oppED-GRANTS-072618-001-cid84-184F2018-2-instructions.pdf

U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

Office of Safe and Healthy Students Washington, D.C. 20202-6450

Fiscal Year 2018

Application for New Grants Under School Climate Transformation Grant—

State Educational Agency Grants

CFDA 84.184F

Dated Material - Open Immediately

Closing Date: August 27, 2018

Approved OMB Number: 1894-0006

Expiration Date: 01/31/2021 ii

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is: 1894-0006. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 28 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data resources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit (EDGAR (34 CFR 75.104(a)).

If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: Carlette KyserPegram, School Climate Transformation Grant—State Educational Agency Grants, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3E257 Washington D.C.

20202-6450. [Note: Please do not return the completed application to this address.] iii

Table of Contents

Dear Colleague Letter

Application Overview

Program Background and Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

Tips for Preparing and Submitting an Application

Electronic Application Submission Checklist

Standard Form Instructions and Information ....................................................................................... 31-54

Notice Inviting Applications

Dear Colleague:

Thank you for your interest in the School Climate Transformation Grant—State Educational Agency program, administered by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The School Climate Transformation Grant Program provides competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to develop, enhance, or expand statewide systems of support for, and technical assistance to, local educational agencies and schools implementing an evidence-based, multitiered behavioral framework for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for all students.

This competition has two priorities - one absolute priority and one competitive preference priority. We consider only applications for the School Climate Transformation Grant— State Educational Agency Grants program that meet the absolute priority described in the Notice Inviting Applications published in the Federal Register on July 26, 2018. Under the absolute priority, SEAs must implement multitiered behavioral frameworks to improve school climate.

In addition, applicants may earn up to five competitive preference points based on the application plan to incorporate opioid abuse prevention and mitigation strategies into the menu of evidence-based strategies available to LEAs implementing multitiered behavioral frameworks. Applicants will need to describe how their proposed plan will incorporate outreach to LEAs with high levels of opioid use to promote adoption of these strategies. Additionally, the plan will need to describe how the applicant will track the adoption and effectiveness of these strategies.

Please take the time to review the applicable priorities, selection criteria, and all of the application instructions thoroughly. An application will not be evaluated for funding if the applicant does not comply with all of the procedural rules that govern the submission of the application or the application does not contain the information required under the program (EDGAR §75.216 (b) and (c)).

For this competition it is mandatory for applicants to use the government-wide website, Grants.gov (www.grants.gov), to apply. Please note that the Grants.gov site works differently than the U.S.

Department of Education’s e-Application System. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with Grants.gov and strongly recommend that you register and submit early.

Applications submitted to Grants.gov for the Department of Education will now be posted using Adobe forms. Therefore, applicants will need to download a compatible version of Adobe reader. Please review the Submitting Applications with Adobe Reader Software and Education Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants forms found within this package for further information and guidance related to this requirement.

Please visit our program website at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/schoolclimatesea for further information. If you have any questions about the program after reviewing the application package, please contact Carlette KyserPegram by telephone at (202) 453-6732 or via e-mail at Carlette.KyserPegram@ed.gov .

Paul Kesner, Acting Director Office of Safe and Healthy Students

United States Department of Education

OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SAFE AND HEALTHY STUDENTS

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/schoolclimatesea mailto:Carlette.KyserPegram@ed.gov

Application Overview

School Climate Transformation Grant - SEA Grants Fast Facts:

Eligible Applicants: Eligible Applicants include SEAs, as defined by section 9101(41) of the ESEA.

Purpose: The School Climate Transformation Grant – State Educational Agency Grants Program provides competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to develop, enhance, or expand statewide systems of support for, and technical assistance to, local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools implementing an evidence-based, multitiered behavioral framework for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for all students.

Application Deadline Date: August 27, 2018

Application Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov (www.grants.gov)

Estimated Available Funds: $8,000,000

Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 to $750,000 per year for up to 5 years.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $500,000.

Maximum Award: $750,000 per 12 month budget period.

Estimated Number of Awards: 16.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Competition Manager: Carlette.KyserPegram at Carlette.KyserPegram@ed.gov or (202) 453-6732.

