59730 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

DC. 20202–4700. Requests may also be 

electronically mailed to the Internet 

address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov or faxed to 

202–245–6621. Please specify the 

complete title of the information 

collection when making your request. 

Comments regarding burden and/or 

the collection activity requirements 

should be directed to Joseph Schubart at 

his e-mail address Joe.Schubart@ed.gov. 

Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339. 

[FR Doc. 05–20497 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Elementary and Secondary 

Education; Overview Information 

Comprehensive Centers—Great Lakes 

West Region; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2006 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.283B. 

DATES: Applications Available: October 

13, 2005. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: November 28, 2005. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: December 27, 2005. 

Eligible Applicants: Research 

organizations, institutions, agencies, 

institutions of higher education, or 

partnerships among such entities, or 

individuals, with the demonstrated 

ability or capacity to carry out the 

activities described in this notice. An 

application from a consortium of 

eligible entities must include a 

consortium agreement. Letters of 

support do not meet the requirement for 

a consortium agreement. 

Note: The Department will reject any 

application that does not meet these 

eligibility requirements. 

Number of Awards: 1. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$1,243,322 for a start-up award of 

approximately 6 months. The actual 

level of funding, if any, is contingent on 

final congressional action on the 

Department’s FY 2006 appropriations 

bill. 

Estimated Size of Award: $1,243,322. 

Funding for the Regional Center (as 

defined in Section I of this notice) for 

the Great Lakes West region was 

calculated by formula, based equally on 

shares of population and poor children, 

ages 5–17 in the States (including DC, 

Puerto Rico, and the Outlying Areas). 

The most recent Department estimates 

for awards to the comprehensive 

centers, including the Great Lakes 

Regional Center, are provided at: 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/ 

index.html. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 57 months. 

Budget Period: The first budget period 

will be approximately six months. 

Budget periods 2 through 4 will be 12 

months. Budget period 5 will be 15 

months. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The 

Comprehensive Centers program 

supports the establishment of not fewer 

than 20 comprehensive technical 

assistance centers that provide technical 

assistance to States as States work to 

help districts and schools to close 

achievement gaps in core content areas 

and raise student achievement in 

schools, especially those in need of 

improvement (as defined by section 

1116(b) of the Elementary and 

Secondary Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA)). 

Background: On June 3, 2005, the 

Department published a notice 

announcing a competition for the 

Comprehensive Centers program (70 FR 

32583; correction notice 70 FR 35415). 

The notice invited applications for 21 

comprehensive centers—16 regional 

comprehensive centers to serve States 

within defined geographic boundaries 

(Regional Centers) and 5 content 

comprehensive centers, each having a 

specific content expertise and focus, to 

support the work of the Regional 

Centers (Content Centers). The 

comprehensive centers provide 

technical assistance to States as States 

work to help districts and schools to 

close achievement gaps in core content 

areas and raise student achievement in 

schools, especially those in need of 

improvement (as defined by section 

1116(b) of the ESEA). 

As a result of the competition 

announced on June 3, 2005, the 

Department funded 20 Centers—15 

Regional Centers and 5 Content 

Centers—with FY 2005 funds. However, 

the Department did not fund a Regional 

Center for the region designated to serve 

the States of Illinois and Wisconsin, the 

region identified as the Great Lakes 

West region. 

This notice, therefore, invites 

applications for a Regional Center to 

serve the Great Lakes West region so as 

to complete the Comprehensive Centers 

program’s technical assistance system 

established by the Department in FY 

2005. 

For more information on the functions 

and activities of the five Content Centers 

funded in FY 2005 and how they relate 

to the Regional Centers, see 70 FR 

32583. 

Background on the Comprehensive 

Centers Program: The ESEA, as 

amended by the No Child Left Behind 

Act of 2001 (NCLB), holds States 

accountable for closing achievement 

gaps and ensuring that all children, 

regardless of ethnicity, income, 

language proficiency, or disability, 

receive a high-quality education and 

meet State academic standards in 

reading/language arts and mathematics 

by 2013–2014. 

To that end, NCLB requires States to 

set standards for student performance, 

implement statewide testing and 

accountability systems to measure 

school and student performance toward 

achieving those standards, adopt 

research-based instructional and 

program improvements related to 

teaching and learning in the classroom, 

ensure that all teachers in core subject 

areas are highly qualified, and improve 

or ultimately restructure schools that are 

consistently low-performing. 

The comprehensive centers funded 

under the Comprehensive Centers 

program, including the Regional Center 

funded under this competition, will 

begin providing technical assistance at a 

time when States, districts, and schools 

have accomplished much of the initial 

implementation of NCLB but still 

require assistance in many areas. 

