Notice2024-18275
Applications for New Awards; Strengthening Program Evaluation Capacity: Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies To Increase Postsecondary Student Success
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Published
August 15, 2024
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the Strengthening Program Evaluation Capacity grant program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66369-66372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18275]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Strengthening Program Evaluation
Capacity: Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies To Increase
Postsecondary Student Success
AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the
Strengthening Program Evaluation Capacity grant program.
DATES:
Application Packages Available: August 29, 2024.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: November 14, 2024.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs">www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Soldner. Telephone: 202-453-
7441. Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#99f4f8ededf1fceeb7eaf6f5fdf7fcebd9fcfdb7fef6ef"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1c717d686874796b326f73707872796e5c7978327b736a">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and
wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: In awarding grants under this program, the
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) intends to build individual and
organizational capacity to conduct high-quality evaluations of
education interventions that are designed in accordance with evaluation
standards identified by IES's What Works Clearinghouse (see <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks">https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks</a>). Sponsored by IES's National Center for
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), this program
supports NCEE's larger mission to encourage the conduct and use of
scientifically valid education research and evaluation throughout the
United States.
Assistance Listing Numbers: 84.429A.
OMB Control Number: 4040-0001.
Competition in this Notice:
NCEE is announcing one competition under its Strengthening Program
Evaluation Capacity (SPEC) program: Building Evidence of Effectiveness
of Strategies to Increase Postsecondary Student Success (PS) Network
(ALN 84.429A). Through this program, IES is seeking evaluation teams to
join the new Building Evidence of Effectiveness of Strategies to
Increase Postsecondary Student Success (SPEC-PS) Network. Evaluation
teams will (1) engage in a series of IES-sponsored technical
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assistance activities that will strengthen their capacity to design and
conduct rigorous evaluations of a proposed postsecondary student
success intervention, (2) implement the proposed intervention at more
than one institution that participates in programs authorized by Title
IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.),
and (3) conduct an independent evaluation of the intervention once
implemented that includes an examination of the impact of the
intervention on HEA program participants.
Evaluation teams must consist of employees at (1) State higher
education agencies and/or (2) consortia of 2-year or 4-year
institutions of higher education. Interventions proposed to be
implemented and evaluated under this grant program must be allowable
under one or more programs authorized by the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001 et
seq.) and the evaluations must examine the impact of the intervention
on HEA program participants. Additional information, including about
eligible evaluation teams and interventions, is provided in the request
for applications (RFA).
Multiple Submissions: You may submit applications to more than one
of the FY 2025 research grant programs offered through the Department,
including those offered through IES as well as those offered through
other offices and programs within the Department. However, you may
submit only one application to the IES grant program announced here. If
you submit multiple similar applications, IES will determine whether
and which applications will be accepted for review and/or will be
eligible for funding. In addition, if you submit the same or similar
application to IES and to another funding entity within or external to
the Department and receive funding for the non-IES application prior to
IES scientific peer review of applications, you must withdraw the same
or similar application submitted to IES, or IES may otherwise determine
you are ineligible to receive an award. If reviews are happening
concurrently, IES staff will consult with the other potential funder to
determine the degree of overlap and which entity will provide funding
if both applications are being considered for funding.
Exemption from Proposed Rulemaking: Under section 191 of the
Education Sciences Reform Act, 20 U.S.C. 9581, IES is not subject to
section 437(d) of the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C.
1232(d), and is therefore not required to offer interested parties the
opportunity to comment on matters relating to grants.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9561-9563 et seq.; Sec. 310 of
Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (117 Pub. L.
328).
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal
civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 77, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98,
and 99. In addition, the regulations in 34 CFR part 75 are applicable,
except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103,
75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217(a)-
(c), 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, 75.230, 75.250(a), and 75.708. (b)
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to Agencies on
Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part
180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR
part 3485. (c) The Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance in 2 CFR
part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2
CFR part 3474.
Note: The open licensing requirement in 2 CFR 3474.20 does not
apply to these competitions.
Note: The Department will implement the provisions in the OMB final
rule OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance, which amends 2 CFR
parts 25, 170, 175, 176, 180, 182, 183, 184, and 200, on October 1,
2024. Grant applicants should follow the provisions in the OMB Guidance
for Federal Financial Assistance (89 FR 30046) when preparing an
application. For more information about these updated regulations
please visit: <a href="http://www.cfo.gov/resources/uniform-guidance/">www.cfo.gov/resources/uniform-guidance/</a>.
II. Award Information
Types of Awards: Cooperative agreements.
Fiscal Information: This competition will be supported with funds
reserved under the authority in sec. 310 of Division H of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) for the purpose
of carrying out rigorous and independent evaluations and to collect and
analyze outcome data for any program authorized by the HEA.
