[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44313-44317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19081]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 
(FY) 2003.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces closing dates, priorities, and other 
information regarding the transmittal of grant applications for FY 2003 
competitions under two programs authorized under part D, subpart 2 of 
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended (IDEA). The 
two programs are: (1) Special Education--Research and Innovation to 
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (1 
priority); and (2) Special Education--Technical Assistance and 
Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities (1 priority).
    Please note that significant dates for the availability and 
submission of applications, as well as important fiscal information, 
are listed in a table at the end of this notice.

Waiver of Rulemaking

    It is generally our practice to offer interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, section 
661(e)(2) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements in the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) inapplicable to the 
priorities in this notice.

General Requirements

    (a) The projects funded under this notice must make positive 
efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with 
disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects 
(see section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).
    (c) The projects funded under these priorities must budget for a 
two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year 
of the project.
    (d) In a single application, an applicant must address only one 
absolute priority in this notice.
    (e) If a project maintains a Web site, it must include relevant 
information and documents in an accessible form.
    Page Limit: If you are an applicant, Part III of each application, 
the application narrative, is where you address the selection criteria 
that are used by reviewers in evaluating the application. You must 
limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than the number of pages 
listed in the table at the end of this notice, using the following 
standards:
    [sbull] A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'' (on one side only) with one-inch 
margins (top, bottom, and sides).
    [sbull] Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, and captions, as well as all text in charts, 
tables, figures, and graphs.
    [sbull] 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 or references, or the letters of support. 
However, you must include all of the application narrative in Part III.
    We will reject without consideration or evaluation any application 
if--
    [sbull] You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
    [sbull] You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.

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.

Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

    In Fiscal Year 2003, the U.S. Department of Education is continuing 
to expand its pilot project of electronic submission of applications to 
include additional formula grant programs and additional discretionary 
grant competitions. The two programs in this announcement: Research and 
Innovation to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities--CFDA 84.324, and Technical Assistance and Dissemination 
to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--CFDA 
84.326, are included in the pilot project. If you are an applicant for 
a grant under the two programs in this notice, 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). Users of e-Application will be 
entering data on-line while completing their applications. You may not 
e-mail a soft copy of a grant application to us. If you participate in 
this voluntary pilot project by submitting an application 
electronically, the data you enter on-line will be saved into a 
database. We request your participation in e-Application. We shall 
continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
    [sbull] Your participation is voluntary.
    [sbull] You will not receive any 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. When you

[[Page 44314]]

enter the e-Application system, you will find information about its 
hours of operation.
    [sbull] 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.
    [sbull] 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).
    [sbull] Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) to the Application Control Center after following 
these steps:
    1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.
    2. The institution's Authorizing Representative must sign this 
form.
    3. Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the 
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
    4. Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at (202) 
260-1349.
    [sbull] We may request that you give us original signatures on all 
other forms at a later date.
    [sbull] Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If 
you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot for the Research 
and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities Program, or the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to 
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program and 
you are prevented from submitting your application on the closing date 
because the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an 
extension of one business day in order to transmit your application 
electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. For us to grant this 
extension--
    1. You must be 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 deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system must be unavailable for any period of 
time during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC, time) on the deadline date.
    The Department must acknowledge and confirm these periods of 
unavailability before granting you an extension. To request this 
extension you must contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in 
this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or (2) the e-GRANTS 
help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Research 
and Innovation to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities Program, or the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to 
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program at: 
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We have included additional information about the e-Application 
pilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and Electronic 
Applications) in the application packages.

Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results for Children 
With Disabilities [CFDA Number 84.324]

    Purpose of Program: To produce, and advance the use of, knowledge 
to improve the results of education and early intervention for infants, 
toddlers, and children with disabilities.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local 
educational agencies (LEAs); institutions of higher education (IHEs); 
other public agencies; nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas; 
freely associated States; and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) The selection criteria, chosen from 
the EDGAR general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210. The specific 
selection criteria for these competitions will be provided in the 
application package for these competitions.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to IHEs only.

Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet 
the following priority:

Absolute Priority--Research Institute on Progress Monitoring (84.324H)

Background
    Progress monitoring research has focused mostly on developing basic 
reading and math skills for elementary school students with high 
incidence disabilities. The focus of this research must be expanded to 
include students with significant cognitive and developmental 
disabilities. The use of progress monitoring will determine the skills 
that these students have learned and need to learn, their rates of 
learning, and instructional modifications that are needed to improve 
their access to and progress in the general education curriculum.
Priority
    The purpose of this priority is to support a cooperative agreement 
for an Institute that will conduct a program of research that addresses 
issues associated with the use of progress monitoring for students with 
significant cognitive and developmental disabilities in elementary 
school, middle school, and high school. The Institute's activities must 
include, but are not limited to, the following:
    (a) Developing and implementing plans of research to identify and 
validate progress monitoring strategies for elementary school, middle 
school, and high school that will maximize achievement of students who 
have significant cognitive and developmental disabilities. These 
strategies should focus on content domains and complex skills and align 
with the existing curriculum.
    (b) Developing a conceptual framework that builds upon current 
progress monitoring research, provides a basis for the intervention 
strategies to be studied, and includes a theoretical and empirical 
rationale for the research design.
    (c) Establishing and validating progress monitoring standards. This 
activity must:
    (1) Describe the process for assessing student progress given the 
wide range of student performance and high expectations States have for 
all students;
    (2) Ensure that standards are relevant for students with 
significant disabilities;
    (3) Identify and describe what assessments will be used, how often 
measures will be administered, how the measures will be scored, and to 
what grade level the measures apply; and
    (4) Identify methods for effectively reporting progress to teachers 
and parents.
    (e) Evaluating the interaction between instruction and progress 
monitoring. This evaluation must:
    (1) Examine and improve the process for making decisions about how 
to target instruction that will be effective, given the identified 
learning characteristics of each student;
    (2) Measure the interaction between progress monitoring outcomes 
and the modification of instruction in terms of the consistency, 
explicitness, intensity, and duration of the instruction as well as the 
fidelity to its design;

[[Page 44315]]

    (3) Evaluate the effect that context of instruction has on student 
growth and outcomes;
    (4) Study content of instruction and the efficacy of progress 
monitoring in this content;
    (5) Document changes that could be made to strengthen the approach 
to instruction modification based upon progress monitoring results;
    (6) Identify effective strategies for including progress monitoring 
in the Individualized Education Program development; and
    (7) Examine the role of technology in progress monitoring.
    The Institute must also:
    (a) For projects that use group comparison research, or other 
research covered by the Design and Implementation Assessment Device 
(DIAD), utilize an overall methodology that meets the standards set out 
in the DIAD protocol from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC);
    (b) Report the findings, as specified in the DIAD protocol from the 
What Works Clearinghouse, for all publications based on group 
comparison research, or other research covered by the DIAD. More 
information about the WWC and the DIAD protocol can be found at http://www.w-w-c.org;
    (c) Prepare and disseminate reports and documents, including 
publications in peer-refereed journals, on progress monitoring and 
other related topics for specific audiences, as appropriate, such as 
researchers and policymakers;
    (d) Prepare and disseminate, through a Web site (in both English 
and Spanish) and by other means, reports and documents on research 
findings and related topics, including a comprehensive analysis of 
progress monitoring literature;
    (e) Share information with the Technical Assistance and 
Dissemination Center on Progress Monitoring;
    (f) Maintain communication with the Federal project officer through 
e-mail communication, as needed, and monthly conference calls. The 
Institute must submit annual performance reports and provide additional 
written materials, as needed, for the Federal project officer to 
monitor the Institute's work;
    (g) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with an 
advisory committee consisting of researchers, representatives of State 
and local agencies, individuals with significant disabilities, parent 
educators, TA providers, professional organizations and advocacy 
groups, and representatives of other appropriate groups to review and 
advise on the Institute's design, plans, products, and activities; and
    (h) In addition to the three two-day meetings listed in the General 
Requirements section of this notice, budget for, at least, two annual 
planning meetings and, at least, eight two-day trips annually as 
requested by OSEP to attend meetings such as Department briefings, 
Department sponsored conferences, and other OSEP-requested activities.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
    In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and 
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a), and in addition--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary which review will be conducted during the 
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must 
budget for the travel associated with this one-day intensive review;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
Institute; and
    (c) The degree to which the project's design and methodology 
demonstrate the potential for advancing significant new knowledge.

