42266 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 

1For purposes of this notice, the term ‘‘children 

who are deaf-blind’’ refers to infants, toddlers, 

children, youth, and young adults (ages birth 

through 21) who are deaf-blind. 

HISTORY: 

May 26, 2015, 80 FR 30057; October 

24, 2013, 78 FR 63455; March 18, 2010, 

75 FR 13103. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17955 Filed 8–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination To Improve Services 

and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—State Technical 

Assistance Projects To Improve 

Services and Results for Children Who 

Are Deaf-Blind and National Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Center 

for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

is issuing a notice inviting applications 

for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 

for Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination to Improve Services and 

Results for Children With Disabilities— 

State Technical Assistance Projects to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children who are Deaf-Blind and 

National Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination Center for Children who 

are Deaf-Blind, Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 

84.326T. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: August 21, 

2018. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: September 20, 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: Jo 

Ann McCann, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Room 5162, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202–5076. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7434, Email: 

Jo.Ann.McCann.ed.gov. 

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: Two Department 

of Education (Department) programs 

fund this competition: the Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities (TA&D) 

program and the Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

(PD) program. 

The purpose of the TA&D program is 

to promote academic achievement and 

to improve results for children with 

disabilities by providing technical 

assistance (TA), supporting model 

demonstration projects, disseminating 

useful information, and implementing 

activities that are supported by 

scientifically based research. 

The purposes of the PD program are 

to: (1) Help address State-identified 

needs for personnel—in special 

education, related services, early 

intervention, and regular education—to 

work with children with disabilities; 

and (2) ensure that those personnel have 

the skills and knowledge—derived from 

practices that have been determined 

through research and experience to be 

successful—that are needed to serve 

those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

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

allowable activities specified in the 

statute (see sections 662(c)(2), 

663(c)(8)(A) and (C), and 681(d) of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1462, 1463, 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: 

State Technical Assistance Projects to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children who are Deaf-Blind and a 

National Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination Center for Children who 

are Deaf-Blind. 

Background: 

The purpose of this priority is to 

establish and operate State Technical 

Assistance Projects to Improve Services 

and Results for Children Who Are DeafBlind and a National Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Center for 

Children Who Are Deaf-Blind that will 

provide TA and support to the State 

projects. 

The State Technical Assistance 

Projects to Improve Services and Results 

for Children who are Deaf-Blind (State 

Deaf-Blind Projects) will help State 

educational agencies (SEAs), Part C lead 

agencies (LAs), local educational 

agencies (LEAs)—including charter 

school LEAs, early intervention services 

(EIS) providers, teachers, service 

providers, and families to address the 

educational, related services, 

transitional, and early intervention 

needs of children who are deaf-blind.1

The State Deaf-Blind Projects are 

designed to increase access to, and 

progress in, the general education 

curriculum and grade-level academic 

content standards for children who are 

deaf-blind and improve their 

communication skills with a goal of 

supporting lifelong learning, including 

postsecondary education and 

employment readiness. 

The National Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination Center for Children 

who are Deaf-Blind (National Center) 

will provide TA and support to the State 

Deaf-Blind Projects in addressing these 

needs. This support includes providing 

specialized TA, training, dissemination, 

and informational services to agencies 

and organizations, professionals, 

families, and others involved in 

providing services to children who are 

deaf-blind. 

Children who are deaf-blind have 

complex needs and are among the most 

diverse groups of learners served under 

the IDEA. Approximately 90 percent of 

children who are deaf-blind also have 

additional physical, learning, or 

cognitive disabilities. As a result, 

children who are deaf-blind face a 

unique set of challenges not commonly 

faced by their peers with, and without, 

disabilities. Therefore, SEAs, LAs, 

LEAs, EIS providers, teachers, service 

providers, State TA providers, and 

families need significant support to 

address the intense educational, related 

services, transitional, and early 

intervention needs of children who are 

deaf-blind to ensure that these children 

are prepared for lifelong learning and 

successfully transition to postsecondary 

education or employment. 

State Technical Assistance Projects To 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children Who Are Deaf-Blind 

This priority will fund discretionary 

grants to establish and operate State 

Technical Assistance Projects to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children Who are Deaf-Blind. For more 

than 20 years, the Office of Special 

Education Programs (OSEP) has 


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supported State Deaf-Blind Projects to 

improve support to local schools and 

agencies within the States that are 

serving children who are deaf-blind and 

their families. The State Deaf-Blind 

Projects will work closely with SEAs, 

LAs, LEAs, EIS providers, teachers, 

service providers, and families to 

address the intense educational, related 

services, transitional, and early 

intervention needs of children who are 

deaf-blind to ensure that these children 

are prepared for lifelong learning and 

successfully transition to postsecondary 

education or employment. In 

partnership with the National Center, 

the targeted and intensive TA provided 

by State Deaf-Blind Projects will ensure 

that family members and caregivers, EIS 

providers, special and regular education 

teachers, and related services personnel 

have access to the specialized training 

and tools needed to support the 

educational and social success of 

children who are deaf-blind. In order to 

support the training and certification of 

trained paraprofessionals who are 

specifically trained to work with 

children who are deaf-blind, State DeafBlind Projects also will be encouraged 

to work with the National Center to 

utilize existing training modules (e.g., 

Open Hands Open Access) and 

paraprofessional evaluation systems. 

National Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination Center for Children Who 

Are Deaf-Blind 

This priority will also fund a 

cooperative agreement to establish and 

operate a National Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination Center for Children 

Who are Deaf-Blind. The National 

Center will work with the State DeafBlind Projects to ensure that family 

members and caregivers, EIS providers, 

special and regular education teachers, 

and related services personnel have 

access to the specialized training and 

tools needed to support the educational 

and social success of children who are 

deaf-blind. 

The goals of this priority are to (1) 

expand upon a national TA network to 

improve outcomes for children who are 

deaf-blind; (2) expand the use of 

training modules to support personnel 

development of teachers and qualified 

personnel; (3) expand the body of 

knowledge and use of high-quality 

practices to facilitate emerging and 

developing literacy and numeracy for 

children who are deaf-blind; (4) 

facilitate increased parental 

involvement in the education and 

transition opportunities for children 

who are deaf-blind through providing 

networking opportunities for families, 

dissemination of knowledge, and 

engagement with deaf-blind family 

organizations; and (5) collaborate with 

the State Deaf-Blind Projects in 

collecting information to provide a 

State-by-State needs assessment, 

including disability and demographic 

information and trends, in order to 

ensure that children who are deaf-blind 

are identified early and receive 

appropriate services and supports. In 

addition, State Deaf-Blind Projects in 

States that utilize or plan to utilize 

certified paraprofessionals will 

collaborate with the National Center to 

(1) increase the number of certified 

paraprofessionals and qualified teachers 

within the State who have demonstrated 

skills to improve the classroom 

experience of children who are deafblind; and (2) increase the use of 

paraprofessional evaluation systems 

leading to increased availability of 

qualified paraprofessionals to support 

children who are deaf-blind. 

This priority is consistent with the 

Secretary’s Final Supplemental 

Priorities and Definitions for 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096) 

(Supplemental Priorities): Supplemental 

Priority 5—Meeting the Unique Needs 

of Students and Children With 

Disabilities and/or Those With Unique 

Gifts and Talents. 

Priority: 

For the purpose of this competition, 

we have separated the absolute priority 

into two focus areas: State Deaf-Blind 

Projects (Focus Area A) and a National 

Center (Focus Area B). Applicants must 

identify whether they are applying 

under Focus Area A, Focus Area B, or 

both. 

Note: Each focus area will be reviewed and 

scored separately if an applicant is applying 

under both focus areas. As the program and 

application requirements for the two focus 

areas are different, applicants must ensure 

that they have met all applicable 

requirements. 

Focus Area A: State Technical 

Assistance Projects to Improve Services 

and Results for Children Who Are DeafBlind. 

Under Focus Area A, the Department 

will fund discretionary grants to 

establish and operate State Deaf-Blind 

Technical Assistance Projects (State 

Deaf-Blind Projects) to improve services 

and results for children who are deafblind. Grants under Focus Area A are 

available to support projects in all 

States, including the District of 

Columbia, Puerto Rico, the outlying 

areas and the freely associated States. A 

grant may be awarded to an entity to 

serve a single State or a multi-State 

consortium. Funds awarded under this 

priority may not be used to provide 

direct early intervention services under 

Part C of IDEA or direct special 

education and related services under 

Part B of IDEA. 

State Deaf-Blind Projects funded 

under this priority must achieve, at a 

minimum, the following expected 

outcomes: 

(a) Provide TA and training on 

improving outcomes to personnel who 

serve children who are deaf-blind; 

(b) Increase early identification and 

referral of children who are deaf-blind 

for appropriate services and supports; 

(c) Facilitate emerging and developing 

literacy and numeracy for children who 

are deaf-blind by promoting access to 

the general education curriculum and 

grade-level academic content standards 

through the use of high-quality 

practices; 

(d) Continue and expand support to 

children who are deaf-blind and their 

families during the transition to 

postsecondary education or 

employment; 

(e) Increase support to families to 

facilitate their involvement in the 

education and transition opportunities 

for children who are deaf-blind; and 

(f) In collaboration with the National 

Center, collect information to provide a 

State-by-State needs assessment. 

Also, State Deaf-Blind Projects in 

States that use, or plan to use, certified 

paraprofessionals will collaborate with 

the National Center to— 

(a) Increase the number of certified 

paraprofessionals and qualified teachers 

within the State who have demonstrated 

skills to improve the educational, social, 

and communication outcomes and the 

classroom experience of children who 

are deaf-blind; and 

(b) Increase the use of 

paraprofessional evaluation systems 

leading to increased availability of 

qualified paraprofessionals for children 

who are deaf-blind. 

In addition to these programmatic 

requirements, to be considered for 

funding under Focus Area A of this 

priority, applicants must meet the 

application and administrative 

requirements in this priority, which are: 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance of the Project,’’ how the 

proposed project will— 

(1) Provide EIS providers, special 

education teachers, regular education 

teachers, related services personnel, and 

SEA, LEA, LA, and EIS provider 

administrators with the training and 

information needed to develop and 

implement individualized supports to 

ensure that children who are deaf-blind 

have access to and progress in the 


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42268 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 

2Within the context of State or a multi-State 

consortium of Deaf-Blind Projects, ‘‘universal, 

general TA’’ means TA and information provided 

to independent users through their own initiative 

resulting in minimal interaction with project staff 

and including one-time, invited or offered 

conference presentations by project staff. This 

category of TA also includes information or 

products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or 

research syntheses, downloaded from the project’s 

website by independent users. Brief 

communications by project staff with recipients, 

either by telephone or email, are also considered 

universal, general TA. 

