04/06/00: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs Federal Activities--Effective Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are Suspended or Ex


[Federal Register: April 6, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 67)]
[Notices]               
[Page 18191-18193]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap00-139]                         

[[Page 18191]]

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Part IV

Department of Education
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Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs Federal Activities--Effective 
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions 
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are 
Suspended or Expelled; Notice


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities National Programs--Federal Activities-Effective 
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions 
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are 
Suspended or Expelled

AGENCY:  Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of 
Education.

ACTION:  Notice of final priority and selection criteria.

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SUMMARY:  The Secretary announces a final priority and selection 
criteria for Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 under Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Effective 
Alternative Strategies: Grant Competition to Reduce Student Suspensions 
and Expulsions and Ensure Educational Progress of Students Who Are 
Suspended or Expelled. The Secretary may use this priority and 
selection criteria for competitions in FY 2001 and later years. The 
Secretary takes this action to focus Federal financial assistance on an 
identified national need to reduce student suspensions and expulsions 
and ensure educational progress of suspended and expelled students.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  This priority and selection criteria are effective May 
8, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dr. Ann Weinheimer, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW--Room 3E330, Washington, Dc 
20202-6123. Telephone: (202) 708-5939. If you use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

    Note:  This notice of final priority does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition 
is published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The 
notice inviting applications will specify the date and time by which 
applications for this competition must be received by the 
Department. Applications received after that time will not be 
eligible for funding. Postmarked dates will not be accepted.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary published a notice of proposed 
priority and selection criteria for this competition in the Federal 
Register on February 14, 2000, (Volume 65, Number 30, pages 7420-7421). 
Except for minor editorial revisions, there are no differences between 
the notice of proposed priority and selection criteria and this notice 
of final priority and selection criteria.

Public Comment

    In the notice of proposed priority and selection criteria, the 
Secretary invited comments on the proposed priority and selection 
criteria. The only substantive comment we received suggested a change 
the law does not authorize the Secretary to make under the applicable 
statutory authority.

General

    In making awards under this grant program, the Secretary may take 
into consideration the geographic distribution of the projects in 
addition to the rank order of applicants.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds, the Secretary may make 
additional awards in Fiscal Year 2001 from the rank-ordered list of 
nonfunded applications from this competition.
    Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and the Safe and Drug-Free 
Schools and Communities Act of 1994, the Secretary gives an absolute 
preference to applications that meet the following priority. The 
Secretary funds under this competition only those applications that 
meet this absolute priority:

Absolute Priority--Enhance, Implement, and Evaluate Strategies to 
Reduce the Number and Duration of Student Suspensions and Expulsions 
and Ensure Continued Educational Progress for Students Who Are 
Suspended or Expelled From School

    Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants under this competition are 
public and private non-profit organizations and individuals.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary uses the following selection 
criteria to evaluate applications for new grants under this 
competition. The maximum score for all of these criteria is 100 points. 
The maximum score for each criterion or factor under that criterion is 
indicated in parentheses.
(1) Need for Project (10 Points)
    In determining the need for the proposed project the following 
factor is considered: The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses 
in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and 
will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and 
magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses.
(2) Quality of the Project Design (30 Points)
    In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, 
the following factors are considered:
    (A) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be 
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. 
(6 points)
    (B) The extent to which the proposed project encourages parental 
involvement. (6 points)
    (C) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is 
appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target 
population or other identified needs. (6 points)
    (D) The extent to which the proposed project represents an 
exceptional approach to the priority. (6 points)
    (E) The extent to which the proposed project will be coordinated 
with similar or related efforts, and with other appropriate community, 
State and Federal resources. (6 points)
(3) Quality of Project Services (30 Points)
    In determining the quality of the proposed project services, the 
following factors are considered:
    (A) The extent to which the quality and sufficiency of strategies 
for ensuring equal access and treatment for eligible project 
participants who are members of groups that have traditionally been 
underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age or 
disability. (6 points)
    (B) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project are appropriate to the needs of the intended recipients or 
beneficiaries of those services. (8 points)
    (C) The likelihood that the services to be provided by the proposed 
project will lead to improvements in the achievement of students as 
measured against rigorous academic standards. (8 points)
    (D) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed 
project involve the collaboration of appropriate community partners for 
maximizing the effectiveness of project services. (8 points)
(4) Quality of Project Personnel (15 Points)
    In determining the quality of project personnel, the following 
factors are considered:
    (A) The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for 
employment from persons who are members of groups that have 
traditionally been

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underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability. (5 points)
    (B) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, 
of key project personnel. (10 points)
(5) Quality of the Project Evaluation (15 Points)
    In determining the quality of the evaluation, the following factors 
are considered:
    (A) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, 
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the 
proposed project. (10 points)
    (B) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide 
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward 
achieving intended outcomes. (5 points)
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the 
objectives of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental 
partnership and a strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies 
on processes developed by State and local governments for coordination 
and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.
    This document provides early notification of our specific plans and 
actions for this program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7131.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

    To use the PDF, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC 
area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note:  The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.184M Office of 
Elementary and Secondary Education--Safe and Drug-Free Schools and 
Communities National Programs--Federal Activities--Grant Competition 
to Reduce Student Suspensions and Expulsions and Ensure Educational 
Progress of Suspended and Expelled Students)

    Dated: March 31, 2000.
Michael Cohen,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 00-8450 Filed 4-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U