20888 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Elementary School Counseling

Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priority and

selection criteria.

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary

announces the final priority and

selection criteria for fiscal year (FY)

2000 under the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, Title X—

Programs of National Significance, Part

A—Fund for the Improvement of

Education—Section 10102, Elementary

School Counseling Demonstration

Program. The Office of Elementary and

Secondary Education, Safe and DrugFree Schools Program will administer

this new grant competition. The

Assistant Secretary takes this action to

focus Federal financial assistance on

establishing and expanding elementary

school counseling programs. The

Assistant Secretary may use this priority

for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2000

and later years.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice of priority

and selection criteria takes effect on

May 18, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Loretta Riggans, Safe and Drug-Free

Schools Program, U.S. Department of

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,

Room 3E220, Washington, DC 20202–

6123. Telephone: (202) 260–2661, email

address: LorettalRiggans@ed.gov, Fax:

(202) 260–7767. Internet: http://

www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/SDFS. If you

use a telecommunications device for the

deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternative

format (e.g. Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) upon

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

Note: This notice of final priority does not

solicit applications. A notice inviting

applications under this competition is

published elsewhere in this issue of the

Federal Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice contains the final priority and

selection criteria for the Elementary

School Counseling Demonstration

Program (CFDA #84.215E).

The Assistant Secretary may make

awards for up to 36 months to local

educational agencies (LEAs) to establish

or expand elementary school counseling

programs.

In making awards under this grant

program, the Assistant Secretary ensures

an equitable geographic distribution

among the regions of the United States

and among urban, suburban, and rural

areas.

Contingent upon the availability of

funds, the Assistant Secretary may make

additional awards in FY 2001 from the

rank-ordered list of unfunded

applications from this competition.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible

applicants under this competition are

local educational agencies (LEAs) only.

LEAs may apply in consortia with one

or more LEAs; however, each

participating LEA must ensure that all

requirements of the priority for this

competition are met.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications:

Applications for this competition must

be received at the address specified in

the notice inviting applications for this

competition no later than 4:30 p.m.

Eastern Time on June 9, 2000.

Applications received after that time

will not be read. Postmarked dates will

not be accepted.

Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3) and Title X, Section 10102

of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act, the Assistant Secretary

gives an absolute preference to

applications that meet the following

priority. The Assistant Secretary funds

under this competition only

applications that meet this absolute

priority.

Under the absolute funding priority

for this grant competition, LEA projects

must establish or expand elementary

school counseling programs at schools

with at least one grade below fifth and

no grade higher than eighth.

Statutory Requirements: The statute

requires each program assisted under

this competition to:

(1) Be comprehensive in addressing

the personal, social, emotional, and

educational needs of all students;

(2) Use a developmental, preventive

approach to counseling;

(3) Increase the range, availability,

quantity, and quality of counseling

services in elementary schools of the

local educational agency;

(4) Expand counseling services only

through qualified school counselors,

school psychologists, and school social

workers;

(5) Use innovative approaches to

increase children’s understanding of

peer and family relationships, work and

self, decisionmaking, academic and

career planning, or to improve social

functioning;

(6) Provide counseling services that

are well-balanced among classroom

group and small group counseling,

individual counseling, and consultation

with parents, teachers, administrators,

and other pupil services personnel;

(7) Include inservice training for

school counselors, school social

workers, school psychologists, other

pupil services personnel, teachers, and

instructional staff;

(8) Involve parents of participating

students in the design, implementation,

and evaluation of a counseling program;

(9) Involve collaborative efforts with

institutions of higher education,

businesses, labor organizations,

community groups, social service

agencies, or other public or private

entities to enhance the program and

promote school-linked services

integration; and

(10) evaluate annually the

effectiveness and outcomes of the

counseling services and activities

assisted under this program.

The statute also requires each

applicant to—

(1) Assure that the funds made

available under this grant for any fiscal

year will be used to supplement and, to

the extent practicable, increase the level

of funds that would otherwise be

available from non-Federal sources for

the program described in the

application, and must in no case

supplant those funds from non-Federal

sources; and

(2) Assure that the applicant will

appoint an advisory board composed of

parents, school counselors, school

psychologists, school social workers,

other pupil services personnel, teachers,

school administrators, and community

leaders to advise the LEA on the design

and implementation of the counseling

program.

