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###### Department of Education

*Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:*                     84.368.                 

*Dates: Applications Available:*                     April 12, 2007.                 

*Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                     May 31, 2007.                 

*Eligible Applicants:*                     State educational agencies (SEAs) and consortia of SEAs.                           ( print page 18463)    

*Estimated Available Funds:*                     $7,500,000 in FY 2006 funds.                 

*Estimated Range of Awards:*                     $500,000 to $2,000,000.                 

*Estimated Average Size of Awards:*                     $1,500,000.                 

*Estimated Number of Awards:*                     5.                 

# Note:

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

*Project period:*                     Up to 18 months.                 

## Full Text of Announcement 

## I. Funding Opportunity Description 

*Purpose of Program:*                     The purpose of this program is to enhance the quality of assessment instruments and systems used by States for measuring the achievement of all students.                 

*Priorities:*                     This competition includes four absolute priorities and three competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), the absolute priorities are from section 6112 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). The competitive preference priorities are from Appendix E to the notice of final requirements for optional State consolidated applications submitted under section 9302 of the ESEA, published in the                     **Federal Register**                     on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967).                 

*Absolute Priorities:*                     For FY 2006, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet one or more of these priorities.                 

These priorities are: 

*Absolute Priority 1*. Collaborate with institutions of higher education, other research institutions, or other organizations to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of State academic assessments beyond the requirements for these assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of Title I, Part A of the ESEA.                 

*Absolute Priority 2*. Measure student academic achievement using multiple measures of student academic achievement from multiple sources.                 

*Absolute Priority 3*. Chart student progress over time.                 

*Absolute Priority 4*. Evaluate student academic achievement through the development of comprehensive academic assessment instruments, such as performance and technology-based academic assessments.                 

*Competitive Preference Priorities*: For FY 2006, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an additional 35 points to an application, depending on the extent to which the application meets these priorities.                 

These priorities are: 

*Competitive Preference Priority 1*. Accommodations and alternate assessments (up to 20 points).                 

*Competitive Preference Priority 2*. Collaborative efforts (up to 10 points).                 

*Competitive Preference Priority 3*. Dissemination (up to 5 points).                 

# Note:

                        The full text of the competitive preference priorities is included in the notice of final requirements published in the                         **Federal Register**                         on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967) and in the application package.                    

Program Authority:20 U.S.C. 7842 and 7301a. 

*Applicable Regulations:*                     (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of final requirements published in the                     **Federal Register**                     on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967).                 

## II. Award Information 

*Type of Award:*                     Discretionary grants.                 

*Estimated Available Funds:*                     $7,500,000 in FY 2006 funds.                 

*Estimated Range of Awards:*                     $500,000 to $2,000,000.                 

*Estimated Average Size of Awards:*                     $1,500,000.                 

*Estimated Number of Awards:*                     5.                 

# Note:

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

*Project period*: Up to 18 months.                 

## III. Eligibility Information 

                    1.                     *Eligible Applicants:*                     SEAs and consortia of SEAs.                 

                    2.                     *Cost Sharing or Matching:*                     This competition does not involve cost sharing or matching.                 

                    3.                     *Other:*                     An application from a consortium of SEAs must designate one SEA as the fiscal agent.                 

## IV. Application and Submission Information 

                    1.                     *Address to Request Application Package:*                     Valeria Ford, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W118, Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 205-2213 or by e-mail:                     *Valeria.Ford@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 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 in this section.                 

                    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.                 

*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 and the absolute and competitive preference priorities. You must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 40 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, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, 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 the cover sheet, budget section (chart and narrative), assurances and certifications, response regarding research activities involving human subjects, GEPA 427 response, one-page abstract, personnel resumes, and letters of support; however, discussion of how the application meets the absolute priorities, how well the application meets the competitive preference priorities, and how well the application addresses each of the selection criteria must be included within the application narrative and therefore is subject to the page limit. 

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.

                    3. Submission Dates and Times:                     *Applications Available:*                     April 12, 2007.                     *Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                     May 31, 2007.                 

                    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). If duplicate applications are submitted, the last application submitted will be considered and not the applications submitted earlier. 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.                           ( print page 18464)    

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. 

                    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                    .                 

                    4.                     *Intergovernmental Review:*                     This competition is not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.                 

                    5.                     *Funding Restrictions:*                     We reference regulations outlining funding restrictions in the                     *Applicable Regulations*                     section of this notice.                 

                    6.                     *Other Submission Requirements.*                     Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically unless you 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 Enhanced Assessment Instruments, CFDA Number 84.368 must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide 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 Enhanced Assessment Instruments at                     *http://www.Grants.gov.*                     You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (                    *e.g.*, search for 84.368, not 84.368A).                 

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 date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and 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 and 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 and 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://e-Grants.ed.gov/​help/​GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf. 
    - To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/​applicants/​get_​registered.jsp ). These steps include (1) registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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/​section910/​Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.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 submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.                 
    - 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 you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note that two of these forms—the SF 424 and the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424—have replaced the ED 424 (Application for Federal Education Assistance).
    - 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 in this paragraph 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 from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application 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 experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.                 

                    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                           ( print page 18465)                        your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.                 

                    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 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 Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. 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:

The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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: Valeria Ford, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W118, Washington, DC 20202-6132. FAX: (202) 260-7764. 

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:*                     (CFDA Number 84.368), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or                 

*By mail through a commercial carrier:*                     U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Stop 4260,                     *Attention:*                     (CFDA Number 84.368), 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. 

(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. 

(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:*                     (CFDA Number 84.368), 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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

## V. Application Review Information 

*Selection Criteria:*                     The selection criteria for this competition are from Appendix E to the notice of final requirements published in the                     **Federal Register**                     on May 22, 2002 (67 FR 35967) and are listed in the application package.                 

## 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 Notice (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:*                     Grantees receiving a multi-year award must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. Grantees will be expected to include in this annual performance report documentation of their success in addressing the performance measures identified in section 4 below. At the end of the project period, grantees must                           ( print page 18466)                        submit a final report to the Secretary, including financial information as directed by the Secretary. Each State educational agency receiving a grant must submit a final report using the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Grant Performance Report form describing its activities and the result of those activities, under the grant. ED will provide grant recipients with the appropriate form and related instructions for addressing these reporting requirements.                 

                    4.                     *Performance Measures:*                     Under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), the ED has developed three measures for evaluating the effectiveness of the Enhanced Assessment Instruments grantees: (1) The number of States that participated in pilot activities described in each proposal; (2) the number of States that participated in Enhanced Assessment Grant projects funded by the current or prior competitions; and (3) the number of presentations at national conferences sponsored by professional education organizations and papers submitted for publication in refereed journals.                 

## VII. Agency Contact 

*For Further Information Contact:*                     Valeria Ford, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W118, Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 205-2213, or by e-mail:                     *Valeria.Ford@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 person listed in this section.                 

## VIII. Other Information 

*Electronic Access to This Document:*                     You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the                     **Federal Register**                    , in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:                    *http://www.ed.gov/​news/​fedregister.*

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530. 

# Note:

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

Dated: April 9, 2007. 

Kerri L. Briggs, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.

 [FR Doc. E7-6958 Filed 4-11-07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000-01-P