Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2024 / Notices 81493 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

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

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

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

Secretary may provide a grantee with 

additional funding for data collection 

analysis and reporting. In this case the 

Secretary establishes a data collection 

period. 

5. Performance Measures: For the 

purposes of Department reporting under 

34 CFR 75.110, 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 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

include: (1) the percentage of 

preparation programs that incorporate 

scientifically or evidence-based 

practices into their curricula; (2) the 

percentage of scholars completing the 

preparation program who are 

knowledgeable and skilled in evidencebased practices that improve outcomes 

for children with disabilities; (3) the 

percentage of scholars who exit the 

preparation program prior to completion 

due to poor academic performance; (4) 

the percentage of scholars completing 

the preparation program who are 

working in the area(s) in which they 

were prepared upon program 

completion; (5) the Federal cost per 

scholar who completed the preparation 

program; (6) the percentage of scholars 

who completed the preparation program 

and are employed in high-need districts; 

and (7) the percentage of scholars who 

completed the preparation program and 

who are rated effective by their 

employers. 

In addition, the Department will 

gather information on the following 

outcome measures: the number and 

percentage of scholars proposed by the 

grantee in its application that were 

actually enrolled and making 

satisfactory academic progress in the 

current academic year; the number and 

percentage of enrolled scholars who are 

on track to complete the training 

program by the end of the project’s 

original grant period; and the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in the field of special education for at 

least two years. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, 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, 

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 

Department documents 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 Department 

documents 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. 2024–23256 Filed 10–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Personnel Development To Improve 

Services and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—Preparation of Early 

Intervention and Special Education 

Personnel Serving Children With 

Disabilities Who Have High-Intensity 

Needs 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2025 for Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities— 

Preparation of Early Intervention and 

Special Education Personnel Serving 

Children with Disabilities who have 

High-Intensity Needs. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: October 8, 

2024. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: December 3, 2024. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: February 5, 2025. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: 

No later than October 15, 2024, the 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services will post details 

on pre-recorded informational webinars 

designed to provide technical assistance 

to interested applicants. Links to the 

webinars may be found at www.ed.gov/ 

about/ed-offices/osers/osep/new-osepgrant-competitions. 

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/documents/ 


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

needs’’ refers to a complex array of disabilities or 

the needs of children with these disabilities 

requiring intensive, individualized intervention(s) 

(i.e., that are specifically designed to address 

persistent learning or behavior difficulties, 

implemented with greater frequency and for an 

extended duration than is commonly available in a 

typical classroom or early intervention setting, or 

which require personnel to have knowledge and 

skills in identifying and implementing multiple 

evidence-based interventions). 

2022/12/07/2022-26554/commoninstructions-for-applicants-todepartment-of-education-discretionarygrant-programs. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sunyoung Ahn, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 4A10, Potomac Center Plaza, 

Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: 

202–987–0141. Email: Sunyoung.Ahn@

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 purposes of 

this program are to (1) help address 

State-identified needs for personnel 

preparation in early intervention, 

special education, related services, and 

regular education to work with children, 

including infants, toddlers, and youth 

with disabilities; and (2) ensure that 

those personnel have the necessary 

skills and knowledge, derived from 

practices that have been determined 

through scientifically based research, to 

be successful in serving those children. 

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 

84.325K. 

OMB Control Number: 1820–0028. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

one absolute priority and one 

competitive preference priority. In 

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

the absolute priority is from allowable 

activities specified in the statute (see 

sections 662 and 681 of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 

(20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481)). The 

competitive preference priority is from 

the Administrative Priorities for 

Discretionary Grants Programs 

published in the Federal Register on 

March 9, 2020 (85 FR 13640) 

(Administrative Priorities). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2025 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: 

Preparation of Early Intervention and 

Special Education Personnel Serving 

Children with Disabilities who have 

High-Intensity Needs. 

