Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 13371 

5970. Telephone: (202) 205–9765 or by 

e-mail: ann.galiatsos@ed.gov. 

If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request to the program contact 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of 

this notice. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available via the 

Federal Digital System at http:// 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 

Dated: March 2011. 

James H. Shelton, III, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and 

Improvement. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5702 Filed 3–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; Personnel Development 

To Improve Services and Results for 

Children With Disabilities— 

Paraprofessional Preservice Program 

Improvement Grants; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2011 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.325N. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: March 11, 

2011. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 25, 2011. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 24, 2011. 

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 highly 

qualified personnel—in special 

education, related services, early 

intervention, and regular education—to 

work with infants, toddlers, and 

children 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 and experience, to be 

successful in serving those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute or otherwise authorized in the 

statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2011 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities—Paraprofessional 

Preservice Program Improvement Grants 

(84.325N). 

Background: 

Paraprofessionals provide important 

services to children with disabilities 

ages birth through 21 and their families. 

In early intervention (EI) programs, 

preschools, and elementary, middle, 

and high schools, paraprofessionals 

provide instructional support, modify 

instructional materials, implement 

behavioral management plans, assist in 

the implementation of postsecondary 

education transition plans, and collect 

data to monitor children’s development 

and learning (Kellegrew, Pacifico-Banta, 

& Stewart, 2008; Mikulecky & Baber, 

2005; Shkodriani, 2003). Kellegrew, 

Pacifico-Banta, and Stewart (2008) and 

Shkodriani (2003) note that 

paraprofessionals have become 

increasingly responsible for other 

activities involving children with 

disabilities, such as participating in the 

development of their Individualized 

Family Service Plans and 

Individualized Education Programs; 

providing direct services to children 

and their families, including small 

group instruction and one-on-one 

tutoring; and assisting with classroom 

management. Westat (2002) reported 

that the average paraprofessional works 

in five different classes per week and 

serves 21 students, 15 of whom have 

disabilities; consequently, it is 

important that paraprofessionals are 

prepared to meet professional 

qualifications that will enable them to 

provide effective services to all 

children, including students with 

disabilities. 

Section 635(a)(9) of Part C of IDEA, 

section 612(a)(14)(B) of Part B of IDEA, 

and 34 CFR 300.156(b)(1) of the IDEA 

Part B regulations require States to 

provide assurances that they have 

established paraprofessional 

qualifications that are consistent with 

State-approved or State-recognized 

certification, licensing, registration, or 

other comparable requirements that 

apply to the professional discipline in 

which those personnel are providing 

early intervention, special education, or 

related services. In a 2004 survey of 

coordinators for the Part C infants and 

toddlers program under IDEA, half of 

the respondents indicated that their 

State had added or created new 

professional categories, particularly at 

the paraprofessional level, such as EI 

associates and EI assistants (Center to 

Inform Personnel Preparation Policy 

and Practice in Early Intervention and 

Preschool Education, 2004a). 

Additionally, many States are trying to 

identify preservice preparation 

opportunities for paraprofessionals in EI 

or are working on strategies to increase 

the quality of preservice programs 

(Kellegrew et al., 2008). 

Despite these efforts and the critical 

roles that paraprofessionals play in the 

lives of children with disabilities, 

overall scant attention has been paid to 

ensuring that early childhood or K 

through 12 paraprofessional preservice 

programs adequately prepare 

paraprofessionals to serve children with 

disabilities and their families. 

Coordinators for the Part B, section 619 

preschool program under IDEA have 

expressed concern about the adequacy 

of paraprofessionals’ preparation, 

particularly to work with young 

children with disabilities and their 

families (Center to Inform Personnel 

Preparation Policy and Practice in Early 

Intervention and Preschool Education, 

2004b). Although national professional 

organizations (e.g., the Division for 

Early Childhood of the Council for 

Exceptional Children and the National 

Association for the Education of Young 

Children) have personnel standards that 

could be used to guide the preparation 

of paraprofessionals working with 

young children with disabilities and 

their families, many of the certificate or 

associate degree programs that prepare 

paraprofessionals have not yet met these 

standards or do not offer practicum 

experiences in working with children 

with disabilities and their families 

(Chang, Early, & Winton, 2005). Further, 

according to Giangreco (2010), 

paraprofessionals in elementary and 

secondary special education settings are 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
13372 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 

inadequately prepared to work with 

students with disabilities. Thus, 

improving paraprofessional preservice 

programs will help to ensure that 

paraprofessionals are adequately 

prepared to meet the requirements 

under IDEA and in turn, better prepared 

to meet the needs of children with 

disabilities. 

