17044 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

Dated: March 20, 2012. 

Eduardo M. Ochoa, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7068 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Strengthening Institutions Program 

(SIP) 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information 

Strengthening Institutions Program 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2012. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.031A. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 23, 

2012. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 23, 2012. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 21, 2012. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The SIP provides 

grants to eligible institutions of higher 

education (IHEs) to help them become 

self sufficient and expand their capacity 

to serve low-income students by 

providing funds to improve and 

strengthen the institution’s academic 

quality, institutional management, and 

fiscal stability. 

Priorities: This notice includes one 

competitive preference priority and 

three invitational priorities. The 

competitive preference priority is from 

the Department’s notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 15, 2010 (75 FR 78486), and 

corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 

27637). 

Competitive Preference Priority: For 

FY 2012 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition, this priority is a 

competitive preference priority. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to 

an additional five points to an 

application, depending on how well the 

application meets this priority. 

This priority is: 

Supporting Programs, Practices, or 

Strategies for Which There Is Strong or 

Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness 

Projects that are supported by strong 

or moderate evidence. A project that is 

supported by strong evidence (as 

defined in this notice) will receive more 

points than a project that is supported 

by moderate evidence (as defined in this 

notice). 

Note: In scoring this priority, applicants 

determined to have strong evidence will 

receive the full five points. Applicants 

determined to have moderate evidence will 

receive 2.5 points. The Department will 

screen applicants’ response to this 

competitive preference priority in accordance 

with the requirements in this notice and 

determine which applications have met the 

evidence standards in the priority. 

Invitational Priorities: For FY 2012 

and any subsequent year in which we 

make awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, these 

priorities are invitational priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Invitational Priority 1—Increasing 

Postsecondary Success 

Projects that are designed to address 

the following priority area: 

Increasing the number and proportion 

of high-need students (as defined in this 

notice) who persist in and complete 

college or other postsecondary 

education and training. 

Invitational Priority 2—Technology 

Projects that are designed to improve 

student achievement or faculty 

effectiveness through the use of highquality digital tools or materials, which 

may include preparing faculty to use the 

technology to improve instruction, as 

well as developing, implementing, or 

evaluating digital tools or materials. 

Invitational Priority 3—Improving 

Productivity 

Projects that are designed to 

significantly increase efficiency in the 

use of time, staff, money, or other 

resources while improving student 

learning or other educational outcomes 

(i.e., outcome per unit of resource). 

Such projects may include innovative 

and sustainable uses of technology, 

alternative staffing models, competencybased learning, use of open educational 

resources (as defined in this notice), or 

other strategies. 

Definitions: The following definitions 

are from the notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 15, 2010 (75 FR 78486), and 

corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 

27637), and apply to the priorities in 

this notice: 

Carefully matched comparison group 

design means a type of quasiexperimental study (as defined in this 

notice) that attempts to approximate an 

experimental study (as defined in this 

notice). More specifically, it is a design 

in which project participants are 

matched with non-participants based on 

key characteristics that are thought to be 

related to the outcome. These 

characteristics include, but are not 

limited to: 

(1) Prior test scores and other 

measures of academic achievement 

(preferably, the same measures that the 

study will use to evaluate outcomes for 

the two groups); 

(2) Demographic characteristics, such 

as age, disability, gender, English 

proficiency, ethnicity, poverty level, 

parents’ educational attainment, and 

single- or two-parent family 

background; 

(3) The time period in which the two 

groups are studied (e.g., the two groups 

are children entering kindergarten in the 

same year as opposed to sequential 

years); and 

(4) Methods used to collect outcome 

data (e.g., the same test of reading skills 

administered in the same way to both 

groups). 

Note: The examples cited in this definition 

are indications of the types of comparisons 

applicants could make when designing a 

carefully matched comparison group study. 

Applicants might want to consider 

comparisons that are proper in the higher 

education context—such as comparing the 

same entering cohort of students. 

Experimental study means a study 

that employs random assignment of, for 

example, students, teachers, classrooms, 

schools, or districts to participate in a 

project being evaluated (treatment 

group) or not to participate in the 

project (control group). The effect of the 

project is the average difference in 

outcomes between the treatment and 

control groups. 

Note: The types of random assignment 

mentioned above are provided as examples. 

