Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices 8821 

1Available at: https://oese.ed.gov/files/2021/12/ 

DRAFT-Accountability-FAQ-12.15.pdf. 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: HEERF Quarterly 

Budget and Expenditure Reporting. 

OMB Control Number: 1840–0849. 

Type of Review: A revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Private 

Sector; State, Local, and Tribal 

Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 20,680. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 103,400. 

Abstract: Section 18004(a)(1) of the 

CARES Act, Public Law 116–136 (March 

27, 2020), authorizes the Secretary of 

Education to allocate formula grant 

funds to participating institutions of 

higher educations (IHEs). Section 

18004(c) of the CARES Act allows the 

IHEs to use up to one-half of the total 

funds received to cover any costs 

associated with the significant changes 

to the delivery of instruction due to the 

coronavirus (with specific exceptions). 

Section 18004(a)(2) of the CARES Act 

authorizes the Secretary to make awards 

under parts A and B of title III, parts A 

and B of title V, and subpart 4 of part 

A of title VII of the Higher Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (‘‘HEA’’), to 

address needs directly related to the 

coronavirus. These awards are in 

addition to awards made in Section 

18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act. Section 

18004(a)(3) of the CARES Act, Pub. 

authorizes the Secretary to allocate 

funds for part B of Title VII of the HEA, 

for IHEs that the Secretary determines 

have the greatest unmet needs related to 

coronavirus. 

This information collection request 

includes additions and revisions to the 

quarterly budget and expenditure 

reporting form used by grantees under 

these sections of the CARES Act, as well 

as comparable sections of the 

Coronavirus Response and Relief 

Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 

(CRRSAA) (Pub. L. 116–260) and the 

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 

(ARP) (Pub. L. 117–2). These revisions 

to the collection will ensure the 

Department will be able to more 

effectively monitor the use of funds by 

grantees that have received awards 

under these sections. The majority of 

the quarterly report aligns closely with 

the recently-approved annual reporting 

form, for which 60- and 30-day 

comment notices were published. 

Additional Information: The 

Department is requesting emergency 

approval to allow the revisions to be 

implemented and announced prior to 

the first quarter reporting deadline on 

April 10, 2022. If the Department is 

unable to implement the changes in 

time for this reporting deadline, the 

Department will be lacking critical 

information needed to monitor and 

provide technical assistance to HEERF 

grantees. Given the amount of HEERF 

funds that have been distributed, it is 

imperative that the Department has the 

information needed to ensure that all 

uses of funds are in accordance with the 

governing statutes and program 

guidance. 

Kate Mullan, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03268 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Competitive Grants for State 

Assessments Program 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for 

the Competitive Grants for State 

Assessments program, Assistance 

Listing Number (ALN) 84.368A. This 

notice relates to the approved 

information collection under OMB 

control number 1894–0006. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: February 16, 

2022. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

March 18, 2022. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 18, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on December 27, 2021 

(86 FR 73264) and available at 

www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979. 

Please note that these Common 

Instructions supersede the version 

published on February 13, 2019, and, in 

part, describe the transition from the 

requirement to register in SAM.gov a 

Data Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number to the implementation 

of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 

More information on the phase-out of 

DUNS numbers is available at https://

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/ 

docs/unique-entity-identifier-transitionfact-sheet.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donald Peasley, Office of Elementary 

and Secondary Education, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW, Room 3W106, Washington, 

DC 20202–6132. Telephone: (202) 453– 

7982. Email: ESEA.Assessment@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. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Competitive Grants for State 

Assessments (CGSA) program is to 

enhance the quality of assessment 

instruments and assessment systems 

used by States for measuring the 

academic achievement of elementary 

and secondary school students. 

Background: The Department 

recognizes the importance of highquality assessment systems, which 

include diagnostic, formative, interim, 

and summative assessments that are 

valid and reliable for the purposes for 

which they are used and that provide 

relevant and timely information to help 

educators, parents or caregivers, and 

policymakers support students at the 

student, classroom, school, and system 

levels. 

Statewide summative assessments are 

among multiple measures that can 

provide valuable information to 

students, parents or caregivers, 

educators, and the public about student 

outcomes and opportunity gaps. In its 

draft Frequently Asked Question 

document, Impact of COVID–19 on 

2021–2022 Accountability Systems 

Required under the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965 

(ESEA),1 the Department encourages 

States to explore ‘‘opportunities to 

improve statewide summative 

assessments, which may include, 

consistent with ESEA section 

1111(b)(2)(B)(vi), the use of multiple 


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3Available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/ 

documents/2021/12/10/2021-26615/final-prioritiesand-definitions-secretarys-supplemental-prioritiesand-definitions-for. 

