Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 13315 

1Some States and organizations have defined 

‘‘person-centered,’’ as used in this notice, to 

Continued 

INFORMATION CONTACT section. Each page 

of the comment or statement must 

include the author’s name, title or 

affiliation, address, and daytime phone 

number. The DFO will review all 

submitted written comments or 

statements and provide them to 

members of the Board for their 

consideration. Written comments or 

statements being submitted in response 

to the agenda set forth in this notice 

must be received by the DFO at least 

five business days prior to the meeting 

to be considered by the Board. The DFO 

will review all timely submitted written 

comments or statements with the Board 

Chairperson and ensure the comments 

are provided to all members of the 

Board before the meeting. Written 

comments or statements received after 

this date may not be provided to the 

Board until its next meeting. 

Verbal Comments: Pursuant to 41 CFR 

102–3.140d, the Board is not obligated 

to allow a member of the public to speak 

or otherwise address the Board during 

the meeting. Members of the public will 

be permitted to make verbal comments 

during the Board meeting only at the 

time and in the manner described 

below. If a member of the public is 

interested in making a verbal comment 

at the open meeting, that individual 

must submit a request, with a brief 

statement of the subject matter to be 

addressed by the comment, at least five 

business days in advance to the Board’s 

DFO, via electronic mail, the preferred 

mode of submission, at the address 

listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section. The DFO will log each 

request, in the order received, and in 

consultation with the Board Chair, 

determine whether the subject matter of 

each comment is relevant to the Board’s 

mission and/or the topics to be 

addressed in this public meeting. A 30- 

minute period near the end of the 

meeting will be available for verbal 

public comments. Members of the 

public who have requested to make a 

verbal comment, and whose comments 

have been deemed relevant under the 

process described above, will be allotted 

no more than five minutes during this 

period, and will be invited to speak in 

the order in which their requests were 

received by the DFO. 

David B. Olson, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, Corps of 

Engineers. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03585 Filed 2–21–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination To Improve Services 

and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—National Center on 

Rigorous Comprehensive Education 

for Students With Disabilities 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2024 for a National Center on 

Rigorous Comprehensive Education for 

Students with Disabilities, Assistance 

Listing Number 84.326C. This notice 

relates to the approved information 

collection under OMB control number 

1820–0028. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: February 22, 

2024. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 22, 2024. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: June 21, 2024. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: 

No later than February 27, 2024, OSERS 

will post pre-recorded informational 

webinars designed to provide technical 

assistance (TA) to interested applicants. 

Links to the webinars may be found at 

https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

osep/new-osep-grants.html. 

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 December 7, 2022 

(87 FR 75045) and available at 

www.federalregister.gov/d/2022–26554. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Emenheiser, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 4A10, Washington, DC 20202. 

Telephone: (202) 987–0124. Email: 

David.Emenheiser@ed.gov. 

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or 

have a speech disability and wish to 

access telecommunications relay 

services, please dial 7–1–1. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program is to promote academic 

achievement and to improve results for 

children with disabilities by providing 

TA, supporting model demonstration 

projects, disseminating useful 

information, and implementing 

activities that are supported by 

scientifically based research. 

Priority: This competition includes 

one absolute priority. In accordance 

with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this 

priority is from allowable activities 

specified in the statute (see sections 663 

and 681(d) of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 

U.S.C. 1463 and 1481(d)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2024 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: 

The National Center on Rigorous 

Comprehensive Education for Students 

with Disabilities. 

Background: 

Students receiving special education 

and related services are general 

education students first and foremost. In 

the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA, 

Congress found that ‘‘[a]n effective 

educational system serving students 

with disabilities should maintain high 

academic achievement standards and 

clear performance goals for children 

with disabilities, consistent with the 

standards and expectations for all 

students in the educational system and 

provide for appropriate and effective 

strategies and methods to ensure that all 

children with disabilities have the 

opportunity to achieve those standards 

and goals.’’ 20 U.S.C. 1450(4)(A). ‘‘Raise 

the Bar: Lead the World is the U.S. 