Applicants might want to consider random 

assignment that is relevant in the higher 

education context. 

High-need children and high-need 

students means children and students at 

risk of educational failure, such as 

children and students who are living in 

poverty, who are English learners, who 

are far below grade level, or who are not 

on track to becoming college- or careerready by graduation, who have left 

school or college before receiving, 

respectively, a regular high school 

diploma or a college degree or 


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1A single subject or single case design is an 

adaptation of an interrupted time series design that 

relies on the comparison of treatment effects on a 

single subject or group of single subjects. There is 

little confidence that findings based on this design 

would be the same for other members of the 

population. In some single subject designs, 

treatment reversal or multiple baseline designs are 

used to increase internal validity. In a treatment 

reversal design, after a pretreatment or baseline 

outcome measurement is compared with a post 

treatment measure, the treatment would then be 

stopped for a period of time; a second baseline 

measure of the outcome would be taken, followed 

by a second application of the treatment or a 

different treatment. A multiple baseline design 

addresses concerns about the effects of normal 

development, timing of the treatment, and amount 

of the treatment with treatment-reversal designs by 

using a varying time schedule for introduction of 

the treatment and/or treatments of different lengths 

or intensity. 

certificate, who are at risk of not 

graduating with a diploma on time, who 

are homeless, who are in foster care, 

who are pregnant or parenting 

teenagers, who have been incarcerated, 

who are new immigrants, who are 

migrant, or who have disabilities. 

Interrupted time series design means 

a type of quasi-experimental study (as 

defined in this notice) in which the 

outcome of interest is measured 

multiple times before and after the 

treatment for program participants only. 

If the program had an impact, the 

outcomes after treatment will have a 

different slope or level from those before 

treatment. That is, the series should 

show an ‘‘interruption’’ of the prior 

situation at the time when the program 

was implemented. Adding a comparison 

group time series, such as schools not 

participating in the program or schools 

participating in the program in a 

different geographic area, substantially 

increases the reliability of the findings.1

Moderate evidence means evidence 

from previous studies whose designs 

can support causal conclusions (i.e., 

studies with high internal validity) but 

have limited generalizability (i.e., 

moderate external validity), or studies 

with high external validity but moderate 

internal validity. The following would 

constitute moderate evidence: 

(1) At least one well-designed and 

well-implemented (as defined in this 

notice) experimental or quasiexperimental study (as defined in this 

notice) supporting the effectiveness of 

the practice, strategy, or program, with 

small sample sizes or other conditions 

of implementation or analysis that limit 

generalizability; 

(2) At least one well-designed and 

well-implemented (as defined in this 

notice) experimental or quasiexperimental study (as defined in this 

notice) that does not demonstrate 

equivalence between the intervention 

and comparison groups at program entry 

but that has no other major flaws related 

to internal validity; or 

(3) Correlational research with strong 

statistical controls for selection bias and 

for discerning the influence of internal 

factors. 

Open educational resources (OER) 

means teaching, learning, and research 

resources that reside in the public 

domain or have been released under an 

intellectual property license that 

permits their free use or repurposing by 

others. 

Quasi-experimental study means an 

evaluation design that attempts to 

approximate an experimental study (as 

defined in this notice) and can support 

causal conclusions (i.e., minimizes 

threats to internal validity, such as 

selection bias, or allows them to be 

modeled). Well-designed and wellimplemented (as defined in this notice) 

quasi-experimental studies include 

carefully matched comparison group 

designs (as defined in this notice), 

interrupted time series designs (as 

defined in this notice), or regression 

discontinuity designs (as defined in this 

notice). 

Regression discontinuity design study 

means, in part, a quasi-experimental 

study (as defined in this notice) design 

that closely approximates an 

experimental study (as defined in this 

notice). In a regression discontinuity 

design, participants are assigned to a 

treatment or comparison group based on 

a numerical rating or score of a variable 

unrelated to the treatment such as the 

rating of an application for funding. 

Another example would be assignment 

of eligible students, teachers, 

classrooms, or schools above a certain 

score (‘‘cut score’’) to the treatment 

group and assignment of those below 

the score to the comparison group. 

Note: The types of regression discontinuity 

study designs are provided as examples to 

help applicants. Applicants might want to 

consider regression discontinuity study 

designs that are relevant in the higher 

education context. 