Program Background and Overview

Research demonstrates that the implementation of an evidence-based, multitiered behavioral framework, such as positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), can help improve overall school climate and safety. A key aspect of this multitiered approach is providing differing levels of support and interventions to students based on their needs. Certain supports involve the whole school (e.g., consistent rules, consequences, and reinforcement of appropriate behavior), with more intensive supports for groups of students exhibiting at-risk behavior and individualized services for students who continue to exhibit troubling behavior.

When a multitiered behavioral framework has been implemented with fidelity, studies have found the following statistically significant results: an increase in perceived school safety, reductions in overall problem behaviors, reductions in bullying behaviors, and reductions in office discipline referrals and suspensions. Studies have also found a correlation between the use of multitiered behavioral frameworks and improved social skills. Emerging evidence also links implementing a multitiered behavioral framework with improved academic achievement.

Under this program, grant funds will help build SEA capacity to assist LEAs develop, enhance, or expand their systems of support for, and technical assistance to, schools implementing evidence-based mailto:Carlette.KyserPegram@ed.gov multitiered behavior frameworks for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for all students.

This application package is specifically for SEAs to apply for grants under the School Climate Transformation Grant Program.

Eligibility:

This grant competition limits eligibility to State Educational Agencies (SEAs).

Authority:

Subpart 3 of Title IV, Part F of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7281).

Official Document Notice

The official document governing this competition is the Notice Inviting Applications published in the

Federal Register on August 27, 2018 (also included in the Legal and Regulatory Documents section of this application package).

Project Period

The project period for these grants is up to 60 months (5 budget periods of 12 months each). The exact start date is not known at this time. We estimate awards will be announced by late September 2018.

Projects will be funded for the first year with an option for four additional years contingent upon demonstration of substantial progress by the grantee and the availability of future funds. Note:

Applicants must submit ED Form 524 and a detailed budget narrative for each budget period that funding is requested.

Estimated Award Information

We estimate we will make approximately 16 new awards. Projects will be funded for approximately

$250,000 to $750,000 per year for up to 5 years, depending on the scope of work. These figures are only estimates and do not bind the Department to a specific number of grants or amount of any grant.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards (or fund down the approved slate) in future fiscal years based on the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Maximum Award

We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $750,000 for a single budget period of

12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Matching Funds

This program does not require a matching contribution from the grantee, however, if you propose matching funds, we will monitor the grant to ensure the match is met and you will be expected to report annually on the matching funds as well as federal funds.

Travel Budget

Applicants should budget funds for the project director and one additional staff member to attend the

Office of Safe and Healthy Students, School Climate Transformation Project Directors Meeting each year of the grant. For planning purposes, applicants should include funds for transportation, lodging for two nights and three days, and per diem costs. There are no meeting or registration costs for our grantees.

These meetings will usually be held in Washington, DC.

Email Address

As part of our review of your application, we may need to contact you with questions for clarification.

Please be sure your application contains valid e-mail addresses for the project director and authorized representative or another party designated to answer questions in the event the project director and authorized representative are unavailable.

Application Due Date

All applications must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov portal and must be submitted before 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date for applications.

Please note that applications may not be emailed or faxed.

Note: Under very extraordinary circumstances, the Department may change the closing date for a competition. When this occurs, we announce such a change in a notice published in the Federal Register. Waivers for individual applications failing to meet the deadline will not be granted, except in the circumstances described in the section under electronic submission of applications.

Review of Applications and Notification of Award

The review of applications and notification of awards for this grant competition requires approximately

6 to 8 weeks depending on the number of applications we receive. We expect to notify successful applicants by late September 2018. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified within 60 days after awards are announced.

Human Subjects Research Activities

Please see Item 3 of the instructions for Supplemental Information for Standard Form 424 on page 31 of this application package. Projects funded under this grant program may be subject to protection of human subjects research requirements. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under these requirements, please contact ED’s protection of human subjects coordinator at 202-245-8090.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Expectations

By submitting an application for this program, applicants agree to fully cooperate with any evaluation efforts conducted by the Department and its contractors. At a minimum, grantees are expected to maintain records on how their program is operating; maintain records on the extent to which their program objectives are being met; include specific performance measures in their evaluation plan; and make ongoing project information, findings, and products available to ensure the dissemination of knowledge gained from this effort during the grant period.

Reports

Each grantee is required to submit an annual and final report to demonstrate progress toward GPRA measures and project objectives. For multiple-year projects, these reports are also evaluated to determine whether substantial progress has been made to justify a continuation award. For projects funded for one year, only a final report is required.

Absolute Priority

For FY 2018 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is: Grants to State Educational Agencies (SEAs) to Implement Statewide Systems of

Support for Multitiered Behavioral Frameworks to Improve School Climate.

Under this priority, we provide grants to SEAs to develop, enhance, or expand statewide systems of support for, and provide technical assistance to, LEAs implementing a multitiered behavioral framework to improve school climate and behavioral outcomes for all students.

Competitive Preference Priority

For FY 2018 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is a competitive preference priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(1) we award an additional 5 points to an application that meets this priority. An applicant must clearly indicate in the abstract section of its application that it is applying for the competitive preference priority. The Department may not review or award points under this competitive preference priority for any application that fails to do so.

This priority is:

Technical Assistance Related to Opioid Abuse and Prevention (5 points).

Under this priority, we will provide additional points to an applicant that proposes a high-quality plan to incorporate opioid abuse prevention and mitigation strategies into the menu of evidence-based strategies available to LEAs implementing multitiered behavioral frameworks. The plan should describe how the SEA will incorporate outreach to LEAs with high levels of opioid use to promote adoption of these strategies, as well as how the SEA will track the adoption and effectiveness of these strategies.

The plan may also include providing technical assistance to or support for LEAs that implement or plan to implement other relevant, high-quality approaches such as the Screening, Brief Intervention and

Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) student assessment approach referenced in the 2018 President’s

Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis report. The report can be found be found at: www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Final_Report_Draft_11-15-2017.pdf.

The plan could also address the mental health needs of students who are negatively impacted by family members who are (or have been) abusers. Applicants that receive competitive preference points under this priority and are ultimately awarded a School Climate Transformation Grant will finalize and implement the high-quality plan described in response to this priority post-award.

Program Requirements

Each grantee must implement a plan that:

(a) Builds SEA capacity for supporting the sustained and broad-scale implementation with fidelity of a multitiered behavioral framework by LEAs by--

(1) Improving the skills of SEA personnel to assist LEA implementation of the components of a multitiered behavioral framework, such as policies, funding, professional development, coaching, and interagency coordination for providing services;

(2) Developing a cadre of trained and experienced SEA staff to provide training and ongoing coaching to LEA leadership teams on the multitiered behavioral framework; and

(3) Improving the quality, accessibility, and usefulness of statewide data collection and analysis for the purposes related to the State’s strategies for improving school climate;

(b) Enhances LEA capacity for implementing with fidelity and sustaining a multitiered behavioral framework by providing training and technical assistance to LEAs on--

(1) Developing or improving the quality, accessibility, and usefulness of LEA data collection and data-based decision making related to improving school climate;

(2) Improving the skills and expertise of LEA personnel to develop, implement with fidelity, and sustain a multitiered behavioral framework; and

(3) Using evidence-based practices and reliable and valid tools and processes for evaluating the fidelity of implementation of the multitiered behavioral framework, and for measuring its outcomes, including reductions in discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions, and the use of restraints and seclusion; improvements in school climate; increases in instructional time; and improvements in overall academic achievement; and

(c) Coordinates SEA efforts with appropriate Federal, State, and local resources, including the PBIS

Technical Assistance Center funded by the Department.

Application Requirements

Applications that fail to meet any one of these requirements will not be read or scored. The applicant must:

(a) Describe the current efforts by the SEA to support implementation of a multitiered behavioral framework in its LEAs and schools, as well as the need to implement, scale-up, and sustain such a framework in additional LEAs and schools. The applicant must present State and local data demonstrating this need, including, but not limited to, the number and types of LEAs and schools that are currently implementing a multitiered behavioral framework;

(b) Describe its plan to build, improve, or enhance SEA capacity to provide effective training, technical assistance, and support to LEAs and their schools on implementing a school-wide multitiered behavioral framework, including: when and where to conduct technical assistance activities; how to garner buy-in from participants and other stakeholders; how to balance the time needed to deliver technical assistance related to this grant with the time needed to deliver other technical assistance and professional development activities; the estimated number of LEAs that will be assisted; and how the

SEA will help build capacity for implementation at the local level;

(c) Describe how the proposed project will address the needs of high-need LEAs (as defined in this notice), including those with schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(d)(1) of the ESEA and schools identified for targeted support and improvement under section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA; and

(d) Explain how the SEA's efforts to build LEA and school capacity to implement, expand, and sustain a multitiered behavioral framework will be coordinated with other SEA and LEA school safety and school improvement efforts such as expanding access to mental health care or reducing cyberbullying.

Definitions

We are establishing the definitions of “high-need LEA” and “multitiered behavioral framework” in this notice for the FY 2018 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20

U.S.C. 1232(d)(1). The definition of “evidence-based” is from section 8101 of the ESEA.

Evidence-based, when used with respect to a State, LEA, or school activity, means an activity, strategy, or intervention that--

(i) Demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on--

(I) Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study;

(II) Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or

(III) Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias; or

(ii)(I) Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes; and

(II) Includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of such activity, strategy, or intervention.

High-need LEA means an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or (b) for which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the poverty line.

Multitiered behavioral framework means a school-wide structure used to improve the integration and implementation of behavioral practices, data-driven decision-making systems, professional development opportunities, school leadership, supportive SEA and LEA policies, and evidence-based instructional strategies.

School Climate Transformation Grant Resource List

The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) provides training and support to state administrators, school and district administrators, institutions of higher education, teachers, support staff at schools, communities and families, and students. It also seeks to improve schools' conditions for learning through measurement and program implementation, so that all students have the opportunity to realize academic success in safe and supportive environments.

http://www.safesupportivelearning.ed.gov

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) The Technical Assistance Center on Positive

Behavioral Interventions and Supports is established by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of

Special Education Programs (OSEP) to define, develop, implement, and evaluate a multitiered approach to Technical Assistance that improves the capacity of states, districts and schools to establish, scale-up and sustain the PBIS framework. Emphasis is given to the impact of implementing PBIS on the social, emotional and academic outcomes for students with disabilities. http://www.pbis.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Administrative

1. What is the deadline date for this competition?

The deadline for this competition is August 27, 2018.

2. May I get an extension of the deadline date?

Waivers for individual applications failing to meet the deadline will not be granted, regardless of the circumstances. Under very extraordinary circumstances the Department may change the closing date for a grant competition. When this occurs, the Department announces such a change in a notice published in the Federal Register.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Eastern Time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described in the NIA.

3. Do I have to submit my application electronically?

http://www.safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/ http://www.pbis.org/

Yes. Unless you qualify for an exception in accordance with the instructions found in the Notice

Inviting Applications (NIA), you must submit your application electronically.

4. How do I submit my application electronically?

For more information on using Grants.gov, please refer to the “Common Instructions for

Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs” published in the Federal

Register on February 12, 2018 and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-02558;

the Grants.gov “Submission Procedures and Tips” document found in this application package;

and/or visit www.grants.gov.

5. What information do I enter in box 4 Applicant Identifier, box 5a Federal Entity Identifier, and box 5b Federal Award Identifier on the SF-424 form?

These boxes are not applicable for this competition. Please leave boxes 4, 5a, and 5b blank. You may input “NA” in each box, but be sure not to include a slash (i.e., “N/A”), the system will not allow you to input special characters.

6. How does the Freedom of Information Act affect my application?

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. All U.S. Government agencies are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by the nine exemptions listed in the FOIA. All applications submitted for funding consideration under this grant competition are subject to the FOIA. To read the text of the

Freedom of Information Act, visit http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/foia/foiatoc.html.

7. For my GEPA 427 statement is it adequate to state that our organization does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, etc.?

No. An organization’s non-discrimination statement is not sufficient to meet the GEPA requirements. A GEPA statement should outline an entity’s potential barriers and solutions to equal access, specific to the proposed project.

8. What is required from an applicant whose State Single Point of Contact indicates that they are not reviewing applications for this grant competition?

