Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2016 / Notices 5425 

Persons desiring to attend the DoD 

Board of Actuaries meeting or make an 

oral presentation or submit a written 

statement for consideration at the 

meeting must notify Kathleen Ludwig at 

571–372–1993, or 

Kathleen.A.Ludwig.civ@mail.mil, by 

June 16, 2016. 

Dated: January 28, 2016. 

Aaron Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01855 Filed 2–1–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Educational Opportunity Centers 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary 

Education, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: Educational 

Opportunity Centers Program (EOC 

Program) Notice Inviting Applications 

for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 

2016. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.066A. 

DATES: Applications Available: February 

2, 2016. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 4, 2016. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 1, 2016. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

the EOC Program are to: provide 

information regarding financial and 

academic assistance available for 

qualified adults who want to enter or 

continue to pursue a program of 

postsecondary education; provide 

assistance to those individuals in 

applying for admission to institutions at 

which a program of postsecondary 

education is offered, including 

preparing necessary applications for use 

by admissions and financial aid officers; 

and assist in improving the financial 

and economic literacy of program 

participants. 

An Educational Opportunity Centers 

project may provide the following 

services: 

(1) Public information campaigns 

designed to inform the community 

regarding opportunities for 

postsecondary education and training; 

(2) Academic advice and assistance in 

course selection; 

(3) Assistance in completing college 

admission and financial aid 

applications; 

(4) Assistance in preparing for college 

entrance examinations; 

(5) Education or counseling services 

designed to improve the financial 

literacy and economic literacy of 

students; 

(6) Guidance on secondary school 

reentry or entry to a general educational 

development (GED) program or other 

alternative education program for 

secondary school dropouts; 

(7) Individualized personal, career, 

and academic counseling; 

(8) Tutorial services; 

(9) Career workshops and counseling; 

(10) Mentoring programs involving 

elementary or secondary school 

teachers, faculty members at institutions 

of higher education (IHEs), students, or 

any combination of these persons; and 

(11) Programs and activities as 

described in items (1) through (10) that 

are specially designed for students who 

are limited English proficient, students 

from groups that are traditionally 

underrepresented in postsecondary 

education, students with disabilities, 

students who are homeless children and 

youths, students who are in foster care 

or are aging out of the foster care 

system, or other disconnected students. 

(12) Other activities designed to meet 

the purposes of the EOC Program. 

Note: Consistent with 34 CFR 75.209, the 

Secretary will use the selection criteria 

outlined in 34 CFR 644.21 to evaluate the 

applications submitted for new grants under 

this program. In addition, consistent with the 

Department’s increasing emphasis on 

promoting evidence-based practices through 

our grant competitions, the Secretary will 

also evaluate applications on the extent to 

which the components of the proposed 

project are supported by a logic model that 

meets the evidence standard of ‘‘strong 

theory’’ (as defined in this notice). We 

encourage applicants to read carefully the 

Selection Criteria section of this notice. 

Resources to assist applicants in creating a 

logic model can be found here: http://

ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/pdf/

REL_2014007.pdf. 

Priorities: This notice contains two 

competitive preference priorities. The 

competitive preference priorities are 

from the notice of final supplemental 

priorities and definitions for 

discretionary grant programs, published 

in the Federal Register on December 10, 

2014 (79 FR 73425) (Supplemental 

Priorities). 

Competitive Preference Priorities: For 

FY 2016 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition, these priorities are 

competitive preference priorities. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an 

application up to two additional points 

for each priority, for a total of up to four 

additional points, depending on how 

well the application meets each of these 

priorities. 

The competitive preference priorities 

are: 

Competitive Preference Priority 1: 

Improving Parent, Family, and 

Community Engagement (up to 2 

additional points). 

The Secretary gives priority to 

projects that are designed to improve 

student outcomes through 

implementing initiatives that improve 

community engagement (as defined in 

this notice), the relationships between 

parents or families and school or 

program staff by cultivating sustained 

partnerships (as defined in this notice). 

