Federal Register, Volume 77 Issue 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012)

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8848-8852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3560]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Application for New Awards; Advanced Placement (AP) Test Fee
Program

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

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information: Advanced Placement Test Fee Program.
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2012.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.330B.

[[Page 8849]]

Dates: Applications Available: February 15, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 6, 2012.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 5, 2012.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The AP Test Fee program awards grants to
eligible State educational agencies (SEAs) to enable them to pay all or
a portion of advanced placement test fees on behalf of eligible low-
income students who (1) are enrolled in an advanced placement course
and (2) plan to take an advanced placement exam. The program is
designed to increase the number of low-income students who take
advanced placement tests and receive scores for which college academic
credit is awarded.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6534.

Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administration Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: For Fiscal Year 2012, the appropriation
for the Advanced Placement Test Fee and Advanced Placement Incentive
programs is $26,948,970. Of this amount, the Secretary expects to award
$19,962,200 in grants under the Advanced Placement Test Fee program.
Under Section 1703 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA), the Secretary gives priority to funding activities under the
Advanced Placement Test Fee program and distributes any remaining funds
in grants under the Advanced Placement Incentive program.
Estimated Range of Awards: $5,220-$7,231,445.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $464,237.
Estimated Number of Awards: 43.

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

Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs in any State, including the District
of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, and the freely associated states of the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic
of Palau (subject to continued eligibility).

Note: For the purposes of this program, the Bureau of Indian
Education in the U.S. Department of the Interior is treated as an
SEA.

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements. Section 1706 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), requires that grant
funds provided under the AP Test Fee program supplement, and not
supplant, other non-Federal funds that are available to assist low-
income individuals in paying for the cost of advanced placement test
fees.
3. Other: Current grantees under this program that expect to have
sufficient carryover funds to cover school year 2011-2012 advanced
placement exam fees for eligible low-income students should not apply
for a new award under this program.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package: To obtain an application
package via the Internet use the following address: www.ed.gov/programs/apfee/applicant.html.
To obtain an application package from the U.S. Department of
Education use the following address: Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 3E224, Washington, DC
20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1541 or by email:
francisco.ramirez@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed in
this section.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: February 15, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 6, 2012.
Applications for grants under this program must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission
Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 5, 2012.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this program.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the
Department, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the Central
Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active CCR registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one business day.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security

[[Page 8850]]

Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your
TIN to become active.
The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take
three or more business days to complete.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov,
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an
exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in
this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. Applications for grants
under the AP Test Fee program, CFDA number 84.330B, must be submitted
electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at
www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy
of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and
submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a
grant application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
You may access the electronic grant application for the AP Test Fee
program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable
application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include
the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.330,
not 84.330B).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this program to ensure that you
submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system.
You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to
Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5 system home
page at www.G5.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms: the
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must upload any narrative sections and all other
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document)
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only,
non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not
review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by email. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (a Department-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.

[[Page 8851]]

Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only
to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully
register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the
application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you
experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system; and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Francisco Ramirez, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 3E224,
Washington, DC 20202-6200. Fax: (202) 260-8969.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.330B), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with
your local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.330B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Review and Selection Process: The Department intends to fund, at
some level, all applications that meet the requirements for Approval of
Application as described in the application package for this program
and that demonstrate need for new or additional funds to pay advanced
placement exam fees on behalf of low-income students for school year
2011-2012.
For FY 2012, the Department expects to award $19,962,200 in new
grants under this program. Based on the anticipated number of
applicants and other information available to the Department, we expect
this amount to be sufficient to pay up to $38 per advanced placement
exam for up to three exams per student.
Also, in determining whether to approve an application for a new
award (including the amount of the award) from an applicant with a
current grant under this program, the Department will consider the
amount of any carryover funds under the existing grant and the
applicant's use of funds under previous AP Test Fee grant awards.
We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in
any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary may consider, under
34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the applicant in carrying
out a previous award, such as the applicant's use of funds, achievement
of project objectives, and compliance with grant conditions. The
Secretary may also consider whether the applicant failed to submit a
timely performance report or submitted a report of unacceptable
quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
2. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary
may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is
not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance;
has a financial or other management system that does not meet the
standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled
the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify

[[Page 8852]]

administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 and
section 1704(f) of the ESEA should you receive funding under the
competition. The reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170 do not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the
Secretary. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed five
performance measures to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the AP
Test Fee program: (1) The number of advanced placement tests taken by
low-income public school students nationally; (2) The number of
advanced placement tests taken by minority (Hispanic, Black, Native
American) public school students nationally; (3) The percentage of
advanced placement tests passed (for AP exams, scores of 3-5) by low-
income public school students nationally; (4) The number of advanced
placement tests passed (for AP exams, scores of 3-5) by low-income
public school students nationally; and (5) The cost per passage of an
advanced placement test taken by a low-income public school student.
The information provided by grantees in their final performance reports
will be one of the sources of data for the measures. Other sources of
data include the College Board, IB Americas, and University of
Cambridge International Examinations.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Francisco Ramirez, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 3E224, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: (202) 260-1541 or by email: francisco.ramirez@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

VIII. Other Information

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to
the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
in section VII of this notice.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the
site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.

Dated: February 10, 2012.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2012-3560 Filed 2-14-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P