Specifically, the new centers funded 

under this program will provide 

intensive technical assistance in several 

areas that are key to success in meeting 

NCLB goals. Recent assessments 

conducted to help determine technical 

assistance priorities for the 

Comprehensive Centers program 

indicate that States need assistance, for 

example, in helping districts and 

schools to implement improvements 

and meet school and district adequate 

yearly progress requirements; in 

identifying and adopting instructional 

and assessment methods that have been 

proven effective through scientifically 

based research, especially for students 

with special needs; in designing 

programs and strategies and allocating 

resources to recruit, retain, and train 

talented teachers and school leaders; 

and in enhancing assessment and 

accountability systems. 

Because States have the primary 

responsibility for school improvement 

efforts, the comprehensive centers, 

including the Regional Center funded 

under this competition, will focus 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 59731 

technical assistance on States and on 

helping States increase their capacity to 

provide sustained support to districts 

and schools as they implement NCLB 

reforms. 

The comprehensive centers will serve 

as field agents for the Department to 

help further the understanding of the 

States they serve of the provisions and 

purposes of NCLB and related Federal 

programs and help those States adopt 

proven approaches to achieve the school 

improvement and student performance 

goals required under NCLB. The centers 

will work closely with, and leverage the 

resources of, other technical assistance 

providers and research organizations, 

including the Regional Educational 

Laboratories, the Special Education 

Technical Assistance Network, the 

Parental Information and Resource 

Centers, the Equity Assistance Centers, 

the Reading First National Technical 

Assistance Center, the Institute of 

Education Sciences’ research centers 

and its What Works Clearinghouse, and 

other Federal, regional, and State 

entities and postsecondary institutions, 

to gather and disseminate information 

and knowledge about what works and to 

help States translate that knowledge 

into meaningful practice. 

The approach to technical assistance 

delivery for the Comprehensive Centers 

system is two-tiered: the Regional 

Centers have the primary relationships 

with, and provide services to, the States 

in their regions; in serving their State 

clients, the Regional Centers will draw 

heavily on the research-based 

information, products, guidance, and 

knowledge on key NCLB topics 

supplied by the Content Centers. 

Regional Centers must provide 

frontline assistance to States to help 

them implement NCLB and other 

related Federal school improvement 

programs and help increase State 

capacity to assist districts and schools 

meet their student achievement goals. 

Regional Centers must be embedded in 

regions and responsible for developing 

strong relationships and partnerships 

within their regional community. While 

Content Centers must focus almost 

entirely on specific content areas, 

analyzing research, and developing 

useful products and tools for Regional 

Centers and other clients, the Regional 

Centers will be the ‘‘on-the-ground’’

providers to States. 

Drawing from the information and 

resources provided by the Content 

Centers funded through this program 

and other sources, the Regional Centers 

must provide a program of technical 

assistance to States that will enable 

them to, among other things—

1. Assess the improvement needs of 

districts and schools and assist them in 

developing solutions to address those 

needs; 

2. Build and sustain systemic support 

for district and school improvement 

efforts to—(a) Close existing 

achievement gaps; and (b) adopt proven 

practices to improve instruction and 

achievement outcomes for students in 

schools identified as in need of 

improvement; and 

3. Improve the tools and systems for 

school improvement and accountability 

for achievement outcomes. 

The Department intends to have 

substantial and sustained involvement 

in the activities of the center to be 

funded under this competition, 

including by shaping grantee priorities, 

activities, and major products to meet 

the purposes of this program. The 

details and parameters of the 

Department’s expectations and 

involvement with each center funded 

under this program will be included in 

the Department’s cooperative agreement 

with the grantee that receives an award 

for that center. 

Regional Advisory Committees: To 

help inform the Secretary’s priorities for 

the comprehensive centers, the 

Secretary (in accordance with section 

206 of the Educational Technical 

Assistance Act of 2002 (TA Act)) 

established 10 Regional Advisory 

Committees (RACs) charged with 

conducting education needs 

assessments within the geographical 

regions served by the current regional 

educational laboratories. 

The RACs conducted their needs 

assessments during the period from 

December 2004 to March 2005 and 

submitted their reports to the Secretary 

on March 31, 2005. The full reports are 

available at: http://www.ed.gov/ 

programs/newccp/index.html. 

Applicants for the Regional Center for 

the Great Lakes West Region are 

encouraged to consider the specific 

priorities and recommendations 

contained in the RAC report for 

Wisconsin and Illinois when preparing 

their applications. 