The Office of Special Education 

Programs (OSEP) is establishing this 

priority to support projects that will 

improve preservice programs for 

paraprofessionals who serve children 

ages birth through five and in grades K 

through 12 by enhancing or redesigning 

curricula to adequately prepare these 

paraprofessionals to address the needs 

of children with disabilities. 

Priority: The purpose of this priority 

is to provide Federal support to improve 

the quality of existing paraprofessional 

certificate or associate degree programs. 

An institution receiving support under 

this priority must enhance or redesign 

its program curricula so that 

paraprofessionals are well-prepared to 

work with children with disabilities and 

their families. There are two focus areas 

under this priority. Under focus area A, 

the Secretary intends to support 

improvement grants for EI, early 

childhood special education (ECSE), 

and early childhood education (ECE) 

paraprofessional preservice programs. 

Under focus area B, the Secretary 

intends to support improvement grants 

for K through 12 paraprofessional 

preservice programs. 

Note: Applicants must identify the specific 

focus area, A or B, under which they are 

applying as part of the competition title on 

the application cover sheet (SF form 424, line 

4). Applicants may not submit the same 

proposal under more than one focus area. 

Focus Area A: EI, ECSE, and ECE 

Paraprofessional Preservice Programs. 

The programs under focus area A 

include certificate or associate degree 

programs at institutions of higher 

education (IHEs), including but not 

limited to community colleges, that 

currently prepare EI, ECSE, or ECE 

paraprofessionals to serve children ages 

birth through five. The programs under 

this focus area must enhance or redesign 

their curricula by: (1) Incorporating 

evidence-based and competency-based 

practices and content in special 

education into each course; and (2) 

providing at least one practicum 

experience in a program that serves 

children with disabilities ages birth 

through five and their families. 

Paraprofessional students must obtain 

the knowledge and skills necessary to 

collaborate and work effectively with 

licensed or certified practitioners to 

provide appropriate services to children 

with disabilities ages birth through five 

and their families. In addition, the 

programs funded under this focus area 

must ensure that program graduates 

meet the qualifications for 

paraprofessionals that are consistent 

with the State standards in accordance 

with section 635(a)(9) of Part C of IDEA 

and 34 CFR 303.360(b) of the IDEA Part 

C regulations or section 612(a)(14)(B) of 

Part B of IDEA and 34 CFR 300.156(b) 

of the IDEA Part B regulations, as 

appropriate, or in States that do not 

have State standards, meet appropriate 

national professional organization 

standards for paraprofessionals. 

Focus Area B: K through 12 

Paraprofessional Preservice Programs. 

The programs under focus area B 

include certificate or associate degree 

programs at IHEs, including but not 

limited to community colleges, that 

currently prepare paraprofessionals to 

serve students in grades K through 12. 

The programs under this focus area 

must enhance or redesign the curricula 

by: (1) Incorporating evidence-based 

and competency-based practices and 

content in special education into each 

course; and (2) providing at least one 

practicum experience in a setting that 

serves children with disabilities in 

grades K through 12 and their families. 

Paraprofessional students must obtain 

the knowledge and skills necessary to 

collaborate and work effectively with 

licensed or certified K through 12 

practitioners to provide appropriate 

services to children with disabilities in 

grades K through 12 and their families. 

In addition, the programs funded under 

this focus area must ensure that program 

graduates meet the qualifications for 

paraprofessionals that are consistent 

with the State standards in accordance 

with section 612(a)(14)(B) of Part B of 

IDEA and 34 CFR 300.156(b) of the 

IDEA Part B regulations or in States that 

do not have State standards, meet the 

paraprofessional standards in 

accordance with section 1119 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended. 

To be considered for funding under 

the Paraprofessional Preservice Program 

Improvement Grants absolute priority, 

focus area A or B, applicants must meet 

the application requirements contained 

in this priority. All projects funded 

under this absolute priority also must 

meet the programmatic and 

administrative requirements specified in 

the priority. 

Note: The two focus areas under this 

priority only support the improvement of 

existing EI, ECSE, and ECE or K through 12 

paraprofessional preservice programs. This 

priority does not support the development of 

new paraprofessional preservice programs, 

nor does it provide for financial support of 

paraprofessional students during any year of 

the project. Projects preparing 

paraprofessionals in related services are not 

eligible under these focus areas. 

Application Requirements for Focus 

Areas A and B. An applicant must 

include in its application— 

(a) A plan to implement the activities 

described in the Project Activities 

section of this priority. In this plan 

applicants must describe first-year 

activities, evidence-based and 

competency-based practices (including 

relevant research citations of these 

practices) that will be included in the 

enhanced or redesigned program, a fouryear timeline, and an implementation 

plan. In addition, the plan must indicate 

the projected number of graduates per 

academic year; 

(b) A budget that includes attendance 

at a three-day Project Directors’ 

Conference in Washington, DC, during 

each year of the project period; and 

(c) An appendix that includes all 

course syllabi for the existing 

paraprofessional preservice program. 

Project Activities for Focus Areas A 

and B. To meet the requirements of this 

priority, the project, at a minimum, 

must conduct the following activities: 

(a) Based on the plan described under 

paragraph (a) of the Application 

Requirements, enhance or redesign the 

paraprofessional preservice program’s 

curricula by incorporating evidencebased and competency-based practices 

and content in special education into 

each course and by providing at least 

one practicum experience in a setting 

that serves children with disabilities 

and their families. The project must 

implement the enhanced or redesigned 

paraprofessional preservice program in 

the first year of the project; describe the 

proposed project activities associated 

with implementation of the curricula; 

and attain the approval of the OSEP 

Project Officer prior to the 

implementation of the program. The 

improved paraprofessional preservice 

program must— 

(1) Be aligned to State standards for 

paraprofessionals, or in States that do 

not have State standards, meet 

appropriate national professional 

organization standards for 

paraprofessionals, or if appropriate, 

paraprofessional standards in 

accordance with section 1119 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended; and 

(2) Be designed to ensure that 

paraprofessional students develop 

knowledge and skills in the following 

areas: 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 13373 

1For the purpose of this priority, ‘‘high-need 

children with disabilities’’ refers to children (ages 

birth through twenty-one, depending on the State) 

who are eligible for services under IDEA, and who 

may be further disadvantaged and at risk of 

educational failure because they are living in 

poverty, are English learners, are far below grade 

level or who are not on track to becoming collegeor career-ready by graduation, who have left school 

or college before receiving, respectively, a regular 

high school diploma or a college degree or 

certificate, who are at risk of not graduating with 

a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in 

foster care, who are pregnant or parenting teenagers, 

who have been incarcerated, who are new 

immigrants, or who are migrant. 

2For purposes of this priority, the term ‘‘highneed 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 served by the LEA 

are from families with incomes below the poverty 

line. 

3For the purpose of this priority, the term ‘‘highpoverty school’’ means a school in which at least 

50 percent of students are eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunches under the Richard B. Russell 

National School Lunch Act or in which at least 50 

percent of students are from low-income families as 

determined using one of the criteria specified under 

section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended. 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. 

4For purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘persistently lowest-achieving school’’ means, as 

determined by the State: (i) Any Title I school in 

improvement, corrective action, or restructuring 

that (a) is among the lowest-achieving five percent 

of Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, 

or restructuring or the lowest-achieving five Title I 

schools in improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring in the State, whichever number of 

schools is greater; or (b) is a high school that has 

had a graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 

200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number 

of years; and (ii) any secondary school that is 

eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that: 

(a) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of 

secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five 

secondary schools in the State that are eligible for, 

but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number 

of schools is greater; or (b) is a high school that has 

had a graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 

200.19(b) that is less than 60 percent over a number 

of years. To identify the persistently lowestachieving schools, a State must take into account 

both: (i) The academic achievement of the ‘‘all 

students’’ group in a school in terms of proficiency 

on the State’s assessments under section 1111(b)(3) 

of the ESEA in reading/language arts and 

mathematics combined; and (ii) the school’s lack of 

progress on those assessments over a number of 

years in the ‘‘all students’’ group. 

(i) Collaborating and working 

effectively with licensed and certified 

professional practitioners, as 

appropriate. 

(ii) Implementing social-emotional 

and behavioral interventions and 

classroom management practices. 

(iii) Implementing instructional 

strategies to support early development 

and learning or academic achievement. 

(iv) Using technology to enhance 

children’s development and access to 

natural learning opportunities or 

improve student achievement and 

participation in the general education 

curriculum. 

(v) Observing and collecting data for 

progress monitoring. 

(vi) Communicating effectively with 

children and families. 

(vii) Assisting in the implementation 

of transition plans and services across 

settings from EI to preschool, preschool 

to elementary school, elementary school 

to secondary school, and secondary 

school to postsecondary education or 

the workforce, as appropriate. 

(viii) Working with children and 

families from diverse cultural and 

linguistic backgrounds, including 

English learners with disabilities and 

high-need children with disabilities 1

and their families. 

(3) Be designed to include field-based 

preservice preparation opportunities in 

high-need LEAs,2 high-poverty schools,3

or low-performing schools, including 

the persistently lowest-achieving 

schools.4

(b) Develop and implement a plan to 

ensure that program faculty have the 

necessary supports, knowledge, and 

skills to implement the new content and 

to prepare paraprofessional students to 

work with children with disabilities and 

their families. 

(c) Develop and implement a 

management plan for instituting the 

improved paraprofessional preservice 

program that was developed in the first 

year. 

(d) Demonstrate how the improved 

program will work with other projects 

funded by OSEP and the U.S. 

Department of Education to incorporate 

existing paraprofessional preparation 

resources on evidence-based practices 

into the enhanced or redesigned 

curricula (e.g., the IRIS Center for 

Faculty Enhancements: http:// 

iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu and 

CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize 

Early Childhood Knowledge: http:// 

community.fpg.unc.edu/connect). 

(e) Submit the revised curriculum and 

syllabi for courses that are included in 

the improved program to the OSEP 

Project Officer for approval at the end of 

the first year of the project period. 

(f) Develop and implement a clear, 

effective plan for evaluating project 

outcomes. This plan must include a 

description of how the project will— 

(1) Measure the extent to which 

faculty in the program have the 

knowledge and skills necessary to 

implement the revised curriculum; 

(2) Measure the extent to which 

graduates of the program have the 

knowledge and skills necessary to 

provide evidence-based practices and 

services that result in improved 

outcomes for children with disabilities 

and their families; and 

(3) Use the findings of the evaluation 

to inform ongoing program 

improvements. Applicants must also 

clearly describe under the Quality of 

Project Evaluation selection criterion 

how the findings will be reported to 

OSEP in annual and final performance 

reports. 

(g) Develop a plan to maintain the 

improved program once Federal funding 

ends. 

(h) If the project maintains a Web site, 

include relevant information about the 

improved program and documents in a 

form that meets government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility. 

(i) Maintain ongoing communication 

with the OSEP Project Officer through 

monthly phone conversations or e-mail 

communication and participate in 

monthly grantee community of practice 

teleconferences, as directed by OSEP. 

References: 

Center to Inform Personnel Preparation 

Policy and Practice in Early Intervention 

and Preschool Education. (2004a). Study I 

data report: The national landscape of 

early intervention in personnel preparation 

standards under Part C of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act. 

Farmington, CT: University of Connecticut 

Health Center. Available at: http:// 

www.uconnucedd.org/per_prep_center/ 

publications.html 

Center to Inform Personnel Preparation 

Policy and Practice in Early Intervention 

and Preschool Education. (2004b). Study I 

data report: The national landscape of 

early childhood special education in 

personnel preparation standards under 

619 of the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act. Farmington, CT: University 

of Connecticut Health Center. Available at: 

http://www.uconnucedd.org/ 

per_prep_center/publications.html 

Chang, F., Early., D., & Winton, P. (2005). 

Early childhood teacher preparation in 

special education at 2- and 4-year 

institutions of higher education. Journal of 

Early Intervention, 27(2), 110–124. 

Giangreco, M.F. (2010). One-to-one 

paraprofessionals for students with 

disabilities in inclusive classrooms: Is 

conventional wisdom wrong? Intellectual 

& Developmental Disabilities, 48(1), 1–13. 

DOI: 10.1352/1934–9556–48.1.1 Full text 

pdf available. Posted with permission of 

the American Association on Intellectual 

and Developmental Disabilities http:// 

www.aaidd.org 

Kellegrew, D.H., Pacifico-Banta, J., & Stewart, 

K. (2008). Training early intervention 

assistants in California’s community 

colleges. (Issues & Answers Report, REL 

2008–No. 060). Washington, DC: US 

Department of Education, Institute of 

Educational Sciences, National Center for 

Education Evaluation and Regional 

Assistance, Regional Educational 

Laboratory West. Available at: http:// 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
13374 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 

ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/ 

project.asp?ProjectID=165 

Mikulecky, M.T. & Baber, A. (2005). ECS 

policy brief: from highly qualified to highly 

competent paraprofessionals: How NCLB 

requirements can catalyze effective 

program and policy development 

guidelines from the ECS paraprofessional 

expert. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from 

http://www.ecs.org/html/ 

IssueSection.asp?issueid=195&subissueid=

112&ssID=0&s=Selected+Research+

%26+Readings 

Shkodriani, G. (2003). Training for 

paraprofessionals: The community college 

role. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from 

http://hems.aed.org/docs/ 

Paraprofessionals.pdf 

Westat. (2002) Study of personnel needs in 

special education. Retrieved January 23, 

2008 from http://ferdig.coe.ufl.edu/spense/ 

KeyFindings.doc 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department 

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities and requirements. Section 

681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the 

public comment requirements of the 

APA inapplicable to the priority in this 

notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 

and 1481. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

Agreement. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$90,653,000 for the Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program for FY 2011, of which we 

intend to use an estimated $1,500,000 

for the competition announced in this 

notice. The actual level of funding, if 

any, depends on final congressional 

action. However, we are inviting 

applications to allow enough time to 

complete the grant process if Congress 

appropriates funds for this program. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2012 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$145,000–150,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$150,000. 

Maximum Award: We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding $150,000 for a single budget 

period of 12 months. The Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services may change the 

maximum amount through a notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 10. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 48 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs (as 

defined in section 101 of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965). 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Other: General Requirements—(a) 

The projects funded under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Applicants and grant recipients 

funded under this competition must 

involve individuals with disabilities or 

parents of individuals with disabilities 

ages birth through 26 in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of 

IDEA). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

package via the Internet, from the 

Education Publications Center (ED 

Pubs), or from the program office. 

To obtain a copy via the Internet, use 

the following address: http:// 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

grantapps/index.html. 

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, 

fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. 

Department of Education, P.O. Box 

22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. 

Telephone, toll free: 1–877–433–7827. 

FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD), call, toll free: 1–877–576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: http://www.EDPubs.gov or at 

its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application package 

from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.325N. 

To obtain a copy from the program 

office, contact the person listed under 

For Further Information Contact in 

section VII of this notice. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person or 

team listed under Accessible Format in 

section VIII of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit the 

application narrative to the equivalent 

of no more than 50 pages, using the 

following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

the resumes, the bibliography, the 

references, or the letters of support. 

However, the page limit does apply to 

all of the application narrative section 

(Part III). 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit or if you apply 

other standards and exceed the 

equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: March 11, 

2011. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 25, 2011. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper 

format by mail or hand delivery. For 

information (including dates and times) 

about how to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 13375 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under For Further Information Contact 

in section VII of this notice. If the 

Department provides an accommodation 

or auxiliary aid to an individual with a 

disability in connection with the 

application process, the individual’s 

application remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 24, 2011. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and Central Contractor 

Registry: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the Central Contractor 

Registry (CCR), the Government’s 

primary registrant database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active CCR registration 

with current information while your 

application is under review by the 

Department and, if you are awarded a 

grant, during the project period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one business day. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The CCR registration process may take 

five or more business days to complete. 

If you are currently registered with the 

CCR, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your CCR 

registration on an annual basis. This 

may take three or more business days to 

complete. 

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3- 

Step Registration Guide (see http:// 

www.grants.gov/section910/ 

Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf). 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

We are participating as a partner in 

the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply 

site. The Paraprofessional Preservice 

Program Improvement Grants 

competition, CFDA number 84.325N, is 

included in this project. We request 

your participation in Grants.gov. 

If you choose to submit your 

application electronically, you must use 

the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply 

site at www.Grants.gov. Through this 

site, you will be able to download a 

copy of the application package, 

complete it offline, and then upload and 

submit your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant 

application to us. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the Paraprofessional 

Preservice Program Improvement Grants 

competition at www.Grants.gov. You 

must search for the downloadable 

application package for this program by 

the CFDA number. Do not include the 

CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your 

search (e.g., search for 84.325, not 

84.325N). 

Please note the following: 

• Your participation in Grants.gov is 

voluntary. 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by Grants.gov 

are date and time stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted and must be date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. When we retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov, we will 

notify you if we are rejecting your 

application because it was date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors, 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this competition 

to ensure that you submit your 

application in a timely manner to the 

Grants.gov system. You can also find the 

Education Submission Procedures 

pertaining to Grants.gov under News 

and Events on the Department’s G5 

system home page at http://www.G5.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit your 

application in paper format. 

• If you submit your application 

electronically, you must submit all 

documents electronically, including all 

information you typically provide on 

the following forms: the Application for 

Federal Assistance (SF 424), the 

Department of Education Supplemental 

Information for SF 424, Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs (ED 524), and all necessary 

assurances and certifications. 

• If you submit your application 

electronically, you must attach any 

narrative sections of your application as 

files in a .PDF (Portable Document) 

format only. If you upload a file type 

other than a .PDF or submit a passwordprotected file, we will not review that 

material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. (This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department.) The 

Department then will retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov and send a 

second notification to you by e-mail. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to 

your application). 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
13376 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2011 / Notices 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under For 

Further Information Contact in section 

VII of this notice and provide an 

explanation of the technical problem 

you experienced with Grants.gov, along 

with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number. We will accept your 

application if we can confirm that a 

technical problem occurred with the 

Grants.gov system and that that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. The 

Department will contact you after a 

determination is made on whether your 

application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by mail (through the U.S. 

Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 

you must mail the original and two 

copies of your application, on or before 

the application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.325N) LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by hand delivery, you (or 

a courier service) must deliver the 

original and two copies of your 

application by hand, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.325N) 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

notification within 15 business days from the 

application deadline date, you should call 

the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are listed in the 

application package. 

2. 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, 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 also 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 of 

Education (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 

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 the 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. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

4. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 

74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary may 

impose special 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 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has 

not fulfilled the conditions of a prior 

grant; or is otherwise not responsible. 


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VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may 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. 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 multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to http:// 

www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures, including long-term 

measures, that are designed to yield 

information on various aspects of the 

effectiveness and quality of the 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

include: (1) The percentage of projects 

that incorporate scientifically based or 

evidence-based practices; (2) the 

percentage of scholars who exit 

paraprofessional preparation programs 

prior to completion due to poor 

academic performance; (3) the 

percentage of degree or certification 

recipients who are working in the 

area(s) for which they were trained 

upon program completion; (4) the 

percentage of degree or certification 

recipients who are working in the 

area(s) for which they were trained 

upon program completion and are fully 

qualified under IDEA; (5) the percentage 

of scholars completing IDEA-funded 

preservice preparation programs who 

are knowledgeable and skilled in 

scientifically based or evidence-based 

practices for children with disabilities; 

and (6) the percentage of program 

graduates who maintain employment for 

three or more years in the area(s) for 

which they were trained. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award, the Secretary may 

consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the 

extent to which a grantee has made 

‘‘substantial progress toward meeting the 

objectives in its approved application.’’ 

This consideration includes the review 

of a grantee’s progress in meeting the 

targets and projected outcomes in its 

approved application, and whether the 

grantee has expended funds in a manner 

that is consistent with its approved 

application and budget. In making a 

continuation grant, 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. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: 

Shedeh Hajghassemali, U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 

SW., Room 4091, Potomac Center Plaza 

(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2550. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7506. 

If you use a TDD, call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800– 

877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

by contacting the Grants and Contracts 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Dated: March 4, 2011. 

Alexa Posny, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2011–5704 Filed 3–10–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

Publication of State Plan Pursuant to 

the Help America Vote Act 

AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Sections 

254(a)(11)(A) and 255(b) of the Help 

America Vote Act (HAVA), Public Law 

107–252, the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC) hereby causes to be 

published in the Federal Register 

changes to the HAVA state plans 

previously submitted by Delaware. 

DATES: This notice is effective upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bryan Whitener, Telephone 202–566– 

3100 or 1–866–747–1471 (toll-free). 

Submit Comments: Any comments 

regarding the plans published herewith 

should be made in writing to the chief 

election official of the individual state at 

the address listed below. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

24, 2004, the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission published in the Federal 

Register the original HAVA state plans 

filed by the fifty states, the District of 

Columbia and the territories of 

American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 69 FR 

14002. HAVA anticipated that states, 

territories and the District of Columbia 

would change or update their plans 

from time to time pursuant to HAVA 

Sections 254(a)(11) through (13). HAVA 

Sections 254(a)(11)(A) and 255 require 

EAC to publish such updates. This is 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES