[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 77 (Friday, April 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20880-20883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8099]


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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 and Standards-Based Reform; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

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

    Dates: Applications Available: April 25, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 6, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 5, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local 
educational agencies (LEAs); public charter schools that are LEAs under 
State law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public 
agencies; private nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely 
associated States; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and for-
profit organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,200,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000--$300,000.
    Maximum Award: The Secretary does not intend to fund an application 
that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for a single budget period of 
12 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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


    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to: (1) Improve 
results for children with disabilities by promoting the development, 
demonstration, and use of technology, (2) support educational media 
services activities designed to be of educational value in the 
classroom setting to children with disabilities, and (3) provide 
support for captioning and video description of programs appropriate 
for use in the classroom setting.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 674 
and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2005 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 and Standards-Based Reform. Background of 
Priority: Current Federal and State educational initiatives (including 
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)) apply principles of 
standards-based reform as a means for improving student achievement. 
Standards-based reform is premised on a ``theory of action'' in which 
standards, assessments, and accountability lead to improved curriculum 
and clear expectations for students and schools. These expectations in 
turn lead to professional development and improved teaching, which 
ultimately lead to higher levels of student learning (Elmore and 
Rothman, Eds., 1999, available at http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9609.html). Technology can play a significant role in supporting the 
component processes of standards-based reform and maximizing its 
benefits for students with disabilities.
    Text of Priority: This priority supports projects to develop, 
implement, and evaluate models for using technology to enhance the 
benefits of standards-based reform for children with disabilities. 
Technologies may include, but are not limited to, technology-based 
assessments, computer-adaptive testing, computerized curriculum-based 
measurement aligned with State academic content standards, technology-
based instruction aligned with State content standards, and technology-
based systems for managing and analyzing information.
    Consistent with the theory of standards-based reform discussed in 
the Background of Priority section, models must use technology for one 
or more of the following purposes: (1) To make large-scale standards-
based assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, and/or science 
more accessible and valid for the widest possible range of students 
with and without disabilities, for example by using technology that 
applies principles of universal design to support the participation of 
students with disabilities in assessments, (2) to ensure the alignment 
between classroom instruction, large-scale assessments, and State 
academic standards in reading/language arts, mathematics and/or 
science, for example by using computer-assisted instruction or 
computer-managed instruction to provide individualized standards-based 
instruction to students with disabilities, (3) to monitor and 
facilitate student progress toward proficiency on State academic 
standards in reading/language arts, mathematics and/or science, by, for 
example using computerized progress monitoring or curriculum-based 
measurement systems, and (4) to allow information management systems to 
facilitate administrative support for the attainment of academic 
standards in reading/language arts, mathematics and/or science for 
students with disabilities, by, for example using data warehousing, 
data mining, decision support, real-time data collection, or analysis. 
Applications that do not clearly address one or more of these four 
purposes will not be considered eligible for funding.
    Given a sufficient number of approved high-quality applications 
within this priority, we intend to fund at least one project that 
addresses each of these purposes.

    Note: Applicants must identify the purpose or purposes under 
which they are applying as part of the project title on the 
application cover sheet.


    Applicants must:
    (a) Describe and justify their model with regard to its effective 
use of technology to enhance the benefits of standards-based reform for 
students with disabilities. Both technology and standards-based reform 
must be central features in the model.
    (b) Present a plan for developing and implementing the model and 
evaluating its utility and effectiveness, including its utility and 
effectiveness when implemented in actual school settings.
    Evaluation of the effects of the model will involve causal 
inferences, and rigorous methodologies must be

