Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/03/03/E9-4497/office-of-elementary-and-secondary-education-overview-information-early-reading-first-program-notice
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Federal Register :: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Early Reading First Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; Early Reading First Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.
A Notice by the Education Department on 03/03/2009
74 FR 9225
9225-9232 (8 pages)
E9-4497
Invitational Priority 2—English Language Acquisition Plan
Invitational Priority 3—Kindergarten Transition
Invitational Priority 4—Community-Based Organizations
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-4497 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E9-4497
Dates: Applications Available: March 3, 2009.
Deadline for Transmittal of Full Applications: June 16, 2009 (for applicants invited to submit full applications only).
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 17, 2009.
Purpose of Program: This program supports local efforts to enhance the oral language, cognitive, and early reading skills of preschool-aged children, especially those from low-income families, through strategies, materials, and professional development that are grounded in scientifically based reading research.
The specific activities for which recipients must use grant funds are identified in section 1222(d) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). This and other relevant provisions of the ESEA are included in the application package.
Statutory Requirements: All applicants must meet the application requirements established in section 1222(b) of the ESEA in order to be considered for funding. All applications must include a description of the following:
(1) The programs to be served by the proposed project, including demographic and socioeconomic information on the preschool-aged children enrolled in the programs;
(2) How the proposed project will enhance the school readiness of preschool-aged children in high-quality oral language and literature-rich environments;
(3) How the proposed project will prepare and provide ongoing assistance to staff in the programs, through professional development and other support, in providing high-quality language, literacy, and prereading activities using scientifically based reading research, for preschool-aged children;
(5) How the proposed project will help staff in the programs to meet more effectively the diverse needs of preschool-aged children in the community, including such children with limited English proficiency, disabilities, or other special needs;
(7) How the proposed project will help children, particularly children experiencing difficulty with spoken language, prereading, and early reading Start Printed Page 9226skills, to make the transition from preschool to formal classroom instruction in school;
(8) If the eligible applicant has received a subgrant under the Reading First program, subpart 1, part B, title I of the ESEA, how the activities conducted under the Early Reading First program will be coordinated with the eligible applicant's activities under the Reading First program at the kindergarten through grade 3 level; and
(9) How the proposed project will evaluate the success of the activities supported under the Early Reading First program in enhancing the early language, literacy, and prereading development of the preschool-aged children served by the project.
Priorities: This competition includes four invitational priorities. Under this competition we are particularly interested in applications that address the following priorities.
Invitational Priorities: For FY 2009 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, these priorities are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
The Secretary is especially interested in preschool programs that operate full-time, full-year, early childhood educational programs and that serve children for the two consecutive years prior to their entry into kindergarten.
Scientifically based research on increasing the effectiveness of early childhood education programs serving children from low-income families tells us that children attending these types of programs that have a greater intensity of service make higher and more persistent gains in the language and cognitive domains than children who attend early childhood programs that have lesser intensity of service. In other words, children who spend more time in high-quality early childhood education programs learn more than children who spend less time in those programs. The purpose of this invitational priority is to encourage preschool programs supported with Early Reading First funds to provide services that are of a sufficient duration and intensity to maximize language and early literacy gains for children enrolled in those programs.
Under this invitational priority, the Secretary is interested in English language acquisition plans that, at a minimum: (1) Include a description of the applicant's approach to the development of language, based on the linguistic factors or skills that serve as the foundation for a strong language base, which foundation is a necessary precursor for success in the development of pre-literacy and literacy skills for children with limited English proficiency; (2) Explain the instructional strategies, based on best available valid and reliable research, that the applicant will use to address English language acquisition in a multi-lingual classroom; (3) Describe how the project will facilitate the children's transition to English proficiency through such means as the use of environmental print in appropriate multiple languages and hiring bilingual teachers, paraprofessionals, or translators to work in the preschool classroom; (4) Include intensive professional development for instructors and paraprofessionals on the development of English language proficiency; and (5) Include a timeline that describes benchmarks for the introduction of the development of English language proficiency and the use of measurement tools.
Ideally, at least one instructional staff member in each Early Reading First classroom that serves limited English proficient children will be dual-language proficient in the children's first language and in English so as to facilitate those children's understanding of instruction and transition to English proficiency. At a minimum, each such classroom should include a teacher who is proficient in English.
The Early Reading First program is designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten with the necessary cognitive, early language, and literacy skills for success in school. The Secretary is especially interested in applications that include a specific plan to transition preschool-aged children to kindergarten.
Under this invitational priority, the Secretary is especially interested in supporting projects that have kindergarten transition plans that, at a minimum: (1) Identify the key issues involved in transitioning preschool-aged children to kindergarten; (2) Explain how the program would support continuity through developmentally appropriate curricula for preschool and kindergarten children; (3) Where applicable, include a description of how the program will effectively support ongoing communication and cooperation between the program and Reading First; (4) Include a description of how the program will effectively support ongoing communication and cooperation between the program and the local educational agency (LEA); (5) Include a timeline that describes benchmarks for transition activities; and (6) Include a description of the role of stakeholders in transitioning preschool-aged children to kindergarten.
The Secretary is especially interested in applications that propose to engage community-based organizations in the delivery of services under this program.
Estimated Available Funds: $111,424,000. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process Start Printed Page 9227before the end of the current fiscal year if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
Estimated Number of Awards: 24-74.
1. Eligible Applicants: Under this competition, eligible applicants are:
(a) One or more LEAs, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law, that are eligible to receive a subgrant under the Reading First program (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1 of the ESEA);
(b) One or more public or private organizations or agencies (including faith-based organizations) located in a community served by an eligible LEA; or
(c) One or more eligible LEAs, applying in collaboration with one or more eligible organizations or agencies.
To qualify under paragraph (b) of this definition, the organization's or agency's application must be on behalf of one or more programs that serve preschool-aged children (such as a Head Start program, a child care program, a family literacy program such as Even Start, or a lab school at a university), unless the organization or agency itself operates a preschool program.
Lists, by State, of LEAs that qualify under paragraph (a) of this definition for this FY 2009 competition are posted on the Early Reading First Web site at http://www.ed.gov/​programs/​earlyreading/​eligibility.html. These lists are based on the most recent information provided by each State and the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to the Department's Reading First program, and are posted for the convenience of Early Reading First applicants. However, we consider it to be each applicant's responsibility to verify with the Reading First office in its State, or with the BIE, as appropriate, whether a particular LEA is eligible to receive a subgrant under the Reading First program as of the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. A list of State and BIE contacts for this purpose is also posted at the Early Reading First Web site at http://www.ed.gov/​programs/​earlyreading/​eligibility.html.
Eligibility determination date: The date governing whether an LEA is eligible to receive a subgrant under the Reading First program is the date of publication in the Federal Register of this notice inviting applications for new awards under the Early Reading First program for FY 2009.
Required submission of eligibility information: In accordance with the following instructions, each applicant must complete and submit with its pre-application for this competition a Pre-Application Attachment A, Applicant Eligibility, which is included in the application package:
LEAs included on a posted eligibility list: If the LEA on which you, the applicant, are basing your Early Reading First eligibility is included on the State's Reading First subgrant eligibility list posted on the Early Reading First Web site, you must complete section I of Pre-Application Attachment A (Applicant Eligibility) and submit that attachment with your pre-application.
LEAs not included on a posted eligibility list: If the LEA on which you, the applicant, are basing your Early Reading First eligibility is not included on the State's Reading First subgrant eligibility list posted on the Early Reading First Web site, you must complete both section I and section II of Pre-Application Attachment A (Applicant Eligibility) and submit that form with your pre-application. Section II requires you to verify with your State's Reading First office, or the BIE, as appropriate, that the LEA is in fact eligible to receive a Reading First subgrant as of the date of publication in the Federal Register of this notice. You must also submit the name of, and contact information for, the person with whom you verified that information. If you are invited to submit a full application and we are unable to verify the LEA's eligibility from the contact information that you have provided, we may not consider the LEA as an eligible LEA for the purposes of this competition or we may require you to submit additional written information demonstrating eligibility.
1. Address To Request Application Package: You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via Internet, use the following address: http://www.Grants.gov. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA numbers 84.359A and B.
Pre-Application: All applicants must apply in the pre-application phase; as explained in the application package, only selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.
Page Limits: You must include in Part 2 of the pre-application and Part 3 of the full application an Abstract briefly describing your proposed project. You must limit each Abstract to one (1) page.
The pre-application narrative and the full application narrative for this program (Part 3 of the pre-application and Part 4 of the full application) are where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your pre- and full applications. You must limit Part 3 of the pre-application to the equivalent of no more than fifteen (15) pages and Part 4 of the full application to no more than forty (40) pages.
Part 4 of the pre-application is where you, the applicant, provide the Appendices for the pre-application. Pre-application Appendices are limited to the following: a list and a brief description of the existing preschool programs that the proposed Early Reading First project would support; an English language acquisition plan, if applicable; a kindergarten transition plan, if applicable; and endnote citations for research cited specifically in the pre-application narrative. You must limit the list and the brief description of the existing preschool Start Printed Page 9228programs to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages. You must limit any English language acquisition plan to the equivalent of no more than two (2) pages. You must limit any kindergarten transition plan to the equivalent of no more than two (2) pages. No page limit applies to the pre-application endnote citations.
Part 5 of the full application is where you, the applicant, provide a budget narrative that reviewers use to evaluate your full application. You must limit the budget narrative in Part 5 of the full application to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages.
