PKG00260747-instructions.pdf

FY 2020

U.S.

Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Washington, DC 20202-5900

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR GRANTS UNDER THE

TEACHER AND SCHOOL LEADER INCENTIVE PROGRAM

CFDA Number: 84.374A Form Approved OMB No. 1894-0006 Expiration Date: June 2, 2020

Closing Date: June 2, 2020

Table of Contents

Letter from the Director 4 Ready to Apply 6 I. Program Background Information 7

Program Overview 7 II. Basic Application Information 8

Important Dates 8 FY 2020 TSL Notice Inviting Applications 8 FY 2020 TSL Application Package 8 Notification of Intent to Apply 9 Apply! 9 FY 2020 TSL Grant Competition Design Elements 9 Absolute Priorities 9 Programmatic Requirements Established in the NIA 11 Competitive Preference Priorities 10 Statutory Application Requirements (ESEA section 2212(c)) 11

III. Application Submission Procedures 13 Submission Procedures 13 Submission Problems – What Should You Do? 16 Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov 16 Dial-up Internet Connections 16 Attaching Files – Additional Tips 16 DUNS Number Instructions 17 Application Tips 18

IV. Application Instructions 19 Completing and Submitting Your Application 20

A. Required Forms 21 Standard Forms Instructions 21

B. Application Narrative Instructions 21 ED Abstract Narrative 21 Project Narrative 22 Table of Contents 23 Page Guidelines 23 Identifying Contractors or Vendors in the Project Application 23 FY 2020 TSL Application Grant Selection Criteria 25

C. Budget Narratives 26 Budget Narrative Guidelines 27 Instructions for the Budget Narratives 29

D. Other Attachment Forms 36 Instructions for Appendices 36 FY 2020 Application Checklist 37

E. Additional Information 38 Addressing Your Questions 38 Transparency 38 Executive Order 12372 – Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs 38

Paperwork Burden Statement 39

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL)! We know that teachers are the single most important factors in improving student learning and achievement. The TSL program provides funding for projects that implement and enhance human capital management systems (HCMSs) that are local educational agency (LEA)-wide, or that include performance-based teacher and/or principal compensation systems (PBCSs) especially for educators working in high-need schools. Among other factors, an HCMS under TSL must include evaluation and support systems that reflect clear and fair measures of performance and take into account gains in student academic achievement. LEAs, State educational agencies (SEAs) or other State agencies designated by the Governor to participate, the Bureau of Indian Education, and partnerships of one or more of those entities and at least one nonprofit or for-profit entity are eligible to apply for TSL funding.

In the FY TSL 2020 competition, we are especially interested in supporting two key areas that we have established as Competitive Preference Priorities. The first is spurring investment in qualified opportunity zones and the second seeks to encourage applications from new potential grantees. Applicants may earn additional points for addressing one or both of these competitive preference priorities.

These application instructions contain more detailed information about the TSL program and requirements for this competition, including a link to the full version of the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) published in the Federal Register on Friday, April 3, 2020, ED required forms, optional but desired program checklists, and important instructions on how to submit an application using Grants.gov. We strongly encourage you to read these instructions carefully.

The Department of Education (Department) and Congress have high expectations for TSL grantees. Therefore, we ask applicants to view this program competition not as an opportunity to obtain additional funds, but as an opportunity to improve student learning as you implement systemic change through HCMSs and performance-based compensation for educators in your schools.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Again, thank you for your interest in the TSL program and for your commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools across this country.

Sincerely, Venitia Richardson Venitia Richardson

Division Director, Effective Educators Development Office of Elementary and Secondary Education U. S. Department of Education

READY to APPLY?

Before you begin preparing your FY 2020 TSL application, please make sure that you can answer YES to the following questions:

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the FY 2020 TSL NIA from the Federal

Register?

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the FY 2020 TSL Application Package documents and forms?

• Have you downloaded the TSL program statute?

• Have you downloaded and reviewed the TSL FAQ document? (Please note that the TSL FAQs have not yet been released and will be made available shortly at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/.

