[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 146 (Monday, August 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-18619]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 1, 1994]


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Part X





Department of Education





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Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program; 
Early Education Program for Children With Disabilities; Technology, 
Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities 
Program; Special Studies Program; and Program for Children and Youth 
With Serious Emotional Disturbance

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes priorities for five programs 
administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services (OSERS) under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. 
The Secretary may use these priorities in Fiscal Year 1995 and 
subsequent years. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal 
assistance on identified needs to improve outcomes for children with 
disabilities. The proposed priorities are intended to ensure wide and 
effective use of program funds.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 30, 1994 for 
the Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program; 
August 31, 1994 for the Early Education Program for Children With 
Disabilities; the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for 
Individuals With Disabilities Program; and the Program for Children and 
Youth With Serious Emotional Disturbance; and October 31, 1994 for the 
Special Studies Program.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning proposed priorities, except for the 
Early Education Program for Children With Disabilities, should be 
addressed to: Linda Glidewell, U.S. Department of Education, 400 
Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3524, Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 
20202-2641. All comments concerning the Early Education Program for 
Children With Disabilities should be addressed to Joseph Clair, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 4622, Switzer 
Building, Washington, D.C., 20202-2644.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The name, address, and telephone 
number of the person at the Department to contact for information on 
each specific proposed priority is listed under that priority.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains two proposed priorities 
under the Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities 
Program, one proposed priority under the Early Education Program for 
Children With Disabilities, one proposed priority under the Technology, 
Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities 
Program, one proposed priority under the Special Studies Program, and 
one proposed priority under the Program for Children and Youth With 
Serious Emotional Disturbance. The purpose of each program is stated 
separately under the title of that program.
    These proposed priorities would support the National Education 
Goals by improving understanding of how to enable children and youth 
with disabilities to reach higher levels of academic achievement.
    The Secretary will announce the final priorities in a notice in the 
Federal Register. The final priorities will be determined by responses 
to this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the 
Department. Funding of particular projects depends on the availability 
of funds, the content of the final priorities, and the quality of the 
applications received. Further, priorities could be affected by 
enactment of legislation reauthorizing these programs. The publication 
of these proposed priorities does not preclude the Secretary from 
proposing additional priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary to 
funding only these priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking 
requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
applications. Notices inviting applications under these competitions 
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or 
following publication of the notices of final priorities.

Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program

Purpose of Program:

    The Research in Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program 
is authorized by Part E of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1441-1443). The program provides support (1) to advance 
and improve the knowledge base and improve the practice of 
professionals, parents, and others providing early intervention, 
special education, and related services--including professionals in 
regular education environments--to provide children with disabilities 
effective instruction and enable them to successfully learn; and (2) 
for research and related purposes, surveys, or demonstrations relating 
to physical education or recreation, including therapeutic recreation, 
for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet any one of the following 
priorities. The Secretary proposes to fund under these competitions 
only applications that meet any one of these absolute priorities:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Examining Alternatives for Outcome 
Assessment for Children with Disabilities

