§ 263.24 How does the Secretary evaluate applications for the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children and Youth grants program?

(a) In general. The Secretary uses the procedures in 34 CFR 75.200 through 75.210 to establish the selection criteria and factors used to evaluate applications submitted in a grant competition for the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children and Youth program. The Secretary may also consider one or more of the criteria and factors in this section to evaluate applications.

(b) Quality of project services. The Secretary may consider one or more of the following factors in determining the quality of project services:

(1) The extent to which the project would offer high-quality choices of services, including culturally relevant services, and providers, for parents and students to select.

(2) The extent to which the services to be offered would meet the needs of the local population, as demonstrated by an analysis of community-level data, including direct input from parents and families of Indian children and youth.

(3) The quality of the plan to ensure that the services to be offered are evidence-based, where applicable, or are based on existing evidence-based programs that have been modified to be culturally appropriate for Indian students.

(c) Quality of the project design. The Secretary may consider one or more of the following factors in determining the quality of the project design:

(1) The extent to which the project is designed to improve student and parent satisfaction with the student's overall education experience, as measured by pre- and post-project data.

(2) The extent to which the applicant proposes a fair and neutral process of selecting service providers that will result in high-quality options from which parents and students can select services.

(3) The quality of the proposed plan to inform parents and students about available service choices under the project, and about the timeline for termination of the project.

(4) The quality of the applicant's plan to oversee service providers and ensure that students receive high-quality services under the project.

(d) Reasonableness of budget. The Secretary may consider one or more of the following factors in determining the reasonableness of the project budget:

(1) The extent to which the budget reflects the number of students to be served and a per-pupil amount for services, based only on direct costs for student services, that is reasonable in relation to the project objectives.

(2) The extent to which the per-pupil costs of specific services and per-pupil funds available are transparent to parents and other stakeholders.

[85 FR 43451, July 17, 2020]