Background: 

The purpose of this priority is to 

prepare scholars who are fully 

credentialed to serve children, 

including infants, toddlers, and youth 

with disabilities (children with 

disabilities) who have high-intensity 

needs.1 The Department is committed to 

promoting equity for children with 

disabilities to access educational 

resources and opportunities. A priority 

for the Department is to increase the 

number of personnel, including 

increasing the number of multilingual 

personnel and personnel from racially 

and ethnically diverse backgrounds, 

who provide services to children with 

disabilities. To support these goals, 

under this absolute priority, the 

Department will fund high-quality 

projects that prepare personnel in early 

intervention (EI), early childhood 

special education (ECSE), blindness and 

visual impairments (BVI), deafness and 

hard of hearing (DHH), deaf-blindness 

(DB), and adapted physical education 

(APE) at the bachelor’s degree, 

certification, master’s degree, or 

educational specialist degree levels for 

professional practice in a variety of 

education settings, including natural 

environments (the home and 

community settings in which infants 

and toddlers with and without 

disabilities participate), early childhood 

programs, classrooms, schools, and 

distance learning environments; 

including increasing the number of 

multilingual personnel and personnel 

from racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds. Projects will also prepare 

such personnel to support each child 

with a disability who has high-intensity 

needs in meeting high expectations and 

to have meaningful and effective 

collaborations with other providers, 

families, and administrators. 

For decades, State demand for fully 

credentialed early intervention and 

special education personnel to serve 

children with disabilities has 

persistently exceeded the available 

supply (Mason-Williams et al., 2020). 

The shortages were exacerbated by the 

COVID–19 pandemic, and public 

schools report that special education 

positions are most difficult to fill 

(National Center for Educational 

Statistics, 2022). The need for personnel 

with the knowledge and skills to serve 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs is even greater in 

the fields of EI, ECSE, BVI, DHH, DB, 

and APE. 

EI and ECSE are critical services to 

support young children with 

disabilities’ development and learning, 

so they can reach their full potential at 

later ages, including in the school years. 

According to a recent report (Early 

Childhood Personnel Center, 2022), EI 

and ECSE personnel shortages are at a 

crisis point across States, resulting in 

inadequate child find activities and 

waitlists for evaluations and services 

(Fauth et al., 2023). In addition to 

widespread challenges related to 

recruitment and retention of personnel 

working in EI and ECSE, survey 

respondents also reported a decline in 

higher education offerings in EI and 

ECSE as a serious concern (Early 

Childhood Personnel Center, 2022). 

The shortages of teachers in positions 

that require highly specialized skills 

and knowledge, such as teachers of 

students with BVI, teachers of DHH, and 

APE teachers, are reported in research 

and are also well known in the field 

(American Association for Employment 

in Education, 2023; Barnett & Huang, 

2024; Luft et al., 2022; Ondrasek et al., 

2020). Many universities are struggling 

to maintain their special education 

preparation programs and the reduced 

numbers of applicants and budget 

constraints appear to have more adverse 

effects on programs that prepare the 

workforce to serve children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs (Ondrasek et al., 2020). 

To effectively serve children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs, personnel require specialized or 

advanced skills and knowledge to work 

within a multidisciplinary team, 

collaboratively design and deliver 

evidence-based instruction and 

intensive individualized interventions, 

and provide instruction and 

interventions in person and through 

distance learning technologies in 

natural environments, classrooms, and 

schools that address the needs of these 

individuals (Boe et al., 2013; Browder et 

al., 2014; McLeskey & Brownell, 2015). 

Personnel also need leadership skills to 

strengthen professional practice and 

cultural and linguistic competencies to 

effectively deliver services and 

education for children with disabilities 

who have high-intensity needs, 

including children who are multilingual 

and children who are from racially and 

ethnically diverse backgrounds. 