Part 6 of the full application is where you, the applicant, provide the Appendices for the full application. Full application Appendices are limited to the following: A list and a brief description of the existing preschool programs that the proposed Early Reading First project would support; an English language acquisition plan, if applicable; a kindergarten transition plan, if applicable; position descriptions (and resumes or curriculum vitae if available) for up to five (5) key personnel; endnote citations for research cited specifically in the full application narrative; and documentation demonstrating the stakeholder support for the project. You must limit the list and the brief description of the existing preschool programs to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages. You must limit each resume or curriculum vitae to the equivalent of no more than three (3) pages, and limit the documentation demonstrating stakeholder support for the project to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages. You must limit any English language acquisition plan to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages. You must limit any kindergarten transition plan to the equivalent of no more than five (5) pages.
Text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs may be single-spaced.
Use one of the following commonly used 12-point fonts or larger, or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch) including for text in endnotes, charts, tables, figures, and graphs: Times New Roman, Times, Courier, or CG Times. An application submitted in any other font will not be accepted.
The page limits do not apply to any title page or table of contents, or the forms in Part I of the pre- and full applications; or the following portions of the full application: the budget form (ED Form 524) in Part 2; or the assurances and certifications and the endnotes in Part 7.
Our reviewers will not read any pages of your pre-application or full application that exceed the page limit if you apply these standards; or exceed the equivalent of the page limit if you apply other standards.
Pre- and full applications for grants under this competition 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 section IV. 6. Other Submission Requirements of this notice.
Pre- and full applications for grants under the Early Reading First program, CFDA number 84.359A (pre-application) and CFDA number 84.359B (full application), must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://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 pre- or full application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Early Reading First competition at http://www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.359, not 84.359A).
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your pre- and full applications 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 pre- or full application deadline date, as appropriate. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your pre- or full 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 pre- or full application deadline date, as Start Printed Page 9229appropriate. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirement. When we retrieve your pre- or full application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your pre- or full application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the applicable application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload a pre- or full 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 pre- or full application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
To submit your pre- or full application via Grants.gov, you must complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.grants.gov/​applicants/​get_​registered.jsp). These steps include (1) Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (2) registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (3) getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/​section910/​Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). You also must provide on your pre- and full application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to submit successfully a pre- or full application via Grants.gov. In addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
You will not receive additional point value because you submit your pre- or full 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 pre- or full application in paper format.
After you electronically submit your pre- or full 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.) The Department then will retrieve your pre- or full application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your pre- or full application and has assigned your pre- or full application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your pre- or full application).
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues With the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your pre- or full 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 pre- or full application on the applicable 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 pre- or full application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your pre- and full applications by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit a pre- or full application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the applicable application deadline date, please contact the 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 pre- or full application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your pre- or full application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the applicable application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your pre- or full application will be accepted.
No later than two weeks before the pre- or full application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the pre- or full application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), as appropriate, you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your pre- or full application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the applicable application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks Start Printed Page 9230before the pre- or full application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Pilla Parker, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E247, Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 260-8969; or Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 33E250, Washington, DC 20202-6200. FAX: (202) 260-8969.
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 pre- or full application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your pre- or full application, on or before the applicable application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.359A and B), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper pre- or full application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your pre- or full application by hand, on or before the applicable application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.359A and B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
If you mail or hand deliver your pre- or full 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 pre- or full application; and
Selection Criteria: This competition has separate selection criteria for pre-applications and full applications.
A. Pre-application: The following selection criteria for this competition for the pre-application are from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. Further information about each of these selection criteria is in the application package. There are two selection criteria, Need for Project and Quality of the Project Design. The maximum score for the pre-application selection criteria is 100 points.
(a) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the Start Printed Page 9231project director or principal investigator. (34 CFR 75.210(e)(3)(i))
1. Award Notices: If your pre-application is successful, we notify you in writing and post the list of successful applicants on the Early Reading First Web site at http://www.ed.gov/​programs/​earlyreading/​awards.html. If your full application is successful, we notify your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
3. Reporting: 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). Early Reading First grantees also are required to meet the annual reporting requirements outlined in section 1225 of the ESEA. For specific requirements on reporting, please go to: http://www.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​appforms/​appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Secretary has established the following four (4) measures for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the Early Reading First program: (1) The cost per preschool-aged child participating in Early Reading First programs who achieves a significant gain in oral language skills after each year of implementation; (2) the percentage of preschool-aged children participating in Early Reading First programs who demonstrate age-appropriate oral language skills after each year of implementation; (3) the average number of letters Early Reading First preschool-aged children are able to identify after each year of implementation; and (4) the percentage of preschool-aged children participating in Early Reading First programs who achieve significant gains in oral language skills after each year of implementation. The Department will provide further information on selecting valid, reliable, and age-appropriate assessment instruments on the program Web site at http://www.ed.gov/​programs/​earlyreading/​applicant.html.
Pilla Parker, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E247, Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 260-3710 or by e-mail: Pilla.Parker@ed.gov; or Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E250, Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 260-0968 or by e-mail: Rebecca.Marek@ed.gov.
The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Start Printed Page 9232Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/​nara/​index.html.
[FR Doc. E9-4497 Filed 3-2-09; 8:45 am]