Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 14097 

IV. Request for Comments 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: March 13, 2015. 

Glenna Mickelson, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06193 Filed 3–17–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–24–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination To Improve Services 

and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—Model Demonstration 

Projects To Improve Adolescent 

Literacy for Students with Disabilities 

in Middle and High Schools, Grades 

6–12 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities—Model 

Demonstration Projects to Improve 

Adolescent Literacy for Students with 

Disabilities in Middle and High Schools, 

Grades 6–12. 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.326M. 

DATES: Applications Available: March 

18, 2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 4, 2015. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 1, 2015. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program is to promote academic 

achievement and to improve results for 

children with disabilities by providing 

technical assistance (TA), supporting 

model demonstration projects, 

disseminating useful information, and 

implementing activities that are 

supported by scientifically based 

research. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

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

allowable activities specified in the 

statute or otherwise authorized in the 

statute (see sections 663 and 681(d) of 

the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1463, 

1481(d). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities— 

Model Demonstration Projects to 

Improve Adolescent Literacy for 

Students with Disabilities in Middle and 

High Schools, Grades 6–12. 

Background: The purpose of this 

priority is to fund three cooperative 

agreements to establish and operate 

model demonstration projects that are 

designed to improve adolescent literacy 

for students with disabilities in middle 

and high school grades 6 through 12, 

who score below grade level in reading, 

or who have identified reading goals 

and objectives on their individualized 

education program. Results from the 

National Assessment of Educational 

Progress (NAEP) demonstrate that there 

is a persistent gap in reading 

achievement between students with 

disabilities and those without 

disabilities. In 2013, the average scaled 

scores of eighth graders with 

disabilities, excluding those with a 504 

plan, were 42 points lower than their 

non-disabled peers. Sixty-five percent of 

eighth graders with disabilities scored 

below basic level on the reading 

assessment compared with 19 percent of 

eighth graders without disabilities (U.S. 

Department of Education, 2014). 

Adolescents must possess the ability 

to read for understanding across a wide 

variety of content in order to meet 

college- and career-ready standards. 

Elements of literacy at the middle and 

secondary level include the ability to 

recognize and decode words and how 

students engage in reading as well as 

writing and oral communication skills. 

To improve adolescent literacy, as 

defined for the purpose of this priority, 

models should be designed to 

implement evidence-based adolescent 

literacy interventions that are based on 

strong theory or evidence of promise for 

improving reading, and locating, 

understanding, interpreting, evaluating, 

and using written information across 

multiple content areas. Intensive 

reading intervention to improve 

adolescent literacy should also include 

a mix of effective instruction, modeling, 

professional development, and 

evidence-based teaching practices that 

are appropriate for classroom and small 

group settings. Evidence also suggests 

the implementation of reading 

interventions requires well trained 

professionals who are prepared to 

incorporate these interventions within 

instruction across subjects in middle 

and high school grades (Faggella-Luby, 

Ware, & Capozzoli, 2009). Therefore, 

adolescent literacy models should also 

include professional development as a 

component of the model. In addition, 

such models need to be replicable 

across content areas in classrooms and 

small group settings in multiple school 

sites, with a goal of scaling-up the 

intervention for wider use. 

Priority: The purpose of this priority 

is to fund three cooperative agreements 

to establish and operate model 

demonstration projects that are designed 

to improve the literacy of adolescents 

with disabilities in middle and high 

school grades. For purposes of this 

priority, the target population includes: 

Students with disabilities in grades 6 

through 12 who score below grade level 

in reading, or who have identified 

reading goals and objectives on their 

individualized education program. For 

purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘adolescent literacy’’ refers to the skills 

needed by individuals with disabilities 

in middle or high school grades to 

locate, read, understand, interpret, 

evaluate, and use written information 

across multiple content areas. 

(a) Model demonstration projects 

funded under this priority must direct 

their efforts at improving adolescent 

literacy interventions in content areas 

using effective whole-class and small 

group instructional approaches for 

students with disabilities; 

(b) Models must also include— 

(1) A professional development 

component to teach educators how to 

implement the interventions with 

fidelity across a variety of content areas. 

