Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2018 / Notices 27577 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: Under 

GPRA, the Department has established a 

set of performance measures, including 

long-term measures, that are designed to 

yield information on the quality of the 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

include: (1) The percentage of 

preparation programs that incorporate 

scientifically or evidence-based 

practices into their curricula; (2) the 

percentage of scholars completing 

preparation programs who are 

knowledgeable and skilled in evidencebased practices for children with 

disabilities; (3) the percentage of 

scholars who exit preparation programs 

prior to completion due to poor 

academic performance; (4) the 

percentage of scholars completing 

preparation programs who are working 

in the area(s) in which they were 

prepared upon program completion; and 

(5) the Federal cost per scholar who 

completed the preparation program. 

In addition, the Department will 

gather information on the following 

outcome measures: (1) The percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in high-need districts; (2) the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in the field of special education for at 

least two years; and (3) the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and who are rated 

effective by their employers. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: Whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, the performance targets in 

the grantee’s approved application. 

In making a continuation award, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: 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 compact disc) by 

contacting the Management Support 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 5113, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–2500. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7363. If you use a 

TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations 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 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: June 8, 2018. 

Johnny W. Collett, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12717 Filed 6–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Personnel Development To Improve 

Services and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—Interdisciplinary 

Preparation in Special Education, Early 

Intervention, and Related Services for 

Personnel Serving Children With 

Disabilities Who Have High-Intensity 

Needs 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 


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1For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-intensity 

needs’’ refers to a complex array of disabilities (e.g., 

multiple disabilities, significant cognitive 

disabilities, significant physical disabilities, 

significant sensory disabilities, significant autism, 

significant emotional disabilities, or significant 

learning disabilities, including dyslexia) or the 

needs of children with these disabilities requiring 

intensive, individualized intervention(s) (i.e., that 

are specifically designed to address persistent 

learning or behavior difficulties, implemented with 

greater frequency and for an extended duration than 

is commonly available in a typical classroom or 

early intervention setting, or which require 

personnel to have knowledge and skills in 

identifying and implementing multiple evidencebased interventions). 

2For the purposes of this priority, 

‘‘interdisciplinary’’ refers to preparing scholars 

from two or more graduate degree programs in 

either (a) special education or early intervention 

and one or more related services through shared 

coursework, group assignments, and coordinated 

field experiences; or (b) two or more related 

services through shared coursework, group 

assignments, and coordinated field experiences. 

Different graduate degree programs across more 

than one institution of higher education may 

partner to develop an interdisciplinary project. 

For the purpose of this priority, 

‘‘interdisciplinary’’ does not include: (a) Individual 

scholars who receive two or more graduate degrees; 

(b) one graduate degree program that prepares 

scholars with different areas of focus; (c) one 

graduate degree program that offers 

interdisciplinary content but does not prepare 

scholars from two or more degree programs 

together; and (d) one graduate degree program in 

special education, early intervention, and related 

services partnering with a graduate degree program 

other than special education, early intervention, or 

related services. Programs in which scholars receive 

only a certificate or endorsement without a graduate 

degree are not eligible. 

3For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘related 

services’’ includes the following: Speech-language 

pathology and audiology services; interpreting 

services; psychological services; applied behavior 

analysis; physical therapy and occupational 

therapy; recreation, including therapeutic 

recreation; social work services; counseling 

services, including rehabilitation counseling; and 

orientation and mobility services. 

4For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-need 

school’’ refers to a public elementary or secondary 

school that is a ‘‘high-need local educational agency 

(LEA),’’ ‘‘high-poverty,’’ or ‘‘implementing targeted 

support and improvement plans’’ as defined in 

footnotes 8, 9, and 11, respectively. 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2018 for Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities— 

Interdisciplinary Preparation in Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services for Personnel Serving 

Children with Disabilities who have 

High-Intensity Needs, Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 

84.325K. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: June 13, 2018. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: July 30, 2018. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: September 26, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 12, 2018 

(83 FR 6003) and available at 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/ 

pdf/2018-02558.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maryann McDermott, U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue 

SW, Room 5144, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–5108. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7439. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

this program are to (1) help address 

State-identified needs for personnel 

preparation in special education, early 

intervention, related services, and 

regular education to work with children, 

including infants and toddlers, and 

youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure 

that those personnel have the necessary 

skills and knowledge, derived from 

practices that have been determined 

through scientifically based research 

and experience, to be successful in 

serving those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

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

allowable activities specified in the 

statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2018 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

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

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Interdisciplinary Preparation in 

Special Education, Early Intervention, 

and Related Services for Personnel 

Serving Children with Disabilities who 

have High-Intensity Needs. 

Background 

The mission of the Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services 

(OSERS) is to improve early childhood, 

educational, and employment outcomes 

and raise expectations for all people 

with disabilities, their families, their 

communities, and the Nation. 

The purpose of this priority is to 

increase the number and improve the 

quality of personnel who are fully 

credentialed to serve children, 

including infants and toddlers, and 

youth with disabilities who have highintensity needs,1 especially in areas of 

chronic personnel shortage. The priority 

will fund high-quality 

interdisciplinary 2 projects that prepare 

special education, early intervention, 

and related services 3 personnel at the 

master’s degree, educational specialist 

degree, or clinical doctoral degree levels 

for professional practice in a variety of 

educational settings, including natural 

environments (including the home and 

community settings in which children 

without disabilities participate), early 

learning programs, classrooms, and 

school settings. This priority is 

consistent with the Secretary’s 

Supplemental Priority 5—Meeting the 

Unique Needs of Students and Children 

With Disabilities and/or Those With 

Unique Gifts and Talents; and 

Supplemental Priority 8—Promoting 

Effective Instruction in Classrooms and 

Schools, which were published in the 

Federal Register on March 2, 2018 (83 

FR 9096). 