Department of Education’s call to action 

to transform P–12 education and unite 

around what truly works—based on 

decades of experience and research—to 

advance educational equity and 

excellence’’ (www.ed.gov/raisethebar/), 

including for students with disabilities. 

Through the Raise the Bar initiative, the 

Department seeks to focus attention to 

‘‘deliver a comprehensive and rigorous 

education for every student.’’ Currently, 

students with disabilities too frequently 

lack access to a rigorous comprehensive 

education and remain under-challenged 

to achieve and progress from grade to 

grade (Cole et al., 2023). 

A cornerstone of special education 

under IDEA is a free appropriate public 

education (FAPE) in the least restrictive 

environment (LRE). It is through highquality person-centered 1 individualized 


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13316 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 

reference when students and their families are 

actively sought to participate in their schooling, 

including IEP development and implementation, 

the course of study, and related and transition 

services, however this term is still developing in the 

field. The discussions and decisions leading to a 

person-centered program are founded upon the 

unique school, extracurricular, and post-secondary 

strengths, interests, and goals of the student and 

their family. 

2For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘evidencebased’’ means, at a minimum, evidence that 

demonstrates a rationale (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) 

based on high-quality research findings or positive 

evaluation that such activity, strategy, or 

intervention is likely to improve student outcomes 

or other relevant outcomes. 

education programs (IEPs) that local 

educational agencies (LEAs) and schools 

plan and deliver evidence-based 

instruction, supports, and services to 

students with disabilities to provide 

FAPE in the LRE. However, States, 

LEAs, and schools continue to face 

significant challenges with providing 

FAPE, including person-centered, 

rigorous, and specially designed 

instruction and service delivery. Recent 

research indicates that the majority of 

IEPs are incomplete and lack 

substantive sufficiency of the statement 

of present levels of performance, which 

is the crucial initial component of a 

person-centered IEP (e.g., Hott et al., 

2021; Lequia et al., 2023). Although 

LEA, school-level, and classroom-level 

programming directly influence student 

outcomes, school teams are often too 

overwhelmed to implement the many 

projects, priorities, curricula, 

frameworks, and initiatives they are 

tasked to do (Wong et al., 2017). Schools 

end up piecing together multiple 

competing and fragmented priorities, 

instructional materials, and programs 

(Kaufman et al., 2020). 

Schools have supported students’ 

academic recovery in post-COVID 

schooling through accelerated learning, 

compensatory education, mental health 

supports, trauma-informed practices, 

and other activities (Page et al., 2021), 

but study findings suggest that the 

pandemic worsened existing inequity 

(Kuhfeld et al., 2022). As a result, LEAs 

and schools often struggle to address the 

needs of students with disabilities. 

School personnel need strategies, 

resources, and supports to assist them in 

streamlining, braiding, blending, and 

integrating instructional materials, 

standards, initiatives, frameworks, 

priorities, and practices into 

comprehensive and rigorous 

programming, which can result in 

increased and improved access, 

opportunities, and outcomes for 

students with disabilities as a whole 

and among subpopulations (e.g., 

disability category, age, grade, gender, 

race, ethnicity). 

The current instructional 

environment is further challenged when 

novice and underqualified personnel 

provide instruction and services to 

students with disabilities, serve on IEP 

teams, and manage caseloads of 

students with disabilities (Garcia et al., 

2019). The National Center for 

Education Statistics (NCES) data show 

that 45 percent of public schools are 

operating without a full teaching staff 

(https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/), with 

special education positions 

disproportionately vacant, and 52 

percent report great difficulty in filling 

vacancies by teachers with the 

appropriate certification or license. 

Additionally, all school professionals, 

including special education and general 

education personnel, should have a 

strong understanding of their roles on 

school teams to develop rigorous IEPs 

and to implement instruction and 

service delivery consistent with 

students’ IEPs (Lequia et al., 2023). 