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14098 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 

1Culturally responsive principles promote 

redesigning the learning environments to support 

the development and success of all students. Some 

examples of incorporating culturally responsive 

principles into learning environments include 

communicating high expectations to all students, 

incorporating students’ cultural and home 

experiences into lessons by reshaping the 

curriculum to reflect students’ experiences, and 

engaging students in activities where they can 

converse with one another on topics that tap into 

their background knowledge and experiences (Gay, 

2000; King, Artiles, & Kozleski, 2009). 

2Applicants must ensure the confidentiality of 

individual data, consistent with the requirements of 

section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act 

(20 U.S.C. 1232g), commonly known as the ‘‘Family 

Educational Rights and Privacy Act’’ (FERPA), and 

State laws or regulations concerning the 

confidentiality of individual records. Final FERPA 

regulatory changes became effective January 3, 

2012, and include requirements for data sharing. 

Applicants are encouraged to review the final 

FERPA regulations published on December 2, 2011 

(76 FR 75604). Questions can be sent to the Family 

Policy Compliance Office (www.ed.gov/fpco) at 

(202) 260–3887 or FERPA@ed.gov. 

3For factors to consider when selecting model 

demonstration sites, the applicant should refer to 

Assessing Sites for Model Demonstration: Lessons 

Learned for OSEP Grantees at http://mdcc.sri.com/ 

documents/reports/MDCC_Site_Assessment_Brief_

09–30–11.pdf. The document also contains a site 

assessment tool. 

4The applicant must describe who is going to be 

contacted within the district(s) and how ‘‘buy-in’’ 

from these and other leaders will be solicited. 

5Section 2102(3) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA) defines a ‘‘high-need LEA’’ as an LEA— 

(A)(i) That serves not fewer than 10,000 children 

from families with incomes below the poverty line 

(as that term is defined in section 9101(33) of the 

ESEA); or (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of 

the children served by the LEA are from families 

with incomes below the poverty line; and (B)(i) for 

which there is a high percentage of teachers not 

teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels 

that the teachers were trained to teach; or (ii) for 

which there is a high percentage of teachers with 

emergency, provisional, or temporary certification 

or licensing. 

6For purposes of this priority, ‘‘rural LEA’’ means 

an LEA that is eligible under the Small Rural 

School Achievement (SRSA) program or the Rural 

and Low-Income School (RLIS) program authorized 

under Title VI, Part B of the ESEA. Applicants may 

determine whether a particular LEA is eligible for 

these programs by referring to the information on 

the following Department Web sites. For SRSA: 

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/index.html. 

For RLIS: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/

eligibility.html. 

(2) Strategies for replicating 

interventions used by educators so they 

are effective when brought to scale 

across multiple classrooms within the 

participating local educational agency 

(LEA). 

(c) Each model must include a plan to 

implement at least one evidence-based 

adolescent literacy intervention that 

applies strong theory or evidence of 

promise. In addition, these models must 

be implemented at multiple school sites 

and include professional development 

for all content area teachers at all 

middle and high school grades targeted 

to receive the intervention. 

To be considered for funding under 

this absolute priority, applicants must 

meet the application requirements 

contained in this priority. Each project 

funded under this absolute priority also 

must meet the programmatic and 

administrative requirements specified in 

the priority. 

Application Requirements. An 

applicant must include in its 

application— 

(a) A detailed review of the research 

evidence that supports the effectiveness 

of the proposed model, its components, 

and processes to improve outcomes for 

adolescents with disabilities in middle 

and high school grades; 

(b) A logic model that depicts, at a 

minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, 

and outcomes of the proposed model 

demonstration project. The logic model 

must describe how LEAs and 

participating schools involved in the 

project would contribute to the 

activities, outputs, and outcomes of the 

proposed project. A logic model 

communicates how a project will 

achieve its outcomes and provides a 

framework for both the formative and 

summative evaluations of the project; 

Note: While section 77.1(c) of EDGAR 

contains a definition for ‘‘logic model,’’ 

OSEP, based upon its experience in this area, 

has been using the above definition as 

standard language for the OSEP TA&D 

priorities. OSEP’s definition establishes a 

difference between logic models and 

conceptual frameworks whereas 34 CFR 

77.1(c) considers the model to be one and the 

same. The following Web sites provide more 

information on logic models: 

www.researchutilization.org/matrix/

logicmodel_resource3c.html and www.tadnet.

org/pages/589. 

