2015-14386.pdf

33499 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices

Policy Justification

Japan—E–2D Advanced Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft.

The Government of Japan has requested a possible sale of four (4) E– 2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft, ten (10) T56–A–427A engines (8 installed and 2 spares), eight (8) Multifunction Information Distribution System Low Volume Terminals (MIDS– LVT), four (4) APY–9 Radars, modifications, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, ferry services, aerial refueling support, U.S.

Government and contractor logistics, engineering, and technical support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $1.7 billion.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States. Japan is one of the major political and economic powers in East Asia and the Western Pacific and a key partner of the United States in ensuring peace and stability in that region. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives and the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.

The proposed sale of E–2D AHE aircraft will improve Japan’s ability to effectively provide homeland defense utilizing an AEW&C capability. Japan will use the E–2D AHE aircraft to provide AEW&C situational awareness of air and naval activity in the Pacific region and to augment its existing E–2C Hawkeye AEW&C fleet. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.

The proposed sale of these aircraft and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman Corporation Aerospace Systems in Melbourne, Florida. The acquisition and integration of all systems will be managed by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require any additional U.S.

Government or contractor personnel in Japan. However, U.S. Government or contractor personnel in-country visits will be required on a temporary basis in conjunction with program technical and management oversight and support requirements.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

Transmittal No. 15–35

Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act

Annex

Item No. vii

(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:

1. The E–2D Advanced Hawkeye

(AHE) Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) is a state of the art aircraft. The E–2D AHE provides detection and surveillance of regional surface and aircraft platforms through the use of the APY–9 radar, APX–122A Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), and ALQ 217 Electronic Support Measures (ESM) systems. The E–2D AHE provides area surveillance and detection, air intercept control, air traffic control, search and rescue assistance, communication relay and automatic tactical data exchange. The E–2D AHE is classified Secret.

2. The APY–9 radar is a mechanically rotated, electronically scanned array, which utilizes Space Time Adaptive Processing technology to provide 360-degree detection and surveillance in high clutter environments. It is able to provide simultaneous detection and surveillance of surface and air units.

The APY–9 radar is classified Secret.

3. The Multifunction Information Distribution System Low Volume Terminals (MIDS–LVT) is a command, control, communications, and intelligence (C3I) system incorporating high-capacity, jam-resistant, digital communication links for exchange of near real-time tactical information including both data and voice, among air, ground and sea elements. The MIDS–LVT incorporates the Link-16 military technical data exchange network which supports key theater functions such as surveillance, identification, air control, and direction for U.S. Services and those allied and partner nations for which there is a validated interoperability requirement.

The system provides jam-resistant, wide-area communications on a Link-16 network. Link-16 provides a correlated, real-time picture of the battle space.

These devices have embedded communications security (COMSEC) which contains sensitive encryption algorithms and keying material. The MIDS–LVT is classified Secret.

4. The APX–122 Interrogator and APX–123 IFF Transponder are identification systems designed for command and control. They provide the ability to distinguish friendly aircraft, vehicles, or forces, and to determine their bearing and range from the interrogator. These devices have embedded COMSEC which contains sensitive encryption algorithms and keying material. The APX–122 Interrogator and APX–123 IFF Transponder are classified Secret.

5. The ALQ–217 Electronic Support Measure system is used to detect, intercept, identify, locate, record, and/or analyze sources of radiated electromagnetic energy to support classification of unknown surface and airborne units. The ALQ–217 is classified Secret.

6. If a technologically advanced adversary obtained knowledge of the specific hardware or software in the proposed sale, the information could be used to develop countermeasures which might reduce weapons system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.

7. A determination has been made that the Government of Japan can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government.

This sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.

8. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Japan.

[FR Doc. 2015–14414 Filed 6–11–15; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Application for New Awards; Charter Schools Program (CSP); Grants for Replication and Expansion of High- Quality Charter Schools

AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

Overview Information:

CSP Grants for Replication and

Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools.

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.282M.

DATES: Applications Available: June 12, 2015.

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: June 16, 2015, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC, time.

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33500 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 15, 2015.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 25, 2015.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the CSP is to increase national understanding of the charter school model by expanding the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the Nation; providing financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools; and evaluating the effects of charter schools, including their effects on students, student academic achievement, staff, and parents.