Strong evidence means evidence from 

previous studies whose designs can 

support causal conclusions (i.e., studies 

with high internal validity), and studies 

that in total include enough of the range 

of participants and settings to support 

scaling up to the State, regional, or 

national level (i.e., studies with high 

external validity). The following are 

examples of strong evidence: 

(1) More than one well-designed and 

well-implemented (as defined in this 

notice) experimental study (as defined 

in this notice) or well-designed and 

well-implemented (as defined in this 

notice) quasi-experimental study (as 

defined in this notice) that supports the 

effectiveness of the practice, strategy, or 

program; or 

(2) One large, well-designed and wellimplemented (as defined in this notice) 

randomized controlled, multisite trial 

that supports the effectiveness of the 

practice, strategy, or program. 

Well-designed and well-implemented 

means, with respect to an experimental 

or quasi-experimental study (as defined 

in this notice), that the study meets the 

What Works Clearinghouse evidence 

standards, with or without reservations 

(see http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ 

references/idocviewer/ 

doc.aspx?docid=19&tocid=1 and in 

particular the description of ‘‘Reasons 

for Not Meeting Standards’’ at 

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ 

references/idocviewer/ 

Doc.aspx?docId=19&tocId=4#reasons). 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057–1059d 

(Title III, Part A, of the Higher Education Act 

of 1965 (HEA)). 

Note: In 2008, the HEA was amended by 

the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 

2008 (HEOA) Pub. L. 110–315. The HEOA 

made a number of technical and substantive 

revisions to SIP. Please note that the 

regulations for the SIP in 34 CFR part 607 

have not been updated to reflect these 

statutory changes. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 84, 

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

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 607. (c) The notice of final 

supplemental priorities and definitions 

for discretionary grant programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 15, 2010 (75 FR 78486), and 

corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 

27637). 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$5,304,964. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in 

FY 2013 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Individual Development Grants: 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$350,500–$403,500 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$377,000 per year. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 13. 


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Cooperative Arrangement 

Development Grants: 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$300,000–$500,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$400,000 per year. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: This program is 

authorized by Title III, Part A, of the 

HEA. To qualify as an eligible 

institution under any Title III, Part A 

program, an institution must— 

(1) Be accredited or preaccredited by 

a nationally recognized accrediting 

agency or association that the Secretary 

has determined to be a reliable authority 

as to the quality of education or training 

offered; 

(2) Be legally authorized by the State 

in which it is located to be a junior 

college or to provide an educational 

program for which it awards a 

bachelor’s degree; 

(3) Be designated as an ‘‘eligible 

institution’’ by demonstrating that it: (A) 

Has an enrollment of needy students as 

described in 34 CFR 607.3; and (B) has 

low average educational and general 

expenditures per full-time equivalent 

(FTE) undergraduate student as 

described in 34 CFR 607.4. 

Note: For purposes of establishing 

eligibility for this competition, the Notice 

Inviting Applications for Designation as 

Eligible Institutions for FY 2012 was 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 15, 2011 (76 FR 77982), and the 

deadline for submission of the designation of 

eligibility application was February 10, 2012. 

Only institutions that submitted the required 

application and received designation through 

this process are eligible to submit 

applications for this competition. 

Relationship Between the Title III, Part 

A Programs and the Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions (HSI) Programs. 

Note 1: A grantee under the Developing 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program, 

which is authorized under Title V of the 

HEA, may not receive a grant under any 

HEA, Title III, Part A program. The Title III, 

Part A programs include the SIP, as well as 

the Tribally Controlled Colleges and 

Universities, Alaska Native and Native 

Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian 

American and Native American Pacific 

Islander-Serving Institutions, and Native 

American-Serving Nontribal Institutions 

programs. Furthermore, a current HSI 

program grantee may not give up its HSI 

grant to receive a grant under SIP or any Title 

III, Part A program as described in 34 CFR 

607.2(g)(1). 

Note 2: An eligible HSI that does not fall 

within the limitation described in Note 1 

(i.e., is not a current grantee under the HSI 

program) may apply for a FY 2012 grant 

under all Title III, Part A programs for which 

it is eligible, as well as receive consideration 

for a grant under the HSI program. However, 

a successful applicant may receive only one 

grant as described in 34 CFR 607.2(g)(1). 

