[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 93 (Monday, May 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28360-28366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11621]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Training Program for Federal TRIO
Programs
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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Overview Information
Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs (Training Program).
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2012.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.103A.
DATES:
Applications Available: May 14, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 13, 2012.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 13, 2012.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Training Program provides grants to train
the staff and leadership personnel employed in, participating in, or
preparing for employment in, projects funded under the Federal TRIO
Programs to improve the operation of these projects.
Priorities: This notice contains five absolute priorities and three
competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(iv) and 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), the absolute priorities
are from section 402G(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA), and the regulations for this program (34 CFR 642.24).
The competitive preference priorities are from the Department's notice
of final supplemental priorities and definitions for discretionary
grant programs, published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2010
(75 FR 78486), and corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 27637).
Note: Each year, the Training Program projects must offer
training covering every topic listed within the applicable priority
or priorities. And, each year, one or more Training Program projects
must provide training for new project directors. Each applicant must
identify in its application how it will meet this requirement as
provided in 34 CFR 642.11.
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2012 and any subsequent year in which
the Department makes awards from the list of unfunded applicants from
this competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34
CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet these
priorities. Each application must address one of these absolute
priorities. An applicant must submit a separate application for each
absolute priority it proposes to address.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1. Training to improve: Reporting student and
project performance; and the rigorous evaluation of project performance
in order to design and operate a model TRIO project.
Number of expected awards: 1.
Maximum award amount: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 2. Training on: Budget management, and the
statutory
[[Page 28361]]
and regulatory requirements for operation of projects funded under the
Federal TRIO Programs.
Number of expected awards: 1.
Maximum award amount: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 3. Training on: Assessment of student needs;
retention and graduation strategies, including both secondary and
postsecondary retention and graduation strategies; and the use of
appropriate educational technology in the operation of projects funded
under the Federal TRIO programs.
Number of expected awards: 1.
Maximum award amount: $325,000.
Absolute Priority 4. Training on: Assisting students in receiving
adequate financial aid from programs assisted under Title IV of the HEA
and from other programs; college and university admissions policies and
procedures; and proven strategies to improve the financial literacy and
economic literacy of students, including topics such as basic personal
finance information, household money management and financial planning
skills, and basic economic decision making skills.
Number of expected awards: 1.
Maximum award amount: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 5. Training on: Strategies for recruiting and
serving hard to reach populations--including students who are limited
English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally
underrepresented in postsecondary education, students who are
individuals with disabilities, students who are homeless children and
youths (as this term is defined in Section 725 of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a), students who are foster
care youth, or other disconnected students.
Number of expected awards: 1.
Maximum award amount: $325,000.
Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2012 and any subsequent
year in which the Department makes awards from the list of unfunded
applicants from this competition, these priorities are competitive
preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an
additional five points to an application that meets Competitive
Preference Priority 1, up to an additional five points to an
application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2, and up to an
additional five points to an application that meets Competitive
Preference Priority 3, depending on how well the application meets each
of these priorities. The maximum competitive preference points an
application can receive under this competition is 10. An applicant
submitting an application under Absolute Priority 1 may apply using
only Competitive Preference Priorities 2 or 3 or both. An applicant
submitting an application under Absolute Priority 2 may apply using
only competitive Preference Priority 3. An applicant submitting an
application under Absolute Priorities 3, 4, or 5 may apply using all
three Competitive Preference Priorities.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1--Turning Around Persistently Lowest-
Achieving Schools (Up to 5 Additional Points)
Background: The Department is using Competitive Preference Priority
1 because an essential element in strengthening our education system is
dramatic improvement of student performance in each State's
persistently lowest-achieving schools. These schools often require
intensive interventions to improve the school culture and climate,
strengthen the school staff and instructional program, increase student
attendance and enrollment in advanced courses, provide more time for
learning, and ensure that social services and community support are
available for students in order to raise student achievement,
graduation rates, and college enrollment rates.
Competitive Preference Priority 1: Projects that are designed to
address one or more of the following priority areas:
(a) Improving student achievement (as defined in this notice) in
persistently lowest-achieving schools (as defined in this notice).
(b) Increasing graduation rates (as defined in this notice) and
college enrollment rates for students in persistently lowest-achieving
schools (as defined in this notice).
