[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6516-6530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02392]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development To Improve
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities--Personnel
Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related
Services for Personnel Serving Children With Disabilities
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2022 for
Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities--Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early
Intervention, and Related Services for Personnel Serving Children with
Disabilities, Assistance Listing Number 84.325K. This notice relates to
the approved information collection under OMB control number 1820-0028.
DATES:
Applications Available: February 4, 2022.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 15, 2022.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 14, 2022.
Pre-Application Webinar Information: No later than February 9,
2022, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
(OSERS) will post details on pre-recorded informational webinars
designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants.
Links to the webinars may be found at www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979. Please note that these Common
Instructions supersede the version published on February 13, 2019, and,
in part, describe the transition from the requirement to register in
SAM.gov a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the
implementation of the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). More information
on the phase-out of DUNS numbers is available at https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For Absolute Priority 1 Focus Area A: Sunyoung Ahn, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5012A, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-6460. Email:
[email protected].
For Absolute Priority 1 Focus Area B: Carlene Reid, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5038A, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-6139. Email:
[email protected].
For Absolute Priority 2: Tracie Dickson, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5176, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-7844. Email:
[email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help
address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special
education, early intervention, related services, and regular education
to work with children,
[[Page 6517]]
including infants, toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2)
ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge,
derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically
based research, to be successful in serving those children.
Priorities: This competition includes two absolute priorities. In
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), Absolute Priority 1 and
Absolute Priority 2 are from allowable activities specified in the
statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2022 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this
competition, these priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet Absolute Priority
1 or Absolute Priority 2. The Department may fund out of rank order
high-quality applications to ensure that awards are evenly funded under
each absolute priority. Applicants may apply under both absolute
priorities but must submit two separate applications. Applicants must
clearly identify if the proposed project addresses Absolute Priority 1
or Absolute Priority 2.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1: Interdisciplinary Preparation in Special
Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services for Personnel
Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs.
Background:
The purpose of this priority is to increase the number and improve
the quality of personnel who are fully credentialed to serve children,
including infants, toddlers, and youth with disabilities, who have
high-intensity needs.\1\ Under this priority, the Department will fund
high-quality interdisciplinary \2\ projects that prepare special
education, early intervention, and related services \3\ personnel at
the master's degree, educational specialist degree, or clinical
doctoral degree levels for professional practice in a variety of
education settings, including natural environments (the home and
community settings in which children with and without disabilities
participate), early learning programs, classrooms, schools, and
distance learning environments. The competition will also prepare
personnel who have the knowledge and skills to support each child with
a disability who has high-intensity needs, in meeting high expectations
and to partner with other providers, families, and administrators in
meaningful and effective collaborations.
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\1\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-intensity needs''
refers to a complex array of disabilities (e.g., multiple
disabilities, significant cognitive disabilities, significant
physical disabilities, significant sensory disabilities, significant
autism, significant emotional disabilities, or significant learning
disabilities, including dyslexia) or the needs of children with
these disabilities requiring intensive, individualized
intervention(s) (i.e., that are specifically designed to address
persistent learning or behavior difficulties, implemented with
greater frequency and for an extended duration than is commonly
available in a typical classroom or early intervention setting, or
which require personnel to have knowledge and skills in identifying
and implementing multiple evidence-based interventions).
\2\ For the purposes of this priority, ``interdisciplinary''
refers to preparing scholars from two or more graduate degree
programs in special education or early intervention and one or more
related services through shared coursework, group assignments, and
extensive and coordinated field or clinical experiences. Different
graduate degree programs across more than one institution of higher
education may partner to develop an interdisciplinary project.
For the purpose of this priority, ``interdisciplinary'' does not
include: (a) Individual scholars who receive two or more graduate
degrees; (b) one graduate degree program that prepares scholars with
different areas of focus; (c) one graduate degree program that
offers interdisciplinary content but does not prepare scholars from
two or more degree programs together; or (d) one graduate degree
program in special education, early intervention, and related
services partnering with a graduate degree program other than
special education, early intervention, or related services. Programs
in which scholars receive only a certificate or endorsement without
a graduate degree are not eligible.
\3\ For the purposes of this priority, ``related services''
includes the following: Speech-language pathology and audiology
services; interpreting services; psychological services; applied
behavior analysis; physical therapy and occupational therapy;
recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social work services;
counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling; and
orientation and mobility services.
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State demand for fully credentialed special education, early
intervention, and related services personnel to serve children,
including infants, toddlers, and youth, with disabilities exceeds the
available supply, particularly in high-need schools \4\ (Boe et al.,
2013). These shortages can negatively affect the quality of services
provided to children, including infants, toddlers, and youth, with
disabilities and their families (Boe et al., 2013). These shortages
limit the field's ability to ensure that each child has the opportunity
to meet challenging objectives and receive an education that addresses
individualized needs and is both meaningful and appropriately
ambitious, which is essential for preparing them for the future.
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\4\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-need school''
refers to a public elementary or secondary school that is a ``high-
need local educational agency (LEA),'' ``high-poverty,''
``implementing a comprehensive support and improvement plan,'' or
``implementing a targeted support and improvement plan'' as defined
in footnotes 9, 10, 11, and 12, respectively.
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The need for personnel with the knowledge and skills to serve
children with disabilities, including infants, toddlers, and youth, who
have high-intensity needs is even greater because specialized or
advanced preparation is required to collaboratively design and deliver
evidence-based \5\ instruction and intensive individualized
intervention(s) in person and through distance learning technologies in
natural environments, classrooms, and schools that address the needs of
these individuals (Boe et al., 2013; Browder et al., 2014; McLeskey &
Brownell, 2015).
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\5\ For the purposes of this priority, ``evidence-based'' means,
at a minimum, evidence that demonstrates a rationale (as defined in
34 CFR 77.1), where a key project component included in the
project's logic model is informed by research or evaluation findings
that suggest the project component is likely to improve relevant
outcomes.
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Although children with disabilities, including infants, toddlers,
and youth, who have high-intensity needs may require the combined
expertise of numerous professionals (including special education, early
intervention, and related services providers), it is often difficult
for personnel from varied professional backgrounds to work together
because they lack shared information, understanding, and experience.
Personnel also need leadership skills to strengthen professional
practice and cultural and linguistic competencies to effectively
deliver services and education for children with disabilities who have
high-intensity needs, including those who are racially and ethnically
diverse.
Interdisciplinary approaches to personnel preparation provide
scholars with experience working and learning in team environments
similar to those in which they are likely to work once employed (Smith,
2010). That is, when providing early intervention or special education
services under IDEA, personnel serving children with disabilities,
including infants, toddlers, and youth, work on interdisciplinary teams
with parents, general and special education teachers, early
interventionists, and related service providers with the expertise to
design, implement, and evaluate instruction, intervention plans,
individualized family service plans, and individualized education
programs based on the unique learning and developmental needs of each
child. To enable personnel to provide efficient, high-quality,
integrated, and equitable services, both in person and through distance
learning technologies, personnel preparation programs need to embed
content,
[[Page 6518]]
practices, and extensive field or clinical experiences into preservice
training that is culturally and linguistically responsive and aligned
with an interdisciplinary team-based approach to effectively meet the
needs of children with high-intensity needs and their families in ways
that are culturally and linguistically responsive. This priority aims
to fund interdisciplinary projects that will provide such preparation.
Priority:
The purpose of this priority is to increase the number and improve
the quality of personnel who are fully credentialed to serve children,
including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities, who have
high-intensity needs--especially in areas of chronic personnel
shortage. The priority will fund high-quality interdisciplinary
projects that prepare special education, early intervention, and
related services personnel at the master's degree, educational
specialist degree, or clinical doctoral degree levels for professional
practice in natural environments, early learning programs, classrooms,
school settings, and in distance learning environments serving
children, including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities.
