00-31810. Bilingual Education: Program Development and Implementation Grants Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

Note to applicants:

This notice is a complete application package. Together with the statute authorizing the program and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), this notice contains all of the information, application forms, and instructions needed to apply for a grant under this program.

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to provide grants to develop and implement new comprehensive, coherent, and successful bilingual education or special alternative instructional programs for limited English proficient (LEP) students, including programs of early childhood education, kindergarten through twelfth grade education, gifted and talented education, and vocational and applied technology education.

Eligible Applicants: (1) One or more local educational agencies (LEAs); (2) one or more LEAs in collaboration with an institution of higher education (IHE), community-based organization (CBO), or a State educational agency (SEA); or (3) a CBO or an IHE that has an application approved by the LEA to develop and implement early childhood education or family education programs or to conduct an instructional program that supplements the educational services provided by an LEA.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 26, 2001.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: March 26, 2001.

Available Funds: $7.3 million.

Estimated Range of Awards: $100,000-$175,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $150,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 50.

Note:

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

Project Period: 36 months.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative yRegulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98,99; and (b) 34 CFR Part 299.

Description of Program

The statutory authorization for this program, and the application requirements that apply to this competition, are set out in sections 7112 and 7116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-382, enacted October 20, 1994 (the Act) (20 U.S.C. 7422 and 7426)).

The grants awarded under this section are to be used to improve the education of limited English proficient students and their families. Specifically, grantees are required to serve limited English proficient students by: (a) Developing and implementing comprehensive preschool, elementary, or secondary bilingual education or special alternative instructional programs that are coordinated with other relevant programs and services; and (b) providing in-service training to classroom teachers, administrators, and other school or community-based organizational personnel. Grantees may also implement family education programs, improve the instructional program, compensate personnel, and provide tutorials and academic or career counseling to limited English proficient students.

Priorities

Competitive Priority: The Secretary under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) and 34 CFR 299.3(b) gives preference to applications that meet the following competitive priority. The Secretary awards 5 points to an application that meets this competitive priority. These points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria for the program:

Projects that will contribute to systemic educational reform in an Empowerment Zone, including a Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise Community designated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the United States Department of Agriculture, and are made an integral part of the Zones or Community's comprehensive community revitalization strategies.

A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities is provided at the end of this notice.

Invitational Priorities: The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet one or more of the following invitational priorities. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) an application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other applications:

Invitational Priority 1—Reading

Projects that focus on assisting limited English proficient students to read independently and well by the end of third grade.

Invitational Priority 2—Mathematics

Projects that focus on assisting limited English proficient students to master challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra and geometry, by the end of eighth grade.

Invitational Priority 3—Preparation for Postsecondary Education

Projects that focus on motivating and academically preparing limited English proficient students for successful participation in college and other postsecondary education.

Invitational Priority 4—Safe and Drug-Free Schools

Projects that contribute to the creation and maintenance of a safe and drug-free learning environment for limited English proficient students by being made an integral part of a comprehensive school safety plan.

Information on developing and implementing a comprehensive school safety plan is found in the 1998 Annual Report on School Safety prepared by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice.

Selection Criteria

(a)(1) The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 and sections 7116 and 7123 of the Act to evaluate applications for new grants under this competition.

(2) The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points.

(3) The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(b)(1) Need for the project. (15 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 number of children and youth of limited English proficiency in the school or school district to be served, and

(ii) The characteristics of those children and youth, such as—

(A) Language spoken;

(B) Dropout rates;

(C) Proficiency in English and the native language;

(D) Academic standing in relation to the English proficient peers of those children and youth; and

(E) If applicable, the recency of immigration.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7426(g)(1)(A))

(2) Quality of the project design. (25 points) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.

(i) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(A) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.

(B) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs.

(C) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support rigorous academic standards for students.

(D) The extent to which the proposed project is designed to build capacity and yield results that will extend beyond the period of Federal financial assistance.

(E) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, State, and Federal resources.

(F) The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental involvement.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(c)(2) (i), (ii), (xii), (xvi), (xviii), and (xix)).

(3) Quality of project services. (15 points) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project.

(i) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(ii) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(A) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or beneficiaries of those services.

(B) The extent to which the training or professional development services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice among the recipients of those services.

(C) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as measured against rigorous academic standards.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210 (d), (1), (2), (3), (i), (v) and (vii)).

