33542 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC, 20210, telephone (202) 219–8021,

extension 107.

Signed at Washington, D.C. this 21st day of

June, 1996.

Joseph A. Dear,

Assistant Secretary of Labor.

[FR Doc. 96–16455 Filed 6–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510–26–M

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY

Agency Information Collection

Activities Under OMB Review

AGENCY: National Institute for Literacy.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq) this notice announces an

Information Collection Request (ICR) by

the National Institute for Literacy

(NIFL). The ICR includes the full text of

the ICR in order to facilitate respondents

evaluating the nature of the information

collection and its expected cost and

burden. This is not a solicitation for

applicants; it is an early notification of

the types of information that the NIFL

intends to collect. The ICR document is

currently under review at OMB, and

may be modified in response to that

review.

DATES: Comments must be submitted

July 29, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sondra Stein at (202) 632–1508 or email: sstein@nifl.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Applicantion for Adult Learning

System Reform and Improvement Grant:

Stage II Collaborative Development of

Equipped for the Future (EFF) Adult

Literacy Standards cooperative

agreements.

Abstract: The National Literacy Act of

1991 established the National Institute

for Literacy and required that the

Institute conduct basic and applied

research and demonstrations on literacy,

collect and disseminate information of

Federal, State and local entities with

respect to literacy; and improve and

expand the system for delivery of

literacy services. This form will be used

by individual public and private

nonprofit organizations and agencies

that represent key literacy consumer,

practitioner, provider, administrator,

and funded constituencies; and

consortia of such organizations and

agencies operating at a state, regional

(multi-state), or national level. These

individuals and organizations may

apply for funding to continue

development of the framework for

voluntary adult literacy standards

currently being developed by the NIFL

Equipped for the Future grantees.

Evaluations to determine successful

applications will be made using the

published criteria. The Institute will use

this information to make a maximum of

three cooperative agreement awards for

a period of up to 3 years.

Burden Statement: The burden for

this collection of information is

estimated at 80 hours per response. This

estimate includes the time needed to

review instructions, complete the form,

and review the collection of

information.

Respondents: Individual public and

private non-profit organizations and

agencies that represent key literacy

consumer, practitioner, provider,

administrator, and funded

constituencies; and consortia of such

organizations and agencies operating at

a state, regional (multi-state), or national

level.

Estimated number of Respondents:

10.

Estimated Number of Responses Per

Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 800.

Frequency of Collection: One time.

Send comments regarding the burden

estimate or any other aspect of the

information collection, including

suggestions for reducing the burden to:

Sondra Stein, National Institute for

Literacy, 800 Connecticut Avenue, NW,

Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, and

the Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs, Office of Management and

Budget, Attn: Docket Library, Room

10102, 726 17th Street, NW,

Washington, DC 20503.

Draft Solicitation of Grant Applications

Title: Applicantion for Adult Literacy

System Reform and Improvement Grant:

Collaborative Development of Equipped

for the Future Adult Literacy Standards.

Agency: The National Institute for

Literacy.

Action: Notice.

Summary: The National Institute for

Literacy invites applications for grants

to support standards development and

consensus-building. These grants are the

third phase of a four-phased initiative

whose ultimate goal is to reform and

improve America’s adult learning

systems in order to enhance progress

toward National Education Goal 6. This

goal will be achieved through the

development of voluntary content

standards that communicate a new

vision for what adults need to know and

be able to do in their roles as citizens,

worker, and parent/family member and

the building of consensus about these

standards among key constituencies at

the grassroots, state, and national levels.

Date: Applicantions must be received

by 4:30 p.m., September 6, 1996.

Note to Applicants: This notice is a

complete application package. Together with

the NIFL Equipped for the Future Orientation

Package, and the statute authorizing the

program and applicable regulations

governing the program, including the

Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this

notice contains all the information,

application forms, regulations and

instructions needed to apply for a grant

under this competition.

For Further Information Contact:

Sandra Stein, National Institute for

Literacy, 800 Connecticut Avenue, NW,

Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006 TEL:

202–632–1508; Fax 202–632–1512.

Supplementary Information

Definitions: For purposes of this

notice, the following definitions apply:

‘‘Literacy’’ is an individual’s ability to

read, write, and speak in English, and

compute and solve problems at levels of

proficiency necessary to function on the

job and in society, to achieve one’s goals

and develop one’s knowledge and

potential (as stated in the National

Literacy Act of 1991).

‘‘Adult Literacy System’’ means all

individuals, programs, and

organizations that are involved, directly

and indirectly, in the delivery of literacy

and basic skills services to adults. This

includes, but is not limited to, people

and groups involved in literacy

policymaking, research and

development, technical assistance, and

service delivery.

‘‘Adult Roles’’ mean the following

three major arenas of adult life and the

obligations that pertain to each:

• Parent/family member.