Priorities: We are using these 

priorities in accordance with section 

437(d)(1) of the General Education 

Provisions Act. These absolute priorities 

are the same priorities established in the 

FY 2005 Comprehensive Centers 

competition for all centers and for 

Regional Centers. 

For the Regional Center—Great Lakes 

West Region award, under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet these priorities. 

Absolute Priorities 

Priority 1—Focus on States: To meet 

this priority, applicants must propose a 

plan of technical assistance specifically 

focused on helping the two States in the 

Great Lakes West Region (Illinois and 

Wisconsin) implement the provisions of 

NCLB applicable to those States, and 

helping the States in the Great Lakes 

West region build the capacity to help 

school districts and schools implement 

NCLB provisions and programs. 

To the extent that an applicant 

proposes to work with individual school 

districts and schools, the applicant must 

propose a technical assistance plan that 

proposes work with districts and 

schools only where the effort: (a) 

Involves a high-leverage strategy (i.e., 

reaches a large number or proportion of 

schools, teachers, and administrators 

needing the assistance within the State); 

(b) responds to a need identified by the 

State; and (c) is planned and 

coordinated with the State. 

Note: This priority does not support 

research, program evaluation, or curriculum 

development. Thus, an applicant will not 

satisfy this priority if it proposes a technical 

assistance plan to—

a. Design or develop curricula or 

instructional materials for use in classrooms 

or develop professional development 

programs where proven models already exist; 

or 

b. Conduct basic research or program 

evaluations on behalf of States or districts. 

Priority 2—Crosscutting Expertise. To 

meet this priority, an applicant must 

demonstrate that proposed center staff 

have expertise on several issues of 

crosscutting importance related to the 

delivery of technical assistance in 

specific regions and content areas. 

These issues are: 

a. Proven strategies for addressing the 

needs of schools with populations at 

risk of failure, especially children who 

have limited proficiency in English, 

children with disabilities, and children 

from economically disadvantaged 

families. 

b. Effective uses of technology to 

improve instruction, and as an efficient 

means of delivering technical 

assistance. 

c. Implementing school improvement 

reforms within urban and rural contexts. 

Priority 3—Location of Regional 

Center. In order to meet the requirement 

of this priority, the proposed Regional 

Center must be located in and serve the 

Great Lakes West region defined by the 

Department as the following States: 

Illinois and Wisconsin. 

Priority 4—Regional Technical 

Assistance Activities. To meet this 

priority, the work of the proposed 

59732 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

Regional Center must involve activities 

that address State technical assistance 

needs by: 

(a) Working closely with each State in 

its region on an ongoing basis; 

(b) Linking States with the resources 

of Content Centers, Department staff, 

Regional Educational Laboratories, the 

What Works Clearinghouse, and other 

entities that have, or may be able to, 

design products and services tailored to 

State needs; 

(c) Suggesting sources of appropriate 

service providers or assistance for State 

activities that are not within the core 

mission of the centers—including, for 

example, activities to address needs 

related to curriculum development, 

designing school-level training 

programs, or conducting basic research 

or impact evaluations; 

(d) Assisting State efforts to build 

statewide systems of support for 

districts and schools in need of 

improvement, partly by leveraging the 

resources of Content Centers and other 

sources of scientifically based education 

research and high-quality technical 

assistance on behalf of State and district 

clients; 

(e) Working to identify, broker, 

leverage, and deliver information, 

resources, and services from the Content 

Centers and other sources that focus on 

research-based knowledge of promising 

practices, including assistance to States 

and districts on securing high-quality 

consultants and experts to meet specific 

education needs; 

(f) Convening, in partnership with 

Content Centers and others, as 

appropriate, States and districts to 

receive training and information on best 

practices and research-based 

improvement strategies; 

(g) Providing guidance and training 

on implementation of requirements 

under NCLB and other related Federal 

programs; 

(h) Facilitating collaboration at the 

State level to align Federal, State, 

district, and school improvement 

programs and help States understand 

and use the flexibility provided by 

NCLB to target resources and programs 

to address the greatest needs; and 

(i) Helping Content Centers to 

identify, document, and disseminate 

emerging promising practices by 

working with States to distill and 

document the experiences of highperforming districts and schools. 

Priority 5—Knowledge and Expertise. 

To satisfy this priority, the proposed 

Regional Center must demonstrate indepth knowledge of regional and local 

issues, conditions, and needs, 

particularly as those relate to the roles 

and responsibilities of States, districts, 

and schools in implementing the 

provisions of NCLB and other related 

Federal programs. In addition, the 

proposed Regional Center must have 

expertise in comprehensive planning, 

needs assessment, and State, district, 

and school improvement processes. 

Priority 6—Coordination and 

Cooperation. To meet this priority, the 

proposed Regional Center must create 

and maintain cooperative working 

relationships with the States in the 

Great Lakes West region and other 

technical assistance providers serving 

that region, including the Regional 

Educational Laboratories, the Special 

Education Technical Assistance 

Network, Parental Information and 

Resource Centers, Equity Assistance 

Centers, the Reading First National 

Technical Assistance Center, and other 

regional and State entities, including, 

for example, regional service providers 

and postsecondary institutions. 

Additional Requirements 

1. Plan of Technical Assistance. All 

applicants under this competition must 

submit as part of their application a 5- 

year plan of technical assistance that 

describes the strategies and approaches 

the applicant will use to carry out the 

activities of the proposed center in a 

manner that addresses the statutory 

requirements of sections 203 through 

207 of the TA Act, and the priorities and 

additional requirements described in 

this notice. 

2. Focus on Districts and Schools that 

are High-Need and Identified as in Need 

of Improvement. Applicants must 

demonstrate how the proposed plan of 

technical assistance will give priority to 

helping States, districts, and schools 

build the capacity to develop and 

implement programs targeted 

specifically to meet the educational 

needs of students in school districts and 

schools with high percentages or 

numbers of school-age children from 

low-income families, including such 

school districts and schools in rural and 

urban areas; and schools in the region 

that have been identified for school 

improvement under section 1116(b) of 

the ESEA. 

3. Focus on State/Regional Priorities. 

Applicants must tailor the strategies and 

activities they propose to address to the 

educational priorities and related 

technical assistance needs of States. The 

applicant’s proposed plan of technical 

assistance must reflect a thorough 

understanding of the technical 

assistance needs and propose strategies 

that specifically address those needs for 

the States the Regional Center will 

serve, considering: (a) The educational 

goals and priorities of States to be 

served, including major reform efforts 

underway; (b) the current status of 

States in meeting the requirements and 

goals of NCLB; (c) the types of technical 

assistance and related strategies that 

would help States, districts, and schools 

implement the programs and goals of 

NCLB and close existing achievement 

gaps in the content areas; and (d) State 

and regional student demographics and 

other contextual factors, such as urban 

and rural locality. 

4. Allocation of Resources. Proposed 

technical assistance plans must allocate 

resources to and within States and 

regions in a manner that reflects the 

need for assistance, taking into account 

such factors as the proportion of 

economically disadvantaged students, 

the increased cost burden of service 

delivery in areas of sparse population, 

and any special initiatives being 

undertaken by State, intermediate, and 

local educational agencies, or schools 

funded under the jurisdiction of the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, which may 

require special assistance from the 

center. 

5. Coordination and Collaboration. 

Each applicant must describe in its 

technical assistance plan how the 

proposed center will: (a) Communicate 

regularly with the U.S. Department of 

Education, other comprehensive 

centers, the Regional Educational 

Laboratories, State educational agencies, 

and other technical assistance providers 

as appropriate; and (b) plan and 

coordinate activities funded under this 

competition with the activities of those 

other entities to leverage available 

knowledge and resources and avoid 

duplicating efforts. 

6. Advisory Board. Each application 

must propose, as part of its technical 

assistance plan, establishing an advisory 

board to advise the proposed 

comprehensive center on: (a) The 

activities of the center relating to its 

allocation of resources to and within 

each State in a manner that reflects the 

need for assistance in accordance with 

section 203(d) of Title II of the TA Act; 

(b) strategies for monitoring and 

addressing the educational needs of the 

region, on an ongoing basis; (c) 

maintaining a high standard of quality 

in the performance of the center’s 

activities; and (d) carrying out the 

center’s duties in a manner that 

promotes progress toward improving 

student academic achievement. 

The plan must (1) detail the 

composition of the board by name and 

affiliation in accordance with the 

requirements described in section 203 of 

the TA Act and in the application 

instructions found in the application 

package, and (2) include a letter of 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 59733 

commitment from each proposed board 

member. In the alternative to submitting 

a plan that meets the requirements in (1) 

and (2) in the previous sentence, an 

applicant may include, in its plan, a 

statement of commitment that it will 

comply with section 203(g) of the TA 

Act as well as a narrative statement of 

how the board will operate. 

7. Evaluation Plan. Each applicant 

must provide, as part of its technical 

assistance plan, a plan to assess: (a) The 

needs of the States served by the 

comprehensive center on an ongoing 

basis, and (b) the progress and 

performance of the center in meeting the 

educational needs of its clients. The 

plan must identify the performance 

objectives the project intends to achieve 

and performance measures for each 

performance objective; explain the 

quantitative and qualitative methods 

that will be used to collect, analyze, and 

report performance data; and describe 

the methods that it uses to monitor 

progress and make mid-course 

corrections, as appropriate. 

8. Project Meetings. Applicants must 

budget for: 

(a) The Project Director to attend a 2- 

day meeting in Washington, DC at least 

once a year for each year of the project 

period. 

(b) Key staff to attend the following: 

(i) A 2-day post-award conference 

with Department officials in 

Washington, DC, to be held within 45 

days from the grant award date. The 

purpose of this conference will be to: 

• Refine the grantee’s technical 

assistance plan as appropriate; 

• Review with the grantee the 

Department’s intentions regarding the 

role of the grantee’s center; 

• Define how the grantee’s center and 

the Department will work together as 

partners to accomplish the purposes of 

the grant; 

• Establish lines of communication 

and feedback between grantees and the 

Department; 

• Establish content for a cooperative 

agreement; and 

(ii) A 1-day annual performance 

review with Department officials in 

Washington DC beginning one year after 

the post-award conference and each 

year of the grant thereafter. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

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

offers interested parties the opportunity 

to comment on proposed priorities and 

other non-statutory program 

requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of the 

General Education Provisions Act (20 

U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)), however, allows the 

Secretary to exempt from rulemaking 

requirements, regulations governing the 

first competition under a new program 

authority. The Comprehensive 

Centers—Great Lakes West Regional 

Center is part of the first competition for 

new Comprehensive Centers program 

under Title II of the TA Act and, 

therefore, qualifies for this exemption. 

In order to ensure timely grant awards, 

the Secretary has decided to forego 

public comment on the absolute 

priorities, selection criteria and nonstatutory requirements under section 

437(d)(1). These absolute priorities, 

selection criteria, and non-statutory 

requirements will apply to this grant 

competition only. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9602–9606. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administration Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

agreement. 

Number of Awards: 1. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$1,243,322 for a start-up award of 

approximately 6 months. The actual 

level of funding, if any, depends on 

final congressional action on the 

Department’s FY 2006 appropriations 

bill. 

Estimated Size of Award: $1,243,322. 

Funding for the Regional Center for the 

Great Lakes West region was calculated 

by formula, based equally on shares of 

population and poor children, ages 5–17 

in the States (including DC, Puerto Rico, 

and the Outlying Areas). The most 

recent Department estimates for awards 

to the comprehensive centers, including 

the Great Lakes West Regional Center, 

are provided at: http://www.ed.gov/ 

programs/newccp/index.html 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 57 months. 

Budget Period: The first budget period 

will be approximately six months. 

Budget periods 2 through 4 will be 12 

months. Budget period 5 will be 15 

months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Research organizations, institutions, 

agencies, institutions of higher 

education, or partnerships among such 

entities, or individuals, with the 

demonstrated ability or capacity to carry 

out the activities described in this 

notice. An application from a 

consortium of eligible entities must 

include a consortium agreement. Letters 

of support do not meet the requirement 

for a consortium agreement. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

This competition does not involve 

cost sharing or matching. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package 

You may obtain an application 

package via the Internet or from the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 

this notice. To obtain an application via 

the Internet, use the following address: 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/newccp/ 

index.html. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–

800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities may 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of the application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: Applicants are strongly 

encouraged to limit their application to 

150 pages. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: October 13, 

2005. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: November 28, 2005. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

available through the Department’s eGrants system. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically or by mail or hand 

delivery if you qualify for an exception 

to the electronic submission 

requirement, please refer to section IV. 

6. Other Submission Requirements in 

this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: December 27, 2005. 

59734 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

Part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. 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 Comprehensive Centers—

Great Lakes West Region Competition 

CFDA Number 84.283B must be 

submitted electronically using eApplication available through the 

Department’s e-Grants system, 

accessible through the e-Grants portal 

page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please note the following: 

• You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

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

application deadline date. The eApplication system will not accept an 

application for this competition after 

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

application deadline date. Therefore, we 

strongly recommend that you do not 

wait until the application deadline date 

to begin the application process. 

• The regular hours of operation of 

the e-Grants Web site are 6 a.m. Monday 

until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. 

Thursday until midnight Saturday, 

Washington, DC time. Please note that 

the system is unavailable on Sundays, 

and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 

6 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, DC 

time, for maintenance. Any 

modifications to these hours are posted 

on the e-Grants Web site. 

• 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 the 

Application for Federal Education 

Assistance (ED 424), Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 

assurances and certifications. You must 

attach any narrative sections of your 

application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified above or submit a 

password protected file, we will not 

review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to print a 

copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment that will 

include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

(1) Print ED 424 from e-Application. 

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

(3) Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the ED 424. 

(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of e-Application System 

Unavailability: If you are prevented 

from electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because the e-Application system is 

unavailable, we will grant you an 

extension of one business day to enable 

you to transmit your application 

electronically, by mail, or by hand 

delivery. We will grant this extension 

if—

(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an 

electronic application for this 

competition; and, 

(2)(a) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for 60 minutes or more 

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 

p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date; or 

(b) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for any period of time 

between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgment of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336–

8930. If the system is down and 

therefore the application deadline is 

extended, an e-mail will be sent to all 

registered users who have initiated an eApplication. Extensions referred to in 

this section apply only to the 

unavailability of the Department’s eApplication 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 e-Application system because—

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Department’s e-Application 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: Enid Simmons, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., room 3E307, Washington, 

DC 20202. FAX: (202) 250–5870. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 59735 

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 applicable following 

address: 

By mail through the U.S. Postal 

Service: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

CFDA Number 84.283B, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202–

4260. 

By mail through a commercial carrier: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center—Stop 4260, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.283B), 

7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 

20785–1506. 

Regardless of which address you use, 

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, or 

(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, or 

(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 

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 84.283B), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 

a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of the ED 424 the 

CFDA number—and suffix letter, if 

any—of the competition under which 

you are submitting your application. 

(2) The Application Control Center 

will mail a grant application receipt 

acknowledgment to you. If you do not 

receive the grant application receipt 

acknowledgment 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 

Selection Criteria: We will use the 

following selection criteria to evaluate 

applications under this competition. 

The maximum score for each criterion is 

indicated in parentheses with the 

criterion. The maximum number of 

points an application may earn based on 

the selection criteria is 100 points. 

a. Need for the Center (10 Points) 

In determining the need for the 

proposed center, the Secretary considers 

the following: 

(i) The extent to which the proposed 

plan of technical assistance presents 

strategies that address the priority 

technical assistance needs of States as 

evidenced by in-depth knowledge and 

understanding of—

(A) The specific educational goals and 

priorities of the States to be served by 

the center, including relevant major 

reform efforts underway; 

(B) The status of States in meeting the 

requirements of NCLB, including the 

number and proportion of districts and 

schools in need of improvement within 

each State, the number and proportion 

of students not meeting State standards 

in reading and mathematics; and 

(C) Applicable State and regional 

demographics and other contextual 

factors and their relevance for the 

purposes, goals, and challenges for 

implementing the provisions of NCLB. 

(ii) The likelihood that activities of 

the proposed center will result in 

products and services that are of high 

quality, high relevance, and high 

usefulness to clients. 

b. Significance (10 Points) 

In determining the significance of the 

proposed center, the Secretary considers 

the following: 

(i) The extent to which the proposed 

technical assistance plan presents an 

approach that will likely result in 

systems change or improvement at the 

State or district levels. 

(ii) The potential contribution of the 

center proposal to increase knowledge 

or understanding of effective strategies. 

(iii) The importance of outcomes 

likely to be attained by the proposed 

center, especially improvements in 

teaching and student achievement. 

c. Quality of the Project Design (25 

Points) 

In determining the quality of the 

design of the proposed center, the 

Secretary will consider the following 

factors: 

(i) The extent to which the 

application proposes an exceptional 

approach for carrying out the purposes 

and activities for the center for which 

the applicant is applying. 

(ii) The extent to which the 

application proposes high-leverage 

approaches that focus assistance at the 

State level and on helping States build 

capacity to support district and school 

improvement and programs. 

(iii) The extent to which the proposed 

technical assistance plan reflects indepth knowledge and understanding of 

NCLB, as well as supporting regulations 

and guidance pertinent to carrying out 

the purposes and activities of the center 

for which the applicant is applying. 

(iv) The extent to which the proposed 

technical assistance plan reflects indepth knowledge and understanding of 

available scientifically valid, researchbased and/or evidence-based practices 

to improve student achievement and 

close achievement gaps and 

demonstrates knowledge of and access 

to reliable sources for obtaining such 

knowledge on an ongoing basis. 

