PART 77—DEFINITIONS THAT APPLY TO DEPARTMENT REGULATIONS Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474, unless otherwise noted. § 77.1 Definitions that apply to all Department programs. (a) [Reserved] (b) Unless a statute or regulation provides otherwise, the following definitions in 2 CFR part 200 apply to the regulations in subtitles A and B of this title. The following terms have the definitions given those terms in 2 CFR 200.1. Phrasing given in parentheses references the term or terms used in title 34 that are consistent with the term defined in title 2. Contract. Equipment. Federal award. Period of performance. Personal property. Real property. Recipient. Subaward. Supplies. (c) Unless a statute or regulation provides otherwise, the following definitions also apply to the regulations in subtitles A and B of this title: Acquisition Ambitious Applicant Application Award Baseline Budget Budget period Construction Continuous improvement Demonstrates a rationale Department Director of the Institute of Education Sciences ED EDGAR Elementary school Evaluation Evidence-based, for the purposes of 34 CFR part 75 Evidence-building Experimental study e.g., (i) A randomized controlled trial employs random assignment of, for example, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to receive the project component being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to receive the project component (the control group). (ii) A regression discontinuity design study assigns the project component being evaluated using a measured variable ( e.g., (iii) A single-case design study uses observations of a single case ( e.g., Facilities Fiscal year GEPA Grant (i) Technical assistance, which provides services instead of money; (ii) Other assistance in the form of loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, or insurance; (iii) Direct payments of any kind to individuals; and (iv) Contracts that are required to be entered into and administered under procurement laws and regulations. Grantee Grant period Independent evaluation Local educational agency (i) A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control of or direction of, or to perform service functions for, public elementary or secondary schools in: (A) A city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State; or (B) Such combination of school districts or counties a State recognizes as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools; or (ii) Any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school. (iii) As used in 34 CFR parts 400, 408, 525, 526 and 527 (vocational education programs), the term also includes any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a vocational education program. Logic model i.e., Minor remodeling Moderate evidence (i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks reporting “strong evidence” or “moderate evidence” for the corresponding practice guide recommendation; (ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks reporting “Tier 1 strong evidence” of effectiveness or “Tier 2 moderate evidence” of effectiveness or a “positive effect” on a relevant outcome based on a sample including at least 20 students or other individuals from more than one site (such as a State, county, city, local educational agency (LEA), school, or postsecondary campus), or a “potentially positive effect” on a relevant outcome based on a sample including at least 350 students or other individuals from more than one site (such as a State, county, city, LEA, school, or postsecondary campus), with no reporting of a “negative effect” or “potentially negative effect” on a relevant outcome; or (iii) A single experimental study or quasi-experimental design study reviewed and reported by the WWC most recently using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks, or otherwise assessed by the Department using version 5.0 of the WWC Handbook, as appropriate, and that— (A) Meets WWC standards with or without reservations; (B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive ( i.e., (C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks; and (D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (such as a State, county, city, LEA, school, or postsecondary campus) and includes at least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies of the same project component that each meet the requirements in paragraphs (iii)(A) through (C) of this definition may together satisfy the requirement in this paragraph (iii)(D). National level Nonprofit, Nonpublic, Peer-reviewed scholarly publication Performance measure Performance target Preschool Private, Project Project component e.g., Project period Promising evidence (i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC reporting “strong evidence”, “moderate evidence”, or “promising evidence” for the corresponding practice guide recommendation; (ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC reporting “Tier 1 strong evidence” of effectiveness, or “Tier 2 moderate evidence” of effectiveness, or “Tier 3 promising evidence” of effectiveness, or a “positive effect,” or “potentially positive effect” on a relevant outcome, with no reporting of a “negative effect” or “potentially negative effect” on a relevant outcome; or (iii) A single study assessed by the Department, as appropriate, that— (A) Is an experimental study, a quasi-experimental design study, or a well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias (such as a study using regression methods to account for differences between a treatment group and a comparison group); (B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive ( i.e., (C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report. Public, Quality data Quasi-experimental design study e.g., Regional level Relevant outcome Scientific data Secondary school Secretary Service function, (i) Means an educational service that is performed by a legal entity—such as an intermediate agency: (A)( 1 ( 2 (B) That has regulatory functions over agencies having administrative control or direction of public elementary or secondary schools. (ii) The term does not include a service that is performed by a cultural or educational resource. State State educational agency Strong evidence (i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks reporting “strong evidence” for the corresponding practice guide recommendation; (ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks reporting “Tier 1 strong evidence” of effectiveness or a “positive effect” on a relevant outcome based on a sample including at least 350 students or other individuals across more than one site (such as a State, county, city, local educational agency (LEA), school, or postsecondary campus), with no reporting of a “negative effect” or “potentially negative effect” on a relevant outcome; or (iii) A single experimental study reviewed and reported by the WWC most recently using version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks, or otherwise assessed by the Department using version 5.0 of the WWC Handbook, as appropriate, and that— (A) Meets WWC standards without reservations; (B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive ( i.e., (C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, or 5.0 of the WWC Handbooks; and (D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (such as a State, county, city, LEA, school, or postsecondary campus) and includes at least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies of the same project component that each meet the requirements in paragraphs (iii)(A) through (C) of this definition may together satisfy the requirement in this paragraph (iii)(D). Subgrant Subgrantee What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Handbooks (WWC Handbooks) Work of art [45 FR 22529, Apr. 3, 1980, as amended at 45 FR 37442, June 3, 1980. Redesignated at 45 FR 77368, Nov. 21, 1980, as amended at 45 FR 86298, Dec. 30, 1980; 54 FR 21776, May 19, 1989; 57 FR 30342, July 8, 1992; 59 FR 34739, July 6, 1994; 64 FR 50392, Sept. 16, 1999; 77 FR 18679, Mar. 28, 2012; 78 FR 49355, Aug. 13, 2013; 79 FR 76094, Dec. 19, 2014; 80 FR 2608, Jan. 20, 2015; 82 FR 35449, July 31, 2017; 83 FR 18421, Apr. 27, 2018; 85 FR 62611, Oct. 5, 2020; 89 FR 70340, Aug. 29, 2024] § 77.2 Incorporation by reference. Certain material is incorporated by reference into this part with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. All approved incorporation by reference (IBR) material is available for inspection at the Department of Education (the Department) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Contact the Department at: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, 550 12th Street SW, PCP-4158, Washington, DC, 20202-5900; phone: (202) 245-6940; email: [email protected] www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations [email protected] http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Handbooks (a) What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook, WWC 2022008REV, Version 5.0, August 2022; Revised December 2022; IBR approved for § 77.1. (b) What Works Clearinghouse Standards Handbook, Version 4.1, January 2020, IBR approved for § 77.1. (c) What Works Clearinghouse Procedures Handbook, Version 4.1, January 2020, IBR approved for § 77.1. (d) What Works Clearinghouse Standards Handbook, Version 4.0, October 2017, IBR approved for § 77.1. (e) What Works Clearinghouse Procedures Handbook, Version 4.0, October 2017, IBR approved for § 77.1. (f) What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 3.0, March 2014, IBR approved for § 77.1. (g) What Works Clearinghouse Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 2.1, September 2011, IBR approved for § 77.1. [89 FR 70343, Aug. 29, 2024]