Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the Improvement of Education--Ready To Teach: Digital Educational Programming; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year(FY) 2002, CFDA No. 84.286B [OERI]

[Federal Register: July 17, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 137)]
[Notices]
[Page 47219-47222]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jy02-143]

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Part VI

Department of Education

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Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the
Improvement of Education--Ready To Teach; Digital Educational
Programming; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2002; Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.286B]

Office of Educational Research and Improvement; Fund for the
Improvement of Education--Ready To Teach: Digital Educational
Programming; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2002

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support
grants to eligible entities to enable them to develop, produce, and
distribute innovative educational and instructional programming that is
designed for use by elementary schools or middle schools and based on
challenging State academic content and student academic achievement
standards in reading or mathematics.
For FY 2002 this competition for new awards focuses on projects
designed to meet the priorities we describe in the Priorities section
of this application notice.
Eligible Applicants: An eligible applicant is a local public
telecommunications entity, as defined in section 397(12) of the
Communications Act of 1934, that is able to demonstrate a capacity for
the development and distribution of educational and instructional
television programming of high quality. Section 397(12) of the
Communications Act of 1934 provides that:
The term public telecommunications entity means any enterprise
which--
(A) Is a public broadcast station or a noncommercial
telecommunications entity; and
(B) Disseminates public telecommunications services to the public.
Applications Available: July 17, 2002.
The application package for this competition is available online
at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://ed.gov/GrantApps/.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 15, 2002.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 15, 2002.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,300,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 to $2,300,000 per year.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1 to 4.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: 36 months.
Budget Period: 12 months.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers will use to evaluate your
application. It is strongly suggested that you limit the narrative to
the equivalent of no more than 20 pages using the following standards:
A page is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' margins
at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger and no
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

Priorities

This competition focuses on projects designed to meet the following
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications
that meet the absolute priority.

Absolute Priority

The project shall develop, produce, and distribute digital
instructional programming to assist teachers in implementing reading or
mathematics instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 8.
Programming for reading shall include the essential components of
reading instruction as defined in Title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 as reauthorized by the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001. Programming for mathematics shall include both
problem solving and mental computation. The programming developed shall
include tools for classroom-based instructional assessment, which
evaluates children's learning based on systematic observations by
teachers of children performing academic tasks that are part of their
daily classroom experience and is used to improve instruction.
Applicants may choose to develop programming for certain grades rather
than all grades between kindergarten and eighth or for certain types of
learners, such as students with limited English proficiency, students
with learning disabilities, or students with low levels of readiness
for reading or mathematics, rather than all learners.

Competitive Preference

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 20
points to an application, depending on how well the application meets
the following competitive preference. These points are in addition to
any points the application earns under the selection criteria.
The project shall be designed to determine whether the programming
developed with the grant funds produces meaningful effects on student
learning. In order to do this, the project preferably employs an
experimental design with random assignment. If random assignment is not
feasible, the project may employ a quasi-experimental design with
carefully matched comparison conditions. For experimental designs,
random assignment to the ready to teach program being evaluated versus
one or more comparison conditions should occur at the level of students
or classrooms or schools. Alternatively, in a quasi-experimental
design, students or classrooms or schools that are receiving the ready
to teach program are matched with comparable students, classrooms, or
schools that are not receiving the ready to teach program. Data from
reliable and valid measures of reading or mathematics achievement in
children and related instructional practices should be collected before
and after participation in the ready to teach program or the comparison
condition.
Selection Criteria: We will use a peer review process to select
eligible entities to receive grants under this program. Peer reviewers
will use the following criteria to evaluate applications. The maximum
score for all these criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each
criterion is indicated in parentheses.
(1) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.
(20 points)
(2) The quality of the plan for developing, producing, and
distributing innovative educational and instructional video programming
that is based on challenging State academic content standards and can
be distributed through digital broadcasting and school digital
networks. (30 points)
(3) The extent to which the programming to be developed will
include built-in teacher utilization and support components to ensure
that teachers understand and can easily use the content of the
programming with group instruction or for individual student use. (20
points)
(4) The extent to which the applicant will enter into multiyear
content development collaborative arrangements with State educational
agencies and local educational agencies. (20 points)
(5) The extent to which the evaluation will provide guidance about
effective strategies suitable for replication or testing in other
settings. (10 points)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Grants are awarded under this program to facilitate the development
of