Teams must work together to develop 

and implement rigorous and 

comprehensive educational 

programming that allows students with 

disabilities to meet person-centered, 

rigorous objectives across the school’s 

curricular, co-curricular, and 

extracurricular offerings. 

Taken together, these challenges 

indicate the local context remains both 

unique from LEA to LEA and crucial to 

the programming offered, the objectives 

identified, and the services and 

supports needed to overcome the 

challenges and meet the objectives. To 

assist in addressing them, this project 

will develop and disseminate models 

and resources and provide TA to school 

teams to support the development and 

implementation of a rigorous and 

comprehensive education, which will 

result in improved educational results 

and functional outcomes for students 

with disabilities. 

Priority: 

The purpose of this priority is to fund 

a cooperative agreement to establish and 

operate a National Center on Rigorous 

Comprehensive Education for Students 

with Disabilities (project). The project 

will assist public, private, charter, 

Tribal, and correctional school teams, 

including administration, general and 

special education, related services, 

families, the community, and, to the 

extent possible, students, to increase the 

number and quality of evidence-based 2

IEPs with person-centered, rigorous 

objectives, the implementation of which 

will support the progress of students 

with disabilities from grade to grade and 

preparation for postsecondary 

education, employment, and 

community living. 

The project must achieve, at a 

minimum, the following expected 

outcomes: 

(a) Support of school teams to achieve 

consistent implementation of personcentered specially designed instruction, 

related services, and accommodations 

consistent with the students’ IEPs and 

through use of evidence-based and best 

instructional practices to allow students 

with disabilities to achieve personcentered, rigorous objectives; 

(b) Development and use of models 

for streamlining, braiding, blending, and 

integrating instructional materials, 

standards, initiatives, frameworks, 

priorities, and practices into a cohesive 

school-wide program easing 

professional burden while 

simultaneously raising school team 

expectations of students with 

disabilities to achieve person-centered, 

rigorous objectives; 

(c) Development and increased use of 

evidence-based strategies, resources, 

and supports that allow schools to 

provide rigorous educational 

programming to prepare students with 

disabilities for postsecondary education, 

employment, and community living; 

and 

(d) Support of school teams to achieve 

improved equity of access, 

opportunities, achievement, attainment, 

and outcomes, including academic 

achievement and social, emotional, and 

behavioral development by students 

with disabilities as a whole group and 

among disaggregated groups. 

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,’’ how the proposed 

project will— 

(1) Identify and address the 

challenges to forming and sustaining 

effective school teams that include 

administration, general and special 

education personnel, related services 

providers, families, the community, and 

students; 

(2) Identify and address the 

challenges facing public, private, 

charter, Tribal, and correctional school 

teams in their substantive and 

procedural implementation of 

educational programming for children 

with disabilities; and 

(3) Apply evidence-based strategies 

and best practices that will effectively 

address the nature and magnitude of the 

challenges, described in response to 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 13317 

3 ‘‘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 onetime, 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. 

4 ‘‘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. 

5 ‘‘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. 

paragraphs (a)(1) and (2), within a 

variety of schools, LEAs, and 

community contexts. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of 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; and 

(ii) Ensure that services and products 

meet the needs of the intended 

recipients of the project services; 

(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 34 CFR 77.1) by which 

the proposed project will achieve the 

expected outcomes and 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: https://

osepideasthatwork.org/sites/default/ 

files/2021-12/ConceptualFramework_

Updated.pdf and 

www.osepideasthatwork.org/resourcesgrantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tadproject-logic-model-and-conceptualframework. 

