4442 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 17 / Thursday, January 26, 2006 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Innovation and Improvement; 

Overview Information; Transition to 

Teaching Grant Program; Notice 

Inviting Applications for New Awards 

for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.350A, 84.350B, and 

84.350C. 

Dates: Applications Available: 

January 27, 2006. Deadline for Notice of 

Intent to Apply: February 21, 2006. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 20, 2006. Deadline 

for Intergovernmental Review: May 19, 

2006. 

Eligible Applicants: A State 

educational agency (SEA); a high-need 

local educational agency (LEA); a forprofit or nonprofit organization that has 

a proven record of effectively recruiting 

and retaining highly qualified teachers, 

in a partnership with a high-need LEA 

or an SEA; an institution of higher 

education (IHE), in a partnership with a 

high-need LEA or an SEA; a regional 

consortium of SEAs; or a consortium of 

high-need LEAs. For further information 

on whether an LEA qualifies as a ‘‘highneed LEA,’’ see section III. 1. Eligible 

Applicants in this notice. 

Estimated Available Funds: $5–6 

million. The Department has established 

separate funding categories for projects 

of different scope. These categories are: 

(1) National/regional projects 

(84.350C) that serve eligible high-need 

LEAs in more than one State; 

(2) Statewide projects (84.350B) that 

serve eligible high-need LEAs statewide 

or eligible high-need LEAs in more than 

one area of a State; and 

(3) Local projects (84.350A) that serve 

one eligible high-need LEA or two or 

more eligible high-need LEAs in a single 

area of a State. 

Estimated Range of Awards: National/ 

regional projects—$300,000–$1,000,000 

per year; Statewide projects—$150,000– 

$600,000 per year; and Local projects— 

$100,000–$400,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

National/regional projects—$750,000 

per year; Statewide projects—$375,000 

per year; and Local projects—$225,000 

per year. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 

National/regional projects—2; Statewide 

projects—5; and Local projects—10. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. Full 

Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The Transition to 

Teaching program encourages (1) the 

development and expansion of 

alternative routes to full State teacher 

certification, as well as (2) the 

recruitment and retention of highly 

qualified mid-career professionals, 

recent college graduates who have not 

majored in education, and highly 

qualified paraprofessionals as teachers 

in high-need schools operated by highneed LEAs, including charter schools 

that operate as high-need LEAs. 

Priorities: The Department has 

established three competitive preference 

priorities and one invitational priority 

that are explained in the following 

paragraphs. One competitive preference 

priority is from the statute for this 

program and the other two competitive 

preference priorities are from the notice 

of final priorities and requirements for 

this program, published in the Federal 

Register on April 30, 2004 (69 FR 

24002, 24005)(NFP). 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2006, these priorities are competitive 

preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(i), we award 5 additional 

points to an application that meets 

Competitive Preference Priority 1, and 

up to an additional 20 points to an 

application, depending on how well the 

application meets either Competitive 

Preference Priority 2 or 3. These points 

are in addition to any points the 

application earns under the program’s 

selection criteria. 

These priorities are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1— 

Partnerships or Consortia That Include 

a High-Need LEA or a High-Need SEA 

In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from 

section 2313(c) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 6683(c)). 

This priority supports projects that are 

designed and implemented in active 

partnerships or consortia that include at 

least one high-need LEA or high-need 

SEA. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2—State 

Projects To Create or Expand, and Then 

Implement, Alternative Pathways to 

Teacher Certification 

This priority is from the NFP (69 FR 

24002, 20005). This priority supports 

projects designed and implemented by 

an SEA or a consortium of SEAs and the 

respective teacher certification agency 

of each State (if different from the SEA) 

to create or expand, and then 

implement, alternative pathways to 

certification. The project period is up to 

five years. Grantees will need to 

conduct both of the following activities: 

(a) Create alternatives to the State’s 

traditional certification requirements. In 

conducting this activity, States are 

encouraged to develop a variety of 

alternative pathways to certification as 

important options in their menu of 

State-approved procedures for teacher 

certification and licensure. For example, 

competency-based alternative routes 

would permit talented individuals 

interested in teaching to become fully 

certified through rigorous assessments 

of their content and professional 

teaching competence, thereby enabling 

LEAs to recruit from a larger and more 

talented pool of prospective teachers. 

(b) Use the alternative routes to 

recruit individuals from groups eligible 

to participate in the Transition to 

Teaching program. Funded projects also 

would, among other things, need to 

work with participating high-need LEAs 

to— 

(1) Increase the number and quality of 

mid-career changers, recent college 

graduates who have not majored in 

education, and qualified 

paraprofessionals recruited to teach 

high-need subjects (such as 

mathematics, science, and special 

education) in identified high-need LEAs 

(which may include LEAs that are 

charter schools), particularly those in 

urban and rural areas; and 

(2) Provide these newly hired teachers 

with the support they need to become 

certified and effective teachers who will 

choose to make teaching their new longterm profession. 

In particular, SEAs receiving project 

funds must— 

(i) Target recruitment efforts on, and 

rigorously screen, candidates in areas 

where participating high-need LEAs 

have documented teacher shortages 

(e.g., mathematics, science, and special 

education); 

(ii) Place prospective teachers only in 

high-need schools operated by highneed LEAs; 

(iii) Prepare individuals for specific 

positions in specific LEAs and place 

them in these positions early in the 

training process; 

(iv) Ensure that recruited teachers 

receive the specific training they need to 

become fully certified or licensed 

teachers; and 

(v) Have recruited teachers participate 

in a well-supervised induction period 

that may include the support of 

experienced, trained mentors. 

Note: Applicants that choose to respond to 

Competitive Preference Priority 2 may do so 

however they choose. Those who respond to 

this priority may want to consider addressing 

such key factors as: (1) The data and other 

information the State has used to assess how 

and the extent to which current State 

certification requirements inhibit talented 

individuals from entering teaching; (2) the 


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level of commitment of State leaders and 

policymakers to developing new or enhanced 

alternative certification requirements; (3) the 

State’s statutory and regulatory authority to 

implement alternative pathways to 

certification; (4) how the SEA and other 

participating State agencies will actively 

involve all stakeholders with responsibility 

or authority for teacher preparation, hiring, 

and retention; and (5) a timeline for major 

actions that the SEA and other participating 

State agencies intend to implement to 

develop new or improved alternative 

pathways to teacher certification. 

Competitive Preference Priority 3—

District Projects to Streamline Teacher 

Hiring Systems, Timelines, and 

Processes 

This priority is from the NFP (69 FR 

24002, 20005). The priority supports 

projects by one or more LEAs to 

streamline their hiring systems, 

timelines, and processes. The project 

period is up to five years. A 

participating high-need LEA will need 

to conduct both of the following 

activities: 

(a) Examine its current hiring system, 

processes, and policies to identify the 

critical barriers to hiring highly 

qualified teachers. The lack of highly 

qualified teachers in most urban and 

rural LEAs has often been attributed to 

their difficulty in recruiting interested 

and qualified individuals. However, 

recent research indicates that the 

problem may not be one of recruitment 

but may stem from inefficient and 

untimely LEA hiring systems and 

processes. This is especially true in 

high-poverty LEAs and schools—the 

very LEAs and schools the Transition to 

Teaching program is targeted to serve. 

Accordingly, each participating LEA 

will need to examine its current hiring 

processes and policies and, based upon 

that examination, identify the critical 

barriers to hiring highly qualified 

teachers. 

(b) Design and implement efforts to 

remove the identified barriers and put 

in place systems that streamline and 

revamp the hiring process. In 

conducting this activity, LEAs are 

encouraged to create an efficient and 

timely applicant hiring process with a 

strong data tracking system and clear 

hiring goals. These efforts also should 

involve negotiating policy reforms that 

remove critical barriers, such as delayed 

notification of vacancies and seniority 

and retirement rules. 

Participating LEAs also will carry out 

the requirements of the Transition to 

Teaching program by recruiting 

nontraditional candidates, using the 

streamlined hiring system to hire these 

individuals for teaching in high-need 

schools, working with them to achieve 

full State certification, and retaining 

them for at least three years. 

Note: Applicants that choose to respond to 

Competitive Preference Priority 3 may do so 

however they choose. Those that respond to 

this priority may want to consider addressing 

such key factors as: (1) The existing barriers 

to early notification and hiring of new 

teachers; (2) the active engagement of LEA 

officials, teacher unions, and other 

stakeholders in developing a plan to remove 

existing barriers and implementing changes; 

(3) the actions each participating LEA 

intends to undertake to implement policies 

and systems for early notification and hiring 

of new teachers; and (4) a timeline for major 

action steps that each participating LEA 

intends to implement to develop the new 

hiring policies and systems. 

Under this competition, we are 

particularly interested in applications 

that address the following priority. 

Invitational Priority: For FY 2006 this 

priority is an invitational priority. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not 

give an application that meets this 

invitational priority a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

This priority is: 

Invitational Priority—Recruitment and 

Retention of Teachers of Mathematics or 

Science at the High School Level 

This priority supports projects that 

focus on the recruitment, preparation, 

placement, support, and retention of 

mid-career professionals, including 

highly qualified paraprofessionals, and 

recent college graduates who did not 

major in education to serve as 

mathematics or science teachers in high 

schools that are high-need schools in 

high-need LEAs. 

Note: Applicants are encouraged to 

identify high-need high schools in high-need 

LEAs with a shortage of mathematics or 

science teachers, and recruit qualified 

individuals as teachers for these schools. In 

addition, applicants are encouraged to 

address how their efforts to recruit and retain 

mathematics and science teachers through 

the Transition to Teaching program can 

support other reform efforts in the high-need 

schools and districts to improve the quality 

of instruction in mathematics, science, and 

high schools in general. 

Note: The NFP includes definitions for 

terms used in these priorities, including 

‘‘highly qualified paraprofessional,’’ ‘‘highneed subject,’’ and ‘‘high-need SEA.’’

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6681–6684. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

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

84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The notice 

of final priorities and requirements for 

this program published in the Federal 

Register on April 30, 2004 (69 FR 

24002). 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: $5–6 

million. The Department has established 

separate funding categories for projects 

of a different scope. These categories 

are: 

(1) National/regional projects 

(84.350C) that serve eligible high-need 

LEAs in more than one State; 

(2) Statewide projects (84.350B) that 

serve eligible high-need LEAs statewide 

or eligible high-need LEAs in more than 

one area of a State; and 

(3) Local projects (84.350A) that serve 

one eligible high-need LEA or two or 

more eligible high-need LEAs in a single 

area of a State. 

Estimated Range of Awards: National/ 

regional projects—$300,000–$1,000,000 

per year; Statewide projects—$150,000–

$600,000 per year; and Local projects—

$100,000–$400,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

National/regional projects—$750,000 

per year; Statewide projects—$375,000 

per year; and Local projects—$225,000 

per year. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 

National/regional projects—2; Statewide 

projects—5; and Local projects—10. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: An SEA; a 

high-need LEA; a for-profit or nonprofit 

organization that has a proven record of 

effectively recruiting and retaining 

highly qualified teachers, in a 

partnership with a high-need LEA or an 

SEA; an IHE, in a partnership with a 

high-need LEA or an SEA; a regional 

consortium of SEAs; or a consortium of 

high-need LEAs. Each application must 

identify participating LEAs that meet 

the definition of ‘‘high-need LEA’’ in 

section 2102(3) of the ESEA. 

Note: Section 2102(3) of the ESEA defines 

a high-need LEA as an LEA—

(a) That serves not fewer than 10,000 

children from families with incomes below 

the poverty line (as that term is defined in 

section 9101(33) of the ESEA), or for which 

not less than 20 percent of the children 

served by the LEA are from families with 

incomes below the poverty line; and 

(b) For which there is (1) a high percentage 

of teachers not teaching in the academic 

subjects or grade levels that the teachers were 

trained to teach, or (2) a high percentage of 


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teachers with emergency, provisional, or 

temporary certification or licensing. 

The NFP describes how applicants 

must demonstrate that a participating 

LEA meets this statutory definition of 

‘‘high-need LEA.’’ (See 69 FR 24002, 

24006) Pursuant to the NFP, we provide 

the following supplementary 

information regarding the data 

applicants use to demonstrate eligibility 

as a ‘‘high-need LEA’’ under this 

competition: 

As described in the NFP, absent a 

showing of alternative LEA data that 

reliably show the number of children 

from families with incomes below the 

poverty line that are served by the LEA, 

the eligibility of an LEA as a ‘‘high-need 

LEA’’ under component (a) of the 

definition must be determined on the 

basis of the most recent U.S. Census 

Bureau data. The most recent U.S. 

Census Bureau data can be found in the 

charts on the Internet at: http:// 

www.census.gov/housing/saipe/sd03/ 

The Department examines the eligibility 

of any LEA not listed on these charts on 

a case-by-case basis. 

As discussed in the NFP, with respect 

to component (b)(1) of the definition of 

‘‘high-need LEA,’’ whether an LEA has 

a ‘‘high percentage of teachers not 

teaching in the academic subjects or 

grade levels that the teachers were 

trained to teach’’ is determined on a 

case-by-case basis. 

In addition, as noted in the NFP, with 

respect to component (b)(2) of the 

definition of ‘‘high-need LEA,’’ an LEA 

has a ‘‘high percentage’’ of teachers with 

emergency, provisional, or temporary 

certification or licensing if the 

percentage of teachers on waivers, as the 

LEA reported to the State for purposes 

of the State’s latest report to the 

Secretary under section 207 of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), 

was at least the national average 

percentage of teachers on waivers of 

State certification for all LEAs. As 

outlined in the NFP, the Secretary 

determines the national average 

percentage of teachers on waivers based 

on data contained in the most currently 

available HEA section 207 State reports. 

At the time of publication of this notice, 

the Department has received all 2005 

State HEA section 207 reports and those 

reports reflect a national average 

percentage of teachers on waivers of 

State certification in all LEAs of 2.5 

percent. 

Because the Department is in the 

process of certifying all data received in 

the 2005 State HEA section 207 reports, 

the data in these reports, including the 

national average of teachers on waivers 

of State certification, are still 

provisional. However, to provide 

adequate time for the preparation and 

review of project applications and 

award of new grants before FY 2006 

program funds lapse on September 30, 

2006, the Department will use the 2.5 

percent national average for purposes of 

this competition. Accordingly, an LEA 

will be considered to have met 

component (b)(2) of the definition of 

‘‘high-need LEA’’ if the data that it 

provided to the State for purposes of the 

State’s October 2005 HEA section 207 

report demonstrate that at least 2.5 

percent of its teachers were on waivers 

of State certification requirements. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not involve cost sharing 

or matching but does involve 

supplement-not-supplant funding 

provisions. In accordance with section 

2313(h)(2) of the ESEA, funds made 

available under this section shall be 

used to supplement, and not supplant, 

State and local public funds expended 

for teacher recruitment and retention 

programs, including programs to recruit 

the teachers through alternative routes 

to certification. 

3. Other: The NFP describes eligibility 

restrictions for individuals participating 

in this program. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package 

Education Publications Center (ED 

Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 

20794–1398. Telephone (toll free): 1–

877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–1244. If 

you use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll 

free): 1–877–576–7734. 

You may also contact ED Pubs at its 

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

edpubs.html or you may contact ED 

Pubs at its e-mail address: 

edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.350A, 84.350B, or 84.350C. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the program 

contact person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 

this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

Requirements concerning the content 

of an application, together with the 

forms you must submit, are in the 

application package for this 

competition. Additional information 

concerning application content 

requirements is in the NFP. 

Notice of Intent to Apply: February 

21, 2006. 

The Department will be able to 

develop a more efficient process for 

reviewing grant applications if it has a 

better understanding of the number of 

entities that intend to apply for funding 

under this competition. Therefore, the 

Secretary strongly encourages each 

potential applicant to notify the 

Department by sending a short e-mail 

message indicating the applicant’s 

intent to submit an application for 

funding. The e-mail need not include 

information regarding the content of the 

proposed application, only the 

applicant’s intent to submit it. The 

Secretary requests that this e-mail 

notification be sent to Thelma 

Leenhouts at: 

transitiontoteaching@ed.gov. Applicants 

that fail to provide this e-mail 

notification may still apply for funding. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. Applicants must limit 

Part III to the equivalent of no more than 

50 pages, using the following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, except titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures and graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

curriculum vitae, or the bibliography of 

literature cited. However, you must 

include all of the application narrative 

in Part III. 

Our reviewers will not read any pages 

of your application that—

• Exceed the page limit if you apply 

these standards; or 

• Exceed the equivalent of the page 

limit if you apply other standards. 

2. Submission Dates and Times 

Applications Available: January 27, 

2006. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to 

Apply: February 21, 2006. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 20, 2006. 


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Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (http://www.grants.gov). For 

information (including dates and times) 

about how to submit your application 

electronically or by mail or hand 

delivery if you qualify for an exception 

to the electronic submission 

requirement, please refer to section IV. 

6. Other Submission Requirements in 

this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 19, 2006. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice and in 

the NFP. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically unless you qualify for an 

exception to this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications 

Applications for grants under the 

Transition to Teaching Competition–

CFDA Number 84.350A, 84.350B, and 

84.350C must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site at: http://www.grants.gov. 

Through this site, you will be able to 

download a copy of the application 

package, complete it offline, and then 

upload and submit your application. 

You may not e-mail an electronic copy 

of a grant application to us. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for Transition to Teaching 

at: http://www.grants.gov. You must 

search for the downloadable application 

package for this program by the CFDA 

number. Do not include the CFDA 

number’s alpha suffix in your search. 

Please note the following: 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by 

Grants.gov are time and date stamped. 

Your application must be fully 

uploaded and submitted, and must be 

date/time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system no later than 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. Except as 

otherwise noted in this section, we will 

not consider your application if it is 

date/time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system later than 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. When we 

retrieve your application from 

Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 

rejecting your application because it 

was date/time stamped by the 

Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this competition 

to ensure that you submit your 

application in a timely manner to the 

Grants.gov system. You can also find the 

Education Submission Procedures 

pertaining to Grants.gov at http://eGrants.ed.gov/help/ 

GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf 

• To submit your application via 

Grants.gov, you must complete all of the 

steps in the Grants.gov registration 

process (see http://www.Grants.gov/ 

GetStarted). These steps include (1) 

registering your organization, (2) 

registering yourself as an Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR), and 

(3) getting authorized as an AOR by 

your organization. Details on these steps 

are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step 

Registration Guide (see http:// 

www.grants.gov/assets/ 

GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). 

You also must provide on your 

application the same D–U–N–S Number 

used with this registration. Please note 

that the registration process may take 

five or more business days to complete, 

and you must have completed all 

registration steps to allow you to 

successfully submit an application via 

Grants.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

typically included on the Application 

for Federal Education Assistance (ED 

424), Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

You must attach any narrative sections 

of your application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified above or submit a 

password protected file, we will not 

review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment from 

Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. The Department will 

retrieve your application from 

Grants.gov and send you a second 

confirmation by e-mail that will include 

a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are prevented 

from electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically, or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions as described elsewhere in 

this notice. If you submit an application 

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

the deadline date, please contact the 

person listed elsewhere in this notice 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT, and provide an explanation of 

the technical problem you experienced 

with Grants.gov, along with the 


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Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number 

(if available). We will accept your 

application if we can confirm that a 

technical problem occurred with the 

Grants.gov system and that that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. The Department will contact you 

after a determination is made on 

whether your application will be 

accepted. 

Note: Extensions referred to in this section 

apply only to the unavailability of or 

technical problems with the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the deadline 

date and time or if the technical problem you 

experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov 

system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

the Grants.gov system because—

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevent you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. If 

you mail your written statement to the 

Department, it must be postmarked no 

later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Thelma Leenhouts, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., room 4W302, 

Washington, DC 20202–5960. FAX: 

(202) 401–8466. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications by 

Mail 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the applicable following 

address: 

By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, 

Attention: 84.350A, 84.350B, or 

84.350C, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. or 

By mail through a commercial carrier: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center—Stop 

4260, Attention: 84.350A, 84.350B, or 

84.350C, 7100 Old Landover Road, 

Landover, MD 20785–1506. 

Regardless of which address you use, 

you must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark, 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service, 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier, or 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark, or 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

84.350A, 84.350B, or 84.350C, 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and 

Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of 

Paper Applications: If you mail or hand 

deliver your application to the 

Department: 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the 

Department—in Item 4 of the ED 424 the 

CFDA number—and suffix letter, if 

any—of the competition under which 

you are submitting your application. 

(2) The Application Control Center 

will mail a grant application receipt 

acknowledgment to you. If you do not 

receive the grant application receipt 

acknowledgment within 15 business 

days from the application deadline date, 

you should call the U.S. Department of 

Education Application Control Center at 

(202) 245–6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from the 

statute for this program and § 75.210 of 

EDGAR and are listed in this section. 

The maximum score for all the selection 

criteria is 100 points. The maximum 

score for each criterion is indicated in 

parentheses. Each criterion also 

includes the factors that the reviewers 

will consider in determining how well 

an application meets the criterion. In 

addressing each criterion, applicants are 

encouraged to make explicit 

connections to relevant aspects of 

responses to other selection criteria. 

The Notes we have included after 

each criterion are guidance to assist 

applicants in understanding the 

criterion as they prepare their 

applications and are not required by 

statute or regulation. 

A. Significance of the Project (20 Points) 

The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. In 

determining the significance of the 

proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The significance of the problem or 

issue to be addressed by the proposed 

project. 

(2) The likelihood that the proposed 

project will result in system change or 

improvement. 

(3) The extent to which the proposed 

project involves the development or 

demonstration of promising new 

strategies that build on, or are 

alternatives to, existing strategies. 

Note: The Secretary encourages applicants 

to address this criterion by identifying 

specific gaps and weaknesses in the services 

and infrastructure currently in place for the 

recruitment, preparation, placement, and 

retention of teachers and by stating how the 

proposed project will address these gaps and 

weaknesses. The Secretary encourages 

applicants to identify (1) current barriers that 

the high-need LEAs to be served by the 

project face in meeting their teacher 


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recruitment needs, including, if relevant, 

barriers caused by existing State certification 

or licensure requirements, (2) why these 

barriers exist, and (3) how the project would 

significantly help those LEAs overcome these 

barriers. 

Applicants are also encouraged to address 

this criterion by identifying the specific 

teacher-shortage areas faced by the 

participating high-need LEAs on which their 

proposed projects would focus. These may 

include such high-need subject areas as 

mathematics, science, special education, and 

English as a second language and particular 

grade levels, including middle and high 

schools. Applicants should understand that a 

project’s strategy for helping participating 

high-need LEAs to identify and hire highly 

qualified individuals to fill teaching 

positions in high-need subjects may rely on 

existing alternative routes to certification, 

expansions of them into new areas, or 

creation of wholly new alternative routes. 

B. Quality of the Project Design (35 

Points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the project design for the proposed 

project by considering how well the 

applicant describes a plan—

(1) To develop a program to recruit 

and retain highly qualified mid-career 

professionals (including highly 

qualified paraprofessionals) and recent 

graduates of an IHE as teachers in highneed schools operated by high-need 

LEAs; and 

(2) To enable individuals to become 

eligible for teacher certification under 

State-approved alternative routes to 

certification programs within a reduced 

period of time, relying on such factors 

as experience, expertise, and academic 

qualifications in lieu of traditional 

course work in education. 

In considering the quality of the 

project design and the applicant’s plan, 

the Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(a) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(b) The extent to which the design of 

the proposed project reflects up-to-date 

knowledge from research and effective 

practice. 

(c) The extent to which the design of 

the proposed project is appropriate to, 

and will successfully address, the needs 

of the target population or other 

identified needs. 

(d) The extent to which the proposed 

project is designed to build capacity and 

yield results that will extend beyond the 

period of Federal financial assistance. 

Note: The Secretary encourages applicants 

to address this criterion by discussing the 

overall project model and its key 

components, and the degree to which the 

model’s key components are based on sound 

research and practice. Applicants may want 

to address such key components of project 

design as: 

(1) Recruitment and selection, including 

identifying the target group(s) on which the 

program will focus and why and how the 

program is designed to rigorously select 

participants with the requisite content 

knowledge, skills, and commitment to teach 

in high-need LEAs and schools. 