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educational programming that: (1) Includes student assessment tools to
provide feedback on student academic achievement; (2) includes built-in
teacher utilization and support components to ensure that teachers
understand and can easily use the content of the programming with group
instruction or for individual student use; (3) is created for, or
adaptable to, challenging State academic content standards and student
academic achievement standards; and (4) may be distributed through
digital broadcasting and school digital networks.
An entity that receives a grant under this program must enter into
multiyear content development collaborative arrangements with State
educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of
higher education, businesses, or other agencies or organizations.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this program, an entity
must contribute to the activities assisted under such grant non-Federal
matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 100 percent of the
amount of the grant. Such matching funds may include funds provided for
the transition to digital broadcasting, as well as in-kind
contributions.
An entity that receives a grant under this program may not use more
than 5 percent of the amount received under the grant for
administrative costs.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on proposed requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of the General
Education Provisions Act, however, exempts from this requirement rules
that apply to the first competition under a new or substantially
revised program authority. This is the first competition under the Fund
for the Improvement of Education: Ready to Teach Digital Educational
Programming Program, which was substantially revised by the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001. The requirements will apply to the FY 2002
grant competition only.

Application Procedures

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998, (Pub. L.
105-277) and the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement
Act of 1999, (Pub. L. 106-107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to
improve our grant processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and
entities to conduct business with us electronically is a major part of
our response to these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the
Internet as our chief means of conducting transactions in order to
improve services to our customers and to simplify and expedite our
business processes.
We are requiring that applications to the FY 2002 Ready to Teach
Digital Educational Programming Program be submitted electronically
using e-Application available through the Education Department's e-
GRANTS system. The e-GRANTS system is accessible through its portal
page at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.e-grants.ed.gov.
Applicants who are unable to submit an application through the e-
GRANTS system may apply for a waiver to the electronic submission
requirement. To apply for a waiver, applicants must explain the
reason(s) that prevent them from using the Internet to submit their
applications. The reasons(s) must be outlined in a letter addressed to:
Tawanna Coles, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue,
NW., room 522K, Washington, DC 20208-5645. We must receive your letter
no later than two weeks before the closing date.
Any application that receives a waiver to the electronic submission
requirement will be given the same consideration in the review process
as an electronic application.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

In fiscal year 2002, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing
to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary
grant competitions. The Fund for the Improvement of Education: Ready to
Teach Digital Educational Programming Program (84.286B) is one of the
programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under
the Ready to Teach Digital Educational Programming Program, you must
submit your application to us in electronic format or receive a waiver.
The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-Application, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the
Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We shall continue to
evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
Please note the following:
On the deadline date, the deadline time for transmitting
applications is 4:30 p.m. Washington, DC time.
If you wait until the deadline date to submit your
application electronically and you are unable to access the e-
Application system, you must contact the Help Desk by 4:30 p.m.
Washington, DC time on the deadline date.
Keep in mind that e-Application is not operational 24
hours a day every day of the week. Click on Hours of Web Site Operation
for specific hours of access during the week.
You will have access to the e-Application Help Desk for
technical support: 1-888-336-8930 (TTY: 1-866-697-2696, local 202-401-
8363). The Help Desk hours of operation are limited to: 8 a.m. to 6
p.m. Washington, DC time Monday through Friday.
If you submit your application electronically by the
transmittal date but also wish to submit a paper copy of your
application, then you must mail the paper copy of the application on or
before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application
Control Center, Attention: CFDA 84.286B, 7th and D Streets,
SW., Room 3671, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4725.
You can submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424 Standard Face Sheet), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Within three working days of submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal
Assistance (ED 424 Standard Face Sheet) to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.
2. Make sure that the institution's Authorized Representative signs
this form.
3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via
the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic
acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying
number unique to your application).
4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED
424.
5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center at 202-260-1349.
We may request that you give us original signatures on all
other forms at a later date.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Ready to
Teach Digital Educational Programming Program at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://e-grants.ed.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tawanna Coles, U.S. Department of
Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 522K, Washington, DC 20208-
5645. Telephone: (202) 219-2143, FAX: 202-208-4046, or via the
Internet: tawanna.coles@ed.gov.

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If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format, e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette, on request to the program contact person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the
application package in an alternative format by contacting that person.
However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative
format the standard forms included in the application package.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO) toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at 202-512-1530.

Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.access/gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 5484.

Dated: July 11, 2002.
Grover J. Whitehurst,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 02-18030 Filed 7-16-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P