(c) A description of the activities of 

the proposed model demonstration 

project to improve literacy for 

adolescents with disabilities in subject 

areas taught in middle and high schools. 

The description must include: 

(1) Intervention components, 

including: 

(i) Evidence-based literacy instruction 

and interventions that are provided to 

the adolescents with disabilities, and 

are replicable across a variety of content 

areas by each participating school 

within a participating LEA; 

(ii) An explanation of the culturally 

responsive principles 1 to be 

incorporated within the interventions; 

(iii) An explanation of the 

professional development materials and 

activities that would be provided to 

school and LEA personnel to ensure that 

they implement the evidence-based 

intervention with fidelity; and 

(iv) A data plan that outlines the 

process for collecting, assessing, and 

analyzing 2 data for participating 

adolescents with disabilities. The data 

plan should include a description of 

how these data will be used to improve 

the instructional interventions. 

(2) Components that will be 

implemented in each participating 

school and LEA and that— 

(i) Identify the methods and criteria 

that will be used to select 3 and recruit 4

at least three middle or high schools and 

describe the schools and LEAs that will 

participate in the project, including 

their populations and whether the LEAs 

or the schools that are participating are 

high-poverty, high-need,5 rural,6 urban, 

or suburban; and 

Note: Applicants are encouraged to 

identify, to the extent possible, LEAs and 

schools willing to participate in the 

applicant’s model demonstration. Final site 

selection will be determined in consultation 

with the OSEP project officer following the 

kick-off meeting described in paragraph 

(d)(1) of these application requirements. 

(ii) Provide initial and ongoing 

professional development, including 

coaching, for educators involved in 

implementing the models; and 

(3) Evaluation components, 

including:— 

(i) How the applicant will measure 

the extent to which project activities 

maintain fidelity to the proposed model; 

(ii) How the applicant will measure 

the social validity of the model—in 

other words, measuring the satisfaction 

of stakeholders’ (i.e., educators’, 

parents’, and students’) with the model 

components, processes, and outcomes; 

(iii) A formative evaluation plan, 

consistent with the project’s logic model 

and the data-collection plan that will 

include, as appropriate, periodic 

collection of student performance and 

achievement data, as well as the data 

collection systems that will be used to 

measure the fidelity of the 

implementation activities to the 

proposed model, stakeholder 

satisfaction, and descriptions of the 

settings where the intervention will take 

place. The plan must outline how these 

data will be reviewed by project staff, 

when they will be reviewed, and how 

they will be used during the course of 

the project to adjust the model or its 

implementation to increase the model’s 

usefulness, generalizability, and 

potential for sustainability; and 

(iv) The timeline and plan to collect 

summative evaluation data on the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 14099 

7 If a for-profit (commercial) organization is 

awarded a grant, it will be required to comply with 

the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted as regulations of the Department at 2 CFR 

part 3474. 

reading achievement of adolescents 

with disabilities and their nondisabled 

peers; and 

(d) A budget for attendance at the 

following: 

(1) A one and one half-day kick-off 

meeting to be held in Washington, DC, 

after receipt of the award. 

(2) The three-day Project Directors’ 

Conference in Washington, DC, during 

each year of the project period; and 

(3) Six travel days spread across years 

2–4 of the project period to attend 

planning meetings, Department 

briefings, Department-sponsored 

conferences, and other meetings, as 

requested by OSEP, to be held in 

Washington, DC, with the OSEP project 

officer. 

