance communication

throughout the region’s adult education

and literacy community, across LINCS

partners and affiliates, and among

practitioners and learners through the

use of telecommunication tools (such as

discussion lists, bulletin boards, audio/

video conferencing and networking, and

virtual workspace programs). The

applicant should specify—

(a) The kind of tools to be used.

(b) The specific content to be offered.

(c) The degree to which these tools

will provide a medium for professional

development within and among the

partners and affiliates and targeted local

programs.

c. Enhancing the knowledge base:

(1) The degree to which the

applicant’s regional plan for collecting

resources with partners and affiliates is

comprehensive and will deepen the

literacy field’s knowledge base and

enhance LINCS content. The plan

should describe:

(a) Systems or mechanisms that will

be developed by the applicant and

partners (such as Regional Library

Teams) to identify, locate, review (for

quality of content and quality of

presentation) and organize useful print

and on line resources available within

and outside the LINCS network and

include them in the LINCS databases

(b) A measurable goal for the number

of resources to be contributed to the

LINCS databases each year by all

partners and affiliates, with the focus

being on high quality instructional and

training resources. The quality of

resources should follow LINCS selection

criteria standards and guidelines. The

applicant should make provisions for

including non-print materials, such as

audio and video materials, in their

entirety.

(c) The type of resources that will be

provided to partners, practitioners, and

individuals to develop innovative webbased resources.

(2) The extent to which tools and

mechanism will be used to identify

common strengths and expertise among

partners and affiliates in creating rich

multi-state agency collections, training

packages, and technical assistance.

d. Marketing:

(1) The extent to which the plan for

LINCS regional marketing will increase

awareness and use of LINCS among

adult education and literacy programs

and practitioners.

(2) The extent to which resources will

be made available to partners and

affiliates for enhancing LINCS

awareness and use.

(3) The extent to which resources will

be used to enhance the use of LINCS

among adult learners.

e. Management:

(1) The extent to which the plan of

management is effective and ensures

proper and efficient overall

administration of the project and also in

the following areas:

(2) Supporting partners and affiliates

in enhancing their technological

capacity, implementing project

activities, contributing to LINCS, and

creating new resources, including their

ability to:

(3) Maintain a strong home page that

is seamlessly integrated with the LINCS

network and that uses LINCS state and

local templates.

(4) Provide technical assistance,

training, and high quality, updated

resources to local adult education and

literacy programs.

(5) Provide for efficient use of regional

resources by creating project-based

multi-partner collaborations and

building on the strength and expertise of

partners and affiliates.

(6) Implement new requirements or

standards developed by NIFL in concert

with regional technology centers to

assure uniformity across the LINCS

network.

(7) The quality of the strategy and

timeline for implementing a formal

agreement between the applicant,

partners, and affiliates that clearly

identifies the rights, roles, and

responsibilities of each partner and

affiliate with regard to all project

activities.

(8) How the applicant will provide for

expanding the roles of partners and

affiliates in carrying out project

activities (i.e., by providing states with

resources and funds appropriate to their

level of need and expertise), as well as

in monitoring project implementation.

(9) The quality of the tools that will

be used to maintain communication

among the partners and affiliates.

(10) How the applicant will help

partners and affiliates leverage other

sources of financial support, market

their achievements, and develop active

state-level partnerships, especially with

state education agencies.

4. Training and Technical Assistance

(15 Points)

The applicant should present a

regional technology training and

technical assistant plan. The Director

reviews each application to determine

the quality and design of the plan,

including:

a. The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates a commitment to provide

technical support, training, and

equipment to partners and affiliates;

b. The extent to which the goals of the

proposed training are measurable, with

clear plan on how the impact of such

training will be assessed;

c. The extent to which the training

plan, methods, mechanisms, and

structures are likely to be effective in

achieving stated measurable goals;

d. The extent to which the applicant

will use the information and expertise

of other Regional LINCS in developing

training resources and approaches; and

e. The extent to which the proposed

training content and plan is

comprehensive and at appropriate

levels, including:

(1) How the proposed plan addresses

the need for raising awareness and

educating practitioners, through broadbased training, about resources available

through LINCS, and will build greater

knowledge and skills in using the

LINCS technology for teaching and

learning and interaction with others.

(2) How targeted training models,

methods, mechanisms, and structures

will result in integrating technology in

36738 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices

teaching and learning within the region.

The applicant’s timeline for a formal

agreement with partners should include

an agreement to provide an

implementation plan for technology

integration in the first quarter of the

award. At the minimum the formal

agreement should cover the following

issues:

(a) How the applicant and LINCS

partners will assess the existing level of

integration in each state;

(b) How the applicant will identify

and disseminate information about

other state and local efforts in

integrating technology into teaching and

learning;

(c) How the applicant will support

partners and/or affiliates in developing

the technology integration plan;

(d) The resources that will be

recruited for the development of a three

year plan;

(e) The kind of partnership that will

be developed with other regional and

state agencies involved in similar

efforts;

(f) How the applicant will evaluate

progress in integrating technology;

(g) How the training plan will be

incorporated in the overall state or

partners’ staff development plan;

(h) How the training content, tools,

and methods developed will train

learners in using LINCS;

(i) How the training plan provides for

cross-state collaboration (i.e., by

establishing regional trainer teams).

(j) How the methods, mechanisms,

structures, and materials provided for

training—both on-line and off-line—can

be used to meet the needs of

geographically diverse populations and

be replicated, maintained, easily

accessible, and updated during and

beyond the life of this project.

(k) What innovative technologies will

be used to provide easy and efficient

methods of delivering training resources

to the adult education and literacy

community, including—

(i) The extent to which the applicant

will provide technical assistance,

funding, and other resources to partners

and affiliates.

(ii) The extent to which the applicant

will provide technical assistance to the

end users at varying levels of technical

sophistication.

5. Technical Soundness (5 Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the technical soundness of

the proposed project, including

consideration of:

a. The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates knowledge of current

Internet technologies, databases,

telecommunications practices,

equipment configurations, and

maintenance;

b. The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates a thorough knowledge of

literacy data collections, and

dissemination, as well as the LINCS web

template, selection criteria, and

cataloging standards;

c. The extent to which it will mirror

the LINCS information structure, system

architecture, and design.

d. The extent to which the applicant

demonstrates a commitment to provide

technical support, training, and

equipment to partners and affiliates.

e. The extent to which the applicant

will provide for the provision of

hardware, software, and a networking

system that will:

(1) Address issues of interpretability

and scalability,

(2) Support using audio-video, multimedia, and interactive Internet tools,

and

(3) Keep pace with new development

in technology.

f. Assurances that the following will

be in place—

(1) An electronic system that consists

of a UNIX-based server capable of

providing the following services for the

regional technology training center, its

partners, and affiliates.

(a) World Wide Web (WWW) HTTP

services;

(b) Internet Electronic Mail (SMTP)

services;

(c) File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

services;

(d) List (listproc, majordomo)

services;

(2) A dedicated Internet connection of

sufficient capacity (a minimum of up to

T1) to allow sustained usage of the site,

be able to transfer an average web page

at a rate of 20 kilobytes in three seconds

to a client web browser at NIFL during

peak usage times, and also be able to

deliver quality audio and video

products at useable rates to multiple

concurrent users;

(3) Maintain information in both

HTML documents and text and pdf

format.

(4) Serve as a server to house state and

local program web sites, any LINCS

Special Collections located in the

region, Audio and Video server; and

communication server (for activities

such as online chats, discussion lists,

and incubators).

6. Budget and Cost Effectiveness (10

Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the extent to which the

applicant describes plans for managing

the project budget and ensuring costeffectiveness, including—

a. Provisions for ensuring the most

efficient and cost-effective use of project

funds.

b. Provisions for identifying and

securing additional funds to continue

and expand the project beyond the end

of the grant.

c. A project time line that consists of

a table or diagram listing major tasks or

milestones and including estimates of

funds, time, training schedules, formal

agreements with partners and affiliates,

personnel, facilities, and equipment

allocated to each program area, as well

as the timing of progress and other

reports, meetings, and other similar

events.

Please note that overhead for this

project is restricted as per EDGAR CPR

75–562.

7. Evaluation Plan (10 Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the quality of the

evaluation plan for the project,

including consideration of:

a. The quality of methods and

mechanisms to be used to document

and evaluate progress in relation to the

project’s mission and goals, including

use of on-line methods (such as web

tools) to collect and analyze data on the

effectiveness of the resources presented.

b. The strength of the applicant’s

statement of measurable outcomes for

all project goals; and the quality of

methods that will be used to document

and evaluate the impact of the project

on:

(1) Partners, affiliates, and the broader

literacy community.

(2) Improving professional

development and instruction.

(3) Integrating technology in teaching

and learning.

(4) Raising awareness of LINCS and

its use.

[The grantee must commit to working

with NIFL to incorporate GPRA

requirements into the evaluation plan.]