(4) Be based on current research and 

make use of evidence-based practices 

(EBPs). To meet this requirement, the 

applicant must describe— 

(i) The current research and practices 

on developing, implementing, 

evaluating, and improving rigorous 

comprehensive education for students 

with disabilities to progress grade to 

grade and be ready for postsecondary 

education, employment, and 

community living; 

(ii) The current research and practices 

about adult learning principles and 

implementation science that will inform 

the proposed product development, 

training, and TA; 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

incorporate current research and 

practices in the development and 

delivery of its products and services; 

and 

(iv) How the proposed project will 

transfer the pertinent resources and 

products developed by the PROGRESS 

Center (www.promotingprogress.org) 

and maintain the continuity of services 

to their TA recipients as part of the 

transition to a new award, as 

appropriate; 

(5) Develop products and provide 

services that are of high quality and 

sufficient intensity and duration, 

responsive to the users’ changing 

capacity, to achieve the intended 

outcomes of the proposed project. To 

address this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) How it proposes to identify or 

develop the knowledge base regarding— 

(A) Defining and operationalizing 

high expectations for students with 

disabilities, and supporting the 

students, their families, and the 

professionals working with them to 

strive to meet the high expectations; 

(B) Clarifying the appropriate use of 

EBPs by disaggregating the research 

evidence of effectiveness among diverse 

settings and populations, such as areas 

with low and high population densities, 

diverse levels of wealth and poverty, 

and underserved populations, such as 

populations of color, homeless, food 

insecure, migrant, and justice-involved 

populations; 

(C) Clarifying roles and strengthening 

meaningful participation of 

administrators, general educators, 

special educators, related service 

providers, and others to set high 

expectations and person-centered, 

rigorous objectives; 

(D) Building capacity of school teams 

to leverage expertise of all school and 

LEA personnel, families, students, and 

community members in providing 

instruction, supports, and services so 

that students with disabilities progress 

from grade to grade and are prepared for 

postsecondary education, employment, 

and community living; 

(E) Building and sustaining 

community partnerships among schools, 

community-based programs, child and 

youth associations, and places of 

worship, among others, to establish, 

strengthen, and sustain rigorous 

comprehensive education within 

various community contexts; and 

(F) Allocating resources effectively 

and efficiently, including personnel 

who are qualified to serve students with 

disabilities but are currently not in 

special education positions (e.g., dual 

certified teachers); 

(ii) Its proposed approach to 

universal, general TA,3 which must 

describe— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services; 

(B) The products and services that the 

project proposes to make available; 

(C) How it proposes to develop and 

maintain a high-quality website, with an 

easy-to-navigate design, that meets or 

exceeds government- or industryrecognized standards for accessibility; 

and 

(D) The expected reach and impact of 

universal, general TA; 

(iii) The proposed approach to 

targeted, specialized TA,4 which must 

describe— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services; 

(B) The products and services that the 

project proposes to make available; and 

(C) The expected impact of targeted, 

specialized TA; 

(iv) Its proposed approach to 

intensive, sustained TA,5 which must 

describe— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients from a variety of settings and 

geographic distributions, that will 

receive the intensive, sustained TA 

products and services designed to 

impact the number and quality of IEPs 

with person-centered, rigorous 


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13318 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 

6For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘underserved 

families’’ refers to foster, kinship, migrant, 

technologically unconnected, and military- or 

veteran-connected families; and families of color, 

living in poverty, without documentation of 

immigration status, experiencing homelessness or 

housing insecurity, or impacted by the justice 

system, including the juvenile justice system. 

Underserved families also refers to families that 

include: members of a federally or State recognized 

Indian Tribe; English learners; adults who 

experience a disability; members who are lesbian, 

gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, or 

intersex (LGBTQI+); adults in need of improving 

their basic skills or with limited literacy; and 

disconnected adults. 

7A ‘‘third-party’’ evaluator is an independent and 

impartial program evaluator who is contracted by 

the grantee to conduct an objective evaluation of the 

project. This evaluator must not have participated 

in the development or implementation of any 

project activities, except for the evaluation 

activities, nor have any financial interest in the 

outcome of the evaluation. 

objectives that support the progress of 

students with disabilities from grade to 

grade and preparation for postsecondary 

education, employment, and 

community living; 

(B) The proposed approach to 

determine the readiness, capacity, and 

commitment of the— 

(1) Project to engage specific LEA and 

school teams—that include 

administration, general and special 

education personnel, related services 

providers, families, and the 

community—in a manner that is 

responsive to the local context (as 

described in the Background section of 

this notice), giving special attention to 

engage those LEAs and schools with the 

greatest need for support; 

(2) Public, private, charter, Tribal, and 

correctional LEA and school teams to 

specify the scope and duration of 

intensive work to effect change of 

policies, programs, and operations and 

allocate the resources; and 

(3) Project, LEA, and school teams to 

allocate the resources to implement the 

TA plan and measure and evaluate the 

improvement, spread, and sustainment 

of the new policies, programs, and 

operations at the district and school 

levels, and among disaggregated 

populations; and 

(C) The expected impact of intensive, 

sustained TA; and 

(v) How the proposed project will 

intentionally engage families of children 

with disabilities and individuals with 

disabilities—including underserved 

families 6 and individuals—in the 

development, implementation, and 

evaluation of its products and services 

across all levels 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; 

(ii) The organizations with which the 

proposed project will collaborate, three 

of which must be the FY 2023 funded 

National Center for Innovative 

Development of Educational 

Approaches for Leaders, National Center 

on Intensive Interventions, and National 

Center for Systemic Improvement, and 

the intended outcomes of the 

collaboration; and 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

use non-project resources to achieve the 

intended project outcomes, including 

the dissemination of pertinent products 

developed by other Department-funded 

projects; and 

(7) How the project will 

systematically disseminate information, 

products, and services to varied 

intended audiences. To address this 

requirement the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) The variety of dissemination 

strategies the project will use 

throughout the five years of the project 

to promote awareness and use of its 

products and services; 

(ii) How the project will tailor 

dissemination strategies across all 

planned levels of TA to ensure that 

products and services reach intended 

recipients and those recipients can 

access and use those products and 

services; 

(iii) How the project’s dissemination 

plan is connected to the proposed 

outcomes of the project; and 

(iv) How the project will ensure, by 

evaluating and, when necessary, 

correcting, all digital products and 

external communications meet or 

exceed government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility. 

(c) In the narrative section of the 

application under ‘‘Quality of the 

project evaluation,’’ include an 

evaluation plan for the project 

developed in consultation with and 

implemented by a third-party 

evaluator.7 The evaluation plan must— 

(1) Articulate formative, diagnostic, 

and summative evaluation questions, 

including important process and 

outcome evaluation questions, the 

answers to which provide evidence of 

the success and impact of the project 

reaching the outcomes listed in this 

notice. These questions must be related 

to the project’s proposed logic model 

required in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this 

notice; 

(2) Describe how resources, costs, 

progress, and fidelity of 

implementation, as well as project 

outcomes, will be measured to answer 

the evaluation questions. In measuring 

progress of implementation across all 

levels of TA, the plan must include 

criteria for determining the extent to 

which the project’s products and 

services reached intended recipients, 

data on how recipients use the products 

and services, and the impact of the 

products and services. Data collected 

must include feedback from recipients. 

The plan must also specify the measures 

and associated instruments or sources 

for data appropriate to the evaluation 

questions and include information 

regarding reliability and validity of 

measures where appropriate; 

(3) Describe strategies for analyzing 

data and how data collected as part of 

this plan will be used— 

(i) To inform and improve service 

delivery and efficiency over the course 

of the project; 

(ii) To refine the proposed logic 

model and evaluation plan, including 

subsequent data collection; and 

(iii) To report formative and 

summative project performance; and 

(4) Provide a timeline for conducting 

the evaluation and include staff 

assignments for completing the plan. 

The timeline must indicate that the data 

will be available annually for the annual 

performance report (APR) and at the end 

of Year 2 for the review process 

described under the heading, Fourth 

and Fifth Years of the Project; and 

(5) Dedicate sufficient funds in each 

budget year to cover the costs of 

developing or refining the evaluation 

plan in consultation with a third-party 

evaluator, as well as the costs associated 

with the implementation of the 

evaluation plan by the third-party 

evaluator. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Adequacy of resources and quality of 

project personnel,’’ 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; 

(4) The proposed project will have 

processes, resources, and funds in place 

to provide equitable access for project 

staff, contractors, and partners who 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 13319 

8For information about digital accessibility and 

accessibility standards from Section 508 of the 

Rehabilitation Act, visit https://osepideasthat

work.org/resources-grantees/508-resources. 

require digital accessibility 

accommodations; 8 and 

(5) 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, 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 in Washington, DC, with the 

OSEP project officer and other relevant 

staff during each subsequent year of the 

project period. 