• Have you reviewed the instructions for electronic submission of your application in the NIA, the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (Common Instructions), and Section III of the Application Package well before the application due date?

• Have you allocated sufficient time for necessary steps, such as obtaining a DUNS number and registering on the System for Award Management (SAM). Please note that these registration processes could take weeks and trying to submit your application immediately prior to the deadline may not work. Many people may be attempting to submit applications through grants.gov and it is possible that yours may not be processed in time. If this happens a second past the application deadline, and you have not been granted an extension according to the Common Instructions, your application will not be accepted.

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

Best Wishes from the TSL Team!

mailto:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/20/2016-30643/applications-for-new-awards-teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program mailto:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/20/2016-30643/applications-for-new-awards-teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title20/html/USCODE-2018-title20-chap70-subchapII-partB-subpart1.htm https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/ https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/ https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206

I. Program Background Information

Program Overview

Program Office: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Grant Name: Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL) CFDA Number: 84.374A Grant Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grant

Program Purpose: Authorized in sections 2211 – 2213 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), TSL supports efforts of local educational agencies (LEAs) and States to focus on use and improvements in human capital management systems (HCMSs) and sustainable performance-based compensation systems (PBCSs), especially in high-need schools, to increase the effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders and thereby increase student achievement. Under TSL, key HCMS decisions, including those that affect educator’s opportunities to receive performance-based compensation, are informed by the results of the LEA’s educator evaluation and support system.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible entities that may apply for a FY 2020 TSL grant are:

(a) An LEA, including a charter school that is an LEA, or a consortium of LEAs;

(b) A SEA or other State agency designated by the Chief Executive of a State to participate;

(c) The Bureau of Indian Education; or

(d) A partnership consisting of—

(i) One or more agencies described in subparagraph (a), (b), or (c); and

(ii) At least one nonprofit or for-profit entity.

Program Elements Summary: This competition has two absolute priorities, two competitive preference priorities, and several application requirements, as described in the NIA and included below. They are:

• Absolute Priorities:

o Absolute Priority 1: Human Capital Management System or Performance-Based

Compensation Systems o Absolute Priority 2: High-Need Schools

• Competitive Preference Priorities:

o Competitive Preference Priority 1: Spurring Investment in Qualified Opportunity Zones o Competitive Preference Priority 2: Applications from New Potential Grantees

The Absolute Priorities, and Application Requirements are addressed in in the NIA.

Project Period: Under this competition, applicants may apply for a three-year grant. Under the TSL statute, at the end of the three-year grant period, the Secretary may renew an award for a period of up to two additional years if the grantee demonstrates that it is effectively using its funds. This renewal may include allowing the grantee to scale up or replicate its successful program. In order to help the Department with its budgetary planning, Section IV of this application package contains instructions for applicants to submit budgets and budget narratives now for a period of up to three years.

More information on the process of funding projects in Years 4 and 5 will be provided when it is available.

II. Basic Application Information Important Dates

Event Date Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program (84.374A) Application available

April 3, 2020, 2020

Pre-Application Information Webinars for potential applicants

April 27, 2020 at 2p.m.-3:30p.m. EDT You may register for the webinar by using the following link:.

Intent to Apply Email to TSL@ed.gov

May 4, 2020

Deadline for transmitting applications:

June 2, 2020, 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time

Estimated Award Announcement: Before September 30, 2020

FY 2020 TSL Notice Inviting Applications

The full text of the NIA for the FY 2020 TSL grant competition can be found in the Federal Register Web site at:

• https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-07026

• For convenience, the Federal Register Notice and NIA are published on the U.S.

Department of Education’s TSL program website.

All TSL applications must be received on or before 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time, on June 2, 2020. Please note that U.S. Department of Education grant application deadline is 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC mailto:TSL@ed.gov https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/08/18/2014-19426/applications-for-new-awards-preschool-development-grants-development-grants https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2020-07026 http://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/teacher-quality/teacher-and-school-leader-incentive-program/ time, on June 2, 2020, the application deadline date. Late applications, without an exception granted according to the Common Instructions, will not be accepted. The Department is required to enforce the established deadline to ensure fairness to all applicants. No changes or additions to an application will be accepted after the deadline date and time.

