FR Doc 04-14660
[Federal Register: June 28, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 123)]
[Notices]
[Page 36072-36075]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With
Disabilities--Technology Implementation Center; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327M.
Dates:
Applications Available: June 28, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2004.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 28, 2004.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs),
other public agencies, nonprofit private organizations, outlying areas,
freely associated States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and
for-profit organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technology and Media
Services for Individuals With Disabilities--Technology Implementation
Center competition is to: (1) Improve results for children with
disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of
technology; (2) support educational media activities designed to be of
educational value to children with disabilities; (3) provide support
for some captioning, and video description; and (4) provide cultural
experiences through appropriate nonprofit organizations.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections
661(e)(2) and 687 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
as amended (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is:
Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities--
Technology Implementation Center.
Background: The IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB) emphasized the importance of linking research and practice to
improving educational results for children with disabilities. In more
than 20 years of supporting special education technology research, the
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has tested practices that
indicate that appropriate technology, embedded in strong education
practice, holds significant promise for helping students with
disabilities achieve at higher levels. These practices have varying
degrees of research validation. Some are backed by significant research
support and might appropriately undergo the high level of scientific
review offered by the What Works Clearinghouse. Other practices have
some research support and classroom success, and should be considered
promising but not yet validated.
Introducing technology as a tool is not enough, however, the
infusion of technology into instructional practices requires
systematic, sustained training and classroom support. Building capacity
is at the heart of an effective system. To support such a system means
providing States and local school districts with sufficient information
and support to provide an underpinning for large-scale implementation
efforts. Such activities can play a pivotal role in building the
capacity States and local districts need to support school-wide change.
Priority: This priority will support a cooperative agreement for a
center (Center) to support SEAs and LEAs in implementing and evaluating
selected practices that integrate technology into sound teaching so
children with disabilities will have access to the general education
curriculum and will achieve to high educational standards.
The Center's activities in selecting practices and in assisting
SEAs and LEAs in implementing practices must include, but are not
limited to, the following:
(a) Selecting existing evidence-based and promising practices that
integrate technology into teaching and learning appropriate for
students with disabilities. These may include validated practices with
high levels of research support, but also may include promising
practices with incomplete research support as long as the latter
clearly are identified as needing more validation. Applicants are
encouraged to focus on practices selected from the What Works
Clearinghouse, the National Study of the Effectiveness of Educational
Technology required by NCLB, and rigorous research syntheses. The
Center, however, also may conduct research syntheses and meta-analyses
in areas that are not being addressed by other projects, or supplement
available research evidence with additional evidence related to
students with disabilities.
(b) Developing implementation strategies to support SEAs and LEAs
in implementing practices that integrate technology into sound teaching
for students with disabilities. The implementation strategies must
provide for the continued implementation of the practices after Federal
support ends.
(c) Identifying and recruiting SEAs and LEAs to implement the
practices. In selecting sites, the Center must consider such elements
as cultural and linguistic diversity, family income, urban and rural
settings, regional geographic location, and cost effectiveness.
(d) Providing professional development and technical assistance
aligned with current national, State, and local policies to motivate
and build capacity of administrative leaders, decisionmakers, and
teachers to implement practices that integrate
[[Page 36073]]
technology into sound teaching for students with disabilities. These
activities must include both regular and special education partnerships
and must make use, when appropriate, of administrative supports and
both internal and external resources.
(e) Assisting SEAs and LEAs in evaluating the selected practices,
the outcomes of the professional development and technical assistance
provided, and the effect on student academic outcomes.
(f) Creating partnerships with relevant programs and organizations
to assist with scale up and sustainability efforts.
(g) Preparing and disseminating information and products for
specific audiences, as appropriate, such as parents, administrators,
teachers, related services personnel, researchers, and individuals with
disabilities.
The project funded under this priority also must:
(a) Meet with the OSEP project officer and other appropriate staff
in Washington, DC, within the first two months of the project to
clarify project activities and develop a strategic plan.
(b) Communicate, collaborate, and form partnerships as appropriate,
with such entities as: technical assistance providers at the national,
regional, and local levels; centers that are part of the Special
Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network, such as the
National Center on Educational Outcomes, the Center on Student Progress
Monitoring, and the National Dissemination Center; the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR); the
Institute Of Education Sciences' What Works Clearinghouse; and the
National and Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers. In
particular, the project shall build and maintain approaches for
communication and collaboration with research and demonstration
projects that are addressing issues related to the focus of this
priority.
(c) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with an
advisory committee consisting of representatives of SEAs and LEAs,
individuals with disabilities, parents, educators, professional
organizations and advocacy groups, researchers, persons conversant with
literature on change theory and sustainability, and other appropriate
groups to review and advise on the Center's plans, products, and
activities.
(d) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington,
DC during each year of the project.
(e) In addition to the two-day Project Directors' meeting listed in
paragraph (d), budget for two additional trips annually to Washington,
DC, (1) to attend the Technical Assistance and Dissemination Project
Directors' meeting and (2) to attend the Technology Project Directors'
meeting.
(f) If a project maintains a Web site, it must include relevant
information and documents in an accessible form.
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) for continuation awards.
The Secretary will also consider the following:
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary. The team will conduct its review in
Washington, DC during the last half of the project's second year. A
project 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
project; and
(c) The degree to which the project is making a positive
contribution--and its strategies are demonstrating the potential for
disseminating significant knowledge to SEAs and LEAs--to using
technology to improve student outcomes.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, section
661(e)(2) of the IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the
Administrative Procedure Act inapplicable to the priority in this
notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1487.
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: $1,000,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, LEAs, IHEs, other public agencies,
nonprofit private organizations, outlying areas, freely associated
States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and for-profit
organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) A project 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 notice must
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects
(see section 661(f)(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 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 84.327M.
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 persons listed 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
[[Page 36074]]
to the equivalent of no more than 50 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.
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, the letters of support, or
the appendix. 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 28, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2004.
The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or
by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the
application package for this competition. The application package also
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 28, 2004.
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: Instructions and requirements for
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this
competition.
Application Procedures:
Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for
transmitting applications differ from those in 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: We are
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of
applications to include additional formula grant programs and
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Special Education--
Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities
Program--Technology Implementation Center competition--CFDA Number
84.327M is one of the competitions included in the pilot project. If
you are an applicant under the Special Education--Technology and Media
Services for Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology
Implementation Center competition--CFDA Number 84.327M, 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). If you use e-Application, you will
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its
improvement.
If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
Your participation is voluntary.
When you enter the e-Application system, you will find
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
You will not receive 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.
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.
Your e-Application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
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).
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.
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)
245-6272.
We may request that you give us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot
for the Special Education--Technology and Media Services for
Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology Implementation Center
competition--CFDA Number 84.327M and you are prevented from submitting
your application on the application deadline 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. We will grant this extension if--
1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is 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
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Special
Education--Technology and Media Services for
[[Page 36075]]
Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology Implementation Center
competition--CFDA Number 84.327M at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.
V. Application Review Information
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific selection criteria to be
used for this competition are 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
Technology and Media Services to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program (e.g., the extent to which projects
are of high quality, are relevant to the needs of children with
disabilities, and contribute to improving results for children with
disabilities). Data on these measures will be collected from the
projects funded under this notice.
Grantees will also be required to report information on their
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR, 34
CFR 75.590).
We will notify grantees of the performance measures once they are
developed.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Hauser, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4092, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7373.
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 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) 205-8207.
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 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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
Dated: June 24, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-14660 Filed 6-25-04; 8:45 am]
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