[Federal Register: August 8, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 153)]
[Notices]
[Page 51747-51749]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08au02-118]
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Part VII
Department of Education
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Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of
Special Education Programs; Final Priority Under the State Improvement
Grant Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year 2002; Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education Programs; Final Priority Under the
State Improvement Grant Program
AGENCY: Office of Special Education And Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priority.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the State Program
Improvement Grant Program administered by the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) under the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended. The Assistant
Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year 2002
and in later years. We take this action to focus Federal financial
assistance on identified needs to improve results for children with
disabilities. The priority is intended to ensure wide and effective use
of program funds.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This priority is effective September 9, 2002.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Wexler, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3630, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-5390. FAX: (202) 205-
9179 or via Internet: Larry.Wexler@ed.gov
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of 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: We published a notice of proposed priority
for this program in the Federal Register on June 18, 2002 (67 FR
41586).
Except for minor editorial and technical revisions, there are no
differences between the notice of proposed priority and this notice of
final priority.
Public Comment
In the notice of proposed priority, we invited comments on the
proposed priority. We did not receive any substantive comments.
However, we have made a change in the second paragraph under (d) on
page 41587, to clarify that the awards are not new projects but are
supplements to existing projects.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this priority, 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 priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or
(2) selecting an application that meets the 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
priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications
(34 CFR 75. 105(c)(1)).
Priority
Competitive Supplement to State Program Improvement Grants
Background
There are currently 36 State educational agencies that are funded
under the State Program Improvement Grant program. These grants are
meant to improve results for children with disabilities by addressing
personnel training needs of States, as identified by the States, and
have been an example of the Department's continuing effort to improve
educational opportunities for all children. Congress established the
State Program Improvement Grant program when it reauthorized IDEA in
1997. The money helps State educational agencies reform their systems
for providing educational, early intervention and transitional services
for children with disabilities. It also supports technical assistance
for local schools and dissemination of knowledge about best practices.
Seventy-five percent of each grant must be used for professional
development.
As part of the competition, each State, in conjunction with
required partners, including local education agencies and other State
agencies that provide special education services (at its option the
State may also include other partners such as the Governor, parents of
children with disabilities, organizations representing individuals with
disabilities and their parents, the lead State agency for part C IDEA,
institutions of higher education within the State, etc.), submitted
improvement plans focused on such areas as: (1) Training and personnel;
(2) recruitment and retention of special education, related services
and early intervention staff; (3) performance of children with
disabilities; and (4) improving overall program effectiveness. The
States receiving the grants have used the funds to implement the
improvement strategies that they proposed in their plans. The Secretary
anticipates that there will be additional fiscal year 2001 funds
available subsequent to making awards under this year's competition. To
utilize additional funds that may become available, the Secretary is
conducting a separate competition under which only grantees from the FY
1999, 2000 and 2001 competitions would be eligible.
Priority
The Secretary has established a priority to award competitive
supplements to State Improvement Grants awarded in 1999, 2000, or 2001
for the purpose of enhancing current grant activities. Applicants must
describe additional activities that augment or complement those goals
and activities that are already being implemented as part of their
State Improvement Grant. Enhancement activities may be simply an
expansion of activities already described in the narrative or they may
be new activities that will improve the quality of the previously
approved State improvement grant tasks. The Secretary is particularly
interested in activities that focus on: (1) Retention and recruitment
of highly qualified personnel; (2) the use of research-based reading
intervention strategies; and (3) the use of research-based positive
behavior supports.
Projects must--
(a) Enhance only those State Improvement Grant activities that can
be shown, based on the project's data-based evaluation, to have
impacted positively on the goal(s) of the project;
(b) Incorporate the expanded or new activities into the project's
ongoing evaluation activities;
(c) Incorporate the expanded or new activities into the project's
existing partnership agreements; and
(d) Ensure that the State uses not less than 75 percent of the
funds (existing budget plus any supplemental funds) it receives under
the grant for any fiscal year on professional development and training
of regular education, special education, or related services personnel.
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Only 50 percent of the funds must be used on professional development
if the State can demonstrate to the Department that it has sufficient
personnel.
Under this priority, the Secretary will make, based on available
funds, up to 36 supplements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of 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.
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 either of the
following site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=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://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.access.gpo. gov/nara/index.html
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: State Program
Improvement Grants Program, 84.323A)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1405, 1461, 1472, 1474, and 1487.
Dated: August 5, 2002
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 02-20119 Filed 8-7-02; 8:45 am]
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