• Citizen.

• Worker.

‘‘Constituencies’’ are national, state or

local organizations (in the public,

nonprofit, and private sectors) that have

a stake in developing standards for the

relevant role because the quality of role

performance impacts their

organization’s achievement of its goals/

mission.

‘‘Consensus-building’’ includes the

development of a convincing public

argument for the use of ‘‘Equipped for

the Future’’ standards by key

constituencies and the conscious,

ongoing effort to expand the number of

individuals from key constituencies

involved in standards development use,

marketing and dissemination and to

leverage key segments of the workforce

development system to use the

standards at the national, state and local

levels.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices 33543

‘‘Content Standards’’ are specific

descriptions of what adults need to

know and be able to do to perform the

key activities identified in the standards

framework.

‘‘Generative skills’’ are skills or

knowledge that are core to the

performance of a wide range of tasks

found in multiple roles and that are

durable over time in face of changes in

technology, work processes, and

occupational demand.

‘‘National Policy Group’’ is the body

of nationally-recognized leaders in

literacy and workforce development that

provide policy guidance and consensusbuilding support to the EFF initiative.

‘‘Performance Indicators’’ are

descriptions of how achievement of the

content standards will be demonstrated.

They reflect the consensus of key

stakeholders identified for the role being

addressed.

‘‘Planning Grant Recipients’’ are the

eight projects that were funded to

complete Phase 2 of the ‘‘Equipped for

the Future’’ initiative. These grants end

September 30, 1996.

‘‘Purposes for Literacy,’’ based on

NIFL’s survey of adult learners, mean

the following four general purposes that

literacy serves in helping adults fulfill

their roles:

• Providing access to information so

adults can orient themselves in the

world.

• Enabling adults to give voice to

their ideas and have an impact on the

world around them.

• Enabling adults to make decisions

and act independently, without needing

to rely on others.

• Building a bridge to the future by

laying a foundation for continued

learning, so adults can keep up with the

world as it changes.

The EFF ‘‘Standards Framework’’

identifies, for each of the three adult

roles, the broad areas of responsibility

and key activities related to the four

purposes for literacy for which

standards will be developed. The

standards framework is:

(1) Based on a coherent theory of

adult learning; (2) communicates what

customers, investors, and partners can

expect from the adult literacy system;

and (3) is explicitly linked to other

standards development and

implementation efforts.

‘‘Validation’’ demonstrates the degree

to which the standards are

representative of the important aspects

of role performance.

‘‘Workforce Development System’’ is

the sum of the myriad of public and

private programs that are linked by their

focus on building the skills and

knowledge of youth and adults

including: adult literacy programs,

welfare-to-work programs, vocational

education and training programs,

school-to-work programs, industrybased skill standards programs, K–12

education programs, postsecondary

education, Job Training Partnership Act

programs, community college/

postsecondary education programs,

employer-sponsored training programs,

apprenticeship programs, one-step

career centers, dislocated worker

programs and related programs in the

public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Background

The National Institute for Literacy

(NIFL), was created by the National

Literacy Act of 1991 to provide a

national focal point for literacy

activities and to facilitate the pooling of

ideas and expertise across a fragmented

field. NIFL is authorized to carry out a

wide range of activities that will

improve and expand the system for

delivery of adult literacy services

nationwide.

In the first phase of this initiative, the

NIFL developed a common framework

of four fundamental purposes for

literacy that emerge from the writing of

1,500 adults in literacy programs

nationwide. As detailed in the NIFL

report, Equipped for the Future: A

Customer Driven Vision for Adult

Literacy and Lifelong Learning, these

four purposes are to—

• gain access to information so adults

can orient themselves in the world;

• give voice to ideas, so that they will

be heard and can have an impact on the

world around them;

• make decisions and act

independently;

• build a bridge to the future, by

learning how to learn in order to keep

up with the world as it changes.

In October, 1995 the NIFL awarded

eight one-year planning grants as the

second phase of this multi-year

initiative to assure that adults are

‘‘equipped for the future.’’ These

planning grants resulted in a draft

definition of a standards framework that

defines what adults need to know and

be able to do to be effective in their roles

as parent/family member, worker, and

citizen. The grantees, working with

NIFL and its National Policy Group, also

developed a common definition of the

system reform to be achieved through

the Equipped for the Future initiative.

This solicitation of grant applications

addresses the third project phase:

standards development and consensusbuilding. This phase of the Equipped for

the Future initiative will serve as a

strong foundation for national reform of

the adult education services and the

basis for an effective national system of

workforce development. To achieve this

end, this phase of the Equipped for the

Future initiative will be developed in

partnership with the following Federal

agencies: the U.S. Department of Labor,

Employment and Training

Administration, for the role of worker;

the U.S. Department of Education,

Office of Elementary and Secondary

Education, for the role of parent/family

member.