Applicants are required to follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768) and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-02206, which contain requirements and information on how to submit an application.

Notification of Intent to Apply The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants who intend to apply. Therefore, we strongly encourage, but do not require, each potential applicant to notify us of the applicant’s intent to submit an application. To do so, please email TSL@ed.gov with the subject line “Intent to Apply,” and include the applicant’s name and contact person’s name and email address by May 4, 2020.

Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding; applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided.

FY 2020 TSL Grant Competition Design Elements

Priorities and Requirements:

The FY 2020 TSL competition includes two absolute priorities. Applicants are required to apply for both Absolute Priority 1 and Absolute Priority 2. Clear headings should be provided to indicate an applicant's response to the absolute priorities under which they are submitting their proposal and to the competitive preference priorities under which they are submitting their proposal, as applicable.

To read a list of Absolute Priorities and Competitive Preference/Invitational Priorities for this grant competition, please reference the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for this competition on the Federal Register.

III. Application Submission Procedures

Submission Procedures

GRANTS.GOV SUBMISSION PROCEDURES & TIPS for APPLICANTS

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

mailto:TSL@ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

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.

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:

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 the application 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:

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/workspace-overview.html 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.

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 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 has prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet:

http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html 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

2) SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 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 11:59:59 p.m. Washington, D.C. time on the deadline date.

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 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 11:59:59 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 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 11:59:59 p.m. Washington, DC 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 bout 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 http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html mailto:support@grants.gov 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 11:59:59 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 visit 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 at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html. Additional information is available 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.)

Attaching Files – Additional Tips Please note the following tips related to attaching files to your application:

• When you submit your application electronically, you must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in either Portable Document Format (PDF) or Microsoft Word. Although applicants have the option of uploading any narrative sections and all other attachments to their application in either PDF or Microsoft Word, we recommend applicants submit all documents as read-only flattened PDFs, meaning any fillable PDF files must be saved and submitted as non-fillable PDF files and not as interactive or fillable PDF files, to better ensure applications are processed in a more timely, accurate, and efficient manner.

https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants 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

• 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

April 18-20, 2020 Server Maintenance

Scheduled Maintenance Outage:

Production System will go Offline Saturday April 18, 2020 at 12:01 AM ET.

Production System will go Online Monday April 20, 2020 at 6:00 AM ET.

D-U-N-S Number Instructions 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 to obtain a D-U-N-S number.

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.

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 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 to update in the system.

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 FY 2020 NIA for eligibility requirements. Be sure to address both of the absolute priorities in your 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 early on Grants.gov. Applications must be finished uploading, and be validated by the Grants.gov system, by 11:59:59 pm Washington, DC time on June 2, 2020. 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 11:59:59 p.m. Washington, D.C. 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.

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

NOTE: Applicants will receive multiple emails to confirm submission in Grants.gov, validation, and transmission to the Department. 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. Application Instructions

All applicants interested in completing a TSL application should first thoroughly review the FY 2020 NIA. The NIA will orient applicants to the TSL program by providing the following information:

• Background information and purpose of the program;

• Eligibility requirements;

• Absolute Priorities;

• Competitive Preference Priorities (optional);

• Programmatic and application requirements;

• Selection Criteria and assigned points;

• Definition of terms used in the NIA;

• Procedural and substantive requirements of the application process; and

• Instructions on how to electronically submit the application.

Completing and Submitting Your Application

A complete application consists of the following components:

Required Forms:

• ED Standard Forms; and

• Assurances and Certifications

Application Narrative:

The TSL application will use the following Grants.gov Narrative Forms:

• ED Abstract Narrative Form;

o The ED Abstract Narrative Form is where you will attach your one-page project abstract. Specific instructions for how to compose the abstract narrative are included later in this section.