[[Page 20881]]

employed to control for extraneous variables. To the maximum extent 
feasible and appropriate, the evaluation should employ randomized 
assignment to conditions. If randomized assignment is not feasible or 
appropriate, the applicant must employ alternatives that substantially 
minimize the effects of selection bias. These alternatives include 
appropriately structured regression-discontinuity designs and natural 
experiments in which naturally occurring circumstances or institutions 
(perhaps unintentionally) divide people into treatment and comparison 
groups in a manner akin to purposeful random assignment. Applicants 
proposing to use an alternative system must make a compelling case that 
randomization is not feasible or appropriate, and describe in detail 
how the alternatives will result in substantially minimizing the 
effects of selection bias on estimates of effect size. Observational, 
survey, or qualitative methodologies may complement experimental 
methodologies, provided sufficient rigor is maintained.
    (c) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, 
DC during each year of the project.
    (d) Budget for one additional two-day trip annually to Washington, 
DC to attend the Technology Project Directors' meeting.
    (e) If the project maintains a Web site, include relevant 
information and documents in a format that meets a government or 
industry-recognized standard for accessibility.
    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 681(d) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements of the APA 
inapplicable to the priority in this notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 and 1481(d).
    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: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,200,000.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$300,000.
    Maximum Award: The Secretary does not intend to fund an application 
that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for a single budget period of 
12 months.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

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


    Project Period: Up to 36 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs; public charter schools that are 
LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit 
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) The projects funded under this 
competition 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 ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and 
evaluating the projects (see section 682(a)(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: 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 
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.327B.
    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 program contact 
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 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, or the letters of support. 
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: April 25, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 6, 2005.
    Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in 
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates 
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by 
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission 
Requirements in this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 5, 2005.
    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: Applications for grants under 
this

[[Page 20882]]

competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications. We have been accepting 
applications electronically through the Department's e-Application 
system since FY 2000. In order to expand on those efforts and comply 
with the President's Management Agenda, we are continuing to 
participate as a partner in the new government wide Grants.gov Apply 
site in FY 2005. Technology and Standards-Based Reform-CFDA Number 
84.327B is one of the competitions included in this project.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). Through this site, you will 
be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it 
offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-
mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We request your 
participation in Grants.gov.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the Technology 
and Standards-Based Reform-CFDA Number 84.327B competition at: http://www.grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application 
package for this program by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA 
number's alpha suffix in your search.
    Please note the following:
     Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
     When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site, as well as the hours of operation.
     Applications received by Grants.gov are time and date 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted with a 
date/time received by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will not 
consider your application if it was received by the Grants.gov system 
later than 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline date. When we retrieve 
your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are 
rejecting your application because it was submitted after 4:30 p.m. on 
the application deadline date.
     If you experience technical difficulties on the 
application deadline date and are unable to meet the 4:30 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, deadline, print out your application and follow 
the instructions in this notice for the submission of paper 
applications by mail or hand delivery.
     The amount of time it can take to upload an application 
will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the 
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we 
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline 
date to begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You should review and follow the Education Submission 
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are 
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that 
your application is submitted timely to the Grants.gov system.
     To use Grants.gov, you, as the applicant, must have a D-U-
N-S Number and register in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). You 
should allow a minimum of five business days to complete the CCR 
registration.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you submit your application in paper format.
     You may submit all documents electronically, including all 
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Any narrative 
sections of your application should be attached as files in a .DOC 
(document), .RTF (rich text) or .PDF (Portable Document) format.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a 
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your 
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying 
number unique to your application).
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
forms at a later date.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the 
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the 
original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable 
following address:
    By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.327B), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
    By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education, 
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.327B), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
    Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing 
consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service,
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier, or
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark, or
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your 
local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery, 
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of 
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, 
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of 
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number 
84.327B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, 
Sundays and Federal holidays.
    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail 
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the 
Department--in Item 4 of the Application for Federal Education 
Assistance (ED 424) the CFDA number--and suffix letter, if any--of the 
competition under which you are submitting your application.
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application 
receipt

[[Page 20883]]

acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant application 
receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the application 
deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education 
Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed 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 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 and are relevant to the needs of children with disabilities). 
Data on these measures will be collected from the projects funded under 
this competition.
    Grantees will also be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (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 Relay Service (FRS) 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) 245-7363.

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: http://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: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: April 18, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-8099 Filed 4-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P