(c) Providing services to students enrolled in persistently lowest-
achieving schools (as defined in this notice).
Note 1: For the purposes of this priority, the Department
considers schools that are identified as Tier I or Tier II schools
under the School Improvement Grants Program (see 75 FR 66363) as
part of a State's approved FY 2009 or FY 2010 applications to be
persistently lowest-achieving schools. A list of these Tier I and
Tier II schools can be found on the Department's Web site at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.html.
Note 2: Applicants choosing to address this priority might want
to consider describing how they will train project directors,
project staff, high school staff, and personnel of Upward Bound and
Talent Search projects to turn around persistently lowest-achieving
schools. Training must focus on services and activities that are
authorized in the legislation and relevant to high school students.
Training may be provided on basic skills instruction, counseling,
assessment of student needs, college and university admissions,
student financial aid, tutorial programs, and the coordination of
project activities with other available resources and activities.
Competitive Preference Priority 2--Enabling More Data-Based Decision-
Making (Up to 5 Additional Points)
Background: The Department is using Competitive Preference Priority
2 because the Department believes that the effective use of data to
make informed decisions is essential to the continuous improvement of
educational results. We believe that inclusion of this competitive
preference priority is important because accurate, timely, relevant,
and appropriate data are key to knowing what is working for students
and what is not. Data can show which students are on track to college-
and career-readiness and which students need additional support, which
instructional strategies are working, and which schools or institutions
are successfully improving student learning and performance. Data can
also show which teachers or faculty excel in increasing student
achievement so that they can, for example, be given the opportunity to
coach others or to lead communities of professional practice.
The Training Program grant competition represents an opportunity to
develop training for TRIO project directors and the high school staff/
personnel with whom they work to strengthen their capacity to make
data-based decisions for their TRIO projects. TRIO grantees must set
project objectives that are based on verifiable data taken from
reliable sources that will be measured by cohort or class over time. In
addition, all TRIO grantees are required to report project outcomes
relative to their approved objectives in their Annual Performance
Reports. All grantees use standard approved objectives that are
measurable longitudinally and individual student data can be aggregated
in many programs. Therefore, it is essential that grantees know how to
use data obtained from State longitudinal systems or third parties to
compare and contrast the efficacy of the performance and delivery of
student services. Moreover, as they analyze project data to find ways
of improving and enhancing reliable reporting on student outcomes,
having access to and using data from local and State longitudinal
databases are invaluable for TRIO projects in succeeding years of the
grant cycle. Grantees can also use data to identify best practices. In
sum, having access to and using reliable State or third-party data
sources is a key component of
[[Page 28362]]
running an efficient and effective TRIO project.
Competitive Preference Priority 2: Projects that are designed to
collect (or obtain), analyze, and use high-quality and timely data,
including data on program participant outcomes, in accordance with
privacy requirements (as defined in this notice), in one or more of the
following priority areas:
(a) Improving postsecondary student outcomes relating to
enrollment, persistence, and completion and leading to career success.
(b) Providing reliable and comprehensive information on the
implementation of Department of Education programs, and participant
outcomes in these programs, by using data from State longitudinal data
systems or by obtaining data from reliable third-party sources.
Competitive Preference Priority 3--Improving Productivity (Up to 5
Additional Points)
Background: The Department is using Competitive Preference Priority
3--Improving Productivity because it believes that it is more important
than ever to support TRIO projects that are designed to significantly
increase efficiency in the use of resources while improving student
outcomes. A key performance measure for the Training Program is its
cost effectiveness, based on the number of TRIO project personnel
receiving training each year. Furthermore, cost per participant is
considered in all TRIO programs. Applicants proposing projects designed
to offer increased opportunities to provide high-quality training for
more individuals--that is, decrease their cost per participant while
improving participant outcomes will be more likely to perform well on
this efficiency measure.
The Department is also emphasizing productivity in other TRIO
competitions for 2012. Accordingly, both new and existing grantees will
need assistance learning about, selecting, and implementing strategies
that can help them be more productive while improving student outcomes.
As such, we are interested in projects that propose to work with
projects to adopt productivity improving strategies.
Competitive Preference Priority 3: Projects that are designed to
significantly increase efficiency in the use of time, staff, money, or
other resources while improving student learning or other educational
outcomes (i.e., outcome per unit of resource). Such projects may
include innovative and sustainable uses of technology, modification of
school schedules and teacher compensation systems, use of open
educational resources (as defined in this notice), or other strategies.
Note 1: The types of projects identified above are suggestions
for ways to improve productivity. The Department recognizes that
some of these examples, such as modification of teacher compensation
systems, may not be relevant within the context of a particular
application. Therefore, applicants addressing this priority might
want to consider explaining how they will provide training
opportunities to the same or an increased number of individuals at a
lower cost per participant while improving the quality of their
training support. Applicants might also want to consider describing
how they will achieve this productivity by increasing efficiency in
the use of resources.
Maximum number of applications: In accordance with 34 CFR 642.7,
each application must clearly identify the specific absolute priority
for which a grant is requested and must address each of the topics
listed under that specific absolute priority. An application for a
grant under a specific absolute priority must address only that
absolute priority. A grantee who wants to apply under more than one
absolute priority must submit separate applications for each absolute
priority. If an applicant submits more than one application for the
same absolute priority, we will accept only the application with the
latest ``date/time received'' validation, and we will reject all other
applications the applicant submits for that priority.
For example, an application for a grant under Absolute Priority 1
must address only training described under that priority.
Definitions: These definitions are from the notice of final
supplemental priorities and definitions for discretionary grant
programs, published in the Federal Register on December 15, 2010 (75 FR
78486), and corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 27637), and they apply to
the competitive preference priorities in this competition.
Graduation rate means a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate
consistent with 34 CFR 200.19(b)(1) and may also include an extended-
year adjusted cohort graduation rate consistent with 34 CFR
200.19(b)(1)(v) if the State in which the proposed project is
implemented has been approved by the Secretary to use such a rate under
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as
amended (ESEA).
Open educational resources means teaching, learning, and research
resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under
an intellectual property license that permits their free use or
repurposing by others.
Persistently lowest-achieving schools means, as determined by the
State: (i) Any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring that (a) is among the lowest-achieving five percent of
Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or
the lowest-achieving five Title I schools in improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number of schools is
greater; or (b) is a high school that has had a graduation rate as
defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number
of years; and (ii) any secondary school that is eligible for, but does
not receive, Title I funds that: (a) Is among the lowest-achieving five
percent of secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five secondary
schools in the State that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I
funds, whichever number of schools is greater; or (b) is a high school
that has had a graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is
less than 60 percent over a number of years.
To identify the persistently lowest achieving schools, a State must
take into account both: (i) The academic achievement of the ``all
students'' group in a school in terms of proficiency on the State's
assessments under Section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA in reading/language
arts and mathematics combined; and (ii) the school's lack of progress
on those assessments over a number of years in the ``all students''
group.
Privacy requirements means the requirements of the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232g, and its
implementing regulations in 34 CFR part 99, the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C.
552a, as well as all applicable Federal, State, and local requirements
regarding privacy.
Student achievement means--
(a) For tested grades and subjects: (1) A student's score on the
State's assessments under the ESEA; and, as appropriate, (2) other
measures of student learning, such as those described in paragraph (b)
of this definition, provided they are rigorous and comparable across
schools.
(b) For non-tested grades and subjects: alternative measures of
student learning and performance, such as student scores on pre-tests
and end-of-course tests; student performance on English language
proficiency assessments; and other measures of student achievement that
are rigorous and comparable across schools.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 1070a-17.
[[Page 28363]]
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
82, 84, 86, 97, 98 and 99. (b) The Education Department suspension and
debarment regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The regulations for this
program in 34 CFR part 642. (d) The notice of final supplemental
priorities and definitions for discretionary grant programs, published
in the Federal Register on December 15, 2010 (75 FR 78486), and
corrected on May 12, 2011 (76 FR 27637).
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except Federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions
of higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,400,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2013 from the list of
unfunded applicants from this competition.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding the maximum award amount listed for the applicable
priority, listed as follows, for a single budget period of 12 months:
Absolute Priority 1: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 2: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 3: $325,000.
Absolute Priority 4: $250,000.
Absolute Priority 5: $325,000.
