2014-09867. Application for New Awards; National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth  

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    AGENCY:

    Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.

    ACTION:

    Notice.

    Overview Information

    National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth

    Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.305C.

    DATES:

    Request for Applications Available: April 28, 2014.

    Applications Available: May 29, 2014.

    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 29, 2014.

    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2014.

    Full Text of Announcement

    I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth is to conduct research on improving academic outcomes for underserved students with Start Printed Page 24405high academic potential. These students (often low-income students, racial/ethnic minority students, English learners, students living in small towns or rural communities, and/or students with disabilities) are disproportionally underrepresented in programs for students with high academic potential in the United States. In its first two years, the Center will focus on studying the implementation of at least two or three academic programs established to serve these students and the ways in which students are identified, selected into, and participate in these academic programs. The Center will explore how these academic programs and their selection procedures relate to student academic outcomes (i.e., achievement in the core academic content areas). Also, in the second year, the Center will submit an impact evaluation plan to the Institute describing the programs and procedures to be evaluated from among those identified as promising during the Center's first two years, the evaluation designs to be used, and evidence of a willingness to collaborate in the evaluation by state and local education agencies.

    Third, Fourth, and Fifth Years of the Project

    If the evaluation plan is accepted, the Center will use the third to fifth years to evaluate the impact of programs and procedures, identified as promising by the exploratory research, on student academic outcomes. In deciding whether to continue funding the project for the third, fourth, and fifth years, the Director will consider:

    (a) The recommendation of a scientific peer review team that the Center's proposed impact evaluation plan be accepted by the Institute, and

    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all existing requirements of the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the Center.

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    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.

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    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department debarment and suspension regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The EDGAR regulations in 34 CFR part 75, except for 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)-(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230.

    Note:

    The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

    II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.

    Estimated Available Funds: $1 million.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 1

    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes an annual budget exceeding $1 million in any of the 5 potential years of the project period.

    Note:

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

    Project Period: Up to 24 months based on performance and up to an additional 36 months based on performance and review of a follow-up evaluation plan.

    III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Applicants that have the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to apply. Institutions of higher education and state education agencies that meet these criteria may apply individually, jointly, or in combination with any other organizations. Other public or private (non-profit or for-profit) organizations may apply only in combination with at least one institution of higher education or at least one state education agency.

    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

    IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Request for Applications (RFA) and Other Information: Information regarding program and application requirements for the competition will be contained in the NCER RFA, which will be available on or before April 28, 2014, at the following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/​funding/​.

    The application package for this competition will be available on May 29, 2014.

    The selection criteria, requirements concerning the content of an application, and review procedures for the competition are contained in the RFA.

    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application are in the RFA for the specific competition. The forms that must be submitted are in the application package for the specific competition.

    3. Submission Dates and Times:

    Request for Applications Available: April 28, 2014.

    Applications Available: May 29, 2014.

    Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 29, 2014.

    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 22, 2014.

    The application package for this competition may be obtained from the Grants.gov Apply (www.Grants.gov) site and applications must be submitted electronically to that site. For information 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 V. part 1.

    Electronic Submission of Applications in this notice.

    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline and electronic submission requirements in this notice.

    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 VIII of this notice and the chart at the end 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.

    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.

    5. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and System for Award Management: To do business with the Department of Education, you must—

    a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);

    b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award Management (SAM)—the Government's primary registrant database;

    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and

    d. Maintain an active SAM 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-to-two business days.

    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.Start Printed Page 24406

    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note:

    Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, 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 registration annually. This may take three or more business days.

    Information about SAM is available at SAM.gov. To further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet, which you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​sam-faqs.html.

    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/​web/​grants/​register.html.

    V. Other Submission Requirements

    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

    1. Electronic Submission of Applications

    Applications for grants under the Education Research and Development Centers competition, CFDA Number 84.305C 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 Education Research and Development Centers competition at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.305, not 84.305C).

    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 competition 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: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 Research & Related (R&R)) and the other R&R forms including, Project Performance Site Locations, Other Project Information, Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded), Research and Related Budget (Total Federal and Non-Federal), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
    • You must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document) read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not attempt to attach and 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, your application will be rejected with errors by Grants.gov and we will not review that material.
    • 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, you can email the Grants.gov Support Desk at support@grants.gov or call for support at 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., Start Printed Page 24407Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

    If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VIII 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: Ellie Pelaez, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue NW., Room 602e, Washington, DC 20208. FAX: (202) 219-1466.

    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

    2. 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: 84.305C), 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.

    3. 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: 84.305C), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, 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 10 of the SF 424 (R&R) 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.

    VI. Application Review Information

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are provided in the RFA. Note, IES programs are exempt from rulemaking requirements, pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 9581.

    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 of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).

    3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system that does not meet the standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.

    VII. 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 Start Printed Page 24408(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. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget to attend an annual three-day meeting for project directors to be held in Washington, DC, a two-day November 2014 meeting of grantees under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education program to be held in either Baltimore or Washington, DC, and a one-day meeting in Washington, DC, in the second year of the grant to discuss the evaluation plan for the last three years of the project.

    4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under one of the competitions announced in this notice, 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 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 www.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​appforms/​appforms.html.

    5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its education research grant program, the Institute annually assesses the number of IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving student outcomes including school readiness, academic outcomes (reading, writing, mathematics, and science), high school graduation and dropout, postsecondary enrollment and completion, and in enhancing teacher characteristics that have been shown to have a positive effect on student outcomes.

    The data for these annual measures are based on What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews of initial findings on interventions from Institute research grants, such as findings that will have been presented as papers at a convention or working papers provided to the Institute by its grantees. The WWC reviews these reports and rates them using the WWC published standards to determine whether the evidence from these research grants meets evidence standards of the WWC and demonstrates a statistically significant positive effect in improving the relevant outcome.

    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 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).

    VIII. Agency Contacts

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    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Dr. Wai-Ying Chow at Wai-Ying.Chow@ed.gov or Dr. Corinne Alfeld at Corinne.Alfeld@ed.gov.

    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

    IX. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the RFA in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the appropriate program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VIII of this notice.

    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/​fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 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.

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    Dated: April 25, 2014.

    John Q. Easton,

    Director, Institute of Education Sciences.

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    [FR Doc. 2014-09867 Filed 4-29-14; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 4000-01-P

Document Information

Published:
04/30/2014
Department:
Education Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice.
Document Number:
2014-09867
Dates:
Request for Applications Available: April 28, 2014.
Pages:
24404-24408 (5 pages)
PDF File:
2014-09867.pdf