Eligible Applicants: Applications will

be accepted from—

Consortia of public and private forprofit and not-for-profit organizations

and agencies that meet the following

criteria: (a) operate at a state, regional

(multi-state) or national level; (b)

include literacy consumer, practitioner,

provider, administrator, and funder

constituencies; and (c) include technical

experts in standards development and

assessment. While such consortia may

include for-profit organizations, no

grant will be made to a for-profit

organization.

Deadline for Transmittal of

Applications: September 6, 1996.

Available Funds: $600,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: Three;

one award for each of the three roles

(citizen, parent/family member, worker).

Estimated Amount of Each Award: up

to $200,000.

Project Period: One year, with an

option to renew for up to two additional

project years. Funds awarded are for the

first year only.

Description of Program: Consortia

receiving a grant under this program

shall launch a standards development

and consensus-building initiative to

provide a solid foundation for

comprehensive, collaborative system

reform and improvement. This program

represents the third phase of a fourphase initiative.

• Phase 1: Survey of 1,500 adult

learners to identify what they need to

know and be able to do to be equipped

for the future.

• Phase 2: Planning grants to eight

organizations and consortia of

organizations to build a consensus

vision of the four purposes as they relate

to the adult roles of parent/family

member, citizen, and worker. The result

of this phase will be a common

framework of what an adult needs to

know and be able to do in each of the

key roles, and a common vision of

system reform.

• Phase 3: Further development and

refinement of the Equipped for the

Future standards framework, resulting

in:

—Development and validation of

content standards for each adult role
33544 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices

—Development and validation of

performance indicators for each

standard

—Pilot implementation of the standards

in adult education delivery systems

—Building the support of key

constituencies for the standards and

their use

• Phase 4: Implement system reform

initiatives that are based on the

Equipped for the Future Standards.

The overall purposes of the Equipped

for the Future initiative are to:

• Develop a new customer-driven

definition of adult literacy that

demystifies the route to success in our

society for adult learners and clarifies

the contributions of the field of adult

literacy.

• Engage broad-based support among

key constituencies for a system of

workforce development that effectively

links literacy with industry skill

standards and K–12 academic standards

as well as provides a common

framework for skills development across

myriad and diverse programs.

• Develop a set of voluntary national

standards that show the portability of

skills across the three adult roles and

make clear the knowledge and skills

adults need to be ‘‘equipped for the

future.’’

The specific objectives for grantees

funded for Phase 3 of the EFF initiative

are to: (1) Build consensus at the

national, state, and local levels for the

EFF vision, standards framework, and

the standards relevant to the role

addressed in the grantee’s application;

(2) Develop and validate the content

standards and performance indicators

for the role addressed by the grantee,

working in collaboration with the

National Institute for Literacy, its

Federal partners in this initiative, and

the other grantees; (3) Collaborate with

the National Institute for Literacy, its

Federal partners, and the other grantees

to create a national framework for

reform of the adult education and

training delivery systems.

During the grant period—October 1,

1996 to September 30, 1997, grantees

will engage in the following activities:

1. Establish a national project

advisory group that is representative of

the key constituencies for the role

addressed by the grant applicant and

that also includes technical expert(s) in

standards development and assessment.

The project advisory group shall meet

no less than three times per year and be

comprised of individuals who

legitimately represent a key

constituency whose buy-in is critical to

achieving widespread acceptance of the

standards. The project advisory group

members shall represent national, state,

and grassroots constituencies (both

organizations and individuals) and be

charged with ensuring buy-in and

formal approval of the draft standards

by the constituency they represent.

While project advisory group

membership will vary from role to role

(see #3 below), all groups shall include

representatives of adult learners and

practitioners.

2. Work in collaboration with the

other two grantees, and NIFL, its

Federal partners, and the Equipped for

the Future National Policy Group, to

refine the common standards framework

for Equipped for the Future using the

framework developed in the second

phase of the EFF initiative. The

framework will ensure that the

standards for each role share a common

format and structure, and that skills

common to more than one role are

clearly identified. The standards

framework and the resulting standards

shall build upon a thorough familiarity

with related standards development

efforts including: the SCANS/NJAS (the

Secretary’s Commission on Achieving

Necessary Skills/the National Job

Analysis Study) and O*NET initiatives,

U.S. Department of Labor; the work of

the National Skill Standards Board and

other national skill standard initiatives;

The New Standards Project and related

academic content standards; and other

efforts to identify appropriate

performance results from learning, such

as the NIFL Performance Measurement

Reporting Improvement Systems

(PMRIS) initiative and the work of the

National Association of State Directors

of Adult Education to identify

performance outcomes for adult

education. This work will result in a

common EFF standards framework by

January 1997.

