FR Doc 04-5822
[Federal Register: March 15, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 50)]
[Notices]
[Page 12140-12143]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15mr04-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technology and Media Services For Individuals With
Disabilities--Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Students with
Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2004
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327A
DATES:
Applications Available: March 16, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 2004.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 22, 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: $2,900,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: Phases 1 and 2--$100,000-$200,000; Phase
3-$200,000-$300,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: Phases 1 and 2--$199,000; Phase
3--$299,000.
Maximum Award: Phases 1 and 2: $200,000 and Phase 3: $300,000. We
will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the
maximum award 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 13. We intend to fund, at a minimum,
three projects in each phase.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Projects funded under Phase 1 will be funded for up
to 24 months. Projects funded under Phase 2 will be funded for up to 24
months. Projects funded under Phase 3 will be funded for up to 36
months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: 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; and (3) provide
support for some captioning, video description, and cultural
activities.
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
(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.
The purpose of this priority is to support projects that--
[[Page 12141]]
(a) Develop or conduct research on a technology-based approach for
achieving one or more of the following purposes for early intervention,
or preschool, elementary, middle school, or high school students with
disabilities: (1) Improving the results of education or early
intervention; (2) improving access to and participation in the general
curriculum, or developmentally appropriate activities for preschool
children; and (3) improving accountability and participation in
statewide assessment and accountability systems. The technology-based
approach must be an innovative combination of a new technology and
additional materials and methodologies that enable the technology to
improve educational or early intervention results for children with
disabilities;
(b) Present a justification on the basis of scientifically rigorous
research or theory that supports the effectiveness of the technology-
based approach for achieving one or more of the purposes presented in
paragraph (a);
(c) Clearly identify and conduct work in ONE of the following
phases:
(1) Phase 1--Development: Projects funded under Phase 1 must
develop and refine a technology-based approach, and test its
feasibility for use with children with disabilities. Activities may
include development, adaptation, and refinement of technology,
curriculum materials, or instructional methodologies. Activities must
include formative evaluation. The primary product of Phase 1 should be
a promising technology-based approach that is suitable for field-based
evaluation of effectiveness in improving results for children with
disabilities.
(2) Phase 2--Research on Effectiveness: Projects funded under Phase
2 must select a promising technology-based approach that has been
developed and tested in a manner consistent with Phase 1, and subject
the approach to rigorous field-based research and evaluation to
determine effectiveness and feasibility in educational or early
intervention settings. Approaches studied in Phase 2 may have been
developed with previous funding under this priority or with funding
from other sources. Products of Phase 2 include a further refinement
and description of the technology-based approach, and sound evidence
that, in a defined range of real world contexts, the approach can be
effective in achieving one or more of the purposes presented in
paragraph (a) of this priority.
(3) Phase 3--Research on Implementation: Projects funded under
Phase 3 must select a technology-based approach that has been evaluated
for effectiveness and feasibility in a manner consistent with Phase 2.
Projects must study the implementation of the approach in multiple,
complex settings to acquire an improved understanding of the range of
contexts in which the approach can be used effectively, and the factors
that determine the effectiveness and sustainability of the approach in
this range of contexts.
Approaches studied in Phase 3 may have been developed, tested,
researched, and evaluated with previous funding under this priority or
with funding from other sources. Factors to be studied in Phase 3
include factors related to the technology, materials, and methodologies
that constitute the technology-based approach. Also to be studied in
Phase 3 are contextual factors associated with students, teacher
attitudes and skills, physical setting, curricular and instructional or
early intervention approaches, resources, professional development,
policy supports, etc.
Phases 2 and 3 can be contrasted as follows: Phase 2 studies the
effectiveness of the approach, while Phase 3 studies the effectiveness
the approach is likely to have in sustained use in a range of typical
educational settings. The primary product of Phase 3 must be a set of
research findings that provide evidence of improved results for
children with disabilities and that can be used to guide dissemination
and utilization of the technology-based approach;
(d) In addition to the annual two-day Project Directors' meeting in
Washington, DC mentioned in section III. Eligibility Information, 3.
Other: General Requirements elsewhere in this notice, budget for
another annual trip to Washington, DC to collaborate with the Federal
project officer and the other projects funded under this priority, and
to share information and discuss findings and methods of dissemination;
and
(e) Prepare products from the project in formats that are useful
for specific audiences as appropriate, including parents,
administrators, teachers, early intervention personnel, related
services personnel, researchers, and individuals with disabilities.
Within the absolute priority, we intend to fund at least two
projects focusing on technology-based approaches for children with
disabilities, ages birth to age 3.
Also, within this priority, we intend to fund at least two projects
for which the project director or principal investigator is in the
initial phase of his or her career. For purposes of this priority, the
initial phase of an individual's career is considered to be the first
three years after completing a doctoral program and graduating (i.e.,
for FY 2004 awards, projects may support individuals who completed a
doctoral program and graduated no earlier than the 2000-2001 academic
year). To qualify for this consideration, the applicant must explicitly
state and document that the project director or principal investigator
is in the initial phase of his or her career. At least 50 percent of
the initial career researcher's time must be devoted to the project.
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. 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 institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,900,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: Phases 1 and 2--$100,000-$200,000; Phase
3--$200,000-$300,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: Phases 1 and 2--$199,000; Phase
3--$299,000.
Maximum Award: Phases 1 and 2--$200,000 and Phase 3: $300,000. We
will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the
maximum award 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.
Estimated Number of Awards: 13. We intend to fund, at a minimum,
three projects in each phase.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Projects funded under Phase 1 will be funded for up
to 24 months. Projects funded under Phase 2
[[Page 12142]]
will be funded for up to 24 months. Projects funded under Phase 3 will
be funded for up to 36 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) 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).
(c) The projects funded under these priorities must budget for a
two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year
of the project.
(d) If a project maintains a Web site, it must include relevant
information and documents in an accessible form.
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 84.327A.
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 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 in evaluating your application. You must limit Part III
to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following
standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5[sec] x 11[sec] on one side
only, with 1[sec] 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: March 16, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 23, 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: June 22, 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 additional 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.
Government-Wide Grants.gov Project for 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
participating as a partner in the new government-wide Grants.gov Apply
site in FY 2004. The Special Education--Technology and Media Services
for Individuals with Disabilities program--Steppingstones of Technology
Innovation for Students with Disabilities competition--CFDA Number
84.327A is one of the competitions included in this project. If you are
an applicant under the Special Education--Technology and Media Services
for Individuals with Disabilities program--Steppingstones of Technology
Innovation for Students with Disabilities competition, you may submit
your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
The project involves the use of the Grants.gov Apply site
(Grants.gov). If you use Grants.gov, you will be able to download a
copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload
and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. You may not e-mail
an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We request your
participation in Grants.gov.
If you participate in Grants.gov, please note the following:
Your participation 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. We strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the
application process through Grants.gov.
To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must
have a D-U-N-S Number
[[Page 12143]]
and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You should allow
a minimum of five days to complete the CCR registration.
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 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.
Your application must comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your
application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement 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, which will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number) unique to your application.
We may request that you give us original
signatures on forms at a later 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 included in the application package for the
transmittal of paper applications.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Special
Education--Technology and Media Services for Individuals with
Disabilities program--Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for
Students with Disabilities competition at: http://www.grants.gov.
Note: Please note that 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.
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).
VII. Agency Contact
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 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.
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: March 10, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-5822 Filed 3-12-04; 8:45 am]
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