[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 123 (Monday, June 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36072-36075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14660]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With 
Disabilities--Technology Implementation Center; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327M.

Dates:
    Applications Available: June 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2004.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 28, 2004.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local 
educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), 
other public agencies, nonprofit private organizations, outlying areas, 
freely associated States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and 
for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technology and Media 
Services for Individuals With Disabilities--Technology Implementation 
Center competition is to: (1) Improve results for children with 
disabilities by promoting the development, demonstration, and use of 
technology; (2) support educational media activities designed to be of 
educational value to children with disabilities; (3) provide support 
for some captioning, and video description; and (4) provide cultural 
experiences through appropriate nonprofit organizations.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 
661(e)(2) and 687 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 
as amended (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2004 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is:
    Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities--
Technology Implementation Center.
    Background: The IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 
(NCLB) emphasized the importance of linking research and practice to 
improving educational results for children with disabilities. In more 
than 20 years of supporting special education technology research, the 
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has tested practices that 
indicate that appropriate technology, embedded in strong education 
practice, holds significant promise for helping students with 
disabilities achieve at higher levels. These practices have varying 
degrees of research validation. Some are backed by significant research 
support and might appropriately undergo the high level of scientific 
review offered by the What Works Clearinghouse. Other practices have 
some research support and classroom success, and should be considered 
promising but not yet validated.
    Introducing technology as a tool is not enough, however, the 
infusion of technology into instructional practices requires 
systematic, sustained training and classroom support. Building capacity 
is at the heart of an effective system. To support such a system means 
providing States and local school districts with sufficient information 
and support to provide an underpinning for large-scale implementation 
efforts. Such activities can play a pivotal role in building the 
capacity States and local districts need to support school-wide change.
    Priority: This priority will support a cooperative agreement for a 
center (Center) to support SEAs and LEAs in implementing and evaluating 
selected practices that integrate technology into sound teaching so 
children with disabilities will have access to the general education 
curriculum and will achieve to high educational standards.
    The Center's activities in selecting practices and in assisting 
SEAs and LEAs in implementing practices must include, but are not 
limited to, the following:
    (a) Selecting existing evidence-based and promising practices that 
integrate technology into teaching and learning appropriate for 
students with disabilities. These may include validated practices with 
high levels of research support, but also may include promising 
practices with incomplete research support as long as the latter 
clearly are identified as needing more validation. Applicants are 
encouraged to focus on practices selected from the What Works 
Clearinghouse, the National Study of the Effectiveness of Educational 
Technology required by NCLB, and rigorous research syntheses. The 
Center, however, also may conduct research syntheses and meta-analyses 
in areas that are not being addressed by other projects, or supplement 
available research evidence with additional evidence related to 
students with disabilities.
    (b) Developing implementation strategies to support SEAs and LEAs 
in implementing practices that integrate technology into sound teaching 
for students with disabilities. The implementation strategies must 
provide for the continued implementation of the practices after Federal 
support ends.
    (c) Identifying and recruiting SEAs and LEAs to implement the 
practices. In selecting sites, the Center must consider such elements 
as cultural and linguistic diversity, family income, urban and rural 
settings, regional geographic location, and cost effectiveness.
    (d) Providing professional development and technical assistance 
aligned with current national, State, and local policies to motivate 
and build capacity of administrative leaders, decisionmakers, and 
teachers to implement practices that integrate

[[Page 36073]]

technology into sound teaching for students with disabilities. These 
activities must include both regular and special education partnerships 
and must make use, when appropriate, of administrative supports and 
both internal and external resources.
    (e) Assisting SEAs and LEAs in evaluating the selected practices, 
the outcomes of the professional development and technical assistance 
provided, and the effect on student academic outcomes.
    (f) Creating partnerships with relevant programs and organizations 
to assist with scale up and sustainability efforts.
    (g) Preparing and disseminating information and products for 
specific audiences, as appropriate, such as parents, administrators, 
teachers, related services personnel, researchers, and individuals with 
disabilities.
    The project funded under this priority also must:
    (a) Meet with the OSEP project officer and other appropriate staff 
in Washington, DC, within the first two months of the project to 
clarify project activities and develop a strategic plan.
    (b) Communicate, collaborate, and form partnerships as appropriate, 
with such entities as: technical assistance providers at the national, 
regional, and local levels; centers that are part of the Special 
Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network, such as the 
National Center on Educational Outcomes, the Center on Student Progress 
Monitoring, and the National Dissemination Center; the National 
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR); the 
Institute Of Education Sciences' What Works Clearinghouse; and the 
National and Regional Parent Technical Assistance Centers. In 
particular, the project shall build and maintain approaches for 
communication and collaboration with research and demonstration 
projects that are addressing issues related to the focus of this 
priority.
    (c) Establish, maintain, and meet at least annually with an 
advisory committee consisting of representatives of SEAs and LEAs, 
individuals with disabilities, parents, educators, professional 
organizations and advocacy groups, researchers, persons conversant with 
literature on change theory and sustainability, and other appropriate 
groups to review and advise on the Center's plans, products, and 
activities.
    (d) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, 
DC during each year of the project.
    (e) In addition to the two-day Project Directors' meeting listed in 
paragraph (d), budget for two additional trips annually to Washington, 
DC, (1) to attend the Technical Assistance and Dissemination Project 
Directors' meeting and (2) to attend the Technology Project Directors' 
meeting.
    (f) If a project maintains a Web site, it must include relevant 
information and documents in an accessible form.
    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) for continuation awards.
    The Secretary will also consider the following:
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary. The team will conduct its review in 
Washington, DC during the last half of the project's second year. A 
project 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 
project; and
    (c) The degree to which the project is making a positive 
contribution--and its strategies are demonstrating the potential for 
disseminating significant knowledge to SEAs and LEAs--to using 
technology to improve student outcomes.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties 
the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, section 
661(e)(2) of the IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the 
Administrative Procedure Act inapplicable to the priority in this 
notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1487.

    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

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



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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, LEAs, IHEs, other public agencies, 
nonprofit private organizations, outlying areas, freely associated 
States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and for-profit 
organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--(a) A project funded under this 
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in 
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of 
the 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 the IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 
1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: 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 
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.327M.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the persons listed in 
section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III

[[Page 36074]]

to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following 
standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part 
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, the letters of support, or 
the appendix. However, you must include all of the application 
narrative in Part III.
    We will reject your application if--
     You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
     You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the 
page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: June 28, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 30, 2004.
    The dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or 
by hand (including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the 
application package for this competition. The application package also 
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 28, 2004.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
    5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding 
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Instructions and requirements for 
the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand (including a courier 
service or commercial carrier) are in the application package for this 
competition.
    Application Procedures:

    Note: Some of the procedures in these instructions for 
transmitting applications differ from those in EDGAR (34 CFR 
75.102). Under the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed regulations. However, these amendments make 
procedural changes only and do not establish new substantive policy. 
Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined 
that proposed rulemaking is not required.

    Pilot Project for Electronic Submission of Applications: We are 
continuing to expand our pilot project for electronic submission of 
applications to include additional formula grant programs and 
additional discretionary grant competitions. The Special Education--
Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities 
Program--Technology Implementation Center competition--CFDA Number 
84.327M is one of the competitions included in the pilot project. If 
you are an applicant under the Special Education--Technology and Media 
Services for Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology 
Implementation Center competition--CFDA Number 84.327M, you may submit 
your application to us in either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). If you use e-Application, you will 
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not 
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you 
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved 
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We 
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days 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) 
245-6272.
     We may request that you give us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System 
Unavailability: If you elect to participate in the e-Application pilot 
for the Special Education--Technology and Media Services for 
Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology Implementation Center 
competition--CFDA Number 84.327M and you are prevented from submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of 
one business day in order to transmit your application electronically, 
by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    1. You are a registered user of e-Application, and you have 
initiated an e-Application for this competition; and
    2. (a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or 
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date; or
    (b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time 
during the last hour of operation (that is, for any period of time 
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on the 
application deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
GRANTS help desk at 1-888-336-8930.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Special 
Education--Technology and Media Services for

[[Page 36075]]

Individuals with Disabilities Program--Technology Implementation Center 
competition--CFDA Number 84.327M at: http://e-grants.ed.gov.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
listed in 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR. The specific selection criteria to be 
used for this competition are in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may also notify you informally.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118.
    4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA), the Department is currently developing measures 
that will yield information on various aspects of the quality of the 
Technology and Media Services to Improve Services and Results for 
Children with Disabilities program (e.g., the extent to which projects 
are of high quality, are relevant to the needs of children with 
disabilities, and contribute to improving results for children with 
disabilities). Data on these measures will be collected from the 
projects funded under this notice.
    Grantees will also be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (EDGAR, 34 
CFR 75.590).
    We will notify grantees of the performance measures once they are 
developed.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Hauser, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4092, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7373.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request by contacting the following office: The Grants and 
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. 
Telephone: (202) 205-8207.

VIII. Other Information

    Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. 
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in 
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: June 24, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-14660 Filed 6-25-04; 8:45 am]
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