Form 84.044A Talent Search Application

Talent Search Grant Application

2010_TS_Draft_Application_revisions__8-10-10_without_forms3

Talent Search Grant Competition: Public

OMB: 1840-0818

⚠️ Notice: This form may be outdated. More recent filings and information on OMB 1840-0818 can be found here:

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U.S. Department Of Education

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Washington, DC 20006

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html

FY 2011

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS

UNDER THE TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

CFDA NUMBER: 84.044A

FORM APPROVED

OMB No. 1840-XXX, Expiration Date: Month/Date/20XX

DATED MATERIAL – OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE: MONTH/DAY/2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dear Applicant Letter ……………………………………………………………………………

Competition Highlights ………………………………………………………………………….

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants ………………………………

Application Transmittal Instructions ……………………………………………………………

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards ………………………………………………….

Authorizing Legislation ………………………………………………………………………….

Talent Search Program Regulations ……………………………………………………….…..

Annual Low-Income Levels………………………………………………………………………

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs ……………………………………………..

Supplemental Information ……………………………………………………………………….

TS Program Profile ………………………………………………………………………………

Part IV—Talent Search Program Assurances ………………………………………………..

Part V—Prior Experience ……………………………………………………………………….

INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions for Completing the Application Package ………………………………………..

Instructions for Project Narrative ……………………………………………………………….

Invitational Priorities ……………………………………………………………………………..

Instructions for Standard Forms ………………………………………………………………..

Instructions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424 …………

Definitions for Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424 ………….

Instructions for ED 524 …………………………………………………………………………..

Instructions for Budget Summary Form & Itemized Budget…………………………………

Instructions for Completion of SF-LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities …………………

Survey Instructions On Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants ……………………….

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) ……………………………………………………

Government Performance And Results Act (GPRA) …………………………………………

Application Checklist …………………………………………………………………………….

Paperwork Burden Statement …………………………………………………………………..

Insert date

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant under the Talent Search (TS) Program. The TS Program provides grants to institutions of higher education, public and private agencies and organizations, community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth, combinations of such institutions, agencies and organizations, and secondary schools to operate projects that serve qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TS projects encourage youth to complete secondary school and enroll in postsecondary education and publicize the availability of, and facilitate the application for, student financial assistance for persons who seek to pursue postsecondary education or complete these programs. The goal of TS is to increase the secondary school graduation rates of its participants and increase the percentage of low-income and first generation college students who successfully pursue postsecondary education opportunities.

This letter highlights a few items in the fiscal year (FY) 2011 application package that will be important to you in applying for a grant under this program. You should review the entire application package carefully before preparing and submitting your application. Information on the TS Program is accessible at the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Web site at:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triotalent/index.html

In the FY 2011 competition, there are three invitational priorities. The Department strongly encourages all applicants to address one or all of these priorities. For additional information about the invitational priorities, refer to the Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards (Notice) for FY 2011 and the application.

We are requiring that applications for FY 2011 grants under the TS Program be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov system. An applicant who is unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system must submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic submission requirement at least two weeks before the deadline date. Additional information about Grants.gov submission requirements can be found in the Competition Highlights, the Notice, published in the Federal Register, and in the transmittal instructions, which are included in this package. Grants.gov is accessible through its portal page at http://www.Grants.gov.

The Department recently conducted a negotiated rulemaking process to develop regulations to implement the changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965, made by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008. The HEOA made fundamental changes to the goals and purposes of the TS Program through the addition of statutory outcome criteria that necessitated subsequent changes to the program regulations. These changes are highlighted in this application package.

Also, we would like to share with you the importance of ensuring that your application includes a strong evaluation plan. The peer reviewers will be instructed to look closely at the potential of TS Program applicants to successfully reach their individual project goals, which are driven by the performance indicators for the TS Program. The evaluation plan should not only include formative and summative measures, but also, address the use of appropriate controls and techniques that provide for independent evaluation. The evaluation plan should shape the development of the project from the beginning of the grant period and provide benchmarks for the monitoring of progress and measurement of that progress throughout the grant award period. You should pay close attention to the information provided in the Instructions for the Program Narrative section of this application regarding the development of your evaluation activity.

For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically please refer to the official Notice published in the Federal Register.

You are reminded that the document published in the Federal Register (the Closing Date Notice) is the official document, and that you should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained within the official document.

Thank you for your interest in the TS Program. We look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely,

Eduardo M. Ochoa

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTS

Talent Search (TS) Program applications for FY 2011 must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. You are urged to acquaint yourself with the requirements of Grants.gov early as the registration procedures may require 5 or more days to complete. A more thorough discussion is included later in this application package. Grants.gov is accessible through its portal page at:

http://www.Grants.gov. The requirements for obtaining an exception to the electronic submission have changed and are included in the Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2011. If you think you may need an exception, you are urged to review the requirements promptly.

It is important to know that the Grants.gov site works differently than the Department’s e-Application system, used in past competitions. Grants.gov does not allow applicants to “un-submit” applications. Therefore, if you discover that changes or additions are needed once your application has been accepted and validated by the Department, you must “re-submit” the application. You should know that if the Department receives duplicate applications, we will accept and process the application with the latest “date/time received” validation.

Please note that you must submit your application by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the application deadline date. Late applications will not be accepted. We suggest that you submit your application several days before the deadline. 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.

Electronic submission of applications is required; therefore, you must submit an electronic application unless you follow the procedures outlined in the Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2011 and qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement.

All applicants are required to adhere to the 65-page limit for the Program Narrative (Part III) portion of the application. The Federal Register notice contains the specific standards for preparing the Program Narrative. You must limit the section of the narrative that addresses the selection criteria to no more than 65 pages.

All attachments must be in .DOC, .RTF, or .PDF format. Other types of files will not be accepted.

Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working offline and saving data on your computer. It is important to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to log on to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. (This is different from e- Application, where you are working online and saving data to the Department’s database.) You must provide the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

For Grants.gov-related questions and assistance, please contact:

Support Desk e-Mail: [email protected]

Support Desk Telephone: (800) 518-4726

Contact Telephone Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays

Online Web Site: http://www.Grants.gov

Also, refer to the “Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants” section found in this application booklet.

You are reminded that the document published in the Federal Register is the official document, and that you should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidelines contained within the official document.

In the FY 2011 competition, the Department is particularly interested in applications that meet the following program priorities:

Invitational Priorities (3):

Invitational Priority 1: Projects that propose to provide services to

students enrolled in the persistently lowest-achieving schools.

ii. Invitational Priority 2: Applications that propose to provide reliable and comprehensive information on the implementation of Department of Education programs, and participants’ outcomes in these programs, especially by developing strategies with appropriate State agencies to use data from State longitudinal data systems or by obtaining data from reliable third-party sources.

iii. Invitational Priority 3: Projects that propose to coordinate project services with school-level partners and other community resources in order to carry out projects that are both cost-effective and best meet students’ needs.

Please note that these priorities are explained in detail in the Invitational Priorities Section in this application package. You are urged to fully review the Notice carefully before preparing your application.

8. As you develop your proposal, we ask you to carefully consider the specific content

that you will provide in the Objectives section in Part III of the Program Narrative in the application. This part of the application must address the appropriate standardized objectives as listed on the TS Program Profile sheet. All applicants must complete the TS Program Profile. The TS Program Profile sheet, found in the application booklet, contains the mandatory standardized objectives for the program, as well as other information that is needed by the Department. All applicants are required to propose the percentage at which each of the mandatory objectives will be met as related to the participants’ academic achievements, including secondary persistence, secondary school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and postsecondary graduation. Applicants may not modify, amend or delete any of these objectives or modify, amend, delete or otherwise change the language contained in the document. The profile sheet must be uploaded into the Other Attachments Form in Grants.gov.

9. In accordance with the Higher Education Act (HEA), as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, all successful applicants funded under the FY 2011 TS competition will receive five-year (60-month) grant awards that will commence on September 1, 2011.

10. Consistent with the HEA, as amended by the HEOA of 2008, applicants may submit multiple TS program applications to serve different target areas or different target schools.

11. The HEA, as amended by the HEOA of 2008, prescribes a list of required services that all applicants must include in the project design and also provides a list of permissible services that applicants may include in the project design to the extent that they are viable and serve the needs identified for the student population to be served by the project.

12. All applicants must provide a one-page abstract. The abstract should briefly describe the target area to be served, the services that will be provided and the activities to be conducted during the 5-year performance period. Complete instructions for submitting the abstract are included in the “Instructions for Completing the Application Package” of this application. The abstract must be uploaded into the ED Abstract Form in Grants.gov.

13. Information on the TS Program is accessible at the Department’s Web site at:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triotalent/index.html

INTRODUCTION

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM

AUTHORIZATION

Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Section 402B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA).

PROGRAM REGULATIONS

34 CFR part 643 Talent Search Program

PURPOSE

The purpose of the program is to identify qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and encourage them to complete secondary school and enroll in a program of postsecondary education. The program encourages persons who have not completed secondary or postsecondary programs to enter or reenter and complete these programs. Talent Search (TS) projects provide connections to high quality academic tutoring services, connections to education or counseling services designed to improve the financial aid literacy and financial planning for postsecondary education for students and their parents, and provides activities and services specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youth, students in foster care or are aging out of foster care, or other disconnected students. The goal of TS is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete secondary school and enroll in a postsecondary institution.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following are eligible to apply for a grant to carry out a Talent Search Program project:

Institutions of higher education
Public and private agencies or organizations, including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth
Secondary schools
Combinations of institutions of higher education, agencies or organizations, and secondary schools

ACTIVITIES FUNDED UNDER THIS PROGRAM

Required Services -- Any project assisted under this section shall provide—

(1) connections to high quality academic tutoring services, to enable students to complete secondary or postsecondary courses;

(2) advice and assistance in secondary course selection and, if applicable, initial postsecondary course selection;

(3) assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations and completing college admission applications;

(4) (A) information on the full range of Federal student financial aid programs and benefits (including Federal Pell Grant awards and loan forgiveness) and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and

(B) assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483(a);

(5) guidance on and assistance in—

(A) secondary school reentry;

(B) alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts that lead to the receipt of a regular secondary school diploma;

(D) postsecondary education; and

(6) connections to education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students or the students’ parents, including financial planning for postsecondary education.

PERMISSIBLE SERVICES —Any project assisted under this section may provide services such as—

(1) academic tutoring, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects;

(2) personal and career counseling or activities;

(3) information and activities designed to acquaint youth with the range of career options available to the youth;

(4) exposure to the campuses of institutions of higher education, as well as cultural events, academic programs, and other sites or activities not usually available to disadvantaged youth;

(5) workshops and counseling for families of students served;

(6) mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers or counselors, faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and

(7) programs and activities as described in subsection (b) or paragraphs (1) through (6) of this subsection that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths (as such term is defined in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a)), students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

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 of Education.

ATTENTION

Applications submitted to Grants.gov for the Department of Education will be posted using Adobe forms. Therefore, applicants will need to download the latest version of Adobe reader (at least Adobe Reader 8.1.2). Information on computer and operating system compatibility with Adobe and links to download the latest version is available on Grants.gov. We strongly recommend that you review these details on www.Grants.gov before completing and submitting your application. In addition, applicants should submit their application a day or two in advance of the closing date as detailed below. If you have any questions regarding the system requirements, please email the Grants.gov Contact Center at [email protected] or call 1-800-518-4726.

REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration may take five or more business days to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration steps are complete. For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. [Note: Your organization will need to update its Central Contractor Registry (CCR) registration annually.]

SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it 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 before 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time on the deadline date.

Note: To submit successfully, you must provide the DUNS number on your application that was used when your organization registered with the CCR (Central Contractor Registry).

VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov and the Department of Education receive your Grants.gov submission timely 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 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned.

If the date/time received is later than 4:30:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. 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/applicants/applicant_faqs.jsp#54. For more detailed information on why an application may be rejected, you can review Application Error Tips http://www.grants.gov/section910/ApplicationErrorTips.pdf. 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 about 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 http://www.grants.gov/contactus/contactus.jsp, or use the customer support available on the Web site: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp.

