[Federal Register: July 25, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 143)]
[Notices]
[Page 44185-44188]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jy03-129]
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Part IV
Department of Education
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Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstrations To Improve the
Literacy and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities;
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
RIN 1820-ZA29
Special Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstrations To Improve
the Literacy and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education
and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) proposes priorities under the
Special Demonstration Programs. The Assistant Secretary may use these
priorities in fiscal year (FY) 2003 and in later years. We take this
action to focus attention on the adult literacy needs of individuals
with disabilities pursuing employment under the State Vocational
Rehabilitation Services Program. We intend that projects funded under
these priorities will demonstrate that certain specific literacy
services may raise the literacy levels and earnings of individuals with
disabilities compared to individuals who receive the usual vocational
rehabilitation (VR) services.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before August 25, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about these proposed priorities to
Susan-Marie Marsh, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., Switzer Building, room 3316, Washington, DC 20202-2641. If you
prefer to send your comments through the Internet, use the following
address: Susan-Marie.Marsh@ed.gov. You must include the term ``Model Demonstrations to Improve the
Literacy and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities'' in
the subject line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan-Marie Marsh. Telephone: (202)
358-2796 or via Internet: Susan-Marie.Marsh@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-8133.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding these proposed
priorities. We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from these proposed
priorities. Please let us know of any further opportunities we should
take to reduce potential costs or increase potential benefits while
preserving the effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about these proposed priorities in room 3038, Switzer
Building, 330 C Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30
a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday of each week
except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for these proposed priorities. If you want to
schedule an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
We will announce the final priorities in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priorities after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note:
This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in which
we choose to use these proposed priorities, we invite applications
through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting applications
we designate the priority as absolute, competitive preference, or
invitational. The effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority, we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority, we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent to
which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that does
not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority, we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other
applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priorities
Background
Preliminary data from the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational
Rehabilitation Services Program suggest reading achievement levels are
highly positively correlated with earnings. Data also indicate that VR
agencies provide basic literacy services to only one percent of the VR
population. As a result of these findings, the Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA) is testing two instructional reading curricula:
The Lindamood-Bell Language Program (LBLP) and the Wilson Reading
System[reg] (WRS). Both curricula have proven effective with adults
with disabilities. However, the impact of these curricula on the
literacy skills of adults with disabilities has not been assessed, and
neither curriculum has been studied in a VR setting by RSA. Thus, RSA
is interested in testing the impact of each curriculum on the literacy
of adults with disabilities against the traditional services provided
by VR.
Both curricula are phonics-based, but their instructional models
differ. The WRS, based on the principles of Orton-Gillingham
methodology, focuses on decoding and spelling for adults who have been
unable to learn encoding and decoding through traditional basal
methods, whole language, or other phonics programs and who require
multisensory language instruction to master the phonological coding
system of English. Teaching models of direct instruction with drill are
implemented. The WRS Web site address is: http://www.WilsonLanguage.com
.
The LBLP is used to develop students' cognitive and linguistic
abilities in the areas of phonemic and orthographic awareness (symbol
imagery) for decoding and spelling, and concept imagery for vocabulary
development and oral and written language comprehension. The curriculum
is student-driven, sequential, and constructivist-based, aimed at
ultimately developing students' thinking or reasoning skills necessary
for effective language processing (including reading), including all
those areas predictive for reading success, including phonemic
awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. All of
LBLP's instructional approaches use a Socratic pedagogy whereby the
teacher leads the
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learner or learners in homogenous groups, via a series of
diagnostically based questions toward the area or areas needing to be
stimulated. Instruction is customized and relies heavily on appropriate
assessments from the most basic linguistic units all the way through
the higher level cognitive and linguistic functions including
metacognition, critical thinking, language processing, and inferential
thinking. Further information may be found on the Internet at the
following Web site: http://www.lblp.com.
An independent evaluator, selected after awards are made, will work
with grantees to ensure that their projects are designed and
implemented in a manner that will allow for rigorous evaluation,
including the assignment of project participants into literacy
intervention and control groups.
Proposed Priority--Model Demonstrations To Improve the Literacy Skills
and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities
This priority supports projects that demonstrate the effect
literacy services and instruction have on improving literacy skills of
targeted groups of VR consumers and the effect on their employment and
earnings outcomes. Projects must demonstrate how VR offices can
effectively integrate literacy services into their service delivery
systems and can best provide literacy services and instruction to a
targeted group of VR consumers.
Evaluation
Projects must assure cooperation with RSA and RSA's outside
evaluator in meeting the evaluation needs of the project and RSA.
Project cooperation with RSA's outside evaluator must include the
following:
1. The assessment of all entering VR consumers in the designated
project service area using brief methodologically acceptable screening
instruments for learning disabilities and literacy levels to determine
their eligibility for the project. The assessment does not include VR
consumers with evidence of mental retardation in their case files.
2. The assignment of approximately one-half of the eligible project
participants into a literacy intervention group who would receive the
additional services and benefits of the project and approximately one-
half of the project participants into a control group who would not
receive projects services. However, no individual in the control group
can be denied literacy services if his or her Individualized Plan for
Employment (IPE) requires those services. Furthermore, those services
may not be provided or paid for under these demonstration grants.
3. The use of diagnostic tests and effective assessments of reading
proficiency consistent with the procedures of RSA's outside evaluator.
4. The administration of a pre- and post-test to project
participants as directed by RSA's outside evaluator.
Interventions
An applicant for this competition must choose either the LBLP or
the WRS for its curriculum and provide a rationale for its choice
(e.g., the local adult literacy provider already uses WRS). However, an
applicant may also choose to describe its capacity to use the other
curriculum if it would be willing to substitute the alternative
curriculum as its curriculum in order to enhance its ability to
compete. RSA will select grantees in a manner to ensure that each
curriculum intervention is adequately represented in the applications
selected for funding.
Project Participants
The following participant research criteria must be met:
1. Projects must have a sufficient number of individuals in the
control and experimental groups so that the effects of the literacy
intervention can be adequately measured.
2. Project participants must be eligible to receive VR services by
the State VR agency and have, or be in the process of developing, an
IPE.
3. All project participants (control and experimental groups) must
be given an informed choice with respect to participation in the
demonstration project consistent with the human subjects provisions as
included in the application package.
4. Project participants for the experimental and control groups
must be selected using the requisite instrument. RSA requires use of
the Learning Needs Screening Tool, a validated and public domain
screener, which can be incorporated into the VR intake process. Copies
of the screener as well as further information may be found on the
Internet at the following Web site: http://www.seakingwdc.org/ld/WaScreenTool.htm
.
Use of Funds
Funds may be used only for project costs and related activities and
may not be used to supplant the cost of services ordinarily provided by
the VR program. Related activities may include, but are not limited
to--(1) counselor training or orientation, including counselor training
on administration of literacy assessment instruments, (2) educational
assessment and evaluation, (3) research expenses, (4) support services
such as consumer transportation, childcare, and facilitation for
attendance and retention, (5) instructional materials, (6) curriculum
and instruction, (7) professional development for instructors and
administrators, (8) assistive technology devices and services, (9)
instructional technology, and (10) consultants.
Invitational Priority
Within the priority for this competition, we are particularly
interested in applications that meet the following invitational
priority:
Establishing partnerships with other organizations that can assist
in carrying out their respective projects related to improving literacy
and employability skills of adults with disabilities.
These organizations might include Adult Education and Family
Literacy (AEFL) programs, institutions of higher education, volunteer-
based literacy programs, community rehabilitation programs, nonprofit
or for-profit vendors of literacy services, and other workforce
agencies. Applicants under this invitational priority must meet the
requirements in 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129, which governs how
partnerships and other groups of eligible parties may submit
applications and conduct funded projects.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give an application that meets
the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over
other applications.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priorities has been reviewed in accordance
with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we have
assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory action.
The potential costs associated with the notice of proposed
priorities are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we
have determined as necessary for administering this program effectively
and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of proposed priorities, we have
determined that the benefits of the proposed priorities justify the
costs.
We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
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Summary of Potential Costs and Benefits
The Assistant Secretary has determined this project to be
beneficial to the ongoing research and further assistance of VR
customers. No other direct financial contribution is expected of the
grantee.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program. Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part
373.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.235P Special
Demonstration Programs--Model Demonstration Projects to Improve the
Literacy and Employment Outcomes of Individuals With Disabilities)
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b).
Dated: July 22, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-19013 Filed 7-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P