[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 149 (Thursday, August 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44914-44921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15460]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Overview 
Information, Special Education--Technical Assistance on State Data 
Collection--IDEA General Supervision Enhancement Grant; Notice Inviting 
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.373X.

    Note: The Secretary is inviting applications under two separate 
funding priorities addressing data collected under Part B and Part C 
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended 
(IDEA).

[[Page 44915]]

Applicants who are eligible for and wish to apply under both 
priorities must submit separate applications for each priority.


    Priority A: Outcome Measures.

Focus Area One--Part B Outcome Indicators
Focus Area Two--Part C Outcome Indicators

    Priority B: Assessment Data: Planning grants for the Development, 
Enhancement, or Redesign of a Comprehensive System of State Assessments 
(Including State Alternate Assessments), Standards, and Instructional 
Supports.

DATES: Applications Available: August 4, 2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 3, 2005.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 13, 2005.
    Eligible Applicants:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority A: Outcome measures.  State educational agencies (SEAs), Part C
                                lead agencies (LAs), freely associated
                                States (FAS), and, if endorsed by the
                                SEA, LA, or FAS to apply and carry out
                                the project on behalf of the SEA, LA, or
                                FAS, local educational agencies (LEAs),
                                public charter schools that are LEAs
                                under State law, institutions of higher
                                education (IHEs), tribes or tribal
                                organizations, other public agencies,
                                private nonprofit organizations, and for-
                                profit organizations.
 
                               Note: Applicants who received a grant
                                under the General Supervision
                                Enhancement Grant competition in FY 2004
                                (84.326X) are not eligible for funding
                                under Priority A if they are proposing a
                                project in the same focus area (Part B
                                or Part C) as their 2004 grant.
------------------------------
Priority B: Assessment Data..  State educational agencies (SEAs), freely
                                associated States (FAS), and, if
                                endorsed by the SEA or FAS to apply and
                                carry out the project on behalf of the
                                SEA or FAS, local educational agencies
                                (LEAs), public charter schools that are
                                LEAs under State law, institutions of
                                higher education (IHEs), tribes or
                                tribal organizations, other public
                                agencies, private nonprofit
                                organizations, and for-profit
                                organizations.
 
                               Note: Applicants who received a grant
                                under the General Supervision
                                Enhancement Grant Focus 1 competition in
                                FY 2004 (84.326X) are also eligible for
                                funding under Priority B in this
                                competition.
 
                               States and FAS are encouraged to form
                                consortia or any other group of eligible
                                parties that meet the requirements in 34
                                CFR 75.127 to 75.129 to apply under
                                Priority B. A consortium is comprised of
                                more than one State or FAS and could
                                include States or FAS from the same
                                geographic region, States or FAS with
                                similar demographic characteristics,
                                States or FAS with similar populations,
                                States or FAS with similar geographic
                                characteristics or other characteristics
                                as determined by the States or FAS. The
                                Secretary views the formation of
                                consortia as an effective and efficient
                                strategy to addressing the requirements
                                of this priority.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Funding for Awards: These priorities are being supported with funds 
reserved under section 616 of the IDEA, Technical Assistance in State 
Data Collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Estimated available                                                    Estimated average size  Estimated number of
                                             funds                           Maximum award                          of awards               awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority A: Outcome Measures........           $4,970,000  The Secretary does not intend to make awards for  $325,000 for                             13
                                                            more than $375,000 for applications that          applications that
                                                            address Focus Area One or Two and does not        address Focus Area
                                                            intend to and make awards for more than           One or Two, and
                                                            $750,000 for applications that address Focus      $700,000 for
                                                            Area One and Focus Area Two..                     applications that
                                                                                                              address Focus Area
                                                                                                              One and Two.
Priority B: Assessment Data.........           $4,475,450  The Secretary does not intend to fund any         $150,000 unless the                      30
                                                            applications in FY 2005 that propose a budget     application involveds
                                                            exceeding $200,000 for a State or FAS for a       a consortium, or anhy
                                                            single budget period of 12 months unless the      other group of
                                                            application involves a consortium, or any other   eligible parties that
                                                            group of eligible parties that meets the          meets the
                                                            requirements of 34 CFR 75.127-75.129. The level   requirements of 34
                                                            of funding for a consortium, or any other group   CFR 75.127-75.129.
                                                            of eligible entities, will reflect the combined
                                                            total that the eligible entities comprising the
                                                            consortium, or group, would have received if
                                                            they had applied separately. The Secretary does
                                                            not intend to make more than one award to serve
                                                            a State or FAS..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Note on Priority A:
    Due to the importance of coordinating early childhood systems 
serving children aged birth through 5, the Secretary intends to 
allocate at least $2,250,000 for the funding of joint applications from 
SEAs and Part C LAs under Priority A that only address (a) that portion 
of Focus Area One related to children with disabilities served under 
section 619 of the IDEA and (b) Focus Area Two.
    Note on Priority B:
    Given a sufficient number of approved high quality applications 
from consortia, the Department intends to fund at least six consortia 
projects under Priority B.

    Note: The Secretary is not bound by any estimates in this notice 
and recognizes that funding of consortia will significantly reduce 
the number of awards.

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: Under section 616(i)(2) of IDEA, awards may be 
made to provide technical assistance to improve the capacity of States 
to meet data collection requirements.

[[Page 44916]]

    Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2005 
grant competition only, in accordance with Section 437(d)(1) of the 
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA).
    Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 these priorities are absolute 
priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications 
that meet these priorities.
    These priorities are:
    Priority A: Outcome Measures.
    Focus Area One: Developing or enhancing Part B State outcome 
indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part B outcome indicator 
data.
    Focus Area Two: Developing or enhancing Part C State outcome 
indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part C outcome indicator 
data.
    Priority B: Assessment Data: Planning grants for the Development, 
Enhancement, or Redesign of a Comprehensive System of State Assessments 
(including State alternate assessments), Standards, and Instructional 
Supports.
    Background: Section 616 of the IDEA requires the Department, and 
States, to establish and implement systems for monitoring 
implementation of and enforcing obligations under Parts B and C of the 
IDEA. Under section 616 of the IDEA, the Secretary must establish 
indicators in certain monitoring priority areas. States must develop 
State Performance Plans (SPPs), including targets for those indicators, 
and use those targets and indicators in annually reporting to the 
Secretary on the performance of the State. States must also use those 
targets and indicators to report annually to the public on the 
performance of each LEA in the State.
    Background of Priority A: The cornerstone of any accountability 
system is the development of outcome indicators, against which progress 
can be measured. State performance reports, self-assessments, and other 
extant data show that most States and State LAs as defined under Part C 
of the IDEA [Section 635(a)(10)], as well as their LEAs and Early 
Intervention Service programs, have not developed outcome indicators 
for children with disabilities served under Part B and Part C of IDEA 
or methods to collect and analyze Part B and Part C outcome indicator 
data, especially for infants and toddlers and their families and 
preschool children. Therefore, most States lack the capacity to collect 
sufficient data to determine the impact of early intervention and 
special education services.
    Background of Priority B: One of the indicators being established 
by the Secretary under section 616 of the IDEA (on the priority area 
concerning the provision of a free appropriate public education in the 
least restrictive environment) is the participation and performance of 
children with disabilities on the State assessments required under the 
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). States are expected to report under 
the SPP and Annual Performance Reports (APR) on student performance on 
assessments using the same assessment data required under NCLB.
    NCLB requires accountability for the academic achievement of all 
students. Under the law, every student and every group of students is 
expected to be working to meet State standards. For that very limited 
group of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities 
whose intellectual functioning is well below that of their peers, the 
Department's regulations allow States to develop alternate achievement 
standards that are aligned with the State's academic content standards 
and reflect professional judgment of the highest learning standards 
possible for those students. The Department's regulations permit the 
proficient and advanced scores of students assessed based on alternate 
achievement standards to be included in adequate yearly progress (AYP) 
calculations in the same manner as scores based on grade level 
achievement, subject to a cap of one percent of all students in the 
grades assessed, at the district and state level. See http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2003-4/120903a.pdf for more 
information.
    On April 7, 2005, the Secretary announced the intent to provide 
additional flexibility that will allow States to develop modified 
achievement standards and use alternate assessments based on those 
modified achievement standards for some students with disabilities 
served under the IDEA. Following that, the Secretary announced on May 
10, 2005, that eligible States could implement, for the 2004-05 year, 
adjustments to AYP calculations to reflect the need for alternate 
assessments based on modified achievement standards. Information about 
these interim options is available at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/raising/disab-options.html and http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/raising/disab-acctplan.html.
    All alternate assessments must be designed to generate valid data 
that can be used for AYP purposes under NCLB. These data also will be 
included in the SPPs and APRs relative to performance and participation 
of children with disabilities on State assessments under the IDEA.
    Many States need support in developing, enhancing or redesigning 
their assessment systems to ensure that they meet the requirements of 
NCLB with regard to the assessment of children with disabilities.
    Statement of Priority A--Outcome Measures.
    This priority supports projects that address the needs of States 
for technical assistance to improve their capacity to meet Federal data 
collection requirements in one or both of two focus areas.
    Focus Area One--Developing or enhancing Part B State outcome 
indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part B outcome indicator 
data.
    This Focus Area supports the development or enhancement of Part B 
State outcome indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part B 
State outcome indicator data. Projects funded under this Focus Area 
must focus on improving the capacity of the State to provide 
information that could be used to determine one or both of the 
following:
    (a) The impact of Part B preschool services (ages 3 through 5) on 
children with disabilities at the State and LEA level.
    (b) Secondary, transition, and post-secondary education and 
employment outcomes at the State and LEA level. The indicators must 
provide data on child outcomes that could be used to assess the impact 
of the services.
    Focus Area Two--Developing or enhancing Part C State outcome 
indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part C outcome indicator 
data.
    This Focus Area supports the development or enhancement of Part C 
outcome indicators and methods to collect and analyze Part C State 
outcome indicator data. Projects funded under this Focus Area must 
focus on improving the capacity of the State to provide information 
that could be used to determine the following:
    (a) The outcomes associated with infants and toddlers with 
disabilities and their families participating in State Part C programs.
    (b) If the State has standards for early intervention outcomes, 
whether infants and toddlers with disabilities are meeting those 
standards.
    (c) Trend data on outcomes associated with infants and toddlers 
with disabilities and their families and the extent to which infants 
and toddlers with disabilities are meeting State standards.
    Statement of Priority B--Assessment Data: Planning grants for the 
Development, Enhancement, or Redesign of a Comprehensive System of

[[Page 44917]]

State Assessments (including State alternate assessments), Standards, 
and Instructional Supports.
    This priority supports planning grants for the development, 
enhancement, or redesign of a comprehensive system of State assessments 
(including State alternate assessments), standards, and instructional 
supports that address the needs of all children with disabilities and 
which may include specific activities to ensure coherence among 
components, such as: (1) Alternate assessments aligned with State 
content standards; (2) effective and appropriate accommodations that 
are consistent with daily instruction; (3) guidance to support IEP team 
decisions regarding student assessment; (4) professional development 
activities for both special education and regular education teachers; 
and (5) information for parents. Projects must help States ensure that 
they are designing strong systems of assessment and instruction to 
address the needs of children with disabilities, and that the 
assessments produce valid, reliable, and accurate measures of student 
performance and result in high quality data for use in evaluating the 
performance of schools, districts, and States.
    Grantees must produce a final plan that includes clear and detailed 
descriptions of goals and objectives, information about participants, 
and plans for the design of data analysis or research; these components 
are integral to the success of implementing a coherent system of 
instruction and assessment for children with disabilities. The plan 
must also include a realistic timeline and resources needed to reach 
full implementation of the system design.
    As part of this planning activity, States must work with experts in 
large-scale assessment and special education. The experts selected 
should represent the range of skills needed to develop assessments for 
children with disabilities that will meet the peer review guidelines 
for assessments published by the Department in the spring of 2004, 
which are available at http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/saaprguidance.pdf. Skill sets for experts should include experience 
with one or more of the following: (1) Large scale assessment; (2) 
standards setting techniques; (3) assessment and measurement of 
children with disabilities; (4) design of professional development, 
accommodations and supports to teach grade level content to children 
with disabilities; (5) State collaborative activities to develop 
standards-based alternate assessments; (6) development of criterion 
referenced tests and instruments; (7) psychometric evaluation; (8) 
conducting studies of the technical adequacy of assessment instruments 
and/or test accommodations; (9) research in the area of alternate 
assessment and psychometrics; and (10) implementation of educational 
policy consistent with IDEA and NCLB.
    States or FAS are encouraged to submit applications as a consortium 
(See 34 CFR 75.127-75.129). A consortium is comprised of more than one 
State or FAS and could include States or FAS from the same geographic 
region, States or FAS with similar demographic characteristics, States 
or FAS with similar populations, States or FAS with similar geographic 
characteristics or other characteristics as determined by the States or 
FAS. The Secretary views the formation of consortia as an effective and 
efficient strategy to addressing the requirements of this priority.
    Additional Requirements for Priority A and Priority B:
    All projects funded under Priority A or Priority B must--
    (a) Budget for a two-day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, 
DC.
    (b) If a project maintains a Web site, include relevant information 
and documents in a format that meets a government or industry-
recognized standard for accessibility.
    (c) Demonstrate in the application that the project meets, if 
applicable, the eligibility requirements in section III, 1.

Eligible Applicants

    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 a proposed priority. Section 
437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 
1232(d)(1)), however, allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking 
requirements, regulations governing the first grant competition under a 
new or substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant 
competition for this program under sections 611 and 616 of the IDEA and 
therefore qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant 
awards, the Secretary has decided to forego public comment on the 
absolute priorities under section 437(d)(1). These absolute priorities 
will apply to the FY 2005 grant competition only.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1411 and 1416.

    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.
    Funding for Awards: These priorities are being supported with funds 
reserved under section 616 of the IDEA, Technical Assistance in State 
Data Collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Estimated available                                                    Estimated average size  Estimated number of
                                             funds                           Maximum award                          of awards               awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority A: Outcome measures........           $4,970,000  The Secretary does not intend to make awards for  $325,000 for                             13
                                                            more than $375,000 for applications that          applications that
                                                            address Focus Area One or Two and does not        address Focus Area
                                                            intend to make awards for more than $750,000      One or Two and
                                                            for applications that address Focus Area One      $700,000 for
                                                            and Focus Area Two.                               applicatons that
                                                                                                              address Focus Area
                                                                                                              One and Focus Area
                                                                                                              two.

[[Page 44918]]

 
Priority B: State Assessment Data...           $4,475,450  The Secretary does not intend to fund any         $150,000 unless the                      30
                                                            applications in FY 2005 that propose a budget     application involves
                                                            exceeding $200,000 for a State or FAS for a       a consortium, or any
                                                            single budget period of 12 months unless the      other group of
                                                            application involves a consortium, or any other   eligible parties that
                                                            group of eligible parties that meets the          meets the
                                                            requirements of 34 CFR 75.127-75.129. The level   requirements of 34
                                                            of funding for a consortium, or any other group   CFR 75.127-75.129.
                                                            of eligible entities, will reflect the combined
                                                            total that the eligible entities comprising the
                                                            consortium, or group, would have received if
                                                            they had applied separately. The Secretary does
                                                            not intend to make more than one award to serve
                                                            a State or FAS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Note on Priority A: Due to the importance of coordinating early 
childhood systems serving children aged birth through 5, the Secretary 
intends to allocate at least $2,250,000 for the funding of joint 
applications from SEAs and Part C LAs under Priority A that only 
address (a) that portion of Focus Area One related to children with 
disabilities served under section 619 of the IDEA and (b) Focus Area 
Two.
    Note on Priority B: Given a sufficient number of approved high 
quality applications from consortia, the Department intends to fund at 
least six consortia projects under Priority B.


    Note: The Secretary is not bound by any estimates in this notice 
and recognizes that funding of consortia will significantly reduce 
the number of awards.


    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority A: Outcome Measures.  State educational agencies (SEAs), Part C
                                lead agencies (LAs), freely associated
                                States (FAS), and, if endorsed by
                                Outcome the SEA, LA, or FAS to apply and
                                carry out the project on Measures behalf
                                of the SEA, LA, or FAS, local
                                educational agencies (LEAs), public
                                charter schools that are LEAs under
                                State law, institutions of higher
                                education (IHEs), tribes or tribal
                                organizations, other public agencies,
                                private nonprofit organizations, and for-
                                profit organizations.
 
                               Note: Applicants who received a grant
                                under the General Supervision
                                Enhancement Grant competition in FY 2004
                                (84.326X) are not eligible for funding
                                under Priority A if they are proposing a
                                project in the same focus area (Part B
                                or Part C) as their 2004 grant.
Priority B: Assessment Data..  State educational agencies (SEAs), freely
                                associated States (FAS), and, if
                                endorsed by the SEA or FAS to apply and
                                Assessment carry out the project on
                                behalf of the SEA or FAS, local Data
                                educational agencies (LEAs), public
                                charter schools that are LEAs under
                                State law, institutions of higher
                                education (IHEs), tribes or tribal
                                organizations, other public agencies,
                                private nonprofit organizations, and for-
                                profit organizations.
 
                               Note: Applicants who received a grant
                                under the General Supervision
                                Enhancement Grant Focus 1 competition in
                                FY 2004 (84.326X) are also eligible for
                                funding under Priority B in this
                                competition.
 
                               States and FAS are encouraged to form
                                consortia or any other group of eligible
                                parties that meet the requirements in 34
                                CFR 75.127 to 75.129 to apply under
                                Priority B. A consortium is comprised of
                                more than one State or FAS and could
                                include States or FAS from the same
                                geographic region, States or FAS with
                                similar demographic characteristics,
                                States or FAS with similar populations,
                                States or FAS with similar geographic
                                characteristics or other characteristics
                                as determined by the States or FAS. The
                                Secretary views the formation of
                                consortia as an effective and efficient
                                strategy to addressing the requirements
                                of this priority.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 the IDEA).
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this competition 
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 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: 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 84.373X.
    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 Grants and Contracts 
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section 
VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission:
    (a) Additional 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 
30 pages. To determine the number of pages or the equivalent, you must 
use the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

[[Page 44919]]

     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: August 4, 
2005.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 3, 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.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 13, 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 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. IDEA General Supervision Enhancement 
Grant--CFDA Number 84.373X is one of the competitions included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.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.
    You may access the electronic grant application for IDEA General 
Supervision Enhancement Grant 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, and 
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application 
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 
p.m., Washington, DC time, 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 date/time stamped by the 
Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date.
     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 program [competition] to 
ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the 
Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission 
Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted) and provide on your application the same D-
U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the 
registration process may take five or more business days to complete.
     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. If you choose to 
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative 
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich 
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type 
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password 
protected file, we will not review that material.
     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 acknowledgment 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.

Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability

    If you are prevented from electronically submitting your 
application on the application deadline date because of technical 
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension 
until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, or by hand 
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing 
instructions as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an 
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date, 
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION

[[Page 44920]]

CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the technical problem you 
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk 
Case Number (if available). We will accept your application if we can 
confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system 
and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application 
by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. 
The Department will contact you after a determination is made on 
whether your application will be accepted.


    Note: Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the 
unavailability of or technical problems with the Grants.gov system. 
We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register 
to submit your application to Grants.gov before the deadline date 
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to 
the Grants.gov system.


    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 84.373X), 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 
84.373X), 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 
84.373X), 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 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 will notify you by mail.
    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.
    4. Performance Measures: To evaluate the overall success of 
projects awarded under this competition, the Department will determine 
at the end of each grant whether the State has been successful in 
planning for the development, enhancement, or redesign of a 
comprehensive system of State assessments (including State alternate 
assessments), standards, and instructional supports, and/or whether the 
grantee has developed or enhanced outcome indicators and methods to 
collect and analyze outcome indicator data. Grantees will be expected 
to report in final reports on the status of their planning for the 
development, enhancement, or redesign of a comprehensive system of 
State assessments (including State alternate assessments), standards, 
and instructional supports, and/or the indicators and outcome data. (34 
CFR 75.590)

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Larry Wexler, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4019, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7571.
    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

[[Page 44921]]

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.


John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-15460 Filed 8-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P