11738 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 

1 In October 2020, the Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC) adopted rule changes, including 

a switch from the term ‘‘video description’’ to 

‘‘audio description’’ that can be found at https://

ecfsapi.fcc.gov/file/102760142335/FCC-20- 

155A1.pdf. Audio description (also known as video 

description or description) refers to providing 

auditory access to significant visual content in a 

video through spoken narration accompanying the 

video’s soundtrack. 

2Closed captioning (also known as captioning) 

refers to providing visual access to audio content 

from a video through text displayed along with the 

video. 

3Applicants should note that other laws, 

including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.; 28 CFR part 35) and 

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 

amended (29 U.S.C. 794; 34 CFR part 104), may 

require that State educational agencies (SEAs) and 

local educational agencies (LEAs) provide 

captioning, audio description, and other accessible 

educational materials to students with disabilities 

when these materials are necessary to provide 

equally integrated and equally effective access to 

the benefits of the educational program or activity, 

or as part of a ‘‘free appropriate public education’’ 

as defined in 34 CFR 104.33. 

Annual Burden Hours: 1,150. 

Needs and Uses: The USACE provides 

flood risk management structural and 

nonstructural mitigation, planning and 

tech services to communities, residents 

and businesses at risk of flooding. Flood 

damage surveys are administered by 

USACE and its contractors to determine 

the impacts and potential impacts of 

flooding and to determine how 

communities, residents, and businesses 

respond to flooding. The data are used 

for estimating damage for factors such as 

depth of flooding, construction types, 

and different occupancies of use, which 

influences project formulation and 

budgeting. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; individuals or households; notfor-profit institutions; State, Local, or 

Tribal Government. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

OMB Desk Officer: Mr. Vlad Dorjets. 

You may also submit comments and 

recommendations, identified by Docket 

ID number and title, by the following 

method: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name, Docket 

ID number, and title for this Federal 

Register document. The general policy 

for comments and other submissions 

from members of the public is to make 

these submissions available for public 

viewing on the internet at http://

www.regulations.gov as they are 

received without change, including any 

personal identifiers or contact 

information. 

DOD Clearance Officer: Ms. Angela 

James. 

Requests for copies of the information 

collection proposal should be sent to 

Ms. James at whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.dddod-information-collections@mail.mil. 

Dated: February 18, 2021. 

Aaron T. Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03994 Filed 2–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials for Individuals With 

Disabilities Program—Television 

Access Projects 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2021 for Educational 

Technology, Media, and Materials for 

Individuals with Disabilities— 

Television Access Projects, Assistance 

Listing Number 84.327C. This notice 

relates to the approved information 

collection under OMB control number 

1820–0028. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: February 26, 

2021. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 27, 2021. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 28, 2021. 

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 February 13, 2019 

(84 FR 3768), and available at 

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019- 

02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rebecca Sheffield, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 5040E, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–5076. 

Telephone: (202) 245–6725. Email: 

Rebecca.Sheffield@ed.gov. 

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 purpose of 

the Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials for Individuals with 

Disabilities Program is to improve 

results for students with disabilities by: 

(1) Promoting the development, 

demonstration, and use of technology; 

(2) supporting educational media 

activities designed to be of educational 

value in the classroom for students with 

disabilities; (3) providing support for 

captioning and video description that is 

appropriate for use in the classroom; 

and (4) providing accessible educational 

materials to students with disabilities in 

a timely manner. 

Priority: This competition includes 

one absolute priority. In accordance 

with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this 

priority is from allowable activities 

specified in the statute (see sections 

674(c)(1)(D) and 681(d) of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1474(c)(1)(D) and 

1481(d)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2021 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Television Access Projects 

Background: Section 674(c) of the 

IDEA requires, in part, that the Secretary 

of Education support audio 

description,1 open captioning, and 

closed captioning 2 that is appropriate 

for use in the classroom setting of (a) 

television programs; (b) videos; and (c) 

other materials, including programs and 

materials associated with new and 

emerging technologies.3 Twenty-first 

century K–12 classrooms and early 

childhood learning environments 

provide enriching, differentiated 

learning opportunities. For children and 

youth with disabilities to fully engage in 

in-person, hybrid, and online learning 

environments, they must have access to 

all instructional activities and materials. 

Learners with sensory disabilities (e.g., 

blindness, including visual impairment; 

deafness; hearing impairment; and deafblindness) often require alternate means 

of accessing educational materials, 

video programming, and online 

resources. Learners with other 

disabilities and English learners can 

also benefit from accessibility features 

embedded in educational media and 

materials (Kent et al., 2017; Teng, 2019). 

When educational materials are 

inaccessible, students with sensory 

disabilities miss out on opportunities to 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 11739 

4For the purposes of this notice, video 

programming is defined consistent with 47 CFR 

79.4, meaning ‘‘programming by, or generally 

considered comparable to programming provided 

by, a television broadcast station, but not including 

consumer-generated media.’’ 

participate fully and independently in 

learning (Rodriguez & Diaz, 2017). 

Closed captioning and audio 

description technologies enhance 

learning experiences for children and 

youth with disabilities and English 

learners (Rodriguez & Diaz, 2017). 

Captioning increases the accessibility of 

video programming, particularly for 

audience members (children, parents, 

and teachers) who are deaf or have 

hearing loss and for those who are 

temporarily unable to hear a program or 

who benefit when auditory information 

is supported by text. Audio description 

increases access to visual content, 

especially for people with visual 

impairments or visual processing 

difficulties and for anyone temporarily 

unable to follow a program visually. 

Children and youth with deafblindness have a spectrum of video 

access needs; therefore, captioning and 

audio description are most beneficial 

when provided in customizable formats. 

For example, students may need to 

change the size of captions or slow 

down descriptions; others may need 

separate transcription documents. 

Different descriptions may be required 

for the same video depending on 

individual needs and instructional 

purposes. 

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 

requires most television programs to be 

captioned. The Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC) 

also requires networks to broadcast a 

comparatively limited amount of audio 

described programming. The FCC’s 

requirements for captioning and 

description do not apply to online 

media, and when previously broadcast 

video is shared online, online versions 

may not be accessible. 

The Department has made awards 

since 1995 to provide audio description 

and captioning under the Educational 

Technology, Media, and Materials for 

Individuals with Disabilities program. 

Despite these efforts and IDEA 

requirements for students to be 

provided with accessible instructional 

materials, not all video and multimedia 

content used in school settings is 

described or captioned. Content creators 

continue to produce media resources 

that must be remediated, rather than 

‘‘born accessible,’’ i.e., released with 

embedded captions and audio 

description. More captioned and 

described content is needed, especially 

to assist those who are English learners 

and in settings with limited internet 

access, where older educational media 

may still be in use. 

Priority: The purpose of this priority 

is to fund three cooperative agreements 

that will improve the learning 

opportunities for children and youth 

with disabilities by providing access to 

video programming 4 through accessible 

high-quality audio description and 

captioning. This access will be 

accomplished by making available 

television programs that are appropriate 

for use in classroom settings and online 

learning environments that are not 

otherwise required to be captioned or 

described by the FCC. As part of the 

work of each project, in consultation 

with the Office of Special Education 

Programs (OSEP) project officer, 

selective media must be captioned and 

described in Spanish for eligible users 

who are learning English and live in 

households where Spanish is the 

dominant language. 

The projects must achieve, at a 

minimum, the following expected 

outcomes: 

(a) Increased access to captioned and 

described video programming by 

children with sensory disabilities and 

other disabilities; 

(b) Increased number of described and 

captioned educational video programs, 

both in English and in Spanish, 

available for use by children with 

disabilities; 

(c) Increased cost effectiveness and 

efficiency in the production and 

dissemination of accessible video 

programming; 

(d) Increased quality and usability of 

described and captioned products; 

(e) Increased use of technology in the 

projects’ production and dissemination 

workflows and related processes; and 

(f) Increased alignment and 

coordination across the three 84.327C 

projects and the Captioned and 

Described Educational Media Center 

(84.327N). 

In addition to these programmatic 

requirements, to be considered for 

funding under this absolute priority, 

applicants must meet the application 

and administrative requirements in this 

priority, which are: 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance’’ how the proposed 

project will— 

(1) Address the need for access to 

educational television programming to 

support equitable opportunities in early 

learning programs, schools, and 

workplaces for transition-aged youth. To 

meet this requirement, the applicant 

must— 

(i) Present applicable national, State, 

regional, or local data demonstrating the 

need for accessible educational 

television programming in schools, 

online settings, and workplaces for 

transition-aged youth and children and 

youth with disabilities, including 

children with disabilities who may be 

underserved; and 

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of the 

benefits, services, or opportunities that 

are available through the use of 

educational television programming in 

schools, online settings, and workplaces 

that are fully accessible to children and 

youth with disabilities, including 

children with disabilities who may be 

underserved. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of project services,’’ how the 

project will— 

(1) Apply knowledge of the 

populations served by the project to 

determine the preferences and unmet 

needs of educators, children and youth 

with disabilities, and the parents of 

these students in selecting the 

programming to be audio described, 

captioned, or both; 

(2) Use criteria to select, produce, and 

add high-quality descriptions and 

captioning to widely available Spanish 

and English language video 

programming of high educational value 

for children and youth with disabilities 

and their families, teachers, and other 

professionals to use in K–12 classroom 

settings or online learning 

environments; 

(3) Identify and use new and emerging 

technologies and processes that will 

improve the quality, availability, cost 

effectiveness, and usability of accessible 

educational media, materials, and 

products for children and youth with 

disabilities in the production of 

accessible educational video 

programming; 

(4) Acquire, from producers, 

networks, program creators, and others, 

video programming to describe and 

caption to make the programming 

accessible to children and youth with 

disabilities; and 

(5) Develop and implement, in 

collaboration with the Captioned and 

Described Educational Media Center 

(84.327N), documented routines and 

processes to improve access to, and 

increase the collection of, accessible 

educational video programming, online 

materials, and other related media that 

make it possible for children and youth 

with disabilities to participate in early 

learning environments, K–12 settings, 

and remote online environments to 

succeed in 21st-century educational 

environments. 


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11740 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 

5Logic model (also referred to as a theory of 

action) means a framework that identifies key 

project components of the proposed project (i.e., the 

active ‘‘ingredients’’ that are hypothesized to be 

critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and 

describes the theoretical and operational 

relationships among the key project components 

and relevant outcomes. See 34 CFR 77.1. 

(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Adequacy of project resources,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed key personnel, 

consultants, and contractors have the 

qualifications, experience, and 

commitment to carry out the proposed 

activities and achieve the project’s 

intended outcomes; 

(2) The proposed project will 

encourage 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, as appropriate; 

(3) The applicant and key partners 

have adequate resources to carry out 

proposed project activities. To address 

this requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) The willingness of the potential 

television program providers or program 

owners, as appropriate, to permit and 

facilitate the audio description or the 

audio description and captioning of 

their programs; 

(ii) Requirements and assurances that 

the programming that is made accessible 

under this project will continue to 

contain those audio descriptions and 

captions after the programming is aired; 

and 

(iii) How programming audio 

described or captioned under this 

project would not otherwise be audio 

described or captioned to meet the 

FCC’s requirements, or how this 

programming is specifically exempt 

from the FCC’s requirements; and 

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable 

in relation to the anticipated results and 

benefits. To address this requirement, 

the applicant must describe— 

(i) The total number of program hours 

proposed to be made accessible through 

audio description, or audio description 

and captioning, under this project; 

(ii) The cost per hour for audio 

description and, if the applicant is 

proposing both audio description and 

captioning, the cost per hour for audio 

description and for captioning; and 

(iii) A plan, if any, to increase the 

anticipated shelf-life and distribution of 

educational programming described, or 

captioned and described, under this 

project. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the management plan,’’ 

how— 

(1) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the project’s intended 

outcomes will be achieved on time and 

within budget. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for 

key project personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors, as applicable; and 

(ii) Timelines and milestones for 

accomplishing the project tasks; 

(2) Key personnel, consultants, and 

contractors will be sufficiently allocated 

to the project and how these allocations 

are appropriate and adequate to achieve 

the project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the products and 

services provided are of high quality, 

relevant, and useful to recipients; and 

(4) The proposed project will benefit 

from a diversity of perspectives, 

including, but not limited to, students 

and families, early intervention service 

providers, educators, researchers, and 

other OSEP funded projects. 

(e) In the narrative section of the 

application under ‘‘Quality of the 

project evaluation,’’ include an 

evaluation plan, as described in the 

following paragraphs. The evaluation 

plan must describe measures of progress 

in implementation, including the extent 

to which the project’s products and 

services have reached its target 

population and measures of intended 

outcomes or results of the project’s 

activities to assess the effectiveness of 

those activities. 

In designing the evaluation plan, the 

applicant must— 

(1) Provide a logic model 5 or 

conceptual framework that depicts, at a 

minimum, the goals, activities, project 

evaluation, methods, performance 

measures, outputs, and outcomes of the 

proposed project; 

(2) Provide a plan to implement the 

activities described in this priority; and 

(3) Provide a plan, linked to the 

proposed project’s logic model or 

conceptual framework, for a formative 

evaluation of the proposed project’s 

activities. The plan must describe how 

the formative evaluation will use clear 

performance objectives to ensure 

continuous improvement in the 

operation of the proposed project, 

including objective measures of progress 

in implementing the project and 

ensuring the quality of products and 

resources. 

Note: The following websites provide more 

information on logic models and conceptual 

frameworks: www.osepideasthatwork.org/ 

logicModel and www.osepideasthatwork.org/ 

resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tadproject-logic-model-and-conceptualframework. 

(f) Address the following application 

requirements. The applicant must 

include— 

(1) In Appendix A, personnel-loading 

charts and timelines, as applicable, to 

illustrate the management plan 

described in the narrative; and 

(2) In the budget, attendance at the 

following: 

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off 

meeting in Washington, DC, or virtually, 

after receipt of the award, and an annual 

planning meeting in Washington, DC, or 

virtually, with the OSEP project officer 

and other relevant staff during each 

subsequent year of the project period. 

Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the 

award, a post-award teleconference must be 

held between the OSEP project officer and 

the grantee’s project director or other 

authorized representative. 

(ii) A two and one-half day project 

directors’ conference in Washington, 

DC, or a virtual conference, during each 

year of the project period. 

(iii) Two annual two-day trips to 

attend Department briefings, 

Department-sponsored conferences, and 

other meetings, as requested by OSEP; 

and 

(iv) A one-day intensive OSEP review 

meeting during the last half of the 

second year of the project period. 

(3) Information on how the project 

will maintain a high-quality website, 

with an easy-to-navigate design, that 

meets government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility; 

and 

(4) In Appendix A, an assurance to 

assist OSEP with the transfer of 

pertinent resources and products and to 

maintain the continuity of services to 

States during the transition to this new 

award period and at the end of this 

award period, as appropriate. 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project: 

In deciding whether to continue funding 

the project for the fourth and fifth years, 

the Secretary will consider the 

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), 

including— 

(a) The recommendations of an OSEP 

review team consisting of experts who 

have experience and knowledge in 

providing access to video programming 

through accessible high-quality audio 

description and captioning. This review 

will be conducted during a one-day 

intensive meeting that will be held 

during the last half of the second year 

of the project period; 

(b) The timeliness with which, and 

how well, the requirements of the 

negotiated cooperative agreement have 

been or are being met by the project; and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 11741 

(c) The quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of the project’s products and 

services and the extent to which the 

project’s products and services are 

aligned with the project’s objectives and 

likely to result in the project achieving 

its intended outcomes. 

Under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary 

may reduce continuation awards or 

discontinue awards in any year of the 

project period for excessive carryover 

balances or a failure to make substantial 

progress. The Department intends to 

closely monitor unobligated balances 

and substantial progress under this 

program and may reduce or discontinue 

funding accordingly. 

References 

Feng, T. (2019). Incidental vocabulary 

learning for primary school students: 

The effects of L2 caption type and word 

exposure frequency. Australian 

Educational Researcher, 46(1), 113–136. 

Kent, M., Ellis, K., Peaty, G., Latter, N., & 

Locke, K. (2017). Mainstreaming 

captions for online lectures in higher 

education in Australia. Curtin 

University. www.ncsehe.edu.au/wpcontent/uploads/2017/04/ 

MainstreamingCaptions_

FinalReport.pdf. 

Rodriguez, J., & Diaz, M.V. (2017). Media 

with captions and description to support 

learning among children with sensory 

disabilities. Universal Journal of 

Educational Research, 5(11), 2016–2025. 

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 priority in this notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 

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. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian Tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

agreements. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 3. 

Estimated Range of Awards: $650,000 

to $666,000 per year. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$2,000,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2022 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $3,335,000 for the 

60-month project period. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: State 

educational agencies (SEAs); local 

educational agencies (LEAs), including 

public charter schools that operate as 

LEAs under State law; IHEs; other 

public agencies; private nonprofit 

organizations; freely associated States 

and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or 

Tribal organizations; and for-profit 

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: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This 

program uses an unrestricted indirect 

cost rate. 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. Each applicant for, and recipient 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 

February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and 

available at www.govinfo.gov/content/ 

pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf, 

which contain requirements and 

information on how to submit an 

application. 

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: 


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• 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 (15 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 significance of the problem or 

issue to be addressed by the proposed 

project; and 

(ii) The extent to which specific gaps 

or weaknesses in services, 

infrastructure, or opportunities have 

been identified and will be addressed by 

the proposed project, including the 

nature and magnitude of those gaps or 

weaknesses. 

(b) Quality of project services (30 

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 

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 addition, 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 services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services; 

(iii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

are appropriate to the needs of the 

intended recipients or beneficiaries of 

those services; and 

(iv) The likely impact of the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

on the intended recipients of those 

services. 

(c) Adequacy of resources and quality 

of project personnel (20 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources for the proposed 

project and the quality of the personnel 

who will carry out 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 the 

project director or principal 

investigator; 

(ii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel; 

(iii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of 

project consultants or subcontractors; 

(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. 

(d) Quality of the project evaluation 

(20 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 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; 

(iii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation provide for examining the 

effectiveness of project implementation 

strategies; 

(iv) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes; and 

(v) The extent to which the evaluation 

plan clearly articulates the key project 

components, mediators, and outcomes, 

as well as a measurable threshold for 

acceptable implementation. 

(e) Quality of the management plan 

(15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the management plan for the 

proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(i) 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; 

(ii) 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; 

(iii) The adequacy of mechanisms for 

ensuring high-quality products and 

services from the proposed project; 

(iv) How the applicant will ensure 

that a diversity of perspectives are 

brought to bear in the operation of the 

proposed project, including those of 

parents, teachers, the business 

community, a variety of disciplinary 

and professional fields, recipients or 

beneficiaries of services, or others, as 

appropriate; and 

(v) The adequacy of procedures for 

ensuring feedback and continuous 

improvement in the operation 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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 11743 

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. 

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 the Government 

Performance and Results Act of 1993 

(GPRA) and reporting under 34 CFR 

75.110, the Department has established 

a set of performance measures, 


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11744 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 37 / Friday, February 26, 2021 / Notices 

including long-term measures, that are 

designed to yield information on 

various aspects of the effectiveness and 

quality of the Educational Technology, 

Media, and Materials (ETechM2) for 

Individuals with Disabilities Program. 

These measures are: 

• Program Performance Measure 1: 

The percentage of ETechM2 Program 

products and services judged to be of 

high quality by an independent review 

panel of experts qualified to review the 

substantial content of the products and 

services. 

• Program Performance Measure 2: 

The percentage of ETechM2 Program 

products and services judged to be of 

high relevance to improving outcomes 

for infants, toddlers, children, and 

youth with disabilities. 

• Program Performance Measure 3: 

The percentage of ETechM2 Program 

products and services judged to be 

useful in improving results for infants, 

toddlers, children, and youth with 

disabilities. 

• Program Performance Measure 4.1: 

The Federal cost per unit of accessible 

educational materials funded by the 

ETechM2 Program. 

• Program Performance Measure 4.2: 

The Federal cost per unit of accessible 

educational materials from the National 

Instructional Materials Accessibility 

Center funded by the ETechM2 

Program. 

• Program Performance Measure 4.3: 

The Federal cost per unit of video 

description funded by the ETechM2 

Program. 

These measures apply to projects 

funded under this competition, and 

grantees are required to submit data on 

these measures as directed by OSEP. 

Grantees will be required to report 

information on their project’s 

performance in annual performance 

reports and additional performance data 

to the Department (34 CFR 75.590 and 

75.591). 

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 

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. 

David Cantrell, 

Deputy Director, Office of Special Education 

Programs, Delegated the authority to perform 

the functions and duties of the Assistant 

Secretary for the Office of Special Education 

and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03972 Filed 2–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials for Individuals With 

Disabilities Program–-Captioned and 

Described Educational Media Center 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2021 for Educational 

Technology, Media, and Materials for 

Individuals with Disabilities— 

Captioned and Described Educational 

Media Center, Assistance Listing 

Number 84.327N. This notice relates to 

the approved information collection 

under OMB control number 1820–0028. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: February 26, 

2021. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 27, 2021. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 28, 2021. 

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 February 13, 2019 

(84 FR 3768), and available at 

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019- 

02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Terry Jackson, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 5128, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–5076. 

Telephone: (202) 245–6039. Email: 

Terry.Jackson@ed.gov. 

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 purpose of 

the Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials for Individuals with 

Disabilities Program is to improve 

results for students with disabilities by 

(1) promoting the development, 

demonstration, and use of technology; 

(2) supporting educational activities 

designed to be of educational value in 

the classroom for students with 

disabilities; (3) providing support for 

captioning and video description that is 

appropriate for use in the classroom; 

and (4) providing accessible educational 

materials to students with disabilities in 

a timely manner. 

Priority: This competition includes 

one absolute priority. In accordance 

with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this 

priority is from allowable activities 

specified in sections 674(c)(1)(D) and 

681(d) of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 

U.S.C. 1474(c)(1)(D) and 1481(d). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2021 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 


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