Applicants should include a copy of such a response from the State Single Point of Contact in their application package submitted to ED and check the appropriate line on the SF 424 form.

9. By what date do applicants have to submit their application to their State Single Point of

Contact, if participating?

Applicants must submit their application to the State Single Point of Contact by the deadline date for transmitting their application to ED.

https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-02558 http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/foia/foiatoc.html

10. What steps should the applicant’s Authorized Representative take before signing a grant application?

The standard form that serves as a cover sheet for grant applications includes a certification statement that accompanies the authorized representative’s signature. That certification indicates that the information provided in the grant application is true and complete to the best of the authorized representative’s knowledge, and that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the authorized representative to administrative, civil, or criminal penalties. As a result, an authorized representative should carefully review a grant application before signing in order to be sure that all of the information contained in the application package is correct. Additionally, an authorized representative should be sure that the application describes a project that has the organization’s support and reflects an approach that the organization is committed to implementing.

11. What should I include in the “Table of Contents”?

The Table of Contents shows where and how the important sections of your proposal are organized and should not exceed one double spaced page. The application package shows the

“Table of Contents” falling within the “Project Narrative,” but the “Table of Contents” should be comprehensive, covering all application content.

Eligibility

12. Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are State Educational Agencies (SEAs), as defined by section 9101(41) of the

ESEA.

13. Are colleges or universities eligible to apply for this grant?

No. Colleges and universities are not considered SEAs and thus are not eligible for this grant.

Only entities that meet the definition of an SEA may receive funding under this program.

14. Must an SEA assist only high-need LEAs to be eligible to receive a grant?

No. Multitiered behavioral frameworks are intended to support teaching and learning for all children and youth in all schools. However applicants must describe how the proposed project will address the needs of high-need LEAs (as defined), including those with high-poverty schools

(as defined), low-performing schools (including persistently lowest-achieving schools (both as defined)), and priority schools (as defined).

15. Must an application list the specific high-need LEAs that an SEA plans to include in the project?

No. Applicants are not required to identify specific high-need LEAs or the process to identify them in the application project narrative; however, while not required, doing so may strengthen the application. The application should include an estimated number of high-need LEAs that will be assisted. Consistent with Application Requirement (c), the application must describe how the proposed project will address the needs of high-need LEAs, as defined in the NIA.

16. In order to determine whether an LEA is a high-need LEA as defined in the NIA, what sources of data may be used to determine an LEA’s poverty rate?

Consistent with the definition of “poverty line” in section 9101(33) of the ESEA, census data is the appropriate measure to use to determine an LEA’s poverty rate.

http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe

Priorities

17. What priority must all applicants address to be eligible for funding?

All applications must address the absolute priority as written: Grants to State Educational

Agencies (SEAs) to Implement Statewide Systems of Support for Multitiered Behavioral

Frameworks to Improve School Climate. Under this priority, we provide grants to SEAs to develop, enhance, or expand systems of support for, and provide technical assistance to, LEAs implementing a multitiered behavioral framework to improve school climate and behavioral outcomes for all students.

18. Are applicants required to address the competitive preference priority?

No. Applicants are not required to address the competitive preference priority, but may earn competitive preference points by designing grant programs that meet the expectations defined in the competitive preference priority language.

19. If we decide to apply for the competitive preference priority, are we required to state our intention to do so in the abstract section of the application?

Yes. In order to be eligible for earning competitive preference priority points, an applicant must state in the abstract section of its application that it is seeking points under the competitive preference priority, and we encourage you to specifically identify your response to the competitive preference priority to assist reviewers. Applications that fail to clearly state in the abstract section that they are seeking to earn points under the competitive preference will not be reviewed against the competitive preference priority and will not be awarded competitive preference priority points.

20. Where should we provide supporting information to address the competitive preference priority for purposes of earning competitive preference priority points?

You should discuss in more detail how you will be addressing the competitive preference priority as part of the overall proposed project goals and objectives in the application narrative.

