04/06/00: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition To Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College Students [OESE]

[Federal Register: April 6, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 67)]
[Notices]               
[Page 18195-18197]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap00-140]                         


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Part V

Department of Education

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Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant 
Competition To Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among 
College Students; Notice


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant 
Competition To Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among 
College Students

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priorities, definitions, and selection 
criteria.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces final priorities, definitions, and 
selection criteria for fiscal year (FY) 2000 under the Safe and Drug-
Free Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--
Grant Competition to Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior 
Among College Students. The Secretary may use one or more of these 
priorities, definitions, and selection criteria for competitions in 
fiscal year (FY) 2001 and later years. The Secretary takes this action 
to focus Federal financial assistance on an identified national need. 
This competition seeks to prevent high-risk drinking and violent 
behavior among college students.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities, definitions, and selection criteria 
are effective May 8, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Lucey, Jr., U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room 3E252, Washington, DC 20202-
6123. Telephone: (202) 205-5471. If you use a telecommunications device 
for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service 
(FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

    Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition 
is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The 
notice inviting applications will specify the date and time by which 
applications for this competition must be received by the 
Department. Applications received after that time will not be 
eligible for funding. Postmarked dates will not be accepted.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary published a notice of proposed 
priorities, definitions, and selection criteria for this competition in 
the Federal Register on February 14, 2000 (65 FR 7372-7374). Except for 
minor editorial revisions, there are no differences between the notice 
of proposed priorities, definitions, and selection criteria and this 
notice of final priorities, definitions, and selection criteria.

Public Comment

    In the notice of proposed priorities, definitions and selection 
criteria, the Secretary invited comments on the proposed priorities, 
definitions, and selection criteria. We did not receive any substantive 
comments.

Definitions

    1. ``Two-year institutions of higher education (IHEs)'' are defined 
as those IHEs or branches of IHEs that are public or private nonprofit 
organizations and confer at least a two-year formal award (certificate, 
diploma, or associate's degree), or have a two-year program creditable 
toward a baccalaureate degree or higher award.
    2. ``High-risk drinking'' is defined as those situations that may 
involve but not be limited to: binge drinking (commonly defined as five 
or more drinks on any one occasion); underage drinking; drinking and 
driving; situations when one's condition is already impaired by another 
cause, such as depression or emotional stress; or combining alcohol and 
medications, such as tranquilizers, sedatives, and antihistamines.

General

    In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take 
into consideration the geographic distribution of the projects in 
addition to the rank order of applicants.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make 
additional awards in FY 2001 from the rank-ordered list of nonfunded 
applications from this competition.
    Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary gives an absolute 
preference to applications that meet one or both of the following 
priorities, and funds under this competition only those applications 
that meet one or both of the following absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority #1--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate 
Campus-Based Strategies To Prevent High-Risk Drinking by College 
Student Athletes, First-Year Students, or Students Attending Two-Year 
Institutions

    Under this priority, applicants are required to propose projects 
that develop or enhance, implement, and evaluate strategies to prevent 
high-risk drinking by college student athletes, first-year students, or 
students attending two-year institutions of higher education. Grant 
applicants are required to:
    (1) Identify the target population and provide a justification for 
its selection;
    (2) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on 
campus to document prevalence rates related to high-risk drinking by 
the population selected;
    (3) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project 
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will 
be measured annually;
    (4) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input 
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in 
preventing high-risk drinking by the target population;
    (5) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation 
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators 
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that 
assess and document the strategies used; and
    (6) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days 
after receiving Federal funding in order to maximize the time available 
to show impact within the grant period.

Absolute Priority #2--Develop or Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate 
Campus-Based Strategies To Prevent Violent Behavior by College Students

    Under this priority, applicants must propose projects that develop 
or enhance, implement, and evaluate strategies to prevent violent 
behavior by college students. Grant applicants are required to:
    (1) Provide evidence that a needs assessment has been conducted on 
campus to document prevalence rates related to violent behavior;
    (2) Set measurable goals and objectives for the proposed project 
and provide a description of how progress toward achieving goals will 
be measured annually;
    (3) Design and implement prevention strategies, using student input 
and participation, that research has shown to be effective in 
preventing violent behavior among college students;
    (4) Use a qualified evaluator to design and implement an evaluation 
of the project using outcomes-based (summative) performance indicators 
related to behavioral change and process (formative) measures that 
assess and document the strategies used; and
    (5) Demonstrate the ability to start the project within 60 days 
after receiving

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Federal funding in order to maximize the time available to show impact 
within the grant period.

Selection Criteria

    The Secretary uses the following selection criteria to evaluate 
applications for new grants under this competition. The maximum score 
for all of these criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each 
criterion or factor under that criterion is indicated in parentheses.
    (1) Need for project. (15 points)
    In determining the need for the proposed project, the following 
factors are considered:
    (a) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the 
proposed project. (10 points)
    (b) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, 
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be 
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude 
of those gaps or weaknesses. (5 points)
    (2) Significance. (20 points)
    In determining the significance of the proposed project, the 
following factors are considered:
    (a) The likelihood that the proposed project will result in system 
change or improvement. (5 points)
    (b) The potential contribution of the proposed project to the 
development and advancement of theory, knowledge, and practices in the 
field of study. (10 points)
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project involves the 
development or demonstration of promising new strategies that build on, 
or are alternatives to, existing strategies. (5 points)
    (3) Quality of the project design. (30 points)
    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the following factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(10 points)
    (b) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (5 points)
    (c) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects 
up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (10 points)
    (d) The extent to which the proposed project will establish 
linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing 
services to the target population. (5 points)
    (4) Quality of project personnel. (10 points)
    In determining the quality of project personnel, the following 
factors are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. (3 points)
    (b) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel. (7 points)
    (5) Quality of the project evaluation. (25 points)
    In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors 
are considered:
    (a) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project. (10 points)
    (b) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use 
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the 
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and 
qualitative data to the extent possible. (10 points)
    (c) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the 
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental 
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Electronic Access to This Document

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Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
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    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
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Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
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(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184H Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition 
to Prevent High-Risk Drinking and Violent Behavior Among College 
Students)

    Dated: March 31, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-8451 Filed 4-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U