State demand for fully credentialed 

special education, early intervention, 

and related services personnel to serve 

children, including infants and toddlers, 

and youth with disabilities exceeds the 

available supply, particularly in highneed schools 4 (Boe, deBettencourt, 

Dewey, Rosenberg, Sindelar, & Leko, 

2013). These shortages can negatively 

affect the quality of services provided to 

children, including infants and toddlers, 

and youth with disabilities and their 

families (Boe et al., 2013). These 

shortages limit the field’s capacity in 

ensuring that children, including infants 

and toddlers, and youth with 

disabilities have the opportunity to meet 

challenging objectives and receive an 

individualized education program that 

is both meaningful and appropriately 

ambitious, which is essential for 

preparing them for the future. 

The need for personnel with the 

knowledge and skills to serve children, 

including infants and toddlers, and 

youth with disabilities who have highintensity needs is even greater because 

specialized or advanced preparation is 

required to collaboratively design and 

deliver evidence-based instruction and 

intensive individualized intervention(s) 

in natural environments, classrooms, 

and schools that address the needs of 

these individuals (Boe et al., 2013; 

Browder, Wood, Thompson, & Ribuffo, 

2014; McLeskey & Brownell, 2015). 

Although children, including infants 

and toddlers, and youth with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs may require the combined 


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5For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘scholar’’ is 

limited to an individual who (a) is pursuing a 

master’s, educational specialist degree, or clinical 

doctoral graduate degree in special education, early 

intervention, or related services (as defined in this 

notice); (b) receives scholarship assistance as 

authorized under section 662 of IDEA (34 CFR 

304.3(g)); (c) will be eligible for a license, 

endorsement, or certification from a State or 

national credentialing authority following 

completion of the graduate degree program 

identified in the application; and (d) will be able 

to be employed in a position that serves children 

with disabilities for either 51 percent of their time 

or case load. See https://pdp.ed.gov/OSEP/Home/ 

Regulation for more information. 

Scholars from each graduate degree program 

participating in the proposed interdisciplinary 

project must receive scholar support and be eligible 

to fulfill service obligation requirements following 

graduate degree program completion. Scholars from 

each graduate degree program participating in this 

project must complete the requirements of their 

unique graduate degree program and receive 

different graduate degrees. Individuals pursuing 

degrees in general education or early childhood 

education do not qualify as ‘‘scholars’’ eligible for 

scholarship assistance. 

expertise of numerous professionals 

(including special education, early 

intervention, and related services 

providers), it is often difficult for 

personnel from varied professional 

backgrounds to work together because 

they lack shared information, 

understanding, and experience. 

Interdisciplinary approaches to 

personnel preparation provide scholars 

with experience working and learning 

in team environments similar to those in 

which they are likely to work once 

employed (Smith, 2010). For example, 

under the IDEA, personnel serving 

children, including infants and toddlers, 

and youth with disabilities will work on 

interdisciplinary teams with parent(s), 

general and special education teachers, 

early interventionists, and related 

service providers with the expertise 

convened to design, implement, and 

evaluate intervention plans based on the 

unique learning and developmental 

needs of each individual child. To 

enable personnel to provide efficient, 

high-quality integrated services, 

personnel preparation programs need to 

embed content, practices, and clinical 

experience into preservice training that 

will match the interdisciplinary teambased approaches in which graduates 

are likely to work. This priority aims to 

fund interdisciplinary projects that will 

provide such preparation. 

Priority 

The purpose of this priority is to 

increase the number and improve the 

quality of personnel who are fully 

credentialed to serve children, 

including infants and toddlers, and 

youth with disabilities who have highintensity needs—especially in areas of 

chronic personnel shortage. The priority 

will fund high-quality interdisciplinary 

projects that prepare special education, 

early intervention, and related services 

personnel at the master’s degree, 

educational specialist degree, or clinical 

doctoral degree levels for professional 

practice in natural environments, early 

learning programs, classrooms, and 

school settings serving children, 

including infants and toddlers, and 

youth with disabilities. 

Specifically, an applicant must 

propose an interdisciplinary project 

supporting scholars 5 from two or more 

graduate degree programs in either (a) 

special education or early intervention 

and one or more related services; or (b) 

two or more related services. 

An interdisciplinary project is a 

project that delivers core content 

through shared coursework, group 

assignments, and coordinated clinical 

experiences as part of two or more 

master’s degree, educational specialist 

degree, or clinical doctoral degree 

programs for scholars. 

Not all requirements (e.g., courses and 

clinical experiences) of each 

participating graduate degree program 

must be shared across all degree 

programs participating in the 

interdisciplinary project, but the 

interdisciplinary project must: (a) 

Identify the competencies needed to 

address the individualized needs of 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs using an 

interdisciplinary approach to service 

delivery; (b) outline how the project will 

build capacity in those areas through 

shared coursework, group assignments, 

and coordinated clinical experiences for 

scholars supported by the proposed 

project; and (c) identify the aspects of 

each graduate degree program that are 

shared across all participating programs 

and those that remain unique to each. 

Projects may include individuals who 

are in degree programs (e.g., general 

education, early childhood education, 

administration) and who are 

cooperating with, but not funded as 

scholars by, the applicant’s proposed 

interdisciplinary project. These 

individuals may participate in 

interdisciplinary coursework, group 

assignments, coordinated field 

experiences, and other opportunities 

funded by the project (e.g., speaker 

series, monthly seminars) if doing so 

does not diminish the benefit for 

project-funded scholars (e.g., by 

reducing funds available for scholar 

support or limiting opportunities for 

scholars to participate in project 

activities). 

Personnel preparation programs that 

prepare individuals to be educational 

interpreters for the deaf at the bachelor’s 

degree level can qualify under this 

priority, and are exempted from (a) the 

interdisciplinary requirement; and (b) 

the requirement for two or more 

graduate degree programs. All other 

priority requirements specified for 

graduate programs will apply to the 

bachelor’s program. While 

interdisciplinary projects are not 

required for educational interpreters, 

they are encouraged. 

Focus Areas 

Within this absolute priority, the 

Secretary intends to support 

interdisciplinary projects under the 

following two focus areas: (A) Preparing 

Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, 

and Preschool-Age Children with 

Disabilities who have High-Intensity 

Needs; and (B) Preparing Personnel to 

Serve School-Age Children with 

Disabilities who have High-Intensity 

Needs. 

Applicants must identify the specific 

focus area (i.e., A or B) under which 

they are applying as part of the 

competition title on the application 

cover sheet (SF form 424, line 4). 

