[Federal Register: July 30, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 146)]
[Notices]
[Page 44753-44756]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30jy03-45]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
[CFDA No.: 84.326N]
Special Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination To
Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--National
Dissemination Center for Individuals With Disabilities (84.326N)
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, priorities,
and other information regarding the transmittal of applications.
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, local educational
agencies, institutions of higher education, other public agencies,
nonprofit private organizations, for-profit organizations, outlying
areas, freely associated States, and Indian tribes or Tribal
organizations.
Applications Available: July 30, 2003.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 29, 2003.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 29, 2003.
Estimated Available Funds: $1.6 million.
Maximum Awards: $1.6 million.
Note: in years 2-5 of the project period for the National
Dissemination Center for Individuals with Disabilities grant, the
maximum award amount is $1,900,000.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Page Limit: (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:
[sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both 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 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, references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
We will reject your 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.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 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 institutions of
higher education only.
Selection Criteria: In evaluating an application for a new grant
under this competition, we will use selection criteria chosen from the
general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific
selection criteria to be used for this competition will be provided in
the application package for this competition.
[[Page 44754]]
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 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) If a project maintains a Web site, it must include relevant
information and documents in an accessible form on the Web site.
Priority
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet
the following absolute priority:
Background
Since the early 1980s, the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP) has funded a national clearinghouse to provide individuals and
organizations throughout the Nation with information, referral, and
technical assistance regarding children with disabilities and
disability-related issues. Disseminating information is intended to
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 to address systemic-
change goals and priorities. As additional parents and professionals
address issues related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, as amended (IDEA), and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB), the need for information will intensify and existing materials
will have to be updated, revised, and improved upon.
Given the prominence and complexity of technology within our
current information age and the increased demand for timely and
accurate information, a central repository of information is critical
to the success of a national dissemination effort. This priority will
support a national center to serve as a central repository of products
developed by OSEP-funded technical assistance and dissemination (TA &
D) projects. The chief aim of the center, however, would be to
disseminate information about IDEA and NCLB to all interested parties.
Priority
This priority will support a cooperative agreement for a national
dissemination center that will (1) serve as a repository for products
developed by OSEP's TA & D network, (2) maintain a database of products
developed by OSEP's TA & D network, as well as scientifically-based
products not developed by the TA & D network, and 3) disseminate
products. This Center must be named the National Dissemination Center
for Children with Disabilities.
The Center must--
(a) Conduct a semi-annual survey of all OSEP-funded TA & D centers
to determine the current status of products developed and in
development. The Center must report its findings to the Federal project
officer.
(b) Collect and disseminate information on the programs and
services affecting infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities
under IDEA, NCLB, and other Federal education laws.
(c) Collect information related to research on the provision of
special education and early intervention services and disseminate that
information to teachers and related services professionals, early
intervention personnel, teacher trainers, administrators, policy
makers, and researchers through a variety of publications and
conferences.
(d) Participate in programs and activities to collect and
disseminate information on issues related to children with disabilities
and promote networking among appropriate national, State, and local
agencies and organizations that deal with issues under IDEA. The Center
must coordinate its activities with Parent Training and Information
Centers, Community Parent Resource Centers, the National and Regional
Parent Technical Assistance Centers projects, Regional Resource
Centers, and other centers supported under Part D, including research
institutes and training centers, age-specific technical assistance
centers, and content-specific technical assistance centers. Evidence of
collaboration and proposed outcomes of the collaboration must be
reported to the Federal project officer.
(e) Develop informational exchanges among the Center and other OSEP
TA & D centers, and other federally-supported TA & D centers as
appropriate.
(f) In addition to the above networking activities, collaborate and
communicate with other OSEP-funded projects such as the State
Improvement grantees, General Supervision Enhancement grantees, and the
National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring.
Evidence of collaboration and proposed outcomes of the collaboration
must be reported to the Federal project officer.
(g) Establish a coordinated network and conduct outreach activities
with relevant Federal, State, and local organizations aimed at
disseminating relevant information on research, programs, and services.
(h) Maintain a database of all products developed by OSEP's TA & D
network and other related products as appropriate. This database must
include information on practices, including interventions, techniques,
programs, and models. This information must be in a standard format
that includes, at a minimum, the following:
(1) The specific practice and the intended audience.
(2) The extent to which clear guidelines for successful
implementation of the practice are available.
(3) The extent to which the practice includes:
(i) Appropriate training for all implementers;
(ii) Systemic implementation utilizing appropriate organizational
structures and processes; and
(iii) High expectations and effective assessment of student
progress.
(4) Where interested individuals can see the practice in operation,
producing the intended level of results.
(5) The cost to implement the practice.
(i) Develop and implement strategies to disseminate information to
underrepresented groups such as those with limited English proficiency.
(j) Create and maintain a Web site that (1) links electronically to
all OSEP-funded TA & D project Web sites, (2) contains a database of
all OSEP-funded TA & D products, (3) contains a searchable database
that includes all active OSEP discretionary projects, (4) keeps
information and documents in an accessible form, and (5) is available
in both English and Spanish.
The Center's product development activities must include but are
not limited to the following:
(a) Developing products on IDEA legislation and NCLB as it relates
to students with disabilities, as requested and approved by OSEP.
(b) Establishing a mechanism for synthesizing and disseminating
research information to all interested parties. For topics that the
What Works Clearinghouse does not plan to address the Center will use
the What Works Clearinghouse protocols to carry out synthesis work.
This process must include the involvement of researchers who will
assist the Center in the synthesis of research. Topics must be approved
by OSEP prior to synthesis. This activity must include but is not
[[Page 44755]]
limited to publishing semi-annually the Research Connections in Special
Education, an 8-page brief that synthesizes research results into user-
friendly information for practitioners.
(c) Preparing the OSEP Digest and issuing briefs and other products
designed to summarize recent research on critical issues for
practitioners and other interested parties. These briefs and other
reports, to the extent possible, must (1) build on an existing database
of analyses of research studies (that over time will be submitted in a
standard format for group designs) so that new reports will build on
previous reports and (2) be available on the Web.
(e) Preparing the annual directories of OSEP-funded projects by
compiling information about all OSEP-funded discretionary grants. This
information must include an abstract of each grant, administrative
information about the grant such as the grantee, name of project, name
of project director, beginning and ending dates of grant, name of OSEP
project officer, and other information as requested by OSEP. An
electronic database that contains all of the information found in the
directories must be maintained.
The Center must also:
(a) Maintain communication with the Federal project officer through
monthly phone conversations and e-mail communication as needed. The
Center must submit annual performance reports and provide additional
written materials as needed for the Federal project officer to monitor
the Center's work.
(b) Establish a document review board whose membership must be
approved by OSEP. All OSEP TA & D projects will be required to submit
proposals for new paper or electronic products to the review board
prior to their development. The board must review these proposals in a
timely fashion and approve for development all proposed products that
are deemed necessary to meet existing information needs. The board must
also identify information needs for which no product is available, and
solicit proposals from OSEP's TA & D network for new products to meet
these needs.
(c) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with an
advisory committee consisting of persons with expertise in information
dissemination, individuals with disabilities, parents, educators,
service providers, researchers, and others as appropriate to review and
provide advice on the Center's activities and plans. The members of
this committee must be approved by OSEP.
(d) Evaluate the impact of the Center's activities relative to its
users, the dissemination needs of its users, and the proposed outcomes
of the dissemination. The Center must report its evaluation findings
annually to the Federal project officer.
(e) In addition to the 2-day Project Directors' meeting listed in
the General Requirements section of this notice, budget for an
additional 2-day project meeting annually to attend the Research
Project Directors' meeting and for at least eight 2-day trips annually
as requested by OSEP to attend events such as Department briefings,
Department-sponsored conferences, and other events needed to fulfill
public awareness objectives.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a), and in addition--
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary which review will be conducted in Washington,
DC, during the last half of the project's second year. Projects must
budget for the travel associated with this one-day intensive review;
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the
Center; and
(c) Evidence of the degree to which the Center's activities have
contributed to changed practices and improved student outcomes.
Waiver of Proposed 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.
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 Fiscal Year 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing
to expand its pilot project for electronic submission of applications
to include additional formula grant programs and additional
discretionary grant competitions. Special Education--Technical
Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities Program--CFDA 84.326N is one of the
programs included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant under
the Special Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination to
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities 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). 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 e-Application, 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 Education 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 after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following
these steps:
1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this
form.
[[Page 44756]]
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 by 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.
We have included additional information about the e-Application
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic
Applications) in the application package.
For Applications Contact: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs),
P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Maryland 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 84.326N.
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: 1-202-205-8207.
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 or a copy of
the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large
print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the Grants and
Contracts Services Team listed in this section. 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.
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: July 25, 2003.
Robert H. Pasternack,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 03-19337 Filed 7-29-03; 8:45 am]
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