[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39369-39374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-14383]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.359A (Pre-Application) and 84.359B (Full Application]
Early Reading First Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2002
SUMMARY: The Secretary invites applications for new grant awards for FY
2002 for the Early Reading First Program. These grants are authorized
by subpart 2, part B, title I, of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act,
Public Law 107-110. The Secretary also announces final procedures,
requirements, and priorities for this competition.
Purpose of Program
The purpose of the Early Reading First Program is to create
preschool centers of excellence by improving the instruction and
classroom environment of early childhood programs that are located in
urban or rural high-poverty communities and that serve primarily
children from low-income families. These programs will provide
preschool age children, including children with disabilities and
children with limited English proficiency, with high-quality
environments and early reading curricula and activities, based on
scientifically based reading research, to support the age-appropriate
development of: oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness,
and alphabetic knowledge. These activities (with tactile and
communication accommodations for children with disabilities, as
appropriate), in combination with professional development based on
scientific research and with screening assessments, will form an
integrated, coherent instructional program that will further children's
language and literacy skills and prevent them from encountering reading
difficulties when they enter school.
These grants complement the Reading First State Grants Program,
which provides support for high-quality, scientifically based
classroom-focused reading instruction for kindergarten through grade
three. The Early Reading First Program is joined by several other
significant endeavors that are designed to enhance the school readiness
of young children, such as the Department's Early Childhood Educator
Professional Development Grants Program, which is designed to improve
the knowledge and skills of early childhood educators, and the
Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research Grants Program, which will
implement rigorous evaluations of preschool curricula to provide
information to support informed choices of classroom curricula for
early childhood programs.
Early Reading First grants will help support the President's new
Early Childhood Initiative, by strengthening early learning
environments and instruction for young children. These grants also will
support that initiative by helping ensure that preschool programs are
more closely coordinated with State educational goals, including goals
for kindergarten through grade 12, so that there is continuity with
formal school instruction and so that what children are doing before
they enter school is aligned with what is expected of them once they
are in school.
Early Reading First grants will use research-based strategies to
generate information about effective practices in providing children
with the essential language, literacy, and cognitive experiences that
will best prepare them for later school success. The Department plans
to disseminate information about Early Reading First projects that
prove to be effective models for early childhood education.
Applications Available: June 7, 2002.
Deadline for Receipt of Applications: Pre-Application: July 15,
2002 (by 4:30 p.m., if hand delivered). Full Application (for invited
applicants only): October 11, 2002 (by 4:30 p.m., if hand delivered)
(which is at least 6 weeks after the date applicants will be invited to
submit Full Applications).
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: December 10, 2002.
Estimated Available Funds: $75,000,000.
Estimated Range of Awards (per year): $250,000-$1,500,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards (per year): $425,000 (based on 175
awards).
Estimated Number of Awards: 50--300.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to three years.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As the President's new Early Childhood Initiative recognizes,
research demonstrates the strong relationship between high-quality
educational experiences for children before kindergarten and their
later success in school. The National Research Council report,
Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (1998), concludes
that the majority of reading problems faced by today's adolescents and
adults could have been avoided or resolved in the early years of
childhood. The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes report (June 1999),
partially funded by the Department, concludes that children's cognitive
and social competence in the second grade can be predicted by the
experiences that they had four years previously in child care, even
after taking into account kindergarten and first-grade classroom
experiences. The report also found that
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children who have traditionally been at risk for not doing well in
school are more affected by the quality of child care experiences than
are other children.
Early Reading First grants will help meet this challenge by funding
projects that demonstrate the capacity to provide high-quality,
research-based experiences in language and early literacy for preschool
age children. These grants will improve the instruction and environment
of programs primarily serving young children living in poverty, in
programs such as Title I preschools and schoolwide programs, Head
Start, Even Start Family Literacy programs, and publicly funded or
subsidized child care.
Early Reading First projects must provide the following activities,
with accommodations as needed for children with disabilities: High-
quality oral language and print-rich environments; professional
development for staff based on scientifically based reading research
knowledge of language, cognitive, and early reading development that
will assist in developing preschool age children's oral language,
phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge;
activities and instructional materials based on scientifically based
reading research for use in developing language, cognitive, and early
reading skills; acquisition, training, and implementation of screening
reading assessments; and integration of the instructional materials,
activities, tools, and measures into the applicant's overall programs.
These activities, required by section 1222(d) of the ESEA, are more
specifically described in the application guide.
The Secretary is particularly interested in Early Reading First
projects that will serve a significant number of children with special
needs, including those with disabilities and those with limited English
proficiency. These programs would provide those children access,
through appropriate accommodations, to the same high-quality
environments and early reading curricula and activities based on
scientifically based reading research as would be provided to children
without special needs, to support their age-appropriate development of
oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabetic
knowledge.
Eligible Applicants
(1) One or more local educational agencies (LEAs) identified as
being eligible on the list of ``Eligible LEAs'' on the Department's Web
site at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/earlyreading/index.html; (2) one
or more public or private organizations or agencies located in a
community served by one of those LEAs, which organization or agency is
acting on behalf of one or more programs (which may include themselves)
that serve young children, such as a Head Start program, a child care
program, an Even Start program; or (3) one or more of the eligible
LEAs, applying in collaboration with one or more of the eligible
organizations or agencies. In addition to obtaining the list of
``Eligible LEAs'' from the Department's Web site, the public may obtain
that list by contacting one of the individuals identified below under
FOR APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Definitions
As defined for the Early Reading First Program under section
1221(b)(2) and (3) of the ESEA, the terms listed have the following
meanings:
(1) The term ``scientifically based reading research,'' as defined
in section 1208--(6) of the ESEA, means research that--
(A) applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to
obtain valid knowledge relevant to reading development, reading
instruction, and reading difficulties; and
(B) includes research that--
(i) employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation
or experiment;
(ii) involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the
stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
(iii) relies on measurements or observational methods that provide
valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple
measurements and observations; and
(iv) has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a
panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective,
and scientific review.
(2) The term ``screening reading assessment,'' as defined in
section 1208(7)(B) of the ESEA, means an assessment that is--
(i) valid, reliable, and based on scientifically based reading
research; and
(ii) a brief procedure designed as a first step in identifying
children who may be at high risk for delayed development or academic
failure and in need of further diagnosis of their need for special
services or additional reading instruction.
Applicability of Regulations
The following provisions of the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) contained in Title 34 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) apply to these Early Reading First Program
grants: 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and
99.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking
It is the Secretary's practice, in accordance with the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), to offer interested
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed rules that are not taken
directly from statute. Ordinarily, this practice would have applied to
the priorities and requirements in this notice. Section 437(d)(1) of
the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA), however, exempts from this
requirement rules that apply to the first competition under a new or
substantially revised program. The Secretary, in accordance with
section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, has decided to forgo public comment with
respect to the rules in this grant competition in order to ensure
timely awards. These rules will apply only to the FY 2002 grant
competition.
Application Process
The FY 2002 Early Reading First grant competition will be conducted
through a Pre-Application and Full Application process. All applicants
must submit a Pre-Application, which must include a narrative that
briefly describes the existing preschool program(s) to be supported and
improved with Early Reading First funds, and then addresses four key
concepts related to the proposed project that are described below under
Pre-Application Selection Criteria. In addition, the Pre-Application
must include an estimated budget and brief budget justification. The
Pre-Application is limited to: 2 double-spaced pages for describing the
context, 10 double-spaced pages to address the selection criteria and
priorities, and 3 double-spaced pages for the budget justification,
with formatting requirements and limited appendices that are described
in the application guide.
The Secretary, through a peer review panel of experts convened
under section 1203(c)(2) of the ESEA in accordance with section 1222(c)
of the ESEA, will evaluate each Pre-Application based upon the Pre-
Application selection criteria and three competitive priorities
included in this notice. The Secretary will invite those applicants to
submit Full Applications whose Pre-Applications the peer review panel
rate
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highly in the competitive Pre-Application review process and recommend
as having the potential to become successful projects. The Department
will inform applicants of the outcome of the Pre-Application phase.
The Full Application must include a narrative addressing the Full
Application selection criteria, a budget, and a budget narrative. Those
Full Application selection criteria are different than the Pre-
Application selection criteria. The Secretary, through a separate peer
review panel of experts also convened under section 1203(c)(2) of the
ESEA in accordance with section 1222(c) of the ESEA, will evaluate each
Full Application based upon the Full Application selection criteria and
Full Application competitive priority included in this notice. The Full
Application is limited to: 35 pages for the narrative, and 5 pages for
the budget narrative, with formatting requirements and limited
appendices that are described in the application guide.
The Secretary will select applicants for funding based on the
quality of the Full Applications and the recommendations of the Full
Application peer review panel. The Secretary will consider for funding
only those applications that the peer review panel recommends as
demonstrating the greatest potential for creating improvements in early
childhood education programs and for becoming successful projects that
are centers of excellence for early learning.
In making funding decisions, the Department will use the procedures
in EDGAR, 34 CFR 75.217, which may include the use of on-site reviews
for some or all Full Applications following the peer review process.
When making awards, the Secretary may take into consideration other
information that is relevant to obtaining a variety of types of funded
projects and an equitable distribution of awards throughout the nation,
such as geographical representation, location in high-need urban and
rural areas, project size, and type of program. The Department
anticipates making final awards in December 2002.
Pre-Application Priorities
Pre-Application Competitive Priorities
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2), the Secretary gives three separate
competitive preferences to Pre-Applications as follows:
Pre-Application Competitive Priority 1--State Educational System
Partnership
Early Reading First projects that are operated by a partnership
that includes at least the following two partners: (1) a State
educational agency (SEA) or a local educational agency (LEA) (or both);
and (2) a preschool that is not under the administrative control of an
LEA. The Secretary considers a preschool to be under the administrative
control of an LEA for the purpose of this competitive priority if the
LEA is the fiscal agent, operates, supervises, controls, or manages the
preschool. A preschool that is located in a school or LEA building is
not necessarily under the administrative control of an LEA.
Programs that form new qualifying partnerships for Early Reading
First will meet this priority, as will programs operated through
existing partnerships between LEAs and preschools that are not under
the administrative control of an LEA. To qualify for points under this
first Pre-Application competitive priority, at least one partner must
qualify as an eligible applicant. In addition, to qualify under this
competitive priority all preschools that will be supported by the
proposed Early Reading First project must be located in a community
served by an eligible LEA or primarily serve children who will attend
kindergarten in an eligible LEA (see list of eligible LEAs on the
Department's Web site listed above under ``Eligible Applicants'').
Note: (Eligible applicants that meet this competitive priority,
if invited to submit a Full Application, must attach a Partnership
Agreement to the Full Application that describes the specific
responsibilities and roles each partner will have with respect to
the Early Reading First project.)
An application that meets this first Pre-Application competitive
priority would receive 10 points in the Pre-Application portion of the
grant competition. These points are in addition to any points the
applicant earns under the Pre-Application selection criteria and any
other Pre-Application competitive priority.
This competitive priority is designed to: Ensure that the preschool
programs supported with Early Reading First funds are closely
coordinated and aligned with the State's kindergarten through grade 12
(K-12) educational system and goals; enhance collaboration and
instructional continuity between those preschools and the elementary
schools children will enter after preschool; and give State and local
support to preschools not part of the State K-12 public education
system.
Pre-Application Competitive Priority 2--Children from Low-Income
Families
The preschool program(s) to be supported by the proposed Early
Reading First project primarily serve children from low-income
families.
An application that meets this second Pre-Application competitive
priority would receive from 0-15 points in the Pre-Application portion
of this grant competition, based on the applicant's demonstration of
the degree to which the program serves children from low-income
families. These points are in addition to any points the applicant
earns under the Pre-Application selection criteria or any other Pre-
Application competitive priority.
When awarding points, the Secretary will consider the relative
percentage of children from low-income families. Applicants must
include in their Early Reading First Program Pre-Application Narrative
a description of the preschool program(s) to be served by the proposed
project, which includes demographic and socioeconomic information on
the preschool age children enrolled in those programs. Applicants may
use data of their choice to demonstrate that the preschool age children
primarily are from low-income families. For example, an applicant may
use such information such as census data, the percentage of children
receiving a free or reduced price lunch, or other similar measures of
poverty to demonstrate the percentage of children from low-income
families. The Secretary will consider the different definitions of
poverty used in these data sources in determining the extent to which a
project primarily serves children from low-income families.
This competitive priority is designed to ensure that Early Reading
First funds are used to support local efforts to enhance the early
language, literacy, and prereading development, particularly of
preschool children who are from low-income families.
Pre-Application Competitive Priority 3--Novice Applicant
The applicant is a novice applicant (or a group of novice
applicants) under 34 CFR 75.225 that is otherwise eligible to apply
under this competition. A ``novice applicant'' under 34 CFR 75.225
means the following for this Pre-Application competitive priority: an
applicant that has not had an active discretionary grant from the
Federal Government in the five years before the deadline date for the
Pre-Application in this grant competition. For the purposes of this
requirement, a grant is active until the end of the grant's project or
funding period, including any
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extensions of those periods that extend the grantee's authority to
obligate funds. In the case of applications from more than one eligible
applicant (that is, a group application), every eligible applicant must
be a novice applicant to meet this Pre-Application competitive
priority.
This competitive priority is included to broaden and diversify the
pool of qualified applicants and provide greater opportunities for
inexperienced applicants with high-quality applications to receive
funding. An application that meets this third Pre-Application
competitive priority would receive 5 points in the competition. These
points are in addition to any points the applicant earns under the Pre-
Application selection criteria or any other Pre-Application competitive
priority.
Full Application Priority
Under 34 CFR 75.225, the Secretary gives a competitive priority to
Full Applications as follows:
Full Application Competitive Priority--Novice Applicant
The applicant is a novice applicant (or a group of novice
applicants) under 34 CFR 75.225 that is otherwise eligible to apply
under this competition. A ``novice applicant'' under 34 CFR 75.225
means the following for this initial competition in the new Early
Reading First Program: an applicant that has not had an active
discretionary grant from the Federal Government in the five years
before the deadline date for a Full Application under this grant
competition. For the purposes of this requirement, a grant is active
until the end of the grant's project or funding period, including any
extensions of those periods that extend the grantee's authority to
obligate funds. In the case of applications from more than one eligible
applicant (that is, a group application), every eligible applicant must
be a novice applicant to meet this Full Application competitive
priority.
This competitive priority is included to broaden and diversify the
pool of qualified applicants and provide greater opportunities for
inexperienced applicants with high-quality applications to receive
funding. An application that meets this Full Application competitive
priority would receive 5 points in the competition. These points are in
addition to any points the applicant earns under the selection
criteria.
Pre-Application Selection Criteria
The Secretary will use the following selection criteria in
accordance with 34 CFR 75.200(b)(2) and 75.209 to evaluate Pre-
Applications under this grant competition. The maximum score for all of
these selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each
criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the criterion.
Applicants must first use up to two (2) pages of their applications
to describe the context of the existing early childhood education
programs serving preschool age children (preschool programs) that they
propose to support with Early Reading First funds. The Secretary
recommends that, in the case of center-based programs, applicants
generally include no more than a total of 5 centers to ensure that
funds are sufficiently concentrated to achieve the program goals. This
description must include the following information: the ages and number
of children being served; demographic and socioeconomic information on
those children; information on the type of special needs that any of
the children may have; the average hours the children attend the
program (hours/day, days/week, and months/year); primary funding
source(s) for the program; the basic instructional program; and the
number of staff and their qualifications.
In addition to the 2-page context description, applicants must also
include, in the Appendix to the Pre-Application: (1) A list of the
names and addresses of the preschool programs that the Early Reading
First project will support, and, if the applicant intends to qualify
under Pre-Application Competitive Priority 1 (State Educational System
Partnership), the name of the eligible LEA in which each preschool is
located or the name(s) of the eligible LEA(s) in which the
kindergartens are located that the preschool age children primarily
will attend; and (2) a one-page organizational chart showing the
relationship between the members of the project proposal, which
indicates the eligible applicant(s), the fiscal agent, and the
preschools to be served.
Each applicant must then use no more than a total of 10 additional
pages to address the following selection criteria and Pre-Application
Competitive Priority 2 (Children from Low-Income Families). (Pre-
Application Competitive Priority 1 (State Educational System
Partnership) and Pre-Application Competitive Priority 3 (Novice
Applicant) will be addressed by separate forms in the application
package.)
Selection Criteria
(1) Vision (up to 25 points): Starting from the context of the
existing early childhood education program(s) that the Early Reading
First project would support, applicants must describe their vision for
what those programs would look like if they were to become centers of
educational excellence. Using the scientific reading research upon
which their vision is based, applicants must describe the overall goals
for their proposed Early Reading First project.
In evaluating the response to this first Pre-Application selection
criterion, the Secretary will consider the clarity, creativity,
comprehensiveness, and feasibility of the overall vision. The Secretary
also will consider how well the goals reflect the vision, and the
extent to which those goals incorporate high expectations, based on
scientific research, for improvements in the early learning
environment, curricula, teacher instruction, and enhancing children's
language, cognitive, and early reading skills.
(2) Key Research and Program Design (up to 40 points): Applicants
must discuss the key scientifically based research in the areas of
language, cognitive, and early reading development for preschool age
children, and include citations to the sources of that research.
Applicants must tie that research to their program design by explaining
the research-based strategies they would use, and the changes they
would make, which appropriately address the needs of all children in
the project including children with special needs, in each of the
following core areas: classroom environment, professional development,
curricula and instruction, and on-going screening assessment or other
appropriate measures to monitor the children's progress. Applicants
must explain any changes that they would make in the amount of time the
program spends on developing children's language, cognition, and early
reading skills, and how they would engage parents in helping with their
children's development in those areas.
In evaluating the response to this second Pre-Application selection
criterion, the Secretary will consider the relevance and rigor of the
research cited, and how well the program design clearly links the
proposed strategies with the major findings of up-to-date
scientifically based reading research about best practices in language,
cognitive, and early reading development. These best practices may
include, for example, how the Early Reading First project will create
high-quality print-rich environments, use on-going intensive
professional development for preschool staff, support children's
learning through explicit and
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scaffolded instruction in phonological awareness, oral language skills,
print awareness, and alphabet knowledge, and use continuous screening
assessments to monitor children's progress.
The Secretary also will consider the clarity and feasibility of the
overall program design, based upon the Pre-Application estimated budget
and budget justification and the proposed project activities, including
the extent to which, in the case of center-based early education
programs for preschool age children, the number of centers to be
supported by Early Reading First is limited enough (generally, to no
more than five (5) centers) to achieve the project goals with the
amount of funds requested.
(3) Continuity and Coordination with Formal School Instruction (up
to 10 points): Applicants must describe how they would work with the
LEA that the preschool children would later attend to link the Early
Reading First activities with the instructional program in kindergarten
through third grade (including with any activities in the LEA under the
Reading First State Grants Program authorized by subpart 1 of part B of
title I of the ESEA). This will ensure close coordination with the
State's educational goals and to promote continuity so that cognitive
and literacy gains that children made in the preschool are sustained
and supported once the children begin formal classroom instruction.
Applicants must indicate whether or not their State has preschool
standards in the cognitive domain, and if it does, briefly describe
those standards. Applicants must explain how their proposed Early
Reading First project would prepare young children to meet their
State's preschool content standards (if any) and their State's reading
or language arts content standards for kindergarten or the lowest
elementary grade for which the State has those content standards.
In evaluating the response to this third Pre-Application selection
criterion, the Secretary will consider how well the project design
would result in the language, cognitive, and early reading gains
children make in preschool being sustained once they begin formal
schooling, and how well the Early Reading First strategies and
activities would prepare children to meet the State's preschool
cognitive standards (if any), and the State's content standards in
reading or language arts for the lowest grade for which the State has
those standards.
(4) Measuring success (up to 25 points): Applicants must describe
how they will evaluate the success of their Early Reading First
activities. Specifically, applicants must explain how they will
determine whether the early language, literacy, and pre-reading
development of the preschool age children served by the Early Reading
First Program has improved and been enhanced as a result of their Early
Reading First strategies and changes. Applicants must describe the key
outcomes that they would expect to see in the classroom environment,
instructional practice, and children's learning, how they plan to
measure those outcomes, and how they would use the results for
continuous program improvement.
In evaluating the response to this fourth Pre-Application selection
criterion, the Secretary will consider how well the expected outcomes
are linked to the program's goals, and how well the proposed child
measures will demonstrate those outcomes. The Secretary will also
consider the validity and rigor of the proposed measures, their
appropriateness for the target population, and the degree to which the
program will use the results to inform future instruction and program
improvement.
Full Application Selection Criteria
The Secretary will use the following selection criteria in
accordance with 34 CFR 75.200(b)(2) and 75.209 to evaluate Full
Applications under this grant competition. The maximum score for all of
the Full Applicant selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score
for each criterion is indicated in parenthesis with the criterion.
In addition, when making awards, the Secretary will consider for
awards only those high-quality applications that the peer review panel
recommends as demonstrating the greatest potential for creating
improvements in early childhood education programs and for becoming
successful projects that are centers of excellence for early learning.
When making awards, the Secretary may take into consideration other
information that is relevant to obtaining a variety of types of funded
projects and an equitable distribution of awards throughout the nation,
such as geographical representation, location in high-need urban and
rural areas, project size, and type of program.
In evaluating Full Applications, the Secretary will take into
consideration the responsiveness of the applicant to the comments of
peer reviewers on the applicant's Pre-Application, including the extent
to which the applicant refines its initial vision and the broad plan
described in that Pre-Application, based upon the comments of the Pre-
Application reviewers and other new information the applicant may have
obtained.
Selection Criteria
(a) Significance of project (up to 15 points). (1) The Secretary
considers the significance of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The likelihood that the applicant's vision (as described in the
Pre-Application and refined as appropriate for the Full Application)
will result in a project that is a center of educational excellence for
at-risk preschool age children, as demonstrated by the learning
environment, instruction, and student achievement.
(ii) The extent to which the field of early childhood education can
benefit from the project through products such as information,
materials, and techniques, and the potential for those resources being
used effectively in other settings.
(b) Quality of project activities and services (up to 35 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the proposed project's
activities and services.
(2) In determining the quality of the proposed project's activities
and services, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the applicant presents a detailed plan
(with research citations where appropriate) that describes the
activities and services that the project will provide, to support the
development of language, cognitive, and early reading skills for
preschool age children, in all of the following areas, and how those
activities and services are based on up-to-date knowledge from
scientifically based reading research:
(A) Providing a rich oral language and print-rich environment.
(B) Preparing and providing ongoing assistance to staff, through
professional development and other support.
(C) Providing services and using instructional materials and
activities, and integrating those instructional materials and
activities into the applicant's preschool programs and family literacy
services.
(D) Using screening reading assessments or other appropriate
measures to determine the skills children are learning and identify
children who might be at risk of reading failure.
(E) Helping children, especially those experiencing difficulty with
language and early reading skills, to make the transition from
preschool to formal classroom instruction.
[[Page 39374]]
(F) Involving parents meaningfully in their children's early
education.
(ii) The extent to which the planned activities and services in
each of the above areas will help staff in the programs to meet more
effectively the diverse needs of preschool age children in the
community, including those with limited English proficiency,
disabilities, or other special needs.
(c) Quality of project personnel (up to 10 points). (1) The
Secretary considers quality of project personnel.
(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The strength of the qualifications, including relevant training
and experience, of the project staff.
(ii) The strength of the qualifications, including relevant
training and experience, of personnel with whom the project will
contract to assist in project activities, including research-based
professional development for staff to support children's development of
language, cognitive, and early reading skills.
(d) Quality of management plan (up to 20 total points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the management plan, the
Secretary considers the feasibility of the proposed project and the
likelihood that the project will be able to achieve its expected goals
(as described in the applicant's Pre-Application and refined as
appropriate for the Full Application), taking into consideration the
strength of any partnership, and using the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the goals of the
proposed project on time and within budget, including: clearly defined
goals, activities, responsibilities, and timeline for accomplishing
project tasks (up to 10 points).
(ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel,
including any partnership commitments, are appropriate and adequate to
meet the objectives of the proposed project (up to 5 points).
(iii) The extent to which the proposed costs are adequate in
relation to the proposed activities, the number of persons to be
served, and the anticipated results and benefits (up to 5 points).
(e) Quality of the project evaluation (up to 20 total points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the proposed project
evaluation.
(2) In considering the quality of the proposed project evaluation,
the Secretary considers the extent to which the methods of evaluation
include the use of objective, valid, and reliable performance measures
that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and
will produce quantitative and qualitative data in the following areas:
(i) Improvement in classroom environment (up to 5 points).
(ii) Improvement in teacher knowledge and qualifications (up to 5
points).
(iii) Improvement in teacher instruction and planning (up to 5
points).
(iv) Improvement in outcomes for children's language, cognitive,
and early reading skills (up to 5 points).
Paperwork Reduction Act Considerations
The procedures and requirements contained in this notice relate to
an application package that the Department has developed for the Early
Reading First Program grants. The public may obtain copies of this
application package by calling or writing the individual identified
below as the Department's contact, or through the Department's Web site
at: www.ed.gov/GrantApps/#84.359; or http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/earlyreading/index.html.
As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Office of
Management and Budget has approved the use of this application package
under OMB control number 1810-0654, which expires October 31, 2002.
For Applications Contact
Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD
20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call
(toll free): 1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html.
Or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
[email protected].
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.359(A and B).
The public also may obtain a copy of the application package on the
Department's Web site at the following address: www.ed.gov/GrantApps/#84.359.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracy Bethel or Jennifer Flood, Office
of Elementary and Secondary Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20202-6132. Telephone: (202) 260-4555, or via Internet:
[email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However,
the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the
standard forms included in the application package.
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 the following site:
www.ed.gov/legislation/fedregister.
To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
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 GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6371-6376 and Public Law No. 107-
110.
Dated: June 4, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-14383 Filed 6-6-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P