Applicants may not submit the same 

proposal under more than one focus 

area. 

Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve Infants, Toddlers, and PreschoolAge Children with Disabilities who have 

High-Intensity Needs. This focus area is 

for interdisciplinary projects that 

deliver core content through shared 

coursework, group assignments, and 

coordinated clinical experiences for 

scholars across two or more graduate 

degree programs in either: (a) Early 

intervention or early childhood special 

education and related services for 

infants, toddlers, and preschool-age 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs; or (b) two or more 

related services to serve infants, 

toddlers, and preschool-age children 

with disabilities who have highintensity needs. 

Early intervention personnel are those 

who are prepared to provide services to 

infants and toddlers with disabilities 

ages birth to three, and early childhood 

personnel are those who are prepared to 

provide services to children with 

disabilities ages three through five (and 

in States where the age range is other 

than ages three through five, we defer to 

the State’s certification for early 

childhood special education). In States 

where certification in early intervention 

is combined with certification in early 

childhood special education, applicants 

may propose a combined early 

intervention and early childhood 


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6For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘MinorityServing IHEs’’ refers to IHEs with a minority 

enrollment of 50 percent or more, which may 

include Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities, Tribal Colleges, and Predominantly 

Hispanic-Serving Colleges and Universities. 

7For the purposes of this priority, 

‘‘competencies’’ means what a person knows and 

can do—the knowledge, skills, and dispositions 

necessary to effectively function in a role (National 

Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 

2011). These competencies should ensure that 

personnel are able to use challenging academic 

standards, child achievement and functional 

standards, and assessments to improve instructional 

practices, services, learning and developmental 

outcomes (e.g., academic, social, emotional, 

behavioral), and college- and career-readiness of 

children with disabilities. 

special education personnel preparation 

project under this focus area. 

Note: In Focus Area A, the Office of 

Special Education Programs (OSEP) intends 

to fund 10 awards. OSEP may fund out of 

rank order high-quality applications from 

institutions of higher education (IHEs) that 

primarily serve traditionally 

underrepresented groups (Minority-Serving 

IHEs 6 and Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities (HBCUs)). These applications 

must be of high quality and should score 

higher than 84 on a 100-point scale in the 

technical review. In order to be considered 

under this provision, the primary applicant 

must be a Minority-Serving IHE or HBCU, 

even in cases of a proposed partnership 

across entities. 

Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve School-Age Children with 

Disabilities who have High-Intensity 

Needs. This focus area is for 

interdisciplinary projects that deliver 

core content through shared 

coursework, group assignments, and 

coordinated clinical experiences to 

scholars across two or more graduate 

degree programs in either: (a) Special 

education and related services for 

school-age children with disabilities 

who have high-intensity needs; or (b) 

two or more related services to serve 

school-age children with disabilities 

who have high-intensity needs. 

Note: In Focus Area B, OSEP may fund out 

of rank order high-quality applications from 

IHEs that primarily serve traditionally 

underrepresented groups (Minority-Serving 

IHEs and HBCUs). These applications must 

be of high quality and should score higher 

than 84 on a 100-point scale in the technical 

review. In order to be considered under this 

provision, the primary applicant must be a 

Minority-Serving IHE or HBCU, even in cases 

of a proposed partnership across entities. 

Projects funded under Focus Area A 

or B may use up to 12 months during 

the first year of the project period and 

up to $100,000 of Federal funds for 

program planning without enrolling 

scholars. Applicants must provide 

sufficient justification for requesting 

program planning time and include the 

intended outcomes of program planning 

in Year 1, and a description of the 

proposed strategies and activities to be 

supported, such as— 

(1) Outlining or updating coursework, 

group assignments, or coordinated 

clinical experience needed to support 

interdisciplinary preparation for special 

education, early intervention, or related 

services personnel serving children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs; 

(2) Building capacity (e.g., hiring of a 

clinical practice supervisor, providing 

professional development for clinical 

field supervisors, and training for 

faculty); 

(3) Purchasing needed resources (e.g., 

additional teaching supplies or 

specialized equipment to enhance 

instruction); or 

(4) Negotiating agreements with 

programs or schools to serve as sites for 

coordinated clinical experience needed 

to support delivery of the proposed 

interdisciplinary project. 

Remaining Year 1 Federal funds up to 

the maximum award available for one 

budget period of 12 months (i.e., 

$250,000) may be used for scholar 

support and other grant activities if 

included in the Year 1 budget request. 

Note: Applicants proposing projects to 

develop, expand, or add a new area of 

emphasis to special education, early 

intervention, or related services programs 

must provide, in their applications, 

information on how these new areas will be 

sustained once Federal funding ends. 

To be considered for funding under 

this absolute priority, all program 

applicants must meet the application 

requirements contained in the priority. 

All projects funded under this absolute 

priority also must meet the 

programmatic and administrative 

requirements specified in the priority. 

The requirements of this priority are 

as follows: 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance of the Project,’’ how— 

(1) The project addresses national, 

State, regional, or district shortages of 

personnel who are fully qualified to 

serve children with disabilities, ages 

birth through 21, who have highintensity needs. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must— 

(i) Present data on the quality of each 

special education, early intervention, or 

related services personnel preparation 

degree program participating in the 

project in areas such as: The average 

amount of time it takes for scholars to 

complete the program; the percentage of 

program graduates who receive a 

license, endorsement, or certification 

related to special education, related 

services, or early intervention services; 

the percentage of program graduates 

finding employment related to their 

preparation after graduation; the success 

of program graduates in providing 

special education, early intervention, or 

related services, which could include 

data on the learning and developmental 

outcomes of children with disabilities 

they serve; the percentage of program 

graduates who maintain employment for 

two or more years in the area for which 

they were prepared; and the percentage 

of employers who rate the preparation 

of scholars who complete their degree 

program as adequate or higher; and 

(ii) If available for the degree 

programs participating in the proposed 

project, present data on the quality of 

their interdisciplinary approaches to the 

preparation of special education, early 

intervention, or related services 

personnel. 

Note: Data on the quality of a personnel 

preparation program should be no older than 

five years prior to the start date of the project 

proposed in the application. When reporting 

percentages, the denominator (i.e., total 

number of scholars or program graduates) 

must be provided. 