3Within the context of State or a multi-State 

consortium of Deaf-Blind Projects, ‘‘targeted, 

specialized TA’’ means TA service based on needs 

common to multiple recipients and not extensively 

individualized. A relationship is established 

between the TA recipient and one or more project 

staff. This category of TA includes one-time, laborintensive events, such as facilitating strategic 

planning or hosting regional or national 

conferences. It can also include episodic, less laborintensive events that extend over a period of time, 

such as facilitating a series of conference calls on 

single or multiple topics that are designed around 

the needs of the recipients. Facilitating 

communities of practice can also be considered 

targeted, specialized TA. 

4Within the context of State or a multi-State 

consortium of Deaf-Blind Projects, ‘‘intensive, 

sustained TA’’ means TA services often provided 

on-site and requiring a stable, ongoing relationship 

between the project staff and the TA recipient. ‘‘TA 

services’’ are defined as a negotiated series of 

activities designed to reach a valued outcome. This 

category of TA should result in changes to policy, 

program, practice, or operations that support 

increased recipient capacity and improved 

outcomes at one or more systems levels. 

general education curriculum and 

grade-level academic content standards, 

and have access to high-quality 

educational opportunities that lead to 

successful transitions to postsecondary 

education or employment; and 

(2) In conjunction with State Parent 

Training and Information Centers (PTIs), 

ensure that family members and 

caregivers of children who are deafblind have the training and information 

needed to maintain and improve 

productive partnerships with service 

providers. 

To address the requirements of 

paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section, 

the applicant must— 

(i) Present applicable State, regional, 

or local data (and, in the case of an 

application for a consortium, data for 

each State that the consortium will 

serve) demonstrating training and 

information needs of EIS providers, 

special and regular education teachers, 

related services personnel, and family 

members and caregivers identified in 

paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section, 

taking into account the critical needs of 

the diverse deaf-blind population and 

the geographical distribution of children 

who are deaf-blind; and 

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current 

educational issues and policy initiatives 

in educating children who are deafblind, including any State-specific 

policy initiatives and how the applicant 

will support their implementation; and 

(3) Improve educational, social, and 

communication outcomes for children 

who are deaf-blind, and indicate the 

likely magnitude or importance of the 

outcomes. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the Project Services,’’ how 

the proposed project will— 

(1) Ensure equal access and treatment 

for 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 how it will— 

(i) Identify the needs of the intended 

recipients for TA and information; 

(ii) Ensure that services meet the 

needs of the intended recipients of the 

grant and that any products are first 

approved by the OSEP project officer 

and then developed in coordination 

with the National Center; 

(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and 

intended outcomes. To meet this 

requirement, the applicant must provide 

measureable intended project outcomes; 

(3) Be based on current research and 

make use of high-quality practices. To 

meet this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) The current research and highquality practices on ensuring access to 

the general education curriculum, 

grade-level academic content standards, 

and high-quality educational 

opportunities that lead to successful 

transitions to postsecondary education 

or employment; 

(ii) How the project will provide highquality training and TA to the family 

members and caregivers of children who 

are deaf-blind and TA and professional 

development to practitioners identified 

in paragraph (a) of the application and 

administrative requirements in this 

section; and 

(iii) The process the proposed project 

will use to incorporate current research 

and high-quality practices in the 

development and delivery of its 

products and services; 

(4) Develop and provide services that 

are of sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to achieve the intended 

outcomes of the proposed project. To 

address this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) Its proposed approach to universal, 

general TA,2 including the intended 

recipients of products and services; 

(ii) Its proposed approach to targeted, 

specialized TA,3 including the intended 

recipients of products and services; and 

(iii) Its proposed approach to 

intensive, sustained TA,4 including the 

intended recipients of products and 

services. To address this requirement, 

the applicant must describe— 

(A) Its proposed approach to 

collaborate with SEAs, LEAs, LAs, EIS 

providers, PTIs, or other relevant 

entities, as appropriate, to support 

project initiatives and to leverage their 

available resources, ability to build 

supports for families, and ability to 

provide TA and training to teachers, EIS 

providers, and other service providers; 

(B) Its proposed plan for assisting 

LEAs and EIS providers to address the 

needs of children who are deaf-blind 

based on best practices and current 

research on effective training and 

professional development; and 

(C) Its proposed plan for working with 

individuals and entities at each level of 

the education system (e.g., SEAs, LEAs, 

LAs, EIS providers, schools, and 

families) to ensure communication 

among the different groups and that 

there are systems in place to support the 

use of high-quality practices for 

educating children who are deaf-blind. 

(6) Implement services in 

collaboration with the National Center 

to meet the TA objectives within the 

State(s) served. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) How the proposed project will use 

technology to achieve the intended 

project outcomes; 

(ii) With whom the proposed project 

will collaborate and the intended 

outcomes of this collaboration; 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

use non-project resources to achieve the 

intended project outcomes; and 

(iv) How the applicant will facilitate 

States’ ability to use and benefit from 

the National Center’s initiatives, 

products, and TA, including those 

initiatives that cross State boundaries. 

(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the Evaluation Plan,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed project will collect 

and analyze data on specific and 

measurable goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the project. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) The proposed evaluation 

methodologies, including instruments, 

data collection methods, and possible 

analyses; 

(ii) The proposed standards or targets 

for determining effectiveness; and 

(iii) The proposed methods for 

collecting data on implementation 

supports and fidelity of implementation. 

