oppED-GRANTS-051118-001-cfda84.336-cid84-336S2018-2-instructions.pdf

FY 2018

U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement Washington, DC 20202-5900

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS UNDER

THE TEACHER QUALITY PARTNERSHIP

(TQP) GRANT PROGRAM

CFDA Number: 84.336S Form Approved OMB No. 1894-0006 Expiration Date: 1-31-2021 Closing Date: June 26, 2018

Table of Contents

I. Program Overview 4

Authorizing Legislation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4

II. Notice Inviting Applications …………………………………………………………..5

III. Grants.gov Submission Procedures ………………………………………………..6 .

DUNS Number Instructions Application Tips .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

IV. Instructions for Completing an Application Instructions for Application Insructions for ED Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 Instructions for Project Narrative………………………………………………………………………………………………..11 Intsructions for Budget Narrative………………………………………………………………………………………………..13 Instructions for Other Attachments…………………………………………………………………………………………….17

A. Eligibility Resources

B. Required Forms

C. Optional TQP Checklists………………………………………………………………………………………………………………20

D. FY 18 Application Checklist ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…….…34

V. Additional Information ………………………………………………………………….35 Executive Order 12372……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….35 Paperwork Burden Statement…………………………………………………………………………………………………….35

READY to APPLY?

Before you begin completing your FY 2018 TQP application, make sure you’ve completed the following steps.

Have your downloaded and reivewed the FY 18 TQP NIA?

Have you downloaded the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on May 11, 2018 (83 FR 22036) or at or at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR- 2018-05-11/html/2018-10124.htm

Have you downloaded and reviewed the FY 18 TQP Application Package?

Have you downloaded and reviewed the TQP FAQ document?

Have your reviewed the instructions for electronic submission of your application?

If you answered “YES” to each of the above questions, you’re ready to begin working on your application.

Best Wishes from the TQP Team!

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-05-11/html/2018-10124.htm

I. Program Overview

Program Office: Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) Grant Name: Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) CFDA Number: 84.336S Grant Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grant

Purpose of Program: The purposes of the TQP program are to improve student achievement; improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers; hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) accountable for preparing teachers who meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including minorities and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force.

Eligible Applicants:

An eligible applicant must be an "eligible partnership" as defined in section 200(6) of the HEA. The eligible partnership must include all of the following:

One or more high-need local educational agencies;

One or more high-need schools or consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need local educational agencies;

A partner institution of higher education;

A school, department, or program of education within such partner institution; and

A school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution

In addition, the “eligible partnership” may include one or more of the entities listed in Section 200(6)(B) of the HEA.

TQP Program Website: https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-quality-partnership/

TQP Program Email: TQPartnership@ed.gov

FY 18 TQP FAQ Doc: https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-quality-partnership/. FAQs will be available on the program webpage as soon as the document is completed.

Please check the TQP webpage for updates.

Authorizing Legislation:

The Teacher Quality Partnership program statute is contained in Title II of the Higher Education Act, as amended on August 14, 2008, by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) (HEA).

Definitions for the program (including those for components of an eligible partnership) are contained in section 200 of the HEA, as amended, while the program authority itself is in Title II, Part A of that Act (sections 201-204). You may view the full version of the Higher Education Act, as amended in 2008 by clicking this link:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2016-title20/html/USCODE-2016-title20-chap28-subchapII.htm https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-quality-partnership/ mailto:TQPartnership@ed.gov https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-quality-partnership/ https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-quality-partnership/ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2016-title20/html/USCODE-2016-title20-chap28-subchapII.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2016-title20/html/USCODE-2016-title20-chap28-subchapII.htm

II. Notice Inviting Applications

Teacher Quality Partnership (84.336S) Application available: May 11, 2018 Pre-Application Information Webinars: Pre-recorded informational webinars can be found on the TQP program webpage.

Intent to Apply: June 11, 2018 Deadline for transmitting applications: June 26, 2018 Estimated Award Announcement: August 24, 2018

2018 TQP Notice Inviting Applications The full text of the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the FY 2018 TQP grant competition can be found on the Federal

Register Web site at the following URLs:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-05-11/html/2018-10124.htm https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-05-11/pdf/2018-10124.pdf

All TQP applications must be received on or before 4:30:00 P.M. Washington, D.C. time, on June 26, 2018. Please note that U.S. Department of Education grant application deadline is 4:30:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Late applications will not be accepted. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline to ensure fairness to all applicants. The Department strongly encourages applicants to submit their applications well before the application deadline as the Grants.gov system may take up to several hours to process their application and time and date stamp the application. No changes or additions to an application will be accepted after the deadline date and time.