(v) The extent to which the proposed 

technical assistance plan reflects indepth knowledge and understanding of 

current scientifically valid, researchbased and/or evidence-based technical 

assistance methods and practices. 

d. Quality of Project Personnel and 

Adequacy of Grantee Resources (25 

Points). 

In determining the quality of project 

personnel, the Secretary considers the 

extent to which the applicant 

encourages applications for employment 

from persons who are members of 

59736 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 

groups that have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. 

In addition, the Secretary will 

consider the following factors under this 

criterion: 

(i) The extent to which the 

application presents evidence of 

professional preparation and successful 

prior experience of the center director 

and other key staff, including subgrantees and key consultants and 

partners that would indicate that each 

has the knowledge, skills and ability to 

successfully carry out the 

responsibilities they are assigned. For 

example, the extent to which the 

application presents evidence of 

expertise and demonstrated successful 

experience assisting States with 

comprehensive planning, needs 

assessments and implementing school 

improvement programs and processes, 

with a particular focus on improving 

outcomes for students at risk of failure, 

including students from low-income 

families, disabled students, students 

with limited proficiency in English, and 

migrant students. 

(ii) The extent to which proposed 

center staff have expertise using 

technology to deliver technical 

assistance and implementing school 

improvement reforms within urban and 

rural contexts. 

(iii) The extent to which the applicant 

has demonstrated experience providing 

technical assistance and professional 

development in reading, mathematics, 

science and technology, especially in 

schools and districts identified as in 

need of improvement. 

(iv) The extent to which the applicant 

has prior relevant experience operating 

a project of the scope required for the 

purposes of the center being proposed. 

(v) The extent to which the 

application proposes an advisory board 

membership in accordance with the 

requirements of the TA Act and 

includes reasonable assurance of their 

commitment to serve on the board. The 

extent to which the resources and plans 

for the board’s operation are reasonable 

and cost-efficient. 

(vi) The adequacy of resources for the 

proposed project, including facilities 

and equipment, to successfully carry out 

the purposes and activities of the 

proposed project. 

e. Quality of the Management Plan (20 

Points) 

In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary will consider the 

following factors: 

(i) The extent to which resources are 

allocated within the region in a manner 

that reflects the need for assistance. 

(ii) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

project on time and within budget, 

including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks. 

(iii) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

other key project personnel are 

appropriate and adequate to meet the 

objectives of the proposed project. 

(iv) The adequacy of procedures for 

ensuring feedback on performance 

measures and continuous improvement 

in the operation of the proposed project. 

(v) The extent to which the 

application proposes exceptional, 

innovative and workable approaches 

and plans to—

(A) Communicate on an ongoing basis 

with other comprehensive centers, as 

appropriate, the Regional Educational 

Laboratories, the client State 

educational agencies and other 

technical assistance providers serving 

the region; and 

(B) Coordinate the plans and activities 

funded by this grant with the plans and 

activities of the State and other 

agencies, in order to leverage resources, 

avoid duplications and otherwise 

maximize the effectiveness of services; 

and make effective use of available 

technologies to widely disseminate 

information about proven practices. 

f. Quality of the Project Evaluation (10 

Points) 

In determining the quality of the 

evaluation plan, the Secretary will 

consider the following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the 

performance goals and objectives for the 

project are clearly specified and 

measurable in terms of the project 

activities to be accomplished and their 

stated outcomes for clients. 

(ii) The extent to which the methods 

for monitoring performance and 

evaluating the effectiveness of project 

strategies in terms of outcomes for 

clients are thorough, feasible, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project. 

(iii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide continuous 

performance feedback and permit the 

continuous assessment of progress 

toward achieving intended outcomes. 

(iv) The extent to which the applicant 

demonstrates a strong capacity to 

provide reliable data on performance 

measures. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may also notify you 

informally. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we will 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: At the end of your 

project, you must submit a final 

performance report, including financial 

information, as directed by the 

Secretary. If you receive a multi-year 

award, you must submit an annual 

performance report that provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as specified by 

the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118. 

4. Performance Measures: To evaluate 

the overall success of the 

Comprehensive Centers program, 

beginning in FY 2006, the Department 

will use three performance measures to 

assess the quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of center activities funded 

under this competition. These new 

measures, adapted from a set of 

common measures developed to help 

assess performance across the 

Department’s technical assistance 

programs, are: (1) The percentage of 

technical assistance services that are 

deemed to be of high quality by an 

independent review panel of expert 

stakeholders; (2) the percentage of 

technical assistance services that are 

deemed to be of high relevance to 

educational policy or practice by an 

independent review panel of qualified 

practitioners; and (3) the percentage of 

technical assistance services that are 

deemed to be of high usefulness to 

educational policy or practice by target 

audiences. 