• Project Narrative Form;

o The Project Narrative Form is where you will attach a detailed description of how your proposed project meets the Absolute Priorities, one or both of the Competitive Preference Priorities, and the statutory application requirements.

This section is where you discuss the proposed project in a way that best responds to the Selection Criteria. Applicants should include a Table of Contents. Specific instructions for how to compose the project narrative are included later in this section. Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to limit the project narrative to 40 pages. The Table of Contents does not count towards this desired limit.

• Budget Narrative Form; and o The Budget Narrative Form is where you will provide a line item budget (ED

524) and a budget narrative for the proposed TSL project and matching funds. While the budget narrative should project costs of all partners and any other entities who will work on the project, only one combined budget representing the total of all costs of the proposed project should be provided. This budget should reflect a 3-year proposed project period.

Specific instructions for how to compose the budget narrative are included later in this section.

• Other Attachments Form (upload appendices here) o The Other Attachments Form is where you will attach the application appendices. Specific Appendix instructions are included later in this section.

NOTE: If you have multiple documents to be attached to one of the above narrative sections (except for Other Attachments), we recommend that you merge them into one .PDF file and upload them to the appropriate narrative.

A. Required Forms

Standard Forms Instructions

Applicants must submit along with their project narratives the required standard forms, assurances, and certifications included in the list below.

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424);

NOTE: Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although this form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will review only materials/files attached to the section labeled “Other Attachments Form.”

• Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424;

• Department of Education Budget Summary Form (ED 524) Sections A & B;

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL);

• General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) Requirements - Section 427;

• Assurances, Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B); and

• Grants.gov Lobbying form (formerly ED 80-0013 form).

Electronic copies and instructions for the required forms can be found in the Grants.gov submission package.

B. Application Narrative Instructions

ED Abstract Narrative

Eligible applicants must submit a one-page abstract. The one-page abstract, limited to 2000 characters, should be attached to the ED Abstract Narrative Form, and include the following items:

• The name and eligibility classification of each applicant:

• Provide a list of the names of all participating LEAs, State agencies (including the

Bureau of Indian Education if it is an applicant), or nonprofit or for-profit organizations or entities in the application; and

• Indicate if the application is from a single eligible applicant or a partnership and identify the applicant’s eligibility classification (e.g., an LEA).

• The total number of schools impacted by the project in the participating LEA(s);

• The total number of schools, both high-need and not-high-need, in which educators would be served by the proposed TSL-funded PBCS;

• A summary statement of the project objectives and activities; and

• An identification of the Competitive Preference Priorities for which the applicant is applying.

Project Narrative

The Project Narrative should describe the project that an applicant would carry out as well as other required elements if its application is funded. It also should include the eligible applicant’s response to the Selection Criteria (provided in the last portion of this Section IV.B) since the application will be evaluated and scored against these criteria. The NIA identifies the maximum possible score for each criterion. The Project Narrative should, as a general matter, follow the order of the Selection Criteria. It should contain clear headings to help the Department staff and peer reviewers match the narrative with the Selection Criteria.

Finally, the Project Narrative also may include the eligible applicant’s response, if any, to one or both of the Competitive Preference Priorities.

It is also important that applicants here clearly address (a) Absolute Priority 1 and Absolute Priority 2, (b) the statutory application requirements, and (c) either or both of the Competitive Preference Priorities for which they wish to apply. The budgetary information associated with the match – and any other non-Federal resources offered to support the project -- should be included in the Budget of Non-Federal funds (Section B of ED Form 524) and the Budget Narrative. Other relevant information about the match may be included in the Project Narrative. Depending on the priority, an applicant may be able to address a priority fully within the context of its selection criteria discussion. In other cases, an applicant may wish to address a priority outside of the selection criteria discussion.