After successfully submitting a Workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

2018 TQP Application Package Please note that the TQP Application Package is for applicants to download and use as a guide only. Unless the applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, all TQP grant applications must be submitted online using Workspace in Grants.gov.

Intent to Apply The Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department of its intent to submit an application for TQP funding by sending an email to tqpartnership@ed.gov by June 10, 2018. Applicants that fail to send the FY 18 Intent to Apply email may still apply for funding, but submission of the survey will help us plan for an efficient peer review.

Apply!

A Grants.gov applicant must apply online using Workspace. Instructions on getting started on your Workspace

Application can be found on the Grants.gov website here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html. For access to complete instructions on how to apply, refer to:

www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.

Funding Opportunity Number: ED-GRANTS-051118-001 Each application will be reviewed under the competition it was submitted under in the Grants.gov system, and only applications that are successfully submitted by the established deadline will be peer reviewed.

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/08/18/2014-19426/applications-for-new-awards-preschool-development-grants-development-grants https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-05-11/pdf/2018-10124.pdf http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/download-application-package.html?p_p_id=grantsdownloadpackage_WAR_grantsdownloadpackageportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-1&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=2&_grantsdownloadpackage_WAR_grantsdownloadpackageportlet_mvcPath=%2Fdownload.jsp&id=203626 mailto:tqpartnership@ed.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

III. Grants.gov Submission Procedures

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Department of

Education.

Browser Support

The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. However, these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, so we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues.

For additional information or updates, please see the Grants.gov Browser information in the Applicant FAQs:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#browser

ATTENTION – Workspace, Adobe Forms and PDF Files Required

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

1) Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2) Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of your application process as you apply.

As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

a. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out web forms you can download individual

PDF forms in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

b. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#browser https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

c. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and DUNS Number. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

3) Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and

Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

4) Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov

Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the

Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Helpful Reminders

1) REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on SAM (www.sam.gov) which may take approximately one week to complete, but could take upwards of several weeks to complete, depending upon the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an applicant.

You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration steps are complete. Please note that once your SAM registration is active, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov, and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html [Note: Your organization will need to update its SAM registration annually.]

Primary information about SAM is available at www.sam.gov. However, to further assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in SAM or updating your existing SAM account the Department of

Education has prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet that you can find at: http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html

2) SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application.

Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it ONLY AFTER it is fully uploaded.

The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on a number of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully to Grants.gov before 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time on the June 26, 2018.

SAM.gov ALERT: If you are registering a new entity in SAM.gov, you must provide an original, signed notarized letter stating that you are the authorized Entity Administrator before your registration will be activated. Read the FAQs to learn more about this process change. Additionally, beginning on April 27, 2018, entities renewing or updating their registration will be required to submit an original, signed notarized letter confirming the authorized Entity Administrator associated with the DUNS number before the registration is activated.

NOTE: To submit successfully, you must provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when you registered as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) on Grants.gov. This DUNS number is typically https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.sam.gov/ http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html the same number used when your organization registered with the SAM. If you do not enter the same DUNS number on your application as the DUNS you registered with, Grants.gov will reject your application.

3) VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov received your application submission on time and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, login to

Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned. Once the Department of

Education receives your application from Grants.gov, an Agency Tracking Number (PR/award number) will be assigned to your application and will be available for viewing on Grants.gov’s Track My Application link.

If the date/time received is later than 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, on the deadline date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov.

Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html. For more detailed information on troubleshooting Adobe errors, you can review the Adobe Reader Software Tip Sheet at:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html. If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

Submission Problems – What should you do?

If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or email at: mailto:support@grants.gov or access the Grants.gov Self-Service Knowledge Base web portal at: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants

If electronic submission is required, you must submit an electronic application before 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time, unless you follow the procedures in the Federal Register notice and 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. If electronic submission is optional and you have problems that you are unable to resolve before the deadline date and time for electronic applications, please follow the transmittal instructions for hard copy applications in the Federal Register notice and get a hard copy application postmarked by midnight on the deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov Please go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Applicant FAQs found at this Grants.gov link:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html as well as additional information on Workspace at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#workspace.

Dial-Up Internet Connections When using a dial up connection to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g. cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. If you do not have access to a high-speed connection and electronic submission is required, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#workspace

Attaching Files – Additional Tips Please note the following tips related to attaching files to your application, especially the requirement that applicants only include read-only, flattened .PDF files in their application:

Ensure that you attach .PDF files only for any attachments to your application, and they must be in a read-only, flattened format. PDF files are the only Education approved file type accepted as detailed in the Federal Register application notice. Applicants must submit individual .PDF files only when attaching files to their application. Specifically, the Department will not accept any attachments that contain files within a file, such as PDF Portfolio files, or an interactive or fillable .PDF file. Any attachments uploaded that are not .PDF files or are password protected files will not be read.

Grants.gov cannot process an application that includes two or more files that have the same name within a grant submission. Therefore, each file uploaded to your application package should have a unique file name.

When attaching files, applicants should follow the guidelines established by Grants.gov on the size and content of file names. Uploaded file names must be fewer than 50 characters, and, in general, applicants should not use any special characters. However, Grants.gov does allow for the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Applications submitted that do not comply with the Grants.gov guidelines will be rejected at Grants.gov and not forwarded to the Department.

Applicants should limit the size of their file attachments. Documents submitted that contain graphics and/or scanned material often greatly increase the size of the file attachments and can result in difficulties opening the files. For reference, the average discretionary grant application package with all attachments is less than 5 MB. Therefore, you may want to check the total size of your package before submission.

Grants.gov System Maintenance Please be reminded that the Grants.gov system will not be available for use during the times listed below.

Date Scope Details

May 19-21, 2018 Release 16.2.1 Scheduled Maintenance Outage:

Production System will go Offline Saturday May 19, 2018 at 12:01 AM ET.

Production System will go Online Monday May 21, 2018 at 6:00 AM ET.

Training System will go Offline Monday May 21, 2018 at 12:01 AM ET.

Training System will go Online Wednesday May 23, 2018 at 6:00 AM ET.

June 16-18, 2018 Server Maintenance Scheduled Maintenance Outage:

Production System will go Offline Saturday June 16, 2018 at 12:01 AM ET.

Production System will go Online Monday June 18, 2018 at 6:00 AM ET.

Instructions for D-U-N-S Number All applicants must have a D-U-N-S number in order to apply for federal funds.

NOTE: Check with your fiscal office to see if your institution has an assigned DUNS number before contacting Dun & Bradstreet.

Please provide the applicant’s DUNS number. You can obtain your DUNS number at no charge by calling 1-800-333-0505 or by completing a D-U-N-S Number Request Form. The form can be obtained via the internet at the following URL:

http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html .

The DUNS number is a unique nine-digit number that does not convey any information about the recipient. A built in check digit helps assure the accuracy of the DUNS number. The ninth digit of each number is the check digit, which is http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html mathematically related to the other digits. It lets computer systems determine if a DUNS number has been entered correctly. Dun & Bradstreet, a global information services provider, has assigned DUNS numbers to over 43 million companies worldwide. For live help Monday-Friday 9am-6pm (EST) dial 1-888-814-1435.

NOTE: Electronic submission via Grants.gov must use the DUNS number your organization used when it registered in the Central Contractor Registry.

Application Tips

I. Register or maintain registration on SAM.gov. 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. Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the information

II. Register early on Grants.gov. The registration process may take up to two weeks to complete. For additional information on the registration and submission process please review the resources available on the Grants.gov

Website.

III. Verify that the person assigned to submit the application has been designated as an Authorized Organization

Representative (AOR). You must be “active” in order to submit an application on behalf of the organization.

IV. Carefully review the FY2018 NIA for eligibility requirements. Clearly state which absolute priority under which you are submitting an application.

V. Review the submission for clarity. Applications will be read by multiple peer reviewers; therefore it is important to ensure that the application can be understood by someone who is unfamiliar with your project.