4Available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/ 

documents/2016/08/08/2016-18530/final-prioritiesenhanced-assessment-instruments. 

5Available at https://www.federalregister.gov/ 

documents/2021/12/10/2021-26615/final-prioritiesand-definitions-secretarys-supplemental-prioritiesand-definitions-for. 

measures of student academic 

achievement, including measures of 

higher-order thinking skills and 

understanding, which may include 

measures of student academic growth 

and may be partially delivered in the 

form of portfolios, projects, or extended 

performance tasks which can provide 

students with culturally and 

linguistically responsive ways of 

demonstrating progress.’’ 2 In particular, 

the available uses of funds for CGSA 

include developing or improving 

models to measure individual student 

growth and improving assessments for 

English learners and children and 

students with disabilities. For example, 

a State could develop statewide 

academic assessments in another 

language or form, if that would likely 

yield more accurate and reliable 

information on what such a student 

knows and can do, or use the principles 

of universal design for learning to 

improve the accessibility of their 

statewide assessments. Additionally, 

technology advancement can allow for 

assessments to be conducted with more 

frequency and less interruptions in 

instruction. These technology-enhanced 

assessments may be able to provide 

timely and tailored supports for teachers 

to inform instruction. 

Further, this notice is aligned with the 

strategies outlined in the Secretary’s 

Supplemental Priorities and Definitions 

for Discretionary Grant Programs 

(Supplemental Priorities), which 

include developing and implementing 

high-quality assessments of student 

learning (for example, curriculumaligned and performance-based tools 

aligned with State grade-level content 

standards and, for career and technical 

education, relevant industry standards) 

and strategies that allow educators to 

use the data from assessments to inform 

instructional design and classroom 

practices that meet the needs of all 

students and providing high-quality 

professional development to support 

educators in implementing these 

strategies.3

Section 1203(b)(1)(A) of the ESEA 

identifies six allowable uses of funds 

under CGSA. In brief, these uses include 

(1) developing or improving 

assessments for English learners; (2) 

developing or improving models to 

measure and assess student progress or 

student growth on assessments; (3) 

developing or improving assessments 

for children with disabilities; (4) 

collaborating with institutions of higher 

education or other organizations to 

improve the quality, validity, and 

reliability of State academic 

assessments; (5) measuring student 

academic achievement using multiple 

measures of student academic 

achievement from multiple sources; and 

(6) evaluating student academic 

achievement using comprehensive 

academic assessment instruments (such 

as performance and technology-based 

academic assessments, computer 

adaptive assessments, projects, or 

extended performance task assessments) 

that emphasize the mastery of standards 

and aligned competencies in a 

competency-based education model. 

The Department notes that, as set forth 

below in the Priorities section, the last 

two statutory uses of funds also are the 

two absolute priorities in this 

competition. 

The Department notes that these 

allowable uses of funds are not mutually 

exclusive. An SEA, or consortium of 

SEAs, applying for funds must identify 

how the proposed project addresses at 

least one of the absolute priorities in 

this CGSA competition. An applicant 

may also propose any of the other four 

allowed uses of funds, as long as it also 

addresses either absolute priority. 

Grants awarded from this competition 

are available for up to 48 months with 

a maximum budget request of 

$3,000,000 for the total project period. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

two absolute priorities, one competitive 

preference priority, and one invitational 

priority to encourage State educational 

agencies (SEAs) to consider new 

approaches to their State assessment 

systems. 

Absolute Priority 1 is from ESEA 

section 1201(a)(2)(K) and is intended to 

encourage the use of multiple measures 

of academic achievement. Projects 

under this absolute priority might 

promote deeper understanding of 

academic achievement of all student 

subgroups by supporting States in 

designing a statewide assessment 

system that meets Federal requirements 

and, for example, integrates information 

obtained from curriculum-embedded 

performance tasks with information 

obtained from an end-of-year 

assessment to produce a valid, reliable, 

and fair measure of student achievement 

of State academic standards. 

