Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program Enhanced Assessment Instruments (Accessibility Competition) CFDA Number 84.368A 2 | Apply Online

Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program (EAG Accessibility Competition) FAQs

1) What is this grant opportunity?

This is the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Enhanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program, Enhanced Assessment Instruments (Accessibility Competition) under CFDA 84.368A-2. It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education focused on improving the quality of statewide assessment systems used to measure academic achievement in elementary and secondary schools.

2) What is the main goal of the EAG Accessibility Competition?

The competition is aimed at pushing the field forward in practical, meaningful ways by making assessments more accessible and more valid for: students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and students who fall into both groups.

3) What kinds of assessment improvements can be supported?

The work supported can cover the full assessment lifecycle, including:

• Better test design
• Improved administration practices (including appropriate accommodations)
• Stronger approaches to scoring
• Clearer or more useful reporting of results

4) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to State educational agencies (SEAs), as defined in section 9101(41) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and consortia made up of such SEAs.

5) Are local educational agencies (LEAs), districts, schools, universities, or nonprofits eligible?

Based on the information provided, eligibility is limited to SEAs and consortia of SEAs. No other applicant types are listed as eligible in the provided description.

6) Is cost sharing or a matching contribution required?

No. The grant does not require cost sharing or matching.

7) How many awards were anticipated, and what was the estimated total funding?

The opportunity anticipated making 2 awards, with an estimated total funding amount of $3,900,000.

8) What is the CFDA number for this competition?

This accessibility-focused competition is under CFDA 84.368A-2.

9) How is this competition different from the separate ELP assessment competition?

The Department ran two separate competitions using FY 2011 Enhanced Assessment Grants funds:

• This Accessibility Competition under CFDA 84.368A-2
• A separate competition targeting English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessments under CFDA 84.368A-1 (announced separately in the Federal Register)

10) Can funding move between the Accessibility and ELP competitions?

Yes. The Department noted that if money was left unused in one competition, it could be shifted to fund awards in the other. Applicants still needed to apply to the correct competition, but the Department retained the option to move uncommitted funding between the accessibility and ELP competitions to maximize the use of available dollars.

11) When was the application package available?

The application package availability date was April 30, 2012.

12) What was the deadline to submit an application?

The deadline for transmittal of applications was June 14, 2012.

13) Was a notice of intent to apply required?

No. A notice of intent to apply was strongly encouraged, but not mandatory.

14) When was the notice of intent to apply due?

The notice of intent to apply was due by May 30, 2012.

15) What was the purpose of the notice of intent to apply?

It was designed to help the Department plan its peer review process more efficiently.

16) What information had to be included in the notice of intent email?

The notice of intent required only a short email with the applicant organization name and address.

17) Where was the notice of intent to apply sent?

Applicants were asked to email the intent message to Collette.Roney@ed.gov with the subject line "Intent to Apply."

18) If an organization did not send a notice of intent, could it still apply?

Yes. The notice emphasized that organizations that did not submit the intent email could still apply.

19) How had applications to be submitted?

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Applications were not submitted by email.

20) How do applicants find the correct application package on Grants.gov?

Applicants were instructed to locate the correct application package by searching for the CFDA number without the alpha suffix. That means searching for "84.368" rather than "84.368A" when downloading the package.

21) What is the most important CFDA detail to avoid submitting under the wrong competition?

The notice stressed that applications for the accessibility competition must be submitted under CFDA 84.368A-2, not under CFDA 84.368A-1 (which corresponds to the separate ELP competition).

22) Which document controls the official requirements and instructions?

The Federal Register application notice is the controlling document for requirements such as eligibility specifics, priorities, submission instructions, performance measures, and contacts.

23) Who should applicants contact for Grants.gov technical assistance?

The notice listed Julius Cotton as ED Grants.gov system support for technical assistance with Grants.gov (phone number and email address were included in the notice).

24) Who should applicants contact for program-related questions?

The notice listed Collette Roney (Enhanced Assessment Grants Program, OESE) for programmatic questions, and provided phone numbers and email addresses. The notice of intent email address was Collette.Roney@ed.gov.