Note 3: An eligible IHE that submits more 

than one application may only be awarded 

one individual development grant or one 

cooperative arrangement development grant 

in a fiscal year. We will not award a second 

cooperative arrangement development grant 

to an otherwise eligible IHE for the same 

award year as the IHE’s existing cooperative 

arrangement development grant award as 

described in 34 CFR 607.9(b)(1). 

Note 4: The Department will make fiveyear awards for individual development 

grants and five-year awards for cooperative 

arrangement development grants in rank 

order from the funding slate according to the 

average score received from a panel of three 

readers plus any competitive preference 

points awarded based upon determination of 

the evidence. 

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching unless the grantee uses a 

portion of its grant for establishing or 

improving an endowment fund. If a 

grantee uses a portion of its grant for 

endowment fund purposes, it must 

match those grant funds with nonFederal funds (20 U.S.C. 1059c(c) 

(3)(B)). 

b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This 

program involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements. Grant 

funds shall be used so that they 

supplement and, to the extent practical, 

increase the funds that would otherwise 

be available for the activities to be 

carried out under the grant and in no 

case supplant those funds (34 CFR 

607.30(b)). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

via the Internet using the following 

address: http://Grants.gov. If you do not 

have access to the Internet, please 

contact LaTonya Brown or Robyn Wood, 

U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K 

Street NW., room 6033, Washington, DC 

20006–8513. You may contact the 

individuals at the following email 

addresses and telephone numbers: 

LaTonya.Brown@ed.gov; (202) 502– 

7619. 

Robyn.Wood@ed.gov; (202) 502–7437. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), toll free, at 1–800– 

576–7734. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or compact disc) 

by contacting the program contacts 

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 

program. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria and the competitive preference 

priority that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. We have established 

mandatory page limits for both the 

Individual Development Grant and the 

Cooperative Arrangement Development 

Grant applications. If you are addressing 

the competitive preference priority you 

must limit the application narrative 

(Part III) to no more than 55 pages for 

the Individual Development Grant 

application and no more than 75 pages 

for the Cooperative Arrangement 

Development Grant application. Please 

include a separate heading when 

responding to the competitive 

preference priority. If you are not 

addressing the competitive preference 

priority, you must limit your 

application narrative to no more than 50 

pages for the Individual Development 

Grant and no more than 70 pages for the 

Cooperative Arrangement Development 

Grant application 

Note: Applicants should provide 

information addressing the required evidence 

standards in Appendix D, under ‘‘Other 

Attachments Form,’’ of the application. An 

applicant must either ensure that all 

evidence is available to the Department from 

publicly available sources and provide links 

or other guidance indicating where it is 

available or include copies of evidence in 

Appendix D of the application. If the 

Department determines that an applicant has 

provided insufficient information, the 

applicant will not have an opportunity to 

provide additional information to support the 

application. 

For the purpose of determining 

compliance with the page limit, each 

page on which there are words will be 

counted as one full page. Applicants 

must use the following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. Page numbers and an 

identifier may be outside of the 1′′ 

margin. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, except titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions. Text in charts, 


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tables, figures, and graphs in the 

application narrative may be single 

spaced and will count toward the page 

limit. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger, and no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). However, you may 

use a 10-point font in charts, tables, 

figures, graphs, footnotes, and endnotes. 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. Applications submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the Application for Federal Assistance 

(SF 424-cover sheet); the Supplemental 

Information for SF 424 Form required 

by the Department of Education; Part II, 

the budget section, Budget InformationNon-Construction Programs (ED 524), 

including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page program 

abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, 

or the letters of support. However, the 

page limit does apply to all of the 

application narrative section (Part III), 

including the budget narrative of the 

selection criteria and the competitive 

preference priority. If you include any 

attachments or appendices not 

specifically requested in the application 

package, these items will be counted as 

part of your application narrative (Part 

III) for the purposed of the page limit 

requirement. You must include your 

complete response to the selection 

criteria in the application narrative. 

Note: The narrative response to the budget 

selection criteria is not the same as the 

activity detail budget form and supporting 

narrative. The supporting narrative for the 

activity detail budget form lists the requested 

budget line items line by line. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 23, 

2012. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 23, 2012. 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

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 in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 21, 2012. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program 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 

program. 