(2) The project will increase the 

number of personnel who demonstrate 

the competencies needed to provide (a) 

differentiated instruction, and (b) 

intensive individualized intervention(s) 

in an interdisciplinary team-based 

approach to address the individualized 

needs of children with disabilities who 

have high-intensity needs, ages birth 

through 21, that result in improvements 

in learning or developmental outcomes 

(e.g., academic, social, emotional, 

behavioral), or successful transition to 

postsecondary education and the 

workforce. To address this requirement, 

the applicant must— 

(i) Identify the competencies 7 that 

special education, early intervention, or 

related services personnel need in order 

to ensure delivery of (a) differentiated 

instruction, and (b) intense 

individualized intervention(s) in an 

interdisciplinary team-based approach 

that will: Lead to improved learning and 

developmental outcomes; ensure access 

to and progress in academic 

achievement standards or alternate 

academic achievement standards, as 

appropriate; lead to successful 

transition to college and career for 

children with disabilities, including 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs; and maximize the 

use of effective technology, including 

assistive technology, to deliver 

instruction, interventions, and services; 


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8For the purposes or this priority, ‘‘high-need 

LEA’’ means an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 

10,000 children from families with incomes below 

the poverty line; or (b) for which not less than 20 

percent of the children are from families with 

incomes below the poverty line. 9For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-poverty 

school’’ means a school in which at least 50 percent 

of students are from low-income families as 

determined using one of the measures of poverty 

specified under section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended. 

For middle and high schools, eligibility may be 

calculated on the basis of comparable data from 

feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty school 

under this definition is determined on the basis of 

the most currently available data. 

10For the purpose of this priority, the term 

‘‘school identified for comprehensive support and 

improvement’’ means a statewide identified 

category of school that includes (a) not less than the 

lowest performing five percent of all schools in the 

State receiving funds under Title I, Part A of the 

ESEA; (b) all public high schools in the State failing 

to graduate one third or more of their students; and 

(c) public schools in the State described under 

section 1111(d)(3)(A)(i)(II) of the ESEA. 

11For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘school 

implementing a targeted support and improvement 

plan’’ means a school that has developed and is 

implementing a school-level targeted support and 

improvement plan to improve student outcomes 

based on the indicators in the statewide 

accountability system as defined in section 

1111(d)(2) of the ESEA. 

(ii) Identify the competencies needed 

by members of interdisciplinary teams 

that will result in improved outcomes 

for children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs; 

(iii) Identify the competencies that 

personnel need to support inclusion of 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs in the least 

restrictive and natural environments to 

the maximum extent appropriate by 

intentionally promoting participation in 

learning and social activities to foster 

development, learning, academic 

achievement, friendships with peers, 

and sense of belonging; 

(iv) Identify how scholars will be 

prepared to develop, implement, and 

evaluate evidence-based instruction and 

evidence-based interventions that 

improve outcomes for children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs in a variety of settings (e.g., 

natural environments; public schools, 

including charter schools; private 

schools, including parochial schools; 

and other nonpublic education settings, 

including home education); and 

(v) Provide a conceptual framework 

for the proposed interdisciplinary 

personnel preparation project, including 

any empirical support for project 

activities designed to promote the 

acquisition of the identified 

competencies (see paragraph (a)(2)(i) of 

the requirements for this priority) 

needed by special education, early 

intervention, or related services 

personnel, and how these competencies 

relate to the proposed project. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of Project Services,’’ how the 

project— 

(1) Will conduct its planning 

activities, if up to the first 12 months of 

the project period will be used for 

planning. 

(2) Will recruit and retain high-quality 

scholars into each of the graduate degree 

programs participating in the project 

and ensure equal access and treatment 

for eligible project participants who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. To meet this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) Criteria the applicant will use to 

identify high-quality applicants for 

admission into each of the graduate 

degree programs participating in the 

project; 

(ii) Recruitment strategies the 

applicant will use to attract high-quality 

applicants and any specific recruitment 

strategies targeting high-quality 

applicants from traditionally 

underrepresented groups, including 

individuals with disabilities; and 

(iii) The approach, including 

mentoring, monitoring, and 

accommodations, the applicant will use 

to support scholars to complete their 

respective degree programs. 

(3) Reflects current evidence-based 

practices, including practices in the 

areas of literacy and numeracy 

development, assessment, behavior, 

instructional practices, and inclusive 

strategies, as appropriate, and is 

designed to prepare scholars in the 

identified competencies. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe how the project will— 

(i) Incorporate current evidence-based 

practices (including relevant research 

citations) that improve outcomes for 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs into (a) the 

required coursework and clinical 

experiences for each graduate degree 

program participating in the project; and 

(b) the shared coursework, group 

assignments, and coordinated clinical 

experiences required for the 

interdisciplinary portions of the project; 

and 

(ii) Use evidence-based professional 

development practices for adult learners 

to instruct scholars. 

(4) Is of sufficient quality, intensity, 

and duration to prepare scholars in the 

identified competencies. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe how— 

(i) The components of (a) each 

graduate degree program participating 

in the project and (b) the shared 

coursework, group assignments, and 

coordinated clinical experiences 

required for the interdisciplinary 

portions of the proposed project will 

support scholars’ acquisition and 

enhancement of the identified 

competencies; 

(ii) The components of (a) each 

graduate degree program participating 

in the project and (b) the shared 

coursework, group assignments, and 

coordinated clinical experiences 

required for the interdisciplinary 

portions of the proposed project will be 

integrated to allow scholars, in 

collaboration with other team members, 

to use their knowledge and skills in 

designing, implementing, and 

evaluating practices supported by 

evidence to address the learning and 

developmental needs of children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs; 

(iii) Scholars will be provided with 

ongoing guidance and feedback during 

training; and 

(iv) The proposed project will provide 

ongoing induction opportunities and 

mentoring support to graduates of each 

graduate degree program participating 

in the project. 

(5) Will collaborate with appropriate 

partners, including— 

(i) High-need schools, which may 

include high-need LEAs,8 high-poverty 

schools,9 schools identified for 

comprehensive support and 

improvement,10 and schools 

implementing a targeted support and 

improvement plan 11 for children with 

disabilities; early childhood and early 

intervention programs located within 

the geographic boundaries of a highneed LEA; and early childhood and 

early intervention programs located 

within the geographical boundaries of 

an LEA serving the highest percentage 

of schools identified for comprehensive 

support and improvement or 

implementing targeted support and 

improvement plans in the State. The 

purpose of these partnerships is to 

provide clinical practice for scholars 

aimed at developing the identified 

competencies as members of 

interdisciplinary teams; and 

(ii) Other personnel preparation 

programs on campus or at partnering 

universities for the purpose of sharing 

resources, supporting program 

development and delivery, and 

addressing personnel shortages. 

(6) Will use technology, as 

appropriate, to promote scholar learning 

and professional practice, enhance the 

efficiency of the project, collaborate 

with partners, and facilitate ongoing 

mentoring and support for scholars. 


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(7) Will ensure that scholars 

understand how to use technology to 

support student learning and students’ 

use of educational and assistive 

technology; and 

(8) Will align with and use resources, 

as appropriate, available through 

technical assistance centers, which may 

include centers funded by the 

Department. 

Note: Use the ‘‘Find a Center’’ link at 

www.osepideasthatwork.org for information 

about OSEP-funded technical assistance 

centers. 

(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of Project Evaluation,’’ how— 

(1) The applicant will use 

comprehensive and appropriate 

methodologies to evaluate how well the 

goals or objectives of the proposed 

project have been met, including the 

project processes and outcomes. 

(2) The applicant will collect, analyze, 

and use data related to specific and 

measurable goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the project. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe how— 

(i) Scholar competencies and other 

project processes and outcomes will be 

measured for formative evaluation 

purposes, including proposed 

instruments, data collection methods, 

and possible analyses; and 

(ii) It will collect and analyze data on 

the quality of services provided by 

scholars who complete the graduate 

degree programs involved in this 

interdisciplinary project and are 

employed in the field for which they 

were trained, including data on the 

learning and developmental outcomes 

(e.g., academic, social, emotional, 

behavioral, meeting college- and careerready standards), and on growth toward 

these outcomes, of the children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs. 

Note: Following the completion of the 

project period, grantees are encouraged to 

engage in ongoing data collection activities. 

(3) The methods of evaluation will 

produce quantitative and qualitative 

data for objective performance measures 

that are related to the outcomes of the 

proposed project. 

(4) The methods of evaluation will 

provide performance feedback and 

allow for periodic assessment of 

progress towards meeting the project 

outcomes. To address this requirement, 

the applicant must describe how— 

(i) Results of the evaluation will be 

used as a basis for improving the 

proposed project to prepare special 

education, early intervention, or related 

services personnel to provide (a) 

focused instruction, and (b) intense 

individualized intervention(s) in an 

interdisciplinary team-based approach 

to improve outcomes of children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs; and 

(ii) The grantee will report the 

evaluation results to OSEP in its annual 

and final performance reports. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

under ‘‘Project Assurances’’ or in the 

applicable appendices, that the 

following program requirements are 

met. The applicant must— 

(1) Provide scholar support for 

participants from two or more graduate 

degree programs partnering in the 

proposed interdisciplinary personnel 

preparation project. Consistent with 34 

CFR 304.3, each scholar should (a) 

receive support for no less than one 

academic year, and (b) be eligible to 

fulfill service obligation requirements 

following degree program completion. 

Funding across degree programs may be 

applied differently. 

(2) Include in Appendix B of the 

application— 

(i) Course syllabi for all coursework in 

the major of each degree program and 

all shared courses, group assignments, 

and coordinated clinical experiences 

required of interdisciplinary project 

scholars; and 

(ii) For new coursework, proposed 

syllabi; and 

(iii) Table(s) summarizing the 

program of study for each degree 

program, and clearly delineating the 

shared coursework, group assignments, 

and coordinated field experiences 

required of project scholars. 

(3) Ensure that a comprehensive set of 

completed syllabi, including syllabi 

created or revised as part of a project 

planning year, are submitted to OSEP by 

the end of Year 1 of the grant. 

(4) Ensure scholars will not be 

selected based on race, ethnicity, or 

national origin. Per the Supreme Court’s 

decision in Adarand Constructors, Inc. 

v. Pena, 515 U.S. 200 (1995), the 

Department does not allow the selection 

of individuals on the basis of race, 

ethnicity, or national origin. For this 

reason, grantees must ensure that any 

discussion of the recruitment of scholars 

based on race, ethnicity, or national 

origin distinguishes between increasing 

the pool of applicants and actually 

selecting scholars. 

(5) Ensure that the project will meet 

all requirements for grantees in 

disbursing scholarships as outlined in 

34 CFR 304.23. Failure by a grantee to 

properly meet these requirements would 

be a violation of the grant award that 

could result in sanctions, including the 

grantee being liable for returning any 

misused funds to the Department. 

Specifically, before disbursement of 

scholarship assistance to an individual, 

a grantee must— 

(i) Ensure that the scholar— 

(A) Is a citizen or national of the 

United States; 

(B) Is a permanent resident of— 

(1) Puerto Rico, the United States 

Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 

or the Commonwealth of the Northern 

Mariana Islands; or 

(2) The Republic of the Marshall 

Islands, the Federated States of 

Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau 

during the period in which these 

entities are eligible to receive an award 

under the Personnel Development to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities program; or 

(C) Provides evidence from the U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security that 

the individual is— 

(1) A lawful permanent resident of the 

United States; or 

(2) In the United States for other than 

a temporary purpose with the intention 

of becoming a citizen or permanent 

resident; 

(ii) Limit the cost of attendance 

portion of the scholarship assistance (as 

discussed in 34 CFR 304.21(a)) to the 

amount by which the individual’s cost 

of attendance at the institution exceeds 

the amount of grant assistance the 

scholar is to receive for the same 

academic year under title IV of the HEA; 

and 

(iii) Obtain a Certification of 

Eligibility for Federal Assistance from 

each scholar, as prescribed in 34 CFR 

75.60, 75.61, and 75.62. 

(6) Ensure that the project will meet 

all requirements in 34 CFR 304.23, 

particularly those related to informing 

all scholarship recipients of their 

service obligation commitment. Failure 

by a grantee to properly meet these 

requirements would be a violation of the 

grant award that could result in 

sanctions, including the grantee being 

liable for returning any misused funds 

to the Department. Specifically, the 

grantee must prepare, and ensure that 

each scholarship recipient signs, the 

following two documents: 

(i) A Pre-Scholarship Agreement prior 

to the scholar receiving a scholarship for 

an eligible program (Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) Control 

Number 1820–0686); and 

(ii) An Exit Certification immediately 

upon the scholar leaving, completing, or 

otherwise exiting that program (OMB 

Control Number 1820–0686). 

(7) Ensure that prior approval from 

the OSEP project officer will be 

obtained before admitting additional 

scholars beyond the number of scholars 


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proposed in the application and before 

transferring a scholar to another OSEPfunded grant. 

(8) Ensure that the project will meet 

the statutory requirements in section 

662(e) through (h) of IDEA. 

(9) Ensure that at least 65 percent of 

the total requested budget over the five 

years will be used for scholar support. 

Applicants proposing to use Year 1 for 

program development may budget for 

less than 65 percent of the total 

requested budget over the five years for 

scholar support; instead 65 percent of 

the total award minus funds allocated 

for program development will be used 

to calculate the value of required 

scholar support. 

(10) Ensure that the IHE will not 

require scholars enrolled in the program 

to work (e.g., as graduate assistants) as 

a condition of receiving support (e.g., 

tuition, stipends) from the proposed 

project, unless the work is specifically 

related to the acquisition of scholars’ 

competencies and the requirements for 

completion of their personnel 

preparation program. This prohibition 

on work as a condition of receiving 

support does not apply to the service 

obligation requirements in section 

662(h) of IDEA. 

(11) Ensure that the budget includes 

attendance of the project director at a 

three-day project directors’ meeting in 

Washington, DC, during each year of the 

project. 

(12) Ensure that the project director, 

key personnel, and scholars will 

actively participate in the cross-project 

collaboration, advanced trainings, and 

cross-site learning opportunities (e.g., 

webinars, briefings) organized by OSEP. 

This partnership will be used to build 

capacity of participants, increase the 

impact of funding, and promote 

innovative and interdisciplinary service 

delivery models across projects. 

(13) Ensure that if the project 

maintains a website, relevant 

information and documents are in a 

format that meets government or 

industry-recognized standards for 

accessibility. 

(14) Ensure that annual data will be 

submitted on each scholar who receives 

grant support (OMB Control Number 

1820–0686). The primary purposes of 

the data collection are to track the 

service obligation fulfillment of scholars 

who receive funds from OSEP grants 

and to collect data for program 

performance measure reporting under 

the Government Performance and 

Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). Applicants 

are encouraged to visit the Personnel 

Development Program Data Collection 

System (DCS) website at https://

pdp.ed.gov/osep for further information 

about this data collection requirement. 

Typically, data collection begins in 

January of each year, and grantees are 

notified by email about the data 

collection period for their grant, 

although grantees may submit data as 

needed, year round. This data collection 

must be submitted electronically by the 

grantee and does not supplant the 

annual grant performance report 

required of each grantee for 

continuation funding (see 34 CFR 

75.590). Data collection includes the 

submission of a signed, completed PreScholarship Agreement and Exit 

Certification for each scholar funded 

under an OSEP grant (see paragraph (6) 

of this section, subparagraphs (i) and 

(ii)). 

References 

Boe, E.E., deBettencourt, L., Dewey, J.F., 

Rosenberg, M. S., Sindelar, P. T., & Leko, 

C.D. (2013). Variability in demand for 

special education teachers: Indicators, 

explanations, and impacts. 

Exceptionality, 21, 103–125. 

Browder, D.M., Wood, L., Thompson, J., & 

Ribuffo, C. (2014). Evidence-based 

practices for students with severe 

disabilities (Document No. IC–3). 

Retrieved from University of Florida, 

Collaboration for Effective Educator, 

Development, Accountability, and 

Reform Center website: http://

ceedar.education.ufl.edu/tool/ 

innovation-configurations/. 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 

20 U.S.C. 1400, et seq. (2004). 

McLeskey, J., & Brownell, M. (2015). Highleverage practices and teacher 

preparation in special education 

(Document No. PR–1). Retrieved from 

University of Florida, Collaboration for 

Effective Educator, Development, 

Accountability, and Reform Center 

website: http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/ 

wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HighLeverage-Practices-and-TeacherPreparation-in-Special-Education.pdf. 

National Professional Development Center on 

Inclusion. (August, 2011). Competencies 

for early childhood educators in the 

context of inclusion: Issues and guidance 

for States. Chapel Hill, NC: The 

University of North Carolina, FPG Child 

Development Institute. 

Smith, J. (2010). An interdisciplinary 

approach to preparing early intervention 

professionals: A university and 

community collaborative initiative. 

Teacher Education and Special 

Education, 33(2), 131–142. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

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

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities. Section 681(d) of IDEA, 

however, makes the public comment 

requirements of the APA inapplicable to 

the priority in this notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 

and 1481. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR 

part 180, as adopted and amended as 

regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 

part 3485. (c) The Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) 

The regulations for this program in 34 

CFR part 304. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 

apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$83,541,000 for the Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program for FY 2018, of which we 

intend to use an estimated $10,000,000 

for this competition. 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 if 

Congress appropriates funds for this 

program. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2019 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: See 

chart. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

See chart. 

Maximum Award: See chart. 

Estimated Number of Awards: See 

chart. 

Project Period: See chart. 


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PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (84.325k) 

APPLICATION NOTICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018 

CFDA No. and name 

Applications 

available 

Deadline 

for transmittal of 

applications 

Deadline for 

intergovernmental review 

Estimated 

range of 

awards 

Estimated 

average 

size of 

awards 

Maximum 

award for 

each budget 

period of 12 

months 

Estimated 

number of 

awards 

Project 

period Contact person 

84.325K Interdisciplinary Preparation in 

Special Education, 

Early Intervention, 

and Related Services for Personnel 

Serving Children 

with Disabilities who 

have High-Intensity 

Needs.

June 13, 

2018.

July 30, 

2018.

September 26, 

2018.

.................... .................... .................... .................... .................. Focus Area A or Minority Serving Institutions: 

Dawn Ellis, 202–245– 

6417, dawn.ellis@

ed.gov, Potomac 

Center Plaza, 

Room 5137. 

Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children 

with Disabilities who 

have High-Intensity 

Needs.

.................. .................. ......................... $200,000– 

250,000 

$250,000 $250,000 * 10 Up to 60 

mos.

Focus Area B: 

Maryann McDermott, 

202–245–7439, 

maryann.

mcdermott@ed.gov, 

Potomac Center 

Plaza, Room 5144, 

or 

Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve School-Age 

Children with Disabilities who have 

High-Intensity 

Needs.

.................. .................. ......................... 200,000– 

250,000 

250,000 250,000 * 30 Up to 60 

mos.

Sarah Allen, 202– 

245–7875, sarah.

allen@ed.gov, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Room 5144. 

* We will not make an award exceeding $250,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs and 

private nonprofit organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 

75.708(b) and (c) a grantee under this 

competition may award subgrants—to 

directly carry out project activities 

described in its application—to the 

following types of entities: IHEs and 

private nonprofit organizations suitable 

to carry out the activities proposed in 

the application. The grantee may award 

subgrants to entities it has identified in 

an approved application. 

4. Other General Requirements: (a) 

Recipients of funding under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Applicants for, and recipients of, 

funding must, with respect to the 

aspects of their proposed project 

relating to the absolute priority, involve 

individuals with disabilities, or parents 

of individuals with disabilities ages 

birth through 26, in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

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

IDEA). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application Submission 

Instructions: For information on how to 

submit an application please refer to our 

Common Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 12, 2018 

(83 FR 6003) and available at 

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/ 

pdf/2018-02558.pdf. 

2. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

3. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

4. Recommended Page Limit: The 

application narrative (Part III of the 

application) is where you, the applicant, 

address the selection criteria that 

reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to no 

more than 50 pages and (2) use the 

following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double-space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

reference citations, and captions, as well 

as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

graphs, and screen shots. 

• Use a font that is 12 point or larger. 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended page limit does not 

apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II, 

the budget section, including the 

narrative budget justification; Part IV, 

the assurances and certifications; or the 

abstract (follow the guidance provided 

in the application package for 

completing the abstract), the table of 

contents, the list of priority 

requirements, the resumes, the reference 

list, the letters of support, or the 

appendices. However, the 

recommended page limit does apply to 

all of the application narrative, 

including all text in charts, tables, 

figures, graphs, and screen shots. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are as follows: 

(a) Significance of the Project (10 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the significance of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 


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(i) The extent to which the proposed 

project will prepare personnel for fields 

in which shortages have been 

demonstrated; and 

(ii) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project, 

especially improvements in teaching 

and student achievement. 

(b) Quality of Project Services (45 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

services to be provided by the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

quality and sufficiency of strategies for 

ensuring equal access and treatment for 

eligible project participants who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. 

(3) In determining the quality of the 

project services, the Secretary considers 

the following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the services to 

be provided by the proposed project 

reflect up-to-date knowledge from 

research and effective practice; 

(ii) The extent to which the training 

or professional development services to 

be provided by the proposed project are 

of sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services; 

(iii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services; and 

(iv) The extent to which the proposed 

activities constitute a coherent, 

sustained program of training in the 

field. 

(c) Quality of Project Evaluation (25 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the evaluation to be 

conducted of the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

evaluation, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project; 

(ii) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measureable; 

(iii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation include the use of 

objective performance measures that are 

clearly related to the intended outcomes 

of the project and will produce 

quantitative and qualitative data to the 

extent possible; and 

(iv) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes. 

(d) Quality of Project Personnel, 

Management Plan, and Resources (20 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the project personnel, 

management plan, and the adequacy of 

resources for the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of 

project personnel, the Secretary 

considers the extent to which the 

applicant encourages applications for 

employment from persons who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. 

(3) In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel; 

(ii) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks; 

(iii) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 

project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project; 

(iv) The adequacy of support, 

including facilities, equipment, 

supplies, and other resources, from the 

applicant organization or the lead 

applicant organization; and 

(v) The extent to which the costs are 

reasonable in relation to the objectives, 

design, and potential significance of the 

proposed project. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary requires 

various assurances, including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

3. Additional Review and Selection 

Process Factors: In the past, the 

Department has had difficulty finding 

peer reviewers for certain competitions 

because so many individuals who are 

eligible to serve as peer reviewers have 

conflicts of interest. The standing panel 

requirements under section 682(b) of 

IDEA also have placed additional 

constraints on the availability of 

reviewers. Therefore, the Department 

has determined that for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within specific groups. This 

procedure will make it easier for the 

Department to find peer reviewers by 

ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process, while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. 

4. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.205, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, in appropriate 

circumstances, high-risk conditions on a 

grant if the applicant or grantee is not 

financially stable; has a history of 

unsatisfactory performance; has a 

financial or other management system 

that does not meet the standards in 2 

CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

5. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $150,000), under 2 

CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a 

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through the System for 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
27586 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2018 / Notices 

Award Management. You may review 

and comment on any information about 

yourself that a Federal agency 

previously entered and that is currently 

in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal government exceeds 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, 

require you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant 

plus all the other Federal funds you 

receive exceed $10,000,000. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN); or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

4. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a 

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

(c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the 

Secretary may provide a grantee with 

additional funding for data collection 

analysis and reporting. In this case the 

Secretary establishes a data collection 

period. 

5. Performance Measures: Under 

GPRA, the Department has established a 

set of performance measures, including 

long-term measures, that are designed to 

yield information on the quality of the 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

include: (1) The percentage of 

preparation programs that incorporate 

scientifically or evidence-based 

practices into their curricula; (2) the 

percentage of scholars completing 

preparation programs who are 

knowledgeable and skilled in evidencebased practices that improve outcomes 

for children with disabilities; (3) the 

percentage of scholars who exit 

preparation programs prior to 

completion due to poor academic 

performance; (4) the percentage of 

scholars completing preparation 

programs who are working in the area(s) 

in which they were prepared upon 

program completion; and (5) the Federal 

cost per scholar who completed the 

preparation program. 

In addition, the Department will 

gather information on the following 

outcome measures: (1) The percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in high-need districts; (2) the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in the field of special education for at 

least two years; and (3) the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and who are rated 

effective by their employers. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, the performance targets in 

the grantee’s approved application. 

In making a continuation award, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: 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 compact disc) by 

contacting the Management Support 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 5113, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–2500. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7363. If you use a 

TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations 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 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. 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2018 / Notices 27587 

Dated: June 8, 2018. 

Johnny W. Collett, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2018–12718 Filed 6–12–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket ID ED–2018–FSA–0053] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid, 

Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice of a Modified System of 

Records. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Privacy Act of 1974, as amended 

(Privacy Act), the Department of 

Education (Department) publishes this 

notice of a modified system of records 

for the ‘‘Customer Engagement 

Management System (CEMS)’’ (18–11– 

11) to expand the CEMS system to cover 

records that the Department previously 

maintained in the Department’s system 

of records entitled ‘‘Common Services 

for Borrowers (CSB)’’ (18–11–16) to 

carry out the responsibilities of the 

Department to receive, review, evaluate, 

process, and render decisions on the 

eligibility of individuals for relief under 

the borrower defense regulations and, 

where requests for borrower defense to 

repayment are successful, to determine 

the relief that is appropriate to 

borrowers under the circumstances as 

well as to initiate appropriate 

proceedings to require schools whose 

acts or omissions resulted in the 

successful defenses against repayment 

to pay the Department the amounts of 

the loans to which the defenses apply. 

This modification also renames the 

system of records, which was formerly 

entitled the ‘‘Office of the Student Loan 

Ombudsman Records.’’ The Department 

previously created the system of records 

entitled the ‘‘Office of the Student Loan 

Ombudsman Records’’ for a number of 

purposes related to the duties and 

responsibilities of the Ombudsman, 

including verifying the identities of 

individuals; recording complaints and 

comments; tracking individual cases 

through final resolution; reporting 

trends; analyzing the data to 

recommend improvements in the 

Student Financial Assistance Programs; 

and assisting in the resolution of 

disputes. 

DATES: Submit your comments on this 

modified system of records notice on or 

before July 13, 2018. 

This modified system of records will 

become applicable upon publication in 

the Federal Register on June 13, 2018, 

unless the modified system of records 

notice needs to be changed as a result 

of public comment. 

Modified routine uses (1), (3), (5), (7), 

and (10) and new routine uses (8) and 

(11) listed under ‘‘ROUTINE USES OF 

RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE 

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 

OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH 

USES’’ will become applicable on July 

13, 2018, unless the modified system of 

records notice needs to be changed as a 

result of public comment. The 

Department will publish any significant 

changes resulting from public comment. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments 

through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

or via postal mail, commercial delivery, 

or hand delivery. We will not accept 

comments submitted by fax or by email 

or those submitted after the comment 

period. To ensure that we do not receive 

duplicate copies, please submit your 

comments only once. In addition, please 

include the Docket ID at the top of your 

comments. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov to submit your 

comments electronically. Information 

on using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing agency 

documents, submitting comments, and 

viewing the docket, is available on the 

site under the ‘‘help’’ tab. 

• Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, 

or Hand Delivery: If you mail or deliver 

your comments about this modified 

system of records, address them to: 

Ombudsman/Director, Ombudsman 

Group, Customer Experience, FSA, U.S. 

Department of Education, 830 First 

Street NE, 4th Floor/MC–5144, Union 

Center Plaza (UCP), Washington, DC 

20202–5144. 

Privacy Note: The Department’s 

policy is to make all comments received 

from members of the public available for 

public viewing in their entirety on the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at 

www.regulations.gov. Therefore, 

commenters should be careful to 

include in their comments only 

information that they wish to make 

publicly available. 

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. If you want to 

schedule an appointment for this type of 

accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Joyce DeMoss, Ombudsman/Director, 

Ombudsman Group, Customer 

Experience, FSA, U.S. Department of 

Education, 830 First Street NE, 4th 

Floor/MC–5144, Union Center Plaza 

(UCP), Washington, DC 20202–5144. 

Telephone: (202) 377–3992. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or text 

telephone (TTY), you may call the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department is renaming the system of 

records from the ‘‘Office of the Student 

Loan Ombudsman Records’’ to the 

‘‘Customer Engagement Management 

System (CEMS).’’ The system of records 

described in this notice maintains 

records on individuals who are, were, or 

may be participants in any of the 

Student Financial Assistance Programs 

authorized under title IV of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(HEA) who request assistance, directly 

or through a designated third party, 

from the Department. The CEMS 

maintains the information for a number 

of purposes related to the duties and 

responsibilities of the Ombudsman and 

the FSA Enforcement Office, including: 

Verifying the identities of individuals; 

recording complaints and comments; 

tracking individual cases through final 

resolution; reporting trends; analyzing 

the data to recommend improvements in 

student financial assistance programs; 

and assisting in the informal resolution 

of disputes. In addition, the system of 

records described in this notice 

maintains records on individuals who 

have asserted defenses to the repayment 

of their Federal student loans, also 

known as ‘‘borrower defenses,’’ 

pursuant to the Department’s 

regulations at 34 CFR 685.206. These 

records are maintained to carry out the 

responsibilities of the Department to 

receive, review, evaluate, process, and 

render decisions on the eligibility of 

individuals for relief under the borrower 

defense regulations, which may include 

the discharge of a William D. Ford 

Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) 

Program loan and further relief as 

determined by the Secretary, as well as 

the initiation of appropriate proceedings 

to require schools whose acts or 

omissions resulted in successful 

defenses against repayment to pay the 

Department the amounts of the loans to 

which the defenses apply. 

The CEMS consists of a variety of 

records that identify individuals’ 

complaints, requests for assistance, or 

other inquiries. Records include, but are 

not limited to: Written documentation 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1