Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--IDEA General Supervision Enhancement Grant; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2004 [OSERS]

FR Doc 04-13330
[Federal Register: June 14, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 113)]
[Notices]
[Page 32997-33001]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14jn04-69]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services
and Results for Children With Disabilities--IDEA General Supervision
Enhancement Grant; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326X.

Dates:
Applications Available: June 14, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 23, 2004.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 21, 2004.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs),
other public agencies, nonprofit private organizations, for-profit
organizations, outlying areas, freely associated States, and Indian
tribes or tribal organizations.
Additional information concerning eligibility requirements is
provided elsewhere in this notice under Section III., 1.

Eligible Applicants.

Estimated Available Funds: $6,700,000. Additional information
concerning funding amounts is provided elsewhere in this notice under
Section II. Award Information.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: See Section II. Award
Information.
Estimated Number of Awards: 13. Additional information concerning
the number of awards is provided elsewhere in this notice under Section
II. Award Information.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: October 1, 2004-September 30, 2005.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

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 improving State systems that
provide early intervention, educational, and transitional services for
children with disabilities and their families.
This competition contains one funding priority with four focus
areas addressing services provided under Parts B and C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended (IDEA).
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 685 of the 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:

Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results
for Children With Disabilities--IDEA General Supervision Enhancement
Grant

Background of Priority: Consistent with the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (NCLB) and its focus on children with disabilities meeting
State educational achievement standards, many States have begun the
challenging but important process of--
(1) Developing outcome indicators for children with disabilities;
(2) Developing outcome indicators for infants and toddlers with
disabilities;
(3) Developing or redesigning State academic standards and
assessment systems using universal design principles; and
(4) Developing or enhancing State systems to disseminate research-
based promising practices in education and early intervention.
States may obtain technical assistance on these processes from a
variety of sources, including the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP) funded Technical Assistance and Dissemination Centers such as
the National Center on Special Education and Accountability Monitoring,
the National Center on Educational Outcomes, the Early Childhood
Outcomes Center, the National Dissemination Center for Children with
Disabilities, the Regional Resource Centers, and other sources of
technical assistance. States may find the technical assistance provided
by the Early Childhood Outcomes Center particularly useful with regard
to early intervention and preschool outcomes.
Statement of Priority: This priority is to support projects that
address the technical assistance and dissemination needs of States to
improve services and results for children with disabilities in one or
more of the following four focus areas.
Focus 1: Developing or Enhancing Part B State Outcome Indicators and
Methods To Collect and analyze Part B outcome indicator data
Background of Focus: The development of outcome indicators, against
which progress can be measured, is the cornerstone of any
accountability system. State performance reports, self-assessments, and
other extant data show that most States, as well as their LEAs, have
not developed outcome indicators for children with disabilities served
under Part B of IDEA or methods to collect and analyze Part B outcome
indicator data, especially for preschool children. Therefore, the
States lack the capacity to collect sufficient data to determine the
impact of special education services.
Statement of Focus: This focus supports development or enhancement
of Part B State outcome indicators and methods to collect and analyze
Part B State outcome indicator data. These indicators must provide
information about one or more of the following:
(a) The impact of Part B preschool services (age 3-5) on children
with disabilities at the State and LEA level.
(b) The impact of Part B services on school-aged children with
disabilities at the State and LEA level.
(c) Post-secondary education and employment outcomes (including the
impact of Part B services on these outcomes) at the State and LEA level
using indicators that have been shown to lead to positive post-
secondary school outcomes.

[[Page 32998]]

(d) Whether children served under Part B of the IDEA are meeting
State educational achievement standards, including, as appropriate,
whether preschool-aged children with disabilities are meeting
appropriate academic achievement and developmental standards at the
State and LEA level.
(e) Trend data on the extent to which children who have received
services under Part B of the IDEA are meeting State educational
achievement standards at the State and LEA level.
Focus 2: Developing or Enhancing Part C State Outcome Indicators and
Methods To Collect and Analyze Part C Outcome Indicator Data.
Background of Focus: The development of outcome indicators, against
which progress can be measured, is the cornerstone of any
accountability system. State performance reports, self-assessments, and
other extant data show that most State Lead Agencies (as defined under
Part C of the IDEA) and LEAs have not developed outcome indicators for
infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families served under
Part C or methods to collect and analyze Part C outcome indicator data.
Therefore, the States lack the capacity to collect sufficient data to
determine the impact of early intervention services.
Statement of Focus: This focus supports development or enhancement
of Part C State outcome indicators and methods to collect and analyze
Part C State outcome indicator data. These indicators must provide
information about one or more of the following:
(a) The impact of Part C services on infants and toddlers with
disabilities and their families at the State and local level.
(b) If the State has standards for early intervention outcomes,
whether infants and toddlers with disabilities are meeting those
standards.
(c) Trend data on the extent to which infants and toddlers with
disabilities are meeting State standards.
Focus 3: Developing, Enhancing, or Redesigning State Assessment
Systems, Including alternate Assessments and alternate Achievement
Standards, Using Universal Design Principles.
Background of Focus: The NCLB requires accountability for the
academic achievement of all students. Under the law, every student and
every group of students is expected to be able to meet State standards.
For that very limited group of students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities, whose intellectual functioning is well below
that of their peers, the Department's regulations allow States to
develop alternate achievement standards that are aligned with the
State's academic content standards and reflect professional judgment of
the highest learning standards possible for those students. The
regulation permits the proficient and advanced scores of students
assessed based on alternate achievement standards to be included in AYP
calculations in the same manner as scores based on grade level
achievement, subject to a one percent cap. See http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2003-4/120903a.pdf
for more information.
Assessments used for system accountability purposes should be
designed to include the widest possible range of students. Universal
design can be applied to all phases of test development, including
creation of test designs and formats, development of tasks and items,
standardization, and development of scoring and reporting procedures.
Universally designed assessments can reduce confusion concerning the
appropriate uses of accommodations with tests, and can also improve the
consistency with which tests are administered and scored.
Statement of Focus: This focus supports development, enhancement,
or redesign of State systems, including alternate assessments and
alternate achievement standards, using universal design principles.
Focus 4: Developing or Enhancing State Systems to Disseminate and
Implement Research-Based Promising Educational or Early Intervention
Practices
Background of Focus: OSEP has found that many States either do not
have a State technical assistance and dissemination structure to
identify, disseminate, and implement research-based promising
educational or early intervention practices, or the existing structure
lacks sufficient resources to be effective. OSEP believes that a State
technical assistance and dissemination structure is a critical
component to every State's effort to support better outcomes for
infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities.
Statement of Focus: This focus supports the development or
enhancement of Statewide technical assistance systems that are aligned
with the State's process for planning improved outcomes for infants,
toddlers, and children with disabilities and that address such areas
as--
(a) Developing models to be used in Statewide technical assistance
efforts.
(b) Providing information about research-based intervention and
instructional practices.
(c) Supporting the use of research-based approaches in instruction
and the delivery of service in local schools and agencies.
(d) Serving as a conduit for the dissemination of research-based
information among SEAs, State Lead Agencies, and LEAs, and national
technical assistance centers.
(e) Improving the efficiency of disseminating information by
existing State technical assistance centers.
In addition, the projects funded under this priority must--
(a) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington,
DC.
(b) If a project maintains a Web site, include relevant information
and documents in an accessible form.
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. 1485.
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: $6,700,000. The Secretary intends to
award at least $2,000,000 for joint applications from SEAs and Part C
Lead Agencies (LA) that address that portion of Focus 1 related to
children with disabilities served under section 619 of the IDEA and
Focus 2.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $412,000 for awards addressing
either Part B activities or Part C activities; $825,000 for awards
addressing both Part B activities and Part C activities.
Estimated Number of Awards: 13. The Secretary will award a maximum
of (a) one award in a State to address Part B activities and (b) one
award in a State to address Part C activities, or (c) one award in a
State to address Parts B and C activities together.

[[Page 32999]]

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.

Project Period: October 1, 2004-September 30, 2005.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, LEAs, IHEs, other public agencies,
nonprofit private organizations, for-profit organizations, outlying
areas, freely associated States, and Indian tribes or tribal
organizations.
Eligibility information for specific types of applicants is as
follows: (a) If an applicant is not an SEA and applying under Focus 1,
3, or 4 (with regard to Part B services only), the applicant must
include in its application a signed letter of endorsement from the SEA.
(b) If an applicant is not a Part C LA and is applying under Focus 2 or
4 (with regard to Part C services only), then the applicant must
include in its application a signed letter of endorsement from the
director of the Part C LA. (c) If an application is not being jointly
submitted by an SEA and Part C LA, and the application proposes to
address both Part B and Part C activities, the applicant must include
in its application signed letters of endorsement from the directors of
the SEA and Part C LA, as applicable.
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 (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 84.326X.
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 Contract
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in Section
VII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: (a) If the SEA
endorses the State LA or the State LA endorses the SEA as the
applicant, the proposed project must describe: (1) How the State LA and
SEA collaborated to develop the application; and (2) how the award will
address the needs of children served under Parts B and C as appropriate
(e.g., developing language development outcome measures for children
participating in Part C early intervention and Part B early childhood
programs).
(b) Additional 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.
If your proposed project addresses only Part B activities or only
Part C activities, you must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more
than 20 pages. If your proposed project addresses both Part B and Part
C activities, you must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than
40 pages. To determine the number of pages or the equivalent, you must
use 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 14, 2004.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 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: September 21, 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 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--
Technical Assistance and Dissemination of Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities--General Supervision Enhancement Grant
competition--CFDA number 84.326X is one of the competitions included in
the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Special
Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination of Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities--General Supervision

[[Page 33000]]

Enhancement Grant 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 of 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--Technical Assistance and Dissemination of
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--General
Supervision Enhancement Grant 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 hand delivery. We will grant this extension
if--
1. You are 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 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--Technical Assistance and Dissemination of Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities--General Supervision Enhancement
Grant competition at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program 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
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
project's performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR CFR
75.590).

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Wexler, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4019, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 205-5390.
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

[[Page 33001]]

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 8, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-13330 Filed 6-10-04; 8:45 am]

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