(2) The proposed project will use the 

evaluation results to examine the 

project’s implementation strategies and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 42269 

the progress toward achieving intended 

outcomes; and 

(3) The methods of evaluation will 

produce quantitative and qualitative 

data that demonstrate whether the 

project achieved the intended outcomes. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Adequacy of Project Resources,’’ 

how— 

(1) The proposed project will 

encourage 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, as appropriate; 

(2) The proposed key project 

personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors have the qualifications 

and experience to carry out the 

proposed activities and achieve the 

project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The applicant and any key 

partners have adequate resources to 

carry out the proposed activities; and 

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable 

in relation to the anticipated results and 

benefits. 

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the Management Plan,’’ 

how— 

(1) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the project’s intended 

outcomes will be achieved on time and 

within budget. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for 

key project personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors, as appropriate; and 

(ii) Timelines and milestones for 

accomplishing the project tasks; 

(2) Key project personnel and any 

consultants and subcontractors will be 

allocated and how these allocations are 

appropriate and adequate to achieve the 

project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the products and 

services provided are of high quality, 

relevant, and useful to recipients; 

(4) The proposed project will benefit 

from a diversity of perspectives, 

including families, educators, TA 

providers, researchers, and policy 

makers, among others, in its 

development and operation; 

(5) If applicable, the States within a 

consortium will receive appropriate 

services; and 

(6) If applicable, the proposed project 

will ensure that the distribution of 

resources is equitable within a 

consortium. 

(f) In the narrative under ‘‘Required 

Project Assurances’’ or appendices as 

directed, meet the following application 

requirements— 

(1) Include, in Appendix A, charts 

and timelines, as applicable, to illustrate 

the management plan described in the 

narrative; 

(2) Include, in the budget, attendance 

at the following: 

(i) A one-day planning meeting 

preceding the OSEP-hosted project 

directors’ conference held in 

Washington, DC, in coordination with 

the National Center and an annual 

planning meeting with the OSEP project 

officer and other relevant staff during 

each subsequent year of the project 

period; 

(ii) A two and one-half day project 

directors’ conference in Washington, 

DC, during each year of the project 

period; and 

(3) If the project maintains a website, 

ensure that it will be of high quality, 

with an easy-to-navigate design, that 

meets government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility. 

Note: States are invited to form 

consortia to apply for funding under 

Focus Area A of this priority in 

accordance with the Education 

Department General Administrative 

Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR 75.127 

to 75.129. A consortium may be 

comprised of any group of States. 

Focus Area B: National Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Center for 

Children Who Are Deaf-Blind. 

The purpose of Focus Area B of this 

priority is to fund a cooperative 

agreement to establish and operate a 

National Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination Center for Children Who 

Are Deaf-Blind (National Center). The 

Center must achieve, at a minimum, the 

following expected outcomes: 

(a) Increase the ability of State DeafBlind Projects to assist personnel in 

SEAs, LEAs, LAs, and EIS providers to 

use high-quality practices and products 

to improve outcomes for children who 

are deaf-blind; 

(b) Increase assistance to State DeafBlind Projects in supporting families in 

order to facilitate family involvement in 

the education and transition 

opportunities for children who are deafblind; 

(c) Increase collaboration between the 

OSEP-funded PTIs and State Deaf-Blind 

Projects to increase their ability to assist 

the families of children who are deafblind to support the development of 

self-advocacy; 

(d) Increase early identification of 

children who are deaf-blind; 

(e) In collaboration with State DeafBlind Projects, expand the use by SEAs, 

LAs and LEAs of paraprofessional 

evaluation systems (e.g., National 

Intervener Certification E-Portfolio) 

leading to increased availability of 

qualified paraprofessionals to support 

children who are deaf-blind; 

(f) Increase ability of school-based 

personnel to meet State-identified 

competencies for educators serving 

children who are deaf-blind; and 

(g) Promote access to, and progress in, 

the general education curriculum and 

grade-level academic content standards 

through the use of high-quality 

practices. The Center must also collect 

information to provide a State-by-State 

needs assessment, and develop and 

disseminate high-quality tools to State 

Deaf-Blind Projects and individuals and 

entities at each level of the education 

system to improve outcomes for 

children who are deaf-blind. 

In addition to these programmatic 

requirements, to be considered for 

funding under this priority, applicants 

must meet the application and 

administrative requirements in this 

priority, which are: 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance of the Project,’’ how the 

proposed project will— 

(1) Address the current and emerging 

needs of State Deaf-Blind Projects, 

SEAs, LEAs, LAs, EIS providers, and 

organizations serving children who are 

deaf-blind to ensure they have the 

training and information needed to 

implement and sustain high-quality, 

effective, and efficient systems that have 

the implementation supports in place to 

ensure children who are deaf-blind have 

access to and progress in the general 

education curriculum and grade-level 

academic content standards, and have 

access to high-quality educational 

opportunities that lead to successful 

transitions to postsecondary education 

or employment. To meet this 

requirement the applicant must— 

(i) Present applicable data 

demonstrating current State capacity to 

deliver high-quality IDEA services for 

children who are deaf-blind, and ensure 

they have access to and progress in the 

general education curriculum and 

grade-level academic content standards, 

and have access to high-quality 

educational opportunities that lead to 

successful transitions to postsecondary 

education or employment; 

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current 

issues and ongoing challenges in 

ensuring children who are deaf-blind 

have access to and progress in the 

general education curriculum and 

grade-level academic content standards, 

and have access to high-quality 

educational opportunities that lead to 

successful transitions to postsecondary 

education or employment; and 

(iii) Present information about the 

current level of implementation and 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
42270 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 

5Within the context of the National Center, 

‘‘universal, general TA’’ means TA and information 

provided to independent users through their own 

initiative, resulting in minimal interaction with TA 

center staff and including one-time, invited or 

offered conference presentations by TA center staff. 