To enable personnel to provide 

efficient, high-quality, integrated, and 

equitable services, both in person and 

through distance learning technologies, 

personnel preparation programs need to 

embed content, practices, and extensive 

field or clinical experiences that are 

evidence-based and culturally and 


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2For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-intensity 

needs’’ refers to a complex array of disabilities or 

the needs of children with these disabilities 

requiring intensive, individualized intervention(s) 

(i.e., that are specifically designed to address 

persistent learning or behavior difficulties, 

implemented with greater frequency and for an 

extended duration than is commonly available in a 

typical classroom or early intervention setting, or 

which require personnel to have knowledge and 

skills in identifying and implementing multiple 

evidence-based interventions). 

3For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘scholar’’ 

means an individual who: (a) is pursuing a 

bachelor’s, certification, master’s, or educational 

specialist degree in early intervention or special 

education; (b) receives scholarship assistance as 

authorized under section 662 of IDEA (34 CFR 

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

endorsement, or certification from a State or 

national credentialing authority following 

completion of the degree program identified in the 

application; and (d) will be able to be employed in 

a position that serves children with disabilities for 

a minimum of 51 percent of their time or case load. 

Individuals pursuing degrees in general education 

or early childhood education do not qualify as 

‘‘scholars’’ eligible for scholarship assistance. 

4For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘certification’’ 

refers to programs of study that lead to State 

licensure, endorsement, or certification that 

qualifies graduates to teach or provide services to 

children with disabilities. Programs of study that 

lead to a certificate of completion from the 

institution of higher education, but do not lead to 

State licensure, endorsement, or certification, do 

not qualify. 

5For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘related 

services’’ includes: speech-language pathology and 

audiology services; interpreting services; 

psychological services; applied behavior analysis; 

physical therapy and occupational therapy; 

recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social 

work services; counseling services, including 

rehabilitation counseling; and orientation and 

mobility services. 

6For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-need 

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

10,000 children from families with incomes below 

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

percent of the children are from families with 

incomes below the poverty line. 

7For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-poverty 

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

of students are from low-income families as 

determined using one of the measures of poverty 

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

and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(ESEA). For middle and high schools, eligibility 

may be calculated on the basis of comparable data 

from feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty 

school under this definition is determined on the 

basis of the most currently available data. 

8For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘school 

implementing a comprehensive support and 

improvement plan’’ means a school identified for 

comprehensive support and improvement by a State 

under section 1111(c)(4)(D) of the ESEA that 

includes (a) not less than the lowest performing 5 

percent of all schools in the State receiving funds 

Continued 

linguistically responsive into preservice 

training in early intervention settings, 

early childhood programs, and schools. 

Therefore, this priority aims to fund 

high-quality projects that prepare 

scholars in EI, ECSE, DHH, BVI, DB, or 

APE at the bachelor’s degree, 

certification, master’s degree, or 

educational specialist degree levels, 

including multilingual scholars and 

scholars from racially and ethnically 

diverse backgrounds, who are fully 

credentialed to enter the field and serve 

children with disabilities who have 

high-intensity needs. 

Priority: 

The purpose of this priority is to 

increase the number and improve the 

quality of personnel, including 

multilingual personnel and personnel 

from racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, who are fully credentialed 

to serve children who have highintensity needs 2 in the fields of EI, 

ECSE, DHH, BVI, DB, or APE. The 

priority will fund high-quality projects 

that prepare scholars 3 in EI, ECSE, 

DHH, BVI, DB, or APE at the bachelor’s 

degree, certification,4 master’s degree, or 

educational specialist degree levels for 

professional practice in natural 

environments, early childhood 

programs, classrooms, school settings, 

and in distance learning environments 

serving children with disabilities who 

have high-intensity needs. Projects can 

propose to prepare scholars in one or 

more of the allowable fields of EI, ECSE, 

DHH, BVI, DB, and APE. 

Note: Projects may include 

individuals who are not funded as 

scholars, but are in degree programs 

(e.g., general education, early childhood 

education, administration) that are 

cooperating with the grantee’s project. 