Absolute Priority 2 is from ESEA 

section 1201(a)(2)(L) and is focused on 

the development of comprehensive 

academic assessments that emphasize 

the mastery of standards and aligned 

competencies in a competency-based 

education model. Projects under this 

absolute priority could, for example, 

strengthen statewide assessment 

systems by incorporating innovative, 

dynamic, and real-time tools for 

assessing student learning and 

progression and providing information 

to educators. 

The competitive priority is from the 

Notice of Final Priorities—Enhanced 

Assessment Instruments, published in 

the Federal Register on August 8, 2016, 

(81 FR 52341) (2016 NFP).4 The 

competitive priority focuses on 

improving the utility of information 

about student performance included in 

reports of assessment results and 

providing better and more timely 

information to educators and parents. 

The invitational priority is from the 

Secretary’s Final Supplemental 

Priorities and Definitions for 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 10, 2021, at 86 FR 70612.5

The invitational priority is focused on 

supporting effective instruction and 

building educator capacity through the 

development of high-quality 

assessments of student learning and 

strategies that allow educators to use 

data from assessments to inform 

instruction. 

For FY 2022 and any subsequent year 

in which we make awards from the list 

of unfunded applications from this 

competition, these are the priorities. 

Absolute Priorities: Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet one of these 

priorities. Absolute Priorities 1 and 2 

each constitute their own funding 

categories. The Department may award 

grants under each of these absolute 

priorities provided that applications of 

sufficient quality are submitted. As a 

result, the Department may fund 

applications out of the overall rank 

order. To ensure that applicants are 

considered for the correct type of grant, 

applicants must clearly identify the 

specific absolute priority that the 

proposed project addresses. If an SEA 

(or consortium of SEAs) is interested in 

proposing separate projects (e.g., one 

that addresses Absolute Priority 1 and 

another that addresses Absolute Priority 

2), the SEA (or consortium of SEAs) 

must submit separate applications. 

These priorities are: 

Absolute Priority 1: Measuring 

student academic achievement using 

multiple measures of student academic 

achievement from multiple sources. 


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2021-26615/p-643. 

Absolute Priority 2: Evaluating 

student academic achievement through 

the development of comprehensive 

academic assessment instruments (such 

as performance and technology-based 

academic assessments, computer 

adaptive assessments, projects, or 

extended performance task assessments) 

that emphasize the mastery of standards 

and aligned competencies in a 

competency-based education model. 

Competitive Preference Priority: 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), the 

Department awards up to an additional 

3 points to an application, depending on 

how well the application meets the 

priority. The competitive priority is: 

Improving assessment scoring and score 

reporting. (Up to 3 points) 

Under this priority, SEAs must: 

(a) Propose projects, in consultation 

with organizations representing parents 

(including parents of English learners 

and parents of students with 

disabilities), students, teachers, 

counselors, and school administrators to 

address needs related to score reporting 

and improve the utility of information 

about student performance included in 

reports of assessment results and 

provide better and more timely 

information to educators and parents; 

(1) To respond to paragraph (a), 

applicants must include one or more of 

the following in their projects: 

(i) Developing enhanced score 

reporting templates or digital 

mechanisms for communicating 

assessment results and their meaning 

(such as by providing clear and 

actionable next steps for parents); 

(ii) Improving the assessment literacy 

of educators and parents to help them 

interpret test results and to support 

teaching and learning in the classroom 

(such as by providing training on test 

development and interpretation of test 

scores); and 

(iii) Developing mechanisms for 

secure transmission and individual use 

of assessment results by teachers, 

students, and parents. 

(b) Applicants proposing projects 

under paragraph (a) must provide a 

dissemination plan for sharing lessons 

learned and best practices such that 

their projects can serve as models and 

resources that can be shared with other 

States. 

Invitational Priority 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not 

give an application that meets an 

invitational priority any preference over 

other applications. 

The invitational priority is: 

Supporting effective instruction and 

building educator capacity by 

developing and implementing highquality assessments (as defined in the 

Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities 6) of 

student learning (for example, 

curriculum-aligned and performancebased tools aligned with State gradelevel content standards or, for career 

and technical education, relevant 

industry standards) and strategies that 

allow educators to use the data from 

assessments to inform instructional 

design and classroom practices that 

meet the needs of all students, and 

providing high-quality professional 

development to support educators in 

implementing these strategies. 

Application Requirement: For FY 

2022, and any subsequent year in which 

we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition, applicants must meet the 

following uses of funds application 

requirement from section 1203(b)(1)(B) 

of the ESEA, which refers to section 

1201(a)(2)(C) and (H)–(L) of the ESEA. 