Definitions: The following definitions

apply to this competition:

(1) The term ‘school counselor’ means

an individual who has documented

competence in counseling children and

adolescents in a school setting and

who—

(A) Possesses State licensure or

certification granted by an independent

professional regulatory authority;

(B) In the absence of such State

licensure or certification, possesses

national certification in school

counseling or a specialty of counseling

granted by an independent professional

organization; or

(C) Holds a minimum of a master’s

degree in school counseling from a

program accredited by the Council for

Accreditation of Counseling and Related

Educational Programs or the equivalent;

(2) The term ‘school psychologist’

means an individual who—

(A) Possesses a minimum of 60

graduate semester hours in school

psychology from an institution of higher

education and has completed 1,200

clock hours in a supervised school

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices 20889

psychology internship, of which 600

hours shall be in the school setting;

(B) Possesses State licensure or

certification in the State in which the

individual works; or

(C) In the absence of such State

licensure or certification, possesses

national certification by the National

School Psychology Certification Board;

(3) The term ‘school social worker’

means an individual who holds a

master’s degree in social work and is

licensed or certified by the State in

which services are provided or holds a

school social work specialist credential;

and

(4) The term ‘supervisor’ means an

individual who has the equivalent

number of years of professional

experience in such individual’s

respective discipline as is required of

teaching experience for the supervisor

or administrative credential in the State

of such individual.

Selection Criteria: The following

criteria will be used to evaluate

applications for new grants under this

competition. The maximum score for all

of these criteria is 100 points.

(1) Need for the project. (20 points)

Applicants must propose projects that

demonstrate the greatest need for new or

additional counseling services among

children in the elementary schools

served by the project.

In determining applications with the

greatest need, the following factors are

considered:

(A) The magnitude or severity of the

problem to be addressed by the

proposed project.

(B) The magnitude of the need for the

services to be provided or the activities

to be carried out by the proposed

project.

(C) The extent to which specific gaps

or weaknesses in services,

infrastructure, or opportunities have

been identified and will be addressed by

the proposed project, including the

nature and magnitude of those gaps or

weaknesses; and

(D) The magnitude of the need for the

services to be provided or the activities

to be carried out by the proposed

project.

In describing the proposed project,

applicants must:

(1) Describe the elementary school

population to be targeted by the

program; the particular personal, social,

emotional, educational, and career

development needs of such population;

and the current school counseling

resources available for meeting such

needs; and

(2) Describe how any diverse cultural

populations, if applicable, would be

served through the program.

(2) Quality of the project design. (20

points)

Applicants must propose projects that

demonstrate the most promising and

innovative approaches for initiating or

expanding counseling services in the

target elementary schools.

The following factors are considered

in determining the quality of the project

design:

(A) The extent to which the design of

the proposed project is appropriate to,

and will successfully address, the

counseling needs of the target

population.

(B) The quality of the proposed

demonstration design and procedures

for documenting project activities and

results.

(C) The extent to which the proposed

project is designed to build capacity and

yield results that will extend beyond the

period of Federal financial assistance.

(D) The extent to which the proposed

project will establish linkages with

other appropriate agencies or

organizations providing services to the

target population.

In describing the project design,

applicants must describe the activities,

services, and training to be provided by

the program and the specific approaches

to be used to meet the needs of the

target population.

(3) Significance of the project. (20

points)

Applicants must propose projects that

demonstrate the greatest potential for

replication and dissemination. The

following factors are considered in

determining the significance of the

project:

(A) 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.

(B) The extent to which the results of

the proposed project are to be

disseminated in ways that will enable

others to use the information or

strategies.

(C) The potential replicability of the

proposed project or strategies,

including, as appropriate, the potential

for implementation in a variety of

settings.

(D) The extent to which the design for

implementing and evaluating the

proposed project will result in

information to guide possible

replication of project activities,

including information about

effectiveness of the approach or

strategies employed by the project.

(4) Quality of the project evaluation.

(20 points)

Applicants must provide a detailed

description of their plan to annually

evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness

of the proposed counseling services and

strategies. The following factors are

considered in determining the quality of

the project evaluation:

(A) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and

outcomes of the proposed project.

(B) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation provide for examining the

effectiveness of project implementation

strategies.

(C) The extent to which the methods

of evaluation include the use of

objective performance measures that are

clearly related to the intended outcomes

of the project and will produce

quantitative and qualitative data to the

extent possible.

(D) The extent to which the

evaluation will provide guidance about

effective strategies suitable for

replication or testing in other settings.

In describing the proposed project

evaluation, applicants must:

(1) Describe the methods to be used to

evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness

of the project.

(2) Agree to cooperate with any

national evaluation of this grant

competition that the Assistant Secretary

may require.

(5) Quality of the management plan.

(10 points)

Applicants must provide a detailed

description of their plan to manage the

activities outlined in their proposal. The

following factors are considered in

determining the quality of the

management plan:

(A) 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.

(B) The extent to which the time

commitments of the project director and

principal investigator and other key

project personnel are appropriate and

adequate to meet the objectives of the

proposed project.

(C) How the applicant will ensure that

a diversity of perspectives are brought to

bear in the operation of the proposed

project, including those of parents,

teachers, the business community, a

variety of disciplinary and professional

fields, recipients or beneficiaries of

services, or others, as appropriate.