Specifically, an applicant must propose an interdisciplinary
project supporting scholars \6\ from two or more graduate degree
programs in special education or early intervention and one or more
related services.
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\6\ For the purposes of this priority, ``scholar'' is limited to
an individual who: (a) Is pursuing a master's, educational
specialist degree, or clinical doctoral graduate degree in special
education, early intervention, or related services (as defined in
this notice); (b) receives scholarship assistance as authorized
under section 662 of IDEA (34 CFR 304.3(g)); (c) will be eligible
for a license, endorsement, or certification from a State or
national credentialing authority following completion of the
graduate degree program identified in the application; and (d) will
be able to be employed in a position that serves children with
disabilities for a minimum of 51 percent of their time or case load.
See https://pdp.ed.gov/OSEP/Home/Regulation for more information.
Scholars from each graduate degree program participating in the
proposed interdisciplinary project must receive scholar support and
be eligible to fulfill service obligation requirements following
graduate degree program completion. Scholars from each graduate
degree program participating in this project must complete the
requirements of their unique graduate degree program and receive
different graduate degrees. Individuals pursuing degrees in general
education or early childhood education do not qualify as
``scholars'' eligible for scholarship assistance.
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An interdisciplinary project is a project that delivers core
content through shared coursework, group assignments, and extensive and
coordinated field and clinical experiences as part of two or more
master's degree, educational specialist degree, or clinical doctoral
degree programs for scholars. Not all requirements (e.g., courses and
field or clinical experiences) of each participating graduate degree
program must be shared across all degree programs participating in the
interdisciplinary project, but the interdisciplinary project must: (a)
Identify the competencies needed to promote high expectations and
address the individualized needs of children with disabilities who have
high-intensity needs using an interdisciplinary approach to service
delivery; (b) outline how the project will build capacity in those
areas through shared coursework, group assignments, and extensive and
coordinated field or clinical experiences for scholars supported by the
proposed project; and (c) identify the aspects of each graduate degree
program that are shared across all participating degree programs and
those that remain unique to each.
Projects may include individuals who are not funded as scholars,
but are in degree programs (e.g., general education, early childhood
education, administration) that are cooperating with the applicant's
proposed interdisciplinary project. These individuals may participate
in the shared coursework, group assignments, extensive and coordinated
field or clinical experiences, and other opportunities required of
scholars' program of study (e.g., speaker series, monthly seminars) if
doing so does not diminish the benefit for project-funded scholars
(e.g., by reducing funds available for scholar support or limiting
opportunities for scholars to participate in project activities).
Personnel preparation degree programs that prepare all scholars to
be dually certified can qualify under this priority by partnering with
at least one additional graduate degree program in related services.
Personnel preparation programs that prepare individuals to be
educational interpreters for the deaf at the bachelor's degree level
can qualify under this priority and are exempted from (a) the
interdisciplinary requirement and (b) the requirement for two or more
graduate degree programs. All other priority requirements specified for
graduate programs will apply to the bachelor's program. While
interdisciplinary projects are not required for educational
interpreters, they are encouraged.
Focus Areas:
Within this absolute priority, the Secretary intends to support
interdisciplinary projects under the following two focus areas: (A)
Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age
Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs; and (B)
Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with Disabilities who
have High-Intensity Needs.
Applicants must identify the specific focus area (i.e., A or B)
under which they are applying as part of the competition title on the
application cover sheet (SF 424, line 12). Applicants may not submit
the same proposal under more than one focus area. Applicants may submit
different proposals in different focus areas.
Note: OSEP may fund out of rank order high-quality applications to
ensure that projects are funded across both Focus Area A and Focus Area
B.
Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and
Preschool-Age Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs.
This focus area is for interdisciplinary projects that deliver core
content through shared coursework, group assignments, and extensive and
coordinated field or clinical experiences for scholars across two or
more graduate degree programs in early intervention or early childhood
special education and one or more related services for infants,
toddlers, and preschool-age children with disabilities or developmental
delays who have high-intensity needs.
Early intervention personnel are those who are prepared to provide
services to infants and toddlers with disabilities ages birth to three,
and early childhood personnel are those who are prepared to provide
services to children with disabilities ages three through five (and in
States where the age range is other than ages three through five, we
defer to the State's certification for early childhood special
education). In States where certification in early intervention is
combined with certification in early childhood special education,
applicants may propose a combined early intervention and early
childhood special education personnel preparation project under this
focus area.
Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with
Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs. This focus area is for
interdisciplinary projects that deliver core content through shared
coursework, group assignments, and extensive and coordinated field or
clinical experiences to scholars across two or more graduate degree
programs in special education and one or more related services for
school-age children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs.
Focus Areas A and B:
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Applicants may use up to the first 12 months of the performance
period and up to $100,000 of the first budget period for planning
without enrolling scholars. Applicants must clearly provide sufficient
justification for requesting program planning time and include the
goals, objectives, and intended outcomes of program planning in year
one, a description of the proposed strategies and activities to be
supported, and a timeline for the work. A description of the proposed
strategies may include activities such as--
(1) Outlining or updating coursework, group assignments, or
extensive and coordinated field or clinical experiences needed to
support culturally and linguistically responsive, interdisciplinary
preparation for special education, early intervention, or related
services personnel serving children with disabilities who have high-
intensity needs;
(2) Building capacity (e.g., hiring of a field supervisor,
providing professional development for field supervisors, and training
for faculty);
(3) Purchasing needed resources (e.g., additional teaching supplies
or specialized equipment to enhance instruction); or
(4) Establishing relationships with programs or schools, including
those with racially and ethnically diverse populations, to serve as
sites for field or clinical experiences needed to support delivery of
the proposed interdisciplinary project.
Additional Federal funds may be requested for scholar support and
other grant activities occurring in year one of the project, provided
that the total request for year one does not exceed the maximum award
available for one budget period of 12 months (i.e., $250,000).
Note: Applicants proposing projects to develop, expand, or add a
new area of emphasis to special education, early intervention, or
related services programs must provide, in their applications,
information on how these new areas will be sustained in their programs
once Federal funding ends.
Note: Project periods under this priority may be up to 60 months.
Projects should be designed to ensure that all proposed scholars
successfully complete the program within 60 months of the start of the
project. The Secretary may reduce continuation awards for any project
in which scholars are not on track to complete the program by the end
of that period.
To be considered for funding under this absolute priority, all
program applicants must meet the requirements contained in this
priority.
To meet the requirements of this priority an applicant must--
(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Significance,'' how--
(1) The project addresses national, State, regional, or district
shortages of personnel who are fully qualified to serve children with
disabilities who have high-intensity needs in the focus area under
which the project is applying. To address this requirement, the
applicant must--
(i) Present data for all scholars in the program and provide
disaggregated data for scholars of color that reflects the quality of
each special education, early intervention, or related services
personnel preparation degree program participating in the project, in
areas such as: The average amount of time it takes for scholars to
complete the program; the percentage of program graduates who receive a
license, endorsement, or certification related to special education,
related services, or early intervention services; the percentage of
program graduates finding employment related to their preparation after
graduation; the effectiveness of program graduates in providing special
education, early intervention, or related services, which could include
data on the learning and developmental outcomes of children with
disabilities they serve; the percentage of program graduates who
maintain employment for two or more years in the area for which they
were prepared; and the percentage of employers who rate the preparation
of scholars who complete their degree program as adequate or higher;
and
(ii) If available for the degree programs participating in the
proposed project, present data on the quality of their
interdisciplinary approaches to the preparation of special education,
early intervention, or related services personnel; and
Note: Data on the quality of a personnel preparation program should
be no older than five years prior to the start date of the project
proposed in the application. When reporting percentages, the
denominator (i.e., total number of scholars or program graduates) must
be provided.
