[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 150 (Monday, August 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43629-43634]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15228]


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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--Building State Capacity to 
Improve the Achievement of Students With Disabilities Under the No 
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals With Disabilities 
Education Act (IDEA); Notice Inviting Applications for new Awards for 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2007

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326K.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: August 6, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 5, 2007.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 10, 2007.

 Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to promote 
academic achievement and improve results for children with disabilities 
by supporting technical assistance (TA), 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 sections 663 and 681(d) of 
the IDEA, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2007, this is an absolute priority. Under 
34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this 
priority.
    This priority is: Building State Capacity to Improve the 
Achievement of Students With Disabilities under NCLB and IDEA

Background:

    One of the primary goals of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001 (NCLB), is for all students to reach proficiency in reading and 
math by 2014. Available data indicate that there is still much work to 
be done to reach this goal, particularly for students with 
disabilities. In 2004, 37 percent of schools missed AYP for the 
students with disabilities subgroup (Department of Education, 2006). 
Furthermore, while the achievement gaps between various groups of 
students have decreased, the gap between students with disabilities and 
students without disabilities remains significant and a cause for 
concern (Center on Education Policy, 2007a). For example, O'Reilly and 
colleagues (2006) note that achievement data from standardized reading 
and mathematics tests collected in two nationally representative 
longitudinal studies (Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study 
and the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2) indicate that almost 
two-thirds of students with disabilities scored at or below the 25th 
percentile.
    In order to raise the achievement of students with disabilities, 
State educational agencies (SEAs) must have the capacity to provide 
support and TA to their districts and schools. While most SEAs agree 
that they should play a key role in supporting their districts' and 
schools' efforts to improve the achievement of students, many SEAs do 
not have the capacity to do so (Center on Education Policy, 2007b). The 
Center on Education Policy (2007a) found that providing TA to districts 
with schools in need of improvement continues to be very challenging 
for SEAs.
    SEA officials report that one reason for their inability to provide 
support to their districts and schools is a lack of in-house expertise 
in providing TA. In fact, many of the SEAs surveyed by the Center on 
Education Policy (2007a) stated that they were ``experimenting'' with 
providing TA and did not know the best way to provide support to their 
districts and schools. This has resulted in delivery of TA that is 
fragmented and episodic, rather than ongoing and systematic (Department 
of Education, 2006).
    For TA to be effective, SEAs must take the following steps: (1) 
Identify available TA that addresses the unique needs of their 
districts; (2) create an infrastructure that coordinates TA between 
regular and special education; (3) support districts in sustaining the 
implementation of evidence-based practices; and (4) support the 
scaling-up of evidence-based practices Statewide (see Learning Point 
Associates, 2007). Each of these steps is detailed below.
    Identify available TA that addresses the unique needs of districts. 
States should consider using the significant TA resources that are 
currently available to support their districts and schools. For 
example, the Department's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) 
funds over 50 TA centers, including six Regional Resource Centers 
(RRCs), to support the effective implementation of the IDEA. The 
Department's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) funds 
21 comprehensive TA centers to support the implementation of NCLB. 
Regional educational laboratories, funded by the Department's Institute 
of Education Sciences (IES), provide information on scientifically 
based research and focus on topics such as distributed leadership, 
effective instructional strategies, and standards-based curricula. 
These providers of research and TA provide a rich source of information 
and support; yet SEAs may not effectively utilize these resources to 
meet their needs due to insufficient staff (Center on Education Policy, 
2007a) or a lack of awareness about available resources.
    Create an infrastructure that coordinates TA between regular and 
special education. The challenge of coordinating TA for special 
education and regular education makes it difficult for most SEAs to 
create an infrastructure that provides ongoing and systematic TA to 
improve the achievement of students with disabilities. To provide TA 
that focuses on improving the

[[Page 43630]]

achievement of all students, including students with disabilities, SEAs 
have had to reorganize both their structure and their function (Center 
on Education Policy, 2007a). A review of Statewide systems of support 
indicates that SEAs typically provide TA in a piecemeal fashion and do 
not coordinate TA across regular and special education (Westat, 2006). 
In a study of the impact of TA services on improved education for 
students with disabilities, a major finding was that the ``* * *deep 
attitudinal and philosophical barriers that exist between general and 
special education will continue to hinder technical assistance 
activities if they are not addressed by both policymakers and 
practitioners'' (SRI, 2000).
    Support effective, efficient, and sustained implementation of 
evidence-based practices. Capacity is needed at both State and district 
levels to sustain the implementation of evidence-based practices. 
Twenty-one States noted that an important objective of their Statewide 
system of support involves building district capacity to provide TA so 
that districts are better able to provide support to schools 
(Department of Education, 2006). Currently, research (Fixsen, Naoom, 
Blas[eacute], Friedman, & Wallace, 2005) and exemplars of the 
implementation of evidence-based programs and practices funded by the 
Department of Education, such as positive behavior supports (PBS) 
(Barrett, 2006) and Reading First (U.S. Department of Education, 2006), 
suggest that if a district or school is to effectively implement a 
research-based program or practice with fidelity, a number of core 
implementation components must be in place (e.g., ongoing consultation 
and coaching, regular evaluation of staff performance, data-based 
decision making). Research and practice also suggest that TA provided 
to districts and schools should not solely focus on the research-based 
practice, but also should include assistance to help districts and 
schools develop and support core implementation components, noted 
above, to ensure that the research-based practices are effectively 
implemented and sustained.
    Support the scaling up of evidence-based practices. Scaling up and 
sustaining the implementation of evidence-based practices requires a 
guide (i.e., a ``blueprint'') designed to improve the efficiency and 
success of large-scale replications of a specific practice (Center on 
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2004). The research and 
exemplars that inform best practices in implementation and 
sustainability of effective practices also inform the work of scaling 
up evidence-based practices and can be used to create a blueprint to 
assist SEAs in building capacity to provide TA to districts and 
schools.
    Specifically, an integrated system of TA that supports the scaling 
up of evidence-based practices will require: State funding and public 
support from State leaders, systems that support the use of evidence-
based practices, and appropriate resources for consultation and 
coaching for the implementation sites (Fixsen et al., 2005).
    In summary, as part of their efforts to improve the achievement of 
students with disabilities, SEAs need to provide effective TA to 
districts. SEAs are transforming their approaches to supporting 
districts to implement Federal programs so that they may improve the 
quality of education provided to students (Center on Education Policy, 
2007a). Indeed, in some States, SEAs have gone from being one of the 
least used sources of TA to improve education, to the most used source. 
SEAs, however, report that they often have not had the time, personnel, 
or guidance needed to transition from being an agency focused on 
compliance monitoring to an agency focused on TA (Center on Education 
Policy, 2007a). The purpose of this priority is to support a center to 
assist SEAs to build the necessary capacity to provide the TA needed by 
districts to support the achievement of students with disabilities in 
grades K-12 and, in doing so, improve the achievement of all students.

References

Barrett, S. (2006, August). Maryland's State Implementation 
Strategies, Successes, and Outcomes. Presented at the Office of 
Special Education Programs' Project Director's Meeting, Washington, 
DC.
Center on Education Policy. (2007a). Has student achievement 
increased since No Child Left Behind? Washington, DC.
Center on Education Policy. (2007b). State Achievement Profiles. 
Retrieved June 29, 2007, from: http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=498&parentID=481.
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (2004). 
School-wide positive behavior support: Implementers' blueprint and 
self-assessment. Eugene, OR: OSEP PBIS Technical Assistance Center.
Fixsen, D.L.; Naoom, S.F.; Blas[eacute], K.A.; Friedman, R.M., 
Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the 
literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida.
Learning Point Associates. (2007). Implementing response to 
intervention (RTI): Considerations for practitioners. Washington, 
DC: Mike Galvin.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. 
(2006). National Assessment of Title I Interim Report: Executive 
Summary. Washington, DC.
O'Reilly, F., Fafard, M., Wagner, M., Brown, S.C., Fritts, J., 
Luallen, J., Carlson, E., Blackorby, J., Hebbeler, K., & Chambers, 
J. (2006). Improving results for students with disabilities: Key 
findings from the 1997 national assessment studies. Bethesda, MD: 
Abt Associates, Inc.
Padilla, C., Marks, S., Adelman, N., Dove, T., Haertal, G., & 
Hopfendgardner Warren, S. (2000). Understanding technical 
assistance: The impact of technical assistance services on improved 
education for students with disabilities. Menlo Park, CA: SRI 
International.
U.S. Department of Education. (2006). Statewide System of Support 
Profiles. Washington, DC.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and 
Policy Development, Policy and Program Studies Service. (2006). 
Washington, DC.

