[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 144 (Thursday, July 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35465-35469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16005]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; School Climate Transformation Grant
Program--State Educational Agency Grants
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for the School Climate
Transformation Grant Program--State Educational Agency Grants, Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.184F.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 26, 2018.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 27, 2018.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carlette KyserPegram, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E257, Washington, DC 20202-
6450. Telephone: (202) 453-6732. Email: [email protected].
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The School Climate Transformation Grant
Program--State Educational Agency Grants provides competitive grants to
State educational agencies (SEAs) to develop, enhance, or expand
statewide systems of support for, and technical
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assistance to, local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools
implementing an evidence-based (as defined in this notice), multitiered
behavioral framework for improving behavioral outcomes and learning
conditions for all students.
Background: Research demonstrates that the implementation of an
evidence-based, multitiered behavioral framework, such as positive
behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), can help improve overall
school climate and safety.\1\ A key aspect of this multitiered approach
is providing differing levels of support and interventions to students
based on their needs. Certain supports involve the whole school (e.g.,
consistent rules, consequences, and reinforcement of appropriate
behavior), with more intensive supports for groups of students
exhibiting at-risk behavior and individualized services for students
who continue to exhibit troubling behavior.
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\1\ Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C.W., Thornton, L.A., & Leaf, P.J.
(2009). Altering School Climate through School-Wide Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Findings from a Group-
Randomized Effectiveness Trial. Prevention Science.
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When a multitiered behavioral framework has been implemented with
fidelity, studies have found the following statistically significant
results: An increase in perceived school safety, reductions in overall
problem behaviors, reductions in bullying behaviors,\2\ and reductions
in office discipline referrals and suspensions.\3\ Studies have also
found a correlation between the use of multitiered behavioral
frameworks and improved social skills.\4\ Emerging evidence also links
implementing a multitiered behavioral framework with improved academic
achievement.\5\
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\2\ Bradshaw, C., Goldweber, A., Leaf, P., Pasa, E., &
Rosenberg, M. (2012). Integrating school-wide Positive Behavioral
Interventions and Supports with tier 2 coaching to student support
teams: The PBISplus model. Advances in School Mental Health
Promotion.
\3\ Bradshaw, C., Leaf, P., & Mitchell, M. (2009). Examining the
effects of schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled
effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive
Behavior Interventions.
\4\ Barrett, S.B., Bradshaw, C.P., & Lewis-Palmer, T. (2008).
Maryland statewide PBIS initiative: Systems, evaluation, and next
steps. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.
\5\ McIntosh, K., Bennett, J.L., & Price, K. (2011). Evaluation
of social and academic effects of school-wide positive behaviour
support in a Canadian school district. Exceptionality Education
International.
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Under this program, grant funds will help build SEA capacity to
assist LEAs develop, enhance, or expand their systems of support for,
and technical assistance to, schools implementing evidence-based
multitiered behavior frameworks for improving behavioral outcomes and
learning conditions for all students.
Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2018
grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from
the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance
with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA),
20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2018 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this
competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Grants to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to Implement Statewide
Systems of Support for Multitiered Behavioral Frameworks to Improve
School Climate.
Under this priority, we provide grants to SEAs to develop, enhance,
or expand statewide systems of support for, and provide technical
assistance to, LEAs implementing a multitiered behavioral framework to
improve school climate and behavioral outcomes for all students.
Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2018 and any subsequent
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications
from this competition, this priority is a competitive preference
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(1) we award an additional 5 points
to an application that meets this priority. An applicant must clearly
indicate in the abstract section of its application that it is applying
for the competitive preference priority. The Department may not review
or award points under this competitive preference priority for any
application that fails to do so.
This priority is:
Technical Assistance Related to Opioid Abuse and Prevention (5
points).
Under this priority, we will provide additional points to an
applicant that proposes a high-quality plan to incorporate opioid abuse
prevention and mitigation strategies into the menu of evidence-based
strategies available to LEAs implementing multitiered behavioral
frameworks. The plan should describe how the SEA will incorporate
outreach to LEAs with high levels of opioid use to promote adoption of
these strategies, as well as how the SEA will track the adoption and
effectiveness of these strategies. The plan may also include providing
technical assistance to or support for LEAs that implement or plan to
implement other relevant, high-quality approaches such as the
Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) student
assessment approach referenced in the 2018 President's Commission on
Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis report. The report can
be found be found at: www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Final_Report_Draft_11-15-2017.pdf. The plan could also address
the mental health needs of students who are negatively impacted by
family members who are (or have been) abusers. Applicants that receive
competitive preference points under this priority and are ultimately
awarded a School Climate Transformation Grant will finalize and
implement the high-quality plan described in response to this priority
post-award.
Requirements: We are establishing these program requirements and
application requirements for the FY 2018 grant competition and any
subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded
applications from this competition, in accordance with section
437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Program Requirements: Each grantee must implement a plan that--
(a) Builds SEA capacity for supporting the sustained and broad-
scale implementation with fidelity of a multitiered behavioral
framework by LEAs by--
(1) Improving the skills of SEA personnel to assist LEA
implementation of the components of a multitiered behavioral framework,
such as policies, funding, professional development, coaching, and
interagency coordination for providing services;
(2) Developing a cadre of trained and experienced SEA staff to
provide training and ongoing coaching to LEA leadership teams on the
multitiered behavioral framework; and
(3) Improving the quality, accessibility, and usefulness of
statewide data collection and analysis for the purposes related to the
State's strategies for improving school climate;
(b) Enhances LEA capacity for implementing with fidelity and
sustaining a multitiered behavioral framework by providing training and
technical assistance to LEAs on--
(1) Developing or improving the quality, accessibility, and
usefulness of LEA data collection and data-based decision making
related to improving school climate;
(2) Improving the skills and expertise of LEA personnel to develop,
implement with fidelity, and sustain a multitiered behavioral
framework; and
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(3) Using evidence-based practices and reliable and valid tools and
processes for evaluating the fidelity of implementation of the
multitiered behavioral framework, and for measuring its outcomes,
including reductions in discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions,
and the use of restraints and seclusion; improvements in school
climate; increases in instructional time; and improvements in overall
academic achievement; and
(c) Coordinates SEA efforts with appropriate Federal, State, and
local resources, including the PBIS Technical Assistance Center funded
by the Department.
Application Requirements: Applications that fail to meet any one of
these requirements will not be read or scored. The applicant must--
(a) Describe the current efforts by the SEA to support
implementation of a multitiered behavioral framework in its LEAs and
schools, as well as the need to implement, scale-up, and sustain such a
framework in additional LEAs and schools. The applicant must present
State and local data demonstrating this need, including, but not
limited to, the number and types of LEAs and schools that are currently
implementing a multitiered behavioral framework;
(b) Describe its plan to build, improve, or enhance SEA capacity to
provide effective training, technical assistance, and support to LEAs
and their schools on implementing a school-wide multitiered behavioral
framework, including: When and where to conduct technical assistance
activities; how to garner buy-in from participants and other
stakeholders; how to balance the time needed to deliver technical
assistance related to this grant with the time needed to deliver other
technical assistance and professional development activities; the
estimated number of LEAs that will be assisted; and how the SEA will
help build capacity for implementation at the local level;
(c) Describe how the proposed project will address the needs of
high-need LEAs (as defined in this notice), including those with
schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under
section 1111(d)(1) of the ESEA and schools identified for targeted
support and improvement under section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA; and
(d) Explain how the SEA's efforts to build LEA and school capacity
to implement, expand, and sustain a multitiered behavioral framework
will be coordinated with other SEA and LEA school safety and school
improvement efforts such as expanding access to mental health care or
reducing cyberbullying.
Definitions: We are establishing the definitions of ``high-need
LEA'' and ``multitiered behavioral framework'' in this notice for the
FY 2018 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). The
definition of ``evidence-based'' is from section 8101 of the ESEA.
Evidence-based, when used with respect to a State, LEA, or school
activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that--
(i) Demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving
student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on--
(I) Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-
implemented experimental study;
(II) Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-
implemented quasi-experimental study; or
(III) Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-
implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection
bias; or
(ii)(I) Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research
findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or
intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant
outcomes; and
(II) Includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such
activity, strategy, or intervention.
High-need LEA means an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 10,000
children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or (b) for
which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the LEA are
from families with incomes below the poverty line.
Multitiered behavioral framework means a school-wide structure used
to improve the integration and implementation of behavioral practices,
data-driven decision-making systems, professional development
opportunities, school leadership, supportive SEA and LEA policies, and
evidence-based instructional strategies.
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 priorities, definitions, and
requirements. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, however, allows the Secretary
to exempt from rulemaking requirements regulations governing the first
grant competition under a new or substantially revised program
authority. This is the first grant competition for this program under
Title IV, Part F, Subpart 3 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7281) and therefore
qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards,
the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on the priorities,
definitions, and requirements under section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These
priorities, definitions, and requirements will apply to the FY 2018
grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from
the list of unfunded applications from this competition.
Program Authority: Subpart 3 of Title IV, Part F of the ESEA (20
U.S.C. 7281).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 97,
98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR
part 3474.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $8,000,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2019 and subsequent
years from the list of unfunded applications from the competition
announced in this notice.
Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 to $750,000 per year for up to
5 years.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $750,000 for a
single budget period of 12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 16.
Authority: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its application.
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IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: For information on how to
submit an application please refer to our Common Instructions for
Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs,
published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and
available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
2. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, under 34
CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to make awards
by the end of FY 2018.
3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR 75.210. The maximum score for all selection criteria is 100
points. The points or weights assigned to each criterion are indicated
in parentheses. Non-Federal peer reviewers will evaluate and score each
application program narrative against the following selection criteria:
(a) Need for Project (20 points).
The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project. In
determining the need for the proposed project, the Secretary considers
the following factors:
(i) The magnitude or severity of the problem to be addressed by the
proposed project. (10 points)
(ii) 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. (10 points)
(b) Significance (10 points).
The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.
In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary
considers the potential contribution of the proposed project to
increased knowledge or understanding of educational problems, issues,
or effective strategies. (10 points)
(c) Quality of the Project Design (30 points).
The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed
project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed
project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) 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. (15 points)
(ii) The extent to which the design of the proposed project
reflects up-to-date knowledge from research and effective practice. (15
points)
(d) Quality of the Management Plan (20 points).
The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project. In determining the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the adequacy of
procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous improvement in the
operation of the proposed project. (20 points)
(e) Quality of the Project Evaluation (20 points).
The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be
conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the
evaluation, the Secretary considers 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. (20
points).
2. Review and Selection Process: 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
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.205, before awarding grants under this program the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
3474.10, the Secretary may impose specific conditions and, in
appropriate circumstances, high-risk 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 2 CFR part 200 subpart D; has not
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently
$150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
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); or we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your 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. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to
openly license
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to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in part, with
Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of modifications
to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those modifications
that can be separately identified and only to the extent that open
licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or other legal
restrictions on the use of pre-existing works. Additionally, a grantee
or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant funds must have a plan
to disseminate these public grant deliverables. This dissemination plan
can be developed and submitted after your application has been reviewed
and selected for funding. For additional information on the open
licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR 3474.20.
4. 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).
(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 multiyear 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 www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
5. Performance Measures: The Department has established the
following Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 performance
measures for the School Climate Transformation Grant Program--State
Educational Agency Grants:
(a) The number of training and technical assistance events provided
by the SEA School Climate Transformation Grant Program to assist LEAs
in implementing a multitiered behavioral framework.
(b) The number and percentage of schools in LEAs provided training
or technical assistance by the SEA School Climate Transformation Grant
Program that implement a multitiered behavioral framework.
(c) The number and percentage of LEAs provided training or
technical assistance by the SEA School Climate Transformation Grant
Program that implement a multitiered behavioral framework with
fidelity.
These measures constitute the Department's indicators of success
for this program. Consequently, we advise an applicant for a grant
under this program to give careful consideration to these measures in
conceptualizing the approach and evaluation for its proposed project.
Each grantee will be required to provide, in its annual performance and
final reports, data about its progress in meeting these measures. This
data will be considered by the Department in making continuation
awards.
Consistent with 34 CFR 75.591, grantees funded under this program
shall comply with the requirements of any evaluation of the program
conducted by the Department or an evaluator selected by the Department.
6. 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 in achieving the goals and
objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a
manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget;
and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement
requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved
application.
In making a continuation award, 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. 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.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations 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: July 23, 2018.
Frank T. Brogan,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-16005 Filed 7-25-18; 8:45 am]
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