(2) The project will increase the number of personnel who
demonstrate the competencies \7\ needed to--
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\7\ For the purposes of this priority, ``competencies'' means
what a person knows and can do--the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions necessary to effectively function in a role (National
Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 2011). These
competencies should ensure that personnel are able to use
challenging academic standards, child achievement and functional
standards, and assessments to improve instructional practices,
services, learning and developmental outcomes (e.g., academic,
social, emotional, behavioral), and college- and career-readiness of
children with disabilities.
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(i) Promote high expectations and improve outcomes for children
with disabilities;
(ii) Differentiate curriculum and instruction;
(iii) Provide intensive, evidence-based individualized instruction
and intervention(s);
(iv) Provide culturally and linguistically responsive instruction
and services;
(v) Provide instruction or intervention(s) in person and through
distance learning technologies;
(vi) Collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including those from
racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, using an interdisciplinary
team-based approach to address the individualized needs of children
with disabilities who have high-intensity needs, ages birth through 21,
and designed to achieve improvements in learning or developmental
outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional, behavioral), and support
the successful transition from early childhood to elementary,
elementary to secondary, or transition to postsecondary education and
the workforce; and
(vii) Exercise leadership to improve professional practice and
services and education for children with disabilities who have high-
intensity needs.
To address this requirement, the applicant must--
(A) Identify the competencies that special education, early
intervention, or related services personnel need to--
(1) Promote high expectations and improve outcomes for children
with disabilities;
(2) Differentiate curriculum and instruction;
(3) Provide intensive, evidence-based individualized instruction
and intervention(s);
(4) Provide culturally and linguistically responsive instruction
and services;
(5) Provide instruction or intervention(s) in person and through
distance learning technologies;
(6) Collaborate with parents, families, and diverse stakeholders,
including those who are from racially and ethnically diverse
backgrounds, using an interdisciplinary team-based approach designed to
improve learning and developmental outcomes; ensure access to and
progress in academic achievement standards or alternate academic
achievement standards, as appropriate; lead to successful
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transition to college and career for children with disabilities,
including children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs; and
maximize the use of effective technology, including assistive
technology, to deliver instruction, interventions, and services; and
(7) Exercise leadership to improve professional practice and
services and education for children with disabilities who have high-
intensity needs and their families;
(B) Identify the competencies needed by members of
interdisciplinary teams to promote high expectations and improve early
childhood, educational, and employment outcomes for children with
disabilities who have high-intensity needs;
(C) Identify the competencies that personnel need to support
inclusion of children with disabilities who have high-intensity needs
in the least restrictive and natural environments to the maximum extent
appropriate by intentionally promoting high expectations and
participation in learning and social activities to foster development,
learning, academic achievement, friendships with peers, and sense of
belonging;
(D) Identify how scholars will be prepared to develop, implement,
and evaluate evidence-based instruction and evidence-based
interventions delivered in person and through distance learning
technologies that improve outcomes for children with disabilities who
have high-intensity needs in a variety of settings (e.g., natural
environments; public schools, including charter schools; private
schools; and other nonpublic education settings, including home
education); and
(E) Provide a conceptual framework for the proposed
interdisciplinary personnel preparation project, including any
empirical support for project activities designed to promote the
acquisition of the identified competencies (see paragraph (a)(2) of the
requirements for this priority) needed by special education, early
intervention, or related services personnel, and how these competencies
relate to the proposed project.
(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of project services,'' how the project--
(1) Will conduct its planning activities, if the applicant will use
any of the allowable first 12 months of the project period for
planning;
(2) Will recruit and retain high-quality scholars into each of the
graduate degree programs participating in the project and ensure equal
access and treatment for eligible project participants who are members
of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race,
color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this
requirement, the applicant must describe--
(i) Criteria the applicant will use to identify high-quality
applicants for admission into each of the graduate degree programs
participating in the project;
(ii) Recruitment strategies the applicant will use to attract high-
quality applicants, including specific recruitment strategies targeting
high-quality applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups,
including underrepresented people of color and individuals with
disabilities; and
(iii) The approach, including mentoring, monitoring, and
accommodations, the applicant will use to support scholars to complete
their respective degree programs;
(3) Reflects current evidence-based practices, including practices
in the areas of literacy and numeracy development, assessment,
behavior, instructional practices, distance learning technologies and
pedagogy, and inclusive strategies, as appropriate, and is designed to
prepare scholars in the identified competencies. To address this
requirement, the applicant must describe how the project will--
(i) Incorporate current evidence-based practices (including
relevant research citations) that improve outcomes for children with
disabilities who have high-intensity needs into (a) the required
coursework and extensive field or clinical experiences for each
graduate degree program participating in the project; and (b) the
shared coursework, group assignments, and extensive and coordinated
field or clinical experiences required for the interdisciplinary
portions of the project; and
(ii) Use evidence-based professional development practices for
adult learners to instruct scholars through both in-person and online
courses and field or clinical experiences;
(4) Is of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to prepare
scholars in the identified competencies. To address this requirement,
the applicant must describe how--
(i) The components of (a) each graduate degree program
participating in the project; and (b) the shared coursework, group
assignments, and extensive and coordinated field or clinical
experiences required for the interdisciplinary portions of the proposed
project will support scholars' acquisition and enhancement of the
identified competencies;
(ii) The components of (a) each graduate degree program
participating in the project; and (b) the shared coursework, group
assignments, and extensive and coordinated field or clinical
experiences required for the interdisciplinary portions of the proposed
project will be integrated to allow scholars, in collaboration with
other team members, to use their knowledge and skills in designing,
implementing, and evaluating practices supported by evidence to address
the learning and developmental needs of children with disabilities who
have high-intensity needs;
(iii) Scholars will be provided with ongoing guidance and feedback
during training; and
(iv) The proposed project will provide ongoing induction
opportunities and mentoring support to graduates of each graduate
degree program participating in the project;
(5) Will engage in meaningful and effective collaboration with
appropriate partners representing diverse stakeholders, including--
(i) High-need schools, which may include high-need local
educational agencies (LEAs),\8\ high-poverty schools,\9\ schools
identified for comprehensive support and improvement,\10\ and schools
implementing a targeted support and improvement plan \11\ for children
with disabilities; early childhood and early intervention
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programs located within the geographic boundaries of a high-need LEA;
and early childhood and early intervention programs located within the
geographical boundaries of an LEA serving the highest percentage of
schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement or
implementing targeted support and improvement plans in the State. The
purpose of these partnerships is to provide extensive field or clinical
practice for scholars aimed at developing the identified competencies
as members of interdisciplinary teams; and
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\8\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-need LEA'' means
an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families
with incomes below the poverty line; or (b) for which not less than
20 percent of the children are from families with incomes below the
poverty line.
\9\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-poverty school''
means a school in which at least 50 percent of students are from
low-income families as determined using one of the measures of
poverty specified under section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). For middle and
high schools, eligibility may be calculated on the basis of
comparable data from feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty
school under this definition is determined on the basis of the most
currently available data.
\10\ For the purposes of this priority, ``school implementing a
comprehensive support and improvement plan'' means a school
identified for comprehensive support and improvement by a State
under section 1111(c)(4)(D) of the ESEA that includes (a) not less
than the lowest performing 5 percent of all schools in the State
receiving funds under Title I, Part A of the ESEA; (b) all public
high schools in the State failing to graduate one third or more of
their students; and (c) public schools in the State described under
section 1111(d)(3)(A)(i)(II) of the ESEA.
\11\ For the purposes of this priority, ``school implementing a
targeted support and improvement plan'' means a school identified
for targeted support and improvement by a State that has developed
and is implementing a school-level targeted support and improvement
plan to improve student outcomes based on the indicators in the
statewide accountability system as defined in section 1111(d)(2) of
the ESEA.
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(ii) Other personnel preparation programs on campus or at
partnering universities for the purpose of sharing resources,
supporting program development and delivery, and addressing personnel
shortages;
(6) Will use technology, as appropriate, to promote scholar
learning and professional practice, enhance the efficiency of the
project, collaborate with partners, and facilitate ongoing mentoring
and support for scholars;
(7) Will ensure that scholars understand how to use technology to
support children's in-person and distance learning and children's use
of educational and assistive technology; and
(8) Will align with and use resources, as appropriate, available
through technical assistance centers, which may include centers funded
by the Department;
Note: Use the ``Find a Center or Grant'' link at https://osepideasthatwork.org for information about OSEP-funded technical
assistance centers.
(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of the project evaluation,'' how--
(1) The applicant will use comprehensive and appropriate
methodologies to evaluate how well the goals or objectives of the
proposed project have been met, including the project processes and
outcomes;
(2) The applicant will collect, analyze, and use data related to
specific and measurable goals, objectives, and outcomes of the project.
To address this requirement, the applicant must describe how--
(i) Scholar competencies and other project processes and outcomes
will be measured for formative evaluation purposes, including proposed
instruments, data collection methods, and possible analyses; and
(ii) It will collect and analyze data on the quality of services
provided by scholars who complete the graduate degree programs involved
in this interdisciplinary project and are employed in the field for
which they were trained, including data on the learning and
developmental outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional, behavioral,
meeting college- and career-ready standards), and on growth toward
these outcomes, of the children with disabilities who have high-
intensity needs;
Note: Following the completion of the project period, grantees are
encouraged to engage in ongoing data collection activities.
(3) The methods of evaluation will produce quantitative and
qualitative data for objective performance measures that are related to
the outcomes of the proposed project; and
(4) The methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and
allow for periodic assessment of progress towards meeting the project
outcomes. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe
how--
(i) Results of the evaluation will be used to improve the proposed
project to prepare special education, early intervention, or related
services personnel to provide (a) focused instruction; and (b)
intensive individualized intervention(s) in an interdisciplinary team-
based approach to improve outcomes of children with disabilities who
have high-intensity needs; and
(ii) The grantee will report the evaluation results to OSEP in its
annual and final performance reports.
(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative under ``Project Assurances'' or
in the applicable appendices, that the following program requirements
are met. The applicant must--
(1) Provide scholar support for participants from two or more
graduate degree programs partnering in the proposed interdisciplinary
personnel preparation project. Consistent with 34 CFR 304.30, each
scholar must (a) receive support for no less than one academic year,
and (b) be eligible to fulfill service obligation requirements
following degree program completion. Funding across degree programs may
be applied differently;
(2) Include in Appendix B of the application--
(i) Table(s) that summarize the required program of study for each
degree program that clearly delineate the shared coursework, group
assignments, and extensive and coordinated field or clinical
experiences required of all project scholars to support
interdisciplinary practice;
(ii) Course syllabi for all coursework in the major of each degree
program and all shared courses, group assignments, and extensive
coordinated field or clinical experiences required of project scholars;
and
(iii) Learning outcomes for proposed coursework;
(3) Ensure that a comprehensive set of completed syllabi, including
syllabi created or revised as part of a project planning year, are
submitted to OSEP by the end of year one of the grant;
(4) Ensure that efforts to recruit a diverse range of scholars,
including diversity of race, ethnicity, or national origin, are
consistent with applicable law. For instance, grantees may engage in
focused outreach and recruitment to increase the diversity of the
applicant pool prior to the selection of scholars;
(5) Ensure that the project will meet all requirements in 34 CFR
304.23, particularly those related to (a) informing all scholarship
recipients of their service obligation commitment and (b) disbursing
scholar support. Failure by a grantee to properly meet these
requirements would be a violation of the grant award that could result
in sanctions, including the grantee being liable for returning any
misused funds to the Department;
(6) Ensure that prior approval from the OSEP project officer will
be obtained before admitting additional scholars beyond the number of
scholars proposed in the application and before transferring a scholar
to another OSEP-funded grant;
(7) Ensure that the project will meet the statutory requirements in
section 662(e) through (h) of IDEA;
(8) Ensure that at least 65 percent of the total award over the
project period (i.e., up to 5 years) will be used for scholar support.
Applicants proposing to use year one for program development may budget
for less than 65 percent of the total requested budget over the 5 years
for scholar support; such applicants must ensure that 65 percent of the
total award minus funds allocated for program development will be used
for scholar support;
(9) Ensure that the institution of higher education (IHE) at which
scholars are enrolled in the program will not require those scholars to
work (e.g., as graduate assistants) as a condition of receiving support
(e.g., tuition, stipends) from the proposed project, unless the work is
specifically related to the acquisition of scholars' competencies or
the requirements for completion of their personnel preparation program.
This prohibition on work as a condition of receiving support does not
apply to the service obligation requirements in section 662(h) of IDEA;
[[Page 6522]]
(10) Ensure that scholar support costs (e.g., tuition, stipends)
are scholarship assistance and not financial assistance based on the
condition that the scholar works for the grantee (e.g., as graduate
assistants);
(11) Ensure that the budget includes attendance of the project
director at a three-day project directors' meeting in Washington, DC
during each year of the project. The project must reallocate funds for
travel to the project directors' meeting no later than the end of the
third quarter of each budget period if the meeting is conducted
virtually;
(12) Ensure that the project director, key personnel, and, as
appropriate, scholars will actively participate in the cross-project
collaboration, advanced trainings, and cross-site learning
opportunities (e.g., webinars, briefings) organized by OSEP. This
network will be used to build capacity of participants, increase the
impact of funding, and promote innovative and interdisciplinary service
delivery models across projects;
(13) Ensure that if the project maintains a website, relevant
information and documents are in a format that meets government or
industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and
(14) Ensure that annual data will be submitted on each scholar who
receives grant support (OMB Control Number 1820-0686). The primary
purposes of the data collection are to track the service obligation
fulfillment of scholars who receive funds from OSEP grants and to
collect data for program performance measure reporting under 34 CFR
75.110. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Personnel Development
Program Data Collection System (DCS) website at https://pdp.ed.gov/osep
for further information about this data collection requirement.
Typically, data collection begins in January of each year, and grantees
are notified by email about the data collection period for their grant,
although grantees may submit data as needed, year round. This data
collection must be submitted electronically by the grantee and does not
supplant the annual grant performance report required of each grantee
for continuation funding (see 34 CFR 75.590). Data collection includes
the submission of a signed, completed Pre-Scholarship Agreement and
Exit Certification for each scholar funded under an OSEP grant (see
paragraph (5) of these requirements).
Absolute Priority 2: Preparation of Special Education, Early
Intervention, and Related Services Personnel Attending Minority Serving
Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal
Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Pacific
Islander Serving Institutions (AAPISIs).
Background:
The purpose of this priority is to increase the number of
ethnically and racially diverse personnel who are fully credentialed to
serve children, including infants, toddlers, and youth with
disabilities. Under this absolute priority, the Department will fund
high-quality projects within MSIs \12\ that prepare special education,
early intervention, and related services \13\ personnel at the
certification,\14\ bachelor's degree, master's degree, educational
specialist degree, or clinical doctoral degree levels to serve in a
variety of settings, including natural environments (the home and
community settings in which children with and without disabilities
participate), early learning programs, child care, classrooms, schools,
and distance learning.
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\12\ For the purposes of this priority, ``minority serving
institutions'' are institutions of higher education whose enrollment
of a single minority or a combination of minorities exceeds 50
percent of the total enrollment (20 U.S.C. 1067k(3)).
\13\ For the purposes of this priority, ``related services''
includes the following: speech-language pathology and audiology
services; interpreting services; psychological services; applied
behavior analysis; physical therapy and occupational therapy;
recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social work services;
counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling; and
orientation and mobility services.
\14\ For the purpose of this priority, ``certification'' refers
to programs of study that lead to State licensure, endorsement, or
certification that qualifies graduates to teach or provide services
to children with disabilities. Programs of study that lead to a
certificate of completion from the MSI, but do not lead to State
licensure, endorsement, or certification, do not qualify.
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Children of color represent a large proportion of the children
receiving early intervention and special education services through
IDEA. In 2019, approximately 50 percent of infants and toddlers with
disabilities, ages birth through two are children of color;
approximately 48 percent of preschool children with disabilities ages
three through five are children of color; while approximately 54
percent of students with disabilities, ages five (in kindergarten)
through 21 are children of color (U.S. Department of Education, 2020).
Despite the fact that children of color make up an increasing share
of all children receiving early intervention and special education
services, results from the 2017-18 National Teacher and Principal
Survey show that teachers of color comprised about 20 percent of the
public school teacher workforce, which is disproportionately low
compared to the proportion of students of color enrolled in public
schools (Taie & Goldring, 2020).
Moreover, the demographics of personnel entering the early
intervention and special education fields are not aligned with the
demographics of the children and families served under IDEA. OSEP's
Personnel Development Program Data Collection System data reveals that
scholars are more likely to be White. Specifically, the race/ethnicity
of scholars obtaining a graduate degree to serve children with
disabilities is 62 percent White, 14 percent Hispanic, 9 percent Black,
and 3 percent Asian. Similarly, data from related services professional
organizations reveal that the majority of those enrolled in related
service personnel preparation programs are White with demonstrably
smaller percentages of scholars of color enrolled in preservice
programs (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020; American
Physical Therapy Association, 2020; American Speech-Language Hearing
Association, 2021). The data clearly demonstrates that there is a
substantial shortage of ethnically and racially diverse special
education, early intervention, and related services providers (Sutcher,
Darling-Hammond, & Carver-Thomas, 2016).
This is of concern, as research indicates that increasing the
diversity of personnel can have positive impacts on all children, and
this is especially true for children of color who demonstrate improved
academic achievement and behavioral and social-emotional development
when they are taught by teachers of color (Carver-Thomas, 2018).
To address the need for a more diverse workforce, this priority
aims to fund projects at MSIs that will prepare personnel in special
education, early intervention, or a related service at the
certification, bachelor's degree, master's degree, educational
specialist degree, or clinical doctorate degree level.
Priority:
The purpose of this priority is to increase the number of
ethnically and racially diverse personnel who have the necessary
knowledge and skills to become fully credentialed to serve children,
including infants, toddlers, and youth, with disabilities. The priority
will support high-quality projects in MSIs that prepare special
education, early intervention, and related services scholars \15\ at
the
[[Page 6523]]
certification, bachelor's degree, master's degree, educational
specialist degree, or clinical doctoral degree levels for professional
practice in natural environments, early learning programs, classrooms,
school settings, and in distance learning environments serving
children, including infants, toddlers, and youth, with disabilities.
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\15\ For the purposes of this priority, ``scholar'' is limited
to an individual who: (a) Is pursuing a certification, bachelor's
master's, educational specialist degree, or clinical doctoral
graduate degree in special education, early intervention, or related
services (as defined in this notice); (b) receives scholarship
assistance as authorized under section 662 of IDEA (34 CFR
304.3(g)); (c) will be eligible for a license, endorsement, or
certification from a State or national credentialing authority
following completion of the program of study identified in the
application; and (d) will be able to be employed in a position that
serves children with disabilities for a minimum of 51 percent of
their time or case load. See https://pdp.ed.gov/OSEP/Home/Regulation
for more information.
Individuals pursuing degrees in general education or early
childhood education do not qualify as ``scholars'' eligible for
scholarship assistance.
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Focus Areas:
Within this absolute priority, the Secretary intends to support
projects under the following two focus areas: (A) Preparing Personnel
to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children with
Disabilities; and (B) Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children
with Disabilities. Applicants must identify the specific focus area
(i.e., A or B) under which they are applying as part of the competition
title on the application cover sheet (SF 424, line 12). Applicants may
not submit the same proposal under more than one focus area. Applicants
may submit different proposals in different focus areas. OSEP may fund
out of rank order high-quality applications to ensure that projects are
funded across both Focus Area A and Focus Area B.
Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and
Preschool-Age Children with Disabilities.
This focus area is for projects that prepare early intervention,
special education, and related services personnel who are prepared to
provide services to infants and toddler with disabilities ages birth to
two, and those who are prepared to provide services to children with
disabilities ages three through five (and in States where the age range
is other than ages three through five, we defer to the State's
certification for early childhood special education). In States where
certification in early intervention is combined with certification in
early childhood special education, applicants may propose a combined
early intervention and early childhood special education personnel
preparation project under this focus area.
Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with
Disabilities. This focus area is for projects that prepare special
education and related services personnel to work with school-age
children.
Focus Areas A and B:
Applicants may use up to the first 12 months of the performance
period and up to $100,000 of the first budget period for planning
without enrolling scholars. Applicants must clearly provide sufficient
justification for requesting program planning time and include the
goals, objectives, and intended outcomes of program planning in year
one, a description of the proposed strategies and activities to be
supported, and a timeline for the work. A description of the proposed
strategies may include activities such as--
(1) Outlining or updating coursework, assignments, or extensive and
coordinated field or clinical experiences needed to support preparation
for special education, early intervention, or related services
personnel serving children with disabilities;
(2) Building capacity (e.g., hiring of a field supervisor,
providing professional development for field supervisors, and training
for faculty);
(3) Purchasing needed resources (e.g., additional teaching supplies
or specialized equipment to enhance instruction); or
(4) Establishing relationships with programs or schools to serve as
sites for field or clinical experiences needed to support delivery of
the proposed project.
Additional Federal funds may be requested for scholar support and
other grant activities occurring in year one of the project, provided
that the total request for year one does not exceed the maximum award
available for one budget period of 12 months (i.e., $250,000).
Note: Applicants proposing projects to develop, expand, or add a
new area of emphasis to early intervention, special education, or
related services programs must provide, in their applications,
information on how these new areas will be sustained in their programs
once Federal funding ends.
Note: Project periods under this priority may be up to 60 months.
Projects should be designed to ensure that all proposed scholars
successfully complete the program within 60 months of the start of the
project. The Secretary may reduce continuation awards for any project
in which scholars are not on track to complete the program by the end
of that period.
To be considered for funding under this absolute priority, all
program applicants must meet the requirements contained in this
priority.
To meet the requirements of this priority an applicant must--
(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Significance,'' how--
(1) The project addresses national, State, regional, or district
shortages of personnel who are fully qualified to serve children with
disabilities in the focus area under which the project is applying. To
address this requirement, the applicant must--
(i) Present data for all scholars in the program and provide
disaggregated data for scholars of color that reflects the quality of
the special education, early intervention, or related services
personnel preparation degree program participating in the project, in
areas such as: The average amount of time it takes for scholars to
complete the program; the percentage of program graduates who receive a
license, endorsement, or certification related to special education,
related services, or early intervention services; the percentage of
program graduates finding employment related to their preparation after
graduation; the effectiveness of program graduates in providing special
education, early intervention, or related services, which could include
data on the learning and developmental outcomes of children with
disabilities they serve; the percentage of program graduates who
maintain employment for two or more years in the area for which they
were prepared; and the percentage of employers who rate the preparation
of scholars who complete their degree program as adequate or higher;
and
(ii) Present data on the quality of the pedagogical approach to the
preparation of special education, early intervention, or related
services personnel; and
Note: Data on the quality of a personnel preparation program should
be no older than five years prior to the start date of the project
proposed in the application. When reporting percentages, the
denominator (i.e., total number of scholars or program graduates) must
be provided.
(2) The project will increase the number of personnel, including
those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, who demonstrate
the competencies \16\ needed to--
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\16\ For the purposes of this priority, ``competencies'' means
what a person knows and can do--the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions necessary to effectively function in a role (National
Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 2011). These
competencies should ensure that personnel are able to use
challenging academic standards, child achievement and functional
standards, and assessments to improve instructional practices,
services, learning and developmental outcomes (e.g., academic,
social, emotional, behavioral), and college- and career-readiness of
children with disabilities.
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[[Page 6524]]
(i) Promote high expectations and improve outcomes for children
with disabilities;
(ii) Differentiate curriculum and instruction;
(iii) Provide individualized, evidence-based instruction and
intervention(s);
(iv) Provide culturally and linguistically responsive instruction
and services;
(v) Provide instruction or intervention(s) in person and through
distance learning technologies;
(vi) Collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including those from
racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, to address the
individualized needs of children with disabilities, ages birth through
21, and designed to achieve improvements in learning or developmental
outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional, behavioral), and support
the successful transition from early childhood to elementary,
elementary to secondary, or transition to postsecondary education and
the workforce; and
(vii) Exercise leadership to improve professional practice and
services and education for children with disabilities, including those
from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. To address this
requirement, the applicant must--
(A) Identify the competencies that special education, early
intervention, or related services personnel need to--
(1) Promote high expectations and improve outcomes for children
with disabilities;
(2) Differentiate curriculum and instruction;
(3) Provide individualized, evidence-based instruction and
intervention(s);
(4) Provide culturally and linguistically responsive instruction
and services;
(5) Provide instruction or intervention(s) in person and through
distance learning technologies;
(6) Collaborate with parents, families, and stakeholders, including
those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, to improve
learning and developmental outcomes; ensure access to, and progress in,
academic achievement standards or alternate academic achievement
standards, as appropriate; lead to successful transition to college and
career for children with disabilities; and maximize the use of
effective technology, including assistive technology, to deliver
instruction, interventions, and services; and
(7) Exercise leadership to improve professional practice and
services and education for children with disabilities, including those
from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds;
(B) Identify the competencies that personnel need to support
inclusion of children with disabilities in the least restrictive and
natural environments to the maximum extent appropriate by intentionally
promoting high expectations and participation in learning and social
activities to foster development, learning, academic achievement,
friendships with peers, and sense of belonging;
(C) Identify how scholars will be prepared to develop, implement,
and evaluate evidence-based instruction and evidence-based
interventions delivered in person and through distance learning
technologies that improve outcomes for children with disabilities,
including those from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, in a
variety of settings (e.g., natural environments; public schools,
including charter schools; private schools; and other nonpublic
education settings, including home education); and
(D) Provide a conceptual framework for the proposed personnel
preparation project, including any empirical support for project
activities designed to promote the acquisition of the identified
competencies (see paragraph (a)(2) of the requirements for this
priority) needed by special education, early intervention, or related
services personnel, and how these competencies relate to the proposed
project;
(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of project services,'' how the project--
(1) Will recruit and retain high-quality scholars into the program
and ensure equal access and treatment for eligible project participants
who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented
based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To
meet this requirement, the applicant must describe--
(i) Criteria the applicant will use to identify high-quality
applicants for admission into the programs;
(ii) Recruitment strategies the applicant will use to attract high-
quality applicants, including specific recruitment strategies targeting
high-quality applicants from traditionally underrepresented groups,
including underrepresented people of color and individuals with
disabilities; and
(iii) The approach, including necessary supports and services that
improve graduation rates such as, but not limited to, culturally and
linguistically responsive mentoring and counseling, explicit strategies
and support for standardized test taking (e.g., Praxis tests),
monitoring, and accommodations, the applicant will use to support
scholars to complete their program of study;
(2) Will reflect current culturally and linguistically competent
evidence-based practices, including practices in the areas of early
learning and development, literacy and numeracy development,
assessment, behavior, instructional practices, distance learning
technologies and pedagogy, and inclusive strategies, as appropriate,
and is designed to prepare scholars in the identified competencies. To
address this requirement, the applicant must describe how the project
will--
(i) Incorporate current culturally and linguistically competent
evidence-based practices (including relevant research citations) that
improve outcomes for children with disabilities into the required
coursework and extensive field or clinical experiences for the program;
and
(ii) Use culturally and linguistically competent evidence-based
professional development practices for adult learners to instruct
scholars through both in-person and online courses and field or
clinical experiences;
(3) Is of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration to prepare
scholars in the identified competencies. To address this requirement,
the applicant must describe how--
(i) The components of the program of study, including the
coursework, assignments, and extensive and coordinated field or
clinical experiences required for the proposed project, will support
scholars' acquisition and enhancement of the identified competencies;
(ii) The components of the program of study will be integrated to
allow scholars to use their knowledge and skills in designing,
implementing, and evaluating practices supported by evidence to address
the learning and developmental needs of children with disabilities;
(iii) Scholars will be provided with ongoing culturally and
linguistically responsive guidance, mentoring, feedback, and other
necessary supports during training; and
(iv) The proposed project will provide ongoing culturally and
linguistically responsive induction opportunities and mentoring support
to graduates of the project;
(4) Will engage in meaningful and effective collaboration with
appropriate
[[Page 6525]]
partners representing diverse stakeholders, including--
(i) High-need schools, which may include high-need LEAs,\17\ high-
poverty schools,\18\ schools identified for comprehensive support and
improvement,\19\ and schools implementing a targeted support and
improvement plan \20\ for children with disabilities; early childhood
and early intervention programs located within the geographic
boundaries of a high-need LEA; and early childhood and early
intervention programs located within the geographical boundaries of an
LEA serving the highest percentage of schools identified for
comprehensive support and improvement or implementing targeted support
and improvement plans in the State. The purpose of these partnerships
is to provide extensive field or clinical practice for scholars aimed
at developing the identified competencies; and
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\17\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-need LEA'' means
an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families
with incomes below the poverty line; or (b) for which not less than
20 percent of the children are from families with incomes below the
poverty line.
\18\ For the purposes of this priority, ``high-poverty school''
means a school in which at least 50 percent of students are from
low-income families as determined using one of the measures of
poverty specified under section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). For middle and
high schools, eligibility may be calculated on the basis of
comparable data from feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty
school under this definition is determined on the basis of the most
currently available data.
\19\ For the purposes of this priority, ``school implementing a
comprehensive support and improvement plan'' means a school
identified for comprehensive support and improvement by a State
under section 1111(c)(4)(D) of the ESEA that includes (a) not less
than the lowest performing 5 percent of all schools in the State
receiving funds under Title I, Part A of the ESEA; (b) all public
high schools in the State failing to graduate one third or more of
their students; and (c) public schools in the State described under
section 1111(d)(3)(A)(i)(II) of the ESEA.
\20\ For the purposes of this priority, ``school implementing a
targeted support and improvement plan'' means a school identified
for targeted support and improvement by a State that has developed
and is implementing a school-level targeted support and improvement
plan to improve student outcomes based on the indicators in the
statewide accountability system as defined in section 1111(d)(2) of
the ESEA.
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(ii) Other personnel preparation programs on campus or at
partnering universities for the purpose of sharing resources,
supporting program development and delivery, and addressing personnel
shortages;
(5) Will use technology, as appropriate, to promote scholar
learning and professional practice, enhance the efficiency of the
project, collaborate with partners, and facilitate ongoing culturally
and linguistically responsive mentoring and support for scholars;
(6) Will ensure that scholars understand how to use technology to
support children's in-person and distance learning and children's use
of educational and assistive technology; and
(7) Will align with and use resources, as appropriate, available
through technical assistance centers, which may include centers funded
by the Department;
Note: Use the ``Find a Center or Grant'' link at https://osepideasthatwork.org for information about OSEP-funded technical
assistance centers.
(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of the project evaluation,'' how--
(1) The applicant will use comprehensive and appropriate
methodologies to evaluate how well the goals or objectives of the
proposed project have been met, including the project processes and
outcomes;
(2) The applicant will collect, analyze, and use data related to
specific and measurable goals, objectives, and outcomes of the project.
To address this requirement, the applicant must describe how--
(i) Scholar competencies and other project processes and outcomes
will be measured for formative evaluation purposes, including proposed
instruments, data collection methods, and possible analyses; and
(ii) It will collect and analyze data on the quality of services
provided by scholars who complete the degree program and are employed
in the field for which they were trained, including data on the
learning and developmental outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional,
behavioral, meeting college- and career-ready standards), and on growth
toward these outcomes, of the children with disabilities served by the
scholars;
Note: Following the completion of the project period, grantees are
encouraged to engage in ongoing data collection activities.
(3) The methods of evaluation will produce quantitative and
qualitative data for objective performance measures that are related to
the outcomes of the proposed project; and
(4) The methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and
allow for periodic assessment of progress towards meeting the project
outcomes. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe
how--
(i) Results of the evaluation will be used to improve the proposed
project to prepare special education, early intervention, or related
services personnel to provide (a) focused instruction; and (b)
individualized intervention(s) to improve outcomes of children with
disabilities; and
(ii) The grantee will report the evaluation results to OSEP in its
annual and final performance reports;
(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative under ``Project Assurances'' or
in the applicable appendices, that the following program requirements
are met. The applicant must--
(1) Provide scholar support for participants. Consistent with 34
CFR 304.30, each scholar must (a) receive support for no less than one
academic year, and (b) be eligible to fulfill service obligation
requirements following degree program completion. Funding across degree
programs may be applied differently;
(2) Include in Appendix B of the application--
(i) Course syllabi for all coursework in the program, assignments,
and extensive coordinated field or clinical experiences required of
project scholars; and
(ii) Intended learning outcomes for the proposed coursework;
(3) Ensure that a comprehensive set of completed syllabi, including
syllabi created or revised as part of a project planning year, are
submitted to OSEP by the end of year one of the grant;
(4) Ensure that efforts to recruit a diverse range of scholars,
including diversity of race, ethnicity, or national origin, are
consistent with applicable law. For instance, grantees may engage in
focused outreach and recruitment to increase the diversity of the
applicant pool prior to the selection of scholars;
(5) Ensure that the project will meet all requirements in 34 CFR
304.23, particularly those related to (a) informing all scholarship
recipients of their service obligation commitment and (b) disbursing
scholar support. Failure by a grantee to properly meet these
requirements would be a violation of the grant award that could result
in sanctions, including the grantee being liable for returning any
misused funds to the Department;
(6) Ensure that prior approval from the OSEP project officer will
be obtained before admitting additional scholars beyond the number of
scholars proposed in the application and before transferring a scholar
to another OSEP-funded grant;
(7) Ensure that the project will meet the statutory requirements in
section 662(e) through (h) of IDEA;
(8) Ensure that at least 65 percent of the total award over the
project period (i.e., up to 5 years) will be used for
[[Page 6526]]
scholar support. Applicants proposing to use year one for program
development may budget for less than 65 percent of the total requested
budget over the 5 years for scholar support; such applicants must
ensure that 65 percent of the total award minus funds allocated for
program development will be used for scholar support;
(9) Ensure that the IHE at which scholars are enrolled in the
program will not require those scholars to work (e.g., as graduate
assistants) as a condition of receiving support (e.g., tuition,
stipends) from the proposed project, unless the work is specifically
related to the acquisition of scholars' competencies or the
requirements for completion of their personnel preparation program.
This prohibition on work as a condition of receiving support does not
apply to the service obligation requirements in section 662(h) of IDEA;
(10) Ensure that scholar support costs (e.g., tuition, stipends)
are scholarship assistance and not financial assistance based on the
condition that the scholar work (e.g., as graduate assistants);
(11) Ensure that the budget includes attendance of the project
director at a three-day project directors' meeting in Washington, DC
during each year of the project. The project must reallocate funds for
travel to the project directors' meeting no later than the end of the
third quarter of each budget period if the meeting is conducted
virtually;
(12) Ensure that the project director, key personnel, and, as
appropriate, scholars will actively participate in cross-project
collaboration opportunities, advanced trainings, and other learning
opportunities (e.g., webinars, briefings) organized by OSEP. This
network will be used to build capacity of participants, increase the
impact of funding, and promote innovative service delivery models;
(13) Ensure that if the project maintains a website, relevant
information and documents are in a format that meets government or
industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and
(14) Ensure that annual data will be submitted on each scholar who
receives grant support (OMB Control Number 1820-0686). The primary
purposes of the data collection are to track the service obligation
fulfillment of scholars who receive funds from OSEP grants and to
collect data for program performance measure reporting under 34 CFR
75.110. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Personnel Development
Program Data Collection System (DCS) website at https://pdp.ed.gov/osep
for further information about this data collection requirement.
Typically, data collection begins in January of each year, and grantees
are notified by email about the data collection period for their grant,
although grantees may submit data as needed, year round. This data
collection must be submitted electronically by the grantee and does not
supplant the annual grant performance report required of each grantee
for continuation funding (see 34 CFR 75.590). Data collection includes
the submission of a signed, completed Pre-Scholarship Agreement and
Exit Certification for each scholar funded under an OSEP grant (see
paragraph (5) of these requirements).
References:
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). 2019 workforce
and salary survey. www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Advance-Career/Salary-Workforce-Survey.aspx.
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). (2020). APTA physical
therapy workforce analysis. www.apta.org/contentassets/5997bfa5c8504df789fe4f1c01a717eb/apta-workforce-analysis-2020.pdf.
American Speech-Language Hearing Association. (2021). CSD education
survey. www.asha.org/siteassets/uploadedFiles/Communication-Sciences-and-Disorders-Education-Trend-Data.pdf.
Boe, E.E., deBettencourt, L., Dewey, J.F., Rosenberg, M.S.,
Sindelar, P.T., & Leko, C.D. (2013). Variability in demand for
special education teachers: Indicators, explanations, and impacts.
Exceptionality, 21(2), 103-125.
Browder, D.M., Wood, L., Thompson, J., & Ribuffo, C. (2014).
Evidence-based practices for students with severe disabilities
(Document No. IC-3). http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/tool/innovation-configurations/.
Carver-Thomas, D. (2018). Diversifying the teaching profession: How
to recruit and retain teachers of color. Learning Policy Institute.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1400, et seq.
(2004).
McLeskey, J., & Brownell, M. (2015). High-leverage practices and
teacher preparation in special education (Document No. PR-1). http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/High-Leverage-Practices-and-Teacher-Preparation-in-Special-Education.pdf.
National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (August,
2011). Competencies for early childhood educators in the context of
inclusion: Issues and guidance for States. The University of North
Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute.
Smith, J. (2010). An interdisciplinary approach to preparing early
intervention professionals: A university and community collaborative
initiative. Teacher Education and Special Education, 33(2), 131-142.
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A
coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in
the U.S. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/coming-crisis-teaching.
Taie, S., & Goldring, R. (2020). Characteristics of public and
private elementary and secondary school teachers in the United
States: Results from the 2017-18 national teacher and principal
survey. First look. NCES 2020-142. National Center for Education
Statistics.
U.S. Department of Education. (2020). EDFacts Data Warehouse: ``IDEA
Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Collection'' &
``IDEA Part C Child Count and Settings Collection,'' 2019-20.
www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/static-tables/index.html.
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. Section
681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the public comment requirements of the
APA inapplicable to the priorities in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481.
Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner
consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in Federal
civil rights laws.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86,
97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR
part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 304.
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
$250,000,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2022, of which we
intend to use an estimated $9,500,000 for this competition. The actual
level of funding, if any, depends on final
[[Page 6527]]
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 2023 from the list of
unfunded applications from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000-$250,000 per year.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $225,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $250,000 for a
single budget period of 12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 38.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: For Absolute Priority 1, eligible
applicants are IHEs and private nonprofit organizations. For Absolute
Priority 2, eligible applicants are MSIs and private nonprofit
organizations.
Note: If you are a nonprofit organization, under 34 CFR 75.51, you
may demonstrate your nonprofit status by providing: (1) Proof that the
Internal Revenue Service currently recognizes the applicant as an
organization to which contributions are tax deductible under section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) a statement from a State
taxing body or the State attorney general certifying that the
organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the State and
that no part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private
shareholder or individual; (3) a certified copy of the applicant's
certificate of incorporation or similar document if it clearly
establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant; or (4) any item
described above if that item applies to a State or national parent
organization, together with a statement by the State or parent
organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate.
2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing or matching is not
required for this competition.
b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This program uses a training
indirect cost rate. This limits indirect cost reimbursement to an
entity's actual indirect costs, as determined in its negotiated
indirect cost rate agreement, or eight percent of a modified total
direct cost base, whichever amount is less. For more information
regarding training indirect cost rates, see 34 CFR 75.562. For more
information regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated
indirect cost rate, please see www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/intro.html.
c. Administrative Cost Limitation: This program does not include
any program-specific limitation on administrative expenses. All
administrative expenses must be reasonable and necessary and conform to
Cost Principles described in 2 CFR part 200 subpart E of the Uniform
Guidance.
3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may not award
subgrants to entities to directly carry out project activities
described in its application. Under 34 CFR 75.708(e), a grantee may
contract for supplies, equipment, and other services in accordance with
2 CFR part 200.
4. Other General Requirements:
a. Recipients of funding under this competition must make positive
efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with
disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
b. Applicants for, and recipients of, funding must, with respect to
the aspects of their proposed project relating to the absolute
priority, involve individuals with disabilities, or parents of
individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26, in planning,
implementing, and evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of
IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to
follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of
Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal
Register on December 27, 2021 (86 FR 73264) and available at
www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-27979, which contain requirements and
information on how to submit an application. Please note that these
Common Instructions supersede the version published on February 13,
2019, and, in part, describe the transition from the requirement to
register in SAM.gov a DUNS number to the implementation of the UEI.
More information on the phase-out of DUNS numbers is available at
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ofo/docs/unique-entity-identifier-transition-fact-sheet.pdf.
2. 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.
3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
4. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you,
the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to
evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the
application narrative to no more than 50 pages and (2) use the
following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, reference citations, and captions, as well as
all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.
Use a font that is 12 point or larger.
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial.
The recommended page limit does not apply to the cover sheet; the
budget section, including the narrative budget justification; the
assurances and certifications; or the abstract (follow the guidance
provided in the application package for completing the abstract), the
table of contents, the list of priority requirements, the resumes, the
reference list, the letters of support, or the appendices. However, the
recommended page limit does apply to all of the application narrative,
including all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen
shots.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows:
(a) Significance (10 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed
project.
(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project will prepare personnel
for fields in which shortages have been demonstrated; and
(ii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project, especially improvements in
teaching and student achievement.
(b) Quality of project services (45 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be
provided by the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the
[[Page 6528]]
quality and sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and
treatment for eligible project participants who are members of groups
that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color,
national origin, gender, age, or disability.
(3) In determining the quality of the project services, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and effective
practice;
(ii) The extent to which the training or professional development
services to be provided by the proposed project are of sufficient
quality, intensity, and duration to lead to improvements in practice
among the recipients of those services;
(iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the
proposed project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for
maximizing the effectiveness of project services; and
(iv) The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a
coherent, sustained program of training in the field.
(c) Quality of the project evaluation (25 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be
conducted of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project;
(ii) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable;
(iii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible; and
(iv) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes.
(d) Quality of project personnel, quality of the management plan,
and adequacy of resources (20 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the project personnel,
the quality of the management plan, and the adequacy of resources for
the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for
employment from persons who are members of groups that have
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability.
(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of key project personnel;
(ii) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks;
(iii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
project;
(iv) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the
lead applicant organization; and
(v) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the
objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.
2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition,
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary
requires various assurances, including those applicable to Federal
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department
(34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Additional Review and Selection Process Factors: 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 section 682(b) of 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 which they also
have submitted applications.
4. Risk Assessment and Specific Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
200.206, before awarding grants under this competition the Department
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR
200.208, the Secretary may impose specific conditions, and under 2 CFR
3474.10, in appropriate circumstances, high-risk conditions on a grant
if the applicant or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of
unsatisfactory performance; has a financial or other management system
that does not meet the standards in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
5. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently
$250,000), under 2 CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management. You may
review and comment on any information about yourself that a Federal
agency previously entered and that is currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
[[Page 6529]]
6. In General: In accordance with the Office of Management and
Budget's guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all applicable Federal
laws, and relevant Executive guidance, the Department will review and
consider applications for funding pursuant to this notice inviting
applications in accordance with--
(a) Selecting recipients most likely to be successful in delivering
results based on the program objectives through an objective process of
evaluating Federal award applications (2 CFR 200.205);
(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain telecommunication and video
surveillance services or equipment in alignment with section 889 of the
National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 115-232) (2 CFR
200.216);
(c) Providing a preference, to the extent permitted by law, to
maximize use of goods, products, and materials produced in the United
States (2 CFR 200.322); and
(d) Terminating agreements in whole or in part to the greatest
extent authorized by law if an award no longer effectuates the program
goals or agency priorities (2 CFR 200.340).
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); or we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your 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 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. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to
openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in
part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of
modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those
modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent
that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or
other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works.
Additionally, a grantee that is awarded competitive grant funds
must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables. This
dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your
application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional
information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR
3474.20.
4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) 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 multiyear 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 www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
(c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the Secretary may provide a grantee
with additional funding for data collection analysis and reporting. In
this case the Secretary establishes a data collection period.
5. Performance Measures: For the purposes of Department reporting
under 34 CFR 75.110, 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 Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results
for Children with Disabilities program. These measures include (1) the
percentage of preparation programs that incorporate scientifically or
evidence-based practices into their curricula; (2) the percentage of
scholars completing the preparation program who are knowledgeable and
skilled in evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for children
with disabilities; (3) the percentage of scholars who exit the
preparation program prior to completion due to poor academic
performance; (4) the percentage of scholars completing the preparation
program who are working in the area(s) in which they were prepared upon
program completion; (5) the Federal cost per scholar who completed the
preparation program; (6) the percentage of scholars who completed the
preparation program and are employed in high-need districts; and (7)
the percentage of scholars who completed the preparation program and
who are rated effective by their employers.
In addition, the Department will gather information on the
following outcome measures: The number and percentage of scholars
proposed by the grantee in their application that were actually
enrolled and making satisfactory academic progress in the current
academic year; the number and percentage of enrolled scholars who are
on track to complete the training program by the end of the project's
original grant period; and the percentage of scholars who completed the
preparation program and are employed in the field of special education
for at least two years.
Grantees may be asked to participate in assessing and providing
information on these aspects of program quality.
6. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: whether a grantee
has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is
consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the
performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
In making a continuation award, the Secretary also considers
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Other Information
Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an
accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an
accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text
format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is
[[Page 6530]]
the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Katherine Neas,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, delegated the authority to perform the
functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for the Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2022-02392 Filed 2-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P