3060 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services; Grant

Applications Under Part D, Subpart 2

of the Individuals With Disabilities

Education Act Amendments of 1997

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2000.

SUMMARY: This notice provides closing

dates and other information regarding

the transmittal of applications for FY

2000 competitions under three programs

authorized by the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA

Amendments of 1997), as amended. The

three programs are: (1) Special

Education—Research and Innovation to

Improve Services and Results for

Children with Disabilities (one priority);

(2) Special Education—Personnel

Preparation to Improve Services and

Results for Children with Disabilities

(one priority); and (3) Special

Education—Technical Assistance and

Dissemination to Improve Services and

Results for Children with Disabilities

(three priorities).

This notice supports the National

Education Goals by helping to improve

results for children with disabilities.

Waiver of Rulemaking

It is generally the practice of the

Secretary to offer interested parties the

opportunity to comment on proposed

priorities. However, section 661(e)(2) of

IDEA makes the Administrative

Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553)

inapplicable to the priorities in this

notice.

General Requirements

(a) Projects funded under this notice

must make positive efforts to employ

and advance in employment qualified

individuals with disabilities in project

activities (see Section 606 of IDEA).

(b) Applicants and grant recipients

funded under this notice must involve

individuals with disabilities or parents

of individuals with disabilities in

planning, implementing, and evaluating

the projects (see Section 661(f)(1)(A) of

IDEA).

(c) Projects funded under these

priorities must budget for a two-day

Project Directors’ meeting in

Washington, D.C. during each year of

the project.

(d) In a single application, an

applicant must address only one

absolute priority in this notice.

(e) Part III of each application

submitted under a priority in this

notice, the application narrative, is

where an applicant addresses the

selection criteria that are used by

reviewers in evaluating the application.

You must limit Part III to the equivalent

of no more than the number of pages

listed in the ‘‘Page Limits’’ section

under the applicable priority in this

notice using the following standards:

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

only) with one-inch margins (top,

bottom, and sides).

• Double space (no more than three

lines per vertical inch) all text in the

application narrative, including titles,

headings, footnotes, quotations, and

captions, as well as all text in charts,

tables, figures, and graphs.

• If using a proportional computer

font, use no smaller than a 12-point

font, and an average character density

no greater than 18 characters per inch.

If using a nonproportional font or a

typewriter, do not use more than 12

characters per inch.

The page limit does not apply to Part

I—the cover sheet; Part II—the budget

section, including the narrative budget

justification; Part IV, the assurances and

certifications; or the one-page abstract,

the resumes, the bibliography or

references, or the letters of support.

However, you must include all of the

application narrative in Part III.

If, to meet the page limit, you use a

larger page or you use a print size,

spacing, or margins smaller than the

standards in this notice, we will reject

your application.

Information collection resulting from

this notice has been submitted to OMB

for review under the Paperwork

Reduction Act and has been approved

under control number 1820–0028,

expiration date July 31, 2000.

Research and Innovation To Improve

Services and Results for Children With

Disabilities

Purpose of Program

To produce, and advance the use of,

knowledge to: (1) Improve services

provided under IDEA, including the

practices of professionals and others

involved in providing those services to

children with disabilities; and (2)

improve educational and early

intervention results for infants, toddlers,

and children with disabilities.

Eligible Applicants

State and local educational agencies;

institutions of higher education; other

public agencies; private nonprofit

organizations; outlying areas; freely

associated States; and Indian tribes or

tribal organizations.

Applicable Regulations

(a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

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

85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) The selection

criteria for the priorities under this

program are drawn from the EDGAR

general selection criteria menu. The

specific selection criteria for this

priority are included in the funding

application packet for this competition.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86

apply to institutions of higher education

only.

Priority

Under section 672 of the Act and 34

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

applications that meet the following

priority:

Absolute Priority—Directed Research

Projects (84.324D)

This priority provides support for

projects that advance and improve the

knowledge base and improve the

practice of professionals, parents, and

others providing early intervention,

special education, and related services.

This includes professionals who work

with children with disabilities in

regular education environments and

natural environments. Under this

priority, projects must support

innovation, development, exchange of

information, and use of advancements

in knowledge and practice. If the project

maintains a web site, it must include

relevant information and documents in

an accessible form. Projects must (1) use

rigorous quantitative or qualitative

research and evaluation methods and (2)

communicate appropriately with

audiences.

Focus 1—Inclusion of Students With

Disabilities in Large-Scale Assessment

Programs

The IDEA Amendments of 1997

include a number of provisions related

to State and district-wide assessment

programs. These provisions call for (1)

the participation of children with

disabilities in general State and districtwide assessment programs, with

appropriate accommodations, where

necessary (section 612(a)(17)(A)); (2) the

provision of alternate assessments for

children with disabilities who cannot

participate in State or districtwide

assessment programs (section

612(a)(17)(A)(i) and (ii)); (3) public

reporting on the participation and

performance of students with

disabilities in general assessment

programs and alternate assessments

(section 612(a)(17)(B)); and (4)

statements in the IEP regarding

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices 3061

individual modifications needed in the

administration of State and districtwide

assessments or how a child will

participate in alternate assessments

(section 614(d)(1)(A)(v)).

