FR Doc 04-12712
[Federal Register: June 4, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 108)]
[Notices]
[Page 31592-31595]
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; Special Education--Research and Innovation To Improve
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--National Center on
Secondary, Transition, and Postsecondary School Outcomes for Students
With Disabilities Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.324S.
Dates:
Applications Available: June 7, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 19, 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, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for the Office of 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: To produce, and advance the use of, knowledge
to improve the results of education and early intervention for infants,
toddlers, and children with disabilities.
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 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(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:
National Center On Secondary, Transition, and Postsecondary School
Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
Background: Better data on secondary and postsecondary school
outcomes for students are needed to assess the effectiveness of
programs and services provided under Part B of IDEA and to improve
secondary and postsecondary school outcomes for students with
disabilities.
While there is general agreement that assessing academic
achievement should be part of school accountability systems, many
individuals involved in the education of students with disabilities
believe that for IDEA purposes it is also important to collect other
types of information that focus on assessing transition and
postsecondary school success.
A recent GAO study (GAO-03-773) entitled ``Special Education:
Federal Actions Can Assist States in Improving Postsecondary Outcomes
for Youth'' found that, while a majority of youth receiving IDEA
services complete high school with a diploma, it is difficult to
determine what happens to students after they leave high school.
GAO found that less than half of the States routinely collect data
on students' employment or education status after graduation. Most
States collecting postsecondary school data used it for program
improvement purposes such as monitoring school districts or targeting
schools for technical assistance. However, existing State methodologies
for collecting such data often have limitations that preclude using the
data to assess the status of youth in the State who are receiving IDEA
services, or reduce the usefulness of the data in other ways.
GAO also found that many of the States that do not routinely
collect postsecondary school data on the status of youth receiving IDEA
services have expressed interest in doing so. For example, State
educational agency officials familiar with State data collection
efforts indicated that State and local school systems did not always
have appropriate guidance on how data could be collected, analyzed, and
used to improve programs and outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Priority: The Secretary establishes a priority for a cooperative
agreement to support a National Center on Secondary, Transition, and
Postsecondary School Outcomes for Students with Disabilities that will
advance the development and use of secondary, transition, and
postsecondary school outcome information. This center must conduct
research activities and provide technical assistance to States,
schools, communities, and agencies in developing and implementing
practical, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable strategies for
collecting and using outcome data to improve secondary, transition, and
postsecondary school outcomes.
Knowledge Development Activities of the Center must include, but
are not limited to:
(a) Conducting a national survey to identify State systems for the
collection of secondary, transition, and postsecondary school outcome
data on youth with disabilities and to identify policies and practices
that sustain these data systems.
(b) Conducting a literature review on the measures and
methodologies that are used to collect data on secondary, transition,
and postsecondary school outcomes for youth with disabilities.
(c) Conducting activities to develop and implement practical,
efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable strategies for identifying,
collecting, and using student secondary, transition, and postsecondary
school data for school improvement.
(d) Reviewing the technical adequacy of measures used to assess
secondary, transition, and postsecondary school outcomes.
[[Page 31593]]
Technical Assistance and Dissemination Activities of the Center
must include, but are not limited to:
(a) Maintaining a user-friendly Web site with relevant information
and documents in an accessible format, and responding to written and
telephone inquiries with research validated information.
(b) Developing and implementing strategic technical assistance to
States to assist them in (1) developing strategies for collecting and
using secondary, transition, and postsecondary school outcome data; (2)
developing approaches to assess the nature and extent of problems in
data quality and address them; and (3) developing effective models for
collecting and using data in districts and school sites and helping
States replicate these throughout the State.
(c) Disseminating information on current practices for collection
of secondary, transition, and postsecondary school outcome data.
(d) Conducting national and regional meetings, focused trainer
forums, and other technical assistance activities on data collection,
feedback, and the use of data to improve secondary education,
transition, and postsecondary school outcomes. Meetings must be
conducted to develop consensus among parents and other stakeholders on
outcomes to be measured.
(e) Developing and applying strategies for the dissemination of
information to specific audiences including teachers, parents, service
providers, administrators, policy makers, and researchers. Such
strategies must involve collaboration with other technical assistance
providers, organizations, and researchers.
(f) Maintaining communication and collaboration with other
Department of Education funded projects (such as the IDEA Partnerships,
National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), the Regional Resource
Centers, the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition
(NCSET), the National Center for Special Education Accountability and
Monitoring (CSEAM), and Parent Training and Information Centers
(PTIs)), and other agencies and organizations seeking to improve
outcomes for youth with disabilities.
(g) Providing technical assistance to States focused on needs
identified in a State survey to be conducted by the Center. The Center
must also participate, as requested by the Office of Special Education
Programs (OSEP), in providing technical assistance to States identified
by OSEP as States in need. The Center must plan for assistance to three
identified States per year (similar State assistance efforts have
averaged approximately $40,000 per year).
The Center must also:
(a) Meet with the OSEP project officer in the first two months of
the project to review and refine the strategic plan of technical
assistance and dissemination approaches.
(b) Communicate with the OSEP 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 OSEP project officer to monitor the
Center's work.
(c) Establish, and meet at least annually with, a technical
workgroup consisting of SEA and LEA data specialists, researchers, and
other appropriate individuals to advise on the Center's technical and
research activities.
(d) Conduct evaluations of the Center's specific activities and of
the overall impact of those activities. The Center must report its
evaluation findings annually to the OSEP project officer.
(e) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with an
advisory committee consisting of representatives of SEAs and LEAs,
individuals with disabilities, educators, parents, service providers,
professional organizations and advocacy groups, and other appropriate
groups to review and advise on the Center's activities and plans. The
committee membership must include individuals from communities
representing rural, low-income, urban, and limited English proficiency
populations.
(f) Budget for (1) a two-day Project Directors' meeting in
Washington, DC during each year of the project, (2) at least two annual
planning meetings in DC, and (3) at least four two-day trips annually
as requested by OSEP to attend meetings such as Department briefings,
Department-sponsored conferences, and other OSEP requested activities.
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 during the
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. 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 child 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 IDEA makes the public comment requirements inapplicable to
the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461 and 1472.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81,
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: $700,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $700,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The
Assistant Secretary for the Office of 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, and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this
notice must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of 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 IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center
[[Page 31594]]
(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 84.324S.
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.
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 7, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 19, 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.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
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 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
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--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities--National Center on Secondary, Transition,
and Postsecondary School Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
competition--CFDA Number 84.324S is one of the competitions included in
the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Special
Education--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities--National Center on Secondary, Transition,
and Postsecondary school Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
competition, 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)
260-1349.
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--Research and Innovation to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities--National Center on
Secondary, Transition, and Postsecondary School Outcomes for
[[Page 31595]]
Students with Disabilities competition 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--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities-- National Center on Secondary, Transition,
and Postsecondary School Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
competition 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: Because this project deals primarily with
technical assistance activities, it will be assessed using performance
measures for the Technical Assistance to Improve Services and Results
for Children with Disabilities Program. 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 (e.g., the extent to which
projects use high quality methods and materials, provide useful
products and services, 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).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Selete Avoke, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4120, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8157.
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 1, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-12712 Filed 6-3-04; 8:45 am]
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