In describing the management plan,

applicants must:

(1) Describe the collaborative efforts

to be undertaken with institutions of

higher education, businesses, labor

20890 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 75 / Tuesday, April 18, 2000 / Notices

organizations, community groups, social

service agencies, and other public or

private entities to enhance the program

and promote school-linked services

integration; describe collaborative

efforts with institutions of higher

education which specifically seek to

enhance or improve graduate programs

specializing in the preparation of

elementary school counselors, school

psychologists, and school social

workers; and

(2) Document that the applicant has

the personnel qualified to develop,

implement, and administer the program.

(6) Adequacy of resources. (10 points)

Applicants must describe the

resources committed to the proposed

project.

In determining the adequacy of

resources for the proposed project, the

following factors are considered:

(A) The relevance and demonstrated

commitment of each partner in the

proposed project to the implementation

and success of the project.

(B) 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.

(C) The potential for the incorporation

of the project purposes, activities, or

benefits into the ongoing program of the

agency or organization at the end of

Federal funding.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

It is the Assistant Secretary’s practice,

in accordance with the Administrative

Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), to offer

interested parties the opportunity to

comment on proposed rules. Section

437(d)(1) of the General Education

Provision Act (GEPA), however,

exempts from this requirement rules

that apply to the first competition under

a new or substantially revised program.

This is the first competition under the

Elementary School Counseling

Demonstration Program since that

program was authorized as part of the

Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965 as amended by the

Improving America’s Schools Act of

1994.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

One of the objectives of the Executive

Order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism. The Executive Order relies

on processes developed by State and

local government for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

This document provides early

notification of our specific plans and

actions for this program.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8002

Electronic Access to This Document

You may review this document, as

well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the

Federal Register, in text or portable

document format (PDF) on the Internet

at either of the following sites:

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

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

To use the PDF you must have the

Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either

of the previous sites. If you have

questions about using the PDF, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office, toll

free, at 1–888–293–6498, or in the

Washington, DC area at (202) 512–1530.

Note: 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 on GPO

Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html

(Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number: 84.215E, Elementary School

Counseling Demonstration Program)

Dated: April 14, 2000.

Michael Cohen,

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and

Secondary Education.

[FR Doc. 00–9781 Filed 4–14–00; 1:52 pm]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.215E]

Elementary School Counseling

Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

new awards for Fiscal Year 2000.

Purpose of Program: To assist local

educational agencies to establish or

expand elementary school counseling

programs.

Absolute Priority: Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3) and Title X, Section 10102

of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act, the Assistant Secretary

gives an absolute preference to

applications that meet the following

priority. The Assistant Secretary funds

under this competition only

applications that meet this absolute

priority.

Under the absolute funding priority

for this grant competition, LEA projects

must establish or expand elementary

school counseling programs at schools

with at least one grade below fifth and

no grade higher than eighth.

Eligible Applicants: Local educational

agencies.

Applications Available: April 18,

2000.

Deadline for Receipt of Applications:

June 9, 2000.

Note: We must receive all applications no

later than 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the

deadline date. Applications received after

that date and time will not be read.

Postmarked dates will not be accepted. This

requirement takes exception to the Education

Department General Administrative

Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR 75.102. Under

the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.

553), the Department generally offers

interested parties the opportunity to

comment on proposed regulations. However,

this exception to EDGAR makes procedural

changes only and does not establish new

substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C.

553 (b)(A), the Assistant Secretary for OESE

has determined that proposed rulemaking is

not required. Applications by mail should be

sent to: U.S. Department of Education,

Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA

#84.215E, Room 3633, ROB #3, Washington,

D.C. 20202–4725. The address for

applications delivered by hand is: U.S.

Department of Education, Application

Control Center, Attention: CFDA #84.215E,

Regional Office Building #3, Room 3633, 7th

and D Streets, SW, Washington, DC 20202–

4725.

Deadline For Intergovernmental

Review: June 19, 2000.

Available Funds: $20,000,000.

Maximum Grant: $400,000.

Estimated Range of Awards:

$250,000–$400,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$325,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 60.

Note: The Department is not bound by any

estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

34 CFR Parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85,

97, 98, 99; and (b) the Notice of Final

Priority and Selection Criteria for FY

2000 published elsewhere in this issue

of the Federal Register.

FOR APPLICATIONS OR INFORMATION

CONTACT: Loretta Riggans, Safe and

Drug-Free Schools Program, 400

Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E220,

Washington, DC 20202–6123.

Telephone: (202) 260–2661. The e-mail

address is:

loretta—riggans@ed.gov.

Internet: www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/

SDFS.

If you use a telecommunications

device for the deaf (TDD) may call the

Federal Information Relay Service at 1–

800–877–8339.