Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 23, 2000 / Notices 33309

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 Leader,

Information Management Group, Office

of the Chief Information Officer,

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: May 15, 2000.

William Burrow,

Leader, Information Management Group,

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Reinstatement,

without change, of a previously

approved collection for which approval

has expired.

Title: Financial Report for the

Endowment Challenge Grant Program

(JS).

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Not-for-profit

institutions.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour

Burden: Responses: 300; Burden Hours:

900.

Abstract: The financial report requires

investment data from institutions for the

purpose of assessing their progress in

increasing their endowment fund

resources. The data is also used to

monitor compliance with regulatory

provisions.

Requests for copies of the proposed

information collection request may be

accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, or

should be addressed to Vivian Reese,

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW, Room 5624, Regional

Office Building 3, Washington, DC

20202–4651. Requests may also be

electronically mailed to the internet

address OCIO_IMG_Issues@ed.gov or

faxed to 202–708–9346. Please specify

the complete title of the information

collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or

the collection activity requirements

should be directed to Joe Schubart at

(202) 708–9266. 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. 00–12878 Filed 5–22–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.326J]

Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services; Grant

Applications under the Special

Education—Technical Assistance and

Dissemination to Improve Services and

Results for Children with Disabilities

Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2000.

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.

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.

Applications Available: May 31, 2000

Deadline for Transmittal of

Application: July 17, 2000

Deadline for Intergovernmental

Review: September 17, 2000

Estimated Number of Awards: 1

Maximum Award: We will reject and

will not consider an application that

proposes a budget exceeding $1,900,000

for any single budget period of 12

months. The Assistant Secretary may

change the maximum amounts through

a notice published in the Federal

Register.

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

demonstrate the dissemination of

significant new knowledge.

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 priority 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 the applicable

competition.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86

apply to institutions of higher education

only.

General Requirements: (a) The Project

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 the grant recipient

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) The Project funded under this

competition must (1) use current

research-validated practices and

materials, and (2) communicate

appropriately with target audiences,

including young people, families, State

and local agencies, and employers.

(d) The Project funded under this

priority must budget for a two-day

Project Directors’ meeting in

Washington, D.C. during each year of

the project.

(e) Part III of the application

submitted under the 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 70 pages using the

following standards:

33310 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 23, 2000 / Notices

• 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.

We will reject your application if—

• You apply these standards and

exceed the page limit; or

• You apply other standards and

exceed the equivalent of the page limit.

Waiver of Rulemaking

In most instances the Assistant

Secretary is required 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 priority in this

notice.

Priority: Under section 685 of IDEA

and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider

only applications that meet the

following priority: Absolute Priority—

Secondary Education and Transition

Technical Assistance Center (84.326J)

Background: Federal activities in

support of transition have shifted in

focus from a historical emphasis on the

needs of students with significant

disabilities to a more recent emphasis

on students with high-incidence

disabilities. Yet, based on the results of

the National Longitudinal Transition

Study of Special Education Students

(NLTS) and data from the Monitoring

and State Improvement Program

Division of the Office of Special

Education Programs (OSEP), it has

become apparent that the transition

needs of all students with disabilities

are not being adequately met.

The transition needs of students with

disabilities are reflected in many factors.

First, school completion rates for

students with disabilities are low, while

at the same time, national studies report

that students with disabilities who

complete high school are more likely to

be employed, to earn higher wages, and

to enroll in postsecondary education

and training. Second, the labor market

demands higher levels of education and

skills, and the completion of high

school and further education become

even more critical. Third, practitioners

lack knowledge about integrating

academic and career preparation into a

seamless, individualized education

program for youth with disabilities.

Finally, general education initiatives

have increased public accountability

through more rigorous curriculum

standards, large-scale assessment of

student performance in relation to those

standards, and increased graduation

requirements.

To help meet demands for improved

results, the IDEA Amendments of 1997

put forth a broader vision of secondary

education with greater emphasis on

participation and involvement in the

general curriculum as a means to

improve educational results for students

with disabilities and to increase their

rates of high school completion.

Moreover, earlier transition planning is

expected to result in improved

postsecondary education participation

and employment rates. To achieve this

vision of improved postschool

outcomes, collaborative partnerships

must be developed among multiple

systems, such as education, vocational

rehabilitation, workforce development,

health, social security, housing, and

transportation.

To ensure full implementation of

IDEA and to achieve quality education

and transition results for students with

disabilities and their families, Congress

found that National technical assistance,

support, and dissemination activities

were necessary. For that reason, the

Secondary Education and Transition

Technical Assistance Center (SETAC)

will be established to carry out activities

that are national in scope, coordinated

with other technical assistance and

dissemination efforts, and aligned with

other Federally-funded synthesis and

research centers and institutes in order

to avoid duplication. The goals of this

Center are to:

(a) Promote secondary education and

transition models that integrate

academic, career, work-based, and

community-based learning;

(b) Support State and local capacity

building to improve education and

transition results for youth with

disabilities;

(c) Promote systemic change by

facilitating school and communitybased linkages in the provision of

transition services to youth with

disabilities; and

(d) Translate research into practice by

using technical assistance and

dissemination mechanisms.

The Center will be responsible for a

wide range of work, including

developing products and materials,

conducting technical assistance

activities that are topic-specific, and

disseminating information about

research-based models and practices.

The Assistant Secretary is particularly

interested in projects that engage the

active participation of multiple partners.

Priority: The Assistant Secretary

establishes an absolute priority to

support a Center that will identify and

promote effective policy and practice to

improve secondary education and

transition results for children with

disabilities. At a minimum, this project

must—

(a) Provide technical assistance and

information by:

(1) Developing a network of

researchers, technical assistance

providers, and disseminators of

research-based and promising practices

to facilitate transition from postsecondary education, work, and

independent living. This network must:

(i) Work collaboratively with other

researchers, technical assistance

providers, and disseminators to:

(A) Coordinate technical assistance

and dissemination activities;

(B) Develop communication and

dissemination strategies; and

(C) Develop products that include

research findings and promising

practices, including findings from

OSEP-supported research and lessons

from the School-to-Work program and

other Federal youth transition programs,

and are designed to broaden the

capacity of technical assistance and

information providers, particularly

regular and special education technical

assistance and information providers;

(ii) Include, at a minimum, Federallyfunded national research institutes,

technical assistance providers, and

disseminators that address secondary

education and transition issues. These

entities may include, for example, the

Research Institute for Secondary

Education Reform; the Institute for

Academic Access; the Center for

Promoting What Works; the National

Center for Education Outcomes;

Regional Resource Centers (RRCs); the

National Information Center on

Children and Youth with Disabilities

(NICHCY); the National Center on the

Study of Postsecondary Education

Supports; the National Clearinghouse on

Postsecondary Education for Individuals

with Disabilities (HEATH); the National

Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research; and

Rehabilitation Research and Training

Centers, as well as researchers, technical

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 23, 2000 / Notices 33311

assistance providers, and disseminators

from regular education, such as the

National Dissemination Center for

Career and Technical Education and

other related projects.

(2) Targeting, through proactive

strategies and coordination with the

IDEA Partnerships, organizations of

policymakers, service providers, locallevel administrators, and families.

Targeted technical assistance must:

(i) Include policy and practice briefs

explaining comprehensive secondary

education and transition service

requirements, and other emerging

issues, trends, and legislation;

(ii) Include tools based on (i) above to

assist in implementing research-based

best practices; and

(iii) Be designed to use research-based

and promising practices to:

(A) Improve academic results in

secondary education;

(B) Improve transition practice;

(C) Increase postsecondary education

participation rates and employment

rates; and

(D) Prevent dropouts and increase

high school completion rates.

(3) Conducting, in consultation with

OSERS, a dynamic and innovative

national summit in years two and four

of the project. The summit must:

(i) Be designed to:

(A) Identify research-based and

promising practices and initiate

discussion on emerging issues and

trends that affect postsecondary results

for youth with disabilities, particularly

through secondary education and

transition services; and

(B) Sustain development and

implementation of systems linkages and

systems collaboration for effective

transition; and

(ii) Include participants who are

national experts in the field or key

representatives of Federal agencies, and

national organizations, and participants

who represent local level leadership,

families, employers, and persons with

disabilities; and

(iii) Support systemic collaboration

among SEAs, LEAs, and Federal

education and workforce development

programs including Healthy and Ready

to Work, Youth Opportunity Grants,

Youth Councils established under the

Workforce Investment Act, relevant

Social Security Administration

programs, related Rehabilitation

Services Administration and National

Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research programs,

relevant mental health programs, and

other related programs and projects.

(4) Designing and implementing

capacity-building training institutes on

improving results for youth with

disabilities, participation and

involvement in the general curriculum,

self-determination, interagency

collaboration, implementation of the

transition requirements of IDEA, and

strategies for addressing other identified

needs. The purpose of the training

institutes is to assist technical assistance

providers and disseminators to reach

front-line service providers. The

institutes must:

(i) Help develop, implement, and

sustain systemic changes in secondary

special education and transition

services, that will improve results for all

youth with disabilities and their

families, including youth from minority

backgrounds and youth with limited

English proficiency;

(ii) Provide training for RRCs,

HEATH, NICHCY, IDEA Partnership

Projects, Parent Training Centers, and

national technical assistance providers

and disseminators; and

(iii) Provide targeted assistance to

State technical assistance and

information systems, including systems

change projects. Targeted assistance

includes training and technical

assistance activities for implementing

research-based practices, increasing

participation in the general education

curriculum and in large-scale

assessments, developing effective

interagency collaborations, and

sustaining systemic change.

(b) Use state of the art technologies,

such as accessible and interactive web

sites, list servs, chat rooms, and videoconferencing, in providing technical

assistance and disseminating

information, including technical

assistance and information on researchbased and promising practices.

(c) Design and carryout a strategic

management plan, including project

evaluation. This plan must be designed

to provide information to guide

necessary, ongoing refinements to the

structure, activities, and products that

will improve the impact and

effectiveness of the Center and will be

collaboratively developed with the

OSEP project officer and other Federal

officials, customers, and network

members during the first three months

of the project. This plan must include:

(1) Annual data collection activities

for needs assessments if extant data are

not available;

(2) A clear description of effective

strategies for meeting and evaluating

project goals and activities;

(3) Goals, objectives, and activities

that support the IDEA Government

Performance Results Act (GPRA)

Performance Plan; and

(4) Procedures for measuring the

impact of the Center on its primary

purpose—to identify and promote

effective policy and practice for

secondary education and transition

services for youth with disabilities.

(d) Support, through internships or

other collaborative arrangements,

graduate students who will concentrate

their studies in secondary special

education or transition services and

who show promise for continued

service in leadership positions. These

graduate students must be involved

with all aspects of project activity.

(e) Meet with the OSEP project officer

in the first four months of the project to

review the needs assessment, evaluation

plan, technical assistance, and

dissemination approaches and the plan

for collaboration with various network

members.

(f) Budget three trips annually to

Washington, DC (two trips to meet and

collaborate with U.S. Department of

Education officials and one trip, as

specified in the general requirements, to

attend the two-day Office of Special

Education Programs Technical

Assistance Project Directors’

Conference).

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.

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

33312 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 100 / Tuesday, May 23, 2000 / Notices

If you request an application from Ed

Pubs be sure to identify the competition

as follows: CFDA 84.326J.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Grants and Contracts Services Team,

U.S. Department of Education, 400

Maryland Avenue, S.W., room 3317,

Switzer Building, Washington, DC

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 at the address listed.

However, the Department is not able to

reproduce in an alternate format the

standard forms included in the

application package.

Intergovernmental Review

The program in this notice is subject

to the requirements of Executive Order

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR

part 79. The objective of the Executive

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.

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, 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: May 17, 2000.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 00–12923 Filed 5–22–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–U

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Environmental Management;

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board; Notice of

Renewal

Pursuant to Section 14(a)(2)(A) of the

Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub.

L. 92–463), and in accordance with title

41 of the Code of Federal Regulations,

Section 101–6.1015(a), and following

consultation with the Committee

Management Secretariat, General

Services Administration, notice is

hereby given that the Environmental

Management Site-Specific Advisory

Board has been renewed for a two-year

period beginning May 16, 2000.

The purpose of the Board is to

provide the Assistant Secretary for

Environmental Management with advice

and recommendations on environmental

management projects and issues such as

future use, risk management,

transportation, long-term stewardship,

and budget prioritization activities, from

the perspective of affected groups and

State and local government. Board

membership will reflect the full

diversity of views in the affected

community and region and be

composed primarily of people who are

directly affected by Department of

Energy (DOE) site cleanup activities.

Members will include potentially

affected and interested stakeholders

from local government, Indian Tribes,

environmental and civic groups, labor

organizations, universities, waste

management and environmental

restoration firms, and other interested

parties. Representatives from the DOE,

the Environmental Protection Agency,

and State governments will be ex-officio

members of the Board. Selection and

appointment of Board members will be

accomplished using procedures

designed to ensure diverse membership

and a balance of viewpoints. Consensus

recommendations to the DOE from the

Board on the resolution of numerous

and difficult issues will help achieve

DOE’s objective of an integrated

environmental management program.

The Secretary of Energy has

determined that renewal of the

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board is necessary in

order to conduct DOE’s business and is

in the public interest. The Board will

operate in accordance with the

provisions of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act, and the rules and

regulations issued in the

implementation of those acts.

Further information regarding this

advisory board may be obtained from

Rachel M. Samuel at (202) 586–3279.

Issued in Washington DC on May 16, 2000.

James N. Solit,

Advisory Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–12933 Filed 5–22–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Notice of Competitive Financial

Assistance for the Office of Defense

Nuclear Nonproliferation

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Financial Assistance

Solicitation DE–PS01–00NN20115;

Biological Detection and Enabling

Science.

SUMMARY: The Office of Research and

Engineering (NN–20) of the Office

Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (NN),

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),

hereby announces its interest in

receiving grant applications for its

Chemical and Biological

Nonproliferation Program. Research is

sought for experimental and

computational studies for biological

detection and the underlying enabling

science.

DATES: The formal solicitation

document, which will include greater

detail about specific program areas of

interest, application instructions, and

evaluation criteria, is expected to be

issued in early June 2000. Potential

applicants are strongly encouraged to

submit a brief two to four page preapplication. All pre-applications,

referencing solicitation DE–PS01–

00NN20115, should be received by DOE

by 2:30 p.m., EST, June 23, 2000. A

response encouraging or discouraging

the submission of a formal application

will be communicated by electronic

mail by June 30, 2000. The due date for

applications in response to the formal

solicitation will be 2:30 p.m., EST, July

28, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Both pre-applications and

applications should be submitted

electronically through the Department’s

Industry Interactive Procurement

System (IIPS) located at http://doeiips.pr.doe.gov. Further information and