3. Develop content standards with

related performance indicators of what

adults need to know and be able to do

for one of the three adult roles: parent/

family member, citizen or worker. The

content standards and performance

indicators shall be based on the

standards framework developed in the

second phase of the Equipped for the

Future initiative and shall be consistent

with the four purposes identified in the

first phase. The content standards will

show for each role: the broad areas of

responsibility for the role, the key

activities within those areas of

responsibility, and what adults need to

know and be able to do to perform the

key activities. The content standards for

each role will build on key documents

and major initiatives supported by

NIFL’s Federal partner for that role,

including: for the role of worker, the

U.S. Department of Labor; for the roles

for parent/family member and citizen,

the U.S. Department of Education.

These standards will be developed

within the common framework jointly

developed by the three grantees and

NIFL with the guidance of NIFL’s

Federal partners and its National Policy

Group through ongoing collaboration

with key constituencies (including adult

learners and teachers) so they are

grounded in the needs of these

constituencies. The content standards

and performance indicators

development process must demonstrate

that key constituencies have

participated and contributed to the

standards development and that the

grantee’s advisory group has approved

the standards developed as a basis for

national validation.

The standards development process

must incorporate significant

collaboration with the key

constituencies to assure that the

standards are customer-driven (e.g.,

through group processes for standards

refinement with key constituencies and

other methods for constituency

involvement and feedback throughout

the developmental process). Group

processes for standards refinement must

include mechanisms for assuring ongoing piloting of content standards in

adult education and training classrooms

in multiple locations across the country.

Content standards with the performance

indicators will be identified by March

31, 1997.

4. Actively engage key constituencies

in the standards development process in

order to build ownership and support of

the standards and to assure they are

truly ‘‘customer-driven.’’ Key

constituencies/end users who are

critical to assuring widespread use of

the standards must be identified in the

grant application. The key

constituencies/end users identified

should include but not be limited to

teachers, learners, employers, parents,

civic organizations, and other standardssetting initiatives related to the role

being addressed by the grantee.

For the role of worker, these

constituencies should include such

groups as: employers and employer

associations, unions, the National Skill

Standards Board, State Human Resource

Investment Councils, State skill

standards initiatives, local private

industry councils and job training

administrative organizations,

apprenticeship or other training

sponsored by organized labor, school-towork, workplace literacy, and providers

of other related programs.

For the role of parents, these

constituencies should include such
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices 33545

groups as the National Coalition for

Parental Involvement in Education, the

National Head Start Association, the

National Coalition for Family Resources,

the National Association of Child Care

Resource and Referral Agencies, Even

Start State Coordinators, The Center for

Law and Education, the National

Education Association, the American

Federation of Teachers, Parent-Teacher

Associations, and Even Start, Head Start

and other family literacy providers.

For the role of citizens, these

constituencies should include such

groups as the Center for Civic

Education, developers of the National

Standards for Civics and Government

(K–12 education), Kettering Foundation/

National Issues Forum, American Bar

Association, League of Women Voters,

National League of Cities, VERA, The

Center for Civic Literacy, the National

Urban League, and other grassroots,

state and national organizations and

associations that focus on civil rights,

neighborhood action, etc.

5. By July 31, 1997, nationally

validate the content standards and the

related performance indicators.

Validation strategies may include

national surveys, constituency group

review and analysis of the standards or

similar validation strategies. The

elements and criteria for the validation

process will be developed jointly with

NIFL, its Federal partners, the National

Policy Group and the other grantees.

6. In cooperation with NIFL, its

Federal partners, the National Policy

Group and the other grantees, develop

draft criteria for assessment of the

standards and identify the key elements

of assessment guidelines that address

the use of the performance indicators in

classrooms and programs, and the

process and tools for assessing their

achievement. This activity is to be

completed by August 31, 1997.

7. By September 30, 1997, develop a

plan for nationwide implementation of

the standards in adult education and job

training delivery systems, in

cooperation with NIFL, its Federal

partners, the National Policy Group and

the other grantees. These plans should

reflect the use of the EFF standards in

building linkages with other key

components of the nation’s workforce

development system.

8. Cooperate with a third-party

evaluation of the standards

development and constituency-building

process, lessons learned and outcomes,

providing project reports and other

project documentation to the evaluation

team, participating in interviews, and

assisting in collecting evaluation data,

and in other ways cooperating with the

project evaluation.

9. Identify technical assistance

needed to assure the success of the EFF

initiative. Technical assistance

requirements are expected to include

the unique needs of the applicant as

well as needs that are common to all

grantees. The NIFL will engage

technical assistance services to support

the work of the EFF projects under this

grant.

10. Participate in three, two-day

project meetings in November 1996,

March 1997, and July 1997 in

Washington, DC.

11. Participate in monthly project

conference calls of two hours duration.

12. Maintain regular e-mail and other

contact with other grantees throughout

the grant period, in order to maximize

sharing of information and assure the

development of standards within a

common framework.

Project Narrative

The applicant’s project narrative must

be organized and contain the

information as described in the

following sections.

(1) Approach to Standards

Development for System Reform details

the applicant’s vision of standards and

criteria for effective standards, its

philosophy of standards development

and consensus-building, and an

overview of the key features of its

approach for supporting the purposes of

the EFF initiative and achieving the

project objectives described above. In

particular, the applicant should describe

its approach to effectively building on

the work accomplished in Phases 1 and

2 of the Equipped for the Future

Initiative and related work appropriate

to each role. This work is particularly

substantial for the role of worker,

including the U.S. Department of

Labor’s work on SCANS, the National

Job Analysis Study which builds on

SCANS to identify the work activities

that are critical in the most competitive

business environments, the O*NET to

replace the DOT with a relational

database that contains comprehensive

information about worker requirements

and characteristics, experience

requirements and occupational

requirements and characteristics useful

to students, educators, employers and

workers (see further information in EFF

Orientation Packet).

The applicant should demonstrate its

technical approach to standards

development, including the specific

standards development issues to be

addressed in moving to a common

standards framework that embraces all

three adult roles, by providing a brief

evaluation of the strengths and

weaknesses of the draft standards

provided in the EFF Orientation Packet.

(2) Plan of Operation includes the

project goal and objectives, work plan

and timeline and project management

plan. The applicant’s plan of operation

should include:

(a) What techniques the applicant will

use for refining the standards framework

and the content standards, identifying

performance indicators, and validating

the standards and performance

indicators on a national basis;

(b) How the applicant will involve

key constituencies in project

decisionmaking and standards

development, implementation,

marketing/dissemination, and

validation tasks;

(c) How the applicant will work with

the two other grantees to assure that the

standards share a common format,

structure, and language and that this

initiative results in a unified standards

framework and consistency in the

standards across the three grantees; and

(d) How the applicant will document

and monitor project processes and

results.

(3) Organizational Capability

demonstrates the ability and experience

of the applicant and the members of its

consortium to perform the tasks

required in this project and its skills,

technical expertise and knowledge in

standards development, adult literacy

instruction, and consensus-building

among diverse constituencies at the

national, state, and local levels.

(4) Qualifications of Key Personnel

describes the qualifications of each staff

person for the project position to which

they have been assigned, identifies his/

her employing organization, and

provides an overview of his/her

experience, knowledge, and capability

to perform the work described as

demonstrated by the conduct of similar

work in related settings.

(5) Demonstrated Commitment of

Partners and Key Constituencies

provides evidence (e.g., letter of

commitment) that show that (a) project

advisory board members and other

partners in the consortia understand

their roles and are prepared to fulfill

them at the level described in the

proposal; and (b) key constituencies

significant to the relevant role are

supportive of the applicant’s grant

application.

Selection Criteria: In evaluating

applications for a grant under this

competition, the Director uses the

following selection criteria:

(1) Approach to Standards

Development (30 points): the Director

reviews each application to determine

the extent to which the applicant’s
33546 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices

approach to standards development and

consensus-building is appropriate to

achieving the goals of Equipped for the

Future, including:

(a) the extent to which the applicant’s

proposed approach to standards

development:

(i) demonstrates knowledge and

understanding of the Equipped for the

Future Initiative and the EFF standards

framework;

(ii) demonstrates knowledge of and

understanding of key documents and

initiatives related to the role it proposes

to develop standards for;

(iii) builds on the first two project

phases and these other initiatives rather

than ‘‘reinventing’’ that work;

(iv) demonstrates a philosophy of

collaborative standards development

that is consistent with the EFF approach

and philosophy;

(b) the extent to which the applicant’s

proposed approach leverages standards

development tasks to build consensus

among key constituencies and effect

system reform;

(c) the quality of the technical

approach demonstrated in the

applicant’s evaluation of the draft

standards in the EFF Orientation Packet,

including the identification of specific

issues and challenges to be addressed in

moving to a common standards

framework that embraces all three adult

roles.