This section, along with the Table of Contents, should be attached as a single document to the Project Narrative Attachment Form in accordance with the instructions found on Grants.gov, and should be organized in the manner described below in order to expedite the review process. Ensure that you only attach the U.S. Department of Education approved file types detailed in the Common Instructions. Also, do not upload any password-protected files to your application. When attaching files, applicants should limit the size of their file names. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend your file names be less than 50 characters.

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.

Page Guidelines

We encourage, but do not require, applicants to limit this section of the application to the equivalent of no more than 40 pages and adhere to the following guidelines:

• 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 http://e-grants.ed.gov/ application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Calibri, Courier, or Arial.

NOTE: The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the budget section, including the Budget Narrative justification; the assurances and certifications; the one-page abstract, the resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, the recommended page limit does apply to the entire “Project Narrative” section except for the Table of Contents.

Identifying Contractors or Vendors in the Project Application In August 2013, the Department issued §75.135 of the Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.135). This regulation permits applicants for TSL and other Department competitive grants, under certain conditions, to identify in their project applications those entities with which they would contract for data collection, data analysis, evaluation services, or essential services, where these activities are required by the program – without the need to follow otherwise applicable Federal procurement requirements. If applicant proposes to select a contractor before receiving a TSL 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.

FY 2020 TSL Application Grant Selection Criteria

To read a list of Selection Criteria for this grant competition, please reference the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for this competition on the Federal Register.

C. Budget Narratives

This section should be attached as a single document to the Budget Narrative Attachment Form in accordance with the instructions found on Grants.gov. ). Also, do not upload any password-protected files to your application. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend your file names be less than 50 characters.

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.232, Department of Education staff perform a cost analysis of the each recommended project to ensure that costs relate to the activities and objectives of the project, are reasonable, allowable and allocable. The budget should only include costs that are allowable, reasonable and necessary for carrying out the objectives of the TSL project. Rules about allowable costs are set out in 2 C.F.R. Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, http://e-grants.ed.gov/

Cost Principles, And Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in Subpart E— Cost Principles.. During the Department’s budget review that occurs as a part of the grant selection process, we may delete or reduce costs from the budget that are not reasonable, necessary, and allocable to the program, or are otherwise unallowable.The budget narratives in each application should be consistent with the content of Sections A and B of ED 524 Form and provide sufficient detail about the use of TSL and non-Federal matching funds to:

o Give an itemized budget breakdown for each year of the proposed project (up to 60 months);

o Provide the basis for estimating the costs of personnel salaries, benefits, project staff travel, materials and supplies, consultants and subcontracts, indirect costs and any other projected expenditures;

o Clarify the relationship between the requested funds and project activities and outcomes;

o Describe the total amount that will be expended as shown in the ED 524 Form;

o Enable reviewers and project staff to understand how the requested funds identified in the

ED 524 Form will be used.

Budget Narrative Guidelines

Remember that you must provide all requested budget information for each year of the project (up to 36 months) and the total amount identified in Sections A and B of the ED 524 Form in order to be considered for Federal funding. The annual budget period will be October 1 – September 30. For instance, the budget for year 1 should include the estimated costs for October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021, and so forth.

In a single document attached to the Budget Narrative Attachment Form, each application must provide the following two budget narratives:

1. TSL Grant Funds Budget Narrative

The first budget narrative must align with and break down the costs budgeted in Section A of ED Form 524. Section A relates to costs to be supported by the requested TSL grant.

The applicant should provide sufficient detail to enable reviewers and project staff to understand how requested funds will be used, how much will be expended, and the relationship between the requested funds and project activities and outcomes. The following section, “Instructions for the Budget Narratives,” illustrates the expected format and level of detail. (This budget narrative will serve to meet the requirements of Section C of ED Form 524.)

2. Non-Federal and Non-TSL Federal Program Funds Budget Narrative

Section 2212(f) of the ESEA provides that each eligible entity that receives a TSL grant must provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the TSL grant, which may be provided in cash or in kind, to carry out the activities supported by the grant.

The budget narrative must include a breakdown of all non-Federal contributions budgeted in Section B of ED Form 524, that will be used to support the project. These non-Federal costs must be identified in Section B of ED Form 524 and described in the budget narrative in the same manner as required for TSL funds used to support the project.