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 three-day project directors’ 

conference in Washington, DC, during 

each year of the project period; 

(iii) Two 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 

second year of the project period; 

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

for an annual set-aside of 5 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) Describe how the project will 

engage doctoral students or postdoctoral fellows, including those who 

are multilingual and racially, ethnically, 

and culturally diverse, in the project to 

increase the number of future leaders in 

the field who are knowledgeable about 

special education leadership, 

knowledge development, TA, and 

Department-funded projects; 

(5) Provide an assurance that it will 

post its annual project progress toward 

meeting project goals on the project 

website; and 

(6) Include, in Appendix A, an 

assurance to assist OSEP with the 

transfer of pertinent resources and 

products and to maintain the continuity 

of services to LEAs and schools during 

the transition to a new award 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), 

including— 

(a) The recommendations of a 3+2 

review team consisting of experts with 

knowledge and experience in school 

administration, special education 

leadership, TA, and project evaluation. 

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. 

Under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary 

may reduce continuation awards or 

discontinue awards in any year of the 

project period for excessive carryover 

balances or a failure to make substantial 

progress. The Department intends to 

closely monitor unobligated balances 

and substantial progress under this 

program and may reduce or discontinue 

funding accordingly. 

References 

Cole, S.M., Murphy, H.R., Frisby, M.B., & 

Robinson, J. (2023). The relationship 

between special education placement 

and high school outcomes. Journal of 

Special Education, 57(1), 13–23. https:// 

doi.org/10.1177/00224669221097945. 

Garcia, E., & Weiss, E. (2019). The teacher 

shortage is real, large and growing, and 

worse than we thought. The first report 

in ‘‘The Perfect Storm in the Teacher 

Labor Market’’ series. Economic Policy 

Institute. https://files.epi.org/pdf/ 

163651.pdf. 

Hott, B.L., Jones, B.A., Randolph, K.M., 

Kuntz, E., McKenna, J.W., & Brigham, 

F.J. (2021). Lessons learned from a 

descriptive review of rural 

individualized education programs. 

Journal of Special Education, 55(3), 163– 

173. https://doi.org/10.1177/

0022466920972670. 

Kaufman, J.H., Doan, S., Tuma, A.P., Woo, 

A., Henry, D., & Lawrence, R.A. (2020). 

How instructional materials are used 

and supported in U.S. K–12 classrooms: 

Findings from the 2019 American 

Instructional Resources Survey. RAND 

Corporation. https://doi.org/10.7249/ 

rra134-1. 

Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., Lewis, K., Ruzek, E., 

& Johnson, A. (2022). The COVID–19 

school year: Learning and recovery 

across 2020–2021. AERA Open, 8. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/

23328584221099306. 

Lequia, J.L., Vincent, L.B., Lyons, G.L., 

Asmus, J.M., & Carter, E.W. (2023). 

Individualized education programs of 

high school students with significant 

disabilities. Education & Training in 

Autism & Developmental Disabilities, 

58(1), 22–35. 

Page, E., Leonard-Kane, R., Kashefpakdel, E., 

Riggall, A., & Guerriero, S. (2021). 

Learning loss, learning gains and 

wellbeing: A rapid evidence assessment. 

Education Development Trust. 

Wong, V.W., Ruble, L.A., Yu, Y., & McGrew, 

J.H. (2017). Too stressed to teach? 

Teaching quality, student engagement, 

and IEP outcomes. Exceptional Children, 

83(4), 412–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/

0014402917690729. 

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. 1463 

and 1481. 

