[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 126 (Thursday, July 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39913-39917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-14987]



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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information: Special Education--Research and Innovation To Improve 
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--Research on 
Accessible Reading Assessments; Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.324F

    Dates: Applications Available: July 2, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 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; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,800,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $960,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months 
unless the application involves a consortium of organizations, or any 
other group of eligible parties that meets the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.127-75.129, and a compelling rationale is provided. The Assistant 
Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 5.

    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: To produce, and advance the use of, knowledge 
to improve the results of education and early intervention for infants, 
toddlers, and children with disabilities.
    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 672 of 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: Research on Accessible Reading Assessments.
    Background: The purpose of this priority is to support research to 
make large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for 
students who have disabilities that affect reading. This research will 
contribute to the ultimate goal of making large-scale assessments more 
``universally designed'', i.e., designed from the beginning to be 
accessible and valid for the widest possible range of students, 
including students with disabilities.

    Note: For additional background information and a complete list 
of the references for this priority, applicants are encouraged to 
review this material in the application package for this 
competition.

    Priority: This priority is for projects to conduct systematic 
programs of research and development to make large-scale assessments of 
reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities 
that affect reading. Projects may focus on one or more of the 
categories of disabilities that affect reading. Given a sufficient 
number of approved high quality applications, the Department intends to 
fund projects that, in combination, address the assessment of students 
with a full range of disabilities that affect reading, including 
particularly blindness and other visual impairments, deafness and other 
hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and mental retardation. The 
Department intends to fund at least one project that addresses the 
assessment of students working toward alternate achievement standards, 
as defined in 34 CFR Part 200 as amended by the regulations published 
in the Federal Register, December 9, 2003, pp. 68698-68708.
    Each project must complete the goals described below:
    Goal One: In collaboration with the other projects funded under 
this priority, formulate a definition of the construct of ``reading 
proficiency'' that can be used by all of the projects as a basis for 
research and development for accessible large-scale tests of reading 
proficiency (as discussed above) that (consistent with the requirements 
of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)) provide (a) a valid 
measure of proficiency against academic standards, and (b) individual 
interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports for the full range of 
students with disabilities that affect reading. In collaboration with 
the other projects funded under this priority: (1) Develop 
documentation that supports the definition on the basis of research and 
theory, including reports of the National Reading Panel and the Rand 
Corporation's report on reading comprehension; \1\ (2) analyze the 
definition in relation to current State and national academic 
standards, and the characteristics of the populations under study by 
the projects; (3) obtain input from relevant outside groups, such as 
experts in assessment, reading, special education, disabilities; and 
(4) refine the definition as needed on the basis of input from external 
sources and research conducted under this priority.
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    \1\ Snow, C. E. (2002). Reading for understanding: toward a 
research and development program in reading comprehension. Santa 
Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
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    Goal Two: Conduct a program of research on the assessment of 
reading proficiency (as defined under Goal One) to determine the 
effects of various factors of test development, design, and 
administration (item development, field test methods, presentation 
modes, formats, schedules, etc.) on accessibility, validity, and 
comparability for students with disabilities that affect reading. The 
program of research must be designed to produce an empirical base, in 
combination with other available research findings, for developing 
accessible reading assessments that can provide (a) a valid measure of 
proficiency against academic standards, and (b) individual 
interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports for students with 
disabilities that affect reading. The research may include 
investigations of technology-based assessments, vertical scaling, and 
other approaches for allowing tests to accommodate wide variations in 
student proficiency and other characteristics.
    The research must employ sound methodologies. It cannot simply be 
designed to demonstrate performance increments for students with 
disabilities, but must be designed to demonstrate increased access 
while validity and comparability are maintained. One possible research 
design is based on experimental research on assessment accommodations. 
This design is based on an ``interaction'' model in which 
accommodations produce a ``differential boost'' in the performance of 
students with specific disabilities in comparison to the performance of 
students without those disabilities who also receive the 
accommodations.\2\ This research is discussed in several recent 
summaries.\3\

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For the purposes of this priority, this design may be adapted to test 
specific features of accessible reading assessments. Other research 
approaches, for example research based on item response theory or 
factor analysis, may also be important components of the program of 
research supported under this priority. For all research designs, the 
project must provide sufficient sample sizes and research rigor to 
produce conclusive findings.
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    \2\ Phillips, S.E. (1994). High-stakes testing accommodations: 
Validity versus disabled rights. Applied Measurement in Education, 
7, 93-120.
    \3\ Chiu, C., & Pearson, P.D. (June 1999). Synthesizing the 
Effects of Test Accommodations for Special Education and Limited 
English Proficiency Students. Paper presented at the National 
Conference on Large Scale Assessment (Snowbird, UT June 1999). 
American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo 
Alto, CA.
    Sireci, S.G., Li, S., & Scarpati, S. (2003). The effects of test 
accommodations on test performance: A review of the literature. 
Center for Educational Assessment Research, Report No. 485. Amherst, 
MA: School of Education, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
    Thompson, S., Blount, A., & Thurlow, M. (2002). A summary of 
research on the effects of test accommodations: 1999 through 2001 
(Technical Report 34). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, 
National Center on Educational Outcomes.
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    Goal Three: In collaboration with the other projects funded under 
this priority, develop research-based principles and guidelines for 
making large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible 
for students who have disabilities that affect reading. The principles 
and guidelines must address all phases of test design and development, 
including definitions of constructs, development of items and formats, 
field testing and revision, etc. To the greatest possible degree, the 
principles and guidelines developed under this goal must be compatible 
extensions of the Standards for Educational and Psychological 
Testing.\4\ These principles and guidelines must be in formats that 
allow for their use in developing and evaluating assessments, as well 
as in focusing future research.
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    \4\ American Educational Research Association, American 
Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in 
Education. (1999). Standards for Educational and Psychological 
Testing. Washington, DC.
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    Goal Four: In collaboration with the other projects funded under 
this priority, and based on the definition formulated under Goal One 
and the research conducted under Goal Two, develop instruments and/or 
methods for assessing reading proficiency that are suitable for large-
scale administration for school accountability purposes, that are 
accessible to students who have disabilities that affect reading, that 
maintain validity and comparability of scores, and that can provide (a) 
a valid measure of proficiency against academic standards, and (b) 
individual interpretive, descriptive, and diagnostic reports for the 
full range of students with disabilities that affect reading.
    In collaboration with the other projects funded under this 
priority, a project must conduct a large-scale field test on the 
instruments and methods to determine the degree to which they provide 
for accessibility, validity, and comparability. The projects must 
provide sufficient sample size and diversity, as well as sound data 
collection and analysis procedures to ensure conclusive field test 
findings.
    It is anticipated that the projects will complete Goals 1 through 3 
during the first three years of operation, and that Goal 4 will be 
completed during years 4 and 5. In deciding whether to continue each 
project for the fourth and fifth years for the completion of Goal 4, we 
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 
first half of the project's third year in Washington DC. Projects must 
budget for staff travel associated with this review;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
project;
    (c) The degree to which the project is making a positive 
contribution to providing research findings for making large-scale 
assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who 
have disabilities that affect reading;
    (d) The degree to which the project is collaborating effectively 
with other projects funded under this priority and producing a cohesive 
set of products and findings; and
    (e) The quality of plans and arrangements for conducting the field 
test called for under Goal 4.
    General Requirements: Each project must--
    (a) Form a general advisory committee on which representation is 
invited from the National Center for Education Statistics; the National 
Assessment Governing Board; the National Center on Educational 
Outcomes; the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, 
and Student Testing; organizations representing test developers, 
reading educators, and researchers; disability groups; and other 
appropriate projects and organizations. The primary purposes of this 
advisory committee are to review and advise on the general plans of the 
project and to provide liaison with significant stakeholder groups;
    (b) Form a technical advisory committee consisting of experts in 
reading, assessment, and research. The purpose of this technical 
advisory committee is to review and provide technical input on the 
specific research and development plans and activities of the project;
    (c) Disseminate the project's findings. Dissemination must include 
the use of a Web site that meets all relevant standards for 
accessibility;
    (d) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, 
DC during each year of the project; and
    (e) In addition to the annual two-day Project Directors' meeting in 
Washington, DC provided for in paragraph (d), budget for another annual 
two-day trip to Washington, DC to meet with Federal officials and the 
other projects funded under this priority, to discuss plans, findings, 
and methods of dissemination.

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking

    Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the 
Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to 
comment on proposed priorities. However, section 661(e)(2) of IDEA 
makes the public comment requirements in the APA inapplicable to the 
absolute priority in this notice.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461 and 1472.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 80, 81, 
82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

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

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $4,800,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $960,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months 
unless the application involves a consortium of organizations, or any 
other group of eligible parties that meet the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.127-75.129, and a compelling rationale is provided. The Assistant 
Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 5.

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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

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III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; IHEs; other public agencies; 
nonprofit private organizations; outlying areas; freely associated 
States; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this 
notice must make positive efforts to employ and advance in employment 
qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects 
(see section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll 
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 
1-877-576-7734.
    You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: 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 84.324F.
    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 person listed under 
For FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 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 to 
the equivalent of no more than 70 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: July 2, 2004.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 2004. The 
dates and times for the transmittal of applications by mail or by hand 
(including a courier service or commercial carrier) are in the 
application package for this competition. The application package also 
specifies the hours of operation of the e-Application Web site.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is not subject to 
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
    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 APA (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--
Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results for Children 
With Disabilities Program--Research on Accessible Reading Assessments 
competition--CFDA Number 84.324F is one of the competitions included in 
the pilot project. If you are an applicant under the Special 
Education--Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results for 
Children With Disabilities Program--Research on Accessible Reading 
Assessments competition, you may submit your application to us in 
either electronic or paper format.
    The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant 
Application System (e-Application). If you use e-Application, you will 
be entering data online while completing your application. You may not 
e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. If you 
participate in this voluntary pilot project by submitting an 
application electronically, the data you enter online will be saved 
into a database. We request your participation in e-Application. We 
shall continue to evaluate its success and solicit suggestions for its 
improvement.
    If you participate in e-Application, please note the following:
     Your participation is voluntary.
     When you enter the e-Application system, you will find 
information about its hours of operation. We strongly recommend that 
you do not wait until the application deadline date to initiate an e-
Application package.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit a grant application in electronic format, nor will we penalize 
you if you submit an application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including the 
Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 
assurances and certifications.
     Your e-Application must comply with any page limit 
requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement, which will include a PR/Award 
number (an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424)

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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--Research and Innovation To Improve Services 
and Results for Children With Disabilities Program--Research on 
Accessible Reading Assessments competition and you are prevented from 
submitting your application on the application deadline date because 
the e-Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension 
of one business day in order to transmit your application 
electronically, by mail, or 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--Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results for 
Children With Disabilities Program--Research on Accessible Reading 
Assessments competition 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 indicators 
and measures that will yield information on various aspects of the 
quality of the Research and Innovation To Improve Services and Results 
for Children With Disabilities program. Included in these indicators 
and measures will be those that assess the quality and relevance of 
newly funded research projects. Two indicators will address the quality 
of new projects. First, an external panel of eminent senior scientists 
will review the quality of a randomly selected sample of newly funded 
research applications, and the percentage of new projects that are 
deemed to be of high quality will be determined. Second, because much 
of the Department's work focuses on questions of effectiveness, newly 
funded applications will be evaluated to identify those that address 
causal questions and then to determine what percentage of those 
projects use randomized field trials to answer the causal questions. To 
evaluate the relevance of newly funded research projects, a panel of 
experienced education practitioners and administrators will review 
descriptions of a randomly selected sample of newly funded projects and 
rate the degree to which the projects are relevant to practice.
    Other indicators and measures are still under development in areas 
such as the quality of project products and long-term impact. 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: Dave Malouf, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4078, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7427.
    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.



[[Page 39917]]


    Dated: June 28, 2004.
Troy R. Justesen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 04-14987 Filed 6-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P