VI. Submit all files in .PDF format. While Grants.gov may accept other format types, the Department’s system, which receives the files from Grants.gov, will only accept .PDF files. Files submitted in formats other than .PDF may not convert in a legible manner and, in these instances, cannot be reviewed. Ensure that you attach .PDF files only for any attachments to your application, and they must be in a read-only, flattened format. PDF files are the only

Education approved file type accepted as detailed in the Federal Register application notice. Applicants must submit individual .PDF files only when attaching files to their application. Specifically, the Department will not accept any attachments that contain files within a file, such as PDF Portfolio files, or an interactive or fillable .PDF file. Any attachments uploaded that are not .PDF files or are password protected files will not be read.

VII. Submit early on Grants.gov. Applications must be finished uploading, and be validated by the Grants.gov system, by 4:30:00pm, Washington, DC, time on June 26, 2018. Validation indicates if the submission was successful and may take up to two days. If the submitted application is deemed invalid due to an error, applicants may correct the error and resubmit only if the 4:30:00pm Washington, DC time deadline has not passed. Applicants are encouraged to review the submission to be sure that the files transmitted correctly. Grants.gov may not catch all errors. Late submissions or modifications to the submitted application will not be accepted after the deadline.

VIII. Each application will be reviewed under the competition it was submitted under in the Grants.gov system, and only applications that are successfully submitted by the established closing date will be peer reviewed.

NOTE: Applicants will receive multiple emails to confirm submission in Grants.gov, validation, and transmission to the Department of Education. Once the application is transmitted to the Department, applicants will receive a final email with a unique identifier called a PR Award Number. Use this number when making inquiries about the submitted application. Please review the email carefully to ensure that you submitted the application under the intended competition.

IV. Instructions for Completing an Application

Please carefully read the entire application package, the Federal Register notice, and the authorizing legislation before submitting your TQP application.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATION

Applicants applying for the TQP program will use the following Grants.gov and ED narrative forms:

ED Abstract Narrative Attachment Form

Project Narrative Attachment Form

Budget Narrative Attachment Form

Other Attachments Form

The ED Abstract Narrative Attachment Form is where you will attach your one-page program abstract.

The Project Narrative Attachment Form is where the applicant will attach the narrative sections addressing the Selection

Criteria, one of the four Absolute Priorities, and, if relevant, the Competitive Preference Priority(ies).

The Budget Narrative Attachment Form is where the applicant will attach a detailed line-item budget and any supplemental budget information. Remember to include a matching budget of 100% of the total project cost which is

100% of the federal funds request.

The Other Attachments Form is where the applicant will attach proposal appendices. This is where you will include information such as resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel, high-need LEA and high-need school documentation, letters or support, waiver request form, etc. The Grants.gov system will allow applicants to attach as many as ten separate appendices in this section.

Please complete the SF 424 first. Grants.gov will automatically insert the correct CFDA (84.336s) and program name wherever needed thereafter.

NOTE: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424).

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ED ABSTRACT NARRATIVE

The abstract narrative must not exceed one page and should use language that will be understood by a range of audiences. The abstract should include the following items: project title, priorities addressed, project goals and expected outcomes, brief project description, target number of project participants to be served and key partner organizations. It is a summary of your project.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROJECT NARRATIVE

The Project Narrative should describe the project that an applicant would carry out if funded and include the eligible applicant’s response to the selection criteria since the application will be evaluated and scored against these criteria.

The NIA provides applicants with instructions for preparing and submitting the application, information describing the absolute priorities and competitive preference priorities that have been established for this competition, the selection criteria that will be used to evaluate the application, and other pertinent information concerning the competition for awards.

Applicants may only address one of the two Absolute Priorities. Should an applicant choose to apply and meet the requirements one or more of the three competitive priority(ies), the application can earn up to 108 points. In order to be considered for competitive preference priority points, the applicant must identify that the priority is addressed in the application and include the section as part of the project narrative. After review of the Absolute Priorities, only applicants for which competitive preference points could enable them to be funded will have their Competitive

Preference Priorities applied to their final score. It is expected that applicants will use the selection criteria to frame their project narratives.

Formatting

We strongly encourage applicants to limit the project narrative to the equivalent of no more than 50 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, except 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 reviewed.

Priorities

Applicants are required to designate the Absolute Priority under which they are submitting their proposal. All applicants must only address only one of the two Absolute Priorities.

Clear headings should be provided to indicate an applicant's response to the chosen absolute priority under which they are submitting their proposal and to the competitive preference priority(ies) under which they are submitting their proposal, as applicable.