Competitive Preference Priority 2: 

Supporting Military Families and 

Veterans (up to 2 additional points). 

The Secretary gives priority to 

projects that are designed to address the 

needs of military- or veteran-connected 

students (as defined in this notice). 

Note: Applicants must include, in the onepage abstract submitted with the application, 

a statement indicating which, if any, of the 

competitive preference priorities are 

addressed. If the applicant has addressed the 

competitive preference priorities, this 

information must also be listed in the 

application package on the EOC Program 

Profile Form. 

Definitions: These definitions are 

from the Supplemental Priorities and 34 

CFR 77.1. 

Community engagement means the 

systematic inclusion of community 

organizations as partners with State 

educational agencies (SEAs), local 

educational agencies (LEAs), or other 

educational institutions, or their school 

or program staff to accomplish activities 

that may include developing a shared 

community vision, establishing a shared 

accountability agreement, participating 

in shared data collection and analysis, 

or establishing community networks 

that are focused on shared communitylevel outcomes. These organizations 

may include faith- and communitybased organizations, IHEs (including 

minority-serving institutions eligible to 

receive aid under title III or title V of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA)), 

businesses and industries, labor 

organizations, State and local 

government entities, or Federal entities 

other than the Department. 

Logic model (also referred to as theory 

of action) means a well-specified 

conceptual framework that identifies 

key components of the proposed 

process, product, strategy, or practice 

(i.e., the active ‘‘ingredients’’ that are 


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hypothesized to be critical to achieving 

the relevant outcomes) and describes 

the relationships among the key 

components and outcomes, theoretically 

and operationally. 

Military- or veteran-connected student 

means (a) A child participating in an 

early learning and development 

program, a student enrolled in 

preschool through grade 12, or a student 

enrolled in postsecondary education or 

career and technical training who has a 

parent or guardian who is a member of 

the uniformed services (as defined by 37 

U.S.C. 101, in the Army, Navy, Air 

Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 

National Guard, National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, or Public 

Health Service); (b) A student who is a 

member of the uniformed services, a 

veteran of the uniformed services, or the 

spouse of a service member or veteran; 

or (c) A child participating in an early 

learning and development program or a 

student enrolled in preschool through 

grade 12 who has a parent or guardian 

who is a veteran of the uniformed 

services (as defined by 37 U.S.C. 101). 

Note: For the purpose of this competition, 

only subpart (b) of this definition is 

applicable, and the term ‘‘students’’ in this 

definition includes prospective students. 

Parent and family engagement means 

the systematic inclusion of parents and 

families, working in partnership with 

SEAs, State lead agencies (under Part C 

of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act or the State’s race to the 

Top-Early Learning Challenge grant), 

LEAs, or other educational institutions, 

or their staff, in their child’s education, 

which may include strengthening the 

ability of (a) parents and families to 

support their child’s education; and (b) 

school or program staff to work with 

parents and families. 

Strong theory means a rationale for 

the proposed process, product, strategy, 

or practice that includes a logic model. 

Sustained partnership means a 

relationship that has demonstrably 

adequate resources and other support to 

continue beyond the funding period and 

that consists of community 

organizations as partners with an LEA 

and one or more of its schools. These 

organizations may include faith- and 

community-based organizations, IHEs 

(including minority-serving institutions 

eligible to receive aid under title III or 

title V of the HEA), businesses and 

industries, labor organizations, State 

and local government entities, or 

Federal entities other than the 

Department. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a– 

11 and 20 U.S.C. 1070a–16. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 75 (except for 75.215 

through 75.221), 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 

98, and 99. (b) The Education 

Department debarment and suspension 

regulations as adopted in 2 CFR part 

3485 and the Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

as adopted in 2 CFR part 3474. (c) The 

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 644. (d) The Supplemental 

Priorities. 

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 IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$54,296,053. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2017 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$236,000–$1,207,694. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$377,661. 

Maximum Award: 

• For an applicant that is not 

currently receiving an EOC Program 

grant, the maximum award amount is 

$236,000, based upon a per-participant 

cost of no more than $236 and a 

minimum of 1,000 participants. 

• For an applicant that is currently 

receiving an EOC Program grant, the 

maximum award amount is an amount 

equal to 103 percent of the applicant’s 

base award amount for FY 2015. The 

minimum number of participants an 

applicant proposes to serve must be at 

least the number of participants 

approved to serve in FY 2015. 

We will reject any application that 

proposes a budget exceeding the 

applicable maximum amount listed 

above for a single budget period of 12 

months. We will also reject any 

application that proposes a budget to 

serve fewer than 1,000 participants, or 

any application that proposes a budget 

that exceeds the maximum perparticipant cost of $309. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 151. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs, public 

and private agencies and organizations 

including community-based 

organizations with experience in serving 

disadvantaged youth; combinations of 

such institutions, agencies, and 

organizations; and secondary schools. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Other: An applicant may submit 

more than one application for an EOC 

Program grant so long as each 

application describes a project that 

serves a different target area (34 CFR 

644.10(a)). The term ‘‘target area’’ is 

defined as a geographic area served by 

a project (34 CFR 644.7(b)). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Rachael Couch, Ed.D., U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Room 7E311, Washington, 

DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 502–7655 

or by email: Rachael.Couch@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or compact disc) 

by contacting the program contact 

person listed in this section. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

program. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit the 

application narrative, which includes 

the budget narrative, to no more than 60 

pages using the following standards. 

However, any application addressing 

the competitive preference priorities 

may include up to 4 additional pages for 

each of the priorities that is addressed. 

Those additional pages must be used to 

discuss how the application meets the 

competitive preference priorities. 

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

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

and both sides. Page numbers and an 

identifier may be within the 1′′ margin. 

• Each page on which there is text or 

graphics will be counted as one full 

page. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative. 

• Titles, headings, footnotes, 

quotations, references, and captions, as 


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well as all text in figures, charts, and 

graphs, may be single-spaced. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger, or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I—the Application for Federal 

Assistance Face Sheet (SF 424); Part II— 

the Budget Information Summary form 

(ED Form 524); Part III—the EOC 

Program Profile form; Part III—the onepage Project Abstract form; and Part 

IV—the Assurances and Certifications. 

The page limit also does not apply to a 

table of contents, which you should 

include in the application narrative. If 

you include any attachments or 

appendices, these items will be counted 

as part of Part III—the application 

narrative for purpose of the page-limit 

requirement. You must include your 

complete response to the selection 

criteria in Part III—the application 

narrative. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: February 2, 

2016. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 4, 2016. 

Applications for grants under this 

program must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

Other Submission Requirements in 

section IV of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the program 

contact person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII in 

this notice. If the Department provides 

an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 1, 2016. 

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 

program. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We specify 

unallowable costs in 34 CFR 644.31. We 

reference additional regulations 

outlining funding restrictions in the 

Applicable Regulations section of this 

notice. 

6. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and System for Award 

Management: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the System for Award 

Management (SAM) (formerly the 

Central Contractor Registry), the 

Government’s primary registrant 

database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information 

while your application is under review 

by the Department and, if you are 

awarded a grant, during the project 

period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet at the following 

Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/

webform. A DUNS number can be 

created within one to two business days. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow two to five weeks for your 

TIN to become active. 

The SAM registration process can take 

approximately seven business days, but 

may take upwards of several weeks, 

depending on the completeness and 

accuracy of the data you enter into the 

SAM database. Thus, if you think you 

might want to apply for Federal 

financial assistance under a program 

administered by the Department, please 

allow sufficient time to obtain and 

register your DUNS number and TIN. 

We strongly recommend that you 

register early. 

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, 

it may be 24 to 48 hours before you can 

access the information in, and submit an 

application through, Grants.gov. 

If you are currently registered with 

SAM, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your registration 

annually. This may take three or more 

business days. 

