OpportunityTitle: Race to the Top Fund Assessment Program: Comprehensive Assessment Systems Grants CFDA 84.395B
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: To be eligible to receive an award under this category, an eligible applicant must-- 1. Include a minimum of 15 States, of which at least 5 States must be governing States (as defined in this notice); 2. Identify in its application a proposed project management partner and provide an assurance that the proposed project management partner is not partnered with any other eligible applicant applying for an award under this category;\4\ and  -------------------------------------------------   \4\ In selecting a proposed project management partner, an eligible applicant must comply with the requirements for procurement in 34 CFR 80.36. Due to the limited time period that eligible applicants have to select a proposed project management partner, we remind eligible applicants that they may, under 34 CFR 80.36, use informal procedures to select a proposed contractor for this purpose. For example, 34 CFR 80.36(d)(1) authorizes simple informal procedures to select contractors under the simplified acquisition threshold of $100,000; the regulations only require that the eligible applicant request offers from an adequate number of qualified sources. In addition, even if the eligible applicant expects that the proposed project management partner would cost more than $100,000, the regulations recognize special cases where a contractor must be selected within a very limited time period. Again, the eligible applicant must request proposals from an adequate number of qualified sources and select the contractor whose proposal is most advantageous to the program, considering price and other selection factors. In these situations, if informal solicitation does not result in an adequate number of proposals, the eligible applicant may select a single bidder so long as the eligible applicant documents the facts that formed the basis for its decision. 34 CFR 80.36(d)(1), (d)(3), and (d)(4).
Description: Note: Each funding opportunity description is a synopsis of information in the Federal Register application notice. For specific information about eligibility, please see the official application notice. 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. Please review the official application notice for pre-application and application requirements, application submission information, performance measures, priorities and program contact information. Purpose and Overview of Program: Authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Race to the Top Fund Assessment Program provides funding to consortia of States to develop assessments that are valid, support and inform instruction, provide accurate information about what students know and can do, and measure student achievement against standards designed to ensure that all students gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college and the workplace. These assessments are intended to play a critical role in educational systems; provide administrators, educators, parents, and students with the data and information needed to continuously improve teaching and learning; and help meet the President&apos;s goal of restoring, by 2020, the nation&apos;s position as the world leader in college graduates. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.395B (Comprehensive Assessment Systems grants). An applicant must submit an original and one paper copy of its application for either grant category under this competition. An applicant may submit its application by mail or hand delivery. E-mailed applications will not be read. If an applicant&apos;s application includes content that cannot be presented in a paper copy, the applicant may submit that content separately in one or more electronic files on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. The application content must reside on the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM; the Department will not review material in external references or links. The files may be in any of the following formats: .DOC/.DOCX (Microsoft Word Document), .PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format), .PPT/.PPTX (Microsoft owerpoint), .HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), .JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group Image), .GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), .PNG (Portable Network Graphics), .TIFF (Tagged Image Format), .XLS/.XLSX (Microsoft Excel), .XML/.XSD (Extensible Markup Language/XML Schema), .CSV (Comma Separated Values), .TXT (Text File), and .ZIP (Compressed Package). If an applicant is submitting data files, it should include in its application a description or schema of the data elements within the files. If an applicant submits a file type other than the types specified in this paragraph, the Department will not review that material. Applicants should not password-protect these files. Each electronic file name should clearly identify the part of the application to which the content is responding. The CD-ROM or DVD-ROM should be clearly labeled with the applicant&apos;s name and any other relevant information. An applicant must provide 10 copies of any CD-ROM or DVD-ROM it submits with the original and paper copy of its application. On April 9, 2010, the Department of Education published in the Federal Register (75 FR 18171) a notice inviting applications for new awards for FY 2010 (NIA) for the Race to the Top Fund Assessment Program. This notice makes two corrections to the April 9 NIA. On page 18178, we provided a mailing address, telephone number, and fax number for the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), from which prospective applicants can obtain an application package for either grant category under the Race to the Top Fund Assessment Program competition. The mailing address and fax number that we provided were incorrect. To correct these errors, the Department makes the following corrections to the April 9 NIA: On page 18178, in the third column, under the heading A. Address To Request Application Package: 1. Correct the third sentence to read: ``To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax or call the following: Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, VA 22304.&apos;&apos; 2. Correct the fifth sentence to read: ``FAX: (703) 605-6794.&apos;&apos;
GrantorContactEmailDescription: e-Mail: Program Mailbox
GrantorContactText: Julius Cotton &lt;br/&gt;ED Grants.gov FIND Systems Admin. &lt;br/&gt;Phone 202-245-6140 &lt;br/&gt;julius.cotton@ed.gov &lt;br/&gt;Program Manager:  &lt;br/&gt;James Butler  &lt;br/&gt;U.S. Department of Education  &lt;br/&gt;400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3C108  &lt;br/&gt;Washington, DC 20202-6400  &lt;br/&gt;Telephone: (202) 453-7246 or by e-mail:
CloseDateExplanation: Applications Available: April 9, 2010. Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: April 29, 2010. The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if we have a better understanding of the number of applications we will receive. Therefore, we strongly encourage each prospective applicant to send an e-mail notice of its intent to apply for funding under a grant category in this competition to the e-mail address racetothetop.assessment@ed.gov by April 29, 2010. The notice of intent to apply is optional; an applicant may still submit an application if it has not notified us of its intention to apply. Date of Technical Assistance Meeting for Prospective Applicants: April 22, 2010. To assist prospective applicants in preparing an application and to respond to questions, the Department will host a Technical Assistance Meeting for Prospective Applicants on April 22, 2010. Detailed information about this meeting (including the meeting location) will be posted on the Department&apos;s Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-assessment. Attendance at the meeting is strongly encouraged. Announcements of any other technical assistance opportunities for prospective applicants will also be available at the Web site above. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 23, 2010.