(4) Proficiency in English and another language. (3 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the proposed project will provide for the development of bilingual proficiency both in English and another language for all participating students.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7426(i)(1)).

(5) Quality of project personnel. (7 points) The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed project.

(i) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.

(ii) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(A) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of the project director or principal investigator.

(B) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(e)(1)-(3)(i) and (ii)).

(6) Adequacy of resources. (7 points) The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.

(i) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(A) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project.

(B) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.

(C) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the number of persons to be served and to the anticipated results and benefits.

(D) The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to such support.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(f)(1),(2),(iv),(v) and (vi)).

(7) Quality of the management plan. (13 points) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.

(i) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:

(A) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.

(B) The extent to which the time commitments of the project director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project.

(C) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate.

(Authority: 34 CFR 75.210(g)(1),(2)(i),(iv) and (v)).

(8) Quality of project evaluation plan. (15 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine how well the proposed project's evaluation will meet the following requirements:

(i) Student evaluation and assessment procedures must be valid, reliable, and fair for limited English proficient students.

(ii) The evaluation must include—

(A) How students are achieving the State student performance standards, if any, including data comparing children and youth of limited English proficiency with non-limited English proficient children and youth with regard to school retention, academic achievement, and gains in English (and, if applicable, native language) proficiency;

(B) Program implementation indicators that provide information for informing and improving program management and effectiveness, including data on appropriateness of curriculum in relationship to grade and course requirements, appropriateness of program management, appropriateness of the program's staff professional development, and appropriateness of the language of instruction; and

(C) Program context indicators that describe the relationship of the activities funded under the grant to the overall school program and other Federal, State, or local programs serving children and youth of limited English proficiency.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7426(h)(3) and 7433(c)(1)-(3))

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

One of the objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

If you are an applicant, you must contact the appropriate State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about, and to comply with, the State's process under Executive Order 12372. If you propose to perform activities in more than one State, you should immediately contact the SPOC for each of those States and follow the procedure established in each state under the Executive order. If you want to know the name and address of any SPOC, see the list published in the Federal Register on April 29, 1999 (64 FR 22963); or you may view the latest SPOC list on the OMB Web site at the following address: http://www.whitehouse.gov/​omb/​grants.

In States that have not established a process or chosen a program for review, State, area-wide, regional and local entities may submit comments directly to the Department.

Any State Process Recommendation and other comments submitted by a SPOC and any comments from State, areawide, regional, and local entitles must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in this application notice to the following address: The Secretary, E.O. 12372—CFDA#84.288S, U.S. Department of Education, room 6213, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-0125.

Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as applications (see 34 CFR 75.102). Recommendations or comments may be hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on the date indicated in this notice.

Please note that the above address is not the same address as the one to which the applicant submits its completed application. Do not send applications to the above address.

Instructions for Transmittal of Applications

Note:

Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting applications differ from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not required.

Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

The U.S. Department of Education is expanding its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to include certain formula grant programs, as well as additional discretionary grant competitions. The Program Development and Implementation Grants Program—CFDA #84.288S is one of the programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Program Development and Implementation Grants Program, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or paper format.

The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant Application System (e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS) portion of the Grant Administration and Payment System (GAPS). We request your participation in this pilot project. We shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for improvement.

If you participate in this e-APPLICATION pilot, please note the following:

• Your participation is voluntary.
• You will not receive any additional point value or penalty because you submit a grant application in electronic or paper format.
• You can submit all documents electronically, including the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
• Fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424) after following these steps:

1. Print ED 424 from the e-APPLICATION system.

2. Make sure that the institution's Authorizing Representative signs this form.

3. Before faxing this form, submit your electronic application via the e-APPLICATION system. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award number (an identifying number unique to your application).

4. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of ED 424.

5. Fax ED 424 to the Application Control Center within three working days of submitting your electronic application. We will indicate a fax number in e-APPLICATION at the time of your submission.

• We may request that you give us original signatures on all other forms at a later date.

You may access the electronic grant application for the Program Development and Implementation Grants Programs at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We have included additional information about the e-APPLICATION pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic Applications) elsewhere in this notice.

If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you must meet the following deadline requirements:

(A) If You Send Your Application by Mail

You must mail the original and two copies of the application on or before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA # 84.288S, Washington, DC 20202-4725.

You must show one of the following as proof of mailing:

(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.

If you mail an 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.

(B) If You Deliver Your Application by Hand

You or your courier must hand deliver the original and two copies of the application by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on or before the deadline date to: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: CFDA # 84.288S, Room 3633, Regional Office Building 3, 7th and D Streets, SW., Washington, DC.

The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time), except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays. The Center accepts application deliveries through the D Street entrance only. A person delivering an application must show identification to enter the building.

(C) If You Submit Your Application Electronically

You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided on the e-Grants Web site (http://e-grants.ed.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, DC time) on the deadline date.

The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight (Washington, DC time) Monday-Friday and 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saturdays. The system is unavailable on the second Saturday of every month, Sundays, and Federal holidays. Please note that on Wednesdays the Web site is closed for maintenance at 7:00 p.m. (Washington, DC time).

Notes:

(1) 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.

(2) If you send your application by mail or deliver it by hand or by a courier service, the Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from the date of mailing the application, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at [phone].

(3) You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 3 of the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED Form 424; revised November 12, 1999) CFDA #84.288S as the competition under which you are submitting your application.

(4) If you submit your application through the Internet via the e-Grants Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgment when we receive your application.

Application Instructions and Forms

The appendix to this notice contains the following forms and instructions, plus a statement regarding estimated public reporting burden, a checklist for applicants, various assurances, certifications, and required documentation:

a. Instructions for Application Narrative.

b. Additional Guidance.

c. Estimated Public Reporting Burden.

d. Notice to All Applicants (OMB No. 1801-0004).

e. Checklist for Applicants.

f. Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424) and instructions.

g. Budget Information—Non-Construction Programs (ED 524) and instructions.

h. Group Application Certification.

i. Student Data.

j. Project Documentation.

k. Assurances—Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B) and instructions.

l. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (ED 80-0013) and instructions.

m. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion: Lower Tier Covered Transactions (ED 80-0014) and instructions.

Note:

ED 80-0014 is intended for the use of grantees and should not be transmitted to the Department.

n. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF LLL) (if applicable) and instructions. This document has been marked to reflect statutory changes. See the notice published in the Federal Register (61 FR 1413) by the Office of Management and Budget on January 19, 1996. Notice may be accessed through the following Internet address: http://ofco.ed.gov/​fedreg.htm.

An applicant may submit information on a photostatic copy of the application and budget forms, the assurances, and the certifications. However, the application form, the assurances, and the certifications must each have an original signature.

All applicants must submit ONE original signed application, including ink signatures on all forms and assurances, and TWO copies of the application. Please mark each application as “original” or “copy.” No grant may be awarded unless a completed application has been received.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

James (Jim) Lockhart, Telephone [phone]; Ki Lee, Telephone: [phone]; or Ursula Lord, Telephone: [phone]. Written inquiries may be addressed to the above at U.S. Department of Education, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this notice in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer diskette) on request to one of the contact persons listed in the preceding paragraph. Please note, however, that the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the notice.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/​fedreg.htm;​; http://www.ed.gov/​news.html.

To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office toll free at 1-800-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at [phone].

Note:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on the GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/​nara/​index.html.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7422.

Dated: December 8, 2000.

Art Love,

Acting Director, Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs.

Estimated Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is OMB No. 1885-0538 (Expiration Date: 12/31/2001). The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 80 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651.

If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5622, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-6510.

Application Instructions

Parity Guidelines Between Paper and Electronic Applications

The Department of Education is expanding the pilot project, which began in FY 2000, that allows applicants to use an Internet-based electronic system for submitting applications. This competition is among those that have an electronic submission option available to all applicants. The system, called e-APPLICATION, formerly e-GAPS (Electronic Grant Application Package System), allows an applicant to submit a grant application to us electronically, using a current version of the applicant's Internet browser. To see e-APPLICATION visit the following address: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

In an effort to ensure parity and a similar look between applications transmitted electronically and applications submitted in conventional paper form, e-APPLICATION has an impact on all applicants under this competition.

Users of e-APPLICATION, a data driven system, will be entering data on-line while completing their applications. This will be more interactive than just e-mailing a soft copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application electronically, the data you enter on-line will go into a database and ultimately will be accessible in electronic form to our reviewers.

This pilot project is another step in the Department's transition to an electronic grant award process. In addition to e-APPLICATION, the Department is conducting a limited pilot of electronic peer review (e-READER) and electronic annual performance reporting (e-REPORTS).