You must submit an electronic application before 4:30:00 p.m., 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. (See the Federal Register notice for detailed instructions.)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please note, once you download an application from Grants.gov, you will be working offline and saving data on your computer. Please be sure to note where you are saving the Grants.gov file on your computer. You will need to logon to Grants.gov to upload and submit the application. You must provide on your application the DUNS number that was used when your organization registered with the CCR.

Please go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Submit Application FAQs found on the Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/help/submit_application_faqs.jsp.

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.)

MAC Users

If you do not have a Windows operating System, you may need to use the Citrix solution discussed on Grants.gov to submit an application using Grants.gov. For additional information, review the FAQs for non-windows users http://www.grants.gov/help/download_software.jsp. If electronic submission is required and you are concerned about your ability to submit electronically as a non-windows user, please follow 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:

Ensure that you only attach the Education approved file types detailed in the Federal Register application notice (.doc, .pdf or .rtf). Also, do not upload any password protected files to your application.
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 limit the size of their file names. Lengthy file names could result in difficulties with opening and processing your application. We recommend you keep your file names to less than 50 characters. In addition, applicants should avoid including special characters in their file names (for example, %, *, /, etc.) Both of these conditions (lengthy file names and/or special characters including in the file names) could result in difficulties opening and processing a submitted application.
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 totals 1 to 2 MB. Therefore, you may want to check the total size of your package before submission.

GRANTS.GOV Registration Instructions

The Grants.gov registration process involves three basic steps:

Register your organization
Register yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)
Get authorized as an AOR by your organization

For more information, go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp

Note: If you are a grant applicant who is submitting a grant application on your own behalf and not on behalf of a company, institution, state, local or tribal government, or other type of organization, refer to http://www.grants.gov/assets/IndividualRegCheck.pdf If you apply as an individual to a grant application package designated for organizations, your application will be rejected.

D-U-N-S Number Instructions

To successfully submit an application using Grants.gov, you must provide your organization’s D-U-N-S Number. A D-U-N-S Number is a unique nine-digit number issued by D&B, a global information services provider, that identifies your organization and is used by the Federal government to track how Federal money is distributed. Most large organizations, libraries, colleges, and research universities already have D-U-N-S numbers. Ask your grant administrator or chief financial officer to provide your organization’s D-U-N-S Number.

If your organization does not have a D-U-N-S Number, you can obtain one at no charge by calling 1-866-705-5711 or by completing a D-U-N-S Number Request Form: http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/index.html You will need to provide the following information:

Legal name
Tradestyle, doing business as (DBA), or other name by which your organization is commonly recognized
Physical address, city, state and zip code
Mailing address (if separate)
Telephone number
Contact name
SIC code (Line of Business)
Number of employees at your location
Headquarters name and address (if there is a reporting relationship to a parent corporate entity)
Is this a home-based business?

Obtaining a DUNS Number places your organization on D&B’s marketing list, which is sold to other companies. You can request not to be added to this list during your application.

Live help from D&B is available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (EST) at 1-888-814-1435.

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) Instructions

The Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is a web-enabled government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the Federal government's trading partners in support of the contract award, grants, and electronic payment processes. Check to see if your organization is already registered at the CCR website: https://www.bpn.gov/CCRSearch/Search.aspx

If your organization is already registered, take note of who is listed as your E-Business Point of Contact (E-Business POC). This person will be responsible for authorizing who within your organization is able to submit applications using Grants.gov.

If your organization is not already registered, you can register using the CCR website: http://www.ccr.gov/Start.aspx or by phone (1-888-227-2423). When your organization registers with CCR, you will need to designate an E-Business Point of Contact (POC). This designee authorizes individuals to submit grant applications on behalf of the organization. A special Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN) is established as a password to verify the E-Business POC.

The E-Business POC will be notified by e-mail when individuals from their organization register with Grants.gov. This registration is a request to be designated as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). To assign AOR rights, E-Business POCs need to log into Grants.gov: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/e_biz.jsp using the organization’s D-U-N-S Number and MPIN. Grants.gov will send the AOR a confirmation e-mail when this process has been completed.

Please note that your CCR registration must be renewed once a year. You can check your registration status using the CCR search page: https://www.bpn.gov/CCRSearch/Search.aspx

If you have further questions about creating, updating or renewing your CCR registration, please visit the CCR Frequently Asked Questions page: http://www.ccr.gov/FAQ.aspx or contact the CCR Help Desk at 1-888-227-2423.

APPLICATION TRANSMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

ATTENTION ELECTRONIC APPLICANTS: Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing the grant competition.

This program requires the electronic submission of applications; specific requirements and waiver instructions can be found in the Federal Register notice.

According to the instructions found in the Federal Register notice, those requesting and qualifying for an exception to the electronic submission requirement may submit an application by mail, commercial carrier or by hand delivery.

If you want to apply for a grant and be considered for funding, you must meet the following deadline requirements:

Applications Submitted Electronically:

You must submit your grant application through the Internet using the software provided on the Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov) by 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) on or before the deadline date.

If you submit your application through the Internet via the Grants.gov Web site, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement when we receive your application.

For more information on using Grants.gov, please refer to the “Notice Inviting Applications” that was published in the Federal Register or visit http://www.grants.gov.

Submission of Paper Applications by Mail:

If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA Number 84.044A

LBJ Basement Level 1

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20202-4260

You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service Postmark.
A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.
A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.
Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Education.

If you mail an application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

A private metered postmark
A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service

An applicant should note that the U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, an applicant should check with its local post office.

Special Note: Due to potential disruption to normal mail delivery, the Department encourages you to consider using an alternative delivery method (for example, a commercial carrier, such as Federal Express or United Postal Service; U.S. Postal Service Express Mail; or a courier service to transmit your application for this competition to the Department. If you use an alternative delivery method, please obtain the appropriate proof of mailing under “Applications Delivered by Mail”, then follow the instructions for “Applications Delivered by Hand”.

Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery:

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and three copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: CFDA Number 84.044A

550 12^th Street, S.W.

Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza

Washington, DC 20202-4260

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--

1. You must indicate on the envelope and—if not provided by the Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application;

2. The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

Application Control Center Hours of Operation

The Application Control Center accepts application deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Grant Application Receipt from the Application Control Center

If you send your application by mail or if you or your courier delivers it by hand, the Application Control Center will mail a Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgement to you.

If you do not receive the notification of application receipt within 15 days from the mailing of the application, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

Late Applications

If your application is late, we will notify you that we will not consider the application.

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards

44000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Overview Information

Talent Search Program (TS)

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for fiscal year (FY) 2011.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.044A

Dates:

Applications Available: October 25, 2010

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 9, 2010

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 8, 2011

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the TS Program is to identify qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds with potential for education at the postsecondary level and encourage them to complete secondary school and undertake a program of postsecondary education. TS projects publicize the availability of, and facilitate the application for, student financial assistance for persons who seek to pursue postsecondary education and encourage persons who have not completed programs at the secondary or postsecondary level to enter or reenter and complete these programs. TS projects should provide activities and services specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youth, students who are in foster care or are aging out of foster care, or other disconnected students. Projects funded under this competition must also provide connections to high quality academic tutoring services and connections to education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy and postsecondary education financial planning for students or students’ parents.

Invitational Priorities: For FY 2011 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition, these priorities are invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

These priorities are:

Invitational Priority 1: The Secretary encourages applicants to provide services to students enrolled in the persistently lowest-achieving schools.

Invitational Priority 2: The Secretary encourages grantees in providing information on the implementation of their Talent Search projects and their participants’ outcomes to work with appropriate State agencies to use data from State longitudinal data systems or to obtain data from reliable third-party sources.

Invitational Priority 3: The Secretary encourages grantees to coordinate project services with school-level partners and other community resources in order to carry out projects that are both cost-effective and best meet students’ needs.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-11 and 20 U.S.C. 1070a-12.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department

General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75,(except for §§75.215-75.221), 77, 79, 80, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99.

(b) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 643.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR Part 79 apply to all applicants except federally recognized Indian tribes.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR Part 86 apply to institutions of higher education only.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants.

Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested $853.1 million for awards for the Federal TRIO Programs for FY 2011, of which we intend to use an estimated $142.1 million for this competition. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.

Estimated Range of Awards: $230,000 - $702,000

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $306,168

Maximum Award:

For an applicant who is not currently receiving a TS

Program grant, the maximum award amount is $230,000 for a project that will serve a minimum of 500 participants, based upon a per participant cost of no more (or not to exceed) $460.

For an applicant who is currently receiving a TS Program

grant, the maximum award amount is the greater of (a) $230,000 or (b) an amount equal to 103 percent of the applicant’s grant award amount for FY 2009 or 2010, whichever is greater. The minimum number of participants an applicant proposes to serve must be 500. For an applicant who is currently operating a TS project that is serving more than 500 participants, the applicant is encouraged to continue to serve its current number of participants. However, if the applicant proposes to reduce the number of participants to be served, the proposed number must be at least 500 participants and must be based on a per participant cost that does not exceed $460 per participant. For example, an applicant that is eligible for a $460,000 grant (103% of current funding level), the applicant must propose to serve at least 1,000 participants.

The Department may choose to fund successful applicants who are currently operating TS projects at a level equal to the current award amount (FY 2009 or 2010 whichever is greater) instead of an amount equal to 103 percent. However, the Department would then adjust the proposed number of participants to be serve accordingly. For example, an applicant with a current grant of $446,602 would be required to serve at least 971 participants.

We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the maximum amount listed above for single budget period of 12 months. We will also reject any application that proposes a budget to serve less than 500 participants, and will reject any application that proposes a budget that exceeds the maximum per participant cost of $460.

Estimated Number of Awards: 464

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education, public and private agencies and organizations including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth, combinations of such institutions, agencies and organizations, and secondary schools, for planning, developing, or carrying out one or more of the services identified under this program.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching.

3. Other: An applicant may submit multiple applications if each, separate application describes a project that will serve a different target area or different target schools. The term target area is defined as a geographic area served by a project and the term target school is a school designated by the applicant as a focus of project services.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package: Loretta Brown, if unavailable, contact Geraldine Smith, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or by e-mail: [email protected].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed in this section.

Content and Form of Application Submission:

Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program.

Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit the application narrative (Part III), to the equivalent of no more than 65 pages using the following standards:

A “page” is 8.5” x 11”, on one side only, with 1” margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Page numbers and an identifier may be within the 1” margin.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions; however, you may single space all text in charts, tables, figures and graphs.
Use a font that is 12 point.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.

The page limit does not apply to Part I, the Application for Federal Assistance Face Sheet (SF 424); Part II, the budget information summary form (ED Form 524); TS Program Profile, the one-page Project Abstract narrative; and the assurances and certifications. The page limit also does not apply to a table of contents. If you include any attachments or appendices, these items will be counted as part of Part III, the application narrative, for purposes of the page-limit requirement. You must include your complete response to the selection criteria, which also includes the budget narrative in Part III, the application narrative. We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Applications Available: October 25, 2010

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: December 9, 2010

Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, please refer to section IV.

IV. 7. Other Submission Requirements in this notice.

We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements.

Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the application process, the individual’s application remains subject to all other requirements and limitations in this notice.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 8, 2011

5. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. Information about Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 12372 is in the application package for this program.

6. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in 34 CFR 643.31. We reference additional regulations outlining restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.

7. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the Department of Education, (1) you must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); (2) you must register both of those numbers with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government’s primary registrant database; and (3) you must provide those same numbers on your application.

You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number can be created within one business day.

If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service. If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.

The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).

7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under this program must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section.

a. Electronic Submission of Applications.

Applications for grants under the Talent Search Program, CFDA number 84.044A, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.

We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you 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. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.

You may access the electronic grant application for the Talent Search Program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326A).

Please note the following:

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation.

• Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

• The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.

• You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this program to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.

• You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format.

• You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.

• You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the three file types specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material.

• Your electronic application must comply with any page-limit requirements described in this notice.

• After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application).

• We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice.

If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because––

• You do not have access to the Internet; or

• You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system;

and

• No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.

If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.

Address and mail or fax your statement to: Geraldine Smith, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., room 7000, Washington, DC 20006-8510. FAX: (202) 502-7857.

Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.

b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.

If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and three copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.044A)

LBJ Basement Level 1

400 Maryland Avenue, SW.

Washington, DC 20202-4260

You must show proof of mailing consisting of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

If your application is postmarked after the application

deadline date, we will not consider your application.

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.

U.S. Department of Education

Application Control Center

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.044A)

550 12th Street, SW.

Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza

Washington, DC 20202-4260

The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--

(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and

(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a

notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program competition are in 34 CFR 643.21 and listed in the application package.

Note: Under the “Objectives” selection criterion, 34 CFR 643.21 (b), worth eight points, applicants should address the standardized objectives related to the participants’ academic achievements, including secondary school persistence, secondary school graduation with a regular secondary school diploma, secondary school graduation from a rigorous secondary school program of study, postsecondary education enrollment, and postsecondary degree attainment.

Review and Selection Process: A panel of non-

federal readers will review each application in accordance with the selection criteria, pursuant to 34 CFR 643.21. The individual scores of the readers will be added and the sum divided by the number of readers to determine the reader score received in the review process. In accordance with 34 CFR 643.22, the Secretary will award prior experience points to applicants that have conducted a TS Program project during budget periods 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, based on their documented experience. Prior experience points, if any, will be added to the application’s averaged reader score to determine the total score for each application. If there are insufficient funds for all applications with the same total scores, the Secretary will choose among the tied applications so as to serve geographical areas that have been underserved by the TS Program.

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). We may notify you informally, also.

If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, we will notify you.

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 in this notice.

We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of an award in the Applicable Regulations section in 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. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a final performance report, including financial information, as directed by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual performance report that provides the most current performance and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c).

4. Performance Measures: The success of the TS Program will be measured by secondary school persistence and graduation rates of TS Program participants, as well as postsecondary enrollment and completion rates. All TS Program grantees will be required to submit an annual performance report documenting secondary school persistence, secondary school graduation and postsecondary enrollment of their participants. Since students may take different lengths of time to complete their postsecondary education, multiple years of performance report data are needed to determine the postsecondary completion rates of TS Program participants. The Department of Education will aggregate the data provided in the annual performance reports from all grantees to determine the accomplishment level.

VII. Agency Contacts

For Further Information Contact: Loretta Brown, if unavailable, contact Geraldine Smith, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW., suite 7000, Washington, DC 20006-8510. Telephone: (202) 502-7600 or by e-mail: [email protected]

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at

1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain

this document and a copy of the application package in an

accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or

computer diskette) on request to the program contact persons

listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice.

Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document,

as well as all other documents of this Department published in

the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format

(PDF) on the Internet at the following site:

www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To use PEF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.

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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

Dated:

_________________________

Eduardo M. Ochoa

Assistant Secretary for

Postsecondary Education.

AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION

Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended:

CHAPTER 1—FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS

SEC. 402A [20 U.S.C.I070a-11] -- PROGRAM AUTHORITY; AUTHORIZATION APPROPRIATIONS.

GRANTS AND CONTRACTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, carry out a program of making grants and contracts designed to identify qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, to prepare them for a program of postsecondary education, to provide support services for such students who are pursuing programs of postsecondary education, to motivate and prepare students for doctoral programs, and to train individuals serving or preparing for service in programs and projects so designed.

RECIPIENTS, DURATION, AND SIZE. —

RECIPIENTS.—For the purposes described in subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5), to make grants to, and contracts with, institutions of higher education, public and private agencies and organizations, combinations of such institutions, agencies and organizations, and in exceptional circumstances, secondary schools, for planning, developing, or carrying out one or more of the services assisted under this chapter.

DURATION.—Grants or contracts made under this chapter shall be awarded for a period of 4 years, except that—(A) the Secretary shall award such grants or contracts for 5 years to applicants whose peer review scores were in the highest 10 percent of scores of all applicants receiving grants or contracts in each program competition for the same award year;(B) grants made under section 402G shall be awarded for a period of 2 years; and(C) grants under section 402H shall be awarded for a period determined by the Secretary.

MINIMUM GRANTS.—Unless the institution or agency requests a smaller amount, individual grants under this chapter shall be no less than—

$170,000 for programs authorized by sections 402D and 402G;
$180,000 for programs authorized by sections 402B and 402F; and
$190,000 for programs authorized by sections 402C and 402E

PROCEDURES FOR AWARDING GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—

(1) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible entity that desires to receive a

grant or contract under this chapter shall submit an application to the Secretary in

such manner and form, and containing such information and assurances, as the

Secretary may reasonably require.

(2) PRIOR EXPERIENCE.—In making grants under this chapter, the Secretary shall consider each applicant’s prior experience of service delivery under the particular program for which funds are sought. The level of consideration given the factor of prior experience shall not vary from the level of consideration given such factor during fiscal years 1994 through 1997, except that grants made under section 402H shall not be given prior experience consideration.

(3) ORDER OF AWARDS; PROGRAM FRAUD.—

Except with respect to grants made under sections 402G and 402H and as provided in subparagraph the Secretary shall award grants and contracts under this chapter in the order of the scores received by the application for such grant or contract in the peer review process required under paragraph (4) and adjusted for prior experience in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection.

The Secretary is not required to provide assistance to a program otherwise eligible for assistance under this chapter, if the Secretary has determined that such program has involved the fraudulent use of funds under this chapter.

(4) PEER REVIEW PROCESS.—

The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, members of groups underrepresented in higher education, including African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, and Native American Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians), are represented as readers of applications submitted under this chapter. The Secretary shall also ensure that persons from urban and rural backgrounds are represented as readers.

The Secretary shall ensure that each application submitted under this chapter is read by at least three readers who are not employees of the Federal Government (other than as readers of applications)

(5) NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS

The Secretary shall not limit the number of applications submitted by an entity under any program authorized under this chapter if the additional applications describe programs serving different populations or campuses.

(6) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED

STUDENTS.—The Secretary shall encourage coordination of programs assisted under this chapter with other programs for disadvantaged students operated by the sponsoring

institution or agency, regardless of the funding source of such programs. The Secretary shall not limit an entity’s eligibility to receive funds under this chapter because such entity sponsors a program similar to the program to be assisted under this chapter, regardless of the funding source of such program. The Secretary shall permit the Director of a program receiving funds under this chapter to administer one or more additional programs for disadvantaged students operated by the sponsoring institution or agency, regardless of the funding sources of such programs.

(7) APPLICATION STATUS.—The Secretary shall inform each entity operating programs

under this chapter regarding the status of their application for continued funding at least

8 months prior to the expiration of the grant or contract. The Secretary, in the case of an

entity that is continuing to operate a successful program under this chapter, shall ensure that the startup date for a new grant or contract for such program immediately follows the termination of the preceding grant or contract so that no interruption of funding occurs for such successful reapplicants. The Secretary shall inform each entity requesting assistance under this chapter for a new program regarding the status of their application at least 8 months prior to the proposed startup date of such program.

(d) OUTREACH.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct outreach activities to ensure that entities

eligible for assistance under this chapter submit applications proposing programs that

serve geographic areas and eligible populations which have been underserved by the programs

assisted under this chapter.

(2) NOTICE.—In carrying out the provisions of paragraph(1), the Secretary shall notify the entities described in subsection(b) of the availability of assistance under this subsection not less than 120 days prior to the deadline for submission of applications under this chapter and shall consult national, State, and regional organizations about candidates for notification.

(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall provide technical training to applicants for projects and programs authorized under this chapter. The Secretary shall give priority to serving programs and projects that serve geographic areas and eligible populations which have been underserved by the programs assisted under this chapter. Technical training activities shall include the provision of information on authorizing legislation, goals and objectives of the program, required activities, eligibility requirements, the application process and application deadlines, and assistance in the development of program proposals and the completion of program applications. Such training shall be furnished at conferences, seminars, and workshops to be conducted at not less than 10 sites throughout the United States to ensure that all areas of the United States with large concentrations of eligible participants are served.

(4) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may contract with eligible entities to conduct the outreach activities described in this subsection.

(e) DOCUMENTATION OF STATUS AS A LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—

(1) Except in the case of an independent student, as defined in section 480(d), documentation of an individual’s status pursuant to subsection (g)(2)

shall be made by providing the Secretary with—

(a) A signed statement from the individual’s parent or legal guardian;

(b) Verification from another governmental source;

(d) A signed United States or Puerto Rico income tax return.

(2) In the case of an independent student, as defined in section 480(d), documentation of an individual’s status pursuant to subsection (g)(2) shall be made by providing the Secretary with—

(a) A signed statement from the individual;

(b) Verification from another governmental source;

(d) A signed United States or Puerto Rico income tax return.

(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of making grants and contracts under this chapter, there are authorized to be appropriated $700,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. Of the amount appropriated under this chapter, the Secretary may use no more than 1/2 of 1 percent of such amount to obtain additional qualified readers and additional staff to review applications, to increase the level of oversight monitoring, to support impact studies, program assessments and reviews, and to provide technical assistance to potential applicants and current grantees. In expending these funds, the Secretary shall give priority to the additional administrative requirements provided in the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, to outreach activities, and to obtaining additional readers. The Secretary shall report to Congress by October1, 1994, on the use of these funds.

(g) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this chapter:

(1) FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘first-generation college student’’ means—

(A) An individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree;

(B) In the case of any individual who regularly resided with and received support from only one parent, an individual whose only such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree.

(2) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘low-income individual’’ means an individual from a family whose taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of the Census.

(3) VETERAN ELIGIBILITY.—No veteran shall be deemed ineligible to participate in

any program under this chapter by reason of such individual’s age who—

(A) served on active duty for a period of more than 180days, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and was discharged or released there from under conditions other than dishonorable; or

(B) served on active duty after January 31, 1955, and was discharged or released therefrom because of a service connected disability.

(4) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the service requirements in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (3) if the Secretary determines the application of the service requirements to a veteran will defeat the purpose of a program under this chapter.

Sec. 402B [20 U.S.C. 1070a-12]. Talent Search

(a) Program authority

The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as talent search which shall be designed

(1) to identify qualified youths with potential for education at the postsecondary level and to encourage such youths to complete secondary school and to undertake a program of postsecondary education;

(2) to publicize the availability of student financial assistance available to persons who pursue a program of postsecondary education; and

(3) to encourage persons who have not completed programs of education at the secondary or postsecondary level, but who have the ability to complete such programs, to reenter such programs.

(b) Permissible services

Any talent search project assisted under this division may provide services such as--

(1) academic advice and assistance in secondary school and college course selection;

(2) assistance in completing college admission and financial aid applications;

(3) assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations;

(4) guidance on and assistance in secondary school reentry, entry to general educational development (GED) programs, other alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts, or postsecondary education;

(5) personal and career counseling, or activities designed to acquaint individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds with careers in which the individuals are particularly underrepresented;

(6) tutorial services;

(7) exposure to college campuses as well as cultural events, academic programs and other sites or activities not usually available to disadvantaged youth;

(8) workshops and counseling for families of students served;

(9) mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers or counselors, faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and

(10) programs and activities as described in paragraphs (1) through (9) which are specially designed for students of limited English proficiency.

In approving applications for talent search projects under this division for any fiscal year the Secretary shall--

(1) require an assurance that not less than two-thirds of the individuals participating in the project proposed to be carried out under any application be low-income individuals who are first generation college students;

(2) require that such participants be persons who either have completed 5 years of elementary education or are at least 11 years of age but not more than 27 years of age, unless the imposition of any such limitation with respect to any person would defeat the purposes of this section or the purposes of section 402F;

(3) require an assurance that individuals participating in the project proposed in the application do not have access to services from another project funded under this section or under section 402F; and

(4) require an assurance that the project will be located in a setting accessible to the persons proposed to be served by the project.

NOTE: TRIO legislation and the Talent Search regulations made by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 are shown below in ~~strikethrough text~~ and italics.

CHAPTER 1—FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS

SEC. 402A. [20 U.S.C. 1070a–11] PROGRAM AUTHORITY; AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

(a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, carry out a program of making grants and contracts designed to identify qualified individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, to prepare them for a program of postsecondary education, to provide support

services for such students who are pursuing programs of postsecondary education, to motivate and prepare students for doctoral programs, and to train individuals serving or preparing for service in programs and projects so designed.

(b) RECIPIENTS, DURATION, AND SIZE.—

(1) RECIPIENTS.—For the purposes described in subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5), to make grants to, and contracts with, institutions of higher education, public and private agencies and organizations including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth, combinations of such institutions, agencies and organizations, and ~~in exceptional circumstances~~, as appropriate to the purposes of the program, secondary schools, for planning, developing, or carrying out one or more of the services assisted under this chapter.

(2) DURATION.—Grants or contracts made under this chapter shall be awarded for a period of 4 5 years, except that—

(A) the Secretary shall award such grants or contracts for 5 years to applicants whose peer review scores were in the highest 10 percent of scores of all applicants receiving grants or contracts in each program competition for the same award year in order to synchronize the awarding of grants for programs under this chapter, the Secretary may, under such terms as are consistent with the purposes of this chapter, provide a one-time, limited extension of the length of such an award;

(B) grants made under section 402G shall be awarded for a period of 2 years; and

(3) MINIMUM GRANTS.—Unless the institution or agency requests a smaller amount, an individual grants authorized under this chapter shall be awarded in an amount that is not less than $200,000, except that an individual grant authorized under section 402G shall be awarded in an amount that is not less than $170,000~~no less than—~~

~~(A) $170,000 for programs authorized by sections 402D and 402G;~~

~~(B) $180,000 for programs authorized by sections 402B and 402F; and~~

~~(C) $190,000 for programs authorized by sections 402C and 402E~~.

(1) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible entity that desires to receive a grant or contract under this chapter shall submit an application to the Secretary in such manner and form, and containing such information and assurances, as the Secretary may reasonably require.

(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—

(A) PRIOR EXPERIENCE.—In making grants under this chapter, the Secretary shall consider each applicant’s prior experience of high quality service delivery, as determined under subsection (f), under the particular program for which funds are sought. The level of consideration given the factor of prior experience shall not vary from the level of consideration given such factor during fiscal years 1994 through 1997, except that grants made under section 402H shall not be given prior experience consideration.

(B) PARTICIPANT NEED.—In making grants under this chapter, the Secretary shall consider the number, percentages, and needs of eligible participants in the area, institution of higher education, or secondary school to be served to aid such participants in preparing for, enrolling in, or succeeding in postsecondary education, as appropriate to the particular program for which the eligible entity is applying.

(3) ORDER OF AWARDS; PROGRAM FRAUD.—(A) Except with respect to grants made under sections 402G and 402H and as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall award grants and contracts under this chapter in the order of the scores received by the application for such grant or contract in the peer review process required under paragraph (4) and adjusted for prior experience in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection.

(B) The Secretary ~~is not required to~~ shall not provide assistance to a program otherwise eligible for assistance under this chapter, if the Secretary has determined that such program has involved the fraudulent use of funds under this chapter.

(4) PEER REVIEW PROCESS.—(A) The Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent practicable, members of groups underrepresented in higher education, including African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, and Native American Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians), are represented as readers of applications submitted under this chapter. The Secretary shall also ensure that persons from urban and rural backgrounds are represented as readers.

(B) The Secretary shall ensure that each application submitted under this chapter is read by at least three readers who are not employees of the Federal Government (other than as readers of applications).

(5) NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—

(6) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS.—The Secretary shall encourage coordination of programs assisted under this chapter with other programs for disadvantaged students operated by the sponsoring institution or agency, regardless of the funding source of such programs. The Secretary shall not limit an entity’s eligibility to receive funds under this chapter because such entity sponsors a program similar to the program to be assisted under this chapter, regardless of the funding source of such program. The Secretary shall permit the Director of a program receiving funds under this chapter to administer one or more additional programs for disadvantaged students operated by the sponsoring institution or agency, regardless of the funding sources of such programs. The Secretary shall, as appropriate, require each applicant for funds under the programs authorized by this chapter to identify and make available services under such program, including mentoring, tutoring, and other services provided by such program, to foster care youth (including youth in foster care and youth who have left foster care after reaching age 13) or to homeless children and youths as defined in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

(7) APPLICATION STATUS.—The Secretary shall inform each entity operating programs under this chapter regarding the status of their application for continued funding at least 8 months prior to the expiration of the grant or contract. The Secretary, in the case of an entity that is continuing to operate a successful program under this chapter, shall ensure that the start-up date for a new grant or contract for such program immediately follows the termination of the preceding grant or contract so that no interruption of funding occurs for such successful reapplicants. The Secretary shall inform each entity requesting assistance under this chapter for a new program regarding the status of their application at least 8 months prior to the proposed startup date of such program.

(8) REVIEW AND NOTIFICATION BY THE SECRETARY.—

(A) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, the Secretary shall issue nonregulatory guidance regarding the rights and responsibilities of applicants with respect to the application and evaluation process for programs and projects assisted under this chapter, including applicant access to peer review comments. The guidance shall describe the procedures for the submission, processing, and scoring of applications for grants under this chapter, including—

(i) the responsibility of applicants to submit materials in a timely manner and in accordance with the processes established by the Secretary under the authority of the General Education Provisions Act;

(ii) steps the Secretary will take to ensure that the materials submitted by applicants are processed in a proper and timely manner;

(iii) steps the Secretary will take to ensure that prior experience points for high quality service delivery are awarded in an accurate and transparent manner;

(iv) steps the Secretary will take to ensure the quality and integrity of the peer review process, including assurances that peer reviewers will consider applications for grants under this chapter in a thorough and complete manner consistent with applicable Federal law; and

(v) steps the Secretary will take to ensure that the final score of an application, including prior experience points for high quality service delivery and points awarded through the peer review process, is determined in an accurate and transparent manner.

(B) UPDATED GUIDANCE.—Not later than 45 days before the date of the commencement of each competition for a grant under this chapter that is held after the expiration of the 180-day period described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall update and publish the guidance described in such subparagraph.

(C) REVIEW.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—With respect to any competition for a grant under this chapter, an applicant may request a review by the Secretary if the applicant—

(I) has evidence of a specific technical, administrative, or scoring error made by the Department, an agent of the Department, or a peer reviewer, with respect to the scoring or processing of a submitted application; and

(II) has otherwise met all of the requirements for submission of the application.

(ii) TECHNICAL OR ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR.—In the case of evidence of a technical or administrative error listed in clause (i)(I), the Secretary shall review such evidence and provide a timely response to the applicant. If the Secretary determines that a technical or administrative error was made by the Department or an agent of the Department, the application of the applicant shall be reconsidered in the peer review process for the applicable grant competition.

(iii) SCORING ERROR.—In the case of evidence of a scoring error listed in clause (i)(I), when the error relates to either prior experience points for high quality service delivery or to the final score of an application, the Secretary shall—

(I) review such evidence and provide a timely response to the applicant; and

(II) if the Secretary determines that a scoring error was made by the Department or a peer reviewer, adjust the prior experience points or final score of the application appropriately and quickly, so as not to interfere with the timely awarding of grants for the applicable grant competition.

(iv) ERROR IN PEER REVIEW PROCESS.—

(I) REFERRAL TO SECONDARY REVIEW.—In the case of a peer review process error listed in clause (i)(I), if the Secretary determines that points were withheld for criteria not required in Federal statute, regulation, or guidance governing a program assisted under this chapter or the application for a grant for such program, or determines that information pertaining to selection criteria was wrongly determined missing from an application by a peer reviewer, then the Secretary shall refer the application to a secondary review panel.

(II) TIMELY REVIEW; REPLACEMENT SCORE.—The secondary review panel described in subclause (I) shall conduct a secondary review in a timely fashion, and the score resulting from the secondary review shall replace the score from the initial peer review.

(III) COMPOSITION OF SECONDARY REVIEW PANEL.—The secondary review panel shall be composed of reviewers each of whom—

(aa) did not review the application in the original peer review;

(bb) is a member of the cohort of peer reviewers for the grant program that is the subject of such secondary review; and

(cc) to extent practicable, has conducted peer reviews in not less than two previous competitions for the grant program that is the subject of such secondary review.

(IV) FINAL SCORE.—The final peer review score of an application subject to a secondary review under this clause shall be adjusted appropriately and quickly using the score awarded by the secondary review panel, so as not to interfere with the timely awarding of grants for the applicable grant competition.

(V) QUALIFICATION FOR SECONDARY REVIEW.—To qualify for a secondary review under this clause, an applicant shall have evidence of a scoring error and demonstrate that—

(aa) points were withheld for criteria not required in statute, regulation, or guidance governing the Federal TRIO programs or the application for a grant for such programs; or

(bb) information pertaining to selection criteria was wrongly determined to be missing from the application.

(v) FINALITY.—

(I) IN GENERAL.—A determination by the Secretary under clause (i), (ii), or (iii) shall not be reviewable by any officer or employee of the Department.

(II) SCORING.—The score awarded by a secondary review panel under clause (iv) shall not be reviewable by any officer or employee of the Department other than the Secretary.

(vi) FUNDING OF APPLICATIONS WITH CERTAIN ADJUSTED SCORES.—To the extent feasible based on the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall fund applications with scores that are adjusted upward under clauses (ii), (iii), and (iv) to equal or exceed the minimum cut off score for the applicable grant competition.

(d) OUTREACH.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct outreach activities to ensure that entities eligible for assistance under this chapter submit applications proposing programs that serve geographic areas and eligible populations which have been underserved by the programs assisted under this chapter.

(2) NOTICE.—In carrying out the provisions of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall notify the entities described in subsection (b) of the availability of assistance under this subsection not less than 120 days prior to the deadline for submission of applications under this chapter and shall consult national, State, and regional organizations about candidates for notification.

(4) SPECIAL RULE.—The Secretary may contract with eligible entities to conduct the outreach activities described in this subsection.

(e) DOCUMENTATION OF STATUS AS A LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—(1) Except in the case of an independent student, as defined in section 480(d), documentation of an individual’s status pursuant to subsection ~~(g)(2)~~ (h)(4) shall be made by providing the Secretary with—

(A) a signed statement from the individual’s parent or legal guardian;

(B) verification from another governmental source;

(D) a signed United States or Puerto Rico income tax return.

(2) In the case of an independent student, as defined in section 480(d), documentation of an individual’s status pursuant to subsection ~~(g)(2)~~ (h)(4) shall be made by providing the Secretary with—

(A) a signed statement from the individual;

(B) verification from another governmental source;

(D) a signed United States or Puerto Rico income tax return.

(3) Notwithstanding this subsection and subsection (h)(4), individuals who are foster care youth (including youth in foster care and youth who have left foster care after reaching age 13), or homeless children and youths as defined in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, shall be eligible to participate in programs under sections 402B, 402C, 402D, and 402F.

(f) OUTCOME CRITERIA.—

(1) USE FOR PRIOR EXPERIENCE DETERMINATION.—For competitions for grants under this chapter that begin on or after January 1, 2009, the Secretary shall determine an eligible entity’s prior experience of high quality service delivery, as required under subsection (c)(2), based on the outcome criteria described in paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) DISAGGREGATION OF RELEVANT DATA.—The outcome criteria under this subsection shall be disaggregated by low-income students, first generation college students, and individuals with disabilities, in the schools and institutions of higher education served by the program to be evaluated.

(3) CONTENTS OF OUTCOME CRITERIA.—The outcome criteria under this subsection shall measure, annually and for longer periods, the quality and effectiveness of programs authorized under this chapter and shall include the following:

(A) For programs authorized under section 402B, the extent to which the eligible entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives established in the entity’s application for such program regarding—

(i) the delivery of service to a total number of students served by the program;

(ii) the continued secondary school enrollment of such students;

(iii) the graduation of such students from secondary school with a regular secondary school diploma in the standard number of years;

(iv) the completion by such students of a rigorous secondary school program of study that will make such students eligible for programs such as the Academic Competitiveness Grants Program;

(v) the enrollment of such students in an institution of higher education; and

(vi) to the extent practicable, the postsecondary education completion of such students.

(B) For programs authorized under section 402C, the extent to which the eligible entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives for such program regarding—

(i) the delivery of service to a total number of students served by the program, as agreed upon by the entity and the Secretary for the period;

(ii) such students’ school performance, as measured by the grade point average, or its equivalent;

(iii) such students’ academic performance, as measured by standardized tests, including tests required by the students’ State;

(iv) the retention in, and graduation from, secondary school of such students;

(v) the completion by such students of a rigorous secondary school program of study that will make such students eligible for programs such as the Academic Competitiveness Grants Program;

(vi) the enrollment of such students in an institution of higher education; and

(vii) to the extent practicable, the postsecondary education completion of such students.

(C) For programs authorized under section 402D—

(i) the extent to which the eligible entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives regarding the retention in postsecondary education of the students served by the program;

(ii)(I) in the case of an entity that is an institution of higher education offering a baccalaureate degree, the extent to which the entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives regarding the percentage of such students’ completion of the degree programs in which such students were enrolled; or

(II) in the case of an entity that is an institution of higher education that does not offer a baccalaureate degree, the extent to which such students met or exceeded the entity’s objectives regarding—

(aa) the completion of a degree or certificate by such students; and

(bb) the transfer of such students to institutions of higher education that offer baccalaureate degrees;

(iii) the extent to which the entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives regarding the delivery of service to a total number of students, as agreed upon by the entity and the Secretary for the period; and

(iv) the extent to which the entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives regarding the students served under the program who remain in good academic standing.

(D) For programs authorized under section 402E, the extent to which the entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives for such program regarding—

(i) the delivery of service to a total number of students served by the program, as agreed upon by the entity and the Secretary for the period;

(ii) the provision of appropriate scholarly and research activities for the students served by the program;

(iii) the acceptance and enrollment of such students in graduate programs; and

(iv) the continued enrollment of such students in graduate study and the attainment of doctoral degrees by former program participants.

(E) For programs authorized under section 402F, the extent to which the entity met or exceeded the entity’s objectives for such program regarding—

(i) the enrollment of students without a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, who were served by the program, in programs leading to such diploma or equivalent;

(ii) the enrollment of secondary school graduates who were served by the program in programs of postsecondary education;

(iii) the delivery of service to a total number of students served by the program, as agreed upon by the entity and the Secretary for the period; and

(iv) the provision of assistance to students served by the program in completing financial aid applications and college admission applications.

(4) MEASUREMENT OF PROGRESS.—In order to determine the extent to which each outcome criterion described in paragraph (2) or (3) is met or exceeded, the Secretary shall compare the agreed upon target for the criterion, as established in the eligible entity’s application approved by the Secretary, with the results for the criterion, measured as of the last day of the applicable time period for the determination for the outcome criterion.

~~(f)~~(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the purpose of making grants and contracts under this chapter, there are authorized to be appropriated ~~$700,000,000~~ $900,000,000 for fiscal year ~~1999,~~ 2009 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 five succeeding fiscal years. Of the amount appropriated under this chapter, the Secretary may use no more than 1⁄2 of 1 percent of such amount to obtain additional qualified readers and additional staff to review applications, to increase the level of oversight monitoring, to support impact studies, program assessments and reviews, and to provide technical assistance to potential applicants and current grantees. In expending these funds, the Secretary shall give priority to the additional administrative requirements provided in the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, to outreach activities, and to obtaining additional readers. ~~The Secretary shall report to Congress by October 1, 1994, on the use of these funds.~~

~~(g)~~(h) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this chapter:

(1) DIFFERENT CAMPUS.—The term ‘different campus’ means a site of an institution of higher education that—

(A) is geographically apart from the main campus of the institution;

(B) is permanent in nature; and (C) offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.

(2) DIFFERENT POPULATION.—The term ‘different population’ means a group of individuals that an eligible entity desires to serve through an application for a grant under this chapter, and that—

(A) is separate and distinct from any other population that the entity has applied for a grant under this chapter to serve; or

(B) while sharing some of the same needs as another population that the eligible entity has applied for a grant under this chapter to serve, has distinct needs for specialized services.

~~(1)~~(3) FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘first generation college student’’ means—

(A) an individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or

(B) in the case of any individual who regularly resided with and received support from only one parent, an individual whose only such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree.

~~(2)~~(4) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘low-income individual’’ means an individual from a family whose taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of an amount equal to the poverty level determined by using criteria of poverty established by the Bureau of the Census.

~~(3)~~(5) VETERAN ELIGIBILITY.—No veteran shall be deemed ineligible to participate in any program under this chapter by reason of such individual’s age who—

(A) served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days~~, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955,~~ and was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable; or

(B) served on active duty ~~after January 31, 1955,~~ and was discharged or released therefrom because of a service connected disability.;

(C) was a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces called to active duty for a period of more than 30 days; or

(D) was a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who served on active duty in support of a contingency operation (as that term is defined in section 101(a)(13) of title 10, United States Code) on or after September 11, 2001.

~~(4)~~(6) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the service requirements in subparagraph (A), or (B) or (C) of paragraph ~~(3)~~(5) if the Secretary determines the application of the service requirements to a veteran will defeat the purpose of a program under this chapter.

SEC. 402B. [20 U.S.C. 1070a–12] TALENT SEARCH.

(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall carry out a program to be known as talent search which shall be designed—

(2) to publicize the availability of, and facilitate the application for, student financial assistance available to persons who pursue a program of postsecondary education; and

(3) to encourage persons who have not completed programs of education at the secondary or postsecondary level~~, but who have the ability to complete such programs,~~ to enter or reenter and complete such programs.

~~(b) PERMISSIBLE SERVICES.—Any talent search project assisted under this chapter may provide services such as—~~

~~(1) academic advice and assistance in secondary school and college course selection;~~

~~(2) assistance in completing college admission and financial aid applications;~~

~~(3) assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations;~~

~~(5) personal and career counseling, or activities designed to acquaint individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds with careers in which the individuals are particularly underrepresented;~~

~~(6) tutorial services;~~

~~(7) exposure to college campuses as well as cultural events, academic programs and other sites or activities not usually available to disadvantaged youth;~~

~~(8) workshops and counseling for families of students served;~~

~~(9) mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers or counselors, faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and~~

~~(10) programs and activities as described in paragraphs (1) through (9) which are specially designed for students of limited English proficiency.~~

(b) REQUIRED SERVICES.—Any project assisted under this section shall provide—

(1) connections to high quality academic tutoring services, to enable students to complete secondary or postsecondary courses;

(2) advice and assistance in secondary course selection and, if applicable, initial postsecondary course selection;

(3) assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations and completing college admission applications;

(4)(A) information on the full range of Federal student financial aid programs and benefits (including Federal Pell Grant awards and loan forgiveness) and resources for locating public and private scholarships; and

(B) assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483(a);

(5) guidance on and assistance in—

(A) secondary school reentry;

(B) alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts that lead to the receipt of a regular secondary school diploma;

(C) entry into general educational development (GED) programs; or

(D) postsecondary education; and

(c) PERMISSIBLE SERVICES.—Any project assisted under this section may provide services such as—

(1) academic tutoring, which may include instruction in reading, writing, study skills, mathematics, science, and other subjects;

(2) personal and career counseling or activities;

(3) information and activities designed to acquaint youth with the range of career options available to the youth;

(4) exposure to the campuses of institutions of higher education, as well as cultural events, academic programs, and other sites or activities not usually available to disadvantaged youth;

(5) workshops and counseling for families of students served;

(6) mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers or counselors, faculty members at institutions of higher education, students, or any combination of such persons; and

~~(c)~~(d) REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS.—In approving applications for ~~talent search~~ projects under this ~~chapter~~ section for any fiscal year the Secretary shall—

(4) require an assurance that the project will be located in a setting accessible to the persons proposed to be served by the project.

TALENT SEARCH PROGRAM REGULATIONS

FINAL REGULATIONS INSERTED HERE

Federal TRIO Programs
2010 Annual Low Income Levels

Congress took action to keep the 2009 poverty guidelines in effect until at least May 31, 2010 and no further action has been taken. Since the Department uses the Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to update the TRIO low-income levels, TRIO grantees shall use the TRIO 2009 Low-Income Levels below until further notice.

(Effective January 23, 2009 Until Further Notice)

Size of Family Unit	48 Contiguous States, D.C., and Outlying Jurisdictions	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$16,245	$20,295	$18,690
2	$21,855	$27,315	$25,140
3	$27,465	$34,335	$31,590
4	$33,075	$41,355	$38,040
5	$38,685	$48,375	$44,490
6	$44,295	$55,395	$50,940
7	$49,905	$62,415	$57,390
8	$55,515	$69,435	$63,840

For family units with more than eight members, add the following amount for each additional family member: $5,610 for the 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia and outlying jurisdictions; $7,020 for Alaska; and $6,450 for Hawaii.

The term "low-income individual" means an individual whose family's taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount.

The figures shown under family income represent amounts equal to 150 percent of the family income levels established by the Census Bureau for determining poverty status. The poverty guidelines were published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 14, January 23, 2009, pp. 4,199-4,201.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372

This program falls under the rubric of Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive order is to strengthen federalism--or the distribution of responsibility between localities, States, and the Federal government--by fostering intergovernmental partnerships. This idea includes supporting processes that State or local governments have devised for coordinating and reviewing proposed Federal financial grant applications.

The process for doing this requires grant applicants to contact State Single Points of Contact for information on how this works. Multi-state applicants should follow procedures specific to each state.

Further information about the State Single Point of Contact process and a list of names by State can be found at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.pdf

Absent specific State review programs, applicants may submit comments directly to the Department. All recommendations and comments must be mailed or hand-delivered by the date indicated in the actual application notice to the following address: The Secretary, EO 12372--CFDA# [commenter must insert number--including suffix letter, if any], U.S. Department of Education, room 7E200. 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202.

Proof of mailing will be determined on the same basis as applications (see 34 CFR §75.102). Recommendations or comments may be hand-delivered until 4:30 p.m. (eastern time) on the closing date indicated in this notice.

Important note: The above address is not the same address as the one to which the applicant submits its completed applications. Do not send applications to the above address.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

The following supplements the information provided in the “Dear Applicant” letter and the Notice.

Estimated Funding and Project Period

Estimated Available Funds for new awards for FY 2011: $142,062,000
Estimated Range of Awards: $230,000 - $702,000 per year
Estimated Average Size of Awards $306,168
Estimated Number of New Awards: 464
Project Period for New Awards: 60 months

The U.S. Department of Education is not bound by these estimates.

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs was issued to foster an intergovernmental partnership and to strengthen federalism by relying on state and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance.

Applicants must contact the appropriate State Single Point of Contact to find out about, and to comply with, the in State’s process under Executive Order 12372. A listing of the Single Point of Contact for each State may be viewed at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/OMB/grants/spoc.html.

3. TS Program Assurances

All applications must comply with the TS Program statutory and regulatory requirements. The assurances page is included in this application package and

must be signed by a certifying official and uploaded into the Other Attachments Form in Grants.gov. By submitting a TS Program application, an applicant certifies that it has read the assurances and will fully comply with the requirements.

4. TS Program Profile

All applicants must provide the information requested on this form. The TS Program Profile form contains standardized objectives. Applicants are required to propose the percentage at which each of the standardized objectives will be attained. On the TS Profile form, you must fill in the blanks indicating the percentage level of achievement for each of the objectives. You may not modify, amend or delete any of these objectives.

Applicants must copy and paste the TS Program Profile form into a separate document, or otherwise recreate the page exactly as it appears. Complete the form, save it to your computer and attach it to the Other Attachments Form as either a .doc, .rtf or .pdf document. Do not modify or amend the language on the form in any way.