Information about SAM is available at 

www.SAM.gov. To further assist you 

with obtaining and registering your 

DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 

updating your existing SAM account, 

we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, 

which you can find at: http://

www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/samfaqs.html. 

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined at the following 

Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/

web/grants/register.html. 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

program 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 EOC 

Program, CFDA number 84.066A, must 

be submitted electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, 

you will be able to download a copy of 

the application package, complete it 

offline, and then upload and submit 

your application. You may not email an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the EOC Program at 

www.Grants.gov. You must search for 

the downloadable application package 

for this program by the CFDA number. 

Do not include the CFDA number’s 

alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search 

for 84.066, not 84.066A). 

Please note the following: 


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• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by Grants.gov 

are date and time stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted and must be date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. When we retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov, we will 

notify you if we are rejecting your 

application because it was date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors, 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this program to 

ensure that you submit your application 

in a timely manner to the Grants.gov 

system. You can also find the Education 

Submission Procedures pertaining to 

Grants.gov under News and Events on 

the Department’s G5 system home page 

at www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific 

guidance and procedures for submitting 

an application through Grants.gov, 

please refer to the Grants.gov Web site 

at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/

applicants/apply-for-grants.html. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a read-only, 

non-modifiable Portable Document 

Format (PDF). Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, 

Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a 

password-protected file, we will not 

review that material. Please note that 

this could result in your application not 

being considered for funding because 

the material in question—for example, 

the project narrative—is critical to a 

meaningful review of your proposal. For 

that reason it is important to allow 

yourself adequate time to upload all 

material as PDF files. The Department 

will not convert material from other 

formats to PDF. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department. Grants.gov 

will also notify you automatically by 

email if your application met all the 

Grants.gov validation requirements or if 

there were any errors (such as 

submission of your application by 

someone other than a registered 

Authorized Organization 

Representative, or inclusion of an 

attachment with a file name that 

contains special characters). You will be 

given an opportunity to correct any 

errors and resubmit, but you must still 

meet the deadline for submission of 

applications. 

Once your application is successfully 

validated by Grants.gov, the Department 

then will retrieve your application from 

Grants.gov and send you an email with 

a unique PR/Award number for your 

application. 

These emails do not mean that your 

application is without any disqualifying 

errors. While your application may have 

been successfully validated by 

Grants.gov, it must also meet the 

Department’s application requirements 

as specified in this notice and in the 

application instructions. Disqualifying 

errors could include, for instance, 

failure to upload attachments in a readonly, non-modifiable PDF; failure to 

submit a required part of the 

application; or failure to meet applicant 

eligibility requirements. It is your 

responsibility to ensure that your 

submitted application has met all of the 

Department’s requirements. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice and 

provide an explanation of the technical 

problem you experienced with 

Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov 

Support Desk Case Number. We will 

accept your application if we can 

confirm that a technical problem 

occurred with the Grants.gov system 

and that the problem affected your 

ability to submit your application by 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. We will 

contact you after we determine whether 

your application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

Grants.gov because— 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 


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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 prevents 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: Gaby Watts, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Room 7E311, Washington, 

DC 20202. Fax: (202) 205–0063. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.066A), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

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. 

We will not consider applications 

postmarked after the deadline date. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application, by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.066A), 550 12th 

Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

grant notification within 15 business days 

from the application deadline date, you 

should call the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The following 

selection criteria for this competition 

total 105 points and are from 34 CFR 

644.21 and 34 CFR 75.210: 

(a) Need for the project (24 points). 

The Secretary evaluates the need for an 

EOC project in the proposed target area 

on the basis of the extent to which the 

application contains clear evidence of— 

(1) A high number or percentage, or 

both, of low-income families residing in 

the target area; 

(2) A high number or percentage, or 

both, of individuals residing in the 

target area with education completion 

levels below the baccalaureate level; 

(3) A high need on the part of 

residents of the target area for further 

education and training from programs of 

postsecondary education in order to 

meet changing employment trends; and 

(4) Other indicators of need for an 

EOC project, including the presence of 

unaddressed educational or socioeconomic problems of adult residents in 

the target area. 

(b) Objectives (8 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

applicant’s objectives and proposed 

targets (percentages) in the following 

areas on the basis of the extent to which 

they are both ambitious, as related to the 

need data provided under paragraph (a) 

of this section, and attainable, given the 

project’s plan of operation, budget, and 

other resources— 

(1) Secondary school diploma or 

equivalent (2 points). 

(2) Postsecondary enrollment (3 

points). 

(3) Financial aid applications (1.5 

points). 

(4) College admission applications 

(1.5 points). 

(c) Plan of operation (30 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

applicant’s plan of operation on the 

basis of the following— 

(1) The plan to inform the residents, 

schools, and community organizations 

in the target area of the goals, objectives, 

and services of the project and the 

eligibility requirements for participation 

in the project (4 points); 

(2) The plan to identify and select 

eligible participants and ensure their 

participation without regard to race, 

color, national origin, gender, or 

disability (4 points); 

(3) The plan to assess each 

participant’s need for services provided 

by the project (2 points); 

(4) The plan to provide services that 

meet the participants’ needs and 

achieve the objectives of the project (12 

points); and 

(5) The management plan to ensure 

the proper and efficient administration 

of the project including, but not limited 

to, the project’s organizational structure, 

the time committed to the project by the 

project director and other personnel, 

and, where appropriate, its coordination 

with other projects for disadvantaged 

students (8 points). 

(d) Applicant and community support 

(16 points). The Secretary evaluates the 

applicant and community support for 

the proposed project on the basis of the 

extent to which the applicant has made 

provision for resources to supplement 

the grant and enhance the project’s 

services, including— 

(1) Facilities, equipment, supplies, 

personnel, and other resources 

committed by the applicant (8 points); 

and 

(2) Resources secured through written 

commitments from schools, community 

organizations, and others (8 points). 

(e) Quality of personnel (9 points). (1) 

The Secretary evaluates the quality of 

the personnel the applicant plans to use 

in the project on the basis of the 

following— 

(i) The qualifications required of the 

project director. 

(ii) The qualifications required of each 

of the other personnel to be used in the 

project. 

(iii) The plan to employ personnel 

who have succeeded in overcoming 


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disadvantages or circumstances like 

those of the population of the target 

area. 

(2) In evaluating the qualifications of 

a person, the Secretary considers his or 

her experience and training in fields 

related to the objectives of the project. 

(f) Budget (5 points). The Secretary 

evaluates the extent to which the project 

budget is reasonable, cost-effective, and 

adequate to support the project. 

(g) Evaluation plan (8 points). The 

Secretary evaluates the quality of the 

evaluation plan for the project on the 

basis of the extent to which the 

applicant’s methods of evaluation— 

(1) Are appropriate to the project’s 

objectives; 

(2) Provide for the applicant to 

determine, using specific and 

quantifiable measures, the success of the 

project in— 

(i) Making progress toward achieving 

its objectives (a formative evaluation); 

and 

(ii) Achieving its objectives at the end 

of the project period (a summative 

evaluation); and 

(3) Provide for the disclosure of 

unanticipated project outcomes, using 

quantifiable measures if appropriate. 

(h) Quality of the project design (5 

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 extent to which 

the proposed project is supported by 

strong theory (as defined in this notice). 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary also requires 

various assurances including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal assistance 

from the Department of Education (34 

CFR 100.4,104.5,106.4,108.8, and 

110.23). 

For this competition, a panel of nonFederal reviewers will review each 

application in accordance with the 

selection criteria in 34 CFR 644.21 and 

34 CFR 75.210. The individual scores of 

the reviewers will be added and the sum 

divided by the number of reviewers to 

determine the peer review score 

received in the review process. 

Additionally, in accordance with 34 

CFR 644.22, the Secretary will award 

prior experience points to applicants 

that conducted an EOC Program project 

during budget periods 2012–13, 2013– 

14, and 2014–15, based on their 

documented experience. Prior 

experience points, if any, will be added 

to the application’s averaged reader 

score to determine the total score for 

each application. 

