[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3548-3569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1516]



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Part III





Department of Education





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Educational Research and Improvement; Telecommunications Demonstration 
Project for Mathematics; Applications for New Awards (FY) 2000; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 14 / Friday, January 21, 2000 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

(CFDA No. 84.286)


Office of Educational Research and Improvement; 
Telecommunications Demonstration Project for Mathematics Notice 
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000

Note To Applicants

    This notice is a complete application package. Together with the 
statute authorizing the program and applicable regulations governing 
the program, including the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR), the notice contains all of the information, 
application forms, and instructions you need to apply for a grant under 
this competition.

Purpose of Program

    The purpose of the Telecommunications Demonstration Project for 
Mathematics is to support a grant to a nonprofit telecommunications 
entity, or partnership of those entities, to carry out a national 
telecommunications-based demonstration project to improve the teaching 
of mathematics.

Eligible Applicants

    Nonprofit telecommunications entity or partnership of those 
entities.

Deadline For Receipt of Applications

    March 10, 2000.

    Note:  We must receive all applications on or before this date. 
This requirement takes exception to the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR 75.102. Under the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department 
generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on 
proposed regulations. However, this exception to EDGAR makes 
procedural changes only and does not establish new substantive 
policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Assistant Secretary 
for Educational Research and Improvement has determined that 
proposed rulemaking is not required.

    Deadline For Intergovernmental Review: May 10, 2000.
    Estimated Available Funds: $8,500,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $8,500,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $8,500,000 per year. The Secretary may change the 
maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 1-3.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Please note that all applicants for multi-year awards are required 
to provide detailed budget information for the total grant period 
requested.
    Budget Period: 12 months.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. Although a standard outline is not required, you should 
address the application requirements and selection criteria discussed 
in this application package. You must limit your narrative to the 
equivalent of no more than 25 pages using the following standards:
    <bullet> A ``page'' is 8.5"  x  11", on one side only, with 1" 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
    <bullet> Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
    <bullet> Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget 
section, including the narrative budget justification; the assurances 
and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the 
bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must address in 
the application narrative all of the requirements stated in this 
notice.
    If, to meet the page limit, you use more than one side of the page, 
you use a larger page, or you use a print size, spacing, or margins 
smaller than the standards in this notice, your application will be 
rejected.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, 85, and 86.
    Description of Program: The Telecommunications Demonstration 
Project for Mathematics is authorized by Part D of Title III of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 
6951-6952).
    The Secretary is authorized to award grants to a nonprofit 
telecommunications entity, or a partnership of those entities, to carry 
out a national telecommunications-based demonstration project to 
improve the teaching of mathematics. The project must be designed to 
assist elementary and secondary school teachers in preparing all 
students for achieving State content standards. The project must be 
conducted at elementary and secondary school sites in at least 15 
States.
    Application Requirements: Each nonprofit telecommunications entity, 
or partnership of those entities, that desires a grant must submit an 
application that--
    (1) Demonstrates that the applicant will use the existing publicly 
funded telecommunications infrastructure to deliver video, voice, and 
data in an integrated service to train teachers in the use of new 
standards-based curricula materials and learning technologies;
    (2) Assures that the project for which assistance is sought will be 
conducted in cooperation with appropriate State educational agencies, 
local educational agencies, State or local nonprofit public 
telecommunications entities, and a national mathematics education 
professional association that has developed content standards; and
    (3) Assures that a significant portion of the benefits available 
for elementary and secondary schools from the project for which 
assistance is sought will be available to schools of local educational 
agencies which have a high percentage of children counted for the 
purpose of part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, as amended.

 Selection Criteria

    (a)(1) The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in 34 
CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications for a new grant under this 
competition.
    (2) The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points.
    (3) The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in 
parentheses.
    (b) The criteria. (1) Need for Project (20 points). (i) The 
Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.
    (ii) In determining the need for the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (A) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project.
    (B) The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or 
the activities to be carried out by the proposed project.
    (2) Significance (35 points). (i) The Secretary considers the 
significance of the proposed project.
    (ii) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
Secretary considers the following factors:
    (A) The national significance of the proposed project.
    (B) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement.
    (C) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new

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strategies that build on, or are alternatives to, existing strategies.
    (D) The extent to which the results of the proposed project are to 
be disseminated in ways that will enable others to use the information 
or strategies.
    (E) The potential replicability of the proposed project or 
strategies, including, as appropriate, the potential for implementation 
in a variety of settings.
    (3) Quality of Project Services (20 points). (i) The Secretary 
considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed 
project.
    (ii) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by 
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and 
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for 
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age or disability.
    (iii) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
    (A) The extent to which the training or professional development 
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient 
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice 
among the recipients of those services.
    (B) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for 
maximizing the effectiveness of project services.
    (4) Quality of the Project Evaluation (25 points). (i) The 
Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of 
the proposed project.
    (ii) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 
considers the following factors:
    (A) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (B) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes.
    (C) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about 
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other 
settings.

What Data Collection and Reporting Are Required?

    The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 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 purpose of the Act is to improve public confidence by 
holding agencies accountable for achieving program results. Departments 
and agencies must clearly describe the goals and objectives of their 
programs, identify resources and actions needed to accomplish these 
goals and objectives, develop a means of measuring progress made, and 
regularly report on their achievement. The Telecommunications 
Demonstration Project for Mathematics program established as its GPRA 
objective that the program will ``promote excellent teaching in 
mathematics through sustained professional development and teacher 
networks.'' The indicator for meeting this objective is increasing 
participation in sustained professional development: The number of 
teachers sharing resources and engaged in other professional 
development activities through on-line learning communities will 
increase annually. (For a copy of the ED FY 2000 Annual Plan see http://www.ed.gov/pubs/planrpts.html).
    ED staff are developing plans to collect and report valid data to 
measure progress towards meeting the GPRA objective, as well as to 
collect other information needed for program monitoring and 
improvement. Funded projects will be required to submit these data as 
part of their annual and final performance reports to the U.S. 
Department of Education.
    One important source of information on successes and lessons 
learned is the project evaluation conducted under individual grants. A 
strong project evaluation plan should be included in the grant 
application. The evaluation should shape the development of the project 
from the beginning of the grant period. The evaluation plan should:
    <bullet> Include clear benchmarks to monitor progress toward key 
objectives;
    <bullet> Include outcome measures to assess impact on the intended 
recipients of services;
    <bullet> Identify the project evaluator and describe his or her 
qualifications;
    <bullet> Describe the evaluation design including: (1) What types 
of data will be collected; (2) when various types of data will be 
collected; (3) what designs and methods will be used; (4) what 
instruments will be developed and when; (5) how the data will be 
analyzed; (6) when reports of results and outcomes will be available; 
and (7) how information will be used by the project to monitor progress 
and to provide accountability information to stakeholders both at the 
initial site and effective strategies for replication elsewhere.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

    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 a strengthened federalism. The 
Executive order relies on processes developed by State and local 
governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal financial 
assistance.
    If you are an applicant, you must contact the appropriate State 
Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about, and to comply with, 
the State's process under Executive Order 12372. If you propose to 
perform activities in more than one State, you should immediately 
contact the SPOC for each of those States and follow the procedure 
established in each State under the Executive order. If you want to 
know the name and address of any SPOC, see the list in the Appendix to 
this application notice; or you may view the latest official SPOC list 
on the Web site of the Office of Management and Budget at the following 
address:
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants
    In States that have not established a process or chosen a program 
for review, State, areawide, regional, and local entities may submit 
comments directly to the Department.
    Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a 
SPOC and any comments from State, areawide, regional, and local 
entities must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in this 
application notice to the following address: The Secretary, E.O. 
12372--CFDA# 84.286, U.S. Department of Education, Room 7E200, 400 
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.
    We will determine proof of mailing under 34 CFR 75.102 (Deadline 
date for applications). Recommendations or comments may be hand-
delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the date indicated 
in this notice.
    PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE ADDRESS IS NOT THE SAME ADDRESS AS THE 
ONE TO WHICH AN APPLICANT SUBMITS ITS COMPLETED APPLICATION. DO NOT 
SEND APPLICATIONS TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

Instructions For Transmitting Applications

    (a) If you want to apply for a grant, you must--

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    (1) Mail the original and two (2) copies of the application to: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attn: CFDA 
#84.286, Regional Office Building 3, Room 3633, 7th & D Streets, SW, 
Washington, DC 20202-4725.
    Each copy of the application should be covered with a title page 
(form included in these guidelines) or a reasonable facsimile. All 
applicants are encouraged to submit voluntarily an additional three (3) 
copies of the application for a total of one original and five copies, 
and an additional three (3) copies of the title page itself in order to 
expedite the review process. However, the absence of these additional 
copies will not influence the selection process. All sections of the 
application and all sections of the appendix must be suitable for 
photocopying to be included in the review (at least one copy of the 
application should be unbound and suitable for photocopying), or
    (2) Hand deliver the application between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. 
(Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date--Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays--to: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center, Regional Office Building 3, Room 3633, 7th 
and D Streets, SW (D Street, SW, entrance,) Washington, DC.
    (b) We will not consider for funding an application that we do not 
receive by the deadline date.
    (c) The Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application 
Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the notification 
of application receipt within 15 days from date of mailing the 
application you should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 708-9494.
    (d) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 3 of the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 
424; revised January 12, 1999)--the CFDA number for this competition: 
CFDA #84.286.

Application Instructions and Forms

    The Appendix to this notice contains forms and instructions, a 
statement regarding estimated public reporting burden, a notice to 
applicants regarding compliance with section 427 of the General 
Education Provisions Act, and various assurances and certifications. 
Please organize the parts and additional materials in the following 
order:
    Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED Form 424 (Rev. 1/
12/99)) and instructions.
    Protection of Human Subjects in Research (Attachment to ED 424).
    Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED Form No. 524) and 
instructions.
    Application Narrative.
    Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Standard Form 424B) (Rev. 
7/97).
    Certifications regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and Other 
Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED Form 
80-0013, 12/98) and instructions.
    Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and 
Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED Form 80-0014, 
9/90) and instructions.

(Note: ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and should not 
be transmitted to the Department.)

    Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Standard Form LLL (Rev. 7/97)) 
(if applicable) and instructions.
    You may submit information on a photostatic copy of the application 
and budget forms, the assurances, and the certifications. However, the 
application form, the assurances, and the certifications must each have 
an original signature. We will not award a grant unless we have 
received a completed application form.
    For Further Information Contact: Jean Tolliver, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 520, Washington, DC 20208-
5544. Telephone: (202) 219-2097. If you use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) or by request to the program contact person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in this 
application notice.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet 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 previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, D.C. 
area, at (202) 512-1530.

    Note:  The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6951-6952.

    Dated: January 18, 2000.
C. Kent McGuire,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.

Appendix--Estimated Public Reporting Burden

    According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 1850-0760 (Expiration Date: 1/31/2003). We 
estimate the time required to complete this collection of information 
to average 40 hours per response, including the time to review 
instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and 
complete and review 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: U.S. Department of Education, 
Washington, DC 20202-4651.
    If you have any comments or concerns regarding the status of your 
submission of this form, write directly to: Telecommunications 
Demonstration Project for Mathematics, Attn: 84.286, U.S. Department of 
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20208-5544.

Instructions for Preparing Your Application Narrative

    Before preparing your application narrative, you should read 
carefully the entire application package before beginning to prepare 
your application. The Selection Criteria state what you must propose to 
do, and what criteria will be used to evaluate your application.
    The Application: Your application should include:
    1. Title Page. Use the Title Page form (Standard Form 424) included 
in these guidelines.
    2. Table of Contents. Include a one-page table of contents.
    3. Abstract. Provide a one-page, double-spaced abstract that 
describes the need to be addressed by the project,

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summarizes the proposed activities, and identifies the intended 
outcomes. It is helpful to include on this page your name, address, and 
phone numbers.
    4. Narrative. (Note: The section on PAGE LIMIT elsewhere in this 
application notice applies to your application).
    5. Budget. Use the attached Budget Summary form (ED Form 524), or a 
suitable facsimile, to present a complete budget summary for each year 
of the project.
    Please provide a justification for this budget by including, for 
each year, a narrative for each budget line item which explains: (1) 
The basis for estimating the costs of professional personnel salaries, 
benefits, project staff travel, materials and supplies, consultants and 
subcontracts, indirect costs, and any projected expenditures; (2) how 
the major cost items relate to the proposed activities; (3) the costs 
of evaluation; and (4) a detailed description explaining in-kind 
support or funding provided by partners in the project, if any.
    The Appendix: Your application should be accompanied by an appendix 
which includes:
    1. Project Personnel. Please provide a brief summary of the 
background and experience of key project staff as they relate to the 
specific project activities you are proposing.
    2. List of Partners. List all project partners and other sources of 
support, their contact persons, addresses, telephone numbers, fax 
numbers, and E-mail addresses. The roles and contributions of all 
partners and other sources of support should be described within the 
25-page narrative, but letters of commitment should be included in this 
section of the appendix to clearly document the role and contribution 
of each member.
    3. Evidence of Previous Success. Include a brief summary of any 
evaluation studies, reports, or research that may document the 
effectiveness or success of the applicant or of the activities proposed 
in the narrative section of the application.
    4. Evaluation Plan. A brief plan should identify what types of data 
will be collected, when data will be collected, the design and methods 
to be used, what instruments will be developed, how data will be 
analyzed, and when reports of results and outcomes will be available.
    Other Attachments: Other attachments are not encouraged. Reviewers 
will have a limited time to read each application. Supplementary 
materials such as videotapes, CD-ROMs, files on disks, commercial 
publications, press clippings, testimonial letters, etc. will not be 
reviewed and will be returned to you.

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[FR Doc. 00-1516 Filed 1-20-00; 8:45 am]
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