Other Project Activities. To meet the 

requirements of this priority, each 

project, at a minimum, must: 

(a) Document the process for model 

replication purposes, should the model 

be successful; 

(b) Communicate and collaborate on 

an ongoing basis with other Departmentfunded literacy projects to share 

information on successful strategies and 

implementation challenges regarding 

adolescent literacy instruction and 

achievement; 

(c) Maintain ongoing telephone and 

email communication with the OSEP 

project officer and the other model 

demonstration projects funded under 

this priority; and 

(d) If the project maintains a Web site, 

include relevant information about the 

model, the intervention, and the 

demonstration activities that meets 

government- or industry-recognized 

standards for accessibility. 

References: 

Faggella-Luby, M. N., Ware, S. M., & 

Capozzoli, A. (2009). Adolescent 

literacy—Reviewing adolescent literacy 

reports: Key components and critical 

questions. Journal of Literacy Research, 

41, 453–475. 

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive 

teaching: Theory, research, and practice. 

New York: Teachers College Press. 

King, K. A., Artiles, A. J., & Kozleski, E. B. 

(2009). Professional learning for 

culturally responsive teaching. Retrieved 

from www.equityallianceatasu.org/sites/

default/files/Web site_files/

exemplarFINAL.pdf. 

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of 

Education Sciences. (2014). National 

Center for Education Statistics, National 

Assessment of Educational Progress 

(NAEP), The Nation’s Report Card. 

Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from 

http://nationsreportcard.gov. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department 

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities and requirements. However, 

section 681(d) of the IDEA makes the 

public comment requirements of the 

APA inapplicable to the priority in this 

notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463 

and 1481. 

Applicable Regulations: 

The following regulations apply: (a) 

The Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 

97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education 

Department debarment and suspension 

regulations as adopted in 2 CFR part 

3485 and the Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

as adopted as regulations of the 

Department in 2 CFR part 3474.7

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 only to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs). 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

agreements. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$1,200,000. 

Contingent on 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: $375,000 

to $400,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Award: 

$400,000. 

Maximum Award: We will reject and 

not review any application that 

proposes a budget exceeding $400,000 

for a single budget period of 12 months. 

The Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services 

may change the maximum amount 

through a notice published in the 

Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 3. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 48 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

Eligible Applicants: State educational 

agencies (SEAs); LEAs, including public 

charter schools that are considered 

LEAs under State law; IHEs; other 

public agencies; private nonprofit 

organizations; outlying areas; freely 

associated States; Indian tribes or tribal 

organizations; and for-profit 

organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Other: General Requirements: 

(a) The projects funded under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ, and advance in employment, 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of the IDEA). 

(b) Each applicant and grantee under 

this competition must involve 

individuals with disabilities or parents 

of individuals with disabilities ages 

birth through 26 in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of the 

IDEA). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Education Publications Center 

(ED Pubs), U.S. Department of 

Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, 

VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1–877– 

433–7827. FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), 

call, toll free: 1–877–576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its 

email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application package 

from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.326M. 

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 person or team listed 

under Accessible Format in section VIII 

of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit Part III 

to the equivalent of no more than 50 

pages, using the following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

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14100 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the 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). 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit in the application 

narrative section; or if you apply 

standards other than those specified in 

the application package. 

Submission of Proprietary 

Information: 

Given the types of projects that may 

be proposed in applications for the 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

to Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities—Model 

Demonstration Projects to Improve 

Adolescent Literacy for Students with 

Disabilities in Middle and High Schools, 

Grades 6–12, your application may 

include business information that you 

consider proprietary. The Department’s 

regulations define ‘‘business 

information’’ in 34 CFR 5.11. 

Under the Department’s transparency 

policies, we make successful applicants’ 

abstracts available to the public. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600, please designate in your 

application any information that you 

feel is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act. In the appropriate 

Appendix section of your application, 

under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ 

please list the page number or numbers 

on which we can find this information. 

For additional information please see 34 

CFR 5.11(c). 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 18, 

2015. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 4, 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. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 1, 2015. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

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 Unique Entity 

Identifier (UEI) number and TIN with 

the System for Award Management 

(SAM), the Government’s primary 

registrant database; 

c. Provide your UEI 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. 

Currently, SAM relies on the 

identifier provided by Dun and 

Bradstreet (DUNS number) for the UEI. 