Background
    Many students with disabilities are currently excluded from 
national, State, and local outcome assessments and outcomes-based 
accountability systems. This exclusion has the effect of weakening 
educational accountability, limiting educational opportunities for 
students with disabilities, and denying these students the potential 
benefits of educational reforms.
    This problem is addressed in new Federal legislation, ``The Goals 
2000: Educate America Act.'' (Public Law 103-227, March 31, 1994). 
Section 220 of this Act supports development and evaluation of State 
assessments aligned with State educational standards, with a portion of 
the funds reserved for developing assessments for students with 
disabilities. Section 1015 calls for ``a comprehensive study of the 
inclusion of children with disabilities in school reform activities 
assisted under * * * [the Act].'' This study is to include ``* * * a 
review of the adequacy of assessments and measures used to gauge 
progress towards meeting * * * [education goals and standards], and an 
examination of other methods or accommodations necessary or desirable 
to collect data on the educational progress of children with 
disabilities, and the costs of such methods and accommodations * * *.'' 
To support and complement such efforts, further research is needed on a 
variety of technical and implementation issues.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for research projects that--
    (a) Pursue systematic programs of applied research focusing on one 
or more issues related to outcome assessment and/or outcomes-based 
accountability for students with disabilities. These issues include, 
but are not limited to:
    (1) Testing accommodations and adaptations. When adaptations and 
accommodations are made to permit students with disabilities to 
participate in outcome assessments, how are the technical 
characteristics of the assessments affected? How can the results be 
interpreted? To what degree can these scores be aggregated with 
nonadapted assessments? What are the best methods for selecting 
appropriate accommodations and adaptations? How can testing 
accommodations be related to instructional accommodations?
    (2) Alternative assessments. When alternative assessments (such as 
performance assessments or portfolio assessments) are provided for 
students with disabilities, how can these assessments be compared with 
conventional assessments? What technical criteria can appropriately be 
applied to these assessments when used with students with disabilities?
    (3) Development of assessments. How can general educational 
assessments be developed to be more inclusive for students with 
disabilities? How can problematic items and item formats be identified? 
How can students with disabilities be adequately represented in test 
development and validation samples? What are the effects when tests 
developed for general populations are administered to students with 
disabilities?
    (4) Including students with disabilities in general assessments. 
How should decisions be made and documented to include or exclude 
students with disabilities in general educational assessments or 
alternative assessments? What factors influence these decisions?
    (5) Standards and outcomes. How can standards and outcomes be 
developed for diverse populations? How can their appropriateness be 
judged?
    (6) System development. How can assessment and accountability 
systems be developed with the range and flexibility to accommodate 
diverse student populations? How can accountability and 
individualization both be maintained?
    (7) Basic concepts and principles. How can basic concepts and 
principles in assessment be revised to reflect new approaches to 
assessment and new roles and challenges in outcome assessment for 
diverse populations?
    (b) Produce and disseminate information that can be applied in 
educational programs, as well as in subsequent research; and
    (c) Coordinate their activities, as appropriate, with the Center to 
Support the Achievement of World Class Outcomes for Students with 
Disabilities, and with other related projects funded under The Goals 
2000: Educate America Act.
    A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, D.C., 
for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another 
meeting, to meet and collaborate with the project officer of the Office 
of Special Education Programs and the other projects funded under this 
priority, to share information and to discuss findings and methods of 
dissemination.
    For Further Information Contact: David Malouf, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3521, Switzer Building, 
Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8111. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Proposed Absolute Priority 2--Studying Models That Bridge The Gap 
Between Research And Practice

Background
    Educational research most often includes the following phases: (1) 
Planning and preparation; (2) information gathering; (3) analysis and 
interpretation; (4) reporting and dissemination; and (5) use of 
findings. In traditional research models, the researcher is solely or 
primarily responsible for all phases but the last. Using research 
findings is seen as a job for the practitioner. However, it has been 
observed that research knowledge rarely translates directly into 
practice.
    In recent years, a variety of models have been developed to bridge 
the gap between research and practice by altering the roles of 
researchers and practitioners in the school district for one or more 
phases of the research. In some models (e.g., interactive research and 
development, teacher-researcher partnership research) researchers and 
practitioners collaborate in all phases of the research process. Some 
of these models include parents on their school-based teams. In other 
models, practitioners, working individually (e.g., teacher research 
linkers) or in groups (e.g., teacher study groups), or in pairs (e.g., 
peer coaching) interpret extant research to understand how to integrate 
research into practice. In some models, teachers conduct research 
(e.g., action research, collegial experimentation). To date there have 
been few systematic examinations of the effectiveness of these models 
to improve practice in special education.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for research projects to implement and examine one or more models for 
using research knowledge to improve education practice and outcomes for 
children with disabilities.
    In studying the models, projects must apply methodologies with the 
capacity to judge the effectiveness of the model(s) as implemented in 
practice settings. The projects must specify components of the 
knowledge utilization model selected, the supports and policies 
necessary to support the model, both alterable and unalterable factors 
affecting practice improvement, and the effect of the model to improve 
the school culture, teacher attitudes and practices, and student 
outcomes. In judging effectiveness, the projects must address 
improvements for researchers, practitioners, and children and youth 
with disabilities.
    The projects must report their findings in a manner which can serve 
as a ``blueprint'' for practitioners and researchers in other school 
districts to implement the model using research knowledge to improve 
practice in special education.
    A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, DC, for 
(1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another 
meeting, to meet and collaborate with the project officer of the Office 
of Special Education Programs and the other projects funded under this 
priority, to share information and to discuss findings and methods of 
dissemination.
    For Further Information Contact Jane Hauser, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3521, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8126. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Proposed Absolute Priority 3--Student-Initiated Research Projects

    This priority provides support for short-term (up to 12 months) 
postsecondary student-initiated research projects focusing on special 
education and related services for children and youth with disabilities 
and early intervention services for infants and toddlers, consistent 
with the purposes of the program, as described in 34 CFR 324.1.
    Projects must--
    (1) Develop research skills in postsecondary students; and
    (2) Include a principal investigator who serves as a mentor to the 
student/researcher while the project is carried out by the student.

Proposed Competitive Priority

    Within this proposed absolute priority 3, the Secretary, under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii), will give preference to applications that meet 
the following competitive priority. An application that meets this 
competitive priority would be selected by the Secretary over 
applications of comparable merit that do not meet the priority:
    A project that would give a priority to providing support for 
postsecondary students who are members of groups that have been 
underrepresented in the field of special education research, such as 
members of racial or ethnic minority groups (e.g. Black, Hispanic, 
American Indian, or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander), and 
individuals with disabilities.
    A project must budget for a trip to Washington, DC for the annual 
two-day Research Project Directors' meeting.
    For Further Information Contact Melville J. Appell, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3529, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8113. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Applicable Program Regulations

    34 CFR Part 324.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1441-1443.

Early Education Program for Children With Disabilities

Purpose of Program

    The purpose of this program is to provide Federal financial 
assistance (a) to address the special needs of children with 
disabilities, birth through age eight, and their families; and, (b) to 
assist State and local entities in expanding and improving programs and 
services for these children and their families.
Priority
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications 
that meet this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Early Childhood Research Institute: 
Follow Through

Background
    This priority supports an Early Childhood Research Institute to 
develop, evaluate and disseminate strategies and procedures that will 
move the successful practices of early intervention and preschool 
programs into the early elementary school grades. These successful 
practices include, but are not limited to, (1) family-friendly and 
family-focused approaches to planning and providing special education 
and related services, (2) extensive parent involvement in service 
planning and delivery, (3) integrated and coordinated delivery of 
services when multiple services are necessary, (4) multi-disciplinary 
input into service planning and delivery, (5) developmentally 
appropriate services delivered in ungraded/mixed-age and mixed ability 
group settings, and (6) a pro-active approach to service planning and 
delivery in which services (e.g., team teaching, assistive technology 
applications, use of paraprofessionals) are integrated and concentrated 
to ensure that as many children with disabilities as possible 
successfully acquire critical skills taught in the primary grades 
(e.g., beginning literacy, social skills) that are crucial to 
children's progress and adjustment in school.
    The Institute's research, development and evaluation activities 
must (1) identify administrative, attitudinal, and programmatic 
barriers to establishing these successful practices in kindergarten 
through grade three (or equivalent) for children with disabilities and 
their families; (2) develop and evaluate strategies and procedures that 
are designed to overcome these barriers, such as strategies parents can 
use to maintain their involvement once their child reaches school age, 
and strategies school personnel can use to encourage and facilitate 
continued parent involvement; and (3) identify effective ways to 
disseminate the findings and products of the Institute so that 
successful practices, or combinations of practices, can be adopted 
easily by school systems.
    The Secretary anticipates funding one cooperative agreement with a 
project period of up to 60 months subject to the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a) for continuation awards. In determining whether to continue 
the Institute for the fourth and fifth years of the project period, the 
Secretary, in addition to applying the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a), considers the recommendation of a review team consisting of 
three experts selected by the Secretary. The services of the review 
team, including a two-day visit to the project, are to be performed 
during the last half of the Institute's second year and may be included 
in that year's evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590.
    Priority: The Early Childhood Research Institute considered for 
funding under this priority must--
    (a) Conduct a program of research that addresses the issues 
identified above.
    (b) Identify specific strategies and procedures that will be 
investigated.
    (c) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on 
previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the strategies 
and procedures to be studied, the research methods and instrumentation 
that will be used, and the specific target populations and settings 
that will be studied.
    (d) Collect, analyze, and report a variety of descriptive and 
outcome data, including (1) specific information on the settings, the 
service providers, the children and families targeted by the Institute 
(e.g., age, disability, level of functioning and membership in a 
special population, if appropriate); (2) multiple, functional outcome 
data for the children and families who are the focus of the strategies 
and procedures; and (3) multiple outcome data for the teachers, 
administrators, and other school staff involved in the research.
    (e) Conduct the research in typical school settings, including 
settings that are, or will be, implementing different combinations of 
the successful practices.
    (f) Conduct the research using methodological procedures that are 
designed to produce unambiguous findings regarding the effects of the 
strategies and procedures, as well as any findings on interaction 
effects between particular strategies or procedures and particular 
characteristics of participants or settings. These findings will be 
rendered through appropriate sample selection and adequate sample size 
to permit use of the findings in policy analyses.
    (g) Design all activities in a manner that is likely to lead to 
improved services for children with disabilities and their families, 
including those who are members of cultural, linguistic, or racial 
minority groups.
    (h) Develop, field test, and disseminate a variety of products that 
can be used for training and technical assistance activities with 
policy makers, administrators, school board members, parents, and 
service providers and that are likely to facilitate the implementation 
of the successful practices in early elementary school settings.
    (i) Coordinate research and dissemination activities with other 
relevant efforts sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, 
including other research institutes, technical assistance entities, and 
information clearinghouses.
    (j) Provide research training and experience for at least 10 
graduate students annually.
    In determining whether to continue the Institute for the fourth and 
fifth years of the project period, in addition to considering factors 
in 34 CFR 75.253(a), the Secretary considers the following:
    (a) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
Institute.
    (b) The degree to which the Institute's research designs and 
methodological procedures demonstrate the potential for producing 
significant new knowledge and products.
    In order to apply for funding for years four and five, the 
Institute must set aside in its budget for the second year, funds to 
cover costs associated with the services to be performed by the review 
team appointed by the Secretary to evaluate the project in the second 
year. These funds are estimated to be approximately $4,000.
    For Further Information Contact: Gail Houle, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 4613, Switzer Building, 
Washington, D.C., 20202-2644. Telephone (202) 205-9045. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD 
number at (202) 205-8169.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1423.

Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With 
Disabilities Program

Purpose of Program

    The purpose of this program is to support projects and centers for 
advancing the availability, quality, use, and effectiveness of 
technology, educational media, and materials in the education of 
children and youth with disabilities and the provision of early 
intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. In 
creating Part G of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 
Congress expressed the intent that the projects and centers funded 
under that part should be primarily for the purpose of enhancing 
research and development advances and efforts being undertaken by the 
public or private sector, and to provide necessary linkages to make 
more efficient and effective the flow from research and development to 
application.
Priority
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications 
that meet this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Collaborative Research on Technology, 
Media, and Materials for Children and Youth With Disabilities

Background
    In 1993 an agenda was developed for the Technology, Educational 
Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program which 
set forth four program commitments. These four commitments were derived 
from broad-based input from the field, and together they represent the 
means by which the Office of Special Education Programs intends to 
advance the use of technology, media, and materials with students with 
disabilities. They are:
    (1) Enable the Learner Across Environments. This means fostering 
instructional environments, both in and out of school, that use 
technology, educational media, and materials to enable students with 
disabilities to access knowledge, develop skills and problem-solving 
strategies, and engage in educational experiences necessary for their 
success as adults.
    (2) Promote Effective Policy. This means policymaking at all levels 
in government, schools, and business to ensure accessibility, 
availability, effective application, and consistent use of appropriate 
technology, media, and materials.
    (3) Foster Use Through Professional Development. This means 
training and supporting teachers, administrators, parents, and related 
service personnel on the benefits of instructional and assistive 
technologies so that they can increase productive use of instructional 
time, prepare students with disabilities for employment and 
citizenship, and promote their intellectual, ethical, cultural, 
emotional, and physical growth.
    (4) Create Innovative Tools. This means encouraging development of 
varied and integrated technologies, media, and materials which open up 
and expand the lives of those with disabilities.
    However, research is needed on how these interrelated commitments 
can be applied in the complex reality of educational practice. This 
priority addresses that need by supporting collaborative research, 
which means research based on a partnership between researchers and 
practitioners in which both are actively involved in all phases of the 
research--initial planning and design, collection of information or 
data, analysis of information or data, and reporting and dissemination. 
This research strategy is intended to produce methodologically sound 
research information that is relevant and applicable to practice and 
reduces the gap between research and practice.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for collaborative research projects that--
    (a) Formulate a research topic and design based on commitments (1), 
(2), and (3), as described above, as they relate to improving education 
and/or related services at the local level for students with 
disabilities. This priority is not intended to support projects that 
are primarily engaged in product development; thus, commitment (4) may 
be included only as a supporting activity. In formulating the research 
topic, projects must develop a focus in terms of curriculum areas, 
grade/age levels, disabilities, types of services provided, and/or 
specific types of technology, media and materials. In formulating the 
research design, projects must apply the standards for conducting 
rigorous social science research. The following research topics are 
offered as illustrative examples and do not represent the full range of 
possible topics. These examples are broad, and projects may opt for 
more narrow focuses. However, projects must address all three program 
commitments--either as background, contextual factors, or as components 
of interventions or manipulations.
    Example 1: Research on how local policies in schools and other 
agencies restrict or facilitate the acquisition and use of assistive 
devices, and how professional development within the context of these 
policies can yield improved assistive technology services to better 
enable students to access school, home, and community environments.
    Example 2: Research on how local policies regarding curriculum and 
accountability can be revised to promote interdisciplinary professional 
collaboration in the effective use of technology, media and materials 
to enable students with disabilities to acquire high-level problem-
solving strategies.
    Example 3: Research on how policies and professional practices may 
contribute to inequitable access and use of technology, media and 
materials for some students with disabilities, and how the inequities 
can be reduced by means of policy and/or professional interventions to 
better enable students with disabilities to engage in beneficial 
educational experiences.
    (b) Conduct a program of collaborative research on the research 
topic.
    (c) Measure the effects of the intervention and relationships 
within and across the program commitments (1, 2, and 3).
    (d) Disseminate information on the findings of the collaborative 
research in a form conducive to use by other schools or service 
providers, as well as other researchers.
    (e) Coordinate their activities, as appropriate, with recipients of 
grants under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with 
Disabilities Act (Pub. L. 100-407 as amended by Pub. L. 103-218).
    A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, DC, for 
(1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another 
meeting, to meet and collaborate with the project officer of the Office 
of Special Education Programs and the other projects funded under this 
priority, to share information and to discuss findings and joint 
methods of dissemination.
    For Further Information Contact: Ellen Schiller, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3523 , Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8123. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Part 333.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461.

Special Studies Program

Purpose of Program

    To support studies to evaluate the impact of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including efforts to provide a free 
appropriate public education to children and youth with disabilities, 
and early intervention services to infants and toddlers with 
disabilities.
Priority
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications 
that meet this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Center to Support the Achievement of 
World Class Outcomes for Students With Disabilities

Background
    The enactment of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (Public Law 
103-227, March 31, 1994) will stimulate standards-based assessment and 
reform in schools across the Nation. Most States already conduct 
assessments of student achievement. However, surveys of States 
conducted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded 
National Center for Educational Outcomes (NCEO) have revealed that most 
States exclude large numbers of students with disabilities from 
assessments. Typically, no accommodations have been provided to enable 
students with disabilities to participate. In many States no policies 
or guidelines exist to facilitate or encourage participation of 
students with disabilities. NCEO has also observed that the development 
of national and State content standards often do not explicitly 
consider the needs of student with disabilities.
    The new Federal law requires that students with disabilities be 
included in the Goals 2000 reform efforts. Because so few students with 
disabilities are currently included in assessments, States will need 
considerable assistance to permit these students to participate. States 
will need help developing accommodations for assessments and for 
designing policies to cover the implementation of these accommodations. 
States will also need assistance analyzing and reporting results of 
these assessments. In addition, it is essential to document the 
progress of the States in including students with disabilities in 
assessments and other reform initiatives.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for a center to assist States in implementing activities to improve 
outcomes for students with disabilities and to assist in the 
implementation of the requirements of Goals 2000 for students with 
disabilities, and to document States' efforts in doing so.
    The Center must--
    (a) Work with Regional Resource Centers (RCCs), other technical 
assistance providers, and directly with States;
    (b) Develop and facilitate the use of appropriate accommodations 
and adaptations of assessments in the States for students with 
disabilities and advance and support the use of outcome related data 
for these students;
    (c) Document the extent to which students with disabilities are 
included in State activities;
    (d) Provide assistance in analyzing and reporting outcome data for 
students with disabilities;
    (e) Work with the Department to develop and report national level 
data on the status of outcomes for students with disabilities and the 
degree to which these students are achieving the National Education 
Goals;
    (f) Synthesize and report on technical advances in the 
accommodation and participation of students with disabilities in State 
activities, especially those related to Goals 2000, and ensure that 
States are assisted in using such advances;
    (g) Work with researchers and developers who are conducting related 
work and facilitate the exchange of information among such projects, 
including projects funded under the priority ``Examining Alternatives 
for Outcome Assessment for Children with Disabilities'', and projects 
funded under Goals 2000 authority;
    (h) Assist States and the Department to ensure that standards-
setting and assessment processes and documents, as well as any other 
Goals 2000 related activities, include the perspectives of the 
disability community; and
    (i) Conduct periodic examinations of the status of standards-
setting activities at the State and national level.
    The center must budget for two trips annually to Washington, DC, 
for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another 
meeting, to meet with the project officer of the Office of Special 
Education Programs to plan and review project activities and progress.
    For Further Information Contact: David Malouf, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3521, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8111. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Proposed Absolute Priority 2--Longitudinal Study of the Impact of Early 
Intervention Services on Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities

Background
    As Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act moves 
into full implementation, there is a critical need to discern the 
immediate and long-term effects of this program on children, families, 
and service providers. Although federally mandated data collection 
activities provide some information on the ages of infants and toddlers 
served by the program and on the services received and their settings, 
little is known on a national basis about the developmental and 
behavioral characteristics of children served by the program. Moreover, 
a national systematic evaluation of the impact of the Part H program on 
children, families and other stakeholders within the context of child 
development is clearly lacking.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for a project to design and conduct a five-year longitudinal study of 
infants and toddlers served under Part H. The project must assess the 
effects of the program over a five-year period, and include an 
evaluation of the Part H program impact on children, families and 
service providers. The study design must consider the interaction of 
program variables with variables related to childhood development. The 
project must conduct analyses that:
    (1) Compare and evaluate different patterns of child development 
related to long-term outcomes;
    (2) Assess the effects of socioeconomic, demographic and health-
related variables on long-term developmental and behavioral 
characteristics of the children;
    (3) Isolate and explain the long-term effects of intervention;
    (4) Incorporate factors related to medical variables (e.g., 
psychological, physiological, and anatomical structure or function), 
personal functioning variables, and the interaction of the environment 
with these variables that could result in a disadvantage limiting or 
preventing the fulfillment of an age-appropriate role;
    (5) Incorporate family variables, including family background and 
the need for service; and
    (6) Provide information on services, service-providers, and the 
appropriateness of particular service settings.
    The project must budget for three trips annually to Washington, 
D.C., for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) an 
additional two meetings, to meet and collaborate with the project 
officer of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and with 
other relevant OSEP funded projects. The project must also coordinate 
activities with the ongoing Policy Research Institute funded by OSEP.
    For Further Information Contact: Scott Brown, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Room 3522, Switzer Building, 
Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8117. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
    Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR Part 327.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1418.

Program for Children and Youth With Serious Emotional Disturbance

Purpose of Program

    This program supports projects designed to improve special 
education and related services to children and youth with serious 
emotional disturbance. Types of projects that may be supported under 
the program include, but are not limited to, research, development, and 
demonstration projects. Funds may also be used to develop and 
demonstrate approaches to assist and prevent children with emotional 
and behavioral problems from developing serious emotional disturbance.
Priority
    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only applications 
that meet this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority 1--Nondiscriminatory, Culturally-Competent, 
Collaborative Demonstration Models to Improve Services for Students 
with Serious Emotional Disturbance and Prevention Services for Students 
with Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Background
    The rates of identification, placement, and achievement of children 
and youth with emotional and behavioral problems vary across racial, 
cultural, gender, and socioeconomic dimensions. For example, African-
American students are most likely to be identified as students with 
serious emotional disturbance (SED). African-Americans comprise 16 
percent of public school enrollment, but represent 22 percent of all 
students identified with SED (based on data from the 1990 OCR survey of 
school districts), and 25 percent of secondary students with SED (based 
on data from OSEP National Longitudinal Transition Study). Rates of SED 
identification for African-American students vary greatly across States 
but, on average, States with the lowest overall African-American 
enrollment have the highest SED incidence rates for those students and, 
conversely, States with the highest overall African-American enrollment 
have the lowest average rate of SED classification for these students 
(based on data from the 1990 OCR survey of school districts). These 
data suggest that African-American students may be over-represented in 
SED programs in some States, and underserved in others, and that some 
of these differences may be related to varying levels of familiarity 
with African-American culture.
    Diversity must be acknowledged and valued, and both prevention and 
SED service delivery systems must be culturally-competent. Cultural 
competencies represent the interpersonal skills and attitudes that 
enable individuals to increase their understanding and appreciation of 
the rich and fluid nature of culture and of differences and 
similarities within, among, and between cultures and individuals.
    Culturally-competent approaches recognize the cultural origins of 
teachers' and service providers' views, behaviors, and methods. These 
approaches also recognize the power of language and attend to the 
communicative styles of students and their families. Culturally-
competent approaches address culturally- based definitions of family 
and networks. They view family and community as critical parts of a 
student's support system. Such approaches also demonstrate a 
willingness and ability to draw on community-based values, traditions, 
customs, and resources. Assessment, pre-referral, and preventive 
approaches that are culturally-competent and linguistically appropriate 
recognize and nurture the strengths--individual and cultural--that 
students bring to school.
    There is a need to improve the capacity of individuals and systems 
to respond skillfully, respectfully, and effectively to students, 
families, teachers, and other providers in a manner that recognizes, 
affirms, and values their worth and dignity. To accomplish this, 
collaboration must be fostered--among families, professionals, 
students, and communities--to identify and provide culturally-competent 
services for students with SED and prevention services that address the 
needs of children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems.
Priority
    The Assistant Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority 
for 3-year demonstration projects that develop, implement, evaluate, 
and disseminate nondiscriminatory, culturally-competent, collaborative 
practices to prevent children with emotional and behavioral problems 
from developing SED, and to improve special education and related 
services for ethnic and cultural minority students, in the least 
restrictive environment. The projects must establish local, community-
based assessment, planning, prevention, and intervention teams that 
involve participation from education, mental health, juvenile justice 
agencies, other appropriate community service agencies, and 
organizations representing families. The first stage of each project 
must consist of the development and refinement of working agreements 
between the various community agencies and organizations, to identify 
approaches that improve the capacity of individuals and systems to 
respond skillfully, respectfully, and effectively to students, 
families, teachers, and other providers in a manner that recognizes, 
affirms, and values their worth and dignity.
    The first stage planning must include the collaborative 
consideration and development, by all participating groups, of 
nondiscriminatory, culturally-competent techniques that enhance the 
fairness and effectiveness of key service delivery elements, including 
but not necessarily limited to assessment, education, training, 
transition planning, and the provision of related services. The second 
stage of each project must consist of the implementation and evaluation 
of the services delivered, across service providers, followed by 
dissemination of the results.
    A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, D.C., 
for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another 
meeting, to meet and collaborate with the OSEP project officer and the 
other projects funded under this priority, to share information and to 
discuss findings and methods of dissemination.
    For Further Information Contact: Tom V. Hanley, U.S. Department of 
Education, Switzer Building, Room 3526, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20202-2640. Telephone: (202) 205-8110. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Intergovernmental Review

    The Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals 
with Disabilities Program and the Program for Children and Youth with 
Serious Emotional Disturbance are subject to the requirements of 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The 
objective of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental 
partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on processes 
developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of 
proposed Federal financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

Invitation to Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available 
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 
3524, 300 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C., between the hours of 8:30 
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Research in 
Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program, 84.023; Early 
Education Program for Children with Disabilities, 84.024; 
Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with 
Disabilities Program, 84.180; Special Studies Program, 84.159; and 
Program for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance, 
84.237)

    Dated: July 27, 1994.
Howard R. Moses,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 94-18619 Filed 7-29-94; 8:45 am]
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