Uses of Funds: As required by statute 

and stated earlier in this notice, 

applicants must demonstrate that their 

proposed uses of funds for CGSA would 

be to carry out one or more of the 

following activities: 

(a) Developing or improving 

assessments for English learners, 

including assessments of English 

language proficiency as required under 

section 1111(b)(2)(G) of the ESEA and 

academic assessments in languages 

other than English to meet the State’s 

obligations under section 1111(b)(2)(F) 

of the ESEA. 

(b) Developing or improving models 

to measure and assess student progress 

or student growth on State assessments 

under section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA 

and other assessments not required 

under section 1111(b)(2) of the ESEA. 

(c) Developing or improving 

assessments for children with 

disabilities, including alternate 

assessments aligned to alternate 

academic achievement standards for 

students with the most significant 

cognitive disabilities described in 

section 1111(b)(2)(D) of the ESEA, and 

using the principles of universal design 

for learning. 

(d) Allowing for collaboration with 

institutions of higher education, other 

research institutions, or other 

organizations to improve the quality, 

validity, and reliability of State 

academic assessments beyond the 

requirements for such assessments 

described in section 1111(b)(2) of the 

ESEA. 

(e) Measuring student academic 

achievement using multiple measures of 

student academic achievement from 

multiple sources. 

(f) Evaluating student academic 

achievement through the development 

of comprehensive academic assessment 

instruments (such as performance and 

technology-based academic 

assessments, computer adaptive 

assessments, projects, or extended 

performance task assessments) that 

emphasize the mastery of standards and 

aligned competencies in a competencybased education model. 

Definitions: For FY 2022 and any 

subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, the 

following definitions apply. The 

definitions of ‘‘Child with a disability,’’ 

‘‘English learner,’’ and ‘‘Universal 

design for learning’’ are from section 

8101 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7801). The 

definitions of ‘‘Demonstrates a 

rationale,’’ ‘‘Logic model,’’ ‘‘Project 

component,’’ and ‘‘Relevant outcome’’ 

are from 34 CFR 77.1. 

Child with a disability, as defined in 

section 602 of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act, means— 

(A) A child— 

(i) With intellectual disabilities, 

hearing impairments (including 

deafness), speech or language 

impairments, visual impairments 

(including blindness), serious emotional 

disturbance (referred to in the IDEA as 

‘‘emotional disturbance’’), orthopedic 

impairments, autism, traumatic brain 

injury, other health impairments, or 

specific learning disabilities; and 

(ii) Who, by reason thereof, needs 

special education and related services. 

(B) The term ‘‘child with a disability’’ 

for a child aged 3 through 9 (or any 

subset of that age range, including ages 

three through five), may, at the 

discretion of the State and the local 

educational agency, include a child— 

(i) Experiencing developmental 

delays, as defined by the State and as 

measured by appropriate diagnostic 

instruments and procedures, in 1 or 

more of the following areas: Physical 

development; cognitive development; 

communication development; social or 

emotional development; or adaptive 

development; and 

(ii) Who, by reason thereof, needs 

special education and related services. 

Demonstrates a rationale means a key 

project component included in the 

project’s logic model is informed by 

research or evaluation findings that 

suggest the project component is likely 

to improve relevant outcomes. 

English learner, when used with 

respect to an individual, means an 

individual— 

(A) Who is aged 3 through 21; 


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7For purposes of this notice, English learner and 

limited English proficient have the same meaning. 

(B) Who is enrolled or preparing to 

enroll in an elementary school or 

secondary school; 

(C)(i) Who was not born in the United 

States or whose native language is a 

language other than English; 

(ii)(I) Who is a Native American or 

Alaska Native, or a native resident of the 

outlying areas; and 

(II) Who comes from an environment 

where a language other than English has 

had a significant impact on the 

individual’s level of English language 

proficiency; or 

(iii) Who is migratory, whose native 

language is a language other than 

English, and who comes from an 

environment where a language other 

than English is dominant; and 

(D) Whose difficulties in speaking, 

reading, writing, or understanding the 

English language may be sufficient to 

deny the individual— 

(i) The ability to meet the challenging 

State academic standards; 

(ii) The ability to successfully achieve 

in classrooms where the language of 

instruction is English; or 

(iii) The opportunity to participate 

fully in society. 

