Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

                    See the                                          Document Drafting Handbook                                        for more details.                  

###### Department of Education

# AGENCY:

Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

# ACTION:

Notice.

## Overview Information

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program.

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.372A.

Dates:

*Request for Applications Available:*                     March 12, 2015.                

*Application Package Available:*                     March 19, 2015.                

*Deadline for Transmittal of Letters of Intent:*                     April 13, 2015.                

*Dates of Informational Meetings:*                     The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) intends to hold webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants. Detailed information regarding these webinars will be provided on IES' Web site at                     *http://ies.ed.gov/​funding.*

*Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                     June 10, 2015.                

## Full Text of Announcement

## I. Funding Opportunity Description

*Purpose of Program:*                     The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Program awards grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to design, develop, and implement Statewide longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, disaggregate, and use individual student data. The Department's long-term goal in operating the program is to help all States create comprehensive P-20W (early learning through workforce) systems that foster the generation and use of accurate and timely data, support analysis and informed decision-making at all levels of the education system, increase the efficiency with which data may be analyzed to support the continuous improvement of education services and outcomes, facilitate research to improve student academic achievement and close achievement gaps, support education accountability systems, and simplify the processes used by SEAs to make education data transparent through Federal and public reporting.                

*Priorities:*                     Over the past decade, States have made a great deal of progress in developing Statewide longitudinal data systems, most of them with the assistance of SLDS Program funds. This competition will focus on enhancing States' capacity to use those systems to identify problems and drive improvement efforts. States may apply for funds to address up to two of the priority data use cases described in this section. SEAs may apply for grants selecting up to two of the following data use priorities:                

(1) Financial Equity and Return on Investment;

(2) Educator Talent Management;

(3) Early Learning;

(4) College and Career;

(5) Evaluation and Research; or

(6) Instructional Support.

Grants will not be made available to support ongoing maintenance of data systems. Use of data supported by these grants must be in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, as well as any other applicable Federal and State laws or regulations concerning the confidentiality of individual records.

An SEA may submit only one application under this competition.

*Program Authority:*20 U.S.C. 9607.                

*Applicable Regulations:*                     (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 77, 82, 84, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and                           ( print page 12992)                        Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended in 2 CFR part 3474. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are applicable, except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)-(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.                

## II. Award Information

*Type of Award:*                     Cooperative agreements.                

*Estimated Available Funds:*                     $27,000,000.                

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

*Estimated Range of Awards:*                     $1,000,000 to $7,000,000 for the entire project period. The size of the individual grants will depend on the scope of the projects proposed.                

*Maximum Award:*                     We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $7,000,000 (up to $3,500,000 per priority) for the entire project period of 48 months.                

                    The Director of IES may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the                     **Federal Register**                    .                

*Estimated Number of Awards:*                     The number of awards made under this competition will depend upon the quality of the applications received and the level of funding requested.                

# Note:

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

*Project Period:*                     Up to 48 months.                

## III. Eligibility Information

                    1.                     *Eligible Applicants:*                     Eligible applicants are limited to SEAs. An SEA is the agency primarily responsible for the State supervision of elementary schools and secondary schools. See 20 U.S.C. 9601 (which incorporates by reference the definition of SEA set out in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), 20 U.S.C. 7801). The SEAs of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible.                

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

                    b.                     *Supplement-Not-Supplant:*                     The Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 requires that funds made available under this grant program be used to supplement, and not supplant, other State or local funds used for developing or using State data systems.                

## IV. Application and Submission Information

                    1.                     *Request for Applications:*                     Information regarding program and application requirements for this competition will be contained in the Request for Applications, which will be available on March 12, 2015, at the following Web site:                     *http://ies.ed.gov/​funding/​.*

                    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the Request for Applications and the application package in an accessible format (                    *e.g.,*                     braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disk) by contacting he person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice.                

                    2.                     *Content and Form of Application Submission:*                     Requirements concerning the content of an application are in the Request for Applications. The forms that must be submitted are in the application package for this competition.                

*Letter of Intent to Apply:*                     April 13, 2015.                

                    We ask potential applicants to submit a letter of intent, indicating the Priority or Priorities under which the State intends to apply for funding. We use the information in the letters of intent to identify the expertise needed for the scientific review panels and to secure a sufficient number of reviewers. For this reason, letters of intent are optional but strongly encouraged. We request that letters of intent be submitted using the link at:                     *https://iesreview.ed.gov/​.*

Eligible entities that do not provide this notification may still apply for funding.

                    3.                     *Submission Dates and Times:*

*Request for Applications Available:*                     March 12, 2015.                

*Application Package Available:*                     March 19, 2015.                

*Deadline for Transmittal of Letters of Intent to Apply:*                     April 13, 2015.                

*Dates of Informational Meetings:*                     We intend to hold webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants. Detailed information regarding these meetings will be provided on the IES Web site at                     *http://ies.ed.gov/​funding.*

*Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:*                     June 10, 2015.                

                    Applications for grants under this competition 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.                

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

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

                    6.                     *Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and System for Award Management:*                     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 System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly 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 SAM 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 to two business days.

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 SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but                           ( print page 12993)                        may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.                

# Note:

 Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov.

If you are currently registered with SAM, 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 registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

                    Information about SAM is available at                     *www.SAM.gov.*                     To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at:                     *http://www2.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​sam-faqs.html.*

                    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 on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov Web page:                     *www.grants.gov/​web/​grants/​register.html.*

                    7.                     *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 Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems competition, CFDA number 84.372A, 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 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 the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems competition at                     *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 84.372, not 84.372A).                

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—Non-Construction 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, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 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 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, 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                           ( print page 12994)                        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: Ellie Pelaez, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW., Room 600e, Washington, DC 20208-5530. FAX: (202) 219-1466.

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 following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.372A), 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 84.372A), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 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 10 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:*                     Information regarding selection criteria and review procedures for this competition will be provided in the Request for Applications.                

                    2.                     *Review and Selection Process:*                     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).

                    4.                     *Special Conditions:*                     Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may impose special conditions and, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk 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 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 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); or we may send you an email containing a link to access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally, also.                

                    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we notify you.                          ( print page 12995)    

                    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. 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:*                     To evaluate the overall success of this program, the Department has established three performance measures that assess progress toward our strategic goal of ensuring that data are available to inform educational decisions by supporting States' development and implementation of Statewide longitudinal data systems. The Department measures: (1) The number of States that link K-12 data with early childhood data; (2) the number of States that link K-12 data with postsecondary data; and (3) the number of States that link K-12 and postsecondary data with workforce data. In addition, grantees will be expected to report in their annual and final performance reports on their progress in achieving the project objectives proposed in their grant applications and on the status of their development and implementation of a Statewide longitudinal data system.                

                    5.                     *Continuation Awards:*                     In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee has made substantial progress in meeting the goals and objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application. 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 Contact

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        Nancy Sharkey, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street NW., Room 9101, Washington, DC 20006-5651. Telephone: (202) 502-7494 or by email:                         *Nancy.Sharkey@ed.gov*.                    

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

                        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 contact person listed in this section.                    

## 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 9, 2015.

Sue Betka,

Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.

[FR Doc. 2015-05682 Filed 3-11-15; 8:45 am]

 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P