[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 121 (Friday, June 23, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36069-36073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9967]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services 
and Results for Children With Disabilities--General Supervision 
Enhancement Grants; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326X.

    Dates: Applications Available: June 23, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 7, 2006.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 6, 2006.
    Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), and if 
endorsed by the SEA to apply and carry out the project on behalf of the 
SEA, local educational agencies (LEAs), public charter schools that are 
LEAs under State law, institutions of higher education (IHEs), other 
public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, and for-profit 
organizations.
    Estimated Available Funds: $3,690,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $307,500 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.
    Number of Awards: 12.

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

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: This program promotes academic achievement and 
improves results for children with disabilities by supporting technical 
assistance, model demonstration projects, dissemination of useful 
information, and implementation activities that are supported by 
scientifically-based research.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 663 
and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 
20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2006 this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority.
    This priority is: General Supervision Enhancement Grants (GSEG).

Background

    Section 616 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
(IDEA) requires the Department and States to establish and implement 
systems for monitoring implementation of and enforcing obligations 
under Parts B and C of IDEA. The Department monitors States, and 
requires each State to monitor its LEAs, using indicators that the 
Secretary established for certain priority areas under section 616 of 
IDEA. Under Part B of the IDEA (Part B) each State must develop a State 
Performance Plan (SPP) that, among other things, evaluates its efforts 
to implement the requirements and purposes of Part B. As part of its 
SPP, a State must establish targets for the indicators established by 
the Secretary, and use those targets and indicators in annually 
reporting to the Secretary on its performance in the priority areas. 
Each State also must use its targets and the Secretary's indicators to 
report annually to the public on the performance of each LEA in the 
State.
    One of the indicators established by the Secretary under section 
616 of IDEA (for 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 title I of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). States are expected 
to report on student performance on State assessments in their SPPs and 
Annual Performance Reports (APRs) using the same assessment data 
required under title I of ESEA.
    Title I of ESEA requires accountability for the academic 
achievement of all students. Under that law, every school is expected 
to be working to ensure that every one of its students and group of 
students meet State achievement

[[Page 36070]]

standards as documented by their performance on State assessments. 
Under title I of ESEA, a State's academic assessment system must be 
valid and reliable for the purposes for which the assessment system is 
used and it must be consistent with relevant, nationally recognized 
professional and technical standards for assessment. In addition, a 
State's academic assessment system must be accessible for use by the 
widest possible range of students, including students with 
disabilities, students covered under section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973, as amended, and students with limited English proficiency.
    Under both title I of ESEA and IDEA, State academic assessments 
must provide for reasonable testing accommodations for students with 
disabilities where necessary. Many students with disabilities require 
test accommodations in order to ensure that the State's academic 
assessment accurately measures their knowledge and skills. 
Accommodations are changes in testing materials or procedures that 
ensure that an assessment measures a student's knowledge and skills 
rather than the student's disabilities or English proficiency. 
Accommodations generally are grouped into the categories of: (1) 
Presentation; (2) Response; (3) Setting; and (4) Timing and Scheduling. 
Section 612(a)(16)(B) of IDEA requires that all States have guidelines 
for the provision of appropriate accommodations.
    In addition, the Department's regulations under title I of ESEA 
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 
that very limited group of students with the most significant cognitive 
disabilities. The Department's regulations under title I of ESEA 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. Under section 612(a)(16)(C) and (D) of IDEA, States must 
report on the number and performance of students taking alternate 
assessments based on alternate achievement standards.
    All alternate assessments that are used for title I ESEA purposes 
must be designed to generate valid data that can be used for AYP 
purposes under ESEA. All alternate assessments must also meet the 
requirements in 34 CFR 200.2 (State Responsibilities for Assessment) 
and 34 CFR 200.3 (Designing State Academic Assessment Systems), 
including the requirements relating to validity, reliability, and high 
technical quality; and fit coherently in the State's overall assessment 
system under 34 CFR 200.2. The alternate assessment must, among other 
things: (1) Be valid and reliable for the purposes for which the 
assessment system is used; (2) be consistent with relevant, nationally 
recognized professional and technical standards; and (3) be supported 
by evidence from test publishers or other relevant sources that the 
assessment system is of adequate technical quality for each purpose 
required under ESEA. States must include alternate assessment data in 
their SPPs and APRs relative to performance and participation of 
children with disabilities on State assessments under IDEA.
    The Department is announcing the following priority to assist 
States in: (1) Developing alternate achievement standards aligned with 
the State's academic content standards; (2) developing high-quality 
alternate assessments that measure the achievement of students with the 
most significant cognitive disabilities based on those standards; (3) 
reporting on the participation and performance of students with 
disabilities on alternate assessments; and (4) developing appropriate 
assessment accommodations that do not alter the established reliability 
and validity of the assessment instrument.

Priority

    This priority supports projects that assist States in improving 
their capacity to accurately report on the performance and 
participation of children with disabilities on the State's assessments.
    In order to meet this priority an applicant must demonstrate that 
the project for which it seeks funding will do one or more of the 
following: (1) Develop alternate achievement standards aligned with the 
State's academic content standards; (2) develop high-quality alternate 
assessments that measure the achievement of students with the most 
significant cognitive disabilities based on those standards; (3) report 
on the participation and performance of students with disabilities on 
alternate assessments; and (4) develop appropriate assessment 
accommodations that do not alter the established reliability and 
validity of the assessment instrument.
    Projects funded under this priority also must--
    (a) Budget to attend a two-day Project Directors' meeting;
    (b) 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; and
    (c) Provide a written assurance that the State's Assessment Office 
(e.g., the office that addresses ESEA accountability) was given the 
opportunity to contribute to the formulation of the application.
    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. However, 
section 681(d) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements under the 
APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463 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: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $3,690,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $307,500 for a single budget period of 12 months. The 
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services 
may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal 
Register.
    Number of Awards: 12.


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


    Project Period: Up to 12 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, and if endorsed by the SEA to apply 
and carry out the project on behalf of the SEA, LEAs, public charter 
schools that are LEAs under State law, IHEs, other public agencies, 
private nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations.

[[Page 36071]]

    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 competition 
must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals 
with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and 
evaluating the project (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 84.326X.
    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: 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, 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; 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: June 23, 2006.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 7, 2006.
    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: September 6, 2006.
    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 2006. The General Supervision Enhancement 
Grants-CFDA Number 84.326X is one of the programs 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 the General 
Supervision Enhancement Grants 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 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.

[[Page 36072]]

     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 
http://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering 
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized 
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR 
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the 
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/assets/GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must 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, and you must have completed all registration steps to 
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
     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 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 
84.326X), 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 
84.326X), 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 
84.326X), 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 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 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

[[Page 36073]]

(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 of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that 
will yield information on various aspects of the Technical Assistance 
and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities program. These measures focus on: the extent to which 
projects provide high quality products and services, the relevance of 
project products and services to educational and early intervention 
policy and practice, and the use of products and services to improve 
educational and early intervention policy and practice.
    We will notify grantees if they will be required to provide any 
information related to these measures.
    Grantees also will be required to report information on their 
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (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 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: June 14, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E6-9967 Filed 6-22-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P