Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / Notices 5291 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Department of Education. 

SUMMARY: The Acting Director, 

Information Collection Clearance 

Division, Regulatory Information 

Management Services, Office of 

Management invites comments on the 

submission for OMB review as required 

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before March 4, 

2010. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be addressed to the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Attention: Education Desk Officer, 

Office of Management and Budget, 725 

17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503, be faxed to (202) 395–5806 or 

send e-mail to 

oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires 

that the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) provide interested 

Federal agencies and the public an early 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection requests. OMB may amend or 

waive the requirement for public 

consultation to the extent that public 

participation in the approval process 

would defeat the purpose of the 

information collection, violate State or 

Federal law, or substantially interfere 

with any agency’s ability to perform its 

statutory obligations. The Acting 

Director, Information Collection 

Clearance Division, Regulatory 

Information Management Services, 

Office of Management, publishes that 

notice containing proposed information 

collection requests prior to submission 

of these requests to OMB. Each 

proposed information collection, 

grouped by office, contains the 

following: (1) Type of review requested, 

e.g., new, revision, extension, existing 

or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary 

of the collection; (4) Description of the 

need for, and proposed use of, the 

information; (5) Respondents and 

frequency of collection; and (6) 

Reporting and/or Recordkeeping 

burden. OMB invites public comment. 

Dated: January 28, 2010. 

Stephanie Valentine, 

Acting Director, Information Collection 

Clearance Division, Regulatory Information 

Management Services, Office of Management. 

Federal Student Aid 

Type of Review: Extension. 

Title: Regulations for Equity in 

Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA). 

Frequency: Annually. 

Affected Public: Not-for-profit 

institutions. 

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour 

Burden: 

Responses: 2,000. 

Burden Hours: 11,000. 

Abstract: The EADA amended the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 as 

amended (HEA) to require 

coeducational institutions of higher 

education that participate in any 

program under Title IV of the HEA and 

have an intercollegiate athletic program 

annually to make available upon request 

a report on institutional financing and 

student and staff participation in men’s 

and women’s intercollegiate athletics. 

The HEA of 1993 amended the EADA to 

require additional disclosures, to 

require that an institution submit its 

report to the Department of Education, 

and to require the Department to make 

the institutions’ EADA reports publicly 

available. 

Requests for copies of the information 

collection submission for OMB review 

may be accessed from http:// 

edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the 

‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and 

by clicking on link number 4211. When 

you access the information collection, 

click on ‘‘Download Attachments’’ to 

view. Written requests for information 

should be addressed to U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, 

SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. 

Requests may also be electronically 

mailed to the Internet address 

ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or faxed to 202– 

401–0920. Please specify the complete 

title of the information collection when 

making your request. 

Comments regarding burden and/or 

the collection activity requirements 

should be electronically mailed to 

ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Individuals who 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

[FR Doc. 2010–2157 Filed 2–1–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; Technology and Media 

Services for Individuals With 

Disabilities—Steppingstones of 

Technology Innovation for Children 

With Disabilities Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2010 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.327A. 

Note: This notice includes one absolute 

priority with two phases, and funding 

information for each phase of the 

competition. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: February 2, 

2010. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: See the chart in the 

Award Information section of this notice 

(Chart). 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: See Chart. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

the Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities program 

are to: (1) Improve results for children 

with disabilities by promoting the 

development, demonstration, and use of 

technology; (2) support educational 

media services activities designed to be 

of educational value in the classroom 

setting to children with disabilities; and 

(3) provide support for captioning and 

video description that are appropriate 

for use in the classroom setting. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

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

allowable activities specified in the 

statute, or otherwise authorized in the 

statute (see sections 674 and 681(d) of 

the Individuals with Disabilities 

Education Act (IDEA)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2010 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards based on the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

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

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals With Disabilities— 

Steppingstones of Technology 

Innovation for Children With 

Disabilities 

Background 

The Department has made 

Steppingstones of Technology 

Innovation for Children with 

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5292 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / Notices 

Disabilities awards for several years 

under the Technology and Media 

Services for Individuals with 

Disabilities program. Awards are made 

in two phases: (1) Development and (2) 

research on effectiveness. Abstracts of 

projects funded under these two phases 

can be found at http:// 

publicddb.tadnet.org/. 

Priority 

The Steppingstones of Technology 

Innovation for Children with 

Disabilities absolute priority requires 

grantees to develop, implement, and 

evaluate innovative technology 

approaches designed to improve results 

for children with disabilities. Phase 1 

projects must develop, refine, and test 

the feasibility of specific technologybased approaches. Phase 2 projects must 

subject technology-based approaches to 

rigorous field-based research to 

determine their effectiveness. 