Requirements

21. What Assurances and Certifications are required?

http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe

Be certain to complete all required assurances and certifications in Grants.gov, and include all required information in the appropriate place on each form. The assurances and certifications required for this application are:

Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B Form)

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF LLL Form)

Certification Regarding Lobbying (ED 80-0013 Form)

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirements – Section 427

22. What are the Project Performance Measures for this program?

The Department has established the following performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of the School Climate Transformation Grant Program:

(a) The number of training and technical assistance events provided by the SEA School

Climate Transformation Grant Program to assist LEAs in implementing a multitiered behavioral framework.

(b) The number and percentage of schools in LEAs provided training or technical assistance by the SEA School Climate Transformation Grant Program that implement a multitiered behavioral framework.

(c) The number and percentage of LEAs provided training or technical assistance by the

SEA School Climate Transformation Grant Program that implement a multitiered behavioral framework with fidelity.

23. What technical assistance is available for grantees?

In September of 2014 the Department funded the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

The PBIS Center provides a comprehensive and specific TA activities and products; including:

Information about PBIS practices, systems, outcomes, and data;

Demonstrations of implementation of PBIS systems and practices with evaluation data at the student, school, district, and state levels;

Professional development materials and resources for skill and capacity building in the implementation, coordination, leadership, etc. of PBIS practices and systems;

Collaboration activities across schools, districts, and states; professional organizations;

state and federal offices and departments; other federally sponsored centers and projects; etc.;

Research about the efficacy, efficiency, and relevance of a given PBIS practice, system, and/or demonstration, and

Evaluation planning tools, evaluation tools, online websites for collection of fidelity and impact data.

All activities and products found directly at the Center website www.pbis.org are downloadable and/or accessible for free. General assistance (e.g., conference calls, material review) that is provided by indirect communications (e.g., telephone, email, mail) also is no cost.

Some targeted and intensive technical assistance as contracted and required by the Office of Special Education Programs or Office of Safe and Healthy Students, U.S. Department of Education might be provided at no cost to specified LEAs or SEAs. Please note that intensive or personalized and on-site technical assistance is not included in the TA Center activities and will need to be budgeted for in grant applications.

Application Review

24. How will applications be reviewed?

The Department will first screen applications to determine which applications should be forwarded to reviewers based on the adequacy of the applications’ response to the absolute priorities, eligibility, and other requirements published in the NIA.

The Department intends to use non-federal reviewers from various backgrounds and professions with relevant expertise. These reviewers will use their professional judgment to evaluate and score each application based on the selection criteria.

25. Will an applicant receive its scores and reviewer comments after the competitions are completed?

Yes. Both funded and unfunded applicants will receive a copy of the technical review form completed by the peer reviewers. Individual reviewer names are deleted from the forms to preserve confidentiality.

26. Will the reviewers be asked to read every part of each application?

Yes. Reviewers will be asked to read every part of the application (including the budget narrative, and project narrative, among others). For this reason and to facilitate the review, the

Department encourages applicants to carefully follow the directions in the application package.

Applicants should pay particular attention to the flow of the narrative and correctly label all attachments.

Budget

27. Is there a maximum award amount for this competition?

Yes. We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $750,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

28. Are these grants subject to Supplement, Not Supplant provisions?

No.

29. What is an indirect cost?

An indirect cost is an expense that you incur that is necessary for implementing the grant, but may be difficult to identify directly with your grant. For example, indirect costs may include money spent for heat, light, rent, telephone, security, accounting, and Internet use.

30. Does this program use a restricted or unrestricted indirect cost rate?

This program uses an unrestricted indirect cost rate.

31. If an applicant intends to charge indirect costs to the grant, what documentation should it submit with its application?

If an applicant has a current indirect cost rate, it should submit a copy of its current indirect cost rate agreement, including its current rate.

If an applicant does not have a current indirect cost rate agreement, applicants should submit a provisional indirect cost rate. Applicants may choose not to submit indirect cost rate information at the time of application; however, in order to charge indirect costs to the grant, this applicant will need to submit an indirect cost rate agreement. The applicant should include any proposed indirect costs in its proposed budget and budget narrative.

32. If a grantee fails to propose indirect costs in the budget section of the application, may it charge indirect costs to the grant once awarded?

During the Department’s budget review process, which occurs prior to grant award, the

Department reviews each applicant’s requested budget. If the requested budget does not include estimated indirect costs, they will not be included in the budget approved by the

Department that forms the basis of the grant award. This means that, after award, a grantee would only have funds with which to charge indirect costs to the grant if the approved direct costs of the grantee’s project for any budget period exceed the grantee's actual direct costs.

Where this occurs, the grantee may submit a requested budget revision to the Department program office to use the excess funds budgeted for direct costs to cover its indirect costs.

33. If, at the time it receives a grant award, a grantee does not have an approved indirect cost agreement, may it still charge indirect costs to the grant?

A grantee that does not have an indirect cost agreement at the time of application may still be able to charge indirect costs until it receives an approved rate, if the Secretary approves the grantee's request to use a temporary rate of ten percent of budgeted direct salaries and wages.

However, after the grant award is issued, the grantee must receive an indirect cost rate within

90 calendar days of the start of the grant to continue to charge indirect costs to the grant.

For additional information about obtaining an approved indirect cost rate or applying for an indirect cost rate, contact the Department’s indirect cost group at IndirectCostGroup@ed.gov.

34. Are there guidelines for how much money can be spent on consultants?

No. Under EDGAR 75.515, a grantee must use its general policies and practices when it hires, uses, and pays a consultant as part of the project staff. However, grant funds may not be used to pay a consultant unless there is a need in the project for the services of that consultant and the grantee cannot meet that need by using an employee rather than a consultant.

35. What are the funding restrictions?

Program funds may be used for costs related to training, technical assistance, and capacity building, in addition to other allowable costs.

36. When direct costs include equipment and large contracts, how are these costs treated in the calculation of a grantee’s indirect costs?

The terms of the applicable indirect cost agreement govern this issue. In general, the indirect cost rate is applied to direct costs to calculate the indirect costs that can be charged to a grant.

However, many indirect cost rate agreements exclude from the direct costs used for this calculation equipment costs and contractual costs that exceed the first $25,000 of each contract. Each applicant should consult its own indirect cost rate agreement to determine which expenses can be included in direct costs when calculating indirect costs.

37. Are applicants required to secure cost sharing or matching funds?

No.

38. When an applicant commits non-Federal funds to the proposed project, does this create a legal obligation to fulfill the commitment?

Yes. Section 75.700 of the Education Department General Administrative regulations (EDGAR)

(34 C.F.R. 75.700) requires each grantee to comply with the content of its approved application.

Therefore, if an application is approved, the grantee is responsible for fulfilling the commitment of non-Federal funds or in-kind resources set forth in Section B of ED Form 524 included in its application and any commitment of non-Federal funds identified in the application. Grantees are required to meet these commitments and to report on the extent to which they have been met in their annual performance reports.

39. What is the project and budget period for these grants?

The project period for this grant is up to five years (60 months). Each grant year is considered its own budget period. The application should include a description of the proposed activities for all five years, as well as a budget narrative that includes information for each budget year.

Continuation awards are made based on an applicant’s ability to demonstrate substantial progress in their required annual performance reports.

40. What should I use as the project start date?

Should you receive a grant, the start date will depend on when funds can be awarded and obligated. The proposed project start date might be slightly modified to accommodate this.

41. Must a grantee wait until the start of the initial budget period to begin incurring costs that grant funds will reimburse?

No. SCTG funds are available to reimburse a grantee for pre-award costs that are reasonable, necessary, and otherwise allowable when these costs were incurred within 90 days prior to the beginning of the grant's initial budget period. For instance, a grantee with a budget period start date of October 1 may begin carrying out tasks for the new project as early as July 1, although it cannot draw down any payments until October 1 when the grant is awarded and the initial budget period has begun.

However, until notified of receipt of a grant award, an applicant bears the risk of committing its own funds to these pre-award obligations. If the applicant is not awarded a SCTG grant, the

Department will not reimburse the applicant for any costs incurred in anticipation of a possible grant award.

42. Can applicants budget for “training stipend” costs on ED Form 524?

No. These costs are not allowable for this program. All applicants must complete the “training stipend” line item with a “0.”

43. What should be included in the budget narrative?

As explained in the application package, an application should include one budget narrative.

This narrative should provide a detailed description of how the applicant plans to use its requested grant funds, and should be of sufficient scope and detail for the Department to determine if the costs are necessary, reasonable, and otherwise allowable, and for the reader to understand how the applicant proposes to use Federal and non-Federal funds to support the proposed project.

Additionally, the “Budget Narrative” section of the application package provides extensive detail, including examples, on how an applicant might present the assumptions on which the proposed performance-based compensation costs are based.

Preparing and Submitting an Application

Beginning the Application Process

Read this application package in its entirety and make sure you follow all of the instructions.

Use the tools we have provided to help you, including:

o Frequently Asked Questions section in this application package.

o Resources related to this specific grant competition on our website at

If you do not understand an instruction or requirement, contact Carlette KyserPegram, U.S.

Department of Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students at Carlette.KyserPegram@ed.gov or (202) 453-6732 for information about this grant competition.

Please note that we anticipate receiving a large volume of inquiries and recommend contacting us via email with any questions. We will do our best to respond to inquiries within 24-48 hours.

Please do not wait until the closing date to contact us with questions, as we may not be able to respond prior to competition closing time.

Preparing Your Application

Organize your narrative according to the selection criteria headings and respond comprehensively.

Be thorough in your responses. Write so that someone who knows nothing about your community and the proposed activities, curricula, programs, and services can understand what you are proposing and why.

Make sure your budget provides sufficient itemization and detailed descriptions about planned expenditures so ED staff can easily determine how amounts were calculated.

Link your planned expenditures to the proposed activities, curricula, programs, and services. Do not request funds for miscellaneous purposes. Make sure you demonstrate that your proposed expenditures are necessary to carry out your program.

Please be sure to budget for all required grantee meetings.

Submitting Your Application

Use the checklist provided in this application package to ensure your application is complete before submitting it.

Make sure all required forms are included and signed by an authorized representative of your organization.

Transmit your application by the deadline date and time. When submitting your application electronically, you must use Grants.gov at: www.grants.gov. Unless you qualify for an exception in accordance with the instructions found in the Notice Inviting Applications, you must submit your application electronically.

What Happens Next?

If you submit your application electronically, the PR/Award number will be generated automatically when you submit your application. Please refer to this PR/Award number if you need to contact us about your application.

Staff members screen each application to ensure that all program eligibility requirements are met and that all forms are included and signed by the Authorized Representative.

Your application will be assigned to a three-person panel of independent reviewers who will evaluate and score your proposal according to the selection criteria in this package. Your application will receive a score from 0 to 100, depending upon how well it addresses the mailto:SEA.SCTG@ed.gov selection criteria. Agency staff will award any appropriate competitive preference points.

Competitive preference points will be in addition to points awarded by peer reviewers.

A Grant Award Notification will be sent to applicants whose proposals rank high enough to be awarded a grant. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will receive peer reviewers’ comments approximately 6 to 8 weeks after grant awards are announced. Unsuccessful applicants also will receive a notification letter. Please be sure your application contains a valid mailing address for both the Project Director and the Authorized Representative so that reviewers’ comments can be successfully delivered.

Application Submission Procedures

The deadline for submission of School Climate Transformation Grants—State Educational Agency Grants applications through Grants.gov is August 27, 2018.

Application Transmittal Instructions

Attention Electronic Applicants: This program requires the electronic submission of applications--specific requirements and instructions can be found in the Federal Register notice. Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant competition.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described in the Federal Register notice for this competition, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions.

Applications Submitted Electronically

We are participating as a partner in the Government-wide Grants.gov site. Submit applications electronically using Grants.gov and do not email them.

On December 31, 2017, Grants.gov retired the Legacy PDF format for submitting grant applications. A Grants.gov applicant must apply online using Workspace, a shared environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. An applicant can create an individual Workspace for each application notice and establish for that application a collaborative application package that allows more than one person in the applicant’s organization to work concurrently on an application. The Grants.gov system also enables the applicant to reuse forms from previous submissions, check them in and out to complete them, and submit the application package. For access to further instructions on how to apply using Grants.gov, refer to:

www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html. You may access the electronic grant applications at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.184 not 84.184F).

Please note the following:

• Applicants needing assistance with Grants.gov may contact the Grants.gov Support Center either by calling 1–800–518–4726 or by sending an…