Focus 1 supports projects that pursue

systematic programs of applied research

to (a) determine how State and local

educational agencies can best meet

these requirements, and (b) study the

effects of efforts made by these agencies

to meet these requirements. The

Assistant Secretary is particularly

interested in projects that examine the

impact of State assessment policies on

students with disabilities, specifically

those projects that require students with

disabilities to demonstrate reading

proficiency at a particular level in order

to graduate.

Projects may focus on one or more

specific requirements or effects.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

make approximately 3 awards in Focus

Area 1 with at least one award focusing

on low-incidence disabilities, i.e., a

visual or hearing impairment or

simultaneous visual and hearing

impairments, a significant cognitive

impairment, or any impairment for

which a small number of personnel with

highly specialized skills and knowledge

are needed in order for children with

that impairment to receive early

intervention services or a free

appropriate public education.

Focus 2—Instructional Interventions

and Results for Children With

Disabilities

The successful implementation of the

IDEA Amendments of 1997 requires a

strong emphasis on supports for

children with disabilities to help them

access the general education curricula.

Research is needed to describe, test, and

validate instructional practices that

have the potential for generating

positive results for children with

disabilities as they strive to meet State

and local standards and performance

goals set for all students. The research

must focus on children in preschool,

elementary, middle, or high school.

Projects supported under Focus 2

must investigate one or more issues

related to providing instruction in the

general education curriculum for

children with disabilities. These issues

may include, but are not limited to:

The relationship of instructional

interventions to results in the following

areas: (1) Core subjects e.g., language

arts, mathematics, science, social

studies, and (2) second language

acquisition;

(b) Contextual variables that influence

access to the general education

curriculum for students with

disabilities. Contextual variables

include, for example, classroom design,

relative role of regular educators and

special educators, groupings, or

management strategies; curricular

design, delivery, or materials; and

family and staff interaction;

(c) Instructional and curricular

accommodations to ensure that students

with disabilities have access to the

general education curriculum;

(d) The relationship of inclusive

preschool practices and child-family

transition practices to child

development, readiness skills, and

preparation for participation in the

primary grades; and

(e) The development of interventions

that promote better results through

standards based reform and

accountability.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

fund approximately 12 awards in Focus

2 with at least 2 projects for each of the

following grade levels: preschool,

elementary, middle, and high school.

Focus Area 3—Early and Prescriptive

Assessment of Children With Learning

or Emotional Disabilities

Children with physical, sensory,

speech, and significant cognitive

disabilities are identified relatively

early, and children with learning and

emotional disabilities, relatively late.

Between first grade and fourth grade,

the number of children identified with

learning disabilities and emotional

disturbance triples. Research has shown

that early intervention is particularly

effective for children with learning or

emotional disabilities, to improve

educational results and reduce

behavioral difficulties.

Attempts to explain the late

identification patterns for children with

learning or emotional disabilities have

targeted weaknesses in assessment

practices, and the reluctance of schools

to engage in potentially stigmatizing

erroneous identification. This late

identification problem has resulted in

many young children not receiving

appropriate services at the age when

they would obtain the greatest benefit

from targeted interventions.

Research is needed to examine and

document effective and prescriptive

assessment procedures that will

contribute to the accurate identification

of young children (3 through 9 years of

age) with learning or emotional

disabilities, and will lead to appropriate

services to maximize their social and

educational development. The

procedures and services to be studied

must incorporate multiple assessment

approaches including observational

techniques, cultural and linguistic

factors, and prereferral strategies to

enhance the accuracy of assessment and

prevent misidentification of children,

where appropriate. The research must

document the effectiveness of methods

to accurately identify and prescribe

interventions for young children with

learning or emotional disabilities,

including students whose eligibility for

special education is based upon having

specific learning disabilities, emotional

disturbance, development delay, or

other health impairments. Because

learning and behavioral problems often

coexist in young children, research

awards under this focus area must

address early assessment procedures

that examine both emotional or

behavioral and learning domains.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

award approximately 3 projects in

Focus 3.

Focus 4—Gender and Special Education

The purpose of this priority is to

explore the influences of gender on

special education referral, placement,

and service provision for students with

disabilities.

Males and females comprise equal

proportions of the school-aged

population; however, males account for

approximately two-thirds of all students

served in special education. In many

cases, it is not clear if females are

underidentified for special education, if

males are overidentified, or if real

differences exist in the prevalence of

disability between males and females.

The research to date has primarily

addressed commonalities of students

rather than differences based on gender.

Some additional facts regarding

gender and disabilities include:

(a) Females with disabilities have

more significant disabilities than their

male peers at the time of referral;

(b) Females with disabilities have

lower IQ scores than their male

counterparts at the time of referral; and

(c) Post school outcomes for females

with disabilities are significantly worse

than their male peers with disabilities.

Little is known, however, about the

different characteristics, treatment and

experiences of males and females with

disabilities. These differences are likely

to be caused by a combination of factors.

Under this priority, a research project

must pursue a systematic program of

research that focuses on one or more

issues related to gender and special

education. The issues may include, but

are not limited to:

(a) The differences that may exist in

the prevalence of disabilities based on

gender, and if those differences exist,

why;

3062 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices

(b) The reasons for different outcomes

and opportunities, (e.g., employment,

parenting, vocational education

programs) for students with disabilities

based on gender; and

(c) The factors that contribute to

disproportionate representation of males

and females in special education

including (i) students’ environmental,

social, and learning experiences, and

cultural and linguistic characteristics;

(ii) student or teacher behaviors and

interactions; (iii) teacher expectations

and attitudes; and (iv) any other

relevant areas.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

fund 3 awards in Focus 4.