Estimated Range of Awards: Up to $1,000,000 for the entire project
period of 3 years. The size of the awards will depend on the scope of
the projects proposed.
Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards will depend on the
quality of the applications received and the availability of funds.
IES may waive any of the following limits on awards in the special
case that the peer review process results in a tie between two or more
grant applications, making it impossible to adhere to the limits
without funding only some of the equally ranked applications. In that
case, IES may make a larger number of awards to include all
applications of the same rank.
We intend to fund up to 3 evaluation teams. However, should funding
be available, we may consider making additional awards to high-quality
applications that remain unfunded after 3 awards are made.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 3 years.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are State higher
education agencies or public or private institutions of higher
education, as defined in section 101 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1001).
Applicants that are public or private institutions of higher education
must lead the activities of a consortium comprised of at least two
public or private institutions of higher education, as defined in
section 101 of the HEA.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: The competition in this notice does
not require cost sharing or matching.
b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses an
unrestricted indirect cost rate. For more information regarding
indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate, please
see <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html">www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html</a>.
3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee under this
competition may award subgrants--to directly carry out project
activities described in its application--to the following types of
entities: public and private agencies and institutions of higher
education. The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has
identified in an approved application.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal
Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs</a>, which contain requirements and information on how to
submit an application.
[[Page 66371]]
2. Other Information: Information regarding program and application
requirements for the competition can be found in the currently
available IES NCEE Application Submission Guide and in the NCEE Request
for Applications (RFA), which will be available on or before August 29,
2024, on the IES website at: <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/funding/">https://ies.ed.gov/funding/</a>. The
application packages for this competition will also be available on or
before August 29, 2024.
3. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application are contained in the RFA. The
forms that must be submitted are in the application package.
4. Submission Dates and Times: The deadline date for transmittal of
applications is November 14, 2024.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirement.
5. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
6. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: For all its grant competitions, IES uses
selection criteria based on a peer review process that has been
approved by the National Board for Education Sciences. The Peer Review
Procedures for Grant Applications can be found on the IES website at
<a href="https://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/application_review.asp">https://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/application_review.asp</a>.
For the 84.429A competition, peer reviewers will evaluate the
significance of the proposed capacity building, the significance of the
proposed intervention, institutional resources, and engagement and
dissemination.
For all IES competitions, applications must include budgets no
higher than the relevant maximum award as set out in the relevant RFA.
IES will not make an award exceeding the maximum award amount as set
out in the relevant RFA.
2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition,
IES may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of
the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as the applicant's
use of funds, achievement of project objectives, compliance with the
IES policy regarding public access to research, and compliance with
grant conditions. IES may also consider whether the applicant failed to
submit a timely performance report or submitted a report of
unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, IES requires
various assurances including those applicable to Federal civil rights
laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving
Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5,
106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition, the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
200.208, IES may impose specific conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10,
in appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant if the
applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of
unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system
that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
4. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
5. In General: In accordance with the Guidance for Federal
Financial Assistance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting
applications in accordance with:
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) (2 CFR
200.216);
(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your GAN. We also may notify you
informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Grant Administration: Applicants should budget for an annual
meeting of up to three days for project directors to be held in
Washington, DC.
4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170
should you receive funding. This does not apply if you have an
exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by
IES. If you receive a multiyear award, you must submit an annual
performance report that provides
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the most current performance and financial expenditure information as
directed by IES under 34 CFR 75.118. IES may also require more frequent
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements
on reporting, please go to <a href="http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html">www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html</a>.
5. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of its
education research grant programs, IES annually assesses the percentage
of projects that result in peer-reviewed publications and the number of
IES-supported interventions with evidence of efficacy in improving
learner education outcomes.
6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR
75.253, IES considers, among other things: whether a grantee has made
substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of the
project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is
consistent with its approved application and budget; whether a grantee
is in compliance with the IES policy regarding public access to
research; and if IES has established performance measurement
requirements, whether the grantee has made substantial progress in
achieving the performance targets in the grantee's approved
application.
In making a continuation award, IES also considers whether the
grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in its approved
application, including those applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities receiving
Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5,
106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, as well as in the RFA and
application package, individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the RFA in an accessible format. The Department
will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include
Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3
file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other
accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations at <a href="http://www.govinfo.gov">www.govinfo.gov</a>. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other Department documents published in the
Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use
PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the
Adobe website.
You may also access Department documents published in the Federal
Register by using the article search feature at
<a href="http://www.federalregister.gov">www.federalregister.gov</a>. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Matthew Soldner,
Acting Director, Institute of Education Sciences.
[FR Doc. 2024-18275 Filed 8-14-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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