To be considered for funding under 

the Steppingstones of Technology 

Innovation for Children with 

Disabilities absolute priority, applicants 

must meet the application requirements 

contained in the priority. All projects 

funded under the absolute priority also 

must meet the programmatic and 

administrative requirements specified in 

the priority. The application, 

programmatic, and administrative 

requirements are as follows: 

(a) In the application, an applicant 

must— 

(1) Describe a technology-based 

approach for improving the results of (a) 

early intervention programs, (b) 

response-to-intervention (RTI) 

assessment techniques, or (c) preschool, 

elementary school, middle school, or 

high school educational programs for 

children with disabilities. The 

technology-based approach must be an 

innovative combination of new 

technology and additional materials and 

methodologies that enable the 

technology to improve early 

intervention programs, RTI assessment 

techniques, or educational results for 

children with disabilities; 

(2) Present a justification, based on 

scientifically rigorous research or 

theory, that supports the potential 

effectiveness of the technology-based 

approach described pursuant to 

paragraph (a)(1) of this priority for 

improving results for children with 

disabilities. The approach must have the 

potential to improve child outcomes, 

not just parent or provider outcomes. 

Child outcomes may include improved 

academic or pre-academic skills, 

improved behavioral or social 

functioning, and improved functional 

performance, provided that valid and 

reliable measurement instruments are 

employed to assess the outcomes. 

Technology-based approaches intended 

for use by providers or parents may not 

be funded under this priority unless 

child-level benefits are clearly 

demonstrated. Technology-based 

approaches for professional 

development will not be funded under 

this priority; 

(3) Provide a detailed plan for 

conducting work in one of the following 

two phases: 

(i) Phase 1—Development: Projects 

funded under Phase 1 must develop and 

refine a technology-based approach, and 

test its feasibility for use with children 

with disabilities. Activities under Phase 

1 of the priority may include 

development, adaptation, and 

refinement of technology, materials, or 

methodologies. Activities under Phase 1 

of the priority must include a formative 

evaluation of the technology-based 

approach’s usability and feasibility for 

use with children with disabilities. Each 

project funded under Phase 1 must be 

designed to develop, as its primary 

product, a promising technology-based 

approach that is suitable for field-based 

evaluation of its effectiveness in 

improving results for children with 

disabilities. 

(ii) Phase 2—Research on 

Effectiveness: Projects funded under 

Phase 2 must select a promising 

technology-based approach that has 

been developed and tested in a manner 

consistent with the criteria for activities 

funded under Phase 1, and subject the 

approach to rigorous field-based 

research to determine its effectiveness 

in educational or early intervention 

settings. Approaches studied under 

Phase 2 may have been developed with 

previous funding under Phase 1 of this 

priority or with funding from other 

sources. Phase 2 of this priority is 

primarily intended to produce sound 

research-based evidence demonstrating 

that the technology-based approach can 

improve educational or early 

intervention results for children with 

disabilities in a defined range of real 

world contexts. 

Projects funded under Phase 2 of this 

priority must conduct research that 

poses a causal question and must seek 

to answer that question through 

randomized assignment to treatment 

and comparison conditions, unless a 

strong justification is made for why a 

randomized trial is not possible. If a 

randomized trial is not possible, the 

applicant must employ alternatives that 

substantially minimize selection bias or 

allow the selection bias to be modeled. 

These alternatives include appropriately 

structured regression-discontinuity 

designs and natural experiments in 

which naturally occurring 

circumstances or institutions (perhaps 

unintentionally) divide people into 

treatment and comparison groups in a 

manner akin to purposeful random 

assignment. In their applications, 

applicants proposing to use an 

alternative system must (1) make a 

compelling case that randomization is 

not possible, and (2) describe in detail 

how the procedures will result in 

substantially minimizing the effects of 

selection bias on estimates of effect size. 

Choice of randomizing unit or units 

(e.g., students, classrooms, schools) 

must be grounded in a theoretical 

framework. Observational, survey, or 

qualitative methodologies may 

complement experimental 

methodologies to assist in the 

identification of factors that may 

explain the effectiveness or 

ineffectiveness of the technology-based 

approach being evaluated. Applicants 

must propose research designs that 

permit the identification and assessment 

of factors that may have an impact on 

the fidelity of implementation. 

Mediating and moderating variables that 

are both measured in the practice or 

model condition and are likely to affect 

outcomes in the comparison condition 

must be measured in the comparison 

condition (e.g., student time-on-task, 

teacher experience, or time in position). 

Projects funded under Phase 2 of this 

priority must conduct comprehensive 

research in order to provide convincing 

evidence of the effectiveness or 

ineffectiveness of the technology-based 

approach under study, at least within a 

defined range of settings. Applicants 

must provide documentation that 

available sample sizes, methodologies, 

and treatment effects are likely to result 

in conclusive findings regarding the 

effectiveness of the technology-based 

approach; 

(4) Provide a plan for forming 

collaborative relationships with 

vendors, other dissemination or 

marketing resources, or both to ensure 

that the technology-based approach can 

be made widely available if sufficient 

evidence of effectiveness is obtained. 

Applicants should document the 

availability and willingness of 

dissemination or marketing resources to 

participate. Applicants are encouraged 

to plan these collaborative relationships 

early in their projects, even in Phase 1 

(if applicable), but should refrain from 

widespread dissemination of the 

technology-based approach to 

practitioners until evidence of its 

effectiveness is obtained in Phase 2; and 

(5) Budget for the project director to 

attend an annual three-day Project 

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Directors’ meeting in Washington, DC, 

and another annual two-day trip to 

Washington, DC to collaborate with the 

Federal project officer and the other 

projects funded under this priority to 

share information, and to discuss 

findings and methods of dissemination. 

(b) The project also must conduct the 

following activities: 

(1) If the project maintains a Web site, 

include relevant information and 

documents in a format that meets a 

government or industry-recognized 

standard for accessibility. 

(2) If the project produces 

instructional materials for 

dissemination, produce them in 

accessible formats (e.g., with captioning, 

with video description, or complying 

with the National Instructional 

Materials Accessibility Standard 

(NIMAS), as appropriate). 

Within this absolute priority, we are 

particularly interested in applications 

that address the following invitational 

priorities. 

Invitational Priorities: Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 

application that meets one of these 

invitational priorities a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

These priorities are: 

(1) Projects led by a project director or 

principal investigator who is in the 

initial phase of his or her career. For 

purpose of this invitational priority, the 

initial phase of an individual’s career is 

considered to be the first three years 

after the individual completes and 

graduates from a doctoral program (i.e., 

for FY 2010 awards, projects may 

support individuals who completed and 

graduated from a doctoral program no 

earlier than the 2006–2007 academic 

year). 

(2) Projects focusing on technologybased approaches for children with 

disabilities, ages birth to age three. 

(3) Projects focusing on technologybased approaches to response-tointervention assessment techniques. 

(4) Projects focusing on technologybased approaches for instruction in 

science, mathematics, or both for 

children with disabilities. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

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

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities and requirements. Section 

681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the 

public comment requirements of the 

APA inapplicable to the priority in this 

notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 

and 1481. 

Applicable Regulations: The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

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

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

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$2,400,000. Please refer to the 

‘‘Estimated Range of Awards’’ column in 

the Chart for the estimated dollar 

amounts for the two phases of this 

competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: See 

Chart. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

See Chart. 

Maximum Award: Phase 1: $200,000, 

per year and Phase 2: $300,000, per 

year. We will reject any application that 

proposes a budget exceeding the 

maximum award for a single budget 

period of 12 months. The Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services may change the 

maximum amount through a notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: See 

Chart. 

Project Period: Projects funded under 

Phase 1 will be funded for up to 24 

months. Projects funded under Phase 2 

will be funded for up to 36 months. We 

will reject any application that proposes 

a project period exceeding 24 months 

for Phase 1 or 36 months for Phase 2. 

STEPPINGSTONES OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES APPLICATION NOTICE FOR FISCAL

YEAR 2010 

CFDA number and name 

Deadline for 

transmittal of 

applications 

Deadline for 

intergovernmental review 

Estimated 

available funds 

Estimated 

range of 

awards 

Estimated 

average size 

of awards 

Estimated 

number of 

awards 

84.327A—Steppingstones of Technology 

Innovation for Children with Disabilities: 

Phase 1—Development ...................... March 19, 

2010.

May 18, 2010 $1,200,000 $100,000– 

$200,000 

$200,000 6 

Phase 2—Research on Effectiveness March 19, 

2010.

May 18, 2010 1,200,000 200,000– 

300,000 

300,000 4 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: State 

educational agencies (SEAs); local 

educational agencies (LEAs); public 

charter schools that are LEAs under 

State law; IHEs; other public agencies; 

private nonprofit organizations; outlying 

areas; freely associated States; Indian 

tribes or tribal organizations; and forprofit organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

3. Other: General Requirements—(a) 

The projects funded under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Applicants and grant recipients 

funded under this competition must 

involve individuals with disabilities or 

parents of individuals with disabilities 

ages birth through 26 in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

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

IDEA). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: ED Pubs, U.S. Department of 

Education, P.O. Box 22207, Alexandria, 

VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1–877– 

433–7827. FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you 

use a telecommunications device for the 

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

7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

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

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

If you request an application package 

from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this 

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5294 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / Notices 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.327A. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

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

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person or 

team listed under Accessible Format in 

section VIII of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit Part III 

to the equivalent of no more than 50 

pages using the following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, and captions, as well as all 

text in charts, tables, figures, and 

graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per inch). 

The page limit does not apply to Part 

I, the cover sheet; Part II, the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; Part IV, the assurances and 

certifications; or the one-page abstract, 

the resumes, the bibliography, the 

references, or the letters of support. 

However, you must include all of the 

application narrative in Part III. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit; or if you apply 

other standards and exceed the 

equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: February 2, 

2010. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: See Chart. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

accessible through the Department’s eGrants site, or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery, please refer to 

section IV. 6. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under For Further Information Contact 

in section VII of this notice. If the 

Department provides an accommodation 

or auxiliary aid to an individual with a 

disability in connection with the 

application process, the individual’s 

application remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: See Chart. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

If you choose to submit your 

application to us electronically, you 

must use e-Application, accessible 

through the Department’s e-Grants Web 

site at: http://e-grants.ed.gov. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please note the following: 

• Your participation in e-Application 

is voluntary. 

• You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

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

the application deadline date. E– 

Application will not accept an 

application for this competition after 

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

the application deadline date. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process. 

• The hours of operation of the eGrants Web site are 6:00 a.m. Monday 

until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 

a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, 

Washington, DC time. Please note that, 

because of maintenance, the system is 

unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on 

Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and 

between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 

6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, Washington, 

DC time. Any modifications to these 

hours are posted on the e-Grants Web 

site. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit your 

application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: the Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

You must attach any narrative sections 

of your application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified in this paragraph or 

submit a password protected file, we 

will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to print a 

copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment that will 

include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application. 

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

(3) Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424. 

(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of System Unavailability: If you 

are prevented from electronically 

submitting your application on the 

application deadline date because eApplication is unavailable, we will 

grant you an extension of one business 

day to enable you to transmit your 

application electronically, by mail, or by 

hand delivery. We will grant this 

extension if— 

(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an 

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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / Notices 5295 

electronic application for this 

competition; and 

(2) (a) E–Application is unavailable 

for 60 minutes or more between the 

hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date; or 

(b) E–Application is unavailable for 

any period of time between 3:30 p.m. 

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

on the application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgment of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under For Further Information 

Contact (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336– 

8930. If e-Application is unavailable 

due to technical problems with the 

system and, therefore, the application 

deadline is extended, an e-mail will be 

sent to all registered users who have 

initiated an e-Application. 

Extensions referred to in this section 

apply only to the unavailability of eApplication. If e-Application is 

available, and, for any reason, you are 

unable to submit your application 

electronically or you do not receive an 

automatic acknowledgment of your 

submission, you may submit your 

application in paper format by mail or 

hand delivery in accordance with the 

instructions in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by mail (through the U.S. 

Postal Service or a commercial carrier), 

you must mail the original and two 

copies of your application, on or before 

the application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.327A), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

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

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by hand delivery, you (or 

a courier service) must deliver the 

original and two copies of your 

application by hand, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.327A), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

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

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

grant notification within 15 business days 

from the application deadline date, you 

should call the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 

75.210 and are listed in the application 

package. 

2. Review and Selection Process: In 

the past, the Department has had 

difficulty finding peer reviewers for 

certain competitions, because so many 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

peer reviewers have conflicts of interest. 

The Standing Panel requirements under 

IDEA also have placed additional 

constraints on the availability of 

reviewers. Therefore, the Department 

has determined that, for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within specific groups. This 

procedure will make it easier for the 

Department to find peer reviewers, by 

ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process, while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN). We may notify you informally, 

also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: At the end of your 

project period, you must submit a final 

performance report, including financial 

information, as directed by the 

Secretary. If you receive a multi-year 

award, you must submit an annual 

performance report that provides the 

most current performance and financial 

expenditure information as directed by 

the Secretary under 34 CFR 75.118. The 

Secretary may also require more 

frequent performance reports under 34 

CFR 75.720(c). For specific 

requirements on reporting, please go to 

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

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures, including long-term 

measures, that are designed to yield 

information on various aspects of the 

effectiveness and quality of the 

Technology and Media Services for 

Individuals with Disabilities program. 

These measures focus on the extent to 

which projects are of high quality, are 

relevant to improving outcomes of 

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5296 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 2, 2010 / Notices 

children with disabilities, and 

contribute to improving outcomes for 

children with disabilities. We will 

collect data on these measures from the 

projects funded under this competition. 

Grantees also will be required to 

report information on their projects’ 

performance in annual reports to the 

Department (34 CFR 75.590). 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: 

Terry Jackson, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Room 4081, Potomac Center Plaza 

(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2550. 

Telephone: (202) 245–6039. 

If you use a TDD, call the Federal 

Relay Service, toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

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

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

by contacting the Grants and Contracts 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

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

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

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

fedregister. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at this site. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

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

index.html. 

Dated: January 28, 2010. 

Alexa Posny, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2010–2182 Filed 2–1–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Postsecondary Education; 

Overview Information; National 

Resource Centers (NRC) Program for 

Foreign Language and Area Studies or 

Foreign Language and International 

Studies Program and Foreign 

Language and Area Studies (FLAS) 

Fellowships Program; Notice Inviting 

Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year (FY) 2010 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.015A 

and 84.015B. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: February 2, 

2010. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 23, 2010. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 24, 2010. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The NRC 

Program makes awards to institutions of 

higher education or consortia of 

institutions of higher education to 

establish or strengthen nationally 

recognized foreign language and area or 

international studies centers or 

programs. NRC awards are used to 

support undergraduate centers or 

comprehensive centers, which include 

undergraduate, graduate, and 

professional school components. 

The FLAS Fellowships Program 

provides allocations of fellowships to 

institutions of higher education or 

consortia of institutions of higher 

education to assist meritorious 

undergraduate and graduate students 

undergoing training in modern foreign 

languages and related area or 

international studies. 

Priorities: This notice includes one 

absolute priority, one competitive 

preference priority, and five invitational 

priorities. 

NRC Program Absolute Priority: In 

accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), 

this priority is from the regulations for 

the NRC program (34 CFR 656.23(a)(4)). 

For FY 2010, this priority is an absolute 

priority for the NRC program. Under 34 

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

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Applications that provide for teacher 

training activities on the language, 

languages, area studies, or thematic 

focus of the center. Within this absolute 

priority, we are particularly interested 

in applications that address the 

following invitational priorities. 

NRC Program Invitational Priorities: 

For FY 2010, these priorities are 

invitational priorities. Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(1), we do not give an 

application that meets these invitational 

priorities a competitive or absolute 

preference over other applications. 

These priorities are: 

NRC Invitational Priority 1 

Applications that propose activities 

designed to coordinate with other 

programs in title VI of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(HEA) with the objective of increasing 

the Nation’s capacity to train and 

produce Americans with advanced 

proficiency in the less and least 

commonly taught languages along with 

an understanding of the societies in 

which those languages are spoken. 

NRC Invitational Priority 2 

Applications that propose 

collaborative activities with institutions 

of higher education that are eligible to 

receive assistance under part A or B of 

Title III or under Title V of the HEA or 

community colleges designed to 

internationalize curriculum and 

improve foreign language and area and 

international studies instruction at these 

institutions. 

NRC Invitational Priority 3 

Applications that propose 

collaborative activities with professional 

schools such as Business, Law, Public 

Health, Public Policy, Environmental 

Science, Communication, Journalism 

and Schools of Education in order to 

strengthen international components of 

study in those fields and to promote 

foreign language study by students in 

professional schools. 

NRC Invitational Priority 4 

Programs or projects that develop, 

maintain, or enhance linkages with 

overseas institutions of higher education 

or other educational organizations in 

areas with substantial Muslim 

populations in order to improve 

understanding of these societies and 

provide for greater engagement with 

institutions in these areas. 

FLAS Program Competitive Preference 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(ii), this priority is from the 

regulations for the FLAS program (34 

CFR 657.22(a)(2)). For FY 2010, this 

priority is a competitive preference 

priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), 

we award an additional five points to an 

application that meets this priority. 

This FLAS Competitive Preference 

Priority is: 

Applications that propose to make at 

least 25% of their academic year 

fellowships in any of the 78 priority 

languages listed below that were 

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