To help ensure parity and a similar look between electronic and paper copies of grant applications, we are asking each applicant that submits a paper application to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Submit your application on 81/2″ by 11″ paper.
• Leave a 1-inch margin on all sides.
• Use consistent font throughout your document. You may also use boldface type, underlining, and italics. However, please do not use colored text.
• Please use black and white, also, for illustrations, including charts, tables, graphs and pictures.
• For the narrative component, your application should consist of the number and text of each selection criterion followed by the narrative. The text of the selection criterion, if included, does not count against any page limitation.
• Place a page number at the bottom right of each page beginning with 1; and number your pages consecutively throughout your document.

Mandatory Page Limit for the Application Narrative

The narrative is the section of the application where you address the selection criteria used by reviewers in evaluating your application. You must limit the narrative to the equivalent of no more than 35 pages, using the following standards:

(1) A page is 8.5″ × 11″, on one side only with 1″ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

(2) Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (character per inch).

The page limit does not apply to the Application for Federal Education Assistance Form (ED 424); the Budget Information Form (ED 524) and attached itemization of costs; the other application forms and attachments to those forms; the assurances and certifications; the text of the selection criteria; or the one-page abstract and table of contents described below. The page limit applies only to item 14 in the Checklist for Applicants provided below.

We will reject your application if—

You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or

You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.

Abstract

The narrative section should be preceded by a one-page abstract that includes a short description of the population to be served by the project, project objectives, and planned project activities.

Selection Criteria

The narrative should address fully all aspects of the selection criteria in the order listed and should give detailed information regarding each criterion. Do not simply paraphrase the criteria. Do not include resumes or curriculum vitae for project personnel; provide position descriptions instead. Do not include bibliographies, letters of support, or appendices in your application.

Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Priority

Applicants that wish to be considered under the competitive priority for Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, as specified in a previous section of this notice, should identify in Section D of the Project Documentation Form the applicable Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community. The application narrative should describe the extent to which the proposed project will contribute to systemic educational reform in the particular Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community and be an integral part of the Zones or Communities comprehensive revitalization strategies. A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities is provided at the end of this notice.

Additional Guidance

Table of Contents

The application should include a table of contents listing the various parts of the narrative in the order of the selection criteria. Be sure that the table includes the page numbers where the parts of the narrative are found.

Budget

Budget line items must support the goals and objectives of the proposed project and must be directly related to the instructional design and all other project components.

Final Application Preparation

Use the Checklist for Applicants to verify that your application is complete. Submit three copies of the application, including an original copy containing an original signature for each form requiring the signature of the authorized representative. Do not use elaborate bindings or covers. The application package must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Application Control Center (ACC) and postmarked by the deadline date.

Submission of Application to State Educational Agency

Section 7116(a)(2) of the authorizing statute (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994, Pub. L. 103-382) requires all applicants except schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to submit a copy of their application to their State educational agency (SEA) for review and comment (20 U.S.C. 7426(a)(2)). Section 75.156 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) requires these applicants to submit their application to the SEA on or before the deadline date for submitting their application to the Department of Education. This section of EDGAR also requires applicants to attach to their application a copy of their letter that requests the SEA to comment on the application (34 CFR 75.156). A copy of this letter should be attached to the Project Documentation Form contained in this application package. Applicants that do not submit a copy of their application to their state educational agency in accordance with these statutory and regulatory requirements will not be considered for funding.

Checklist for Applicants

The following forms and other items must be included in the application in the order listed below:

1. Application for Federal Education Assistance Form (ED 424).

2. Group Application Certification Form (if applicable).

3. Budget Information Form (ED 524).

4. Itemization of costs for each budget year.

5. Student Data Form.

6. Project Documentation Form, including:

Section A—Copy of transmittal letter to SEA requesting SEA to comment on the application;

Section B—Documentation of consultation with nonprofit private school officials;

Section C—Appropriate box checked;

Section D—Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community identified (if applicable).

7. Assurances—Non-Construction Programs Form (SF 424B).

8. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements Form (ED 80-0013).

9. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion—Lower Tier Covered Transactions Form (ED 80-0014) (if applicable).

10. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities Form (SF LLL).

11. Information that addresses section 427 of the General Education Provisions Act. (See the form below entitled Notice to All Applicants.)

12. One-page abstract.

13. Table of Contents.

14. Application narrative, not to exceed 35 pages.

15. One original and two copies of the application for transmittal to the Education Department's Application Control Center.