; and (2) reserve not more than 1 percent of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under section 9 for the Department of Education to administer the program under this Act, provide technical assistance to grantees, evaluate grantees’ performance (as required by this Act), and disseminate information about findings and best practices related to the activities authorized under this Act. (b) Application (1) State educational agency A State educational agency desiring to receive a grant under subsection (a)(1)(A) shall submit an application to the Secretary during the first year of the 3-year grant cycle, and at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. The application shall include the following: (A) An assurance that memoranda of understanding, as described in section 6(c), have been executed between the State educational agency and not less than 50 percent of the local educational agencies in the State, representing not less than 50 percent of all students in the State, to participate in the grant program and fulfill the program obligations. (B) A list of the participating local educational agencies that have executed such memoranda, and the percentage of the State's public school students who are served by those local educational agencies. (C) A plan for supporting participating local educational agencies with implementing programs and activities to improve enrollment in all advanced courses or programs offered by the local educational agency and improving student preparation for and participation in pathways to postsecondary education in STEM fields, which may include— (i) using data from evidence-based early warning indicator systems