Note: Projects will be awarded and 

must be operated in a manner consistent 

with the nondiscrimination 


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13320 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 

requirements contained in Federal civil 

rights laws. 

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: Cooperative 

agreement. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$55,345,000 for the Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities program for 

FY 2024, of which we intend to use an 

estimated $3,250,000 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 

2025 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $3,250,000 for a 

single budget period of 12 months. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; State 

lead agencies under Part C of the IDEA; 

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. 

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This 

program uses an unrestricted indirect 

cost rate. For more information 

regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a 

negotiated indirect cost rate, please see 

www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/ 

intro.html. 

c. Administrative Cost Limitation: 

This program does not include any 

program-specific limitation on 

administrative expenses. All 

administrative expenses must be 

reasonable and necessary and conform 

to Cost Principles described in 2 CFR 

part 200 subpart E of the Uniform 

Guidance. 

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, 

nonprofit organizations suitable to carry 

out the activities proposed in the 

application, and public agencies. The 

grantee may award subgrants to entities 

it has identified in an approved 

application or that it selects through a 

competition under procedures 

established by the grantee, consistent 

with 34 CFR 75.708(b)(2). 

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: Applicants are required to 

follow the Common Instructions for 

Applicants to Department of Education 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and 

available at www.federalregister.gov/d/ 

2022–26554, which contain 

requirements and information on how to 

submit an application. 

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 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 the cover sheet; the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; 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 listed below: 

(a) Significance (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: 

(i) The extent to which specific gaps 

or weaknesses in services, 

infrastructure, or opportunities have 

been identified and will be addressed by 

the proposed project, including the 

nature and magnitude of those gaps or 

weaknesses. 

(ii) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project. 

(b) Quality of project services (35 

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 


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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 goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified and measurable. 

(ii) The extent to which there is a 

conceptual framework underlying the 

proposed research or demonstration 

activities and the quality of that 

framework. 

(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 TA 

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 

(20 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 methods 

of evaluation provide for examining the 

effectiveness of project implementation 

strategies. 

(iii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes. 

(iv) 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. 

(d) Adequacy of resources and quality 

of project personnel (15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources for the proposed 

project and the quality of the personnel 

who will carry out 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 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 qualifications, including 

relevant training, experience, and 

independence, of the evaluator. 

(v) The adequacy of support, 

including facilities, equipment, 

supplies, and other resources, from the 

applicant organization or the lead 

applicant organization. 

(vi) The relevance and demonstrated 

commitment of each partner in the 

proposed project to the implementation 

and success of the project. 

(vii) The extent to which the budget 

is adequate to support the proposed 

project. 

(viii) 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 

(20 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. 

(iii) The adequacy of mechanisms for 

ensuring high-quality products and 

services from the proposed project. 

(iv) How the applicant will ensure 

that a diversity of perspectives are 

brought to bear in the operation of the 

proposed project, including those of 

parents, teachers, the business 

community, a variety of disciplinary 

and professional fields, recipients or 

beneficiaries of services, or others, as 

appropriate. 

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 

200.206, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions, and under 2 CFR 3474.10, in 

appropriate circumstances, high-risk 

conditions on a grant if the applicant or 


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13322 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 36 / Thursday, February 22, 2024 / Notices 

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 $250,000), under 2 

CFR 200.206(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. 

6. In General: In accordance with the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

guidance located at 2 CFR part 200, all 

applicable Federal laws, and relevant 

Executive guidance, the Department 

will review and consider applications 

for funding pursuant to this notice 

inviting applications in accordance 

with: 

(a) Selecting recipients most likely to 

be successful in delivering results based 

on the program objectives through an 

objective process of evaluating Federal 

award applications (2 CFR 200.205); 

(b) Prohibiting the purchase of certain 

telecommunication and video 

surveillance services or equipment in 

alignment with section 889 of the 

National Defense Authorization Act of 

2019 (Pub. L. 115–232) (2 CFR 200.216); 

(c) Providing a preference, to the 

extent permitted by law, to maximize 

use of goods, products, and materials 

produced in the United States (2 CFR 

200.322); and 

(d) Terminating agreements in whole 

or in part to the greatest extent 

authorized by law if an award no longer 

effectuates the program goals or agency 

priorities (2 CFR 200.340). 

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 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: For the 

purpose of Department reporting under 

34 CFR 75.110, we have 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 in improving 

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 


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performance reports to the Department 

(34 CFR 75.590). 

The Department will also closely 

monitor the extent to which the 

products and services provided by the 

Center meet needs identified by 

stakeholders and may require the Center 

to report on such alignment in their 

annual and final performance reports. 

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, whether the grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

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: On request to the 

program contact person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 

individuals with disabilities can obtain 

this document and a copy of the 

application package in an accessible 

format. The Department will provide the 

requestor with an accessible format that 

may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or 

text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 

file, braille, large print, audiotape, or 

compact disc, or other accessible format. 

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 at 

www.govinfo.gov. 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. 

Glenna Wright-Gallo, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03595 Filed 2–21–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Energy Information Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Proposed Extension 

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information 

Administration (EIA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: EIA invites public comment 

on the proposed three-year extension, 

with change, to Form EIA–63C 

Densified Biomass Fuel Report as 

required under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995. The report is 

part of EIA’s comprehensive energy data 

program. Form EIA–63C collects 

monthly data on the manufacture, 

shipment, exports, energy 

characteristics, and sales of densified 

biomass fuels and other densified 

biomass fuel products from facilities 

that manufacture densified biomass fuel 

products (pellet fuels), for energy 

applications. 

DATES: EIA must receive all comments 

on this proposed information collection 

no later than April 22, 2024. If you 

anticipate any difficulties in submitting 

your comments by the deadline, contact 

the person listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice as soon as 

possible. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Patricia 

Hutchins by email at patricia.hutchins@

eia.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Connor Murphy, EI–23, U.S. Energy 

Information Administration, telephone 

1–800–342–4872 or (202) 287–5982, 

email Connor.Murphy@eia.gov. The 

form and instructions are available at 

https://www.eia.gov/survey/#eia-63. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

information collection request contains: 

(1) OMB No.: 1905–0209; 

(2) Information Collection Request 

Title: Densified Biomass Fuel Report; 

(3) Type of Request: Three-year 

extension with change; 

(4) Purpose: Form EIA–63C is part of 

EIA’s comprehensive energy data 

program. The survey collects 

information on the manufacture, 

shipment, exports, energy 

characteristics, and sales of pellet fuels 

and other densified biomass fuel 

products from facilities that 

manufacture densified biomass fuel 

products, primarily pellet fuels, for 

energy applications. The data collected 

on Form EIA–63C are a primary source 

of information for the nation’s growing 

production of biomass products for 

heating and electric power generation, 

and for use in both domestic and foreign 

markets. 

(4a) Proposed Changes to Information 

Collection: There is a reduction in the 

number of survey respondents required 

to file EIA–63C reports. This reduces the 

annual estimated responses and 

associated burden hours. There is no 

change to the content collected on the 

EIA–63C. 

(5) Annual Estimated Number of 

Respondents: 76; 

(6) Annual Estimated Number of 

Total Responses: 912; 

(7) Annual Estimated Number of 

Burden Hours: 1,277; 

(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and 

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: The cost of 

the burden hours is estimated to be 

$116,411 (1,277 burden hours times 

$91.16 per hour). EIA estimates that 

there are no additional costs to 

respondents associated with the survey 

other than the costs associated with the 

burden hours. 

Comments are invited on whether or 

not: (a) The proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of agency functions, 

including whether the information will 

have a practical utility; (b) EIA’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used, is accurate; (c) EIA 

can improve the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information it will collect; 

and (d) EIA can minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on 

respondents, such as automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b) 

and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on February 15, 

2024. 

Samson A. Adeshiyan, 

Director, Office of Statistical Methods and 

Research, U.S. Energy Information 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03530 Filed 2–21–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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