This category of TA also includes information or 

products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or 

research syntheses, downloaded from the TA 

center’s website by independent users. Brief 

communications by TA center staff with recipients, 

either by telephone or email, are also considered 

universal, general TA. 

6Within the context of the National Center, 

‘‘targeted, specialized TA’’ means TA services based 

on needs common to multiple recipients and not 

extensively individualized. A relationship is 

established between the TA recipient and one or 

more TA center staff. This category of TA includes 

one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating 

strategic planning or hosting regional or national 

conferences. It can also include episodic, less laborintensive events that extend over a period of time, 

such as facilitating a series of conference calls on 

single or multiple topics that are designed around 

the needs of the recipients. Facilitating 

communities of practice can also be considered 

targeted, specialized TA. 

7Within the context of the National Center, 

‘‘intensive, sustained TA’’ means TA services often 

provided on-site and requiring a stable, ongoing 

relationship between the TA center staff and the TA 

recipient. ‘‘TA services’’ are defined as negotiated 

series of activities designed to reach a valued 

outcome. This category of TA should result in 

changes to policy, program, practice, or operations 

that support increased recipient capacity or 

improved outcomes at one or more systems levels. 

current capacity of SEAs, LEAs, LAs, 

and EIS providers to ensure that 

children who are deaf-blind have access 

to and progress in the general education 

curriculum and grade-level academic 

content standards, and have access to 

high-quality educational opportunities 

that lead to successful transitions to 

postsecondary education or 

employment. 

(2) Improve educational outcomes for 

children who are deaf-blind, and 

indicate the likely magnitude or 

importance of the outcomes. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the Project Services,’’ how 

the proposed project will— 

(1) Ensure equal access and treatment 

to 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 how it will— 

(i) Identify the needs of the intended 

recipients for TA and information; and 

(ii) Ensure that TA services and 

products meet the needs of the intended 

recipients of the grant; 

(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and 

intended outcomes. To meet this 

requirement, the applicant must 

provide— 

(i) Measurable intended project 

outcomes; and 

(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model 

(as defined in this notice) by which the 

proposed project will achieve its 

intended outcomes that depicts, at a 

minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, 

and intended outcomes of the proposed 

project; 

(3) Use a conceptual framework (and 

provide a copy in Appendix A) to 

develop project plans and activities, 

describing any underlying concepts, 

assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or 

theories, as well as the presumed 

relationships or linkages among these 

variables, and any empirical support for 

this framework; 

Note: The following websites provide 

more information on logic models and 

conceptual frameworks: 

www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel 

and www.osepideasthatwork.org/ 

resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/ 

tad-project-logic-model-and-conceptualframework. 

(4) Be based on current research and 

make use of high-quality practices. To 

meet this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) The current research on the 

effectiveness of systems change efforts, 

capacity building, and inclusive 

practices that will inform the TA and 

related high-quality practices; and 

(ii) The current research about adult 

learning principles and implementation 

science that will inform the proposed 

TA and products; and 

(5) Develop products and provide 

services that are of high quality and 

sufficient intensity and duration to 

achieve the intended outcomes of the 

proposed project. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) How it proposes to identify and 

develop the knowledge base on highquality practices addressing the early 

intervention, related services, 

educational, transitional, and functional 

needs of children who are deaf-blind; 

(ii) Its proposed approach to 

universal, general TA,5 which must 

identify the intended recipients of the 

products and services under this 

approach and should include, at 

minimum— 

(A) A plan for ensuring that State 

Deaf-Blind Projects, as well as SEAs, 

LEAs, LAs, and EIS providers, can 

easily access and use products and 

services developed by the proposed 

project; and 

(B) A plan for increasing awareness 

and recognition at the national level of 

how children who are deaf-blind can 

benefit from high-quality practices 

addressing their early intervention, 

related services, educational, 

transitional, and functional needs. 

(iii) Its proposed approach to targeted, 

specialized TA,6 which must identify— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services under this approach; 

(B) Its proposed approach to measure 

the readiness of State Deaf-Blind 

Projects to work with the proposed 

project, assessing, at a minimum, their 

current infrastructure, available 

resources, and ability to build capacity 

at the LEA and EIS program level; 

(C) Its proposed plan for assisting 

State Deaf-Blind Projects to build 

professional development systems to 

support children who are deaf-blind; 

and 

(D) Its proposed plan for working with 

individuals and entities at each level of 

the education system (e.g., SEAs, LEAs, 

LAs, EIS providers, schools, and 

families) to ensure that there are 

systems in place to support the use of 

high-quality practices for educating 

children with deaf-blindness; 

(iv) Its proposed approach to 

intensive, sustained TA,7 which must 

identify— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services under this approach; 

(B) Its proposed approach to measure 

the readiness of State Deaf-Blind 

Projects to work with the proposed 

project, including their commitment to 

the initiative, alignment of the initiative 

to their needs, current infrastructure, 

available resources, and ability to build 

capacity at the local district and EIS 

program level; 

(C) Its proposed plan for assisting 

State Deaf-Blind Projects to build 

training systems that include 

professional development based on 

adult learning principles and coaching; 

(D) The process by which the 

proposed project will collaborate with 

OSEP-funded centers (see 

www.osepideasthatwork.org/find-centeror-grant/find-a-center) and other 

federally funded TA centers to develop 

and implement a coordinated TA plan 

when they are involved in a State; 

(E) The process by which the 

proposed project will ensure the use of 

effective TA practices and continuously 

evaluate the practices to improve the 

delivery of TA; 

(6) Develop products and implement 

services that maximize efficiency. To 

address this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) How the proposed project will use 

technology to achieve the intended 

project outcomes; 


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8The major tasks of CIP3 are to guide, coordinate, 

and oversee the design of formative evaluations for 

every large discretionary investment (i.e., those 

awarded $500,000 or more per year and required to 

participate in the 3+2 process) in OSEP’s Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination; Personnel 

Development; Parent Training and Information 

Centers; and Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials programs. The efforts of CIP3 are expected 

to enhance individual project evaluation plans by 

providing expert and unbiased TA in designing the 

evaluations with due consideration of the project’s 

budget. CIP3 does not function as a third-party 

evaluator. 