Special Education--Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve 
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities [CFDA Number 
84.326]

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to provide 
technical assistance and information--through such mechanisms as 
institutes, regional resource centers, clearinghouses, and programs 
that support States and local entities in building capacity--to (1) 
improve early intervention, educational, and transitional services and 
results for children with disabilities and their families; and (2) 
address systemic-change goals and priorities.
    Eligible applicants: State educational agencies, local educational 
agencies, institutions of higher education, other public agencies, 
nonprofit private organizations, for-profit organizations, outlying 
areas, freely associated States, and Indian tribes or tribal 
organizations.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) The selection criteria, chosen 
from the general selection criteria in 34 CFR 75.210. The specific 
selection criteria for these competitions will be provided in the 
application package for these competitions.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.

Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet 
the following priority:

Absolute Priority--Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center on 
Progress Monitoring (84.326W)

Background
    The use of progress monitoring can lead to improved learning 
outcomes for students with and without disabilities and higher 
expectations for students through more frequent instructional 
modifications. Although progress monitoring is proving to be a powerful 
tool, it is not widely utilized. Widespread use of progress monitoring 
will provide more timely information on the extent to which students 
with disabilities are making progress and are prepared for statewide 
assessments.
Priority
    The purpose of this priority is to support a cooperative agreement 
for a Center that will provide technical assistance for State 
educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) and 
disseminate information regarding progress monitoring, particularly for 
use in content areas taught in grades kindergarten through five.
    The Center's activities must include, but are not limited to, the 
following:
    (a) Working directly with the Office of Special Education (OSEP) 
Technical Assistance Network, States, school districts, national 
teacher organizations, and other relevant programs and organizations on 
the scale up and sustainability of progress monitoring in schools, 
particularly in grades kindergarten through five. This activity must 
include:
    (1) Setting student expectations, selecting measures of progress, 
scoring and analyzing progress monitoring data, and using data to 
institute changes in instruction, policy, and teacher accountability;
    (2) Establishing a cadre of national trainers and a system for 
communication and discussion among States implementing progress 
monitoring;
    (3) Conducting an annual survey of States to determine the current 
status of

[[Page 44316]]

implementing progress monitoring, including how States use progress 
monitoring and how States promote its use, and evaluating policies and 
practices that sustain its use;
    (4) Identifying States and LEAs that have successfully used 
progress monitoring to improve outcomes for students with disabilities;
    (5) Fostering partnerships between LEAs that have successfully used 
progress monitoring and others that want to implement progress 
monitoring, and observing and documenting the process of change for 
those LEAs who have not previously implemented progress monitoring;
    (6) Providing technical assistance to States based upon their needs 
and commitment to implementation of progress monitoring. This must 
include providing technical assistance to three OSEP-identified States 
per year. This effort may include the following: (i) Collaborative Web-
based technical assistance activities, (ii) coordination of and 
participation in State-to-State communities of practice, and (iii) 
direct technical assistance to OSEP-specified States through 
partnerships between OSEP and selected States.

    Note: Staff time and project resources dedicated to provide 
technical assistance to OSEP-specified States will be negotiated 
with OSEP as part of the cooperative agreement within 30 days of the 
project award (OSEP anticipates that technical assistance to OSEP-
specified States could average approximately $40,000 per year. 
Budgets should be developed with this in mind);

    (7) Developing and applying strategies for the dissemination of 
information to specific audiences including teachers, families, 
administrators, policymakers, and researchers. Such strategies must 
involve collaboration with other technical assistance providers, 
organizations, and researchers as described above; and
    (8) Establishing an internal evaluation to:
    (i) Document successful practices and analyze less successful 
approaches to determine changes that could strengthen these less 
successful approaches;
    (ii) Examine patterns and strategies for implementing effective use 
of progress monitoring across successful LEAs; and
    (iii) Identify where additional areas of limited knowledge research 
is needed.
    (b) Conducting National and regional meetings including large-scale 
dissemination conferences, focused trainer forums, topical symposium, 
and other meetings on progress monitoring and related issues as 
requested by OSEP. At a minimum, the Center must hold trainer forums 
every other year, a symposium in the off years, and a national 
conference in year 5.
    (c) Preparing and disseminating reports and documents, on progress 
monitoring and other related topics for specific audiences, as 
appropriate, such as parents, administrators, teachers, related-
services personnel, researchers, and individuals with disabilities. 
This effort must also include compiling documentation to assist LEAs in 
implementing progress monitoring and other technical assistance 
providers in developing training materials.
    (d) Preparing and disseminating, through a Web site (in both 
English and Spanish) and by other means, reports and documents on 
research findings and related topics, including a comprehensive 
analysis of progress monitoring literature.
    (e) Sharing information with the Research Institute on Progress 
Monitoring.
    (f) Maintaining communication and collaboration with other Office 
of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)--funded 
projects such as the Office of Special Education Regional Resource 
Centers; the IDEA Partnership Project; parent projects; other OSEP 
progress monitoring, dissemination, and synthesis projects; and other 
projects, as appropriate.
    (g) Maintaining communication with the Federal project officer 
through e-mail communication, as needed, and monthly conference calls. 
The Center must submit annual performance reports and provide 
additional written materials, as needed, for the Federal project 
officer to monitor the Center's work.
    (h) Establishing, maintaining, and meeting at least annually with 
an advisory committee consisting of technical assistance providers, 
researchers, representatives of State and local agencies, individuals 
with disabilities, parents, professional organizations and advocacy 
groups, and representatives of other appropriate groups to review and 
advise on the Center's design, plans, products, and activities.
    (i) Establishing an external evaluation mechanism to analyze the 
implementation of progress monitoring and the overall impact of the 
Center's work, particularly its effect on student outcomes. The Center 
must report its evaluation findings annually to the Federal project 
officer.
    (j) Coordinating with the National Dissemination Center for 
Children with Disabilities, which OSEP expects to fund this year, to 
ensure timely and accurate dissemination of progress monitoring 
information. Evidence of coordination and proposed outcomes of the 
coordination must be reported to the Federal project officer.
    (k) Prior to developing any new product, whether paper or 
electronic, submit for approval a proposal describing the content and 
purpose of the product to the document review board of the National 
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
    (l) In addition to the three two-day meetings listed in the General 
Requirements section of this notice, budget for, at least, two 2-day 
annual planning meetings and at least eight two-day trips annually as 
requested by OSEP to attend meetings such as Department briefings, 
Department sponsored conferences, and other OSEP-requested activities.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project
    In deciding whether to continue this project for the fourth and 
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a), and in addition--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary which review will be conducted during the 
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must 
budget for the travel associated with this one-day intensive review;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
Center; and
    (c) Evidence of the degree to which the Center's activities have 
contributed to a changed practice and improved student outcomes.

[[Page 44317]]



                                   Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Application Notice for Fiscal Year 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Application     Deadline for     Estimated    Maximum award                                    Estimated
       CFDA No. and name         Applications    deadline   intergovernmental   available        (per         Project period     Page limit   number of
                                   available       date           review          funds     year)[hairsp]*                                      awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.324H Research Institute on        07/28/03     08/27/03        09/29/03      $1,000,000     $1,000,000   Up to 60 mos......           70            1
 Progress Monitoring.
84.326W Technical Assistance         07/28/03     08/27/03        09/29/03         800,000        800,000   Up to 60 mos......           70           1
 and Dissemination Center on
 Progress Monitoring.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the maximum award for a single budget period of 12 months.
Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

    For Applications Contact: If you want an application for any 
competition in this notice, contact Education Publications Center (ED 
Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, Maryland 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827). FAX: 301-470-1244. Individuals 
who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call (toll 
free) 1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact Ed Pubs via its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify the 
competition by the appropriate CFDA number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you want additional information 
about any competition in this notice, contact the Grants and Contracts 
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
room 3317, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: 
(202) 205-8207.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the Grants and Contracts Services Team under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. However, the Department is not able to 
reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the 
application package.

Intergovernmental Review

    All programs in this notice (except for the Research and Innovation 
to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program) 
are subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive 
Order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened 
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State 
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance. This document provides early notification of our 
specific plans and actions for these programs.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the internet at the following site: 
www.ed.gov/legislation/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.access.gpo/nara/index.html.


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1405, 1461, 1471, 1472, and 1485.

    Dated: July 22, 2003.
Loretta Petty Chittum,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 03-19081 Filed 7-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U