5. Evaluation of Applications for Awards

A panel of three non-federal readers will review each application in accordance with the selection criteria. Each reviewer will prepare a written evaluation of the information presented in the program narrative section of the application and assign points for each selection criterion.

6. Selection Criteria

The selection criteria in 34 CFR, Part 643 are used to evaluate applications. The selection criteria and maximum possible points are included in the application package.

7. Applicant Funding

Applicants should pay close attention to the “Maximum Award” section of the Notice. The Department will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the maximum amount specified for the specific project type as indicated in the Notice.

8. Prior Experience

In accordance with 34 CFR 643.22, the Secretary will award prior experience points to applicants that have conducted a TRIO TS Program project during these fiscal years: 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. Based on the applicant’s documented experience, up to 15 prior experience (PE) points will be added to the application’s averaged reader score to determine the total score for each application and the total score will be used in funding decisions as defined in the Notice.

9. Selection of Grantees

The Secretary will select an application for funding in rank order, based on the application’s total score for the selection criteria plus any prior experience points earned, pursuant to 34 CFR 643.20 through 643.22. If there are insufficient funds for all applications with the same total scores, the Secretary will choose among the tied applications so as to serve geographical areas that have been underserved by the TS Program.

10. Notification of Successful Applicants

The Department’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs will inform the Congress regarding applications approved for new TS Program grants. Successful applicants will receive award notices by mail shortly after the Congress is notified. No funding information will be released before the Congress is notified.

11. Notice to Unsuccessful Applicants

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified in writing following the notice to successful applicants.

12. Second Review Process

To implement the statutory requirements for a second review of unsuccessful applications, the Department has adopted a two-slate process. After the peer review of applications and the awarding of PE points, as applicable, the Department will rank all the applications. The Department then will establish a funding band to determine the percentage of the total funds allotted for the competition that will be set aside for the second review. The determination of the percentage of funds to be reserved for the second review and the applications to be included in the funding band will be based on the distribution of application scores. The funding band will include all of the applications with a rank-order score that is 1) below the lowest score of applications funded after the first review and 2) that would be funded if the Secretary had 150 percent of the funds that were set aside for the second review.

Only applicants whose applications scored within the funding band will be eligible for the second review. In addition, those applicants deemed eligible for the second review will have to provide evidence demonstrating that the Department, an agent of the Department, or a peer reviewer made an administrative or scoring error (as defined in the regulations) in the review of its application. The guidelines and criteria for the second review process are included in the proposed TS Regulations (643.24).

13. Annual Performance Report Requirements

If you receive a FY 2011 new grant award, you will be required to submit annual performance reports during the five-year funding cycle using the Education Department’s on-line function. This online system collects data about funded projects to enable program specialists to determine if a grantee is making substantial progress toward meeting approved project objectives.

14. Contact Information

For Talent Search program-related questions and assistance,

please contact:

Program Specialist: Loretta Brown

Address: Federal TRIO Programs

U.S. Department of Education

1990 K Street, N.W., Suite 7000

Washington, D.C. 20006-8510

Telephone: (202) 502-7539

Fax: (202) 502-7857

E-mail Address: [email protected]

Team Leader, College and University Preparation Team: Geraldine G. Smith

Address: Federal TRIO Programs

U.S. Department of Education

1990 K Street, N.W., Suite 7000

Washington, D.C. 20006-8510

Telephone: (202) 502-7543

Fax: (202) 502-7857

E-mail Address: [email protected]

For Grant.gov-related questions and assistance, please contact:

Support Desk: Grants.gov Support Desk

Telephone: (800) 518-4726

Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week, except Federal holidays

Email: [email protected]

Talent Search Program Profile

Instructions: All applicants must complete this page. The completed page must be attached to the Other Attachments Form in the application package in Grants.gov (as either a .doc, .rtf, or .pdf document) in the application. DO NOT MODIFY OR AMEND THE CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE.

1. Applicants currently funded under the Talent Search Program (FY 2006-2011) must provide their current grant award number. This can be found in Block 5 of the Grant Award Notification.

New applicants should leave this item blank.

PR/Award Number (Current Grantees Only): P044A (06) (07) (08)____ ____ ____

Application designated to receive prior experience: Yes___ No ___

2. Institution/Agency/Organization/School (Legal Name): ___________________________________________________ __

3. All applicants must indicate the address where this project will be physically located.

Project Address: ________________________________________________________ __

City, State, Zip Code

4. Multiple applications submitted: No: Yes: How many?

5. List the target schools and estimated number of participants to be served at each school:

(1) (8)

(2) (9)

(3) (10)

(4) (11)

(5) (12)

(6) (13)

(7) (14)

Note: The project must be located in a setting accessible to the individuals the project proposes to serve. Add an additional page to list target schools, if needed.

6. Provide the total number of proposed participants to be served each year: ________

(Note: Projects are expected to serve the same number of participants, each year. Two-thirds of the participants served must be low-income, first-generation college students.)

TS Program Profile continued

7. Program Objectives:

Please fill in the proposed percent for each objective.

Note: These are the same objectives that MUST be stated in Part III -- Program Narrative section of your application when addressing the Objectives and the Evaluation criteria.

A. Secondary School Persistence: ____% of non-senior participants served each project year will complete the current academic year and continue in school for the next academic year, at the next grade level.

B. Secondary School Graduation (regular secondary school diploma): ___% of seniors served during the project year, will graduate during the project year with a regular secondary school diploma, in the standard number of years.

C. Secondary School Graduation (rigorous secondary school program of study): ___% of seniors served during the project year, who have completed a rigorous secondary school program of study, will graduate during the project year with a regular secondary school diploma, in the standard number of years.

D. Postsecondary Education Enrollment: ___% of participants, who have graduated with a regular secondary school diploma, during the project year, will enroll in an institution of higher education by the fall semester immediately following high school graduation or will have received notification, by the fall semester immediately following high school, from an institution of higher education, of acceptance but deferred enrollment until the next academic semester (e.g. spring semester).

E. Postsecondary Attainment: ___% of participants served during the project year, who enrolled in an institution of higher education, by the fall semester immediately following high school graduation or by the next academic semester (e.g. spring semester) as a result of acceptance but deferred enrollment will complete a program of postsecondary education within six years.

Please note the following definitions:

Graduation in a standard number of years: means the attainment of a regular secondary school diploma at the conclusion of, before the conclusion of, or during the summer immediately following a participant’s fourth year of high school, unless a high school begins after ninth grade, in which case the standard number of years is the number of grades in the school.

Enrolled: a participant who has completed the registration requirements (except for the payment of tuition and fees) at the institution that he or she is attending.

Acceptance but Deferred Enrollment: a participant has received an acceptance letter from the institution that he or she will attend, but cannot enroll in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation for reasons determined by the institution. The institution defers enrollment until the next semester.

TS Program Profile continued

Regular Secondary School Diploma: means a level attained by individuals who meet or exceed the coursework and performance standards for high school completion established by the individual’s state.

Rigorous Secondary School Program of Study: means a program of study that is--

(1) Established by a state educational agency (SEA) or local educational agency (LEA) and recognized as a rigorous secondary school program of study by the Secretary through the process described in 34 CFR 691.16(a) through 691.16(c) for the ACG Program; or

(2) An advanced or honors secondary school program established by States and in existence for the 2004-2005 school year or later school years; or

(3) Any secondary school program in which a student successfully completes at a minimum the following courses:

(i) Four years of English.

(ii) Three years of mathematics, including algebra I and a higher-level class such as algebra II, geometry, or data analysis and statistics.

(iii) Three years of science, including one year each of at least two of the following courses: biology, chemistry, and physics.

(iv) Three years of social studies.

(v) One year of a language other than English; or

(4) A secondary school program identified by a State-level partnership that is recognized by the State Scholars Initiative of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Boulder, Colorado; or

(5) Any secondary school program for a student who completes at least two courses from an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program sponsored by the International Baccalaureate Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, and receives a score of a “4” or higher on the examinations for at least two of those courses; or

(6) Any secondary school program for a student who completes at least two Advanced Placement courses and receives a score of “3” or higher on the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program Exams for at least two of those courses.

Postsecondary Attainment: completion of a program of postsecondary education that has led to a certificate, associate or baccalaureate degree.

Institution of Higher Education: means an educational institution as defined in sections 101 and 102 of the HEA.

Program of Postsecondary Education: a formal instructional program whose curriculum is designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age for high school. This includes programs whose purpose is academic or vocational, and excludes avocational and adult basic education.

A note concerning the Postsecondary Attainment Objective:

Section 402A(f)(3)(A)(vi) of the Higher Education Act, as amended in 2008 by section 403(a)(5) of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, requires the Department to use postsecondary education completion, if practicable, to assess the success of a TS project. To implement this

TS Program Profile continued

statutory requirement, §643.22(d)(6) of the TS program regulations states that an “applicant may determine success in meeting the objective by using a randomly selected sample of participants in accordance with the parameters established by the Secretary in the Federal Register notice

inviting applications or other published application materials for the competition.”

The following guidelines provide the required parameters for establishing a random sample of participants. Applicants should consider these parameters as they establish performance targets for the postsecondary completion standardized objective and as they develop participant tracking systems for that objective. Note that the purpose of §643.22(d)(6) is to reduce, not increase, the burden on grantees. A grantee must follow the sampling guidelines discussed below or a grantee may choose to track all participants that complete secondary schools and enroll in postsecondary education.

Determining Sample Size

Currently, TS grantees are serving between 600 and 2,000 students. For the FY 2011 competitions, the minimum number of participants to be served will be 500. To help determine the sample size needed to provide reliable data on the postsecondary attainment of project participants, we have used performance report data from existing TS projects. The data has shown us that, typically, 20 percent of Talent Search Participants are considered “college ready,” and out of those 78 percent enroll in postsecondary education. To that end, we are using those statistics to determine the sample size that each TS project should use, based on number of participants served.

The table below breaks down how we are determining the proper sample size for each project. For example, if your project is serving 1400 students, we can assume that 280 of those students are considered “college ready” and out those, 218 will enroll in postsecondary education. So, we determine that our sample size should be 140 students.

Total Participants Served	20% College Ready	78% Enrolling in Postsecondary Education	Sample Size (95% Confidence Level)^¹
500	100	78	65
550	110	86	71
600	120	94	76
650	130	101	81
700	140	109	86
750	150	117	90
800	160	125	95
850	170	133	99
900	180	140	103
950	190	148	108
1000	200	156	112
1050	210	164	116
1100	220	172	120
1150	230	179	123
1200	240	187	126
1250	250	195	130
1300	260	203	134
1350	270	211	137
1400	280	218	140
1450	290	226	143
1500	300	234	146
1550	310	242	149
1600	320	250	152
1650	330	257	155
1700	340	265	158
1750	350	273	160
1800	360	281	163
1850	370	289	166
1900	380	296	168
1950	390	304	170
2000	400	312	173

Determining a Random Sample

Once a project has properly determined the sample size, the project needs to establish a process for randomly choosing the participants that make up the sample. As a reminder, we know that if we have a TS project of 1400 students, 218 will enroll in postsecondary education, which will give us a sample size of 140 students. So, we will in turn use the 218 student as the “pool” in which to choose the sample.

When establishing a random sample, each of the 218 students (in this case) has an equal chance of being chosen. We believe the best way to get a proper random sample is described below.

The list you use to determine your sample size should be in random order. Your list should not be in alphabetical order, in order by gender, race or age.
Once you have your list of students, you should assign each of them a random number. Please see example below.

ID Number	Last Name	First Name	Race	Gender
001	Jones	Mary	W	F
002	Frederick	Jonas	H	M
003	Henderson	Jacob	AA	M

Once your list has been established and you have randomly assigned students ID numbers, use a random number generator – for example http://www.randomizer.org/form.htm

TS Program Profile continued

As you can see from the screenshot below, the first screenshot shows how the numbers are entered into the form to determine your sample. The most important numbers entered were the numbers per set – which is the number of our sample size, and the number range – which is the total number of students that are enrolled in college.

The second screenshot shows the results (example) of the numbers that were generated.

These numbers generated determine the students that you will track from your Talent Search project.

TS Program Profile continued

Attach this Profile sheet to the “Other Attachments Form” in the Grants.gov application package.

Attention Applicants: Applicants must copy and paste this page into a separate document, or recreate the page exactly as it appears. Then, complete the page, save it to your computer and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” as either a .doc, .rtf or .pdf document. Do not modify or amend the contents of the form in any way.

Part IV – Talent Search Program Assurances

Attach this Assurance Form to the “Other Attachments Form” in Grants.gov. Applicants must copy and paste this page into a separate document or recreate the page exactly as it appears. Then complete the page, save it to your computer and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” as either a .doc, rtf, or pdf document. Do not modify or amend the contents of the form in any way.

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify that the applicant will comply with the following statutory requirements:

1. The applicant assures that at least two-thirds (2/3) of the individuals it serves under its proposed Talent Search Program project will be low-income individuals who are potential first-generation college students;

2. The applicant assures that it will collaborate with other Federal TRIO projects, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) projects, or programs serving similar populations that are serving the same target schools or target area in order to minimize the duplication of services and promote collaboration so that more students can be served.

3. The applicant assures that the project will be located in a setting or settings accessible to the individuals proposed to be served by the project; and

4. The applicant assures that if the applicant is an institution of higher education, it will not use the project as a part of its recruitment program.

___________________________________

Authorized Certifying Official’s Signature Printed Name of Authorized Certifying Official

___________________________________

Title of Authorized Certifying Official Name of Applicant Institution/Organization

___________________

Date Signed

Attach this Assurance Form to the “Other Attachments Form” in the Grants.gov application package.

Attention Applicants: Applicants must copy and paste this page into a separate document, or recreate the page exactly as it appears. Then, complete the page, save it to your computer and attach it to the “Other Attachments Form” as either a .doc, .rtf or .pdf document. Do not modify or amend the contents of the form in any way.

Part V -- Prior Experience

Prior Experience Objectives and Calculations for TS Projects Operating in Project Years: 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10

For the FY 2011 TS grant competition, the PE assessment years are 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. Achievement rates for each PE criterion will be based on the project’s approved objectives and the information the grantee provided in the annual performance report (APR) for each project year under consideration.

An entity submitting an application to continue to serve substantially the same target schools that it is serving under its expiring TS project is eligible to receive PE points based on the PE criteria in 34 CFR 643.22 of the program regulations in effect during the FY 2006 grant competition.

In cases in which an applicant proposes to split a grant funded in FY 2006 into multiple proposals in the FY 2011 competition, the applicant will be eligible to receive PE points for only one proposed new project. The project for which the applicant is eligible for PE consideration is the one that proposes to serve the greatest number of currently-served target schools, with no new or additional target schools proposed to be served. An applicant is responsible for indicating on the TS Program Profile document, in Item #1, if the application is eligible for PE points.

If an applicant proposes to split a currently-funded grant evenly by target schools into multiple proposals for the FY 2011 competition, with no new or additional target schools proposed to be served, the applicant must decide which one new proposal should be considered for PE points by following the instructions above for marking Item #1 on the Program Profile document.

TS Prior Experience Criteria (34 CFR 643.22) and point allocations are as follows. A TS project may earn up to a total of 15 points for each year assessed; the final PE score is the average of the total scores for the three years assessed. A project that fails to serve at least 90 percent of its funded number for the project year will not receive any PE points.

Funded Number & 2/3rds Requirement (maximum of 3 points)
Secondary School Promotion (maximum of 3 points)
Secondary School Graduation (maximum of 3 points)
Postsecondary Admissions (maximum of 6 points)

Total (maximum of 15 points)

a. Funded Number (maximum 1.5 points) – Whether the applicant provided services to the number of participants required to be served under the approved application.

Calculation:

The denominator is the number of participants the project was funded to serve in the project year.
The numerator is the total number of participants the project actually served during the project year.

b. Two-thirds Requirement (maximum 1.5 points) – Whether two-thirds of all participants served were low-income individuals and potential first-generation college students.

Calculation:

The denominator is the greater of the number of participants the project was funded to serve and the number of participants the project actually served during the project year.
The numerator is the number of participants served during the project year who were low-income and potential first-generation college students.

Secondary School Promotion (maximum 3 points) - The extent to which the applicant met or exceeded its objectives regarding the retention, reentry, and graduation levels of secondary school participants.

Calculation:

The denominator is the total number of middle school and non-senior high school participants served during the project period.
The numerator is the number of middle school and non-senior high school participants who were promoted to the next grade level at the end of the academic school year.

Secondary School Graduation (maximum 3 points) – The extent to which the applicant met or exceeded its objectives regarding the retention, reentry, and graduation levels of secondary school participants.

Calculation:

The denominator is the total number of high school seniors or their equivalents served during the project period.
The numerator is the number of high school seniors or their equivalents who graduated or received high school equivalency credentials during the project period.

Postsecondary Admissions (maximum 6 points) – The extent to which the applicant met or exceeded its objectives regarding the admission or reentry of participants to programs of postsecondary education.

Calculation:

The denominator is the total number of college-ready participants served during the project period.
The numerator is the total number of college-ready participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education during the project period or during the next fall term.

The due date for submitting performance reports for these years is now past. No changes or modifications to the information on file with the Department will be accepted.

Prior Experience for Successful Applicants Under the FY 2011 Competition

The prior experience assessment for applicants successful under the FY 2011 competition will be based on the outcome criteria outlined in 402A(f)(3)(A) of the HEA, as amended by section 403(A)(5) of the HEOA. The revised outcome criteria that will be used for successful applicants awarded during the 2011 TS competition are captured in the standardized objectives included on the TS Program Profile document in this application package.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE APPLICATION PACKAGE

The application consists of four parts. These parts are organized in the same manner that the submitted application should be organized. The parts are as follows:

Part I: SF 424 Form

Application for Federal Assistance – (SF424)

Department of Education Supplemental Information Form for SF424

*Notes:

Applicants must complete the SF 424 form first because some of the information you provide here is automatically inserted into other sections of the Grants.gov application package.
Please do not attach any narratives, supporting files, or application components to the Standard Form (SF 424). Although the form accepts attachments, the Department of Education will only review materials/files attached to the forms listed below.

Part II: ED 524 Form

Department of Education Budget Summary Form – (ED 524)

Sections A & B

(NOTE: Section C – Budget Narrative must be included as part of the Program Narrative Attachment Form, located in Part III.)

Part III: Attachments

ED Abstract Form

Program Narrative Attachment Form – includes a Table of Content

Other Attachments Form – includes the Program Assurances page and the TS Program Profile document

The Department of Education Abstract Form is where you attach the one-page TS project abstract.

The Program Narrative Attachment Form is where you attach the responses addressing the program selection criteria that will be used to evaluate applications submitted for this competition. This section has a strict page limit of 65 pages, excluding a Table of Contents and other items outlined in the Notice. Please see the Notice for detailed information on page limits and formatting requirements. You should include a Table on Contents for your application as the first page of this section. The Table of Contents will not count against the 65 pages you are allowed for your responses to the selection criteria. You must also include your budget narrative in this section as part of the selection criteria, which is counted as part of the 65-page limit. The budget should demonstrate and justify that all costs are reasonable and necessary to accomplish the proposed project activities. Include a description of the activities in the budget that respond to the announced Invitational Priorities.

The Other Attachments Form is where you attach the TS Program Profile document and the TS Program Assurances page. No other appendices or attachments should be included as they will be counted as part of the 65-page limit.

*All attachments must be in .DOC, .RTF, or .PDF format. Other types of files will not be accepted.

Part IV: Assurances, Certifications, and Survey Forms

ED-GEPA Section 427 Requirement

Assurances – Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)

Grants.gov Lobbying Form (formerly ED Form 80-0013)

Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROGRAM NARRATIVE

The following information supplements the information provided in the “Dear Applicant” letter, “Competition Highlights,” and the Notice.

The Program Narrative is to be attached to the Program Narrative Attachment Form in the Grants.gov application.

Before preparing the Program Narrative, applicants should review the “Dear Applicant” letter, Competition Highlights, Notice, program statute, and program regulations for specific guidance and requirements. Note that applications will be evaluated according to the specific selection criteria specified in the regulations which are included in this package.

The Secretary evaluates an application on the basis of the broad criteria in 34 CFR 643.21 of the TS Program regulations as identified in this application (see the Authorizing Legislation and Regulations). The Program Narrative should provide, in detail, the information that addresses the selection criteria. The maximum possible score for each category of selection criterion is indicated in parenthesis.

You must limit the Program Narrative to 65 pages, double-spaced in 12-point font, and number the pages consecutively. The narrative should be written concisely. Only the required information should be submitted. If appendices or other supplemental materials are included, they will count as part of the 65-page limit. Please refer to the Notice (see Content and Form of Application Submission) in this application for additional application submission requirements.

To facilitate the review of the application, provide responses to each of the following selection criteria in the following order:

PROJECT DESIGN

Need (34 CFR 643.21(a)) (24 points)
Objectives (34 CFR 643.21(b)) ( 8 points)
Plan of Operation (34 CFR 643.21(c)) (30 points)
Applicant and Community Support (34 CFR 643.21(d)) (16 points)
Quality of Personnel (34 CFR 643.21(e)) ( 9 points)
Budget (34 CFR 643.21(f) ) ( 5 points)
Evaluation Plan (34 CFR 643.21(g)) ( 8 points)

_________

Total Maximum Score for Selection Criteria 100 points

Formatting

Double-space all text in the program narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions; however, you may single space all text in charts, tables, figures and graphs. Applicants may use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New or Arial, only. Applications submitted in any other font (including Times Roman and Arial Narrow) will not be accepted. Applicants must use a size 12 font, only.

Include a Table of Contents: it will not be counted toward your 65-page limit. Appendices and attachments should not be included, as these items will be counted as part of the 65-page limit.

Applicants are encouraged to include an identifying header or footer that contains the applicant’s name and the page number. Applicants may use the one-inch (1”) margin at either the top or bottom of each page for this header or footer. The pages must be numbered in consecutive order.

The Program Narrative is limited to 65 pages. This section will include the discussion of the selection criteria.

The page limit does not apply to:

Application Face Sheet (Application for Federal Assistance Form – SF 424)

Table of Contents

Project Abstract

Budget Summary Form (ED Form 524)

Talent Search Program Profile

Assurances and Certifications

ED GEPA 427

The Notice contains specific instructions on page limits.

In the Program Narrative, the applicant should address the selection criteria in the order delineated earlier (A-G) because this is the order in which the Technical Review Form is organized: The Technical Review Form is used by the peer reviewers to evaluate applications.

The following guidance may assist you in addressing each of the selection criteria:

(A) Need: In responding to this criterion, applicants must provide the required data addressing each of the sub-criteria. The data must address the identified target area to be served by the project and/or each of the target schools identified in the application. Applicants are expected to discuss how the data supports the need for a TS project in the defined target area and target schools. In geographical areas in which target schools do not collect the required information, the applicant, to the extent appropriate, should use other data sources (such as state or census data) and describe how these data relate to the criteria and/or demonstrate a need for a TS project in the proposed target area and target schools. In selecting the target area and target schools, applicants are responsible for making the necessary judgments as to the need for a TS grant in the proposed target area. Data provided in the Need section will be used by the peer reviewers as baseline data to evaluate the appropriateness of the applicant’s proposed achievement rates for the objectives (see criterion B, below) and to assess the quality of the applicant’s plan of operation (see criterion C.).

(B) Objectives: All applicants will be responsible for the five standardized objectives cited on the Talent Search Program Profile. On the Profile page, you must fill in the blanks indicating the percentage level of achievement for each of these objectives.

In the Program Narrative, explain how the objectives are ambitious and attainable. These objectives may not be rewritten, restated or reworded. For each of the objectives, applicants should use comparative data to show why the proposed percentage is ambitious as documented in the baseline data and information provided in the “NEED” section of the Program Narrative and attainable based on information provided in the Plan of Operation and the resources available to the project (see criterion A). Applicants may propose additional objectives, but are not required to do so. Applicants will not receive additional points or penalties for proposing additional objectives.

(C) Plan of Operation: This criterion contains six sub-criteria, and applicants must address all six sub-criteria. This part of the application should provide information on who, what, when and how the project will provide services to meet the goals and objectives and applicants should describe the services and activities to be provided as well as connections and collaborative efforts that the project will use for the delivery of services to the participants. Applicants must also, for the fifth sub-criterion provide information that addresses how the project will serve students at all proposed target schools and ensure that sufficient resources (including staff) are available to effectively and efficiently serve the proposed number of target schools. In addition, for the sixth sub-criteria, applicants must provide a plan for following former participants as they enter, continue in, and complete postsecondary education. Because TS projects serve relatively large numbers of participants, we recognize that it may be difficult for the project to track all participants through completion of postsecondary education. Therefore, a TS project may track a randomly selected sample of its participants. Further details on the required methodology that must be used for sampling are outlined as a Note Concerning the Postsecondary Attainment Objective on the Talent Search Profile Sheet.

As previously noted, the information provided in this section of the application will be assessed based on the quality of the applicant’s response for addressing the identified needs as related to the baseline data provided in the Need section. All of the proposed services and activities should be clearly aligned with the identified needs of the participants to be served in the targeted schools and in the proposed target area.

(D) Institutional Commitment: There are two sub-criteria that must be addressed. Applicants should not submit floor plans or letters of support or commitment in the application—this information can be described or summarized as narrative, or in a list, or in a chart. If submitted, these items will count towards the 65-page limit. Applicants must provide information on the tangible commitments and resources to be provided by the applicant and by community partners and should demonstrate in this section how the proposed commitments and support will enable the proposed project to carry out the proposed project plan in the most cost-effective manner possible.

(E) Quality of Personnel: Applicants must address each of the three sub-criteria in this section. The minimum qualifications must be identified for all project personnel positions. The minimum educational qualifications must include the type of degree required and the acceptable field(s) of study. The type and minimum amount of work-related experience must also be described for each position. Applicants are not required to submit resumes or job descriptions in the application—but, at a minimum; this information should be described or summarized. The “plan to employ personnel who have succeeded in overcoming barriers similar to the target population to be served” should be a specific plan -- the inclusion of an equal employment opportunity statement and/or a non-discriminatory employment practices policy alone is not an adequate response to this criterion.

(F) Budget: In response to this criterion, applicants must provide a detailed, itemized budget narrative for the first-year (2011-2012) budget period, only. The budget narrative is to be included in the Program Narrative (Part III) Attachment Form to be uploaded into the Grants.gov application. Additional guidance on the standard budget forms is cited in the instructions entitled “First Year Budget and Budget Summary Form (ED Form 524) Instructions” on the following pages. Note: The budget narrative is counted as part of the 65-page limit for Part III.

Applicants should include costs that are related to the approved activities proposed in the Plan of Operation section, to the extent in which funds are available. All costs should be necessary to accomplish the proposed project activities, reasonable and allowable as discussed in the TS regulations in 34 CFR part 643.30. Applicants should include a description of the activities in the budget that respond to the announced Invitational Priorities.

(G) Evaluation plan: A strong evaluation plan should shape the development of the project from the beginning to the end of the grant period. The evaluation plan should include benchmarks to monitor progress toward meeting specific project objectives and should include measures to assess the impact on college access and completion and other important outcomes for project participants.

The evaluation plan should clearly indicate: (1) what types of data will be collected; (2) when various types of data will be collected; (3) for which annual cohorts of students data will be collected; (4) what data collection methods will be used; (5) how the data will be analyzed; and (6) when reports and outcome data will be available. The evaluation plan should indicate what information, provided on a weekly, monthly and annual basis will indicate if the project is developing in a manner that meets its goals and objectives. In addition, the plan should indicate who is responsible for making sure that information is available in a timely manner and is influencing the ongoing management of the project.

Applicants are encouraged to think carefully about evaluation approaches and seek cost-effective evaluation strategies. Applicants are also encouraged to explain how they will work with appropriate agencies to develop strategies for using State longitudinal data systems or other third-party verified data to track the extent to which students enroll in postsecondary education; persist in postsecondary education, and complete certificates, two-year and four-year degrees.

Finally, applicants are encouraged to examine and report on unanticipated outcomes, as well as effective strategies (which can be services, bundles of services, or specific ways of implementing allowable services) that increase college access and completion.

INVITATIONAL PRIORITIES FOR FY 2011

The Department is encouraging applicants under the Talent Search (TS) Program to address one or all of the invitational priorities listed below in their applications for funding. The Secretary has identified funding priorities that are aligned with the Department’s Strategic Plan for achieving the President’s 2020 goal. We believe the following priorities are consistent with the purpose of the TS Program by addressing these priorities, TS grantees will be able to improve student outcome and thus the effectiveness of the TS Program.

Invitational Priority 1: The Secretary invites applicants to propose projects that provide services to students enrolled in persistently lowest-achieving schools.

There is overwhelming evidence that show that students enrolled in persistently lowest-achieving schools are most likely not to: persist from one grade to the next; graduate from high school college-ready; and enroll in a program of postsecondary education. Since the major purpose of the TS Program is to provide an array of services to eligible students designed to increase high school graduation, and enrollment in and graduation from programs of postsecondary education, projects are highly encouraged to select one or more of these schools in their target areas as target schools. We believe that by providing TS services to the schools in this category, we will send a powerful message to the students and community on the importance the Department has placed on helping students in these schools succeed. A listing of the persistently lowest achieving schools is available on our Web site at:

[placeholder for link to list of schools, if available]

Invitational Priority 2: The Secretary invites applicants to propose projects that provide reliable and comprehensive information on the implementation of the TS Program, and participants’ outcomes in this program, especially by developing strategies with appropriate State agencies to use data from State longitudinal data systems or by obtaining data from reliable third-party sources.

Given the changes in the TS Program as a result of the HEOA of 2008, the Department believes that this program competition, the first since the enactment of the HEOA, represents an excellent opportunity for TS projects to promote conversations with appropriate State agencies regarding the importance of having access to student data systems. Access to these longitudinal databases becomes invaluable for TS projects in succeeding years of the grant cycle as they work to enhance reliable reporting on students’ outcomes. The efficiency and effectiveness of the TS Program can best be told by having access to reliable State or third-party data sources. That effort must begin at the project level.

Invitational Priority 3: The Secretary invites applicants to propose projects that coordinate project services with school-level partners and other community resources in order to carry out projects that are both cost efficient and best meet students’ needs.

In planning to implement a new project or adapt an existing project to meet the new requirements for the TS Program, applicants are encouraged to develop a plan or expand upon existing relationships in order to coordinate their activities with the proposed target schools, other Federal programs (e.g., GEAR UP, Upward Bound, etc.) and State-funded programs with similar foci so that the project can serve as a catalyst for fostering collaborative outreach within the community. Applicants should include a discussion of innovative efforts to collaborate and engage community organizations and other partners in order to provide the required TS project services to meet the needs of the students. Applicants from each eligible entity should expound on the role of representatives from institutions of higher education, community agencies and organizations, and the target schools, in sharing the responsibility for addressing the challenges in serving the target population. All project partners should have knowledge of the objectives of the project and the resources needed to ensure success. It is important that project staff is supported in efforts to leverage resources.

Note: The priorities are invitational; therefore, we do not give an application that meets these invitational priorities a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

GENERAL EDUCATION PROVISIONS ACT (GEPA)

SECTION 427

Section 427 of GEPA requires all applicants for new awards to include in their applications a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to, and participation in, its federally-assisted programs for students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. The provision allows applicants discretion in developing the required description. The statute highlights six types of barriers that can impede equitable access or participation: gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age.

A general statement of an applicant’s nondiscriminatory hiring policy is not sufficient to meet this requirement. Applicants must identify potential barriers and explain steps they will take to overcome these barriers.

NOTES:

Applicants for new awards must include information in their applications to address this provision in order to receive funding under this program.

Applicants are required to address this provision by attaching a statement to the ED GEPA 427 Form that must be downloaded from Grants.gov. The completed form must be uploaded into the Other Attachments Form in the Grants.gov application.

GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE AND RESULTS ACT (GPRA)

What is GPRA?

The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) is a straightforward statute that requires all federal agencies to manage their activities with attention to the consequences of those activities. Each agency is to clearly state what it intends to accomplish, identify the resources required, and periodically report their progress to the Congress. In so doing, it is expected that the GPRA will contribute to improvements in accountability for the expenditures of public funds, improve Congressional decision-making through more objective information on the effectiveness of federal programs, and promote a new government focus on results, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.

How has the Department of Education Responded to the GPRA Requirements?

As required by GPRA, the Department of Education has prepared a strategic plan for 2007-2012. This plan reflects the Department’s priorities and integrates them with its mission and program authorities and describes how the Department will work to improve education for all children and adults in the U.S. The Department’s goals, as listed in the plan, are:

Goal 1: Improve student achievement with a focus on bringing all students to grade level in reading and mathematics by 2014, as called for by the No Child Left Behind Act.

Goal 2: Increase the academic achievement of all high school students.

Goal 3: Ensure the accessibility, affordability, and accountability of higher education, and better prepare students and adults for employment and future learning.

What are the performance indicators for the Talent Search Program?

The performance indicators for the Talent Search Program are part of the Department’s plan for meeting Goal 3. The TS Program is part of the Federal TRIO Programs. The overarching goal of the Federal TRIO Programs is “to increase the percentage of low-income and first generation college students who successfully pursue postsecondary education opportunities.

The specific performance indicator for the Talent Search Program is as follows:

The success of the Talent Search Program will be measured by the postsecondary enrollment rates of TS participants. All TS grantees will be required to submit an annual performance report documenting the postsecondary enrollment. The Department of Education will aggregate the data provided in the annual performance reports from all grantees to determine the accomplishment level.

How does the Department of Education determine whether performance goals have been met?

An applicant that receives a grant award will be required to submit annual performance reports as a condition of the award. The reports will document the extent to which project goals and objectives are met.

The most recent version of this program’s annual performance report (APR) can be viewed at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html. The APR is being revised for the 2011-16 grants as a result of the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008. The HEOA made fundamental changes to the goals and purposes of the TS Program through the addition of statutory outcome criteria that necessitated subsequent changes to the program regulations. These changes are highlighted in this application package.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Use This Checklist While Preparing Your Application Package: All items listed on this checklist are required.

 Part I - Application for Federal Assistance - (SF 424)

 Part I - Department of Education Supplemental Information for SF 424

 Part II - Department of Education Budget Summary Information – Non-Construction Programs

(ED Form 524) – Sections A & B

 Part III - Program Narrative (65-page limit addressing the selection criteria) – Attach this document to the Program Narrative Attachment Form in the Grants.gov application.

 Part III - Other Attachments – Talent Search Program Profile

Talent Search Program Assurances – Attach each of these two documents to the Other Attachments Form in the Grants.gov application.

 Part III - ED Abstract - one-page limit -- Attach this document to the ED Abstract Form in the Grants.gov application. This one-page abstract, which may be single-spaced, will not count against the 65 pages you are allowed for your response to the selection criteria.

 Part IV - Assurances, Certifications, and Survey

 GEPA Section 427 Requirement

 Assurances – Non-Construction Programs (SF 424B)

 Lobbying Form (Formerly ED Form 80-0013)
 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF LLL)

 Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants

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 only review materials/files attached to the Grants.gov Attachment Forms listed above.

Paperwork Burden Statement

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such information displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1840-New2. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 34 hours for the project director per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of the form, write directly to: Federal TRIO Programs, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, N.W., 7^th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-8510.

1 In the National Center for Education Statistics – Statistical Standard 5-1-3 – states that the criterion for judging statistical significance will be 0.95 for confidence intervals.

File Type	application/msword
File Title	Student Support Services Application Booklet
Subject	2008 Competition
Author	Deborah I Walsh
Last Modified By	Authorised User
File Modified	2010-08-10
File Created	2010-08-10