IMPORTANT NOTE: requires each grantee to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to the program and to the content of its approved application.

Therefore, if an application is approved, the grantee is responsible for fulfilling the TSL match requirement, and the commitment of non-TSL funds or in-kind resources set forth in Section B of ED Form 524 (or other portion) of its application.

• Non-Federal Funds

In this Budget Narrative, applicants should include detailed information about any non-Federal resources, financial and non-financial, that will be used to support the PBCS, the educator evaluation systems, and other project costs during the grant period. In this Budget Narrative, applicants should reflect all of the applicable non-Federal resources referenced in their Project Narrative. If a partner member plans to contribute services or materials as part of the project's non-Federal match or other contribution of non-TSL resources, the value of these services or materials should be indicated in Section B of ED Form 524. The value of these services or materials should be calculated according to 2 C.F.R.

200.306 and cost principles in Uniform Guidance at 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

Instructions for Explaining Performance-Based Compensation Costs o In the ED form 524 Section A and the budget narrative, applicants must budget incentive costs in the year that these expenses are earned. While we realize that in many cases the actual payment of these funds will not occur until the next budget period (i.e., incentives for Year 1 are not paid until Year 2), the budget form requires applicants to list expenses using a 3-year budget period. As such, applicants must include performance-based compensation costs in the year that the award will be earned. For instance, if an applicant anticipates using the TSL grant to make performance-based awards to educators for their performance in Year 1 with the TSL grant, the applicant should include those expenses in Year 1 budget. Likewise, if an applicant anticipates using the TSL grant to make performance-based awards to educators for their performance in Year 3 of the grant, the applicant should include those expenses in the Year 3 TSL budget.

o There are two options for how an applicant treats the compensation provided to teachers, principals, and other personnel under its proposed PBCS.

If a fringe benefits rate will be applied to the added compensation or incentives for teachers, principals, and other personnel, an applicant should include the performance-based compensation in the “personnel” line item and the costs generated by applying the fringe benefit rate in the “fringe benefits” line item.

If you do not plan to apply a fringe rate to the performance-based compensation costs, you should include this cost in the “other” line item.

NOTE: An applicant must clearly explain in the Budget Narrative why it has chosen to list performance-based compensation costs in the “personnel” and “fringe benefits” line items or the “other” line item. See the section below for more information. Performance-based compensation costs should not be listed in the “training stipends” line item.

Instructions for the Budget Narratives

To facilitate the review of your Budget Narratives, we encourage each applicant to include the following information for each year of the project.

1. Personnel: Include fees and expenses for consultants under contractual.

• Provide the title and duties of each position to be compensated under this project.

• Provide the salary for each position under this project.

• Provide the amounts of time, such as hours or percentage of time to be expended by each position under this project.

• Explain the importance of each position to the success of the project.

• Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations.

• Provide performance-based compensation costs if fringe benefits will be applied.

• If applicable, provide a detailed explanation of the performance-based compensation costs. These costs should be clearly broken out by teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

Example: The following scenario assumes that there are 96 teachers in the school and that 80 of those teachers will earn an award. In this scenario, 8 FTE career ladder positions and 30 part-time mentors will be paid with TSL funds.

Personnel: The following requested personnel will all be hired as employees of the project.

% FTE Base Salary

Total

Project Director (1): John Doe will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Performance-Based Teacher and Principal Compensation Program. His qualifications are described in detail in the project on page 24 of the application.

.8 FTE (or

80%)

$65,000

$52,000

Performance-based compensation costs:

80 educators of the 96 eligible will earn an average award amount of $3,000/year.

$240,000

Our TSL project will fill 8 FTE career ladder positions. Each position is budgeted at a $75,000 salary per year.

8 x 1.0 FTE

$75,000 x 8

$600,000

Salary Augmentations for part-time mentor teachers: 20 teachers will serve in a mentor position during 10%…