5. Funding Restrictions: (a) General. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

funding restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

(b) Applicability of Executive Order 

13202. Applicants that apply for 

construction funds under the Title III, 

Part A, HEA programs, must comply 

with Executive Order 13202, signed by 

former President George W. Bush on 

February 17, 2001, and amended on 

April 6, 2001. This Executive order 

provides that recipients of Federal 

construction funds may not ‘‘require or 

prohibit bidders, offerors, contractors, or 

subcontractors to enter into or adhere to 

agreements with one or more labor 

organizations, on the same or other 

construction project(s)’’ or ‘‘otherwise 

discriminate against bidders, offerors, 

contractors, or subcontractors for 

becoming or refusing to become or 

remain signatories or otherwise adhere 

to agreements with one or more labor 

organizations, on the same or other 

construction project(s).’’ However, the 

Executive order does not prohibit 

contractors or subcontractors from 

voluntarily entering into these 

agreements. Projects funded under this 

program that include construction 

activity will be provided a copy of this 

Executive order and will be asked to 

certify that they will adhere to it. 

6. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and Central Contractor 

Registry: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the Central Contractor 

Registry (CCR), the Government’s 

primary registrant database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active CCR registration 

with current information while your 

application is under review by the 

Department and, if you are awarded a 

grant, during the project period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one business day. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow two to five weeks for your 

TIN to become active. 

The CCR registration process may take 

five or more business days to complete. 

If you are currently registered with the 

CCR, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your CCR 

registration on an annual basis. This 

may take three or more business days to 

complete. In addition, if you are 

submitting your application via 

Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated 

by your organization as an Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR); and 

(2) register yourself with Grants.gov as 

an AOR. Details of these steps are 

outlined on the following Grants.gov 

Web page: www.grants.gov/applicants/ 

get_registered.jsp. 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under the 

Strengthening Institutions Program 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 

Strengthening Institutions Program 

(CFDA number 84.031A) must be 

submitted electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at 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 email 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 


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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 this competition at 

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 (e.g., search 

for 84.031, not 84.031A). 

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 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 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 

4:30:00 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 under News 

and Events on the Department’s G5 

system home page at http://www.G5.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 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

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

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a PDF 

(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF 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 email. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified 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, 

toll free, 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 4:30:00 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 described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice 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 4:30:00 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: LaTonya Brown or Robyn 

Wood, U.S. Department of Education, 

1990 K Street NW., room 6033, 

Washington, DC 20006–8513. FAX: 

(202) 502–7861. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 17049 

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 following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.031A), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

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 84.031A), 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 4:30:00 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 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 

607.22, (a) through (g). Applicants must 

address each of the following selection 

criteria (separately for each proposed 

activity). The total weight of the 

selection criteria is 100 points; the 

maximum score for each criterion is 

noted in parentheses. The complete 

language of the selection criteria is in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

(a) Quality of The Applicant’s 

Comprehensive Development Plan 

(Maximum 25 Points). 

(b) Quality of Activity Objectives 

(Maximum 15 Points). 

(c) Quality of Implementation Strategy 

(Maximum 20 Points). 

(d) Quality of Key Personnel 

(Maximum 7 Points). 

(e) Quality of Project Management 

Plan (Maximum 10 Points). 

(f) Quality of Evaluation Plan 

(Maximum 15 Points). 

(g) Budget (Maximum 8 Points). 

2. Review and Selection Process: (a) 

Awards will be made in rank order 

according to the average score received 

from a panel of three readers. 

Tie-breaker for Development Grants. 

In tie-breaking situations for 

development grants, 34 CFR 607.23(b) 

requires that we award one additional 

point to an application from an IHE that 

has an endowment fund of which the 

current market value, per full time 

equivalent (FTE) enrolled student, is 

less than the average current market 

value of the endowment funds, per FTE 

enrolled student at comparable type 

institutions that offer similar 

instruction. We award one additional 

point to an application from an IHE that 

has expenditures for library materials 

per FTE enrolled student that are less 

than the average expenditure for library 

materials per FTE enrolled student at 

similar type institutions. We also add 

one additional point to an application 

from an IHE that proposes to carry out 

one or more of the following activities— 

(1) Faculty development; 

(2) Funds and administrative 

management; 

(3) Development and improvement of 

academic programs; 

(4) Acquisition of equipment for use 

in strengthening management and 

academic programs; 

(5) Joint use of facilities; and 

(6) Student services. 

For the purpose of these funding 

considerations, we use 2009–2010 data. 

If a tie remains after applying the tiebreaker mechanism above, priority will 

be given in the case of applicants for: (a) 

Individual development grants to 

applicants that have the lowest 

endowment values per FTE enrolled 

student; and (b) cooperative 

arrangement development grants to 

applicants in accordance with section 

394(b) of the HEA, if the Secretary 

determines that the cooperative 

arrangement is geographically and 

economically sound or will benefit the 

applicant institution. 

We remind potential applicants that 

in reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)–(3), the past performance of 

the applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 

74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may 

impose special conditions on a grant if 

the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has 

not fulfilled the conditions of a prior 

grant (34 CFR 607.24); or, is otherwise 

not responsible. 

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 notify you informally, 

also. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
17050 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices 

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: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118 and 34 CFR 

607.31. The Secretary may also require 

more frequent performance reports 

under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific 

requirements on reporting, please go to 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The 

Secretary has established the following 

key performance measures for assessing 

the effectiveness of the Strengthening 

Institutions Program: 

a. The percentage change, over the 5- 

year period, of the number of full-time 

degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled 

at SIP institutions. Note that this is a 

long-term measure, which will be used 

to periodically gauge performance; 

b. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate 

students at 4-year SIP institutions who 

were in their first year of postsecondary 

enrollment in the previous year and are 

enrolled in the current year at the same 

SIP institution; 

c. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate 

students at 2-year SIP institutions who 

were in their first year of postsecondary 

enrollment in the previous year and are 

enrolled in the current year at the same 

SIP institution; 

d. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate 

students enrolled at 4-year SIP 

institutions graduating within 6 years of 

enrollment; and 

e. The percentage of first-time, fulltime degree-seeking undergraduate 

students enrolled at 2-year SIP 

institutions graduating within 3 years of 

enrollment. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award, the Secretary may 

consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the 

extent to which a grantee has made 

‘‘substantial progress toward meeting 

the objectives in its approved 

application.’’ This consideration 

includes the review of a grantee’s 

progress in meeting the targets and 

projected outcomes in its approved 

application, and whether the grantee 

has expended funds in a manner that is 

consistent with its approved application 

and budget. In making a continuation 

grant, the Secretary also considers 

whether the grantee is operating in 

compliance with the assurances in its 

approved application, including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department (34 CFR 

100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Agency Contacts 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

LaTonya Brown or Robyn Wood, U.S. 

Department of Education, 1990 K Street 

NW., room 6033, Washington, DC 

20006–8513. You may contact these 

individuals at the following email 

addresses and telephone numbers: 

Latonya.Brown@ed.gov; (202) 502–7619. 

Robyn.Wood@ed.gov; (202) 502–7437. 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under For Further Information 

Contact in section VII of this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can 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). To use PDF, you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: March 20, 2012. 

Eduardo M. Ochoa, 

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7070 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

List of Correspondence From October 

1, 2011, through December 31, 2011 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary is publishing 

the following list of correspondence 

from the U.S. Department of Education 

(Department) to individuals during the 

previous quarter. The correspondence 

describes the Department’s 

interpretations of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or the 

regulations that implement the IDEA. 

This list and the letters or other 

documents described in this list, with 

personally identifiable information 

redacted, as appropriate, can be found 

at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/ 

guid/idea/index.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jessica Spataro or Mary Louise Dirrigl. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7468. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), you can call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of this list and the letters 

or other Departmental documents 

described in this list in an accessible 

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

audiotape, or compact disc) by 

contacting Jessica Spataro or Mary 

Louise Dirrigl at (202) 245–7468. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

following list identifies correspondence 

from the Department issued from 

October 1, 2011, through December 31, 

2011. Under section 607(f) of the IDEA, 

the Secretary is required to publish this 

list quarterly in the Federal Register. 

The list includes those letters that 

contain interpretations of the 

requirements of the IDEA and its 

implementing regulations, and it may 

also include letters and other 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES