[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 150 (Friday, August 4, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44269-44274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12652]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview 
Information; Technology and Media Services for Individuals With 
Disabilities--Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children With 
Disabilities; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 
Year (FY) 2007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327A


    Note: This notice includes one priority with two phases, and 
funding information for each phase of the competition.


    Dates: Applications Available: August 8, 2006. Deadline for 
Transmittal of Applications: See the chart in section II. Award 
Information in this notice (Chart). Deadline for Intergovernmental 
Review: See Chart.
    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: The Administration has requested 
$31,063,000 for the Technology and Media Services for Individuals with

[[Page 44270]]

Disabilities program for FY 2007, of which we intend to use an 
estimated $2,670,000 for the Steppingstones of Technology Innovation 
for Children with Disabilities competition. The actual level of 
funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Funding information regarding each phase of the priority is listed 
in the Chart.
    Maximum Award: Phase 1: $200,000, per year and Phase 2: $300,000, 
per year. We will reject any application that proposes a budget 
exceeding the maximum award for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.
    Estimated Range of Awards: See Chart.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: See Chart.
    Estimated Number of Awards: See Chart.
    Project Period: See Chart.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technology and Media 
Services for Individuals with Disabilities 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 that is appropriate for 
use in the classroom setting.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv) and (v), this 
priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute, or 
otherwise authorized in the statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 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--
Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children With Disabilities

Background

    The Department has made Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for 
Children with Disabilities awards for several years under the 
Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities 
program. Starting in FY 2005, awards were limited to two phases, 
Development and Research on Effectiveness. Abstracts of projects funded 
under these two phases can be found at http://www.nichcy.org/directories/4_volume2006.pdf. (See projects funded under CFDA 84.327A 
with Beginning Dates of September 1, 2005 or later.)

Priority

    Applicants must--
    (a) Describe a technology-based approach for improving the results 
of early intervention, response-to-intervention assessment techniques, 
or preschool, elementary, middle school, or high school education for 
children with disabilities. The technology-based approach must be an 
innovative combination of new technology and additional materials and 
methodologies that enable the technology to improve educational, 
assessment, or early intervention results for children with 
disabilities;
    (b) Present a justification, based on scientifically rigorous 
research or theory, that supports the potential effectiveness of the 
technology-based approach for improving the results of early 
intervention, response-to-intervention assessment techniques, or 
preschool, elementary, middle school, or high school education for 
children with disabilities. Results studied under this priority must 
focus on child outcomes, rather than on parent or professional 
outcomes. Child outcomes can include improved academic or pre-academic 
skills, improved behavioral or social functioning, and improved 
functional performance, provided that valid and reliable measurement 
instruments are employed to assess the outcomes. Technology-based 
approaches intended for use by professionals or parents are not 
appropriate for funding under this priority unless child-level benefits 
are clearly demonstrated. Technology-based approaches for professional 
development will not be funded under this priority;
    (c) Provide a detailed plan for conducting work in one of the 
following two phases:
    (1) Phase 1--Development: Projects funded under Phase 1 must 
develop and refine a technology-based approach, and test its 
feasibility for use with children with disabilities. Activities under 
Phase I of the priority may include development, adaptation, and 
refinement of technology, materials, or methodologies. Activities under 
Phase 1 of the priority must include formative evaluation of the 
technology-based approach's usability and feasibility for use with 
children with disabilities. Each project funded under Phase 1 must be 
designed to develop, as its primary product, a promising technology-
based approach that is suitable for field-based evaluation of 
effectiveness in improving results for children with disabilities.
    (2) Phase 2--Research on Effectiveness: Projects funded under Phase 
2 must select a promising technology-based approach that has been 
developed and tested in a manner consistent with the criteria for 
activities funded under Phase 1, and subject the approach to rigorous 
field-based research to determine effectiveness in educational or early 
intervention settings. Approaches studied through projects funded under 
Phase 2 may have been developed with previous funding under Phase 1 of 
this priority or with funding from other sources. Phase 2 of this 
priority is primarily intended to produce sound research-based evidence 
that demonstrates that the technology-based approach can improve 
educational or early intervention results for children with 
disabilities in a defined range of real world contexts.
    Projects funded under Phase 2 of this priority must conduct 
research that poses a causal question and must employ randomized 
assignment to treatment and comparison conditions, unless a strong 
justification is made for why a randomized trial is not possible. If a 
randomized trial is not possible, the applicant must employ 
alternatives that substantially minimize selection bias or allow it to 
be modeled. 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. In their applications, 
applicants proposing to use an alternative system must (1) make a 
compelling case that randomization is not possible, and (2) describe in 
detail how the procedures will result in substantially minimizing the 
effects of selection bias on estimates of effect size. Choice of 
randomizing unit or units (e.g., students, classrooms, schools) must be 
grounded in a theoretical framework. Observational, survey, or 
qualitative methodologies may complement experimental methodologies to 
assist in the identification of factors that may

[[Page 44271]]

explain the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the technology-based 
approach being evaluated. Applications must provide research designs 
that permit the identification and assessment of factors that may have 
an impact on the fidelity of implementation. Mediating and moderating 
variables that are both measured in the practice or model condition and 
are likely to affect outcomes in the comparison condition must be 
measured in the comparison condition (e.g., student time-on-task, 
teacher experience, and time in position).
    Projects funded under Phase 2 of this priority must conduct 
comprehensive research in order to provide convincing evidence of the 
effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the technology-based approach under 
study, at least within a defined range of settings. Applicants must 
provide documentation that available sample sizes, methodologies, and 
treatment effects are likely to result in conclusive findings regarding 
the effectiveness of the technology-based approach;
    (d) Provide a plan for forming collaborative relationships with 
vendors and/or other dissemination or marketing resources to ensure 
that the technology-based approach can become widely available if 
sufficient evidence of effectiveness has been obtained. Applicants 
should document the availability and/or participation of dissemination 
or marketing resources. Applicants are encouraged to plan these 
collaborative relationships early in their projects, even in Phase 1 
(if applicable), but should refrain from widespread dissemination of 
the technology-based approach to practitioners until evidence of its 
effectiveness has been obtained;
    (e) Budget for the project director to attend an annual two-day 
Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC, and another annual two-
day trip to Washington, DC to collaborate with the Federal project 
officer and the other projects funded under this priority to share 
information, and to discuss findings and methods of dissemination; and
    (f) Budget five percent of the grant amount annually to support 
emerging needs as identified jointly through consultation with the OSEP 
project officer.
    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. If the project produces 
instructional materials for dissemination, it must produce them in 
accessible formats, including complying with the National Instructional 
Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) for textual materials.
    Within this absolute priority, we intend to fund at least two 
projects led by a project director or principal investigator who is in 
the initial phase of his or her career. For purposes of this priority, 
the initial phase of an individual's career is considered to be the 
first three years after the individual completes and graduates from a 
doctoral program (i.e., for FY 2007 awards, projects may support 
individuals who completed and graduated from a doctoral program no 
earlier than the 2003-2004 academic year). To qualify for this 
consideration, the applicant must explicitly state and document that 
the project director or principal investigator is in the initial phase 
of his or her career. At least 50 percent of that individual's time 
must be devoted to the project.
    Within this absolute priority, we also intend to fund at least two 
projects focusing on technology-based approaches for children with 
disabilities, ages birth to age three, and to fund at least two 
projects focusing on technology-based approaches to response-to-
intervention assessment techniques.
    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 the 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.
    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: The Administration has requested 
$31,063,000 for the Technology and Media Services for Individuals with 
Disabilities program for FY 2007, of which we intend to use an 
estimated $2,670,000 for the Steppingstones of Technology Innovation 
for Children with Disabilities competition. The actual level of 
funding, if any, depends on final congressional action. However, we are 
inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant 
process if Congress appropriates funds for this program.
    Maximum Award: Phase 1: $200,000, per year and Phase 2: $300,000, 
per year. We will reject any application that proposes a budget 
exceeding the maximum award for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and 
Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum amount through a notice 
published in the Federal Register.

                     Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children With Disabilities Application Notice for Fiscal Year 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                 Estimated
                                                                                                       Estimated    Estimated     average     Estimated
          CFDA number and name             Deadline for  transmittal            Deadline for           available     range of     size of     number of
                                                of applications          intergovernmental  review       funds        awards       awards       awards
                                                                                                        annually     annually     annually
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.327A--Steppingstones of Technology
 Innovation for Children with
 Disabilities:
    Phase 1--Development................  October 3, 2006............  December 4, 2006.............   $1,200,000  $100,000-$2     $200,000            6
                                                                                                                        00,000
    Phase 2--Research on Effectiveness..  October 3, 2006............  December 4, 2006.............   $1,800,000  $200,000-$3     $300,000            6
                                                                                                                        00,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 44272]]

    Project Period: Projects funded under Phase 1 will be funded for up 
to 24 months. Projects funded under Phase 2 will be funded for up to 24 
months unless a compelling rationale is provided for funding up to 36 
months.

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

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 
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 84.327A.
    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 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; 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 8, 2006.
     Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:See Chart.
    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: See 
Chart.
    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 2007. Steppingstones of Technology 
Innovation for Children with Disabilities-CFDA Number 84.327A 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 the 
Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children with Disabilities-
CFDA Number 84.327A 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, 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

[[Page 44273]]

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
     To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must 
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process 
(http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). 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/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.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 84.327A), 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 
84.327A), 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 
84.327A), 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

[[Page 44274]]

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

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
    2. Treating a Priority as Two Separate Competitions: In the past, 
there have been problems in finding peer reviewers without conflicts of 
interest for competitions in which many entities throughout the country 
submit applications. The Standing Panel requirements under IDEA also 
have placed additional constraints on the availability of reviewers. 
Therefore, the Department has determined that, for some discretionary 
competitions, applications may be separated into two or more groups and 
ranked and selected for funding within the specific group. This 
procedure will ensure the availability of a much larger group of 
reviewers without conflicts of interest. It also will increase the 
quality, independence, and fairness of the review process and permit 
panel members to review applications under discretionary competitions 
for which they have also submitted applications. However, if the 
Department decides to select for funding an equal number of 
applications in each group, this may result in different cut-off points 
for fundable applications in each group.

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 of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that 
will yield information on various aspects of the quality of the 
Technology and Media Services for Individuals with Disabilities 
program. These measures focus on the extent to which projects are of 
high quality, are relevant to the needs of children with disabilities, 
and contribute to improving the results for children with disabilities. 
Data on these measures will be collected from the projects funded under 
this competition.
    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:
    Tom V. Hanley, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 
SW., room 4066, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. 
Telephone: (202) 245-7369.
    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: July 31, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. 
1
[FR Doc. E6-12652 Filed 8-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P