Focus 5—Research To Improve Literacy

Results for Children Who Are

Unresponsive to Effective Classroom or

Schoolwide Programs in Grades K–3

Recent reading research has focused

on developing and validating strategies

and interventions to ensure that

children acquire literacy in regular

education classroom settings by using

effective classroom reading programs.

These programs may include explicit

and intensive instruction within or

outside the classroom in small groups

and, in the most difficult cases, with

individualized one-on-one tutoring. The

hope has been that all children would

succeed in these circumstances;

however, there are a small number of

children who do not benefit from these

interventions and who are at the highest

risk for academic and social failure.

Effective learning and teaching

strategies must also be found for these

children. These strategies need to be

based on the learning characteristics

and needs of a child as well as by

reasonable expectations for the child.

Some children may benefit from more

intensive interventions of longer

duration, or they may benefit from a

number of new innovations, e.g., a

universal design of curriculum that has

embedded modifications, adaptations

and accommodations to serve diverse

student populations. Supports and

supplementary aids and services may

also help these children.

Projects supported under Focus 5

must—

(a) Identify the criteria used to decide

that a child is unresponsive to

interventions that are effective for most

students;

(b) Identify and describe

characteristics related to (i) the

environmental, social, and cultural

factors each child may have

experienced, and (ii) the learning

characteristics related to the literacy of

each child who is unresponsive to

reading programs to which a majority of

children respond. Learning

characteristics may include, but are not

limited to, specific deficits in

phonological awareness, inattentiveness

and distractibility, motivation, language

development, developmental delay, and

IQ;

(c) Design processes for making

decisions about how to target

instruction that will be effective given

the identified learning characteristics of

the child;

(d) Identify alternative methods of

providing access to content for those

who have not acquired sufficient

reading proficiency;

(e) Document the progress of

individual children toward meeting

intervention goals, the fidelity of

implementation of interventions, the

qualifications of persons who make

decisions and who implement

interventions, the length and intensity

of interventions, and the settings where

the interventions take place; and

(f) Evaluate the expectations that were

made for each child.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

fund 3 awards in Focus 5.

Focus 6—Research to Improve Reading

Comprehension Results for Children

With Disabilities

In recent years, research has advanced

our understanding of how skilled

readers comprehend and how

instructional strategies support children

with learning disabilities to

comprehend text. Comprehension is not

merely a text-based process where

meaning resides in the text and the role

of the reader is to discover the meaning.

To develop successful comprehension

skills, many children with learning

disabilities need an explicit

instructional program that: (a) Teaches

them how to access prior knowledge

through strategies such as semantic

mapping, think aloud sheets, etc.; (b)

motivates and supports persistence on

task, including expressions of a

student’s own thoughts when reading

and writing, questioning the expert or

inquiring, or using technology or

grouping practices; and (c) teaches them

cognitive and metacognitive strategies

for reading with understanding,

including how to monitor one’s own

progress through self-regulation,

summarizing, generating questions,

mnemonics, or imagery.

Under Focus 6, a research project

must pursue a systematic program of

applied research that focuses on one or

more issues related to improving

reading comprehension results of

children with learning disabilities

related to reading. These issues include,

but are not limited to:

(a) The types of effective

comprehension instruction for children

with learning disabilities in grades K–2,

3–5, and 6–8 inclusive; the components

of particularly effective programs for

children with learning disabilities, e.g.,

the basal materials, supplemental or

adapted materials, instructional

strategies used by teachers, and how

families may support the instructional

program;

(b) The types of effective questioning

strategies used by teachers, peers, and

parents to encourage and develop

comprehension skills; and

(c) The kinds of individualized

instruction, grouping practices,

instructional strategies, and curricula

that improve comprehension and

problem solving.

The Assistant Secretary intends to

make approximately 3 awards in

Focus 6.

Competitive Preferences

Within this absolute priority, we will

give the following competitive

preference under section 606 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), to

applications that are otherwise eligible

for funding under this priority:

Up to ten (10) points based on the

effectiveness of the applicant’s strategies

for employing and advancing in

employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities as

required under paragraph (a) of the

General Requirements section of this

notice. In determining the effectiveness

of those strategies, the Assistant

Secretary can consider the applicant’s

past success in pursuit of this goal.

For purposes of this competitive

preference, applicants can be awarded

up to a total of 10 points in addition to

those awarded under the published

selection criteria for this priority. That

is, an applicant meeting this

competitive preference could earn a

maximum total of 110 points.

Project Period for All Focus Areas

Up to 36 months.

Maximum Award for All Focus Areas

We will reject any application that

proposes a budget exceeding $180,000

for a single budget period of 12 months.

This maximum award applies to any

application for any Focus area. The

Assistant Secretary for Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services

may change the maximum amount

through a notice published in the

Federal Register.

Page Limits for All Focus Areas

The maximum page limit for this

priority is 50 double-spaced pages.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices 3063

Note: Applications must meet the required

page limit standards that are described in the

General Requirements section of this notice.

Special Education—Personnel

Preparation To Improve Services and

Results for Children With Disabilities

[CFDA 84.325]

Purpose of Program

The purposes of this program are to

(1) help address State-identified needs

for qualified personnel in special

education, related services, early

intervention, and regular education, to

work with children with disabilities;

and (2) to ensure that those personnel

have the skills and knowledge, derived

from practices that have been

determined through research and

experience to be successful, that are

needed to serve those children.

Eligible Applicants

State and local educational agencies;

institutions of higher education; other

public agencies; private nonprofit

organizations; outlying areas; freely

associated States; and Indian tribes or

tribal organizations.

Applicable Regulations

(a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

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

85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) The selection

criteria for this priority are drawn from

the EDGAR general selection criteria

menu. The specific selection criteria for

this priority are included in the funding

application packet for this competition.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86

apply to institutions of higher education

only.

Priority

Under section 673(d) of the Act and

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

those applications that meet the

following priority:

Absolute Priority—Projects of National

Significance (84.325N)

The Assistant Secretary establishes an

absolute priority to support projects that

address issues of national significance

and have broad applicability. Projects

supported under this priority must

develop, evaluate, and disseminate

innovative models. These models must

be designed to serve as blueprints for

systemic improvement in the

recruitment, preparation, induction,

retention, or ongoing professional

development of personnel who have

responsibility for ensuring that children

with disabilities achieve to high

standards and become independent,

productive citizens. These personnel

include early intervention personnel,

regular and special education teachers,

administrators, related service

personnel, and paraprofessionals. If the

project maintains a web site, it must

include relevant information and

documents in an accessible form.

Projects must (1) Use current

research-validated practices and

materials and (2) communicate

appropriately with target audiences.

Applicants should note that:

(a) The purpose of this priority is

model development. Thus, it is not

expected that student stipends will be

supported. However, release time for

staff for development activities is

appropriate; and

(b) It is expected that projects funded

under this priority will incorporate a

systemic approach to dissemination to

relevant training and technical

assistance entities.

Invitational Priorities

Within this absolute priority, the

Assistant Secretary is particularly

interested in applications that meet one

or more of the following priorities.

However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) an

application that meets one or more of

these invitational priorities does not

receive competitive or absolute

preference over other applications:

(a) Projects that are designed to

reduce personnel shortages by

developing innovative models for

promoting the transferability, across

State and local jurisdictions, of

licensure and certification of personnel

serving infants, toddlers, and children

with disabilities;

(b) Projects that are designed to

increase the quantity, quality, and

diversity of personnel who serve

infants, toddlers, or children with

disabilities by developing innovative,

proactive models for recruiting

personnel into training programs or

professional positions;

(c) Projects that are designed to

increase the retention of new personnel

by developing innovative, multi-year,

developmental induction models;

(d) Projects that are designed to

improve the learning of children with

disabilities in the general education

curricula by developing innovative

models for collaborative training of

regular and special education personnel,

including paraprofessionals;

(e) Projects that are designed to

enhance professional development

curricula for personnel serving infants,

toddlers, or children with disabilities by

developing case or problem-based

training modules that can be integrated

into training curricula. It is expected

that these projects will incorporate state

of the art technology in the design and

dissemination of the modules;

(f) Projects that are designed to

enhance teaching and learning through

the development of innovative training

models that incorporate state of the art

assistive, instructional and

communicative technology knowledge

and use; and

(g) Projects that are designed to

enhance professional development

curricula for teachers and

administrators serving infants, toddlers,

or children with disabilities by

developing modules for individualized

education program (IEP)

decisionmaking, particularly with

regard to a child’s participation in

assessments.

Competitive Preference

Within this absolute priority, we will

give the following competitive

preference under section 606 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), to

applications that are otherwise eligible

for funding under this priority:

Up to ten (10) points based on the

effectiveness of the applicant’s strategies

for employing and advancing in

employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities as

required under paragraph (a) of the

General Requirements section of this

notice. In determining the effectiveness

of those strategies, the Assistant

Secretary can consider the applicant’s

past success in pursuit of this goal.

For purposes of this competitive

preference, applicants can be awarded

up to a total of 10 points in addition to

those awarded under the published

selection criteria for this priority. That

is, an applicant meeting this

competitive preference could earn a

maximum total of 110 points.

Project Period

Up to 36 months.

Maximum Award

We will reject any application that

proposes a budget exceeding $200,000

for any single budget period of 12

months. This maximum award applies

to any application. The Assistant

Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services may change the

maximum amount through a notice

published in the Federal Register.

Page Limits

The maximum page limit for this

priority is 40 double-spaced pages.

Note: Applications must meet the required

page limit standards that are described in the

General Requirements section of this notice.

3064 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices

Special Education—Technical

Assistance and Dissemination To

Improve Services and Results for

Children With Disabilities

Purpose of Program

The purpose of this program is to

provide technical assistance and

information through programs that

support States and local entities in

building capacity, to improve early

intervention, educational, and

transitional services and results for

children with disabilities and their

families, and address systemic-change

goals and priorities.

Applicable Regulations

(a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in

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

85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; (b) The selection

criteria for the priorities under this

program are drawn from the EDGAR

general selection criteria menu. The

specific selection criteria for each of

these priorities are included in the

funding application packet for the

applicable competition.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86

apply to institutions of higher education

only.

Eligible Applicants

State and local educational agencies,

institutions of higher education, other

public agencies, private nonprofit

organizations, outlying areas, freely

associated States, and Indian tribes or

tribal organizations.

Additional Requirements for all

Technical Assistance and

Dissemination Priorities

Projects funded under this program

must (1) use current research-validated

practices and materials and (2)

communicate appropriately with target

audiences.

Priority

Under section 685 of IDEA and 34

CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only

applications that meet one of the

following priorities:

Absolute Priority 1—Linking Policy and

Practice Audiences to the IDEA

Amendments of 1997 (84.326A)

Background

The continued, effective

implementation of the IDEA

Amendments of 1997 is dependent, in

part, on the active participation of

educational and professional

associations, parent organizations,

advocacy groups, and other entities

concerned with the early intervention

and education for children with

disabilities. In 1998, the Office of

Special Education Programs funded four

partnerships among these associations

and other entities to address the

information and training needs of four

specific audiences: families and

advocates; policy makers; local

administrators; and services providers.

The four partnership projects include

the: (1) Families and Advocates

Partnership for Education (FAPE),

which addresses the needs of families

and advocates; (2) Policy Maker

Partnership (PMP), which addresses the

needs of education policy makers; (3)

IDEA Local Implementation by Local

Administrators Partnership (ILIAD),

which addresses the needs of local

education administrators; and (4)

Association of Service Providers

Implementing IDEA Reforms in

Education Partnership (ASPIIRE), which

addresses the needs of the services

providers, including teachers and

related service providers.

Three of the four partnership projects,

FAPE, ILIAD, and ASPIIRE were funded

for three years with an option for two

additional years of funding. Since the

PMP was funded for only two years, the

following priority is needed in order to

continue that partnership for up to 3

additional years.

Priority

The Assistant Secretary establishes an

absolute priority to support one

partnership among associations of

education policy makers and other

entities so they can contribute to the

successful implementation of the IDEA

Amendments of 1997, including those

related to Part C of IDEA. This

partnership will be established in order

to inform and provide support to the

partnership’s members and constituents

in understanding the law, the

implications of the law for their

respective roles in improving results for

children with disabilities, and how

research-based best practices can be

used to implement the law.

The partnerships must—

(a) Collaborate to meet the needs of

policy makers (e.g., chief State school

officers, State boards of education, local

school boards, State directors of special

education, State directors of mental

health programs, State directors of

vocational rehabilitation programs, State

directors of programs for children with

special health care needs, deans of

education and special education

department chairs, school

superintendents, governors, State

legislators);

(b) Include—

(1) from 5 to 10 associations and

entities representing regular and special

education interests; and

(2) one project director responsible for

the leadership and management of the

partnership;

(c) Conduct needs assessments of

member associations and other entities

prior to submitting an application in

order to identify the needs of their

respective memberships and

constituents regarding the

implementation of the IDEA

Amendments of 1997;

(d) Describe in the application the

strategies (e.g., questionnaires,

telephone surveys, focus groups, the use

of documents in electronic formats)

used to obtain needs assessment data

from their respective memberships and

constituents;

(e) Provide an analysis of the needs

assessment data with the application

and submit the analysis to the

Coordinating Committee described in

paragraph (h);

(f) Develop a joint agreement among

the participating associations and other

entities to be included in the

application. This agreement must

describe—

(1) The audience whose needs the

partnership will address and the roles

and responsibilities of each member

organization or other entity in the

partnership;

(2) The activities that the partnership

is proposing to conduct. Activities must

include dissemination of information

and outreach. The partnership must also

employ information specialists to

answer questions and provide materials

to audience members and constituents

upon request; and

(3) How resources are to be allocated

to ensure the success of the partnership

activities;

(g) Implement an external review

process in which experts review

partnership materials for technical

accuracy and clarity. Experts must be

knowledgeable in the IDEA

Amendments of 1997, supporting

legislative history, and regulations

implementing the Amendments, and

also must be familiar with related OSEP

policy guidance. The external expert

review process shall be finalized in

consultation with, and approved by,

OSEP. Information products produced

under this award may not be

disseminated to outside audiences

without prior approval by OSEP;

(h) Describe how the project will be

involved in the Partnership Projects’

Coordinating Committee, described

below, which is comprised of

representatives of each of the four

partnerships described in the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices 3065

Background section of this priority. The

Coordinating Committee includes, at a

minimum, the project director of each

partnership and appropriate OSEP staff,

and may also include other partnership

staff for purposes of carrying out

committee responsibilities, including

assisting partnerships in implementing

their projects. The proposal under this

paragraph must address each of the

ongoing committee functions listed

below and include a method for

allocating partnership resources to

support committee activities. The

Coordinating Committee—

(1) Provides technical assistance

across the four partnerships and

develops cross-partnership materials to

ensure clarity, accuracy, consistency of

message and efficient use of resources

across the partnerships;

(2) Provides the partnerships timely

information, including information on

pertinent research;

(3) Develops and implements a joint

marketing, training, dissemination, and

outreach plan based on the results of the

partnerships’ needs assessments, for

reaching each of the four target

audiences in an efficient and timely

manner; and

(4) Designs and conducts a media

campaign that includes the successful

implementation of researched-based

practices and that increases public

awareness of how children with

disabilities are being served

appropriately and how appropriate

services affect results for children; and

(i) Maintain a world wide web site

with relevant information and

documents in an accessible form.

Competitive Preference:

Within this absolute priority, we will

give the following competitive

preference under section 606 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), to

applications that are otherwise eligible

for funding under this priority:

Up to ten (10) points based on the

effectiveness of the applicant’s strategies

for employing and advancing in

employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities as

required under paragraph (a) of the

General Requirements section of this

notice. In determining the effectiveness

of those strategies, the Assistant

Secretary can consider the applicant’s

past success in pursuit of this goal.

For purposes of this competitive

preference, applicants can be awarded

up to a total of 10 points in addition to

those awarded under the published

selection criteria for this priority. That

is, an applicant meeting this

competitive preference could earn a

maximum total of 110 points.

Project Period

Under this priority, the Assistant

Secretary will make an award for a

cooperative agreement with a project

period of up to 36 months subject to the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for

continuation awards.

Maximum Award

We reject any application that

proposes a budget exceeding $1,500,000

for any 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.

Page Limits

The maximum page limit for this

priority is 60 double-spaced pages.

Note: Applications must meet the required

page limit standards that are described in the

General Requirements section of this notice.

Absolute Priority 2—State and Federal

Policy Forum for Program Improvement.

(84.326F)

Background

Access to information is critical for

decisionmakers and policy officials to

ensure that appropriate and effective

education and early intervention

services are provided to all infants,

toddlers, and children with disabilities.

State and Federal decisionmakers

responsible for the implementation of

the IDEA Amendments of 1997 must

have access to valid statistics, research

findings, and policy options, as well as

current information on trends in

providing special education and related

services.

The Office of Special Education

Programs (OSEP) within the U.S.

Department of Education has

responsibility for the Federal

administration of IDEA. State

educational agencies (SEAs), or other

designated State agencies under Part C

of IDEA, oversee the administration of

IDEA at the State and local level. The

project supported under the following

priority will provide access to and

analysis of administrative and policy

information generated by the States and

other jurisdictions, and will facilitate

coordination between OSEP and State

and local IDEA administrators.

Priority

The Assistant Secretary establishes a

priority to facilitate communication

between the U.S. Department of

Education and State and local

administrators of IDEA, and to

synthesize national program

information that will improve the

management, administration, delivery,

and effectiveness of programs and

services provided under IDEA. The

cooperative agreement funded under

this priority will provide the

Department with a mechanism and

resources for analyzing policies and

emerging issues that are of significant

national concern.

The project must—

(a) Through expert knowledge,

research reviews, and other types of

needs assessment, identify national and

State program improvement information

that is needed to obtain better results for

infants, toddlers, and children with

disabilities receiving educational and

early intervention settings;

(b) Organize, synthesize, interpret,

and integrate information needed for

program improvement using a variety of

methods and formats;

(c) Analyze emerging policy or

program issues regarding the

administration of IDEA at the Federal,

State, and local levels;

(d) Facilitate the flow of information

at the Federal, State, and local levels

related to program improvement for

infants, toddlers, and children with

disabilities, via existing information

resources and communication networks;

(e) Maintain a world wide web site

with relevant information and

documents in an accessible form;

(f) Organize, coordinate, and maintain

a data base of laws, policies, and

regulations that govern special

education within the States and other

jurisdictions; communicate, on a regular

basis, with State educational agencies to

identify emerging policy issues; and

convene meetings between special

education administrators, outside

experts, and others to review, plan, and

provide leadership in recommending

multi-level actions that respond to the

emerging issues;

(g) Maintain communication and

collaboration with technical assistance

providers funded under the Linking

Policy and Practice Audiences to the

IDEA Amendments of 1997 priority and

the Technical Assistance Project for the

Parent Training and Information Centers

priority to help inform OSEP of

emerging policy or program issues

related to IDEA that the technical

assistance providers are addressing or

have identified; and

(h) Communicate regularly with OSEP

to provide information that may assist

OSEP in improving its efficiency in

administering IDEA.

In addition to the annual two-day

Project Director’s meeting in

Washington, DC listed in the General

Requirements section of this notice, the

project must budget for another annual

3066 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices

two-day trip to Washington, DC to meet

and collaborate with the OSEP project

officer and other funded projects for

purposes of cross-project collaboration

and information exchange.

Project Period

Under this priority, the Assistant

Secretary will make one award for a

cooperative agreement with a project

period of up to 60 months subject to the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for

continuation awards. During the second

year of the project, the Assistant

Secretary will determine whether to

continue the Center for the fourth and

fifth years of the project period and will

consider in addition to the requirements

of 34 CFR 75.253(a):

(a) The recommendation of a review

team consisting of three experts selected

by the Assistant Secretary. The services

of the review team, including a two-day

site visit to the project, are to be

performed during the last half of the

project’s second year and may be

included in that year’s evaluation

required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs

associated with the services to be

performed by the review team must also

be included in the project’s budget for

year two. These costs are estimated to be

approximately $6,000;

(b) The timeliness and effectiveness

with which all requirements of the

negotiated cooperative agreement have

been or are being met by the project; and

(c) The degree to which the project’s

design and technical strategies are

disseminating significant new

knowledge.

Competitive Preferences

Within this absolute priority, we will

give the following competitive

preference under section 606 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), to

applications that are otherwise eligible

for funding under this priority:

Up to ten (10) points based on the

effectiveness of the applicant’s strategies

for employing and advancing in

employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities as

required under paragraph (a) of the

General Requirements section of this

notice. In determining the effectiveness

of those strategies, the Assistant

Secretary can consider the applicant’s

past success in pursuit of this goal.

For purposes of this competitive

preference, applicants can be awarded

up to a total of 10 points in addition to

those awarded under the published

selection criteria for this priority. That

is, an applicant meeting this

competitive preference could earn a

maximum total of 110 points.

Maximum Award

We reject any application that

proposes a budget exceeding $400,000

for any single budget period of 12

months. This maximum amount applies

to any application. The Assistant

Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services may change the

maximum amount through a notice

published in the Federal Register.

Page Limits

The maximum page limit for this

priority is 60 double-spaced pages.

Note: Applications must meet the required

page limit standards that are described in the

General Requirements section of this notice.

Absolute Priority 3—Center on

Achieving Results in Education for

Students With Disabilities (84.326G)

Background

The IDEA Amendments of 1997

introduced a number of provisions

related to large-scale assessment and

accountability. These provisions called

for the participation of students with

disabilities in State and district-wide

assessments, with appropriate

accommodations or alternate

assessments provided when necessary.

States must publicly report on the

performance and participation of

students with disabilities on regular and

alternate assessments, and must

establish goals and performance

indicators that address, among other

things, the performance of students with

disabilities on assessments.

Individualized education programs

(IEPs) must reflect individual decisions

about modifications in administration of

State and district-wide assessments, and

participation in alternate assessments.

These requirements reflect the

importance of ensuring that students

with disabilities have access to the

general curriculum and that they benefit

from State and local efforts toward

accountability and standards-based

reform. In addition, State and districtwide assessments may provide a

valuable source of national and State

information about educational results

for students with disabilities, provided

those students are sufficiently included.

Recent evidence suggests that States

are making progress in implementing

these assessment and accountability

requirements. However, a number of

technical and policy challenges must be

overcome before the requirements can

yield all of their potential benefits for

students with disabilities.

Priority

The Assistant Secretary establishes an

absolute priority for a center to provide

national leadership in improving results

for students with disabilities by

improving their participation in State

and local assessment and accountability

systems. The Center must accomplish

this mission through a combination of

research, technical assistance,

dissemination, collaboration, and other

leadership functions.

The Center’s research activities must

include, but are not limited to:

(a) Conducting an annual survey of

States to determine their current status

in implementing the assessment and

accountability provisions of IDEA;

(b) Evaluating State and local policies

and practices to determine the best

approaches for promoting meaningful

participation of students with

disabilities in assessment and

accountability activities;

(c) Conducting an annual review of

State reports and assessment data to

track the participation and performance

levels of students with disabilities in

large-scale assessments;

(d) Synthesizing research on relevant

topics such as assessment

accommodations, alternate assessments,

data analysis and reporting, and other

related areas; and

(e) Conducting, collaborating in, or

commissioning focused research studies

on topics related to assessment and

accountability.

The Center’s technical assistance and

dissemination activities must include,

but are not limited to:

(a) Preparing and disseminating

reports and documents on research

findings and related topics;

(b) Maintaining a world wide web site

with relevant information and

documents in an accessible form;

(c) Conducting national and regional

meetings, in collaboration with other

centers such as the Regional Resource

Centers, to assist States and local

education agencies in continuing the

implementation of the assessment and

accountability provisions of IDEA;

(d) Working directly with States and

other stakeholders to improve the

participation of students with

disabilities in State and local

assessment and accountability systems;

and

(e) Developing and applying strategies

for dissemination of information to

specific audiences, including teachers,

families, administrators, policymakers

and researchers. Such strategies must

involve collaboration with other

technical assistance providers,

organizations, and researchers as

described below.

The Center’s collaboration and other

leadership activities must include, but

are not limited to:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices 3067

(a) Maintaining communication and

collaboration with other technical

assistance providers (including the

Regional Resource Centers, Federal

Resource Center, Centers funded under

the ‘‘Linking Policy and Practice

Audiences with the 1997 Amendments

of IDEA’’ priority, Educational Labs,

Parent Training and Information

Centers, Technical Assistance Project

for the Parent Training and Information

Centers priority, and others) and

organizations (including the National

Association of State Directors of Special

Education, the Council for Exceptional

Children, the Council of Chief State

School Officers and others, as well as

projects funded by the Office of

Bilingual Education and Minority

Languages Affairs and the Office of

Elementary and Secondary Education)

concerning assessment and

accountability related activities;

(b) Maintaining a network of

researchers (including the Research

Institute to Enhance the Role of Special

Education and Children With

Disabilities in Education Policy Reform;

the Urban Special Education

Collaborative; and the Outreach

Services to Minority Entities to Expand

Research Capacity project) studying

assessment, accountability, and related

topics to facilitate communication and

collaboration among researchers and to

promote the use of research findings

and products; and

(c) Convening conferences, at the

request of OSEP, on topics related to

assessment and accountability.

The Center must also:

(a) Establish, maintain, and meet at

least annually with an advisory

committee consisting of representatives

of State and local educational agencies,

individuals with disabilities, parents,

educators, professional organizations

and advocacy groups, researchers, and

other appropriate groups to review and

advise on the Center’s activities and

plans. The committee must include

membership that represents urban

schools and underrepresented

populations;

(b) Fund as project assistants at least

three doctoral students per year who

have concentrations in relevant topics

such as special education, assessment,

educational policy, and administration;

(c) In addition to the two-day Project

Directors Meeting listed in the General

Requirements section of this notice,

budget for two additional two-day trips

annually to Washington, DC, to attend

an additional Project Director meeting

and to attend an OSEP Leadership

Conference; and

(d) Budget for at least a monthly trip

to attend appropriate meetings

convened by the Department of

Education (such as the regional

Improving America’s Schools

conferences), the Council of Chief State

School Officers (such as meetings of the

State Collaborative on Assessment and

Student Standards, and the Large Scale

Assessment Conference), and other

Centers and organizations.

Project Period

Under this priority, the Assistant

Secretary will make one award for a

cooperative agreement for a project

period of up to 60 months subject to the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for

continuation awards. During the second

year of the project, the Assistant

Secretary will determine whether to

continue the Center for the fourth and

fifth years of the project period and will

consider in addition to the requirements

of 34 CFR 75.253(a):

(a) The recommendation of a review

team consisting of three experts selected

by the Assistant Secretary. The services

of the review team, including a two-day

site visit to the project, are to be

performed during the last half of the

project’s second year and may be

included in that year’s evaluation

required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs

associated with the services to be

performed by the review team must also

be included in the project’s budget for

year two. These costs are estimated to be

approximately $6,000;

(b) The timeliness and effectiveness

with which all requirements of the

negotiated cooperative agreement have

been or are being met by the Center; and

(c) The degree to which the Center is

making a positive contribution to the

participation of students with

disabilities in State and local

assessment and accountability systems.

Competitive Preferences

Within this absolute priority, we will

give the following competitive

preference under section 606 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), to

applications that are otherwise eligible

for funding under this priority:

Up to ten (10) points based on the

effectiveness of the applicant’s strategies

for employing and advancing in

employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities as

required under paragraph (a) of the

General Requirements section of this

notice. In determining the effectiveness

of those strategies, the Assistant

Secretary can consider the applicant’s

past success in pursuit of this goal.

For purposes of this competitive

preference, applicants can be awarded

up to a total of 10 points in addition to

those awarded under the published

selection criteria for this priority. That

is, an applicant meeting this

competitive preference could earn a

maximum total of 110 points.

Maximum Award

We reject any application that

proposes a budget exceeding $700,000

for any single budget period of 12

months. We reject and do not consider

an application that proposes a budget

exceeding this maximum amount. The

Assistant Secretary for Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services

may change the maximum amounts

through a notice published in the

Federal Register.

Page Limits

The maximum page limit for this

priority is 60 double-spaced pages.

Note: Applications must meet the required

page limit standards that are described in the

General Requirements section of this notice.

For Applications Contact: Education

Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box

1398, Jessup, Maryland 20794–1398.

Telephone (toll free): 1–877–4ED-Pubs

(1–877–433–7827). FAX: 301–470–1244.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call (toll free) 1–877–576–

7734.

You may also contact Ed Pubs via its

Web site (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/

edpubs.html) or its E-mail address

(edpubs&@inet.ed.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Grants and Contracts Services Team,

U.S. Department of Education, 400

Maryland Avenue, S.W., room 3317,

Switzer Building, Washington, D.C.

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 260–

9182.

If you use a TDD you may call the

Federal Information Relay Service

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact persons listed in

the preceding paragraph.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain a copy of the application package

in an alternate format by contacting the

Department as listed above. However,

the Department is not able to reproduce

in an alternate format the standard

forms included in the application

package.

Intergovernmental Review

All programs in this notice (except for

Research and Innovation) are subject to

the requirements of Executive Order

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR

Part 79. The objective of the Executive

3068 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices

order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism by relying on processes

developed by State and local

governments for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

In accordance with the order, we

intend this document to provide early

notification of the Department’s specific

plans and actions for those programs.

Available Funds

The Administration has requested

funds for these programs for Fiscal Year

2000. 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 before the end of the fiscal year,

provided Congress appropriates funds

for these programs.

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT APPLICATION NOTICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000

CFDA No. and name Applications

available

Application

deadline

date

Deadline for

intergovernmental

review

Maximum

award

(per year)*

Project

period

Page

limit **

Estimated

number of

awards

84.324D Directed Research

Projects.

01/26/00 03/20/00 05/19/00 $180,000 Up to 36

mos.

50 27

84.325N Projects of National

Significance.

01/26/00 03/10/00 05/09/00 200,000 Up to 36

mos.

40 12

84.326A Linking Policy and

Practice Audiences to the

1997 Amendments of IDEA.

01/26/00 03/10/00 05/09/00 1,500,000 Up to 36

mos.

60 1

84.326F State and Federal

Policy Forum for Program

Improvement.

01/26/00 03/10/00 05/09/00 400,000 Up to 60

mos.

60 1

84.326G Center on Achieving Results in Education for

Students with Disabilities.

01/26/00 03/10/00 05/09/00 700,000 Up to 60

mos.

60 1

* The Assistant Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding the amount listed for each priority for

any single budget period of 12 months. ** Applicants must limit the Application Narrative, Part III of the Application, to the page limits noted

above. Please refer to the ‘‘Page Limit’’ requirements included in the General Requirements section of this notice. The Assistant Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that does not adhere to this requirement.

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

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as all other Department of Education

documents published in the Federal

Register, in text or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) on the Internet

at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF you must have the

Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free at either

of the previous sites. If you have

questions about using the PDF, call the

U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO),

toll free, at 1–888–293–6498; or in the

Washington, DC. area at (202) 512–1530.

Note: The official version of this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register. Free Internet access to the official

edition of the Federal Register and the Code

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO

Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html.

Dated: January 12, 2000.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 00–1121 Filed 1–18–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U