SUPPORTING STATEMENT
JUSTIFICATION
The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) competitively awards grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), State educational agencies (SEAs), or partnerships of SEAs, LEAs, and at least one non-profit organization. The program is designed to award grants to develop and implement performance-based teacher and principal compensation systems, based primarily on student achievement, in high-need schools. The collection of information is necessary for LEAs, SEAs, or partnerships to apply for and receive grants in a manner consistent with the statute, which was authorized as part of the FY 2006 Department of Education Appropriations Act.
The application form requests programmatic and budgetary information needed to evaluate applications based on the provision in the authorizing statute and selection criteria as authorized by section 75.209 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).
The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education is seeking OMB regular clearance process of the Teacher Incentive Fund grant application to follow-up an emergency clearance in order to allow more than six months to complete the competition acitivites.
The information is collected in the form of grant applications submitted by LEAs, SEAs, or partnerships that include an LEA or SEA and at least one non-profit organization. The Department of Education (ED) uses the information in the applications to competitively evaluate those grant applications and select grant recipients. For applications that are approved for awards, the application information also serves as a basis for monitoring project performance, based on the project design, objectives, evaluation plans and other information described in the grant application.
The information is collected through narrative responses to the priorities. Respondents will be required to submit their application by mail or through Grants.gov by the closing date.
The information is relevant only to grant applications under the Teacher Incentive Fund. There is no similar information available in other forms, or, as the result of other information collections. This information collection does not duplicate any other information collection effort.
Small entities are not affected by this program. The respondents are LEAs, SEAs, or partnerships that include an LEA or SEA and a non-profit organization.
The Teacher Incentive Fund is a discretionary grant program. The program could not be implemented without the collection of information. The data collection occurs only when applications for new grants and the annual performance report is solicited.
Applications submitted by mail are consistent with guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5. There is a voluntary option for applicants when applying by mail to submit one original and five copies.
Previously the Department requested and received emergency approval for this collection, and a 60-Day Federal Register Notice was published on March 29, 2006 seeking public comment – no comments were received. A 30-day Notice was published on August 25, 2006 and we received one comment that was also sent to OMB. We have uploaded that comment here.
No payments or gifts to respondents have been made.
There is no assurance of confidentiality.
There are no questions of a sensitive nature.
A. Burden hours for respondents
At this present time, the specific number of how many applications the Department will receive is unknown. Currently, the best estimate is that the Department will receive 40 applications. The average burden for the grant application is estimated to be 80 hours, for a total of 3,200 burden-hours.
B. Cost to Respondents
Primary costs to respondents fall into the following categories: Preparation of the application and submittal by email and through Grants.gov. We expect 50 percent of respondents to apply electronically. Based on the estimate that 40 applications will be submitted, costs to respondents are estimated to be the following:
40 apps. X 80 hours/application x $25/hour = $80,000
20 apps. X 2 hours/application x $25/hour for
entering into Grants.gov = $ 1,000
20 apps. X $5.00/application per mailing = $ 100
Total Cost to Respondents = $81,100
There are no costs that (a) meet the criteria for inclusion under this item; and (b) have not been addressed in either item #12 or #14.
Estimated Federal costs:
Program Personnel:
2 persons @ $30.00/hr. x 80 hours = $ 4,800
2 person @ $22.50/hr. x 120 hours = 5,400
Total $10,200
Anticipated applications reviewed:
40 applications x 3 hours per application for reviewers = 120 hours
Travel for reviewers (25 reviewers x $700.00) $ 17,500
Per diem for reviewers (25 reviewers x $720) $ 18,000
Honorarium (25 reviewers x $1000) $ 25,000
Total $60,500
We anticipate using non-federal readers.
Printing and mailing of the application package: no costs. The application package will be available through the Federal Register and on the Department's website.
There is no change from the emergency request previously approved on April 21, 2006.
There are no plans to publish the results of this data collection.
No request is being made to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.
There are no exceptions to the referenced certification statement.
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
This information collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | SUPPORTING STATEMENT |
| Author | Department of Education |
| Last Modified By | james.hyler |
| File Modified | 2006-08-28 |
| File Created | 2006-07-11 |