(2) Plan of Operation (30 points): The

Director reviews each application to

determine the quality of the plan for

developing standards and building

consensus among key constituencies,

including:

(a) the extent to which the applicant

states clear and measurable goals and

objectives for the project;

(b) the extent to which the applicant

provides a fully detailed plan and

timeline for achieving these goals

which:

(i) includes specific strategies and

techniques for refining the standards

framework and the content standards,

identifying performance indicators, and

validating the standards and

performance indicators on a national

basis;

(ii) identifies specific mechanisms for

involving adult learners and

practitioners as well as other key

constituencies in these activities; and

(iii) addresses the 12 key project

activities and dates described in the

Description of Program above;

(c) the quality of the applicant’s plan

for working with the two other grantees

to assure that the standards share a

common format, structure, and

language, including strategies

recommended to assure this initiative

results in a unified standards framework

and consistency in the standards across

the three grantees;

(d) the quality of the applicant’s plan

to involve key constituencies in project

decisionmaking and standards

development, implementation,

marketing/dissemination, and

validation tasks;

(e) the soundness of the plan for

documenting and monitoring the project

processes and results.

(3) Organizational Capability and

Qualifications of Key Personnel (25

points): The Director reviews each

application to determine the capability

of the applicant to achieve the goals of

the project including:

(a) the extent to which the applicant

provides a full description of each of the

organizations that make up the

consortium, including how that

organization contributes to the

consortium’s experience and capability

to:

(i) lead a broad-based collaborative

national process for adult learning

systems reform and improvement that is

standards-driven;

(ii) develop technically defensible

customer-driven content standards of

what adults need to know and be able

to do, related performance indicators

and validate them on a national basis;

and

(iii) leverage the commitment and

involvement of key constituencies at the

national, state, and local levels;

(b) the soundness of the staffing and

organization plan for the consortium,

including

(i) how roles and responsibilities will

be assigned among the organizations

within the consortium to assure clear

lines of decisionmaking and effective

use of each organization’s strengths;

(ii) a statement of clear performance

objectives for key staff;

(iii) the scope and nature of their

responsibilities;

(iv) the level of effort they will devote

to this project; and

(v) the inclusion of a project

organization chart;

(c) the extent of which staff assigned

to key positions include appropriate

qualifications, in terms of knowledge,

experience and proven capability to

perform the work described;

(d) the inclusion among the staff of

individuals with specific expertise,

including

(i) individuals with demonstrated

experience in related standards

development efforts;

(ii) individuals with direct experience

in adult literacy instruction and/or

curriculum development; and

(iii) individuals with a broad

understanding of the workforce

development system and the ability to

leverage the involvement of influential

representatives from other program

areas that constitute this system.

(4) Commitment of Partners and Key

Constituencies (15 points): The Director

reviews each application to determine

the quality of the plan for engaging

partners and key constituencies,

including:

(a) the extent to which the applicant

has

(i) assembled a national advisory

group that represents key constituencies

for their role; and

(ii) secured written documentation or

each member’s ability to represent that

constituency on the advisory group;

(b) the extent to which the applicant

has identified other appropriate

constituencies to participate in the

project;

(c) the quality of the applicant’s plan

for assuring that each constituency has

the opportunity for appropriate and

meaningful involvement in project

activities;

(d) the explicit and documented

commitment of each constituency to

participate in the project.

(5) Budget and Cost Effectiveness (5

points): The Director reviews each

application to determine the extent to

which:

(a) The budget is adequate to support

grant activities;

(b) The costs are reasonable in

relation to the objectives of the project;

(c) The budget for any subcontractors

are detailed and appropriate; and

(d) The budget details any resources,

cash or in-kind, that the applicant will

provide or seek in order to supplement

grant funds.

Other Application Requirements

The application shall include the

following:

Project Summary: The proposal must

contain a brief summary of the proposed

project suitable for publication. It

should not be an abstract of the

application, but rather a self-contained

description of the project’s goals,

approach and the activities proposed.

The summary must include the

following information:

a. Name of applicant organization

b. Description of the consortium

proposing the project and the key

constituencies represented.

c. Adult role to be addressed in the

plan: parent/family member, citizen or

worker.

Project Description

This description should not exceed

twenty (20) single-spaced pages, or forty

(40) double-spaced pages. The
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices 33547

description may be amplified by

material in attachments and appendices,

but the body should stand alone to give

a complete picture of the project.

Applications which exceed 20 singlespaced pages or 40 double-spaced pages

will not be reviewed.

Summary Proposal Budget

The proposal must contain a budget

for support requested. The budget

format may be reproduced as needed.

Facsimiles may be used, but do not

make substitutions in prescribed budget

categories. Additional pages for budget

explanation and amplification should be

attached and must be consistent with

the data and categories on the form. All

budget requests must be documented

and justified.

The Institute is reviewing the

possibility of restricting indirect costs to

8% for this grant.

Budget Proposal

The budget proposal should be A

SEPARATE DOCUMENT. Personnel

items should include the names (or

position titles) of key staff, number of

hours, and applicable hourly rates.

Discussion of equipment, supplies, and

travel should include both the cost and

the purpose and justification. Budgets

should include all applicant’s costs and

should identify contributed costs, and

support from other sources, if any.

Sources of support should be clearly

identified in all instances. The financial

aspects of any cost sharing and joint or

cooperative funding by members of a

consortium formed for purposes of the

applications should be shown in a

detailed budget for each party. These

budgets should reflect the arrangements

among the parties, and should show

exactly what cost-sharing is proposed

for each budget item.

Disclosure of Prior Institute Support

If any subcontractor, partner,

consortium member, or organization has

received Institute funding in the past

two years, the following information on

the prior awards is required:

• Institute award number, amount

and period of support;

• A summary of the results of the

completed work; and

• A brief description of available

materials and other related research

products not described elsewhere.

If the applicant has received a prior

award, the reviewers will be asked to

comment on the quality of the prior

work described in this section of the

application.

Current and Pending Support

All current project support from

whatever source (such as Federal, State,

or local government agencies, private

foundations, commercial organizations)

must be listed. The list must include the

proposed project and all other projects

requiring a portion of time of the Project

Director and other project personnel,

even if they receive no salary support

from the project(s). The number of

person-months or percentage of effort to

be devoted to the projects must be

stated, regardless of source of support.

Similar information must be provided

for all proposals that are being

considered by or will be submitted soon

to other sponsors.

If the project now being submitted has

been funded previously by another

source, the information requested in the

paragraph above should be furnished for

the immediately preceding funding

period. If the proposal is being

submitted to other possible sponsors, all

of them must be listed. Concurrent

submission of a proposal to other

organizations will not prejudice its

review by the Institute.

Any fee proposed to be paid to a

collaborating or ‘‘partner’’ for-profit

entity should be indicated. (Fees will be

negotiated by the Grants Officer.) Any

copyright, patent or royalty agreements

(proposed or in effect) must be

described in detail, so that the rights

and responsibilities of each party are

made clear. If any part of the project is

to be subcontracted, a budget and work

plan prepared and duly signed by the

subcontractor must be submitted as part

of the overall application and addressed

in the narrative.

Instructions for Transmittal of

Applications

(1) To apply for a grant (a) The

original and ten (10) copies of the

application must be received by 4:30

PM, Eastern Daylight Time on

September 6, 1996 at the offices of the

National Institute for Literacy, 800

Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 200,

Washington, D.C. 20006, Attention:

X257M.

(2) The National Institute for Literacy

will mail a Grant Applicant Receipt

Acknowledgment to each applicant. If

an applicant fails to receive the

notification of application receipt

within 15 days from the date of mailing

the application, the applicant should

call the National Institute of Literacy at

(202) 632–1500.

(3) The applicant must indicate on the

envelope and in Item 10 of the

application for Federal Assistance

(Standard Form 424) the X257M number

of the competition under which the

application is being submitted.

Application Forms

The appendix to this announcement

is divided into three parts plus a

statement regarding estimated public

reporting burden and various assurances

and certifications. These parts and

additional materials are organized in the

same manner that the submitted

application should be organized. The

parts and additional materials are as

follows:

Part I: Application for Federal

Assistance (Standard Form 424, Rev. 4–

88) and instructions.

Part II: Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (Standard Form

424A) and instructions.

Part III: Application Narrative.

Additional Materials:

Estimated Public Reporting Burden.

Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs (Standard Form 424B).

Certification Regarding Lobbying;

Debasement, Suspension, and other

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free

Workplace Requirements (ED 90–0013).

Certification Regarding Debarment,

Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary

Exclusion:

Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED

80–0014, 9/90) and instructions.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(Standard Form LLL) (if applicable) and

instructions;

Note: ED 80–0014 is intended for the use

of recipients and should not be transmitted

to the National Institute for Literacy.

An applicant may submit information

on a photostat copy of the application

and budget forms, the assurances and

the certifications. However, the

application form, the assurances, and

certifications must each have original

certifications and must each have an

original signature. No award can be

made unless a completed application

has been received.

Grant Administration

The administration of the grant is

governed by the conditions of the award

letter. The Education Department

General Administrative Regulations,

(EDGAR) 34 CFR Parts 4, 75, 77, 79, 80,

81, 82, 85 and 86 (July 1, 1993), set forth

administrative and other requirements.

This document is available through your

public library and the National Institute

for Literacy. It is recommended that

appropriate administrative officials

become familiar with the policies and

procedures in the EDGAR which are

applicable to this award. If a proposal is

recommended for an award, the Grants

Officer will request certain
33548 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 125 / Thursday, June 27, 1996 / Notices

organizational, management, and

financial information.

The following information on grant

administration dealing with questions

such as General Requirements, Prior

Approval Requirements, Transfer of

Project Director, and Suspension or

termination of Award should be referred

to the Grants Officer.