(ii) With whom the proposed project 

will collaborate and the intended 

outcomes of this collaboration; and 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

use non-project resources to achieve the 

intended project outcomes. 

(c) In the narrative section of the 

application under ‘‘Quality of the 

Evaluation Plan,’’ include an evaluation 

plan for the project as described in the 

following paragraphs. The evaluation 

plan must describe: measures of 

progress in implementation, including 

the criteria for determining the extent to 

which the project’s products and 

services have met the goals for reaching 

the project’s target population; measures 

of intended outcomes or results of the 

project’s activities in order to evaluate 

those activities; and how well the goals 

or objectives of the proposed project, as 

described in its logic model, have been 

met. 

The applicant must provide an 

assurance that, in designing the 

evaluation plan, it will— 

(1) Designate, with the approval of the 

OSEP project officer, a project liaison 

staff person with sufficient dedicated 

time, experience in evaluation, and 

knowledge of the project to work in 

collaboration with the Center to 

Improve Program and Project 

Performance (CIP3),8 the project 

director, and the OSEP project officer on 

the following tasks: 

(i) Revise, as needed, the logic model 

submitted in the grant application to 

provide for a more comprehensive 

measurement of implementation and 

outcomes and to reflect any changes or 

clarifications to the model discussed at 

the kick-off meeting; 

(ii) Refine the evaluation design and 

instrumentation proposed in the grant 

application consistent with the logic 

model (e.g., prepare evaluation 

questions about significant program 

processes and outcomes; develop 

quantitative or qualitative data 

collections that permit both the 

collection of progress data, including 

fidelity of implementation, as 

appropriate, and the assessment of 

project outcomes; and identify analytic 

strategies); and 

(iii) Revise, as needed, the evaluation 

plan submitted in the grant application 

such that it clearly— 

(A) Specifies the measures and 

associated instruments or sources for 

data appropriate to the evaluation 

questions, suggests analytic strategies 

for those data, provides a timeline for 

conducting the evaluation, and includes 

staff assignments for completion of the 

plan; 

(B) Delineates the data expected to be 

available by the end of the second 

project year for use during the project’s 

evaluation (3+2 review) for continued 

funding described under the heading 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project; 

and 

(C) Can be used to assist the project 

director and the OSEP project officer, 

with the assistance of CIP3, as needed, 

to specify the performance measures to 

be addressed in the project’s Annual 

Performance Report; 

(2) Cooperate with CIP3 staff in order 

to accomplish the tasks described in 

paragraph (1) of this section; and 

(3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each 

budget year to cover the costs of 

carrying out the tasks described in 

paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section 

and implementing the evaluation plan. 

(d) Demonstrate in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Adequacy of Project Resources,’’ 

how— 

(1) The proposed project will 

encourage 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, as appropriate; 

(2) The proposed key project 

personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors have the qualifications 

and experience to carry out the 

proposed activities and achieve the 

project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The applicant and any key 

partners have adequate resources to 

carry out the proposed activities; and 

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable 

in relation to the anticipated results and 

benefits. 

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the Management Plan,’’ 

how— 

(1) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the project’s intended 

outcomes will be achieved on time and 

within budget. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for 

key project personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors, as applicable; and 

(ii) Timelines and milestones for 

accomplishing the project tasks; 

(2) Key project personnel and any 

consultants and subcontractors will be 

allocated and how these allocations are 

appropriate and adequate to achieve the 

project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the products and 

services provided are of high quality, 

relevant, and useful to recipients; and 

(4) The proposed project will benefit 

from a diversity of perspectives, 

including those of families, educators, 

TA providers, doctoral and postdoctoral scholars, researchers, and 

policy makers, among others, in its 

development and operation. 

(f) Address the following application 

requirements. The applicant must— 

(1) Include, in Appendix A, 

personnel-loading charts and timelines, 

as applicable, to illustrate the 

management plan described in the 

narrative; 

(2) Include, in the budget, attendance 

at the following: 

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off 

meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt 

of the award, and an annual planning 

meeting. 

Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the 

award, a post-award teleconference 

must be held between the OSEP project 

officer and the grantee’s project director 

or other authorized representative; 

(ii) A two and one-half day project 

directors’ conference in Washington, 

DC, during each year of the project 

period; 

(iii) Four annual two-day trips to 

attend Department briefings, 

Department-sponsored conferences, and 

other meetings, as requested by OSEP; 

and 

(iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review 

meeting in Washington, DC, during the 

last half of the second year of the project 

period; 

(3) Include, in the budget, a line item 

for an annual set-aside of five percent of 

the grant amount to support emerging 

needs that are consistent with the 

proposed project’s intended outcomes, 

as those needs are identified in 

consultation with and approved by the 

OSEP project officer. With approval 

from the OSEP project officer, the 

project must reallocate any remaining 

funds from this annual set-aside no later 

than the end of the third quarter of each 

budget period; 

(4) Maintain a high-quality website, 

with an easy to navigate design, that 

meets government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility; 

and 

(5) Include, in Appendix A, an 

assurance to assist OSEP with the 


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9The National Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination Center for Children Who Are DeafBlind (CFDA number 84.326T) (National Center) is 

not subject to this limitation on recovery of indirect 

costs. 

transfer of pertinent resources and 

products and to maintain the continuity 

of services to States during the 

transition to this new award period and 

at the end of this award period, as 

appropriate. 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project: 

In deciding whether to continue 

funding the project for the fourth and 

fifth years, the Secretary will consider 

the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), as 

well as— 

(a) The recommendation of a 3+2 

review team consisting of experts 

selected by the Secretary. This review 

will be conducted during a one-day 

intensive meeting that will be held 

during the last half of the second year 

of the project period; 

(b) The timeliness with which, and 

how well, the requirements of the 

negotiated cooperative agreement have 

been or are being met by the project; and 

(c) The quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of the project’s products and 

services and the extent to which the 

project’s products and services are 

aligned with the project’s objectives and 

likely to result in the project achieving 

its intended outcomes. 

Requirement: 

This requirement is from the notice of 

final requirement for this program 

published elsewhere in this issue of the 

Federal Register. 

This requirement is: 

Allowable indirect costs. 

A grantee under Focus Area A may 

recover the lesser of (a) its actual 

indirect costs as determined by the 

grantee’s negotiated indirect cost rate 

agreement and (b) 10 percent of its 

modified total direct costs. If a grantee’s 

allocable indirect costs exceed 10 

percent of its modified total direct costs, 

the grantee may not recoup the excess 

by shifting the cost to other grants or 

contracts with the U.S. Government, 

unless specifically authorized by 

legislation. The grantee must use nonFederal revenue sources to pay for such 

unrecovered costs.9

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, 

1463 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. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

79 apply to all applicants except 

federally recognized Indian Tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

86 apply to institutions of higher 

education (IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants 

(Focus Area A) and cooperative 

agreement (Focus Area B). 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$11,600,000. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2019 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: Focus 

Area A: See chart. Focus Area B: 

$2,100,000. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

Focus Area A: $176,000. Focus Area B: 

$2,100,000. 

Maximum Award: Focus Area A: The 

following chart lists the maximum 

amount of funds for individual States 

and for a single budget period of 12 

months. We will not make an award 

exceeding funding levels listed in this 

notice for individual States, or the 

combined funding levels listed in this 

notice for each State member of a 

consortium, for any single budget period 

of 12 months. A State may be served by 

only one supported project. In 

determining the maximum funding 

levels for each State, the Secretary 

considered, among other things, the 

following factors: 

(1) The total number of children from 

birth through age 21 in the State. 

(2) The number of people in poverty 

in the State. 

(3) The previous funding levels. 

(4) The maximum and minimum 

funding amounts. 

FY 2018 FUNDING LEVELS BY STATE

FOR FOCUS AREA A 

Alabama ................................ $166,115 

Alaska ................................... 128,365 

FY 2018 FUNDING LEVELS BY STATE

FOR FOCUS AREA A—Continued 

Arizona .................................. 202,901 

Arkansas ............................... 110,361 

California ............................... 575,000 

Colorado ............................... 157,744 

Connecticut ........................... 97,635 

Delaware ............................... 65,000 

District of Columbia .............. 65,000 

Florida ................................... 434,432 

Georgia ................................. 318,872 

Hawaii ................................... 65,000 

Idaho ..................................... 87,919 

Illinois .................................... 343,838 

Indiana .................................. 209,276 

Iowa ...................................... 98,560 

Kansas .................................. 117,638 

Kentucky ............................... 150,359 

Louisiana .............................. 152,797 

Maine .................................... 65,000 

Maryland ............................... 159,571 

Massachusetts ...................... 151,993 

Michigan ............................... 277,384 

Minnesota ............................. 164,824 

Mississippi ............................ 120,638 

Missouri ................................ 186,755 

Montana ................................ 121,361 

Nebraska .............................. 83,096 

Nevada ................................. 112,911 

New Hampshire .................... 65,000 

New Jersey ........................... 248,332 

New Mexico .......................... 107,917 

New York .............................. 545,625 

North Carolina ...................... 311,011 

North Dakota ........................ 78,000 

Ohio ...................................... 300,219 

Oklahoma ............................. 135,957 

Oregon .................................. 122,163 

Pacific ** ................................ 92,000 

Pennsylvania ........................ 350,902 

Puerto Rico ........................... 65,000 

Rhode Island ........................ 65,000 

South Carolina ...................... 148,136 

South Dakota ........................ 99,365 

Tennessee ............................ 219,460 

Texas .................................... 575,000 

Utah ...................................... 110,447 

Vermont ................................ 71,451 

Virgin Islands ........................ 30,000 

Virginia .................................. 236,230 

Washington ........................... 194,458 

West Virginia ........................ 91,987 

Wisconsin ............................. 167,994 

Wyoming ............................... 78,000 

** The areas to be served by this award are 

the outlying areas of American Samoa, Guam, 

and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as the freely associated 

States of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

the Federated States of Micronesia, and the 

Republic of Palau. An applicant for this award 

must propose to serve all of these areas. 

Focus Area B: We will not make an 

award exceeding 2,100,000 for any 

single budget period of 12 months. 

