[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3176-3179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1391]



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Part IV





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1997 and Final Priorities; 
Notices

  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 13 / Tuesday, January 21, 1997 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Notice 
of Final Priorities

AGENCY: Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces final priorities for three 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 1997 and 
subsequent years. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal 
assistance on identified needs to improve results for children with 
disabilities. These final priorities are intended to ensure wide and 
effective use of program funds.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take effect on February 20, 1997.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six final priorities 
under three programs authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act, as follows: Research in Education of Individuals with 
Disabilities Program (one priority); Educational Media Research, 
Production, Distribution, and Training Program (four priorities); and 
Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with 
Disabilities Program (one priority). The purpose of each program is 
stated separately under the title of that program.
    On October 9, 1996, the Secretary published a notice of proposed 
priorities for these programs in the Federal Register (61 FR 53032).
    These final priorities 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 publication of these 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. Funding of particular projects depends on the 
availability of funds, and the quality of the applications received. 
Further, FY 1997 priorities could be affected by enactment of 
legislation reauthorizing these programs.

    Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under these 
competitions is published in a separate notice in this issue of the 
Federal Register.

Analysis of Comments and Changes

    In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notice of proposed 
priorities, one party submitted comments. An analysis of the comment 
follows. Technical and other minor changes--as well as suggested 
changes the Secretary is not legally authorized to make under the 
applicable statutory authority--are not addressed.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that the Initial Career Awards 
priority should: (1) include individuals who have completed a 
professional degree, such as physical therapists, but who are not 
doctorally prepared; and (2) permit researchers to request up to five 
years of research support.
    Discussion: The Department has a basic three-pronged approach to 
develop the capacity of the special education research community. 
First, there is the Student-Initiated Research Projects priority (begun 
in 1974) that targets students at the post-secondary level to encourage 
students to pursue special education research. Under the Student-
Initiated Research Projects priority, awards are made for up to a 12-
month period. Second, the Initial Career Awards (ICA) competition 
(begun in 1990) is intended to bridge the gap between students and 
established researchers by providing support to individuals who are in 
the initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop promising 
lines of research. Under the ICA competition, awards are made for up to 
three years. Third, the Field-Initiated Research Projects (FIR) 
competition (begun in 1964) provides support to researchers who may be 
associated with institutions of higher education, State and local 
educational agencies, and other public agencies and nonprofit private 
organizations. Awards under the FIR competition may be for up to 5 
years. The Department believes this approach should be maintained 
because historically the students and beginning researchers have a 
difficult time competing against established researchers, and the 
Department believes it is important to encourage and support their 
participation to expand the special education research capacity into as 
broad a range as possible. The Department believes that limiting the 
ICA competition to individuals who are doctorally prepared supports the 
commitment to increase the capacity of individuals who intend to pursue 
careers in special education research, rather than individuals who may 
be capable of conducting research, but who are not making special 
education research a career. The Department has limited ICA to three 
years since these awards are intended as start-up rather than long-term 
investments.
    Changes: None.

Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program

    Purpose of Program: 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 who work with children with disabilities in regular 
education environments--to provide children with disabilities effective 
instruction and enable these children to learn successfully.
    Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an 
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority. 
The Secretary will fund under this competition only those applications 
that meet this absolute priority:

Absolute Priority--Initial Career Awards

    The Secretary establishes an absolute priority for the purpose of 
awarding grants to eligible applicants for the support of individuals 
in the initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop 
promising lines of research consistent with the purposes of the 
program. For purposes of this priority, the initial phase of an 
individual's career is considered to be the first four years after 
completing a doctoral program and graduating (e.g., for fiscal year 
1997 awards, projects may support individuals who completed a doctoral 
program and graduated no earlier than the 1991-92 academic year).
    Projects must--
    (a) Pursue a line of inquiry that reflects a programmatic strand of 
research emanating either from theory or a conceptual framework. The 
line of research must be evidenced by a series of related questions 
that establish directions for designing future studies extending beyond 
the support of this award. The project is not intended to represent all 
inquiry related to the particular theory or conceptual framework; 
rather, it is expected to initiate a new line or advance an existing 
one;
    (b) Include, in its design and conduct, sustained involvement with 
nationally recognized experts having substantive or methodological 
knowledge and expertise relevant to the proposed research. Experts do 
not have to be at the same institution or agency at which the project 
is located, but the interaction must be sufficient to develop the

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capacity of the researcher to pursue effectively the research into mid-
career activities. At least 50 percent of the researcher's time must be 
devoted to the project;
    (c) Prepare its procedures, findings, and conclusions in a manner 
that informs other interested researchers and is useful for advancing 
professional practice or improving programs and services to infants, 
toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families; and
    (d) Disseminate project procedures, findings, and conclusions to 
appropriate research institutes and technical assistance providers.
    A project's budget must include funds to attend the two-day 
Research Project Directors' meeting to be held in Washington, DC each 
year of the project.
    For Further Information Contact: For further information on the 
priority under the Research in Education of Individuals with 
Disabilities Program contact the U.S. Department of Education, 600 
Independence Avenue, SW., room 3529, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 
20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-9864. FAX: (202) 205-8105. Internet: 
Claudette--C[email protected].
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8953.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1441.

Educational Media Research, Production, Distribution, and Training 
Program

    Purpose of Program: To promote the general welfare of individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals with visual 
disabilities, and to promote the educational advancement of individuals 
with disabilities.
    Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an 
absolute preference to applications that meet any one of the following 
priorities. The Secretary will fund under these competitions only 
applications that meet any one of these absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--Closed-Captioned Sports Programs

Background
    This priority supports cooperative agreements to continue and to 
expand closed-captioning of major national sports programs shown on 
national commercial broadcast or basic cable television networks. 
Captioning provides a visual representation of the audio portion of the 
programming and enables individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to 
participate in the shared educational, social, and cultural experiences 
of national sporting events. Funds provided under this priority may be 
used to support no more than sixty percent of the captioning costs for 
the first year of the project, fifty-five percent for the second year, 
and fifty percent for the third year.
Priority
    To be considered for funding under this competition, a project 
must--
    (1) Include criteria for selecting programs for captioning that 
take into account the preference of consumers for particular sports 
programs, the diversity of programming available, and the contribution 
of programs to the general educational, social, and cultural 
experiences of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing;
    (2) Provide a flexible plan, including back-up systems, to ensure 
closed-captioning of sports programs without interruption, while 
accommodating last-minute program substitutions and new programs;
    (3) Identify the total number of hours and the projected cost per 
hour for each of the programs to be captioned;
    (4) Identify for each proposed program to be captioned the source 
of private or other public support and the projected dollar amount of 
that support;
    (5) Identify the methods of captioning to be used for each 
program--indicating whether captioning is provided in real-time, live 
display, offline, or reformatted--and the projected cost per hour for 
each method used;
    (6) Demonstrate the willingness of major national commercial 
broadcast or basic cable networks to permit captioning of their 
programs; and
    (7) Implement procedures for monitoring the extent to which full 
and accurate captioning is provided and use this information to make 
refinements in captioning operations.

Absolute Priority 2--Video Description

Background
    This priority supports cooperative agreements to provide video 
description in two areas: (1) Broadcast and cable television programs; 
and (2) home video. The purpose of this activity will be to describe 
television programs and videos to make television programming and home 
videos more accessible to children and adults with visual disabilities. 
The intent of this priority is to provide access to described 
television programming and home videos in order to enhance shared 
educational, social, and cultural experiences for children and adults 
with visual disabilities.
Priority
    To be considered for funding under this priority, a project must--
    (1) Include criteria for selecting programs and videos that take 
into account the preference of consumers for particular topics of 
interest, the diversity of programs or videos available, and the 
contribution of these programs or videos to the general educational, 
social, and cultural experiences of individuals with visual 
disabilities;
    (2) Identify the total number of hours to be described and the 
projected cost per hour for each program or video to be described;
    (3) Identify the source of private or public support, if any, for 
each program or video to be described, and the projected dollar amount 
of that support;
    (4) Demonstrate the willingness of program or video producers to 
permit video description and distribution of their program or video; 
and,
    (5) Evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and technologies used 
in providing this service and the impact on intended populations.

Absolute Priority 3--Educational Video Selection and Captioning

Background
    This priority supports one cooperative agreement that would screen, 
evaluate, obtain, caption, and make available educational videos, 
including classics and general interest titles, for use by students and 
other individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents of 
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and other individuals 
directly involved in activities promoting the advancement of 
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This activity includes the 
preparation of captions on computer diskettes or CD-ROM, as 
appropriate, and the preparation of lesson guides for educational 
videos. This priority would ensure that students and other individuals 
who are deaf or hard of hearing may benefit from the same educational 
and general interest videos used to enrich the educational experiences 
of students and other individuals without hearing disabilities.
Priority
    To be considered for funding under this priority, the project 
must--
    (1) Develop strategies and procedures to be used in determining 
curricular needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in all 
types of school settings for captioned videos;
    (2) Develop and implement an on-going evaluation program for 
incorporating the reaction and

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suggestions of users into the selection and captioning process;
    (3) Develop and implement criteria and procedures for screening, 
evaluating, and captioning selected videos;
    (4) Obtain videos from film and video distributors for screening, 
evaluation, and possible captioning. Select from among video titles 
submitted by evaluators those that closely match the curricular needs 
identified under paragraph (1) of this proposed priority, taking into 
account the videos most commonly used in school districts across the 
Nation for all students;
    (5) Make arrangements with respective producers and distributors to 
have selected videos captioned and made available through general 
distribution mechanisms (such as video sales catalogues), as well as 
through the captioned film and video loan service authorized under Part 
F of IDEA and 34 CFR Part 330 (by purchasing up to 100 copies of each 
captioned title, which must be open-captioned). Closed-captioned 
masters must be made available to producers and distributors in an 
effort to promote the use of captioned videos.
    (6) For selected titles, prepare captions on computer diskettes or 
CD-ROM, as appropriate, and check for accuracy. These captions would 
take into account the age and reading levels of the likely target 
audience;
    (7) For selected educational videos, prepare lesson guides;
    (8) Identify, select, and, if necessary, provide training or 
technical assistance to video evaluators, caption checkers, and 
captioning service providers; and
    (9) Develop and implement quality control guidelines and procedures 
for checking videocassettes after they are captioned.

Absolute Priority 4--Research on Educational Captioning

Background
    This priority supports research on captioning of educational media 
and materials. Research can be based on the instructional use of 
captioning or the use of captioning as a language development tool for 
enhancing the reading and literacy skills of individuals who are deaf 
or hard of hearing. Media and technologies explored or used by projects 
funded under this priority may include, but are not limited to: (1) 
Television--including high-definition television; (2) videos; and (3) 
other media and multi-media technologies such as interactive videodiscs 
and CD-ROMs.
Priority
    Under this competition, projects must--
    (1) Identify specific technological approaches that would be 
investigated;
    (2) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on 
previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the strategies 
to be studied, the research design, and target population;
    (3) Collect, analyze and report (a) characteristics and outcome 
data (actual rather than expected results), including the settings, the 
service providers, and the individuals targeted by the project; and (b) 
multiple, functional outcome data on the individuals who are the focus 
of the technological approaches;
    (4) Conduct the research in realistic settings such as residential 
or integrated schools or colleges, or in community settings, as 
appropriate; and
    (5) Conduct the research using methodological procedures that 
would: (a) Produce unambiguous findings regarding the effects of 
approaches and effects of the interaction among particular approaches 
and particular groups of individuals or particular settings; and (b) 
permit use of the findings in policy analyses.
    For Further Information Contact: For further information on the 
four priorities under the Educational Media Research, Production, 
Distribution, and Training Program contact the U.S. Department of 
Education, 600 Independence Avenue SW., room 4627, Switzer Building, 
Washington, DC 20202-4641. Telephone: (202) 205-8894. FAX: (202) 205-
8971. Internet: Jeffrey__P[email protected].
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8169.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1451, 1452.

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

    Purpose of Program: 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 related services and early 
intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.
    Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an absolute 
preference to applications that meet the following priority. The 
Secretary will fund under this competition only applications that meet 
this absolute priority:

Absolute Priority--Technology, Educational Media, and Materials 
Projects That Create Innovative Tools for Students With Disabilities

    This priority provides support for development projects that design 
or adapt technology, assistive technology, educational media, or 
materials to improve the education of children and youth with 
disabilities.
Invitational Priority
    Within the absolute priority specified in this notice, the 
Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the 
following invitational priorities. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) 
an application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities 
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other 
applications:
    The Secretary is particularly interested in projects that--
    (a) Create Innovative Tools--by encouraging development of varied 
and integrated technologies, media, and materials that open up and 
expand the lives of those with disabilities. This work should enable 
individuals with disabilities to achieve the outcomes expected of all 
students, such as independence, productivity and an improved quality of 
life, that promote equity in opportunity; or
    (b) Foster the Creation of State-of-the-Art Instructional 
Environments--both in and out of school. These environments should 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 who are fully included in our society.
    For Further Information Contact: For further information on the 
priority under the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for 
Individuals with Disabilities Program contact the U.S. Department of 
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 4617, Switzer Building, 
Washington, D.C. 20202-2734. Telephone: (202) 205-9884. FAX: (202) 205-
8971. Internet: Robin M[email protected].
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8169.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461.

Intergovernmental Review

    The programs (except for the Research in Education of Individuals 
with Disabilities Program) included in this notice are subject to the 
requirements of

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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 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.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Research in 
Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program, 84.023; Media 
Research, Production, Distribution, and Training Program, 84.026; 
and Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals 
with Disabilities Program, 84.180)

    Dated: January 14, 1997.
Katherine D. Seelman,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 97-1391 Filed 1-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P