Reporting

In addition to working closely with

the Institute, the applicant will be

required to submit a quarterly report of

activities, and other products as

described in the DESCRIPTION OF

PROGRAMS above and in the

cooperative agreement between the

applicant and the NIFL.

Acknowledgment of Support and

Disclaimer

An acknowledgement of Institute

support and a disclaimer must appear in

publications of any material, whether

copyrighted or not, based on or

developed under NIFL-supported

projects.

‘‘This material is based upon work

supported by the National Institute for

Literacy under Grant No. (Grantee

should enter NIFL grant number)’’.

Except for articles of papers published

in professional journals, the following

disclaimer should be included:

‘‘Any opinion, findings, and

conclusions or recommendations

expressed in this material are those of

the authors) and do not necessarily

reflect the views of the National

Institute for Literacy.’’

Instructions for Estimated Public

Reporting Burden

Under terms of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1980, as amended, and

the regulations implementing the Act,

the National Institute for Literacy

invites comment on the public reporting

burden in this collection of information.

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 80 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data

sources, gathering and disseminating

the data needed, and completing and

reviewing the collection of information.

You may send comments regarding this

burden estimate or any other aspect of

this collection of information, including

suggestions for reducing this burden to

the National Institute for Literacy, and

the Office Management and Budget,

Paperwork Reduction Project,

Washington, DC 20503.

Carolyn Staley,

Deputy Director, National Institute for

Literacy.

[FR Doc. 96–16494 Filed 6–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6055–01–M

NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Cooperative Agreement for a

Publication on Arts and Substance

Abuse Prevention

AGENCY: National Endowment for the

Arts.

ACTION: Notification of availability.

SUMMARY: The National Endowment for

the Arts requests proposals leading to

the award of a Cooperative Agreement

for the development, production, and

printing of a publication that will

highlight exemplary projects involving

artists and arts organizations in

substance abuse prevention programs.

The publication is anticipated to be

approximately 100 pages. a printing of

$100,000 copies is desired. Those

interested in receiving the Solicitation

should reference Program Solicitation

PS 96–08 in their written request and

include two (2) self-addressed labels.

Verbal requests for the Solicitation will

not be honored.

DATES: Program Solicitation PS 96–08 is

scheduled for release approximately

July 16, 1996 with proposals due on

August 19, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Requests for the Solicitation

should be addressed to National

Endowment for the Arts, Grants &

Contracts Office, Room 618, 1100

Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20506.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William I. Hummel, Grants and

Contracts Office, National Endowment

for the Arts, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave.,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20506 (202/

682–5482).

William I. Hummel,

Coordinator, Cooperative Agreements and

Contracts.

[FR Doc. 96–16446 Filed 6–26–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7537–01–M

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Committee Management; Renewals,

Reestablishment, Amendment, and

Terminations

Effective June 30, 1996, the following

actions will occur in NSF’s advisory

committee structure:

Renewals: The Assistant Directors

having responsibility for the Advisory

Committees listed below have

determined that renewal of these groups

is necessary and in the public interest

in connection with the performance of

duties imposed upon the Director,

National Science Foundation (NSF), by

42 USC 1861 et seq. This determination

follows consultation with the

Committee Management Secretariat,

General Services Administration.

Authority for these Advisory

Committees will expire on June 30,

1998, unless they are renewed.

Code and Advisory Committee Name

57 Special Emphasis Panel in Graduate

Education

59 Special Emphasis Panel in

Elementary, Secondary & Informal

Education

66 Advisory Committee for

Mathematical and Physical Sciences

173 Special Emphasis Panel in

Engineering Education and Centers

1115 Advisory Committee for Computer

and Information Science and

Engineering

1171 Advisory Committee for Social,

Behavioral and Economic Sciences

1173 Committee on Equal

Opportunities in Science &

Engineering

1185 Special Emphasis Panel in

Advanced Scientific Computing

1186 Special Emphasis Panel in

Astronomical Sciences

1189 Special Emphasis Panel in

Biological and Environmental

Systems

1190 Special Emphasis Panel in

Chemical and Thermal Systems

1191 Special Emphasis Panel in

Chemistry

1192 Special Emphasis Panel in

Computer and Computation Research

1193 Special Emphasis Panel in CrossDisciplinary Activities

1194 Special Emphasis Panel in Design,

Manufacture & Industrial Innovation

1196 Special Emphasis Panel in

Electrical and Communications

Systems

1199 Special Emphasis Panel in Human

Resource Development

1200 Special Emphasis Panel in

Information, Robotics and Intelligent

Systems

1203 Special Emphasis Panel in

Materials Research

1204 Special Emphasis Panel in

Mathematical Sciences

1205 Special Emphasis Panel in Civil &

Mechanical Systems

1206 Special Emphasis Panel in

Microelectronic Information

Processing Systems