Note: The Assistant Secretary for 

Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services may change the maximum 

amount through a notice published in 

the Federal Register. 

Estimated Number of Awards: Focus 

Area A: 54. Focus Area B: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 


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Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, 

including public charter schools that are 

considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; 

other public agencies; private nonprofit 

organizations; freely associated States 

and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or 

Tribal organizations; and for-profit 

organizations. Because the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs is not a State, it will not 

be eligible for a State grant under this 

priority. 

With respect to Focus Area A of the 

priority, in order to provide SEAs with 

greater flexibility in how TA is 

delivered and ensure high-quality TA, 

individual States have the following 

options: (1) Participating as a member of 

a multi-State consortium; or (2) 

applying directly for funds as a single 

State. Therefore, eligible applicants for 

funds awarded under Focus Area A of 

this absolute priority may be an entity 

serving a multi-State consortium, or a 

single State. 

Eligible applicants under Focus Area 

A are invited to submit single-State or 

consortium applications to provide 

deaf-blind TA services to individual 

States, as they have done in the past. If 

a State is included in more than one 

application as a member of a consortium 

or submits an individual State 

application, and more than one 

application is determined to be fundable 

for the State, the State will be given the 

option to choose the award (individual 

State or consortium) under which it will 

receive funding. A State may not be 

funded under multiple awards. The 

maximum level of funding for a 

consortium will reflect the combined 

total that the eligible entities comprising 

the consortium would have received if 

they had applied separately. For States 

within a consortium, each State must 

receive services consistent with its 

identified funding level. 

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 

program 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. However, under 34 CFR 

79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental 

review in order to make awards by the 

end of FY 2018. 

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 70 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 (30 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: 

(i) The significance of the problem or 

issue to be addressed by the proposed 

project. 

(ii) The extent to which the proposed 

project is likely to build local capacity 

to provide, improve, or expand services 

that address the needs of the target 

population. 

(b) Quality of project services (30 

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 addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the services to 

be provided by the proposed project are 

appropriate to the needs of the intended 

recipients or beneficiaries of those 

services. 

(ii) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(iii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

reflect up-to-date knowledge from 

research and effective practice. 

(iv) 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. 

(v) The extent to which the technical 

assistance services to be provided by the 

proposed project involve the use of 

efficient strategies, including the use of 

technology, as appropriate, and the 

leveraging of non-project resources. 

(c) Quality of the project evaluation 

(15 points). 


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(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 methods 

of evaluation are appropriate to the 

context within which the project 

operates. 

(d) Adequacy of resources (15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources for the proposed 

project. 

(2) In determining the adequacy of 

resources for the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(i) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of the 

project director or principal 

investigator. 

(ii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel. 

(iii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of 

project consultants or subcontractors. 

(iv) The extent to which the costs are 

reasonable in relation to the objectives, 

design, and potential significance of the 

proposed project. 

(e) Quality of the management plan 

(10 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the management plan for the 

proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(i) 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. 

(ii) 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. 

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 (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 

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 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Notices 42275 

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 the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993, the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures, including long-term 

measures, that are designed to yield 

information on various aspects of the 

effectiveness and quality of the 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

to Improve Services and Results for 

Children With Disabilities program. 

These measures are: 

• Program Performance Measure #1: 

The percentage of Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination products and 

services deemed to be of high quality by 

an independent review panel of experts 

qualified to review the substantive 

content of the products and services. 

• Program Performance Measure #2: 

The percentage of Special Education 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

products and services deemed by an 

independent review panel of qualified 

experts to be of high relevance to 

educational and early intervention 

policy or practice. 

• Program Performance Measure #3: 

The percentage of all Special Education 

Technical Assistance and Dissemination 

products and services deemed by an 

independent review panel of qualified 

experts to be useful to improve 

educational or early intervention policy 

or practice. 

• Program Performance Measure #4: 

The cost efficiency of the Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Program 

includes the percentage of milestones 

achieved in the current annual 

performance report period and the 

percentage of funds spent during the 

current fiscal year. 

• Long-term Program Performance 

Measure: The percentage of States 

receiving Special Education Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination services 

regarding scientifically or evidencebased practices for infants, toddlers, 

children, and youth with disabilities 

that successfully promote the 

implementation of those practices in 

school districts and service agencies. 

The measures apply to projects 

funded under this competition, and 

grantees are required to submit data on 

these measures as directed by OSEP. 

Grantees will be required to report 

information on their project’s 

performance in annual and final 

performance reports to the Department 

(34 CFR 75.590). 

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: August 16, 2018. 

Johnny W. Collett, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2018–18026 Filed 8–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

The Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Capital Financing 

Advisory Board; Meeting 

AGENCY: Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Capital Financing Board, 

Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. 

Department of Education. 

ACTION: Announcement of an open 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the 

agenda, time, and location of an 

upcoming open meeting of the 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Capital Financing Advisory 

Board (Board). Notice of this meeting is 

required by Section 10(a)(2) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act and is 

intended to notify the public of the 

opportunity to attend. 

DATES: The Board meeting will be held 

on Wednesday, September 19, 2018, 

9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Eastern Time, at 

Room 1W128, Lyndon Baines Johnson 

Building, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Adam H. Kissel, Deputy Assistant 

Secretary for Higher Education 

Programs and the Designated Federal 

Official for the Board, U.S. Department 

of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue 

SW, Washington, DC 20202; telephone: 

(202) 453–6808; email: Adam.Kissel@

ed.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Capital Financing Advisory 

Board’s Statutory Authority and 

Function: The Historically Black 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES