[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 140 (Monday, July 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42333-42338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16632]


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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) 2009

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

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

    Dates:
    Applications Available: July 21, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: See the chart in the 
Award Information section of this notice (Chart).
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: See Chart.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purposes of the Technology and Media 
Services for Individuals with Disabilities program are 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 are appropriate for 
use in the classroom setting.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute, or otherwise 
authorized in the statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2009 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards based on the list of unfunded applications from this 
competition, 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. Awards are made in two phases: (1) Development and (2) 
research on effectiveness. Abstracts of projects funded under these two 
phases can be found at http://www.nichcy.org/directories/FY07-Vol%203-R_I_T_M.pdf (see projects funded under CFDA 84.327A with Beginning 
Dates of June 1, 2007, or later).
    Priority: The Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children 
with Disabilities absolute priority requires grantees to develop, 
implement, and evaluate innovative technology approaches designed to 
improve results for children with disabilities. Phase 1 projects must 
develop, refine, and test the feasibility of technology-based 
approaches. Phase 2 projects must subject technology-based approaches 
to rigorous field-based research to determine their effectiveness.
    To be considered for funding under the Steppingstones of Technology 
Innovation for Children with Disabilities absolute priority, applicants 
must meet the application requirements contained in the priority. All 
projects funded under the absolute priority also must meet the 
programmatic and administrative requirements specified in the priority. 
The application, programmatic, and administrative requirements are as 
follows:
    (a) In the application, an applicant must--
    (1) Describe a technology-based approach for improving the results 
of (a) early intervention programs, (b) response-to-intervention (RTI) 
assessment techniques, or (c) preschool, elementary school, middle 
school, or high school educational programs for children with 
disabilities. The

[[Page 42334]]

technology-based approach must be an innovative combination of new 
technology and additional materials and methodologies that enable the 
technology to improve early intervention programs, RTI assessment 
techniques, or educational results for children with disabilities;
    (2) Present a justification, based on scientifically rigorous 
research or theory, that supports the potential effectiveness of the 
technology-based approach described pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of 
this priority for improving results for children with disabilities. The 
approach must have the potential to improve child outcomes, not just 
parent or provider outcomes. Child outcomes may 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 providers or 
parents may not be funded under this priority unless child-level 
benefits are clearly demonstrated. Technology-based approaches for 
professional development will not be funded under this priority;
    (3) Provide a detailed plan for conducting work in one of the 
following two phases:
    (i) 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 1 of the priority may include development, adaptation, and 
refinement of technology, materials, or methodologies. Activities under 
Phase 1 of the priority must include a 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 its 
effectiveness in improving results for children with disabilities.
    (ii) 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 its effectiveness in educational or 
early intervention settings. Approaches studied 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 demonstrating 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 the 
selection bias 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 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, 
or 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;
    (4) Provide a plan for forming collaborative relationships with 
vendors, other dissemination or marketing resources, or both to ensure 
that the technology-based approach can be made widely available if 
sufficient evidence of effectiveness is obtained. Applicants should 
document the availability and willingness of dissemination or marketing 
resources to participate. 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 is obtained in Phase 2; and
    (5) Budget for the project director to attend an annual three-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.
    (b) The project also must conduct the following activities:
    (1) 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.
    (2) If the project produces instructional materials for 
dissemination, produce them in accessible formats, including complying 
with the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard 
(NIMAS) for textual materials.
    Within this absolute priority, we are particularly interested in 
applications that address the following invitational priorities.
    Invitational Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give 
an application that meets one of these invitational priorities a 
competitive or absolute preference over other applications.
    These priorities are:
    (1) Projects led by a project director or principal investigator 
who is in the initial phase of his or her career. For purposes of this 
invitational 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 2009 awards, 
projects may support individuals who completed and graduated from a 
doctoral program no earlier than the 2005-2006 academic year). To 
qualify for this invitational priority, the applicant must explicitly 
state and document, in its application,

[[Page 42335]]

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.
    (2) Projects focusing on technology-based approaches for children 
with disabilities, ages birth to age three.
    (3) 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 and 
requirements. Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, 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 institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested 
$30,949,000 for the Technology and Media Services for Individuals with 
Disabilities program for FY 2009, of which we intend to use an 
estimated $2,400,000 for the Steppingstones of Technology Innovation 
for Children with Disabilities competition. Please refer to the 
``Estimated Range of Awards'' column in the Chart for the estimated 
dollar amounts for the two phases of this 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. Contingent 
upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may 
make additional awards in FY 2009 from the lists of unfunded applicants 
from the competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: See Chart.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: See 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 Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in 
the Federal Register .
    Estimated Number of Awards: See Chart.
    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.

                     Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children With Disabilities Application Notice for Fiscal Year 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Deadline for            Deadline for          Estimated                            Estimated       Estimated
         CFDA No. and name               transmittal of        Intergovernmental        available    Estimated  range of   average size      number of
                                          applications               review               funds             awards           of awards        awards
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.327A--Steppingstones of
 Technology Innovation for Children
 with Disabilities:
    Phase 1--Development...........  September 4, 2008....  November 3, 2008.......      $1,200,000    $100,000-$200,000        $200,000               6
                                     September 4, 2008....  November 3, 2008.......  ..............  ...................  ..............  ..............
    Phase 2--Research on             .....................  .......................       1,200,000      200,000-300,000         300,000               4
     Effectiveness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (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 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 projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll 
free: 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-
576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.327A.
    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 Alternative Format in section VIII 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

[[Page 42336]]

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 two-page abstract, the 
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support. 
The page limit, however, does apply to the application narrative in 
Part III.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit; or if 
you use other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: July 21, 2008.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: See Chart.
    Applications for grants under this program 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: 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 in this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this program may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail 
or hand delivery.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    To comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are 
participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. 
The Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Children with 
Disabilities competition, CFDA Number 84.327A, is included in this 
project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
    If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must 
use the Governmentwide 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 
competition, CFDA Number 84.327A, 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 84.327, not 84.327A).
    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 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as 
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if 
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov 
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply 
with the deadline requirements. 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 
4:30:00 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 all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see 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 submit successfully 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

[[Page 42337]]

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 Technical Issues 
with the Grants.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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 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 4:30:00 
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 84.327A), 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.
    (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.
    (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 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 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

    1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
    2. Peer Review: In the past, the Department has had difficulty 
finding peer reviewers for certain competitions, because so many 
individuals who are eligible to serve as peer reviewers have conflicts 
of interest. 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 
grant competitions, applications may be separated into two or more 
groups and ranked and selected for funding within specific groups. This 
procedure will make it easier for the Department to find peer 
reviewers, by ensuring that greater numbers of individuals who are 
eligible to serve as reviewers for any particular group of applicants 
will not have conflicts of interest. It also will increase the quality, 
independence, and fairness of the review process while permitting panel 
members to review applications under discretionary grant competitions 
for

[[Page 42338]]

which they also have submitted applications. However, if the Department 
decides to select an equal number of applications in each group for 
funding, 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 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 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 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 established a set of 
performance measures, including long-term measures, that are designed 
to yield information on various aspects of the effectiveness and 
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 improving outcomes of 
children with disabilities, and contribute to improving outcomes for 
children with disabilities. We will collect data on these measures 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 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7369.
    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 can 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: 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: July 15, 2008.
Tracy R. Justesen,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E8-16632 Filed 7-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P