Grants and cooperative agreements; availability, etc.: Postsecondary education— Teacher Quality Enhancement Programs,

[Federal Register: February 8, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 25)]

[Notices]

[Page 6139-6147]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

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Part II

Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards and Final Procedures and Requirements for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Competitions Under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs; Notice

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA NO: 84.336]

Office of Postsecondary Education; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards and Final Procedures and Requirements for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Competitions Under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education (Assistant Secretary) invites applications for new awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 for the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs for States and Partnerships authorized by sections 201-205 of the Higher Education Act (HEA), as amended by the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. The Assistant Secretary also announces final procedures and requirements to govern the competitions and FY 1999 awards.

PURPOSE OF PROGRAM: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice for a description of the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Louis J. Venuto, Higher Education Programs, Office of Postsecondary Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., Portals Building, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20202-5131: Telephone: (202) 708-8596. Inquiries also may be sent by e-mail to: Louis__Venuto@ed.gov or by FAX to: (202) 260-9272.

Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) upon request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format, also, by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package.

Eligible Applicants: The Secretary invites applications from States and from eligible partnerships comprised, at minimum, of an institution of higher education with an eligible teacher preparation program, a school of arts and sciences, and a high-need local educational agency (LEA). These terms are defined in section 203 of the HEA.

Applicability of Regulations: The following provisions of EDGAR contained Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) apply to the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs: 34 CFR Parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 85, and 86. However, section 75.590, regarding a project evaluation to be submitted at the end of the final year of the grant, does not apply to recipients of State Program grants.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

In accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553), it is the practice of the Department of Education to offer interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed rulemaking documents. However, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act, the Secretary has determined that because it is not possible to offer the public an opportunity for comment on proposed rulemaking under the Teacher Quality grant programs and still make awards by September 30, 1999, as required by law, it is desirable to waive public comment for the first year competition of this new discretionary grant program. This waiver will apply only to the criteria, procedures, and requirements included in this notice for awarding FY 1999 Teacher Quality Enhancement Program grants. Any criteria and procedures that the Department establishes for the award of grants under these programs in future years will be based on experiences with this FY 1999 award process, and will be published in proposed form in the Federal Register with an opportunity for interested parties to comment.

Applications Available: On or before February 11, 1999. The Department also expects that application packages will be available electronically through the internet on February 11, 1999, at the Department's website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/heatqp/index.html

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Note: Information about six regional workshops the Department has scheduled between February 17 and March 2, 1999, to answer questions about the Teacher Quality Programs and to provide general assistance in preparing applications for each of the programs, is included in an appendix to this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 8, 1998, the President signed into law the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Title II of this law addresses the Nation's need to ensure that new teachers enter the classroom prepared to teach all students to high standards by authorizing, as Title II of the Higher Education Act, Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships. The new Teacher Quality programs provide an historic opportunity to effect positive change in the recruitment, preparation, licensing, and on-going support of teachers in America. The programs are designed to increase student achievement by implementing comprehensive approaches to improving teacher quality.

More specifically, the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs include three new competitive grant programs:

State Grants Program: Competitive grants to States will support the implementation of comprehensive statewide reforms to improve the quality of a State's teaching force. By law, State activities must include one or more of the following activities: reforming teacher certification or licensure standards; implementing reforms to hold institutions of higher education accountable for preparing teachers who are highly competent in their subject areas; providing prospective teachers with alternative pathways into teaching; implementing programs of support for teachers during their initial periods of teaching and establishing, expanding, or improving alternative routes to State certification; developing effective methods of recruiting and rewarding highly competent teachers and removing incompetent or unqualified teachers; recruiting teachers for high-poverty urban and rural areas; and developing ways teachers can address the problem of social promotion.

Partnership Grants For Improving Teacher Preparation Program: The purpose of the Partnership program is to bring teacher preparation programs, schools of arts and sciences, and high-need school districts and schools together (as appropriate with other stakeholders) to create fundamental change and improvement in traditional teacher education programs--thereby increasing teachers' capacity to help all students learn to high standards. Designed to support highly committed partnerships that will accelerate the change process in teacher education, the program will (1) strengthen the vital role of K-12 educators in the design and implementation of effective teacher education programs, and (2) increase collaboration between departments of arts and sciences and schools of education.

The program is designed to make an important impact on teacher education and thereby to increase significantly the number of new teachers emerging from programs that have been redesigned to ensure that new teachers have the content knowledge and teaching skills to be effective.

Teacher Recruitment Grants Program: In addition, there is a great need, especially in high-poverty communities, to recruit and prepare more people to become teachers. The Teacher Recruitment Grants--awarded either to States or to partnerships among high-need LEAs, teacher preparation institutions, and schools of arts and sciences--are designed to reduce shortages of highly qualified teachers in high-need school districts.

Local partnerships between school districts and teacher preparation institutions have been found to be very effective at providing teachers for communities where they are most needed. The ``grow your own'' approach is also effective for these communities because individuals who are already members of a community are likely to remain there after they become teachers. The recruitment grants will allow individual communities to determine their needs for teachers and to recruit and prepare teachers who meet those needs. States can also play an important role in ensuring that high-need school districts are able to recruit highly qualified teachers, and they can use the recruitment grants to develop and implement effective mechanisms to do so.

Rules Applicable to These Programs for FY 1999 Competitions

In order to administer the program fairly and properly, the following rules apply to these competitions:

State Grants Program

The Department will use provisions contained in 34 CFR 75.209- 75.210 to establish selection criteria that reviewers will use to make recommendations on which applicants to recommend for award. However, rather than include ``Quality of project personnel'' (75.210(e)) as a separate criterion, the Department will use, as an additional element under the criterion ``Quality of the management plan'' (section 75.210(g)), the following: The qualifications, including training and experience, of key project personnel (including consultants, if any) that are relevant to implementing the proposed project.

In addition, consistent with section 205(b)(2) of the HEA, which established priorities for projects awarded grants under the State Grants program, the Secretary includes in the selection criteria the following competitive preference:

Competitive Preference: The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the State's proposed activities in any one or more of the following statutory priorities are likely to yield successful and sustained results.

1. Projects that propose initiatives to reform State teacher certification requirements that are designed to ensure that current and future teachers possess the necessary teaching skills and academic content knowledge in the subject areas in which the teachers are certified or licensed to teach.

2. Projects that proposes innovative reforms to hold institutions of higher education with teacher preparation programs accountable for preparing teachers who are highly competent in academic content area in which the teachers plan to teach and have strong teaching skills.

3. Projects that propose the development of innovative efforts aimed at reducing the shortage of highly qualified teachers in high poverty urban and rural areas.

   The Secretary awards up to ten (10) additional points on the basis of how well the application addresses this preference.

   Note: Evaluation. In view of the public accountability required by section 206(a) of the HEA, States receiving grant awards under this program will not need to submit the end-of-project evaluation report otherwise required by 34 CFR 75.590 of the Education Department's General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).

   Partnership Grants Program

   Pre-Application Process: So that all applicants have as much time as possible to design activities and develop new relationships that are needed for applications that will address these challenges, the Department will use a two-phase peer review process to select applicants for awards. All applicants must submit pre-applications by April 2, 1999 that include a narrative of no more than 10 double-spaced pages.

   Peer reviewers will rate each application on its response to these topics:

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1. What is the partnership's vision to produce significant and sustainable improvements in teacher education?

2. Explain what your partnership can accomplish by working together that could not be accomplished by working separately.

3. Describe key components of the change process to realize your vision. What are the components? How do they reflect best research and practice? What will the partnership do to implement these components of change?

4. Discuss the specific outcomes of the proposed project. What will change? How will you know that the project is successful?

   Each of these topics (i.e., the pre-application selection criteria) is critical to the design and implementation of high-quality partnership grants for improving teacher education. Peer reviewers will rate each pre-application by assigning up to 25 points for each of these four responses. Only those applicants whose pre-applications are rated very highly in this competitive peer review process will be invited and eligible to submit full Partnership Grant applications.

   Other Pre-Application Requirements: Pre-applications also will need to contain the following information:

1. Application face sheet, as well as information on whether key LEAs are in urban/rural areas and in either Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities.

2. An Addendum that includes--

   a. The identity of each of the application's partners, and sufficient information to permit the Department to determine that the partnership meets the minimum eligibility definitions included in the ``General Program Information'' (Part C) of the application package; and

   b. Relevant Budgetary Information: For the pre-application, this information is limited to--

   i. An estimated budget that includes--for each year of the project--the total amount of Title II, HEA funds projected to be requested, and the projected amount or of cash or in-kind contribution from each contributing partner; and

   ii. A budget narrative of no more than two double-spaced pages that addresses generally, for each year of the project, how federal grant funds and the non-federal contribution will be used.

   Peer reviewers will use this budget information to gauge the scale and scope of the proposed project, and to help clarify information contained in the application narrative. Those invited to submit a full application may modify this projected budget to reflect the plan of work in the full proposal. They also will be required to submit more complete budget information in the full application.

   Full Partnership Application: The Secretary will select for funding under the Partnership Program those applications that are of highest overall quality. In determining which applications to recommend for award as having the highest overall quality, reviewers will assign each application up to 110 points using the following selection criteria and competitive preference. The relative weights for each criterion are indicated in parentheses. Applicants are free to respond to these criteria in any way they choose.

   These selection criteria have been designed to ensure that those partnership applications selected for funding have addressed elements that the Secretary believes are key to a successful teacher preparation partnership, and have the greatest promise of meeting the broad purposes of the program.

   Each of these three broad criteria includes one or more key questions that peer reviewers will consider as they examine an application, as well as a number of key elements that are critical to a well-developed response to these questions and to the partnership's overall success. Peer reviewers will consider what the partnership will accomplish--from whatever point the partners are in implementing reform--to enable teachers to have the knowledge and teaching skills they need to teach all of their students to high standards.

   To be recommended for award, peer reviewers must either--

1. Find that the application satisfactorily addresses each of the key elements that follow each question, or

2. Be satisfied that an inadequate response to an element would prevent an award to an applicant that otherwise addressed, in outstanding ways, all Selection Criteria. (Reviewers will still need to find that the applicant submitted all information required by section 203 of the HEA.

   Note: Section 203(b)(1) of the HEA requires that all partnerships include at least one high-need LEA (which by definition must have one or more high-need school). The definitions of a high- need LEA (and of a high-need school) are contained in the section of this notice entitled ``Program Requirements Applicable to More Than One Program''.

   These definitions present a minimum standard that any partnership application must meet to be eligible to be considered. (As noted in ``Other Important Application Information'' in the application package, all applications must include information that confirms that the partnerships are comprised of the required components--including one or more school district that is a ``high-need'' LEA.) However, while the Partnership Program needs to have the greatest possible benefit for all participating LEAs and schools, the Nation faces a particular need to address the needs of those LEAs and schools whose students are most at- risk of failure. Given the particular challenges faced by these districts and schools, the highest-quality applications are likely to be those that not only are able to provide outstanding responses to the three selection criteria, but also focus on LEAs and schools that greatly exceed the definitions of high need.

   Selection Criteria and Competitive Preference

   a. Significance of Project Activities: (34 points)

   In assessing how well the application meets this criterion, reviewers will determine how well it responds to the following question:

   How does the partnership plan to meet its objectives and ensure that, once they begin work in the classroom, new teachers have the content knowledge and teaching skills they need to enable their students to succeed?

   In responding to this question, applicants should be sure to address the following key elements:

   ‹bullet› The existence of institution-wide commitments to high- quality teacher preparation programs that integrate pedagogy and subject-area content, and that include--

1. Strong connections between teacher preparation program(s) and the school(s) of arts and sciences;

2. Permanent institutional mechanisms that reward effective collaboration with the teacher preparation programs; and

3. Significant involvement of tenured and tenure-track faculty of the teacher preparation program(s) and the school(s) of arts and sciences.

   ‹bullet› The responsiveness of teacher preparation programs to the needs of K-12 educators in high-need LEAs through, among other things:

1. Joint activities with high-need LEAs that increase the involvement of classroom teachers and school administrators in the design, improvement, and implementation of the teacher preparation and induction programs;

2. Demonstrable evidence of an increased presence of university faculty and preservice students in participating LEA schools;

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3. Revamped teacher preparation curriculum and related organizational changes within the institution for higher education; and

4. Strong organizational linkages between each participating institution of higher education and the participating LEA's.

   ‹bullet› The partnership's commitment to using evidence of how well graduates of the teacher preparation program(s) are teaching (including evidence of how well their students are achieving) to make regular adjustments and improvements in those programs.

   ‹bullet› The partners' commitment to share effective practices and provide technical assistance about ways to improve teacher education at each teacher preparation institution that participates in the partnership.

   ‹bullet› The quality of the partnership activities which--

1. Must include the following mandatory activities--

   a. Carrying out reform of teacher preparation programs to hold those programs accountable for producing highly competent teachers, including teachers competent to use technology effectively in their classrooms;

   b. Providing good clinical experiences and mentoring for new teachers and substantially increasing the interaction between teachers, principals, and administrators and an higher education faculty; and

   c. Creating opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional development that improves the academic content knowledge of teachers in fields they are or will be certified to teach.

2. And may also include activities such as--

   a. Activities to prepare teachers to work with diverse populations and parents;

   b. Broad dissemination of information on effective practices used by the partnership, and coordination of partnership activities with State governors, boards of education and State agencies;

   c. Developing and implementing proven methods for enhancing the managerial and leadership skills of superintendents and principals (including those of master teachers and teacher-mentors); and

   d. Teacher recruitment activities that may be conducted under the Teacher Recruitment Grant Program (see section 204 of the HEA).

   Note: See section 203(d) and (e) of the HEA, which identifies with greater detail the three mandatory and four permissive activities, included in Part G of the Partnership Program's application package.

   ‹bullet› A well-considered statement, for each year of the grant, of annual goals, benchmarks, and time lines that the partnership will use to determine whether project activities are effective in meeting the partnership's objectives.

   ‹bullet› The commitment and ability of the partnership to:

   (1) Integrate its activities with other educational reform activities underway in the State(s) and communities in which the partners are located; and (2) coordinate its activities with other local, State, or federally-supported teacher training or professional development programs and with appropriate activities of the Governor, State board of education and State educational agency and agency for higher education.

   b. Extent to Which the Partnership's Objectives Are Built Around the Needs of High-Need LEAs and Their High-Need Schools. (33 Points)

1. Does the application demonstrate that the partnership has developed strong measurable objectives, including measurable objectives for--

   ‹bullet› Improving teacher preparation programs in the partnership; and

   ‹bullet› Improving the quality and number of teacher education program graduates who (1) meet the teacher preparation needs of high- need school districts in the partnership, and (2) take teaching positions in high-need schools in those districts?

2. Does the application demonstrate that the partnership's objectives build upon a clear and thorough needs assessment performed by and of all K-12 and higher education partners that--

   ‹bullet› Was developed with the active participation of school and district administrators and classroom teachers of all types of students?

   ‹bullet› Focuses on what all new teachers must know and be able to do once they begin teaching in the classroom--particularly in teaching reading, mathematics, science and other core subjects?

   ‹bullet› Includes an assessment performed by the partner institution(s) of higher education that--

   Examines the state of collaboration on the campus between arts and sciences faculty and the education faculty in teacher preparation activities, and between higher education faculty and K-12 teachers and administrators;

   Examines the adequacy of the clinical experiences afforded to preservice students;

   Examines the adequacy of content preparation for prospective teachers; and

   Explains the need to improve the overall quality of teacher preparation to better respond to the needs of LEAs, and in particular of high-need LEAs?

   c. Feasibility of Achieving Project Objectives: Quality of Project Management, Governance Structure, and the Availability and Use of Resources: (33 Points)

   In assessing how well the application meets this criterion, reviewers will determine how well it responds to the following question:

   How well does the application demonstrate that the partnership will be able to achieve its objectives, and that all members of the partnership will work collaboratively to sustain, improve, and enhance project activities during and beyond the period of the project?

   In addressing this question, applicants should be sure to address the following elements:

   ‹bullet› The extent to which the partnership has an effective, inclusive, and responsive governance and decision-making structure--

1. That will permit all members of the partnership (including teachers of the high-need LEA(s)) to plan, implement, and assess the adequacy of partnership activities; and

2. Through which the fiscal agent will provide project funds, as appropriate, to other partners to permit them to implement program activities.

   ‹bullet› The extent to which the application demonstrates that the partnership will sustain itself during and beyond the period of the grant (which may include evidence that members of the partnership have succeeded--with each other or other entities--in other significant and sustained partnering efforts).

   ‹bullet› The extent to which members of the partnership will provide technical assistance to each other to further project objectives.

   ‹bullet› A resource assessment that describes--

1. The (federal and non-federal) resources available to the partnership;

2. The intended uses of grant funds (including financial support, faculty participation, and time commitments), whether awarded by the Department or provided by the partners, including how grant funds will be fairly distributed among the partners with no partner retaining more than 50 percent of grant funds that the Secretary awards; and

3. The commitment of the partnership's own resources to project activities, including non-federal financial support, faculty participation, time commitments, and other in-kind services, as well as continuation of activities when the grant ends.

   Note: As required by 34 CFR 75.117, all applications must include, among other

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   things, a multi-year budget reflecting Federal and non-Federal resources.

   ‹bullet› The qualifications and relevant experience of the overall project director and key personnel of each partner who have responsibility for implementing project activities.

   ‹bullet› How well the application describes how the partnership Will--

1. Regularly assess whether it is meeting its program objectives;

2. Take steps to modify project plans and activities if the partnership finds that it is not meeting its objectives; and

3. Prepare the evaluation and annual progress report that include strong performance objectives, and measures and reporting information as required by section 206(b) and (c) of the HEA.

   Competitive Preference: Consistent with section 205(b)(2)(B) of the HEA, the Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the partnership proposes to meet the following statutory priority: a significant role for private business in the design and implementation of the partnership. The Secretary awards up to ten (10) additional points for applications that address this preference.

   Teacher Recruitment Grants Program

   The Department will use provisions contained in 34 CFR 75.209- 75.210 to establish selection criteria that reviewers will use to make recommendations on which applicants to recommend for award. However, rather than include ``Quality of project personnel'' (34 CFR 75.210(e)) as a separate criterion, the Department will use, as an additional element under the criterion ``Quality of the management plan ``(34 CFR 75.210(g)), the following: The qualifications, including training and experience, of key project personnel (including consultants, if any) that are relevant to implementing the proposed project.

   Finally, section 204 of the HEA requires partnership and State grant recipients under the Teacher Recruitment Program to work with high-need LEAs to recruit and prepare teachers who will work in those districts and thereby help to address their teacher shortages. To ensure that program funds are used to meet the purposes of this program, States and partnerships receiving grant awards under this program (as well as any high-need LEAs participating in their projects) must ensure that teachers who have received scholarship assistance and other services under the Teacher Recruitment Program are placed, to the extent possible, in high-need schools within the high-need LEAs that participate in the partnership or State project.

   Invitational Priorities: The Secretary is particularly interested in receiving applications from States and partnerships that propose to focus their efforts on recruiting members of minority or historically disadvantaged groups to become teachers in high-need LEAs and schools because of the growing gap between the diveristy of the student population and the composition of the teaching force.

   In addition, in order to recruit highly competent individuals to become teachers in high-need LEAs and schools, section 204(d)(1) permits States and partnerships to use grant funds for the costs of scholarship assistance that teaching candidates need to enable them to pay the costs of completing a teacher preparation program in addition to other support services and follow-up services after they begin teaching. Alternatively, section 204(d)(2) permits States and partnerships, more generally, to use grant funds to design and implement effective mechanisms to ensure that high-need LEAs and schools are able to effectively recruit highly qualified teachers. The availability of scholarship assistance is likely to be a very useful tool in attracting well-qualified individuals to become teachers in these high-need LEAs and schools. For this reason, regardless of which approach States and partnerships take in designing their projects, the Secretary is particularly interested in receiving proposals that would provide scholarship support for prospective teachers.

   Program Requirements Applicable to More Than One Program

   The Department is establishing a number of requirements that, in addition to the statutory requirements in the HEA, govern two or more of the Teacher Quality Programs. These include the following:

1. Section 201(a)(2) provides a definition of ``high-need'' LEA as a public school district that serves an elementary or secondary school located in an area in which there is--

   a. A high percentage of individuals from families with incomes below the poverty line;

   b. A high percentage of secondary school teachers not teaching in the content area in which the teachers were trained to teach; or

   c. A high teacher turnover rate.

   None of the three alternative meanings can be applied equally and fairly to all applicants without further definition. Therefore, for purposes of these Teacher Quality Enhancements Grant Programs--

1. An LEA with at least one school located in an area in which there is ``a high percentage of individuals from families with incomes below the poverty line'' is a ``high-need LEA'' if--the LEA has at least one school in which 40 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free (not ``free and reduced'') lunch subsidies.

2. An LEA that has one school with a ``high percentage of secondary school teachers not teaching in the content area in which the teachers were trained to teach'' is a ``high-need LEA'' if either of the following conditions holds true:

   ‹bullet› More than 34 percent of academic classroom teachers overall (across all academic subjects) do not have a major, minor, or significant course work in their main assignment field; or

   ‹bullet› More than 34 percent of the main assignment faculty in two of the academic departments do not have a major, minor, or significant work in their main assigned field.

   For purposes of the definition above--

   ``Main assignment field'' means--the academic field in which teachers have the largest percentage of their classes.

   ``Significant course work'' means--four or more college-or graduate-level courses in the content area.

3. An LEA that serves an elementary or secondary school located in an area in which there is a high turnover rate is a ``high-need LEA'' if the LEA has an elementary or secondary school whose attrition rate is 15 percent or more in the last three school years.

   Note: The Department believes that use of the percentage of teachers in high-poverty schools who do not return in the following year is a better source of data than the percentage of teachers in schools with high percentages of minority students who do not return to teach the following year--a factor proposed in the draft application package. In addition, for this third definition of high- need LEA, data is not readily available on the teacher turnover rate in schools in which the students are eligible for free lunch subsidies. Therefore, the data source for this definition and the first definition of high-need LEA (high-poverty) cannot be the same.

4. Section 205(c)(1) requires that any State that receives either a State Grant or a Teacher Recruitment Grant provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the grant (in cash or in kind) to carry out grant activities. This 50 percent match must be made annually, with respect to each grant award of the project period.

5. For purposes of indirect costs that may be charged to the Teacher Recruitment Program and to the Partnership Program, all funded projects

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   are treated as ``educational training grants.'' Therefore, consistent with 34 CFR 75.562, except for costs that may be incurred by State agencies or LEAs, a recipient's indirect cost rate is limited to the maximum of eight percent or the amount permitted by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, whichever is less. In addition, this same eight percent maximum indirect cost rate applies for any funds that institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations may receive from States under the State Program.

6. The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) requires all Federal programs to use performance indicators to measure their quality and effectiveness. GPRA further requires that the Department provide Annual Performance Plans to Congress that provide data on how all of the programs are performing with respect to the program performance indicators. Therefore, the Department submits an Annual Plan to Congress that provides the most recent data on the Department's five-year Strategic Plan, as well as the latest data on the performance of each program with respect to the program indicators.

7. In the event that the peer reviewers' use of these selection criteria results in an equal ranking among two or more applicants for the last available award under any of the three Teacher Quality Programs, the Department will select the applicant whose activities will focus (or have most impact) on LEAs and schools located in one (or more) of the Nation's Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities.

8. In the case of any application or pre-application whose narrative exceeds the 50-page double-spaced limitation for all Teacher Quality Program applications and ten-page double-spaced limitation for Partnership Program pre-applications, the Department will provide to the peer reviewers only the first 50 pages of narrative and ten pages of narrative, respectively.

9. The Title II Teacher Quality programs have a set of draft performance objectives and indicators that appear in Part G, ``Supplementary Information,'' in the application package. Although these performance objectives and indicators are still draft, the objectives and indicators will be finalized by February of 1999 and will look much like the draft performance indicators. All State and partnership grantees must collect data and report to the Department on their progress with respect to each of the performance indicators on all of the final performance indicators.

   In addition, there may be a few indicators for which data will be collected by the contractor hired to conduct the national evaluation of the Title II programs. All grantees also are required to cooperate with the contractor for the national evaluation as the contractor collects data from grantees related to these indicators.

   Paperwork Reduction Act Considerations

   The procedures and requirements contained in this notice relate to application packages that the Department has developed under the three Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs. The public may obtain copies of these packages by calling or writing the individuals identified at the beginning of this notice as the Department's contact, or through the Department's website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/ heatqp/index.html

   As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Office of Management and Budget has approved the use of these application packages under the following OMB control number 1840-0007, expires February, 2002. As noted earlier in this notice, these application packages will be available on or before February 11, 1999.

   Electronic Access to This Document.

   Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web 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 at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free at 1-888-293-6498.

   Anyone may also view these documents in text copy on an electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents located under Option G--Files/ Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases.

   Note: The official version of the document is the document published in the Federal Register.

   Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.

   Dated: February 1, 1999. David A. Longanecker, Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.

   Appendix

   Technical Assistance Workshops on Implementation of Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs

   The Department of Education has scheduled six regional technical assistance workshops between February 17 and March 2, 1999, to help prospective applicants to better understand the Department's approach to implementing the competitive grant competitions to be held this spring under the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Programs, authorized by sections 201-204 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Under the Teacher Quality Programs, States must submit applications for the State Program by April 16, 1999, eligible partnerships must submit pre-applications for the Partnership Program for Improving Teacher Education by April 2, 1999, and States and eligible partnerships must submit applications for the Teacher Recruitment Program by April 16, 1999. At these workshops, the public will be able to learn more about the purposes and requirements of these programs, how to apply for funds, program eligibility requirements, the application selection process, and considerations that might help them to improve the quality of their grant applications. Department of Education staff with expertise on these and other issues related to the Teacher Quality Programs will be available to answer any questions on these topics.

   The locations and dates of these workshops are: February 17 B Washington, DC; February 19 B San Diego, California; February 22 B Seattle, Washington; February 25 B St. Louis, Missouri; February 26 B Dallas, Texas; and March 2, Atlanta, Georgia. Any interested parties are invited to attend these workshops.

   The Department of Education has reserved a limited number of hotel rooms, at a special government per diem room rate, at each of the following hotels that will host the workshops. To reserve these rates, be certain to inform the hotel that you are attending the workshops with the Department of Education.

   The meeting sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. The Department will provide a sign language interpreter at each of the scheduled workshops. An individual with a disability who will need an auxiliary aid or service other than an interpreter to participate in the meeting (e.g., assistive listening device, or materials in an alternative format) should notify the contact person listed in this notice at least two weeks before the scheduled meeting date. Although the Department will attempt to meet a request received after that date, the requested auxiliary aid or service may not be available because of insufficient time to arrange it.

   Dates, Times, and Locations of Technical Assistance Workshops

   Workshop #1: Wednesday, February 17, 1999, Washington, DC, Washington Hilton

   [[Page 6147]]

   Hotel, 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005; Phone: (202) 483-3000. Rate: $115.00 plus tax.

   Workshop #2: Friday, February 19, 1999, San Diego, California, Marriott Hotel--Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego, CA 92108, Phone: (619) 692-3800. Rate: $93.00 plus tax.

   Workshop #3: Monday, February 22, 1999, Seattle, Washington, Renaissance Madison Hotel, 515 Madison & Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: 1-800-278-4159. Rate: $104.00 plus tax.

   Workshop #4: Thursday, February 25, 1999, St. Louis, Missouri, Radisson Hotel & Suites, 600 North Fourth Street, St. Louis, MO 63102, Phone: (314) 621-8200. Rate: $66.00 plus tax.

   Workshop #5: Friday, February 26, 1999, Dallas, Texas, Wyndham Garden Hotel/Dallas, Park Central, 8051 LB. Johnson Freeway, Dallas, TX 75251, Phone: (972) 680-3000. Rate: $89.00 plus tax.

   Workshop #6: Tuesday, March 2, 1999, Atlanta, Georgia, Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 1900 Sullivan Road, College Park, GA 30337, Phone: (770) 997-1100. Rate: $90.00 plus tax.

   For further information about these workshops, please call or write the Department contact identified at the beginning of this notice.

   [FR Doc. 99-2720Filed2-5-99; 8:45 am]

   BILLING CODE 4000-01-P