(2) Training and preparation, including 

how the project provides a route to 

certification that is accelerated, integrates 

coursework and field experience, and is 

adapted to participants’ learning needs. 

(3) Mentoring and support, including 

services that are designed to meet the target 

participants’ needs in terms of length, 

content, and means of delivery in order to be 

successful in high-needs schools and LEAs. 

(4) Teacher placement, including evidence 

that the proposed project will meet the needs 

of high-need LEAs and is developed in 

coordination with appropriate partners, that 

the timing of placements will be appropriate 

to the needs of program participants, and that 

the project includes a system of tracking to 

meet statutory requirements. 

(5) Certification, including consideration of 

how the timeline for achieving full 

certification will meet the needs of 

participants, LEAs, and partners, as well as 

the ‘‘Highly Qualified Teacher’’ requirements 

established in section 9101(23) of the ESEA. 

In addition, applicants are encouraged to 

clarify the means by which the project’s 

specified outcomes and benefits may be 

sustained once Federal funding has ended. 

C. Quality of Project Services (20 Points) 

In determining the quality of the 

services to be provided by the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

are appropriate to the needs of the 

intended recipients or beneficiaries of 

those services. 

(2) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are of 

sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services. 

(3) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are 

likely to alleviate the personnel 

shortages that have been identified or 

are the focus of the proposed project. 

(4) 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. 

Note: The Secretary encourages applicants 

to address this criterion by discussing how 

the proposed project services will meet the 

needs both of the high-need LEAs identified 

in the application and of the program 

participants they would recruit to become 

teachers. Applicants are encouraged to 

consult the list of authorized activities in 

section 2313(g) of the ESEA in describing the 

specific services to be delivered to recruit, 

prepare, and retain participants that will 

increase the number of highly qualified 

teachers in high-need schools in high-need 

LEAs. In addition, the Secretary encourages 

applicants to consider carefully the breadth 

of activities that section 2313(g) of the ESEA 

authorizes and then to address how the 

project will: 

(1) Provide training that meets the learning 

needs of the participants and makes use of 

appropriate media (such as face-to-face and 

Web-based instruction, and distance 

learning) to provide them with the skills 

needed to be highly qualified and effective 

teachers in the identified high-need subject 

areas and high-needs schools and LEAs. 

(2) Support project participants’ success in 

high-need schools and LEAs during the 

period of their service obligation through 

individual mentoring, support of participants 

as a group, use of technology, or other 

appropriate means. 

(3) Encourage the participation of all 

project partners, including school leaders, in 

providing services related to the recruitment, 

preparation, and retention of project 

participants and ensuring lasting benefits or 

outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to 

clarify the roles of partners in each phase of 

the project and the extent of coordination 

that will occur with similar efforts at the 

State and district levels. In addition, 

applicants are encouraged to consider how 

they might demonstrate (e.g., through 

narrative discussion, letters of support, or 

formal memoranda of understanding) the 

commitment of partners to the project and 

the partners’ understanding of 

responsibilities they have agreed to assume 

in service delivery. 

D. Quality of the Management Plan (10 

Points) 

In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers 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. 

Note: Section 75.112 of EDGAR requires an 

applicant for a multiyear grant to include a 

narrative that describes how and when, in 

each budget period of the project, the 

applicant plans to meet each project 

objective. The Secretary encourages 

applicants to address this criterion by 

including in this narrative a schedule of 

activities with sufficient time for developing 

an adequate implementation plan, as well as 

timelines for providing program participants 

the support they need in their initial years as 

teachers. 


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E. Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 

Points) 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the evaluation to be conducted of the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the evaluation to be 

conducted, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation include the use of 

objective performance measures that are 

clearly related to the intended outcomes 

of the project and will produce 

quantitative and qualitative data to the 

extent possible. 

(2) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes. 

Note: The Secretary encourages applicants 

to address this criterion by including 

benchmarks to monitor progress toward 

specific project objectives and also outcome 

measures to assess the impact on teaching 

and learning or other important outcomes for 

project participants. (The specific 

performance measures established for the 

overall Transition to Teaching program are 

discussed under Performance Measures in 

section VI of this notice. Section 2314 of the 

ESEA also requires grantees to submit both 

an interim evaluation of the first three years 

of the grant and a final evaluation at the end 

of the grant.) 