You can create a DUNS number 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 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The SAM registration process may 

take seven or more business days, but 

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 the 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 

to complete. Information about SAM is 

available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist 

you with obtaining 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 

Model Demonstration Projects on the 

Improvement of Adolescent Literacy for 

Students with Disabilities in Middle 

and High Schools in Grades 6–12 

competition, CFDA number 84.326M, 

must be submitted electronically using 

the Government-wide 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 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 14101 

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 Model 

Demonstration Projects to Improve 

Adolescent Literacy for Students with 

Disabilities in Middle and High Schools, 

Grades 6–12 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 84.326, not 84.326M). 

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 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. Additional, 

detailed information on how to attach 

files is in the application instructions. 

• 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: Greg Knollman, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

14102 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 

Avenue SW., Room 4096, Potomac 

Center Plaza (PCP), Washington, DC 

20202–2600. FAX: (202) 245–7617. 

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 84.326M), 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 84.326M), 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 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 provided in 

the application package. 

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). 

3. Additional Review and Selection 

Process Factors: 

In the past, the Department has had 

difficulty finding peer reviewers for 

certain competitions because so many 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

peer reviewers have conflicts of interest. 

The standing panel requirements under 

section 682(b) of IDEA also have placed 

additional constraints on the availability 

of reviewers. Therefore, the Department 

has determined that, for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within specific groups. This 

procedure will make it easier for the 

Department to find peer reviewers, by 

ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process, while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

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; 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. 

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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 52 / Wednesday, March 18, 2015 / Notices 14103 

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: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures, including long-term 

measures, that are designed to yield 

information on various aspects of the 

effectiveness and quality of the 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

to Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities program. 

These measures focus on the extent to 

which projects provide high-quality 

products and services, the relevance of 

project products and services to 

educational and early intervention 

policy and practice, and the use of 

products and services to improve 

educational and early intervention 

policy and practice. 

Grantees will be required to report 

information on their project’s 

performance in annual reports to the 

Department (34 CFR 75.590). 

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 Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg 

Knollman, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Room 4096, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2600. Telephone: (202) 245– 

6425. 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

Federal Relay Service (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) by 

contacting the Grants and Contracts 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call 

the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

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 12, 2015. 

Sue Swenson, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06273 Filed 3–17–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. ER15–1176–000] 

South Jersey Energy ISO6, LLC; 

Supplemental Notice That Initial 

Market-Based Rate Filing Includes 

Request for Blanket Section 204 

Authorization 

This is a supplemental notice in the 

above-referenced proceeding, of South 

Jersey Energy ISO6, LLC’s application 

for market-based rate authority, with an 

accompanying rate schedule, noting that 

such application includes a request for 

blanket authorization, under 18 CFR 

part 34, of future issuances of securities 

and assumptions of liability. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest should file with the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, 

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice 

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214). Anyone filing a motion to 

intervene or protest must serve a copy 

of that document on the Applicant. 

Notice is hereby given that the 

deadline for filing protests with regard 

to the applicant’s request for blanket 

authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of 

future issuances of securities and 

assumptions of liability is March 30, 

2015. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper, using the 

FERC Online links at http://

www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic 

service, persons with Internet access 

who will eFile a document and/or be 

listed as a contact for an intervenor 

must create and validate an 

eRegistration account using the 

eRegistration link. Select the eFiling 

link to log on and submit the 

intervention or protests. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 5 copies 

of the intervention or protest to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

The filings in the above-referenced 

proceeding(s) are accessible in the 

Commission’s eLibrary system by 

clicking on the appropriate link in the 

above list. They are also available for 

review in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room in Washington, DC. 

There is an eSubscription link on the 

Web site that enables subscribers to 

receive email notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 

docket(s). For assistance with any FERC 

Online service, please email 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or call 

(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call 

(202) 502–8659. 

Dated: March 10, 2015. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2015–06132 Filed 3–17–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings #1 

Take notice that the Commission 

received the following electric rate 

filings: 

Docket Numbers: ER15–158–001. 

Applicants: Southwest Power Pool, 

Inc. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES