[Federal Register: April 18, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 19194-19197]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ap03-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year
(FY) 2003.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services invites applications for FY 2003 under the
Special Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program. This
program is authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA), as amended. This notice provides closing dates, a priority,
and other information regarding the transmittal of applications.
Please note that important fiscal information is listed in a table
at the end of this notice.
Waiver of Rulemaking
It is generally our practice to offer interested parties the
opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, section
661(e)(2) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements in the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) inapplicable to the
priority in this notice.
Purpose of Program: This program provides technical assistance and
information that (1) support States and local entities in building
capacity to improve early intervention, educational, and transitional
services and results for children with disabilities and their families;
and (2) address goals and priorities for changing State systems that
provide early intervention, educational, and transitional services for
children with disabilities and their families.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs) of the 50
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
outlying areas and Freely Associated States that have not been awarded
grants under this competition (84.326X) in previous years. Eligible
applicants are listed in the chart at the end of this notice.
An entity eligible to apply for funding under section 661(b)(1) of
IDEA may apply on behalf of an SEA, but the entity must include a
signed letter of endorsement from the director of the SEA.
The Assistant Secretary does not fund an application submitted by
two agencies or entities on behalf of a single State, but encourages a
joint application from an SEA and a State lead agency for part C early
intervention services in a State in which the SEA is not the State lead
agency. An SEA may endorse the State lead agency as the State's
applicant under the conditions in the Maximum Awards section of this
notice.
Applications Available: April 18, 2003.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 2, 2003.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 1, 2003.
Estimated Available Funds: $7 million.
Estimated Range of Awards: The chart at the end of this notice
lists the range for State basic grant awards for FY 2003.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $465,000.
Maximum Awards: The chart at the end of this notice lists the
amount of State basic grant awards for FY 2003. An applicant should
note that it may apply for awards of differing amounts based on whether
its application addresses (1) only the part B program; or (2) both the
parts B and C programs.
The amounts for a State basic grant are based on the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP) assessment that the minimal amounts
necessary for a State to address only part B program needs and both
parts B and C program needs are $120,000 and $200,000 respectively.
Calculation of amounts above the minimum levels was based on the 85
percent population rate and 15 percent poverty rate used in the
calculation of part B formula grant awards.
Outlying areas are eligible to receive $104,000 for addressing only
part B and $130,000 for addressing both parts B and C.
A State may not propose a budget in its application for the basic
grant award that exceeds the amounts in this notice.
We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the
maximum amount listed on the chart. The Assistant Secretary may reduce
the grant award levels based on available funds.
Other Application Requirements
To be considered for a combined parts B and C award, a proposed
project must describe in the application narrative (part III): (1) How
the SEA and State lead agency participated in developing the
application; and (2) how the project will use the funding to address
the needs of both the parts B and C programs.
If an SEA endorses the State lead agency as the State's applicant,
the proposed project must describe: (1) How the State lead agency and
SEA collaborated to develop the application; and (2) how the State lead
agency will use the award to address the needs of both the parts B and
C programs (e.g., developing or enhancing a data system that tracks the
transition of toddlers from part C to part B services).
[[Page 19195]]
Estimated Number of Awards: 15.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: September 30, 2003--September 30, 2004.
Page Limits: If you are an applicant, part III of an application
submitted under this notice, the application narrative, is where an
applicant addresses the selection criteria that are used by reviewers
in evaluating the application.
If your proposed project addresses only part B, you must limit part
III to the equivalent of no more than 20 pages for a basic grant. If
your proposed project addresses both part B and part C you must limit
part III to the equivalent of no more than 30 pages. To determine the
number of pages or the equivalent, you must use the following
standards:
[sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' (on one side only) with one-inch
margins (top, bottom, and sides).
[sbull] Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, and captions, as well as all text in charts,
tables, figures, and graphs.
[sbull] Use a font that is either 12-point or larger and no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit does not apply to part I, the cover sheet; part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; part
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography or references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in part III.
We will reject any application if--
[sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
[sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
Additional Requirements
(a) The projects funded under this competition must make positive
efforts to employ and advance in employment in project activities
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients under this competition must
involve qualified individuals with disabilities or parents of
individuals with disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating
the projects (see section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).
(c) The projects funded under this competition must budget for a
two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year
of the project.
Application Procedures
Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for
transmitting applications differ from those in the Education
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy.
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined
that proposed rulemaking is not required.
Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications
In FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing to
expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary
grant competitions. The Special Education--Technical Assistance and
Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities Program--CFDA 84.326X is one of the programs
included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under this
program, you may submit your application to us in either electronic or
paper format.
The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant
Application System (e-Application) portion of the Grant Administration
and Payment System (GAPS). Users of e-Application will be entering data
on-line while completing their applications. You may not e-mail a soft
copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in this voluntary
pilot project by submitting an application electronically, the data you
enter on-line will be saved into a database. We request your
participation in e-Application. We shall continue to evaluate its
success and solicit suggestions for improvement.
If you participate in this e-Application pilot, please note the
following:
[sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
[sbull] You will not receive any additional point value because you
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize
you if you submit an application in paper format. When you enter the e-
Application system, you will find information about its hours of
operation.
[sbull] You may submit all documents electronically, including the
Application for Federal Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
[sbull] After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
[sbull] Within three working days of submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following
these steps:
(1) Print ED 424 from the e-Application system.
(2) The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this
form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 260-1349.
[sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all
other forms at a later date.
[sbull] Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If
you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for The Special
Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities Program and you are
prevented from submitting your application on the closing date because
the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension
of one business day in order to transmit your application
electronically, by mail or hand delivery. For us to grant this
extension--
(1) You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
(2)(a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes
or more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the deadline
date.
The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of
unavailability before granting you an extension.
To request this extension you must contact either (1) the person
listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
or (2) the e-GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
You may access the electronic grant application for The Special
Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities Program at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
[[Page 19196]]
We have included additional information about the e-Application
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic
Applications) in the application package.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) The selection criteria are drawn
from the general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210. The specific
selection criteria for this priority are included in the application
package for this competition.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except federally recognized Indian tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
Priority
Under section 685 of IDEA and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only
applications that meet the following absolute priority:
Absolute Priority--IDEA General Supervision Enhancement Grant (84.326X)
Background
Over the past seven years, OSEP has worked with interested parties
to modify its monitoring system in a way that will improve results for
infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities, and their families.
The interested parties OSEP has worked with have included SEAs, local
educational agencies, parents and advocates. To ensure States'
compliance with IDEA, OSEP has implemented a Continuous Improvement
Focused Monitoring System (CIFMS). An in-depth explanation of CIFMS can
be found at: http://dssc.org/frc/monitor.htm.
Since the implementation of CIFMS, SEAs and State lead agencies
have endorsed the concept. All of the States have been involved in some
phase of CIFMS. Many States have begun the difficult process of--
(1) Developing CIFMS systems at the State level;
(2) Supporting the development of CIFMS systems at the LEA level;
(3) Developing new data systems to support State and local CIFMS
systems; and
(4) Developing or enhancing State systems to identify and
disseminate research-based promising practices in education and early
intervention.
Providing the States with some initial funds to support their
participation in CIFMS, as well as to support unique State solutions
and strategies developed in response to State-specific challenges
identified through participation in CIFMS will reinforce OSEP's and the
States' commitment to CIFMS.
Absolute Priority
To be funded under this priority, a project must address one or
more of the following three focus areas.
Focus 1: Developing or Enhancing a Data System To Support the Needs of
a CIFMS at the State or Local Level
Background
The collection and use of valid and reliable data are cornerstones
of CIFMS. An analysis of State self-assessments has shown that many
States, as well as their LEAs and local Part C agencies, lack the
capacity to collect sufficient data to determine the impact of special
education and early intervention services.
Focus
This focus supports the development or enhancement of a data system
that is aligned with the data collection needs of CIFMS and that will
provide information about one or more of the following:
(a) Appropriate early intervention services or special education
and related services or both.
(b) The effectiveness of the monitoring system of the SEA or State
lead agency or both.
(c) The effectiveness of interagency coordination.
(d) The effectiveness of the State's dispute resolution system.
(e) The effectiveness of the State's system to identify children's
eligibility for part B or part C services or both.
(f) Personnel shortages, including information related to the
retention of qualified teachers and service providers.
(g) The system for exercising the general supervisory authority of
the SEA or State lead agency or both.
(h) Efforts to address family needs and enhance families'
capacities to meet the developmental needs of their children.
(i) Early intervention services in the natural environment or
special education and related services in the least restrictive
environment or both.
(j) The transition from part C to part B services.
(k) The involvement of parents.
(l) Transition of youth with disabilities from school to work or
postsecondary education, including graduation.
(m) Student achievement and participation and performance on
assessments of students with disabilities.
Focus 2: Developing or Enhancing a Process to Conduct Activities To
Plan Improvement Based on CIFMS
Background
The process of developing improvement plans is a critical component
of CIFMS. If done properly, improvement planning will result in
improved special education and related services and early intervention
or both. OSEP's analysis of State improvement plans in response to OSEP
monitoring reports has shown that many States lack a cohesive data-
based approach to developing their improvement plans. Many States have
had trouble identifying and addressing the systemic barriers, root
causes or factors that contributed to the practice that the State or
OSEP has determined needs improvement.
Focus
This focus supports the development or enhancement of a process for
planning improvement. The process must be aligned with the improvement
planning phase of CIFMS and should result in solutions that, for
example --
(a) Identify underlying causes and/or systemic barriers to improved
early intervention services or special education and related services
or both;
(b) Address the root causes and/or systemic barriers to improved
early intervention services or special education and related services
or both;
(c) Include an evaluation component that assesses the impact of
early intervention services or special education and related services
or both;
(d) Include an evaluation component that assesses how changes in
staff practice affect the provision of special education and related
services or early intervention services or both;
(e) Are aligned or coordinated with the State's initiatives for
general education reform; and
(f) Are consistent with and responsive to the findings of OSEP
monitoring reports.
Focus 3: Developing or Enhancing State Systems To Identify,
Disseminate, and Implement Promising Educational or Early Intervention
Practices Based on Research
Background
OSEP has found that, to be fully effective, many improvement plans
require a State technical assistance and dissemination structure to
identify, disseminate, and implement promising educational or early
intervention practices based on research. In many States this structure
is either
[[Page 19197]]
nonexistent or lacks sufficient resources to be effective.
Focus
This focus supports the development or enhancement of a statewide
technical assistance system that is consistent with CIFMS that is
aligned with the process for planning improvement and that addresses
such areas as--
(a) Providing information about intervention and instructional
practices based on research;
(b) Supporting the use of research-based approaches in instruction
and the delivery of service in local schools and agencies;
(c) Serving as a conduit for the dissemination of research-based
information among SEAs, State lead agencies, LEAs and Part C agencies,
and national technical assistance centers; and
(d) Improving the efficiency of disseminating information by
existing State technical assistance centers.
For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Maryland 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-
877-4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827). FAX: 301-470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp, or
you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA 84.326X.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Grants and Contracts Services
Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202)
205-8207.
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 this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the Grants and Contracts Services Team under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. However, the Department is not able to
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the
application package.
Intergovernmental Review
The program in this notice 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.
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Application Notice for
Fiscal Year 2003
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CFDA number, name of program and eligible Maximum award for basic
applicants grants (per year)
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IDEA part B IDEA parts
84.326X IDEA General Supervision Enhancement only B & C
Grant (dollars) (dollars)
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California.................................... 1,204,108 1,498,815
Delaware...................................... 180,315 288,420
Georgia....................................... 437,899 586,475
Indiana....................................... 311,574 444,932
Kentucky...................................... 280,131 403,698
Louisiana..................................... 329,535 458,181
Michigan...................................... 486,570 641,313
Mississippi................................... 254,523 374,812
Missouri...................................... 325,206 456,558
Nevada........................................ 218,306 332,402
North Carolina................................ 407,088 551,843
North Dakota.................................. 176,540 283,572
South Dakota.................................. 181,360 289,049
Tennessee..................................... 344,487 476,970
Texas......................................... 944,500 1,177,426
Washington.................................... 337,264 472,348
West Virginia................................. 209,835 321,817
Wisconsin..................................... 327,120 455,911
Wyoming....................................... 172,591 278,879
Virgin Islands................................ 104,000 130,000
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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/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1485.
Dated: April 14, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-9540 Filed 4-17-03; 8:45 am]
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