All grantees, including the Great 

Lakes West Regional Center, will be 

expected to submit, as part of their 

performance report, quantitative data 

documenting their progress with regard 

to these performance measures. The 

Department will provide information to 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices 59737 

grantees about the independent panels 

conducting the review, the review 

process, and the definitions and criteria 

that will be used to evaluate the quality, 

relevance and usefulness of technical 

assistance services. 

VII. Agency Contact 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Enid 

Simmons, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 3E307, Washington, DC 20202–

6335. Telephone: (202) 401–0039 or by 

e-mail: OESE.cc@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), you may call 

the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed in this section. 

VIII. Other Information 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You may 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) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. 

To use PDF you must have Adobe 

Acrobat Reader, which is available free 

at this site. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: October 7, 2005. 

Henry Johnson, 

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 05–20566 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Hanford 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Environmental 

Management Site-Specific Advisory 

Board (EMSSAB), Hanford. The Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. No. 

92–463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that 

public notice of this meeting be 

announced in the Federal Register. 

DATES: Thursday, November 3, 2005, 9 

a.m.–5 p.m. Friday, November 4, 2005, 

8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: University Tower Hotel, 

4507 Brooklyn Avenue NE., Seattle, 

Washington 98105, Phone Number: 

(206) 634–2000, Fax Number: (206) 545–

2103. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Yvonne Sherman, Public Involvement 

Program Manager, Department of Energy 

Richland Operations Office, 825 Jadwin, 

MSIN A7–75, Richland, WA, 99352; 

Phone: (509) 376–6216; Fax: (509) 376–

1563. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Board: The purpose of 

the Board is to make recommendations 

to DOE in the areas of environmental 

restoration, waste management, and 

related activities. 

Tentative Agenda: 

• Advice on Hanford’s Bulk 

Vitrification Project. 

• Government Accountability Office’s 

report dealing with DOE’s contracting 

issues. 

• Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) 

public speaker availability process. 

• Panel discussion with University of 

Washington faculty involved in Hanford 

research. 

• HAB values for prioritization of 

cleanup work. 

• Tank waste issues discussion. 

Public Participation: The meeting is 

open to the public. Written statements 

may be filed with the Board either 

before or after the meeting. Individuals 

who wish to make oral statements 

pertaining to agenda items should 

contact Yvonne Sherman’s office at the 

address or telephone number listed 

above. Requests must be received five 

days prior to the meeting and reasonable 

provision will be made to include the 

presentation in the agenda. The Deputy 

Designated Federal Officer is 

empowered to conduct the meeting in a 

fashion that will facilitate the orderly 

conduct of business. Individuals 

wishing to make public comment will 

be provided a maximum of five minutes 

to present their comments. 

Minutes: The minutes of this meeting 

will be available for public review and 

copying at the U.S. Department of 

Energy’s Freedom of Information Public 

Reading Room, 1E–190, Forrestal 

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585 between 9 

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, except 

Federal holidays. Minutes will also be 

available by writing to Erik Olds, 

Department of Energy Richland 

Operations Office, 825 Jadwin, MSIN 

A7–75, Richland, WA 99352, or by 

calling him at (509) 376–1563. 

Issued at Washington, DC, on October 6, 

2005. 

Carol Matthews, 

Acting Advisory Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 05–20507 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. RP05–703–000] 

ANR Pipeline Company; Notice of 

Tariff Filing 

October 5, 2005. 

Take notice that on September 30, 

2005, ANR Pipeline Company (ANR) 

tendered for filing as part of its FERC 

Gas Tariff, Second Revised Volume No. 

1, the following tariff sheets, to become 

effective on November 1, 2005: 

Fifth Revised Sheet No. 162.01 

First Revised Sheet No. 162.02 

ANR states that the purpose of this 

filing is to extend the ROFR matching 

cap from 5 years to 10 years. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214). Protests will be considered by 

the Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

the proceeding. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. Such notices, motions, or 

protests must be filed in accordance 

with the provisions of Section 154.210 

of the Commission’s regulations (18 CFR 

154.210). Anyone filing an intervention 

or protest must serve a copy of that 

document on the Applicant. Anyone 

filing an intervention or protest on or 

before the intervention or protest date 

need not serve motions to intervene or 

protests on persons other than the 

Applicant. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 

20426.