[Federal Register: June 30, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 125)]
[Notices]
[Page 37789-37794]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30jn05-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities--Model Demonstration Centers
on Progress Monitoring; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2005
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326M.
DATES: Applications Available: June 30, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 8, 2005.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 24, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Estimated Available Funds: $1,200,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000.
Maximum Award: The Secretary does not intend to fund an application
that proposes a budget exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of
12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months. We will consider 48 months if a
compelling case is made for extending the project.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to promote
academic achievement and improve results for children with disabilities
by supporting technical assistance, model demonstration projects,
dissemination of useful information, and implementation activities that
are supported by scientifically based research.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 663
and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
[[Page 37790]]
Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results
for Children with Disabilities--Model Demonstration Centers on Progress
Monitoring
Background
Progress monitoring offers an economical and efficient strategy for
measuring student performance and growth and, consistent with the No
Child Left Behind Act and IDEA, for improving the achievement of
children with disabilities. For school-age children, progress
monitoring includes the establishment of academic goals for all
students in a classroom, the determination of methods for measuring
progress towards these goals, and reports of progress that are easily
understood by educators, parents, and students. Data obtained through
frequent progress monitoring indicate whether students' academic
performance has improved as compared to their previous performance and
the performance of their peers. The data also indicate whether
instructional changes are needed on a class-wide or individual student
basis.
Research indicates the positive impact that progress monitoring has
on performance. Fuchs, Fuchs, and Hamlett (1993) found that teachers
who use a type of progress monitoring called Curriculum-Based
Measurement (CBM) plan more effective instruction. In addition, CBM
enables students to feel more responsible for their learning and be
more aware of their academic performance (Davis, Fuchs, Fuchs, &
Whinnery, 1995). Finally, students whose teachers use CBM for modifying
instruction have higher levels of achievement than students whose
teachers do not implement CBM (Fuchs, Butterworth, & Fuchs, 1989).
Progress monitoring is also a critical component of Response to
Intervention (RTI) models, which can be used in identifying children
with learning disabilities (LD). This use of progress monitoring
provides information to determine if a child is responding to class-
wide instruction or, if not, to remedial interventions. Children who do
not respond sufficiently to high quality class-wide instruction or
evidence based remedial interventions may be considered for special
education services as children with specific learning disabilities.
Progress monitoring as a component of RTI may provide for earlier
identification of children with learning disabilities than using the
traditional discrepancy model for identification of children with
learning disabilities. Earlier identification may, in turn, result in
reduction of special education services needed or the intensity of
services required throughout a child's school years. Progress
monitoring, along with early intervening services, can even reduce the
likelihood that a child will need special education services.
Progress monitoring can also be used to build effective
individualized education programs (IEPs). It provides a way to document
clear, meaningful, and measurable IEP goals and the methods used for
measuring progress; and provides for periodic reports indicating a
child's progress towards meeting these individual goals. Research
indicates that, when progress monitoring is used in determining and
measuring IEP goals, school-age students with disabilities have
improved academic outcomes (e.g., Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlett, & Allinder,
1991; Fuchs, Fuchs, Hamlett, & Ferguson, 1992).
Given the growing body of evidence around the importance of school
readiness skills and intervening early, progress monitoring for
preschool-age children is emerging as an appropriate focus for
research. The recognition of the preschool years as a critical period
in developing the skills needed for later school success is evident in
recent reports from the National Research Council (Eager to Learn,
2001; From Neurons to Neighborhoods, 2002; and Preventing Reading
Difficulties in Young Children, 1998). Several recent Federal
initiatives (e.g., Early Reading First; Good Start Grow Smart; White
House Summit on Early Childhood Cognitive Development in 2001) have
highlighted the need for research-based practices and models that
promote the development of school readiness skills. For preschool-age
children, progress monitoring would involve a process targeting
readiness goals: establishing readiness goals for all children in a
classroom, determining the method for measuring progress towards these
goals, and reporting data outcomes in a way that is easily understood
by educators, parents, and children.
Thus far, most progress monitoring research and assessment
development have occurred within the content areas of language and
reading development and readiness. In addition, grantees under Early
Reading First and Reading First have experimented with the use of
progress monitoring strategies for improving reading-related outcomes,
including reading readiness skills under Early Reading First. Research
is also being conducted on progress monitoring as a component of RTI
models for identifying children with learning disabilities. With the
emergence of progress monitoring research that focuses on reading
skills for elementary-age children and reading readiness skills for
preschool-age children (three through five year olds), there is a clear
need for the development of models that connect the two areas of
research--the early elementary research and the emerging preschool
research. A seamless progress monitoring system would allow educators
to track systematically students' performance and progress as students
move from one skill to the next, one year to the next, one curriculum
to the next, and one setting to the next (Espin & Wallace, 2005). By
connecting progress monitoring models from the preschool years to
elementary school, readiness skills can be monitored more closely. More
importantly, the progress of children who struggle in meeting readiness
goals can be monitored from preschool into elementary and the
interventions and strategies that are found to be successful for these
children can be carried over into the early elementary years, ensuring
that they continue to be successful, despite the change in grade,
school, teacher, curriculum, etc. In addition, this progress monitoring
research must be integrated within everyday practice in order to assess
whether it is useful, effective, and applicable within typical early
childhood and elementary school settings.
Priority
The purpose of this priority is to support three (3) centers to
develop models that incorporate scientifically based research related
to progress monitoring and that: (1) Use class-wide progress monitoring
systems for all students, preschool (age three and above) through grade
four, in regular and special education classrooms for instructional
decision making; (2) use progress monitoring for accountability in
special education, for example, by measuring a child's progress on
achieving IFSP or IEP goals; and (3) use progress monitoring as a
component of a RTI model for identifying children with learning
disabilities. These progress monitoring models must apply and test
research findings in typical settings where children with disabilities
receive services to determine their usefulness, effectiveness, and
general applicability to these typical settings. To meet this priority,
the Centers must design and implement progress monitoring models that
(i) focus on reading, language development, and readiness skills; (ii)
include frequent instructional modifications and responses to
intervention and pre-referral strategies; (iii) implement
[[Page 37791]]
methods for measuring progress toward IFSP or IEP goals and reporting
this progress to parents and (iv) implement methods for using RTI as a
component of identification of children with learning disabilities.
OSEP will award, through a contract, a separate center that will
coordinate implementation and the determination of the effectiveness of
the models. This Model Demonstration Coordination Center (MDCC) will
develop a data coordination plan and cross site data collection
instruments, generate common evaluation questions, synthesize and
analyze data collection, monitor fidelity of implementation, ensure
reliability of data, and foster dissemination of information.
Each Center must establish at least one model in at least three
sites. A site must consist of an elementary school plus at least one
preschool setting that feeds into the elementary school (e.g., Head
Start, pre-K, early childhood special education).
In order to be considered for funding under this priority, an IHE
must demonstrate that it has proven expertise in progress monitoring
research, assessment development, or implementation. In addition, the
IHE must establish a partnership with a Local Education Agency (LEA).
This partnership will facilitate the implementation of scientifically-
based models in typical early childhood and elementary settings and
increase the likelihood that school personnel will sustain the models.
The start date for the projects funded under this competition is
January 1, 2006. A meeting of all Centers as well as the MDCC will be
held one month after the awards are made. The purposes of this meeting
are to review and, as necessary, modify proposals and discuss
collaboration among the Centers and the MDCC. Models will not be
implemented during a planning and organizational period, which shall
extend for a seven to nine month period after the awards are made.
An applicant for this competition must describe, in its
application, the sites where models will be implemented and the methods
used to recruit and select these sites.
To meet the requirements of this priority, each Center, at a
minimum, must--
(a) Implement a model and a data collection plan that address both
class-wide and individual child progress as well as outcomes in terms
of multiple measures, including, but not limited to: State achievement
assessments, norm-referenced assessments, and curriculum-based measures
that are standardized and have alternate forms of equivalent
difficulty;
(b) Provide and document initial and continuing professional
development to administrators, regular educators, and special educators
on the use of progress monitoring and its use in special and regular
education settings to: improve readiness and academic outcomes for all
children, promote instructional change, and develop IEPs;
(c) Collect data related to the fidelity of the implementation of
the model and describe the methods of fidelity evaluation, as well as
how these methods relate to continuing professional development and
feedback provided to teachers and administrators;
(d) Identify methods for effectively reporting child progress to
parents and for increasing communication and collaboration among
parents and school/center staff;
(e) Collaborate with the other funded Centers under this priority
and the MDCC in order to determine a plan for evaluating the impact of
these models on children's readiness and academic progress and
outcomes;
(f) Develop regular communication with OSEP's National Student
Progress Monitoring Center to share information regarding topics such
as successful strategies and less successful approaches for
implementing progress monitoring in school and early childhood
settings;
(g) Develop regular communication with the Research Institute on
Progress Monitoring, the National Center on Learning Disabilities, and
the Interagency School Readiness Consortium so that information
regarding topics such as measurement and the use of progress monitoring
as it relates to response to intervention may be exchanged;
(h) Develop and apply strategies for the dissemination of
information to specific audiences, including teachers, families,
administrators, policymakers, and researchers. Such strategies must
involve collaboration with other technical assistance providers,
organizations, and researchers;
(i) Prior to developing any new product, whether paper or
electronic, submit for approval a proposal describing the content and
purpose of the product to a project officer to be designated by OSEP
and the document review board of OSEP's Dissemination Center;
(j) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington,
DC during each year of the project; and
(k) Maintain a Web site that includes relevant information and
documents in a format that meets a government or industry-recognized
standard for accessibility.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested
parties the opportunity to comment on a proposed priority. However,
section 681(d) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the APA
inapplicable to the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463 and 1481(d).
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
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.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,200,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $400,000.
Maximum Award: The Secretary does not intend to fund an application
that proposes a budget exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of
12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 3.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months. We will consider 48 months if a
compelling case is made for extending the project.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements-- (a) The projects funded under this
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of
the IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this competition
must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals
with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and
evaluating the projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of the IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD
[[Page 37792]]
20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 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.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
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 number 84.326M.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section
VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition. Page
Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where
you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use
to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to the equivalent
of no more than 70 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides;
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs; and
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or 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, the references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your application if--
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times: Applications Available: June 30,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 15, 2005.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 24, 2005.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government-wide
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2005. Model Demonstration Centers on
Progress Monitoring--CFDA Number 84.326M is one of the competitions
included in this project.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). Through this site, you will
be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-
mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We request your
participation in Grants.gov.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Model
Demonstration Centers on Progress Monitoring--CFDA Number 84.326M
competition at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the
downloadable application package for this program by the CFDA number.
Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted with a
date/time received by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will not
consider your application if it was received by the Grants.gov system
later than 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date. When we retrieve
your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was submitted after 4:30 p.m. on
the application deadline date.
If you experience technical difficulties on the
application deadline date and are unable to meet the 4:30 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, deadline, print out your application and follow
the instructions in this notice for the submission of paper
applications by mail or hand delivery.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
your application is submitted timely to the Grants.gov system.
To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must have a D-U-
N-S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You
should allow a minimum of five business days to complete the CCR
registration.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including all
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Any narrative
sections of your application must be attached as files in a .DOC
(document), .RTF (rich text) or .PDF (portable document) format.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
[[Page 37793]]
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying
number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 84.326M), 400
Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260;
or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326M), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark;
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service;
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier; or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark; or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326M), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays,
Sundays and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a
final performance report, including financial information, as directed
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), the Department is currently developing measures
that will yield information on various aspects of the quality of the
Technical Assistance to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities program. The measures will focus on: The extent to which
projects provide high quality products and services; the relevance of
project products and services to educational and early intervention
policy and practice; and the use of products and services to improve
educational and early intervention policy and practice.
Once the measures are developed, we will notify grantees if they
will be required to provide any information related to these measures.
Grantees will also be required to report information on their
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (34 CFR
75.590).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grace Duran, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4088, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2600. Telephone: (202) 245-7328.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) 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 by contacting the following office: The Grants and
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 245-7363.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free of charge at this site. If you have questions about using PDF,
call the U.S.
[[Page 37794]]
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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
Dated: June 24, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-12949 Filed 6-29-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P