If there are insufficient funds for all 

applications with the same total scores, 

the Secretary will choose among the tied 

applications so as to serve geographic 

areas and eligible populations that have 

been underserved by the EOC Program. 

3. Risk Assessment and Special 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.205, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the 

Secretary may impose special 

conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/

fund/grant/apply/appforms/

appforms.html. 

(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. 

4. Performance Measures: The success 

of the EOC Program will be measured by 

the EOC Program participants’ success 

in completing a secondary school 

diploma or its equivalent, completion of 

applications for student financial aid, 

submission of applications for 

postsecondary admission, and 

postsecondary enrollment. All EOC 

Program grantees will be required to 

submit annual performance reports. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance management requirements, 

the performance targets in the grantee’s 

approved application. 

In making a continuation grant, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Agency Contacts 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rachael Couch, Ed.D., U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue 

SW., room 7E311, Washington, DC 

20202. Telephone: (202) 502–7655 or by 

email: Rachael.Couch@ed.gov. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2016 / Notices 5431 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF). To use PDF you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this 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 

feature at this site, you can limit your 

search to documents published by the 

Department. 

Dated: January 27, 2016. 

Lynn Mahaffie, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, 

Planning and Innovation Delegated the Duties 

of Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 

Education. 

[FR Doc. 2016–01832 Filed 2–1–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2016–ICCD–0012] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Comment Request; Indian 

Education Professional Development 

Grants Program: GPRA and Service 

Payback Data Collection 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education (OESE), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is 

proposing a revision of an existing 

information collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before April 4, 

2016. 

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– 

2016–ICCD–0012. 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. 

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 Director of the 

Information Collection Clearance 

Division, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 

2E–115, Washington, DC 20202–4537. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact John Cheek, 

202–401–0274. 

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: Indian Education 

Professional Development Grants 

Program: GPRA and Service Payback 

Data Collection. 

OMB Control Number: 1810–0698. 

Type of Review: A revision of an 

existing information collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: State, 

Local and Tribal Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 5,412. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 2,728. 

Abstract: ‘‘Indian Education— 

Individual Reporting on Regulatory 

Compliance Related to the Indian 

Education Professional Development 

Program’s Service Obligation and the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA).’’ 

The Indian Education Professional 

Development program, authorized 

under title VII, part A of the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 

as amended (ESEA), is designed to 

increase the number of, provide training 

to, and improve the skills of American 

Indian or Alaska Natives serving as 

teachers and school administrators in 

schools serving American Indian or 

Alaska Native students. 

Section 7122(h) of the ESEA (20 

U.S.C. 7442(h)) requires that individuals 

who receive financial assistance through 

the Indian Education Professional 

Development program subsequently 

complete a service obligation equivalent 

to the amount of time for which the 

participant received financial 

assistance. Participants who do not 

satisfy the requirements of the 

regulations must repay all or a pro-rated 

part of the cost of assistance, in 

accordance with 20 U.S.C. 7442(h) and 

34 CFR 263.8(a)(3). The regulations in 

part 263 implement requirements 

governing, among other things, the 

service obligation and reporting 

requirements of the participants in the 

Indian Education Professional 

Development program, and repayment 

of financial assistance by these 

participants. In order for the Federal 

Government to ensure that the goals of 

the program are achieved, certain data 

collection, recordkeeping, and 

documentation are necessary. 

In addition, GPRA requires Federal 

agencies to establish performance 

measures for all programs, and the 

Department has established 

performance measures for the Indian 

Education Professional Development 

program. Data collection from 

participants who have received 

financial assistance under the Indian 

Education Professional Development 

program is a necessary element of the 

Department’s effort to evaluate progress 

on these measures. 

The Department tracks participants 

who are receiving or have previously 

received support through the Indian 

Education Professional Development 

program. Participants must sign a 

payback agreement that includes contact 


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