The Secretary also encourages applicants 

to identify the individual or organization that 

has agreed to serve as evaluator for the 

project and describe the qualifications of that 

evaluator. Finally, applicants are encouraged 

to indicate: (1) What types of data will be 

collected; (2) when various types of data will 

be collected; (3) what methods will be used; 

(4) what instruments will be developed and 

when; (5) how the data will be analyzed; (6) 

when reports of results and outcomes will be 

available; and (7) how the applicant will use 

the information collected through the 

evaluation to monitor progress of the funded 

project and to provide accountability 

information about both the success at the 

initial site or sites and effective strategies for 

replication in other settings. Applicants are 

encouraged to devote an appropriate level of 

resources to project evaluation. 

2. Review and Selection Process: 

Additional information concerning our 

review and selection of grant 

applications in this competition are 

contained in the NFP. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may also notify you 

informally. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: The Secretary requires 

successful applicants to submit annual 

performance reports and, after the last 

year of the project, a final report. The 

annual performance report documents 

the grantee’s yearly progress toward 

meeting expected programmatic 

outcomes. These outcomes must be 

based on measurable performance 

objectives including, but not limited to, 

the performance measures described in 

paragraph 4 of this section. These 

reports must evaluate—

(1) The grantee’s progress in meeting 

the application’s objectives; 

(2) The project’s effectiveness in 

meeting the purposes of the Transition 

to Teaching program; and 

(3) The project’s effect on the specific 

LEAs the project serves. 

Among other things, the Department 

uses the annual performance reports to 

determine whether a grantee has 

demonstrated substantial progress in 

meeting the goals and objectives (as 

described in its approved application), 

and thereby merits a continuation award 

(for years 2–5). See § 75.118 of EDGAR. 

Grantees also will be required to 

submit a final performance report, due 

no later than 90 days after the end of the 

project period. 

In addition, section 2314 of the ESEA 

requires grantees to submit to the 

Department and to the Congress interim 

and final evaluations at the end of the 

third and fifth years of the grant period, 

respectively. These evaluations must 

describe the extent to which high-need 

LEAs that received funds through the 

grant have met their goals relating to 

teacher recruitment and retention as 

described in the project application. 

Additional requirements pertaining to 

these reports are in the NFP. 

For specific requirements on grantee 

reporting, please go to http://www/ed/ 

gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Secretary has established one 

performance indicator for assessing the 

effectiveness of the Transition to 

Teaching program: the percentage of 

new, highly qualified Transition to 

Teaching teachers who teach in highneed schools in high-need LEAs for at 

least three years. We will track this 

indicator through the use of the 

following three performance measures. 

We will gather the data for these 

measures from the grantees. 

Measure One: The percentage of all 

Transition to Teaching participants who 

become teachers of record in high-need 

schools in high-need LEAs. 

Measure Two: The percentage of 

Transition to Teaching participants 

receiving certification/licensure within 

three years. 

Measure Three: The percentage of 

Transition to Teaching teachers of 

record who teach in high-need schools 

in high-need LEAs for at least three 

years. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

For Further Information Contact: 

Thelma Leenhouts, Gillian CohenBoyer, Beatriz Ceja, or Anthony 

Sepulveda, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 4W318, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 260–0223 (Thelma 

Leenhouts); (202) 401–2159 (Gillian 

Cohen-Boyer); (202) 260–3548 (202) 

205–5009 (Beatriz Ceja); or (202) 260–

0464 (Anthony Sepulveda). By e-mail: 

transitiontoteaching@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–

800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain this document in an alternative 

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

audiotape, or computer diskette) on 

request to the program contact persons 

listed in this section. 

VIII. Other Information 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You may view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. 

To use PDF you must have Adobe 

Acrobat Reader, which is available free 

at this site. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

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

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC, area at (202) 512–1530. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 


erjones on PROD1PC68 with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 17 / Thursday, January 26, 2006 / Notices 4449 

Dated: January 20, 2006. 

Christopher J. Doherty, 

Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary for 

Innovation and Improvement. 

[FR Doc. 06–763 Filed 1–25–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 


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