8. Quality of Key Personnel (10 Points)

The Director reviews each application

to determine the quality of key

personnel for all project activities,

including consideration of:

a. The qualifications of the project

director with respect to carrying out the

purposes of this grant;

b. The qualifications of other key

personnel the applicant,

c. The experience and training of key

personnel in leading a consortium of

states and working in fields related to

project objectives; and

d. The applicant’s policy, as part of its

nondiscriminatory employment

practices, to ensure that its personnel

are selected for employment without

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices 36739

regard to race, color, national origin,

religion, gender, age, or disability.

Additional Application Requirements

The application shall include the

following:

Project Summary: The proposal must

contain a 200-word summary of the

proposed project suitable for

publication. It shall not be an abstract of

the proposal, but rather a self-contained

description of the activities that would

explain the proposal. The summary

should be free of jargon and technical

terminology, and should be

understandable by a non-specialist

reader.

Budget Proposal: ED Form 524 must

be completed and submitted with each

application. The form consists of

Sections A, B, and C. On the back of the

form are general instructions for

completion of the budget. All applicants

must complete Sections A and C. If

Section B is completed, include the

nature and source of non-federal funds.

Attach to Section C a detailed

explanation and amplification of each

budget category. Included in the

explanation should be complete

justification of costs in each category.

Additional instructions include the

following:

• Prepare an itemized budget

narrative for the project as a whole.

• Personnel items should include

names (titles or position) of key staff,

number of hours proposed, and

applicable hourly rates.

• Include the cost, purpose, and

justification for travel, equipment,

supplies, contractual and other.

Training stipends are not authorized

under this program.

• Clearly identify in all instances

contributed costs and support from

other sources, if any.

• Show budget detail for financial

aspects of any cost-sharing or joint or

cooperative funding.

Disclosure of Prior NIFL Support: If

any consortium member has received

NIFL funding in the past 2 years, the

following information on the prior

awards is required.

• NIFL award number, amount and

period of support;

• A summary of the results of the

completed work; and

• A brief description of available

materials and other related research

products not described elsewhere.

If the applicant has received a prior

award, the reviewers will be asked to

comment on the quality of the prior

work described in this section of the

proposal.

Reporting: In addition to working

closely with the National Institute for

Literacy, the applicant will be required

to submit Quarterly Performance

reports, which are to be brief, 3–4 page

reports of progress; a final annual report

of activities replaces the 4th quarterly

report. Due: Within 30 days at the end

of each quarter. Detailed specifications

for the reports will be provided to the

consortium within three months after

the awards are made.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

To apply for a cooperative agreement

grant—

1. Mail the original and seven (7)

copies of the application on or before

the deadline date of July 15, 2000 to:

National Institute for Literacy, 1775 I

Street, NW., Suite 730, Washington, DC

20006, Attention: Jaleh Behroozi Soroui

(CFDA NO. 84.257T)

2. Hand deliver the application by

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

deadline date to the address above.

a. 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.

b. If an application is mailed through

the U.S. Postal Service, the Director

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 the local post office. (2) The NIFL

will mail a Grant Applicant 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 NIFL at (202) 233–2055. (3)

The applicant must indicate on the envelope

and in Item 10 of the application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424) the CFDA

number of the competition under which the

application is being submitted.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as National Institute for Literacy and

Department of Education documents

published in the Federal Register, in

text or Adobe Portable Document

Format (PDF) on the Web at or from the

following sites:

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

http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/

news_events.html

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/

2000_rfp.html

To view the PDF version, you must

have the Adobe Acrobat Reader

Program. 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.access.gpo.gov/

nara/index.html

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this application is

divided into three parts plus a statement

regarding estimated public reporting

burden and various assurances and

certifications. These parts and

additional materials are organized in the

same manner that the submitted

application should be organized.

Additional forms for the completion of

this application are available on-line at

http://octo.ed.gov/grnt/appforms. The

parts and additional materials are as

follows:

Part I: Application for Federal

Assistance [Standard Form 424

(Rev. 4–94)) and instructions].

Part II. Budget Information [NonConstruction Programs (ED Form

524) and instructions].

Part III: Application Narrative

[Additional Materials: Estimated

Public Reporting Burden].

Assurances-Non—Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

Certification Regarding Lobbying;

Debarment, Suspension, and Other

Responsibility Matters; and DrugFree Workplace Requirements (ED

80–0013).

Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and

Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier

Covered Transactions (ED 80–0014,

9/90) and instructions.

Note: ED 80–0014 is intended for the use

of recipients and should not be transmitted

to the NIFL.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable)

and instructions. An applicant may

submit information on a Photostat

copy of the application and budget

forms, the assurances and the

certifications. However, the

application form, the assurances,

and certifications must each have

an original signature. No award can

be made unless a complete

application has been received.

Instructions for Estimated Public

Reporting Burden

According to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a valid

36740 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 112 / Friday, June 9, 2000 / Notices

OMB control number. The valid OMB

control number for this information is

under OMB control number 3430–0007,

Expiration date: 06/30/2003. The time

required to complete this information

collection is 55 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and disseminating

the data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information.

If you have any comments concerning

the accuracy of the time estimate or

suggestions for improving this form,

please write to: the National Institute for

Literacy, 1775 I Street, NW., Suite 730,

Washington, DC 20006.

Dated: June 5, 2000.

Andrew J. Hartman,

Director, NIFL.

[FR Doc. 00–14548 Filed 6–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6055–01–U

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Comment Request: National Science

Foundation—Applicant Survey

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The National Science

Foundation (NSF) has submitted the

following information collection

requirement to OMB for review and

clearance under the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104–

13. This is the second notice for public

comment; the first was published in the

Federal Register at 65 FR 17681, and no

comments were received. NSF is

forwarding the proposed renewal

submission to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for clearance

simultaneously with the publication of

this second notice. Comments regarding

(a) whether the collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the

agency’s estimate of burden including

the validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance

the quality, utility and clarity of the

information to be collected; (d) ways to

minimize the burden of the collection of

information on those who are to

respond, including through the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other technological

collection techniques or other forms of

information technology should be

addressed to: Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention:

Desk Officer for National Science

Foundation, 725—17th Street, NW

Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503,

and to Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports

Clearance Officer, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard,

Suite 295, Arlington, Virginia 22230 or

send email to splimpto@nsf.gov.

Comments regarding these information

collections are best assured of having

their full effect if received within 30

days of this notification. Copies of the

submission(s) may be obtained by

calling 703–306–1125 X2017.

NSF may not conduct or sponsor a

collection of information unless the

collection of information displays a

currently valid OMB control number

and the agency informs potential

persons who are to respond to the

collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Suzanne Plimption on (703) 306–1125

x2017 or send email to

splimpto@nsf.gov. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title of Collection: ‘‘National Science

Foundation Applicant Survey.’’

OMB Approval Number: 3145–0096

Type of Request: Intent to seek

approval to extend with revision an

information collection for three years.

Proposed Project: The current

National Science Foundation Applicant

Survey has been in use for several years.

Data are collected from applicant pools

to examine the racial/sexual/disability

composition and to determine the

source of information about NSF

vacancies.

Use of the Information: Analysis of

the applicant pools is necessary to

determine if NSF’s targeted recruitment

efforts are reaching groups that are

underrepresented in the Agency’s

workforce and/or to defend the

Foundation’s practices in

discrimination cases.

Burden on the Public: The Foundation

estimates about 2,000 responses

annually at 3 minutes per response; this

computes to approximately 200 hours

annually.

Dated: June 5, 2000.

Suzanne H. Plimpton,

NSF Reports Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–14590 Filed 6–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Special Emphasis Panel in Advanced

Networking Infrastructure Research;

Notice of Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463, as amended), the National Science

Foundation announces the following

meeting.

Name: Special Emphasis Panel in

Advanced Networking Infrastructure

Research #1207).

Date & Time: June 26, 2000; 8:00 AM–6:00

PM.

Place: Room 1150, National Science

Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington,

VA.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Persons: Darleen Fisher and Karen

Sollins, Division of Advanced Networking

Infrastructure Research, Room 1175, National

Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Blvd.,

Arlington, VA 22230. Telephone: (703) 306–

1950.

Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and

recommendations concerning proposals

submitted to NSF for financial support.

Agenda: To review and evaluate proposals

submitted to the Networking Research

Program as part of the selection process for

awards.

Reason for Closing: The proposals being

reviewed include information of a

proprietary or confidential nature, including

technical information; financial data, such as

salaries; and personal information

concerning individuals associated with the

proposals. These matters are exempt under 5

U.S.C. 552b(c), (4) and (6) of the Government

in the Sunshine Act.

Dated: June 5, 2000.

Karen J. York,

Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–14587 Filed 6–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7555–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Special Emphasis Panel in Electrical

and Communications Systems; Notice

of Meeting

In accordance with the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–

463, as amended), the National Science

Foundation announces the following

meeting:

Name: Special Emphasis Panel in

Electrical and Communications Systems

(1196).

Date and Time: June 23, 2000–8:30 a.m. to

5 p.m.

Place: National Science Foundation, Room

360, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA.

Type of Meeting: Closed.

Contact Persons: Dr. Kishan Baheti,

Program Director, Control, Networks, and

Computational Intelligence (CNCI), Division

of Electrical and Communications Systems,

National Science Foundations, 4201 Wilson