Priority

    This priority will support a National Center to Build State 
Capacity to Provide TA to Districts (Center) to ensure that the 
implementation of evidence-based practices that improve the achievement 
of students with disabilities is sustained and brought to scale for 
grades K-12. The Center will work intensively with six States to help 
them: (a) Identify available TA that addresses the unique needs of the 
districts; (b) create an infrastructure to provide TA across regular 
and special education to improve the achievement of students with 
disabilities; (c) use what is known about effective implementation of 
evidence-based practices at both the SEA and district levels; and (d) 
use effective methods to scale-up the use of evidence-based practices. 
The Center will help six selected States carry out the challenging 
responsibility of providing districts with the necessary TA to improve 
the achievement of students with disabilities. The Center will 
disseminate, nationwide, the lessons learned from their work with the 
six States, including (a) How SEAs effectively took steps to build the 
capacity to provide coordinated TA to districts and (b) TA strategies 
appropriate for the unique needs of specific sites that can be used by 
States to improve their capacity to provide TA to improve the 
achievement of students with disabilities. Through the dissemination of 
the Center's work, the capacity of all States to support their 
districts and scale up the use of evidence-based practices will be 
enhanced.
    To meet this priority, an applicant must describe in its 
application--

[[Page 43631]]

    (a) The current research, theory, and best practices on providing 
TA at a systems level, including a review of the concepts of systems 
change, implementation, and scaling up of evidence-based practices 
Statewide.
    (b) A conceptual framework for how States should provide TA to 
districts to support them in implementing and sustaining the use of 
evidence-based practices across regular and special education to 
improve the achievement of students with disabilities, and how SEAs 
should support scaling up the use of these practices.
    (c) A plan for how the Center will work intensively with six 
selected SEAs to establish, enhance, and coordinate a State TA 
infrastructure across regular and special education to support 
districts in implementing evidence-based practices to improve the 
achievement of students with disabilities and scaling up the use of 
these practices Statewide for grades K-12.
    (d) A logic model depicting, at a minimum, the goals, activities, 
outputs, and outcomes of the proposed Center. One acceptable approach 
to logic modeling is presented on the following Web site: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/lmcourse/. The model must include descriptions of 
proposed service delivery strategies, including the nature and 
conditions under which various strategies would be used; information on 
who would implement these strategies and how they would be implemented; 
and a comprehensive description of how the applicant would measure, 
through benchmarks and formative and summative evaluations, the 
effectiveness of these strategies.
    (e) A plan for recruiting and selecting six States to work with the 
Center to improve their capacity to support districts in improving the 
achievement of students with disabilities. Factors for consideration in 
selecting these States could include the demographic and geographic 
characteristics of each State; the SEA's priorities and initiatives to 
support school improvement; the SEA's current capacity for providing 
TA; and the commitment of the State's regular and special education 
leadership to coordinate their TA to improve the achievement of 
students with disabilities. (Final selection of States will be made 
during the development of the cooperative agreement in the Department. 
The selection process will be clear to interested States.)
    (f) A plan for how the Center will document the unique 
characteristics and needs of each State and the work that was necessary 
to effectively build State and district capacity to provide TA to 
improve the achievement of students with disabilities.
    (g) A plan for establishing and facilitating a community of 
practice (CoP) of Federal and State TA providers and others interested 
in building State capacity, to share expertise and lessons learned on a 
continuous basis. The membership of the CoP must be determined with 
input from OSEP and OESE and include the following: Representatives 
from the six selected SEAs; experts in systems change and 
implementation of evidence-based practices; representatives from the 
Department's regional comprehensive centers, regional resource centers, 
regional educational laboratories, and special and regular education 
content centers; parents of students with disabilities; State and local 
policy makers; and distinguished teachers and principals. The Center 
must support the ongoing communication of the CoP through e-mail, 
teleconferences, Web-based discussions, and face-to-face meetings.
    (h) A dissemination plan that includes methods for disseminating 
the lessons learned and context-specific TA strategies. This plan must 
describe the audiences that are most likely to benefit from these 
lessons learned and TA strategies and the methods the Center will use 
to reach them. An annual conference may be one of these dissemination 
methods.
    (i) An evaluation plan that measures the impact of the Center's 
activities. Specifically, the evaluation must document--
    (1) What participants in the six selected SEAs learned;
    (2) How the Center's TA affected the SEAs' ability to support 
districts in implementing evidence-based practices to improve the 
achievement of students with disabilities;
    (3) How the SEAs scaled-up the implementation of the evidence-based 
practices; and
    (4) The degree to which the evidence-based practices contributed to 
improved outcomes for students with disabilities.
    To meet the requirements of this priority, the Center, at a 
minimum, must--
    (a) Establish and maintain a Web site that will include the 
Center's products and tools, links to CoP information, and other 
resources. All Web site information and documents must be displayed in 
a form that meets a government or industry-recognized standard for 
accessibility;
    (b) Select an advisory group from the CoP that will meet at least 
annually with the Center to provide feedback on Center plans, 
activities, and accomplishments;
    (c) Budget for the Center's project director to attend a three-day 
Project Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year of the 
project and two additional yearly meetings with OSEP; and
    (d) Budget five percent of the award amount annually to support 
emerging needs as identified jointly through consultation with the OSEP 
project officer.
    Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:
    In deciding whether to continue funding the Center for the fourth 
and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a), and in addition--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary, which review will be conducted during the 
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must 
budget for travel expenses associated with this one-day intensive 
review;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been, or are being, met by 
the Center; and
    (c) The degree to which the project promotes best practices in 
educational services to children.
    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 the 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 institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) only.

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,000,000.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $1,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the

[[Page 43632]]

maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Number of Awards: 1.


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

    Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; local educational agencies (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 require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Other: General Requirements--
    (a) The project 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 the award recipient 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 
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), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or 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 84.326K.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team 
listed under Alternate Format in section VIII in 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 package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) 
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that 
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to 
the equivalent of no more than 70 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5 x 11, on one side 
only, with 1 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
     Use a font that is either 12-point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
    The page limit does not apply to Part I, the coversheet; 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, 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 6, 
2007. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 5, 2007.
    Applications for awards 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 in 
paper format 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.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII 
in this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 10, 2007.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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. The Building State Capacity to 
Improve the Achievement of Students With Disabilities under the No 
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education Act (IDEA), CFDA Number 84.326K, 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 an application to us.
    You may access the electronic application for the Building State 
Capacity to Improve the Achievement of Students With Disabilities under 
the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at http://www.Grants.gov You must 
search for the downloadable application package for this competition by 
the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your 
search (e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326K).
    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 date and time 
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and 
must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the

[[Page 43633]]

application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, 
we will not consider your application if it is date and 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 and 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 submission 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 the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (http://www.Grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1) 
Registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes 
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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. In 
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual 
basis. This may take three 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.
     If you submit your application electronically, you must 
submit all documents electronically, including all information you 
typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal 
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental 
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs 
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note 
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education 
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424 
(Application for Federal Education Assistance).
     If you 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 in 
this paragraph 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 from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that 
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates 
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The 
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send 
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification 
indicates that the Department has received your application and has 
assigned your application 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 Technical 
Issues with the Grant.Gov System: If you are experiencing problems 
submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the 
Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain 
a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
    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 described elsewhere in this notice.
    If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, 
on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed 
under For Further Information Contact in Section VII in this notice and 
provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with 
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. 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: The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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 84.326K) 
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 84.326K) 
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.
    (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

[[Page 43634]]

accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (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 84.326K) 
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 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix 
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your 
application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification 
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this 
notification 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 Notice 
(GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    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 in this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section in 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 award.
    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 directed by the Secretary 
under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent 
performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements 
on reporting, please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    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.
    The awardee will be required to provide information related to 
these measures.
    The awardee also will be required to report information on the 
project's performance in annual reports to the Department (34 CFR 
75.590).

VII. Agency Contact

    For Further Information Contact: Debra Price-Ellingstad, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4097, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
    Telephone: (202) 245-7481.
    If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, 
at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Alternative Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and 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, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 
20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, 
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    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, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
 [FR Doc. E7-15228 Filed 8-3-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P