Logic model (also referred to as a 

theory of action) means a framework 

that identifies key project components 

of the proposed project (i.e., the active 

‘‘ingredients’’ that are hypothesized to 

be critical to achieving the relevant 

outcomes) and describes the theoretical 

and operational relationships among the 

key project components and relevant 

outcomes. 

Project component means an activity, 

strategy, intervention, process, product, 

practice, or policy included in a project. 

Evidence may pertain to an individual 

project component or to a combination 

of project components (e.g., training 

teachers on instructional practices for 

English learners and follow-on coaching 

for these teachers). 

Relevant outcome means the student 

outcome(s) or other outcome(s) the key 

project component is designed to 

improve, consistent with the specific 

goals of the program. 

Universal design for learning, as 

defined under section 103 of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965, as amended, 

means a scientifically valid framework 

for guiding educational practice that— 

(a) Provides flexibility in the ways 

information is presented, in the ways 

students respond or demonstrate 

knowledge and skills, and in the ways 

students are engaged; and 

(b) Reduces barriers in instruction, 

provides appropriate accommodations, 

supports, and challenges, and maintains 

high achievement expectations for all 

students, including students with 

disabilities and students who are 

limited English proficient.7

Program Authority: Section 1203(b)(1) 

of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 6363(b)(1)). 

Note: Projects will be awarded and must be 

operated in a manner consistent with the 

nondiscrimination requirements contained in 

Federal civil rights laws. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

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 as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) 

The 2016 NFP. (e) The Supplemental 

Priorities. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$17,711,000. The Administration has 

requested $8,900,000 for new awards for 

this program for FY 2022. Congress has 

already appropriated $8,900,000 for FY 

2021. The actual total amount of 

funding for this competition depends on 

final congressional action for FY 2022. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2023 (or later) from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards for the 

Project Period: $1,000,000 to 

$3,000,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards for 

the Project Period: $2,500,000. 

Maximum Size of Awards for the 

Project Period: We will not make an 

award exceeding $3,000,000. 

Note: The Department will not make an 

award under any of the absolute priorities for 

less than the amount specified in section 

1203(b)(1)(C) of the ESEA. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 3 to 6. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 48 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, as 

defined in section 8101(49) of the ESEA, 

of the 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, and the Commonwealth of 

Puerto Rico, and consortia of such 

SEAs. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this 

competition may not award subgrants to 

entities to directly carry out project 

activities described in its application. 

4. Other: An application from a 

consortium of SEAs must designate one 

SEA as the fiscal agent. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application Submission 

Instructions: Applicants are required to 

follow the Common Instructions for 

Applicants to Department of Education 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and 

available at www.federalregister.gov/d/ 

2021-27979, which contain 

requirements and information on how to 

submit an application. Please note that 

these Common Instructions supersede 

the version published on February 13, 

2019, and, in part, describe the 

transition from the requirement to 

register in SAM.gov a DUNS number to 

the implementation of the UEI. More 

information on the phase-out of DUNS 

numbers is available at https://

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/ 

docs/unique-entity-identifier-transitionfact-sheet.pdf. 

2. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the CGSA, your application may include 

business information that you consider 

proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11, we define 

‘‘business information’’ and describe the 

process we use in determining whether 

any of that information is proprietary 

and, thus, protected from disclosure 

under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as 

amended). Because we plan to make all 

application materials public, you may 

wish to request confidentiality of 

business information. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600, please designate in your 

application any information that you 

believe is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4. 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. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. 


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4. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

5. Recommended Page Limit: The 

project narrative is where you, the 

applicant, address the selection criteria 

that reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to the 

equivalent of no more than 65 pages and 

(2) 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. 

• 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 

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. 

The recommended page limit applies 

to the project narrative, including the 

table of contents, which must include a 

discussion of how the application meets 

one of the absolute priorities, and how 

well the application addresses each of 

the selection criteria. The recommended 

page limit also applies to any 

attachments to the project narrative 

other than the items mentioned in Part 

6 of the application package, including 

the references/bibliography. In other 

words, we recommend that the entirety 

of the project narrative, including the 

aforementioned discussion and any 

attachments to the project narrative, be 

limited to the equivalent of no more 

than 65 pages. The only allowable 

attachments other than those included 

in the project narrative are outlined in 

Part 6, ‘‘Other Attachments Forms,’’ in 

the application package. 

The recommended 65-page limit, or 

its equivalent, does not apply to the 

following sections of an application: 

Part 1 (including the response regarding 

research activities involving human 

subjects); Part 2 (budget information); 

Part 3 (two-page project abstract); Part 5 

(the budget narrative); Part 6 

(memoranda of understanding or other 

binding agreement, if applicable; copy 

of applicant’s indirect cost rate 

agreement; letters of commitment and 

support from collaborating SEAs and 

organizations; other attachments forms, 

including, if applicable, references/ 

bibliography for the project narrative 

and individual re ́sume ́s for project 

director(s) and key personnel); and Part 

7 (standard assurances and 

certifications). Applicants are 

encouraged to limit each re ́sume ́ to no 

more than five pages. 

Please note, hyperlinks should not be 

used in an application. Reviewers will 

be instructed not to follow hyperlinks if 

included. Applicants are encouraged to 

submit applications that meet the page 

limit following the standards outlined 

in this section rather than submitting 

applications that are the equivalent of 

the page limit applying other standards. 

6. Notice of Intent to Apply: We are 

better able to develop a more efficient 

process for reviewing grant applications 

if we have a better understanding of the 

number of applicants that intend to 

apply for funding under this 

competition. Therefore, we strongly 

encourage each potential applicant to 

notify us of the applicant’s intent to 

submit an application for funding and 

which absolute priority the applicant 

intends to address. This notification 

should be brief and identify the SEA 

applicant and, in the case of consortia 

applicants, the SEA that it will 

designate as the fiscal agent for an 

award. Submit this notification by email 

to ESEA.Assessment@ed.gov with 

‘‘Intent to Apply’’ in the email subject 

line or mail to Donald Peasley, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW, Room 3W106, Washington, 

DC 20202–6132. Applicants that do not 

provide this notification may still apply 

for funding. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210. We will award up to 100 

points to an application under the 

selection criteria; the total possible 

points for each selection criterion are 

noted in parentheses. 

(a) Significance (up to 10 points). 

The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. In 

determining the significance of the 

proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the proposed 

project is likely to build local capacity 

to provide, improve, or expand services 

that address the needs of the target 

population. (5 points) 

(2) The likely utility of the products 

(such as information, materials, 

processes, or techniques) that will result 

from the proposed project, including the 

potential for their being used effectively 

in a variety of other settings. (5 points). 

(b) Quality of the project design (up to 

25 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the design of the proposed project. In 

determining the quality of the design of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(1) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. (10 points) 

(2) The extent to which the proposed 

project is part of a comprehensive effort 

to improve teaching and learning and 

support rigorous academic standards for 

students. (10 points) 

(3) The extent to which the proposed 

project demonstrates a rationale (as 

defined in this notice). (5 points) 

(c) Quality of project services (up to 

30 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the services to be provided by the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers: 

(1) The quality and sufficiency of 

strategies for ensuring equal access and 

treatment for eligible project 

participants who are members of groups 

that have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. (10 points) 

(2) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

are appropriate to the needs of the 

intended recipients or beneficiaries of 

those services. (10 points) 

(3) The extent to which the training or 

professional development services to be 

provided by the proposed project are of 

sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services. (10 points) 

(d) Adequacy of resources (up to 10 

points). 

The Secretary considers the adequacy 

of resources for the proposed project. In 

determining the adequacy of resources 

for the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the extent to which the costs 

are reasonable in relation to the number 

of persons to be served and to the 

anticipated results and benefits. 

(e) Quality of the management plan 

(up to 20 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the management plan for the proposed 

project. In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers: 

(1) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks. (10 points) 

(2) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 


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project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project. (10 points) 

(f) Quality of the project evaluation 

(up to 5 points). 

The Secretary considers the quality of 

the evaluation to be conducted of the 

proposed project. In determining the 

quality of the evaluation, the Secretary 

considers the extent to which the 

methods of evaluation are thorough, 

feasible, and appropriate to the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes of the 

proposed project. 

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 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 (34 CFR 

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

3. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.206, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10, 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. 

4. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 

CFR 200.206(a)(2), we must make a 

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through SAM. You may 

review and comment on any 

information about yourself that a 

Federal agency previously entered and 

that is currently in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal Government exceeds 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, 

require you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant 

plus all the other Federal funds you 

receive exceed $10,000,000. 

5. In General: In accordance with the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all 

applicable Federal laws, and relevant 

Executive guidance, the Department 

will review and consider applications 

for funding pursuant to this notice 

inviting applications in accordance 

with: 

(a) Selecting recipients most likely to 

be successful in delivering results based 

on the program objectives through an 

objective process of evaluating Federal 

award applications (2 CFR 200.205); 

(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain 

telecommunication and video 

surveillance services or equipment in 

alignment with section 889 of the 

National Defense Authorization Act of 

2019 (Pub. L. 115—232) (2 CFR 

200.216); 

(c) Providing a preference, to the 

extent permitted by law, to maximize 

use of goods, products, and materials 

produced in the United States (2 CFR 

200.322); and 

(d) Terminating agreements in whole 

or in part to the greatest extent 

authorized by law if an award no longer 

effectuates the program goals or agency 

priorities (2 CFR 200.340). 

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. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to preexisting 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of preexisting 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

4. 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 multiyear 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. 

(c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the 

Secretary may provide a grantee with 

additional funding for data collection 

analysis and reporting. In this case the 

Secretary establishes a data collection 

period. 

5. Performance Measures: For 

purposes of Department reporting under 

34 CFR 75.110, the Department has 

developed three measures to evaluate 


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the overall effectiveness of the CGSA 

program: 

(1) The percentage of grantees, for 

each grant cycle, that demonstrate 

significant progress towards improving, 

developing, or implementing a new 

model for measuring the achievement of 

students. 

(2) The percentage of grantees, for 

each grant cycle, that demonstrate 

collaboration with institutions of higher 

education, other research institutions, or 

other organizations to develop or 

improve State assessments. 

(3) The percentage of grantees that, at 

least three times during the period of 

their grants, make available to SEA staff 

in non-participating States and to 

assessment researchers information on 

findings resulting from the CGSA 

program through presentations at 

national conferences, publications in 

refereed journals, or other products 

disseminated to the assessment 

community. 

Grantees will be expected to include 

in their interim and final performance 

reports information about the 

accomplishments of their projects. 

VII. 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. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations at 

www.govinfo.gov. 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 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. 

Ruth E. Ryder, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and 

Programs, Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03290 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2022–SCC–0019] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Comment Request; 

Connecting Adults to Success: Career 

Navigator Training Study (CATS Study) 

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences 

(IES), Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 

proposing a new collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before April 18, 

2022. 

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the 

documents related to the information 

collection listed in this notice, please 

use http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching the Docket ID number ED– 

2022–SCC–0002. Comments submitted 

in response to this notice should be 

submitted electronically through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov by selecting the 

Docket ID number or via postal mail, 

commercial delivery, or hand delivery. 

If the regulations.gov site is not 

available to the public for any reason, 

ED will temporarily accept comments at 

ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please include the 

docket ID number and the title of the 

information collection request when 

requesting documents or submitting 

comments. Please note that comments 

submitted by fax or email and those 

submitted after the comment period will 

not be accepted. Written requests for 

information or comments submitted by 

postal mail or delivery should be 

addressed to the PRA Coordinator of the 

Strategic Collections and Clearance 

Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W208DC, 

Washington, DC 20202–8240. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Melanie Ali, 

(202) 245–8345. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department of Education (ED), in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general 

public and Federal agencies with an 

opportunity to comment on proposed, 

revised, and continuing collections of 

information. This helps the Department 

assess the impact of its information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. It also 

helps the public understand the 

Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. ED is 

soliciting comments on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. The Department of 

Education is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) Is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Connecting Adults 

to Success: Career Navigator Training 

Study (CATS Study). 

OMB Control Number: 1850–NEW. 

Type of Review: New collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals or Households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 503,950. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 4,257. 

Abstract: This demonstration study 

will examine the impact of training for 

career navigators—local adult education 

provider staff who provide services to 

address the challenges that learners face 

navigating the transition to the 

workforce and to further education and 

training. The study will compare the 

education and employment outcomes of 

learners enrolled in adult education 

sites whose career navigators are 

assigned by lottery to receive the study’s 

training (the treatment group) with the 

outcomes of learners enrolled in the 

business-as-usual sites who are assigned 

by lottery to receive the study’s training 

after the study period (the comparison 

group). Approximately 64 adult 

education sites from across five to seven 

states are expected to participate in the 

study. Impacts on learners’ education 

and employment outcomes will be 

examined after 18 and 30 months. 

Dated: February 10, 2022. 

Juliana Pearson, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2022–03284 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 


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