Absolute Priorities

For the purpose of this application, the Department has established two absolute priorities under the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program for the FY 2018 grant competition. Under Title II, Part A of the HEA (section 201 - 204), we consider only applications that meet one of either Absolute Priority 1 or Absolute Priority 2.

Absolute Priority 1—Partnership Grants for the Preparation of Teachers. Under this Absolute Priority, eligible partnerships would (1) create model teacher preparation programs at the pre-baccalaureate level (or in a 5th year initial licensing program) through the implementation of specific reforms of the IHE's existing teacher preparation programs must address, and (2) provide follow-up supports for program graduates who become teachers in partner LEAs.

Absolute Priority 2— Partnership Grants for the Establishment of Effective Teaching Residency Programs.

Under this Absolute Priority, eligible partnerships would (1) create model teaching residency programs for individuals with strong academic and/or professional backgrounds but without teaching experience, (2) ensure that participants are able to receive a Master’s degree and full teaching certification or licensing within 18 months, and (3) provide participants with a living stipend or salary for 12 months in exchange for an agreement to serve in a high-need school of a partner high-need LEA for not less than three years.

Competitive Preference Priorities:

For the purpose of this application, the Department has established three OPTIONAL competitive preference priorities under the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program for the FY 2018 grant competition. If applicants chose to address one or more of these competitive preference priorities they may earn up to 108 total on their application. After review of the Absolute Priorities, only applicants for which competitive preference points could enable them to be funded will have their Competitive Preference Priorities applied to their final score.

Competitive Preference Priority 1— Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math (STEM) Education, With a Particular Focus on Computer Science. (up to 3 points). Projects designed to improve student achievement or other educational outcomes in one or more of the following areas: science, technology, engineering, math, or Computer Science.

Competitive Preference Priority 2— Promoting Effective Instruction in Classrooms and Schools. (up to 3 points).

Projects that are designed to supports the recruitment or retention of educators who are effective and increase diversity (including, but not limited to, racial and ethnic diversity).

Competitive Preference Priority 3— Novice Applicants. (up to 2 points). Projects that meet the definition of

Novice Applicant at the time of application.

NOTE: Full language for all five priorities is found in the NIA for FY 2018 published in the Federal Register on May 11, 2018 (83 FR 22036).

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria outlined below will be used to evaluate the quality of applications submitted for funding. The full description of the selection criteria is contained in the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA). Within each criterion, there are specific factors that will be used in evaluating that criterion. In addition, the applicant should note the earlier discussion regarding addressing the required program components and authorized activities when responding to the selection criteria.

The maximum score that an applicant can earn for the selection criteria is 100 points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in parentheses following that criterion.

Quality of Project Services (15)

Quality of the Project Design (40)

Quality of the Management Plan (25)

Quality of the Project Evaluation (20)

We refer you to the NIA for a full description of each selection criterion and its sub factors. Applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully read each criterion and its sub factors when preparing their applications. These are the criteria that will be used to review and score applications.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUDGET NARRATIVE

Before preparing the budget narrative, applicants should review the Federal Register notice and the authorizing legislation for specific guidance and requirements. Note that applications will be evaluated according to the specific selection criteria specified in the Federal Register notice.

The budget should include only costs that are allowable, reasonable, and necessary for carrying out the objectives of the

TQP project. Rules about allowable costs are set out in 2 CFR Part 2001, as adopted by the Department at 2 CFR Part

3474.2

Provide an itemized budget breakdown narrative, by project year, for each budget category listed in Section A of the ED

524 form. The project period is 60 months (5 years). Applicants must include a budget for all five years being requested.

Provide the rate and base on which fringe benefits are calculated. Please check all figures and combined totals in the budget narrative, and compare the amounts with those reflected on the ED 524. Provide other budget explanations or comments deemed necessary. Include travel for key grant staff to attend an annual project directors convening in

Washington, D.C.

The program requires a restricted indirect cost rate. If an applicant does not have a negotiated restricted rate, they may use a place holder rate unless their approved restricted rate is likely to be lower than 8%. See 34 CFR §§ 75.563 and

76.564 – 76.569 for additional guidance on how to calculate a restricted indirect cost rate. (https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=34:1.1.1.1.22&rgn=div5)

Non-federal Matching Requirement and Supplement-not-Supplant Requirement

The TQP grant program has a 100% non-Federal match requirement and a Supplement-not-Supplant requirement. This comes out to 100% of the federal funds received. Applicants must describe a budget narrative that demonstrates how they will meet this matching requirement in cash or in-king contributions to carry out the activities supported by the grant.

If an applicant is unable to meet the matching requirement, the Secretary may waive all or part this matching requirement on a case-by-case basis in cases of demonstrated financial hardship. Applicants that wish to apply for a waiver must include a request in their application that demonstrates a financial hardship as described in the application

NIA.

Under section 202(k) of the HEA, the TQP program has a supplement, not supplant requirement. This means that costs may not be charged to TQP funds or to matching funds if, in the absence of TQP funds, these costs would be borne anyway. Both federal and matching funds must supplement, not supplant, existing funds used to carryout activities supporting the grant.

ED 524 Line Item Descriptions

Provide an itemized budget breakdown, and justification by project year, for each budget category included in Sections

A and B of the ED 524. Provide this information by project year, and provide a total projected cost for each category – by project year and for the project as a whole.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a00c8ef91d397f640d8c236871fe5eef&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a00c8ef91d397f640d8c236871fe5eef&node=pt2.1.3474&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=34:1.1.1.1.22&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=34:1.1.1.1.22&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=34:1.1.1.1.22&rgn=div5 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a00c8ef91d397f640d8c236871fe5eef&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=a00c8ef91d397f640d8c236871fe5eef&node=pt2.1.3474&rgn=div5

Personnel (Line 1): Provide each project personnel’s base salary or wages, as well as the percentage full time equivalency (FTE) each individual is projected to work on the TQP project.

Fringe Benefits (Line 2): The institution’s or agency’s normal contributions for fringe benefits may be charged to TQP funds or contributed as a match. If you are including fringe benefits, please explain how the fringe rate was calculated and identify the staff members who would receive the benefits. Leave this line blank if fringe benefits applicable to direct salaries and wages are included in indirect costs.

Travel (Line 3): Indicate the proposed travel costs of employees and participants only. Provide a breakdown of the costs associated with each proposed trip and justification for the costs. In addition, applicants should include costs for up to project staff persons to attend an annual project directors’ meeting in Washington, D.C.

Equipment (Line 4): Describe all equipment to be purchased for the TQP project, i.e., all tangible, non-expendable personal property that would be purchased to support the TQP project. In this regard, equipment has usefulness greater than one year and acquisition costs that are the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant entity for financial statement purposes or $5,000 per article. An applicant may establish a lower limit to maintain consistency with its general policies. Also provide, for each piece of equipment to be purchased, the amount to be purchased, the cost per unit and how this cost was determined, and the justification for these purchases

Supplies (Line 5): Describe all supplies to be purchased for the TQP project, i.e., all tangible, expendable personal property to be purchased to support the TQP project. Supplies (which include materials) differ from equipment in that they are consumable, expendable, and have a unit cost below that of equipment. For each kind of supply, provide the amount to be purchased, the projected cost and how this cost was determined, and a justification for these purchases.

Contractual (Line 6): The contractual category should include all costs specifically incurred with actions that the applicant takes in conjunction with an established procurement system. Include consultant fees, expenses, and travel costs in this category if the consultant’s services are obtained through a written binding agreement or contract. Identify the contractor, the amount of the contract (this should include a breakdown of the major service components of the contract and the costs of each portion) and an explanation of what the services are being provided by the contractor. In addition, please if applicant proposes to select a contractor before receiving a TQP award, please see 34 CFR 75.135(a) -

(c) (section 75.135(a) - (c) of EDGAR) on how the requirements for competitive procurements that normally apply may be avoided by naming the contractors in the application)

Construction (Line 7): Not applicable.

Other (Line 8): Describe all direct costs not covered on lines 1-6. For example describe costs such as space rental, required fees, honoraria and travel (where a contract is not in place for services), training, and communication and printing costs. Do not include any costs that are included in calculations of indirect costs.

Total Direct Costs (Line 9): The sum of lines 1-8.