The purpose of the CSP Grants for Replication and Expansion of High- Quality Charter Schools (Replication and Expansion) competition (CFDA 84.282M) is to award grants to eligible applicants to enable them to replicate or expand high-quality charter schools with demonstrated records of success, including success in increasing student academic achievement. Eligible applicants may use their grant funds to expand the enrollment of one or more existing charter schools by substantially increasing the number of available seats per school or to open one or more new charter schools that are based on the charter school model for which the eligible applicant has presented evidence of success.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FY 2015 Replication and Expansion competition differs from the FY 2014 Replication and Expansion competition in several ways. First, for the FY 2015 competition, we are using the Low- Income Demographic priority from the final priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for this program, published in the Federal Register on July 12, 2011 (76 FR 40898) (Final Priorities), as an absolute priority. The Department has added this as an absolute priority in order to ensure that projects are designed to meet the needs of educationally disadvantaged students.

Second, for FY 2015, the Department has consolidated three competitive preference priorities into a single competitive preference priority for projects designed to support specific types of high-need students. Applicants addressing this priority may select and address only one of these elements.

Element (a) of Competitive Preference Priority 1—High Need Students is for projects designed to support students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes. This priority is from the Secretary’s final supplemental priorities and definitions for discretionary grant programs, published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2014 (79 FR 73425) (Final Supplemental Priorities). The Department understands that Native American communities confront unique educational challenges and have developed unique strategies to meet those challenges. This element is designed to encourage collaboration between charter school developers and Native American communities, as part of these communities’ efforts to strengthen public education.

Element (b) of Competitive Preference Priority 1—High Need Students is for projects designed to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools in order to support school improvement efforts by local educational agencies (LEAs). As one of the Department’s top priorities is to help turn around the Nation’s lowest-performing public schools, this element is designed to link LEAs with high-quality charter schools as effective partners in school intervention projects. This element comes from the Final Priorities for this program.

Element (c) of Competitive Preference Priority 1—High Need Students is for projects designed to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools in federally designated Promise Zones, and is from the notice of final priority for promise zones, published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2014 (79 FR 17035) (Final Promise Zones Priority).

Promise zones are part of an initiative by the President to designate, over a period of four years, 20 high-poverty communities for the Federal government to partner with, and invest in, to create jobs, increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, reduce violent crime, and leverage private investment. The Department is cooperating with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and nine other Federal agencies to support comprehensive revitalization efforts in these high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal communities across the country.

The thirteen Promise Zones that have been designated thus far are located in Camden City NJ, the Chocktaw Nation of Oklahoma, East Indianapolis IN, Los Angeles CA, the Lowlands of South Carolina, Minneapolis MN, North Hartford CT, Philadelphia PA, Pine Ridge SD, Sacramento CA, San Antonio TX, Southeastern Kentucky, and St.

Louis MO. Each of the lead entities for these Promise Zones has put forward a plan for how it will partner with local business and community leaders to make investments that reward hard work and expand opportunity.

The Department also has added an invitational priority that encourages applicants to conduct rigorous evaluations of their proposed projects. If well-implemented, the evaluations will produce evidence about the project’s effectiveness that meets What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards. The Department is particularly interested in rigorous evaluations of applicants’ schools or specific practices within those schools.

In addition, in January 2014, the Department updated Section E of the CSP Nonregulatory Guidance to clarify the circumstances in which charter schools receiving CSP funds may use weighted lotteries, including to give educationally disadvantaged students slightly better chances for admission.

Applicants proposing to use weighted lotteries should review the information in the Note for Application Requirement

(j) in section V of this notice and the updated CSP Nonregulatory Guidance.

For information on the CSP lottery requirement, including permissible exemptions from the lottery and the circumstances under which charter schools receiving CSP funds may use weighted lotteries, see Section E of the CSP Nonregulatory Guidance atwww2.ed.gov/programs/charter/ nonregulatory-guidance.html.

Finally, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (FY 2015 Appropriations Act), Division G, Pub. L. 113–235, retains the authority from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (FY 2014 Appropriations Act), Division H, Public Law 113–76, for CSP grant recipients to use funds to support preschool education in charter schools.

For information on the use of CSP funds to support preschool education in charter schools, see the ‘‘Guidance on the use of Funds to Support Preschool Education’’ at www2.ed.gov/programs/ charter/csppreschoolfaqs.doc.

All charter schools receiving CSP funds, as outlined in section 5210(1)(G) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), must comply with various non-discrimination laws, including the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (specifies rights afforded to students with disabilities and their parents), and applicable State laws.

Priorities: This notice includes two absolute priorities, three competitive

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33501 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices

1 In March 2015, the Department issued nonregulatory guidance on School Improvement Grants (SIGs), entitled ‘‘Guidance on School Improvement Grants under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, at www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/ sigguidance032015.doc.

2 For additional information on Promise Zones, see www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/ 08/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promise-zones-initiative.

preference priorities, and one invitational priority. The absolute priorities are from the Final Priorities for this program. The competitive preference priorities are from the Final Priorities for this program; the Final Promise Zones Priority; the Final Supplemental Priorities; and 34 CFR 75.225.

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are absolute priorities.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet both of the following priorities:

Absolute Priority 1—Experience Operating or Managing High-Quality Charter Schools.

This priority is for projects that will provide for the replication or expansion of high-quality charter schools by applicants that currently operate or manage more than one high-quality charter school (as defined in this notice).

Absolute Priority 2—Low-Income Demographic.

To meet this priority, an applicant must demonstrate that at least 60 percent of all students in the charter schools it currently operates or manages are individuals from low-income families (as defined in this notice).

Note 1: The Secretary encourages applicants to describe the extent to which the charter schools they currently operate or manage serve individuals from low-income families at rates that are comparable to the rates at which these individuals are served by public schools in the surrounding area.

Note 2: For charter schools that serve students younger than five years old or older than 17 years old in accordance with their State’s definition of ‘‘elementary education’’ or ‘‘secondary education,’’ at least 60 percent of all students in the schools who are between the ages of five and 17 must be individuals from low-income families to meet this priority.

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we will award an additional five points to an application that addresses element (a) of Competitive Preference Priority 1; an additional four points to an application that addresses element (b) of Competitive Preference Priority 1; or an additional one point to an application that addresses element (c) of Competitive Preference Priority 1. An applicant may receive points under Competitive Preference Priority 1 for only one of the three elements. We will award an additional three points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2, and an additional two points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 3. The maximum total competitive preference priority points an application can receive for this competition is 10.

Note: In order to receive points under these competitive preference priorities, the applicant must identify the priority or priorities that it is addressing and provide documentation that supports the identified competitive preference priority or priorities.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1—

Serving High-Need Students. (0, 1, 4, or 5 points).

This priority is for projects that will serve high-need students through one of the methods described below. An application may receive priority points for only one element of Competitive Preference Priority 1. Therefore, an applicant should address only one element of Competitive Preference Priority 1 and must specify which element (i.e., (a), (b) or (c)) it is addressing. If an applicant addresses more than one element of Competitive Preference Priority 1 and does not specify whether it is addressing element (a), (b), or (c), the application will be awarded priority points only for the element addressed in the application that has the highest maximum point value, regardless of the number of priority points the application is awarded for that particular element of Competitive Preference Priority 1.

This priority is for projects that will serve high-need students through element (a), (b) or (c) as described below:

(a) Supporting Students Who are Members of Federally Recognized Indian Tribes. (79 FR 73425) (0 or 5 points).

To meet this priority, an application must demonstrate that the proposed project is designed to improve academic outcomes or learning environments, or both, for students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes.

Note: Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how the proposed project is designed to serve students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes through a variety of means, such as creating or expanding charter schools in geographic areas with large numbers of students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes, conducting targeted outreach and recruitment, or including in the charters or performance contracts for the charter schools funded under the project specific performance goals for students who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes.

(b) School Improvement. (76 FR 40898) (0 or 4 points).

To meet this priority, an applicant must demonstrate that its proposed replication or expansion of one or more high-quality charter schools (as defined in this notice) will occur in partnership with, and will be designed to assist, one or more LEAs in implementing academic or structural interventions to serve students attending schools that have been identified for improvement, corrective action, closure, or restructuring under section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), and as described in the notice of final requirements for School Improvement Grants, published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2010 (75 FR 66363).1

Note: Applicants in States operating under ESEA Flexibility that have opted to waive the requirement in ESEA section 1116(b) for LEAs to identify for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring, as appropriate, their Title I schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two or more consecutive years may partner with LEAs to serve students attending priority or focus schools (see the Department’s June 7, 2012 guidance entitled, ‘‘ESEA Flexibility,’’ at www.ed.gov/esea/flexibility). The Secretary encourages such applicants to describe how their proposed projects would complement efforts to serve students attending priority or focus schools described in the State’s approved request for waivers under ESEA Flexibility.

(c) Promise Zones. (79 FR 17035) (0 or 1 point).

This priority is for projects that are designed to serve and coordinate with a federally designated Promise Zone.2

Note: To view the list of designated Promise Zones and lead organizations please go to www.hud.gov/promisezones. The link to HUD Form 50153 (Certification of Consistency with Promise Zone Goals and Implementation), which has been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget under the Paperwork Reduction Act, is http:// portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/ huddoc?id=HUD_Form_50153.pdf.

Competitive Preference Priority 2— Promoting Diversity. (76 FR 40898) (0 or 3 points).

This priority is for applicants that demonstrate a record of (in the schools they currently operate or manage), as

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33502 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices well as an intent to continue (in schools that they will be creating or substantially expanding under this grant), taking active measures to—

(a) Promote student diversity, including racial and ethnic diversity, or avoid racial isolation;

(b) Serve students with disabilities at a rate that is at least comparable to the rate at which these students are served in public schools in the surrounding area; and

(c) Serve English learners at a rate that is at least comparable to the rate at which these students are served in public schools in the surrounding area.

In support of this priority, applicants must provide enrollment data as well as descriptions of existing policies and activities undertaken or planned to be undertaken.

Note 1: An applicant addressing Competitive Preference Priority 2—Promoting Diversity is invited to discuss how the proposed design of its project will encourage approaches by charter schools that help bring together students of different backgrounds, including students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, to attain the benefits that flow from a diverse student body. The applicant should discuss in its application how it would ensure that those approaches are permissible under current law.

Note 2: For information on permissible ways to meet this priority, please refer to the joint guidance issued by the Department’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S.

Department of Justice entitled, ‘‘Guidance on the Voluntary Use of Race to Achieve Diversity and Avoid Racial Isolation in Elementary and Secondary Schools’’ (www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ guidance-ese-201111.pdf) and ‘‘Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations to English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents’’ (www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ ocr/ellresources.html).

Competitive Preference Priority 3— Novice Applicant. (34 CFR 75.225(c)(2)) (0 or 2 points).

This priority is for applicants that qualify as novice applicants. For purposes of this competition, ‘‘novice applicant’’ means an applicant for a grant from the Department that (i) has never received a Replication and Expansion grant; (ii) has never been a member of a group application, submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127–75.129, that received a Replication and Expansion grant; and

(iii) has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal government in the five years before the deadline date for applications for new awards under this Replication and Expansion grant competition.

For purposes of clause (iii) in the preceding paragraph, 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 (34 CFR 75.225(b)).

Invitational Priority: For FY 2015 and any subsequent year in which we make awards based on the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is an invitational priority.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets this invitational priority any preference over other applications.

This priority is:

Invitational Priority—Rigorous

Evaluation.

The Secretary is particularly interested in funding applications that demonstrate that the applicant is currently conducting, or will conduct, a rigorous independent evaluation of the applicant’s charter schools, or specific practices within those charter schools, such as professional development practices (e.g., teacher coaching or leadership training) through a quasi-experimental design study or randomized controlled trial that will, if well implemented, meet What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards.

Note 1: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.590, Replication and Expansion grant funds may be used to cover post-award costs associated with an evaluation under this invitational priority or an evaluation under selection criterion (e) in section V.2 of this notice, provided that such costs are reasonable and necessary to meet the objectives of the approved project.

Note 2: We encourage applicants to review the following technical assistance resources on evaluation: (1) WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ wwc/references/idocviewer/doc.aspx?docid= 19&tocid=1; and (2) IES/NCEE Technical Methods papers: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/tech_ methods/. In addition, we invite applicants to view two optional Webinar recordings that were hosted by the Institute of Education Sciences. The first Webinar discussed strategies for designing and executing well-designed quasi-experimental design studies.

Applicants interested in viewing this Webinar may find more information at the following Web site: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/ wwc/news.aspx?sid=23. We also encourage applicants to review a second Webinar recorded by the IES that focused on more rigorous evaluation designs.

This Webinar discusses strategies for designing and executing studies that meet WWC standards without reservations. Applicants interested in reviewing this Webinar may find more information at the following Web site:

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/ News.aspx?sid=18.

Definitions:

The following definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1 and the Final Priorities for this program.

Ambitious means promoting continued, meaningful improvement for program participants or for other individuals or entities affected by the grant, or representing a significant advancement in the field of education research, practices, or methodologies.

When used to describe a performance target, whether a performance target is ambitious depends upon the context of the relevant performance measure and the baseline for that measure. (34 CFR 77.1)

Baseline means the starting point from which performance is measured and targets are set. (34 CFR 77.1)

Charter management organization (CMO) is a nonprofit organization that operates or manages multiple charter schools by centralizing or sharing certain functions and resources among schools. (76 FR 40898)

Educationally disadvantaged students includes, but is not necessarily limited to, individuals from low-income families (as defined in this notice), English learners, migratory children, children with disabilities, and neglected or delinquent children. (76 FR 40898)

High-quality charter school is a school that shows evidence of strong academic results for the past three years (or over the life of the school, if the school has been open for fewer than three years), based on the following factors:

(1) Increasing student academic achievement and attainment for all students, including, as applicable, educationally disadvantaged students served by the charter schools operated or managed by the applicant.

(2) Either (i) Demonstrated success in closing historic achievement gaps for the subgroups of students described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the ESEA at the charter schools operated or managed by the applicant, or;

(ii) No significant achievement gaps between any of the subgroups of students described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II) of the ESEA at the charter schools operated or managed by the applicant and significant gains in student academic achievement with all populations of students served by the charter schools operated or managed by the applicant.

(3) Achieved results (including performance on statewide tests, annual student attendance and retention rates, high school graduation rates, college attendance rates, and college persistence rates where applicable and available) for low-income and other educationally disadvantaged students served by the charter schools operated or managed by

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33503 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices the applicant that are above the average academic achievement results for such students in the State.

(4) No significant compliance issues (as defined in this notice), particularly in the areas of student safety and financial management. (76 FR 40898)

Individual from low-income family means an individual who is determined by a State educational agency (SEA) or LEA to be a child, age 5 through 17, from a low-income family on the basis of (a) data used by the Secretary to determine allocations under section 1124 of the ESEA, (b) data on children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, (c) data on children in families receiving assistance under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act, (d) data on children eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, or (e) an alternate method that combines or extrapolates from the data in items (a) through (d) of this definition (see 20

U.S.C. 6537(3)). (76 FR 40898)

Performance measure means any quantitative indicator, statistic, or metric used to gauge program or project performance. (34 CFR 77.1)

Performance target means a level of performance that an applicant would seek to meet during the course of a project or as a result of a project. (34

CFR 77.1)

Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that attempts to approximate an experimental design by identifying a comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important respects.

These studies, depending on design and implementation, can meet What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards (as defined in this notice) with reservations (but not What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards without reservations). (34 CFR 77.1)

Randomized controlled trial means a study that employs random assignment of, for example, students, teachers, classrooms, schools, or districts to receive the intervention being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to receive the intervention (the control group). The estimated effectiveness of the intervention is the difference between the average outcome for the treatment group and for the control group. These studies, depending on design and implementation, can meet What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards (as defined in this notice) without reservations. (34 CFR 77.1)

Replicate means to open one or more new charter schools that are based on the charter school model or models for which the applicant has presented evidence of success. (76 FR 40898)

Significant compliance issue means a violation that did, will, or could lead to the revocation of a school’s charter. (76

FR 40898)

Substantially expand means to increase the student count of an existing charter school by more than 50 percent or to add at least two grades to an existing charter school over the course of the grant. (76 FR 40898)

What Works Clearinghouse Evidence Standards means the standards set forth in the What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook (Version 3.0, March 2014), which can be found at the following link: //ies.ed.gov/ ncee/wwc/DocumentSum.aspx?sid=19.

(34 CFR 77.1)

Program Authority: Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (FY 2015 Appropriations Act), Division G, Pub. L. 113–235; and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7221–7221j).

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The Final Priorities for this program. (e) The Final Promise Zones Priority.(f) The Final Supplemental Priorities.

Note 1: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

Note 2: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply only to institutions of higher education.

Note 3: The regulations in 34 CFR part 99 apply only to an educational agency or institution.

II. Award Information Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds:

$40,000,000.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2016 and future years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000 to $3,000,000 per year.

Estimated Average Size of Awards:

$1,600,000 per year.

Estimated Number of Awards: 19–25.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. The estimated range, average size, and number of awards are based on a single 12-month budget period.

However, the Department may choose to fund more than 12 months of a project using FY 2015 funds.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Non-profit charter management organizations (as defined in this notice) and other entities that are not for-profit entities. Eligible applicants may also apply as a group or consortium.

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

3. Other:

(a) Reasonable and Necessary Costs:

The Secretary may elect to impose maximum limits on the amount of grant funds that may be awarded per charter school replicated, per charter school substantially expanded, or per new school seat created.

For this competition the maximum limit of grant funds that may be awarded per new school seat is $3,000, including a maximum limit per new school created of $800,000. The maximum limit per new school seat in a charter school that is substantially expanding its enrollment is $1,500, including a maximum limit per substantially expanded school of $800,000.

Note: Applicants must ensure that all costs included in the proposed budget are reasonable and necessary in light of the goals and objectives of the proposed project. Any costs determined by the Secretary to be unreasonable or unnecessary will be removed from the final approved budget.

(b) Other CSP Grants: A charter school that receives funds under this competition is ineligible to receive funds for the same purpose under section 5202(c)(2) of the ESEA, including for planning and program design or the initial implementation of a charter school (i.e., CFDA 84.282A or 84.282B).

A charter school that has received CSP funds for replication previously, or that has received funds for planning or initial implementation of a charter school (i.e., CFDA 84.282A or 84.282B), may not use funds under this grant for the same purpose. However, such charter schools may be eligible to receive funds under this competition to substantially expand the charter school beyond the existing grade levels or student count.

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IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Brian Martin, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4W224, Washington, DC 20202–5970. Telephone: (202) 205–9085 or by email: brian.martin@ed.gov.

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

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) by contacting the program contact person listed in this section.

2.a. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this competition.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you limit the application narrative [Part III] to no more than 60 pages, using the following standards:

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5’’ x 11’’, on one side only, with 1’’ margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• 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 (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts:

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative section [Part III].

b. Submission of Proprietary Information:

Given the types of projects that may be proposed in applications for the Replication and Expansion competition, an application may include business information that the applicant considers proprietary. The Department’s regulations define ‘‘business information’’ in 34 CFR 5.11.

Because we plan to make successful applications available to the public, you may wish to request confidentiality of business information.

Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your application any information that you feel is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of Information Act. In the appropriate Appendix section of your application, under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ please list the page number or numbers on which we can find this information.

For additional information please see 34 CFR 5.11(c).

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: June 12, 2015.

Date of Pre-Application Meeting: The

Department will hold a pre-application meeting via Webinar for prospective applicants on June 16, 2015, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC, time.

Individuals interested in attending this meeting are encouraged to pre-register by emailing their name, organization, and contact information with the subject heading ‘‘PRE–APPLICATION MEETING’’ to CharterSchools@ed.gov.

There is no registration fee for attending this meeting.

For further information about the pre-application meeting, contact Brian Martin, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4W224, Washington, DC 20202–5970.

Telephone: (202) 205–9085 or by email:

brian.martin@ed.gov.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 15, 2015.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to section IV. 7. Other Submission Requirements of this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual’s application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 25, 2015.

4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this competition.

5. Funding Restrictions: Grantees under this program must use the grant funds to replicate or substantially expand the charter school model or models for which the applicant has presented evidence of success. Grant funds must be used to carry out allowable activities, as described in section 5204(f)(3) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C.

7221c(f)(3)).

Pursuant to section 5204(f)(3) of the ESEA, grantees under this program must use the grant funds for—

(a) Post-award planning and design of the educational program, which may include: (i) Refinement of the desired educational results and of the methods for measuring progress toward achieving those results; and (ii) professional development of teachers and other staff who will work in the charter school;

and

(b) Initial implementation of the charter school, which may include: (i) Informing the community about the school; (ii) acquiring necessary equipment and educational materials and supplies; (iii) acquiring or developing curriculum materials; and

(iv) other initial operational costs that cannot be met from State or local sources.

Note 1: The FY 2015 Appropriations Act authorizes the use of CSP funds ‘‘for grants that support preschool education in charter schools.’’ Therefore, an application submitted under this competition may propose to use CSP funds to support preschool education in a charter school. For additional information and guidance regarding the use of CSP funds to support preschool education in charter schools, see ‘‘Guidance on the use of Funds to support Preschool Education,’’ released in November 2014 (www2.ed.gov/programs/charter/ csppreschoolfaqs.doc).

Note 2: In accordance with the Final Priorities for this program, a grantee may use up to 20 percent of grant funds for initial operational costs associated with the expansion or improvement of the grantee’s oversight or management of its charter schools, provided that: (i) the specific charter schools being created or substantially expanded under the grant are the intended beneficiaries of such expansion or

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33505 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 113 / Friday, June 12, 2015 / Notices improvement, and (ii) such expansion or improvement is intended to improve the grantee’s ability to manage or oversee the charter schools created or substantially expanded under the grant.

We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and 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) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the Government’s primary registrant database;

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

d. Maintain an active 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.

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 www.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: 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.

7. 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.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the CSP Grants for Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools, CFDA number 84.282M, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide…