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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 34 (Wednesday, February 20, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11803-11804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-03870]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

34 CFR Chapter III

Proposed Waiver and Extension of the Project Period for the 
National Dropout Prevention Center for Students With Disabilities

    [Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326W.]

AGENCY: Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Office of Special 
Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Department of Education.

ACTION: Proposed waiver and extension of the project period.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c)(2) of the Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations that, respectively, generally prohibit 
project periods exceeding five years and project period extensions 
involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The proposed 
waiver and extension of the project period would enable the currently 
funded National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with 
Disabilities to receive funding from October 1, 2013, through September 
30, 2014.

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before March 22, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed waiver and 
extension of the project period to Selete Avoke, U.S. Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 4158, Potomac Center Plaza 
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2600.
    If you prefer to send your comments by email, use the following 
address: selete.avoke@ed.gov. You must include the phrase ``Proposed 
waiver and extension of the project period'' in the subject line of 
your message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Selete Avoke. Telephone: (202) 245-
7260 or by email: selete.avoke@ed.gov.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Invitation to Comment: We invite you to submit comments regarding 
this proposed waiver and extension. During and after the comment 
period, you may inspect all public comments about this proposed waiver 
and extension of the project period in room 4158, PCP, 550 12th Street, 
SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Washington, DC time, Monday through Friday of each week, except Federal 
holidays.
    Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the 
Rulemaking Record: On request, we will provide an appropriate 
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who 
needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the 
public rulemaking record for this notice of proposed waiver and 
extension of the project period. If you want to schedule an appointment 
for this type of aid, please contact the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Background

    On June 23, 2008, the Department published a notice in the Federal 
Register (73 FR 35376) inviting applications for new awards for fiscal 
year (FY) 2008 for a National Dropout Prevention Center for Students 
with Disabilities (Center). The establishment and operation of the 
Center was funded under the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to 
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (TA&D) 
program, authorized under section 663 of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Its purpose is to provide States and 
local educational agencies (LEAs) with technical assistance (TA) on (1) 
implementing and evaluating effective comprehensive dropout prevention, 
reentry, and school completion models and practices for students with 
disabilities; (2) developing and improving data collection systems to 
track students at risk of dropping out; and (3) designing training for 
policymakers, administrators, and practitioners that will help them 
support efforts to improve dropout prevention, reentry, and school 
completion for students with disabilities.
    Based on the selection criteria published in the 2008 notice 
inviting applications, the Department made one award for a period of 60 
months to Clemson University to establish the Center, which is 
currently known as the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students 
with Disabilities. The Center has the following four interrelated goals 
that reflect its overarching purpose:
     Goal 1: Increase the awareness of policymakers, 
administrators, and practitioners about dropout prevention, reentry, 
and school completion.
     Goal 2: Increase the number of States that set and meet 
reasonable and rigorous performance targets for State Performance Plan 
Indicators 1 \1\ and 2.\2\
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    \1\ Indicator 1: Percent of youth with individualized education 
programs (IEPs) graduating from high school with a regular diploma 
(20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A)).
    \2\ Indicator 2: Percent of youth with IEPs dropping out of high 
school (20 U.S.C. 1416 (a)(3)(A)).
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     Goal 3: Help State educational agencies (SEAs) and
    LEAs develop and improve data systems to track students at risk of 
dropping out.
     Goal 4: Help SEAs and LEAs implement and evaluate 
effective, comprehensive school-completion models, practices, and 
systems for students with disabilities.
    The Center works to accomplish these goals through a combination of 
activities in the following areas: (1) Knowledge development activities 
to synthesize what is currently known about dropout prevention for 
students with disabilities, and to develop a series of high-quality 
products that can be used by States in designing and developing 
effective dropout prevention programs; (2) TA to SEAs, LEAs, and 
organizations to increase their capacity to design and implement 
effective dropout prevention, reentry, and school completion models and 
practices; (3) collaboration with a variety of organizations that 
provide direct program services and TA to education agencies that 
provide educational programs and services to students with disabilities 
in order to prepare and disseminate information and materials that will 
increase the awareness and use of research-validated practices by a 
variety of audiences; and (4) dissemination of knowledge and 
information about effective dropout prevention programs, policies, and 
resources to SEAs and LEAs.
    The Center's current project period is scheduled to end on 
September 30, 2013. We do not believe that it would be in the public 
interest to run a competition for a new Center this year because the 
Department is planning to change the organization of its TA activities 
to better meet the needs of States and LEAs for TA relating to 
transition to college and the workforce, including dropout prevention, 
for students with disabilities. We also have concluded that it would be 
contrary to the public interest to have a lapse in the provision of TA 
services currently

[[Page 11804]]

provided by the Center pending the changes to the organization of the 
Department's TA activities. For these reasons, the Secretary proposes 
to waive the requirements in 34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit project 
periods exceeding five years, and waive the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.261(a) and (c)(2), which limit the extension of a project period if 
the extension involves the obligation of additional Federal funds. The 
waiver would allow the Department to issue a continuation award in the 
amount of $665,000 to Clemson University for an additional 12-month 
period, which should ensure that the Center's TA, training, and 
dissemination of information to families, SEAs, LEAs, and other State 
agencies will not be interrupted.
    Any activities to be carried out during the year of the 
continuation award would have to be consistent with, or be a logical 
extension of, the scope, goals, and objectives of the grantee's 
application as approved in the 2008 National Dropout Prevention Center 
for Students with Disabilities competition.
    If the proposed waiver and extension of the project period are 
announced in a final notice in the Federal Register, the requirements 
applicable to continuation awards for this competition, set forth in 
the June 23, 2008, notice inviting applications, and the requirements 
in 34 CFR 75.253 would apply to any continuation awards sought by the 
current National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with 
Disabilities grantee. If we announce the waiver and extension as final, 
we will base our decisions regarding a continuation award on the 
program narrative, budget, budget narrative, and program performance 
report submitted by the current grantee, and the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.253.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Department certifies that the proposed waiver and extension of 
the project period would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities.
    The only entity that would be affected by the proposed waiver and 
extension of the project period is the current grantee.
    The Secretary certifies that the proposed waiver and extension 
would not have a significant economic impact on this entity because the 
extension of an existing project imposes minimal compliance costs, and 
the activities required to support the additional year of funding would 
not impose additional regulatory burdens or require unnecessary Federal 
supervision.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    This notice of proposed waiver and extension of the project period 
does not contain any information collection requirements.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the 
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive 
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened 
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State 
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance. This document provides early notification of our 
specific plans and actions for this program.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System 
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well 
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: February 13, 2013.
Michael Yudin,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2013-03870 Filed 2-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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