Indirect Costs (Line 10): Indicate the applicant’s approved restricted indirect cost rate, per sections 75.563 and 76.564 –

75.569 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 74.563 and 76.654 -

569). Please note, a member of an eligible partnership that is not an LEA or State agency may charge indirect costs to its

TQP project funds at a default rate of 8 percent if the eligible partnership is awarded a TQP grant (and unless the

Secretary determines that it would have a lower negotiated rate). See 34 CFR 76.563(c). Alternatively, the member of the eligible partnership that is not an LEA or State agency may use its restricted indirect cost rate, or apply for one and use the 8% rate until it receives one.

*LEAs (and any State agency optional partners) must use their own established restricted indirect cost rates; they are not eligible to use this 8% rate.

NOTE: If you have questions about how to obtain an approved restricted indirect cost rate or how to apply that rate, you may contact a cost negotiator using the information provided at the following URL:

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/fipao/icgreps.html. If you have further questions about restricted indirect cost rates, please refer to the TQP FAQ Doc. Applicants may also contact the Department of Education’s Indirect Cost

Rate Group at IndirectCostGroup@ed.gov.

Training Stipends (Line 11): If your project is to implement a teaching residency program under Absolute Priority 2 or

Absolute Priority 4, indicate the amount of the living wage stipend, the number of grant participants to receive the stipends and the justification for the stipend. Please make sure that training stipends are placed under this line item and not under “Personnel” or “Other.”

Total Cost (Line 12): This should equal to sum of lines 9-11 (total direct costs + indirect + training stipends).

*Please remember that a budget narrative should be provided for both Federal costs and Non-Federal costs.

Please also check all figures and combined totals in the budget narrative, Section C, to ensure that they correspond to the amounts reflected in Section A and Section B on ED 524.

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/fipao/icgreps.html mailto:IndirectCostGroup@ed.gov

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OTHER ATTACHMENTS (APPENDIX)

Applicants will attach any appendices they may have to the Grants.gov Other Attachments Form. Use the outline below to know which document to place in each appendix. The Grants.gov system will allow applicants to attach as many as ten separate appendices in this section.

Appendix A: TQP Optional Eligible Partnership AND Partner IHE Checklist

Appendix B: TQP Optional Application and General Program Requirements Checklist*

Appendix C: TQP Optional Needs Assessment for TQP Application and General Program Requirements*

Appendix D: TQP Optional High-Need LEA AND High-Need School Checklist*

Appendix E: TQP Optional Absolute Priority Checklist*

Applicants may address only ONE Absolute Priority.

Appendix F: TQP Waiver Request of 100% Match Requirement, if applicable

Applicants should include a written request and justification in order to be considered for a waiver from the match requirement, if applicable.

Appendix G: Demonstrates Rational: (Logic Model)

Appendix H: Resumes of Key Personnel

Appendix I: Letters of Support and Memorandum of Understanding from partners, if applicable. Match

Documentation Letters and Match chart.

Appendix J: Current Indirect Cost Rate Agreement and Other documents, as applicable

*Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the optional checklists on the following pages to document and identify where required information can be found in the proposed application. Use of the checklists will enable reviewers and Department staff to identify where in your applications required information is located, and prevent your applications from being found ineligible for funding because this information cannot be located. The TQP program statue includes a great many application and program requirements that your application must to address. We don’t want any applicant to have its application rejected because we could not find information in the application that the law requires.

Applicants can download the above listed optional checklists from the TQP program webpage:

A. ELIGIBILITY RESOURCES

Sample TQP High-Need Data Resources

Eligible applicants must meet the definition of a high-need LEA and high-need schools as found in section 200(10) and 200(11) of the HEA by providing documentation that it has at least 20 percent of, or at least 10,000, children from low-income families, providing documentation that the LEA(s) meets the eligibility requirements for funding under the Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) Program under section 6211(b) of the ESEA or meets the eligibility requirements for funding under the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) Program under section 6221(b) of the ESEA and a high-percentage teachers not teaching in the academic subject areas or grade levels in which the teachers were trained to teach.

Poverty/Rural Area Requirement

Section 200(2) of the HEA defines the term “children from low-income families” to have the meaning described in section 1124(c)(1)(A) of the ESEA, as amended. That ESEA provision requires use of the most recent poverty data issued by the US Census Bureau. These data may be found in the following links:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html https://www2.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligibility.html https://www2.ed.gov/programs/reaprlisp/eligibility.html

If the Census Bureau data do not include poverty data for a particular LEA, such as a charter school with LEA status, a newly created LEA,…