63780 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.194Q]

Bilingual Education: State Grant

Program; Notice Inviting Applications

for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY)

1998

Note to Applicants: This notice is a

complete application package. Together

with the statute authorizing the program

and the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR),

this notice contains all of the

information, application forms, and

instructions needed to apply for an

award under this program. The statutory

authorization for this program and the

application requirements that apply to

this competition are contained in

section 7134 of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as

amended by the Improving America’s

Schools Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103–382,

enacted October 20, 1994 (the Act) (20

U.S.C. 7454)).

Purpose of Program: This program

provides grants to State educational

agencies to—(1) assist local educational

agencies in the State with program

design, capacity building, assessment of

student performance, and program

evaluation; and (2) collect data on the

State’s limited English proficient (LEP)

population and the educational

programs and services available to that

population. However, a State is exempt

from the requirements to collect data if

it did not, as of October 20, 1994, have

a system in place for collecting the data.

Eligible Applicants: State Educational

Agencies.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: January 9, 1998.

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: March 10, 1998.

Available Funds: $5,720,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$100,000–$550,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 50.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: 36 months.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

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

85, and 86; and (b) 34 CFR Part 299,

General Provisions, Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, published on

May 22, 1997, in the Federal Register

(62 FR 28248).

Description of Program

Funds under this program are to be

used to assist local educational agencies

in the State with program design,

capacity building, assessment of student

performance, and program evaluation.

In addition, grantees are required to

collect data on the State’s LEP

population and the educational

programs and services available to that

population unless a grantee’s State did

not, as of October 20, 1994, have a

system for collecting data in place.

However, a State that develops a system

for collecting data on the educational

programs and services available to all

LEP students in the State subsequent to

October 20, 1994 must meet this

requirement. A grantee may also use

funds provided under this program for

the training of State educational agency

personnel in educational issues

affecting limited English proficient

children and youth.

Selection Criteria

(a)(1) The Secretary uses the following

selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.209 and

75.210 and section 7134 of the Act to

evaluate applications for new grants

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) Providing for the

education of children and youth with

limited English proficiency. (20 points)

The Secretary reviews each application

to determine how well the applicant

effectively provides, through its own

programs and other Federal education

programs, for the education of limited

English proficient children within its

State.

(2) Need for project. (15 points) The

Secretary considers the need for the

proposed project. In determining the

need for the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the magnitude of

the need for the services to be provided

or the activities to be carried out by the

proposed project.

(3) Quality of the project design. (25

points) (i) The Secretary considers the

quality of the design of the proposed

project.

(ii) In determining the quality of the

design of the proposed project, 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 proposed

project is designed to build capacity and

yield results that will extend beyond the

period of Federal financial assistance.

(C) The extent to which the proposed

project will be coordinated with similar

or related efforts, and with other

appropriate community, State, and

Federal resources.

(4) Quality of project services. (15

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 services

to be provided by the proposed project

are appropriate to the needs of the

intended recipients or beneficiaries of

those services.

(B) The extent to which entities that

are to be served by the proposed

technical assistance project demonstrate

support for the project.

(C) The extent to which the technical

assistance services to be provided by the

proposed project involve the use of

efficient strategies, including the use of

technology, as appropriate, and the

leveraging of non-project resources.

(5) Quality of project personnel. (10

points) (i) The Secretary considers the

quality of the personnel who will carry

out the proposed project.

(ii) In determining the quality of

project personnel, the Secretary

considers the extent to which the

applicant encourages applications for

employment from persons 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 qualifications, including

relevant training and experience, of the

project director or principal

investigator.

(B) The qualifications, including

relevant training and experience, of key

project personnel.

(6) Adequacy of resources. (5 points)

(i) The Secretary considers the adequacy

of resources for the proposed project.

(ii) In determining the adequacy of

resources for the proposed project, the

Secretary considers the following

factors:

(A) The adequacy of support,

including facilities, equipment,

supplies, and other resources, from the

applicant organization or the lead

applicant organization.

(B) The extent to which the budget is

adequate to support the proposed

project.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63781

(C) The extent to which the costs are

reasonable in relation to the objectives,

design, and potential significance of the

proposed project.

(7) Quality of the project evaluation.

(10 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 are appropriate to the

context within which the project

operates.

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.

The objective of the Executive order is

to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and to strengthen

federalism by relying on State and local

processes for State and local

government coordination and review of

proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the

appropriate State Single Point of

Contact to find out about, and to comply

with, the State’s process under

Executive Order 12372. Applicants

proposing to perform activities in more

than one State should immediately

contact the Single Point of Contact for

each of those States and follow the

procedure established in each State

under the Executive Order. If you want

to know the name and address of any

State Single Point of Contact, see the list

published in the Federal Register on

October 7, 1997 (62 FR 52448 through

52450).

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

State Single Point of Contact and any

comments from State, areawide,

regional, and local entities must be

mailed or hand-delivered by the date

indicated in this notice to the following

address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372—

CFDA# 84.194Q, U.S. Department of

Education, Room 6213, 600

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20202–0124.

Proof of mailing will be determined

on the same basis as applications (see 34

CFR 75.102). Recommendations or

comments may be hand-delivered until

4:30 p.m. (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 the applicant submits its

completed application. Do not send

applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

(a) If an applicant wants to apply for

a grant, the applicant shall—

(1) Mail the original and one copy of

the application on or before the

deadline date to: U.S. Department of

Education, Application Control Center,

Attention: (CFDA# 84.194Q),

Washington, DC 20202–4725, or

(2) Hand-deliver the original and one

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

(Washington, DC time) on or before the

deadline date to: U.S. Department of

Education, Application Control Center,

Attention: (CFDA# 84.194Q), Room

#3633, Regional Office Building #3, 7th

and D Streets, SW., Washington, DC.

(b) An applicant must show one of the

following as proof of mailing:

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

postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the

date of mailing stamped by the U.S.

Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label invoice, or

receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing

acceptable to the Secretary.

(c) If an application is mailed through

the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary

does not accept either of the following

as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by

the U.S. Postal Service.

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

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before

relying on this method, an applicant should

check with its local post office.

(2) The Application Control Center

will mail a Grant Application Receipt

Acknowledgment to each applicant. If

an applicant fails to receive the

notification of application receipt

within 15 days from the date of mailing

the application, the applicant should

call the U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center at (202)

708–9495.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and—if not provided by the

Department—in Item 10 of the

Application for Federal Assistance

(Standard Form 424) the CFDA

Number—and suffix letter, if any—of

the competition under which the

application is being submitted.

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this notice contains

the following forms and instructions,

plus a statement regarding estimated

public reporting burden, a notice to

applicants regarding compliance with

section 427 of the General Education

Provisions Act, various assurances and

certifications, checklist for applicants,

and required documentation:

a. Application for Federal Assistance

(Standard Form 424 (Rev. 4–88)) and

instructions.

b. Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED Form No.

524) and instructions.

c. Instructions for the Application

Narrative.

d. Estimated Public Reporting Burden

Statement.

e. Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B) and

instructions.

f. Certifications Regarding Lobbying;

Debarment, Suspension and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED 80–0013)

and instructions.

g. Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion—Lower Tier Covered

Transactions (ED 80–0014, 9/90) and

instructions. (NOTE: This form is

intended for the use of grantees and

should not be transmitted to the

Department.)

h. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions. This document has been

marked to reflect statutory changes. See

the notice published in the Federal

Register (61 FR 1413) by the Office of

Management and Budget on January 19,

1996.

i. Notice to All Applicants.

j. Checklist for Applicants.

An applicant 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.

All applicants must submit one

original signed application, including

ink signatures on all forms and

assurances, and one copy of the

application. Please mark each

application as ‘‘original’’ or ‘‘copy.’’ No

grant may be awarded unless a

completed application form has been

received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luis

A. Catarineau, U.S. Department of

Education, 600 Independence Avenue,

SW., room 5623, Switzer Building,

Washington, DC 20202–6510.

Telephone: (202) 205–9907. Individuals
63782 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices

who use a telecommunications device

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through

Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this notice in an alternate format

(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or

computer diskette) on request to the

contact person listed in the preceding

paragraph. Please note, however, that

the Department is not able to reproduce

in an alternate format the standard

forms included in the notice.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (pdf) on the World

Wide Web at either of the following

sites:

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

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

To use the pdf you must have the

Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either

of the preceding sites. If you have

questions about using the pdf, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office toll

free at 1–888–293–6498.

Anyone may also view these

documents in text copy only on an

electronic bulletin board of the

Department. Telephone: (202) 219–1511

or, toll free, 1–800–222–4922. The

documents are located under Option

G—Files/Announcements, Bulletins and

Press Releases.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7454.

Dated: November 24, 1997.

Delia Pompa,

Director, Office of Bilingual Education and

Minority Languages Affairs.

Estimated Public Reporting Statement

According to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB

control number for this information

collection is OMB No. 1885–0528

(Expiration date: April 30, 1998). The

time required to complete this

information collection is estimated to

average 60 hours per response,

including the time to review

instructions, search existing data

resources, gather the data needed, and

complete and review the information

collection. If you have any comments

concerning the accuracy of the time

estimate or suggestions for improving

this form, please write to: U.S.

Department of Education, Washington,

D.C. 20202–4651.

If you have comments or concerns

regarding the status of your individual

submission of this form, write directly

to: Office of Bilingual Education and

Minority Languages Affairs, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW., Room

5623, Mary E. Switzer Building,

Washington, DC 20202–6510.

Instructions for the Application

Narrative

Abstract

The narrative section should begin

with an abstract that includes a short

description of the LEP population in the

State, project objectives, and planned

project activities.

Selection Criteria

The narrative should address fully all

aspects of the selection criteria in the

order listed and should give detailed

information regarding each criterion. Do

not simply paraphrase the criteria.

Table of Contents

The application should include a

table of contents listing the sections in

the order required.

Budget

Budget line items must support the

goals and objectives of the proposed

project and must be directly related to

the instructional design and all other

project components.

Notice to All Applicants

Thank you for your interest in this

program. The purpose of this enclosure

is to inform you about a new provision

in the Department of Education’s

General Education Provisions Act

(GEPA) that applies to applicants for

new grant awards under Department

programs. This provision is section 427

of GEPA, enacted as part of the

Improving American’s Schools Act of

1994 (Pub. L. 103-382).

To Whom Does This Provision Apply?

Section 427 of GEPA affects

applicants for new discretionary grant

awards under this program. All

applicants for new awards must include

information in their applications to

address this new provision in order to

receive funding under this program.

What Does This Provision Require?

Section 427 requires each applicant

for funds (other than an individual

person) to include in its application a

description of the steps the applicant

proposes to take to ensure equitable

access to, and participation in, its

federally assisted program for students,

teachers, and other program

beneficiaries with special needs.

This section allows applicants

discretion in developing the required

description. The statute highlights six

types of barriers that can impede

equitable access or participation that

you may address: gender, race, national

origin, color, disability, or age. Based on

local circumstances, you can determine

whether these or other barriers may

prevent your students, teachers, etc.

from equitable access or participation.

Your description need not be lengthy;

you may provide a clear and succinct

description of how you plan to address

those barriers that are applicable to your

circumstances. In addition, the

information may be provided in a single

narrative, or, if appropriate, may be

discussed in connection with related

topics in the application.

Section 427 is not intended to

duplicate the requirements of civil

rights statutes, but rather to ensure that,

in designing their projects, applicants

for Federal funds address equity

concerns that may affect the ability of

certain potential beneficiaries to fully

participate in the project and to achieve

to high standards. Consistent with

program requirements and its approved

application, an applicant may use the

Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate

barriers it identifies.

What Are Examples of How an

Applicant Might Satisfy the

Requirement of This Provision?

The following examples may help

illustrate how an applicant may comply

with Section 427.

(1) An applicant that proposes to

carry out an adult literacy project

serving, among others, adults with

limited English proficiency, might

describe in its application how it

intends to distribute a brochure about

the proposed project to such potential

participants in their native language.

(2) An applicant that proposes to

develop instructional materials for

classroom use might describe how it

will make the materials available on

audio tape or in braille for students who

are blind.

(3) An applicant that proposes to

carry out a model science program for

secondary students and is concerned

that girls may be less likely than boys

to enroll in the course, might indicate

how it intends to conduct ‘‘outreach’’

efforts to girls, to encourage their

enrollment.

We recognize that many applicants

may already be implementing effective
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63783

steps to ensure equity of access and

participation in their grant programs,

and we appreciate your cooperation in

responding to the requirements of this

provision.

Estimated Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are

required to respond to a collection of

information unless it displays a valid

OMB control number. The valid OMB

control number for this information

collection is 1801–0004 (Exp. 8/31/98).

The time required to complete this

information collection is estimated to

vary from 1 to 3 hours per response,

with an average of 1.5 hours, including

the time to review instructions, search

existing data resources, gather and

maintain the data needed, and complete

and review the information collection. If

you have any comments concerning the

accuracy of the time estimate(s) or

suggestions for improving this form,

please write to: U. S. Department of

Education, Washington, DC 20202–

4651.

Checklist for Applicants

The following forms and other items

must be included in the application in

the order listed below:

1. Application for Federal Assistance

Form (SF 424).

2. Budget Information Form (ED Form

No. 524).

3. Itemized budget for each year.

4. Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs Form (SF 424B).

5. Certifications Regarding Lobbying,

Debarment, Suspension and Other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements Form (ED 80–

0013).

6. Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion—Lower Tier Covered

Transactions Form (ED 80–0014) (if

applicable).

7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Form (SF–LLL).

8. Information that addresses section

427 of the General Education Provisions

Act. (See the above section entitled

‘‘Notice to all Applicants’’ (OMB No.

1801–0004).)

9. Table of Contents.

10. Application narrative, including

abstract.

11. One original and one copy of the

application for transmittal to the

Education Department’s Application

Control Center.

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
63784 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63785
63786 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63787
63788 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63789
63790 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63791
63792 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63793
63794 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 231 / Tuesday, December 2, 1997 / Notices 63795

[FR Doc. 97–31566 Filed 12–1–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–C