The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the
maximum award amount through a notice published in the Federal
Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 5.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 24 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and other
public and private nonprofit institutions and organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package: Suzanne Ulmer, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room 7000, Washington, DC
20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or by email: TRIO@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.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant,
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your
application. You must limit the application narrative (Part III) to no
more than 50 pages. However, any application addressing the competitive
preference priorities may include up to four additional pages for each
priority addressed in a separate section of the application submission
to discuss how the application meets the competitive preference
priority or priorities. These additional pages cannot be used for or
transferred to the project narrative. Partial pages will count as a
full page toward the page limit. For purposes of determining compliance
with the page limit, each page on which there are words will be counted
as one full page. Applicants must use the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an
identifier may be within the 1'' margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the project narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
figures and graphs. Text in charts and tables may be single-spaced. You
should also include a table of contents in the project narrative, which
will not be counted against the 50-page limit.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, or no
smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to Part I--the Application for
Federal Assistance face sheet (SF 424); Part II--the Budget Information
Summary form (ED Form 524); Part III-A--the Program Profile form; Part
III-B--the one-page Project Abstract form; and Part IV--the Assurances
and Certifications. If you include any attachments or appendices, these
items will be counted as part of Part III--the Project Narrative for
purposes of the page limit requirement. You must include your complete
response to the selection criteria and priorities in Part III--The
Project Narrative.
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: May 14, 2012.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 13, 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: August 13, 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 specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR
part 642.31. We reference additional 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 of Education, you must--
[[Page 28364]]
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 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 Training Program--CFDA Number
84.103A 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 Training
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 84.103,
not 84.103A).
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
Format) 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 (an ED-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
[[Page 28365]]
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.
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: Eileen Bland, U.S.
Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW., room 7000, Washington, DC
20006-8510. FAX: (202) 502-7857.
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 84.103A), 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 84.103A) 550 12th Street SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between
8:00 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.
Note: Applicants must include in the one-page abstract submitted
with the application a statement indicating which competitive
preference priorities they have addressed. The priorities addressed
in the application must also be listed on the Training Program
Profile Sheet.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
in 34 CFR 642.21 and are listed in the application package.
2. Review and Selection Process: A panel of non-Federal reviewers
will review each application in accordance with the selection criteria
in 34 CFR 642.21. The individual scores of the reviewers will be added
and the sum divided by the number of reviewers to determine the peer
review score received in the review process. Additionally, in
accordance with 34 CFR 642.22, the Secretary will award prior
experience points to eligible applicants by evaluating the applicant's
current performance under its expiring Training program grant. Pursuant
to 34 CFR 642.22(b)(1), prior experience points, if any, will be added
to the application's averaged peer review score to determine the total
score for each application.
Under Section 402A(c)(3) of the HEA, the Secretary is not required
to make awards under the Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs in
the order of the scores received by the application in the peer review
process and adjusted for prior experience.
In the event a tie score exists, the Secretary will select for
funding the applicant that has the greatest capacity to provide
training to eligible participants in all regions of the Nation in order
to assure accessibility to the greatest number of prospective training
participants, consistent with 34 CFR 642.20(e).
3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary
may
[[Page 28366]]
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
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
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110.
(b) 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). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The success of the Training Program is
measured by its cost-effectiveness based on the number of TRIO project
personnel receiving training each year; the percentage of Training
Program participants that, each year, evaluate the training as
benefiting them in increasing their qualifications and skills in
meeting the needs of disadvantaged students; and the percentage of
Training Program participants that, each year, evaluate the trainings
as benefiting them in increasing their knowledge and understanding of
the Federal TRIO Programs. All grantees will be required to submit an
annual performance report documenting their success in training
personnel working on TRIO-funded projects, including the average cost
per trainee and the trainees' evaluations of the effectiveness of the
training provided. The success of the Training Program also is assessed
on the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of the training projects
based on project evaluation results.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, the
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the extent to which a
grantee has made ``substantial progress toward meeting the objectives
in its approved application.'' This consideration includes the review
of a grantee's progress in meeting the targets and projected outcomes
in its approved application, and whether the grantee has expended funds
in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and
budget. In making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contacts
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne Ulmer, or if unavailable,
contact Eileen S. Bland, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street
NW., room 7000, Washington, DC 20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or
by email: TRIO@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.
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
one of the program contact persons 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 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 this
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: May 9, 2012.
Eduardo M. Ochoa,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2012-11621 Filed 5-11-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P