These individuals may participate in the 

coursework, assignments, field or 

clinical experiences, and other 

opportunities required of scholars’ 

program of study (e.g., speaker series, 

monthly seminars) if doing so does not 

diminish the benefit for project-funded 

scholars (e.g., by reducing funds 

available for scholar support or limiting 

opportunities for scholars to participate 

in project activities). 

Note: Projects that partner with 

related services 5 programs to prepare 

scholars in EI, ECSE, DHH, BVI, DB, or 

APE can qualify under this priority. In 

such situations, scholars in the 

partnering related services degree 

program (e.g., bachelor’s, master’s, or 

clinical doctorate degree) may receive 

scholar support to complete their 

related services degree. Degree programs 

across more than one institution of 

higher education (IHE) may partner 

together within a project. Personnel 

preparation degree programs that 

prepare all scholars to be dually 

certified, including dually certified in 

special education and a related service, 

can qualify under this priority. 

Note: Applicants under this priority 

may not submit the same proposal 

under Personnel Preparation of Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services Personnel at 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities, Tribally Controlled 

Colleges and Universities, and Other 

Minority Serving Institutions, ALN 

84.325M. Applicants may submit 

substantively different proposals under 

ALN 84.325K and ALN 84.325M. OSEP 

will not fund similar personnel 

preparation projects within the same 

IHE across the ALN 84.325K and 

84.325M competitions. 

Prior to enrolling scholars, applicants 

may use up to $100,000 of funds in the 

first budget period and up to the first 12 

months of the performance period for 

project planning, including enhancing 

an existing program. If an applicant 

chooses to use up to the first 12 months 

for project planning, then the applicant 

must provide a comprehensive 

justification for the need for project 

planning and include the goals, 

objectives, and intended outcomes of 

the planning; a description of the 

proposed activities; and a timeline for 

the work. The plan may include 

activities such as— 

(1) Developing new and updating 

current coursework, assignments, or 

extensive and coordinated field or 

clinical experiences needed to support 

preparation for personnel in EI, ECSE, 

DHH, BVI, DB, or APE, including 

personnel from groups that are 

underrepresented in the field, including 

personnel with disabilities, multilingual 

personnel, and personnel from racially 

and ethnically diverse backgrounds, 

serving children with disabilities who 

have high-intensity needs; 

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

field supervisor, providing professional 

development for faculty and field 

supervisors) of the personnel to prepare 

scholars, including scholars from groups 

that are underrepresented in the field, 

including scholars with disabilities, 

multilingual scholars, and scholars from 

racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, to serve children with 

disabilities with high-intensity needs 

and their families; 

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

additional teaching supplies or 

specialized equipment to enhance 

instruction); and 

(4) Establishing relationships with 

early intervention and early childhood 

programs or schools to serve as sites for 

field or clinical experiences needed to 

support the project. These sites may 

include high-need local educational 

agencies (LEAs),6 high-poverty schools,7

schools identified for comprehensive 

support and improvement,8 and schools 


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81496 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2024 / Notices 

under title I, part A of the ESEA; (b) all public high 

schools in the State failing to graduate one third or 

more of their students; and (c) public schools in the 

State described in section 1111(d)(3)(A)(i)(II) of the 

ESEA. 

9For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘school 

implementing a targeted support and improvement 

plan’’ means a school identified for targeted support 

and improvement by a State that has developed and 

is implementing a school-level targeted support and 

improvement plan to improve student outcomes 

based on the indicators in the statewide 

accountability system defined in section 1111(d)(2) 

of the ESEA. 

10For the purposes of this priority, 

‘‘competencies’’ means what a person knows and 

can do—the knowledge, skills, and dispositions 

necessary to effectively function in a role (National 

Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 

2011). 

11For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘evidencebased’’ means, at a minimum, evidence that 

demonstrates a rationale (as defined in 34 CFR 

77.1), where a key project component (as defined 

in 34 CFR 77.1) included in the project’s logic 

model (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) is informed by 

research or evaluation findings that suggest the 

project component is likely to improve relevant 

outcomes (as defined in 34 CFR 77.1). 

implementing a targeted support and 

improvement plan 9 for children with 

disabilities; early childhood and early 

intervention programs located within 

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

early intervention programs located 

within the geographical boundaries of 

an LEA serving the highest percentage 

of schools identified for comprehensive 

support and improvement or 

implementing targeted support and 

improvement plans in the State. 

Federal funds may also be used for 

scholar support and other grant 

activities occurring in year one of the 

project, provided that the total request 

for year one does not exceed the 

maximum award available for one 

budget period of 12 months (i.e., 

$350,000). 

Note: Applicants proposing projects 

to develop, expand, or add a new area 

of emphasis to EI, ECSE, DHH, BVI, DB, 

or APE programs must provide, in their 

applications, information on how these 

new areas will be sustained once 

Federal funding ends. 

Note: Project periods under this 

priority may be up to 60 months. 

Projects should be designed to ensure 

that all proposed scholars successfully 

complete the program within 60 months 

from the start of the project. The 

Secretary may reduce continuation 

awards for any project in which scholar 

recruitment is not on track or scholars 

are not on track to complete the program 

within the project period. The 

Department intends to closely monitor 

unobligated balances and substantial 

progress under this program and may 

reduce or discontinue funding 

accordingly consistent with its authority 

in 34 CFR 75.253. 

To be considered for funding under 

this absolute priority, all program 

applicants must meet the requirements 

contained in this priority. 

To meet the requirements of this 

priority an applicant must— 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed project will address 

the need in the proposed preparation 

area to prepare personnel who are fully 

qualified to serve children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs; 

(2) The proposed project will increase 

the number of personnel in the 

proposed preparation area who 

demonstrate the competencies 10 needed 

to— 

(i) Promote high expectations and 

improve outcomes for children with 

disabilities who have high-intensity 

needs; 

(ii) Differentiate curriculum and 

instruction; 

(iii) Provide intensive, evidencebased 11 individualized instruction and 

interventions in person and through 

distance learning technologies in a 

variety of early intervention, early 

childhood, and school settings (e.g., 

natural environments; public schools, 

including charter schools; private 

schools; and other nonpublic education 

settings, including home education); 

(iv) Provide culturally and 

linguistically responsive instruction and 

services; 

(v) Collaborate with diverse partners, 

including multilingual individuals, 

individuals and families from racially 

and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and 

individuals with disabilities, using a 

multidisciplinary team approach to 

address the individualized 

developmental, learning, and academic 

needs of children with disabilities who 

have high-intensity needs, and support 

their successful transitions from early 

childhood to elementary, elementary to 

secondary, or transition to 

postsecondary education and the 

workforce; and 

(vi) Exercise leadership to improve 

professional practice and services and 

education for children with disabilities 

who have high-intensity needs; and 

(3) The applicant has successfully 

graduated students in their program, 

including students with disabilities, 

multilingual students, and students who 

are from racially, and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, including data 

disaggregated by disability status, race, 

national origin and primary language(s), 

and the number of students who have 

graduated in the last five years. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of project services,’’ how— 

(1) The project will conduct its 

planning activities, if the applicant will 

use any of the allowable first 12 months 

of the project period for planning; 

(2) The project will recruit and retain 

scholars. To meet this requirement, the 

applicant must describe— 

(i) The selection criteria the project 

will use to identify applicants for 

admission in the program; 

(ii) The specific recruitment strategies 

the project will use to attract applicants, 

including from groups that are 

underrepresented in the field, including 

applicants with disabilities, 

multilingual applicants, and applicants 

from racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, to ensure a diverse pool of 

applicants; and 

Note: Applicants should engage in 

focused outreach and recruitment to 

increase the number of applicants from 

groups that are traditionally 

underrepresented in the field, including 

applicants with disabilities, 

multilingual applicants, and applicants 

from racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, but the selection criteria 

the applicant intends to use must ensure 

equal access and treatment of all 

applicants seeking admission to the 

program and must be consistent with 

applicable law, including Federal civil 

rights law. 

(iii) The approach that will be used to 

mentor and support all scholars, and 

any specific approaches to supporting 

scholars from groups that are 

underrepresented in the field, including 

individuals with disabilities, 

multilingual scholars, and scholars from 

racially and ethnically diverse 

backgrounds, for retention and 

completion of the program within the 

project period and preparing them for 

careers in early intervention or special 

education; and 

(3) The project will be designed to 

promote the acquisition of the 

competencies needed by EI, ECSE, DHH, 

BVI, DB, or APE personnel to support 

improved outcomes for children with 

disabilities with high-intensity needs. 

To address this requirement, the 

applicant must— 

(i) Describe how the proposed 

components, such as coursework, field 

or clinical experiences in EI, ECSE, 

DHH, BVI, DB, or APE, work-based 

experiences, or other opportunities 

provided to scholars, and sequence of 

the project components will enable the 

scholars to acquire the competencies 

needed by personnel working with 


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children with disabilities with highintensity needs; 

(ii) Describe how the proposed project 

will reflect current evidence-based 

practices (EBPs) to prepare scholars to 

provide effective and equitable 

evidence-based culturally and 

linguistically responsive instruction, 

interventions, and services that improve 

outcomes for children with disabilities 

with high-intensity needs, in a variety of 

educational or early childhood and 

early intervention settings, including inperson and remote settings; and 

(iii) Describe how the proposed 

project will engage partners, including 

multilingual individuals and 

individuals and families from racially 

and ethnically diverse backgrounds; 

public or private partnering agencies, 

schools, or programs; centers or 

organizations that provide services to 

children with disabilities and their 

families; and individuals with 

disabilities and their families, to inform 

and support project components. 

(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of the project personnel and 

management plan,’’ how— 

(1) The project director and other key 

project personnel are qualified to 

prepare scholars in the project’s 

preparation area; 

(2) The project director and other key 

project personnel will manage the 

components of the project; and 

(3) The time commitments of the 

project director and other key project 

personnel are adequate to meet the 

objectives of the proposed project. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Adequacy of resources,’’ how— 

(1) Information regarding the types of 

accommodations and resources 

available to fully support scholars’ wellbeing and a work-life balance (e.g., 

university and community mental 

health supports, counseling services, 

health resources, housing resources, 

child care) will be disseminated and 

how the project will support scholars to 

access those accommodations and 

resources in a timely basis, if needed, 

while the scholar is in the program; 

(2) The types of accommodations and 

resources provided to support scholars’ 

well-being and a work-life balance will 

be individualized based on scholars’ 

cultural, academic, health, logistical, 

financial, and social emotional needs 

with the goal of supporting them to 

complete the program; and 

(3) The budget is adequate for meeting 

the project objectives and mitigating 

financial burden to scholars in 

completing the program of study. 

Note: Scholar support does not need 

to be uniform for all scholars and 

should be customized for individual 

scholars based on scholars’ financial 

needs, including consideration of all 

costs associated with the cost of 

attendance, even if that means enrolling 

fewer scholars. Scholar support can 

include support for cost of attendance 

(i.e., tuition and fees; university student 

health insurance; an allowance for 

books, materials, and supplies; an 

allowance for miscellaneous personal 

expenses; an allowance for dependent 

care, such as child care; an allowance 

for transportation; and/or an allowance 

for room and board), travel in 

conjunction with training assignments 

including conference registration, and 

stipends to support scholars’ 

completion of the program and 

professional development. Projections 

for scholar support should consider 

tuition increases and cost of living 

increases over the project period. 

Projects that prepare personnel at the 

bachelor’s degree level cannot provide 

scholar support during the first two 

years (e.g., freshman and sophomore 

years) of the degree program to ensure 

that scholar support can lead to service 

obligation fulfillment. 

(e) Describe, in the narrative section 

of the application under ‘‘Quality of the 

project evaluation,’’ how the applicant 

will— 

(1) Evaluate how well the goals or 

objectives of the proposed project have 

been met. To meet this requirement, the 

applicant must describe— 

(i) The outcomes to be measured for 

both the project and the scholars, 

particularly the acquisition of scholars’ 

competencies; and 

(ii) The evaluation methodologies, 

data collection methods, and data 

analyses that will be used; and 

(2) Collect, analyze, and use data on 

scholars supported by the project to 

inform the project on an ongoing basis. 

(f) Demonstrate, in the appendices or 

narrative under ‘‘Required project 

assurances’’ as directed, that the 

following requirements are met. The 

applicant must— 

(1) Include in Appendix A of the 

application— 

(i) Charts, tables, figures, graphs, 

screen shots, and visuals that provide 

information directly relating to the 

application requirements for the 

narrative. Appendix A should not be 

used for supplementary information. 

Please note that charts, tables, figures, 

graphs, and screen shots can be singlespaced when placed in Appendix A; 

and 

(ii) A letter of support from a public 

or private partnering agency, school, or 

program, that states it will provide 

scholars with a field or clinical 

experience in a high-need LEA, a highpoverty school, a school implementing 

a comprehensive support and 

improvement plan, a school 

implementing a targeted support and 

improvement plan for children with 

disabilities, a State educational agency, 

an early childhood and early 

intervention program located within the 

geographical boundaries of a high-need 

LEA, or an early childhood and early 

intervention program located within the 

geographical boundaries of an LEA 

serving the highest percentage of 

schools identified for comprehensive 

support and improvement or 

implementing targeted support and 

improvement plans in the State; 

(2) Include in Appendix B of the 

application— 

(i) A table that lists the project’s 

required coursework and includes the 

course title, brief description, learning 

goals, and relevant State or national 

professional organization personnel 

standards for each course; and 

(ii) Four exemplar course syllabi 

required by the degree program that 

reflect EBPs across the areas of 

assessment; social, emotional, and 

behavior development and learning; 

inclusive practices; instructional 

strategies; and literacy, as appropriate; 

(3) Include in the application budget 

attendance by the project director at a 

three-day project directors’ meeting in 

Washington, DC, during each year of the 

project; and 

(4) Provide an assurance that— 

(i) The project will meet the 

requirements in 34 CFR 304.23, 

particularly those related to (A) 

informing all scholarship recipients of 

their service obligation commitment; 

and (B) disbursing scholarships. Failure 

by a grantee to properly meet these 

requirements is a violation of the grant 

award that may result in the grantee 

being liable for returning any misused 

funds to the Department; 

(ii) The project will meet the statutory 

requirements in section 662(e) through 

(h) of IDEA; 

(iii) The project will be operated in a 

manner consistent with 

nondiscrimination requirements 

contained in Federal civil rights laws; 

(iv) All the syllabi for the project’s 

required coursework will be provided if 

requested by OSEP; 

(v) At least 65 percent of the total 

award over the project period (i.e., up to 

5 years) will be used for scholar 

support; 

(vi) Scholar support provided by the 

project is not based on the condition 


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that the scholar work for the grantee 

(e.g., personnel at the IHE); 

(vii) The project director, key 

personnel, and scholars will actively 

participate in learning opportunities 

(e.g., webinars, briefings) supported by 

OSEP and intended to promote 

opportunities for participants to 

understand reporting requirements, 

share resources, and generate new 

knowledge by addressing topics of 

common interest to participants across 

projects, including Department 

priorities and needs in the field; 

(viii) The project website, if 

applicable, will be of high quality, with 

an easy-to-navigate design that meets 

government or industry-recognized 

standards for accessibility; 

(ix) Scholar accomplishments (e.g., 

public service, awards, publications, 

conference presentations) will be 

reported in annual and final 

performance reports; and 

(x) Annual data will be submitted on 

each scholar who receives grant support 

(OMB Control Number 1820–0686). The 

primary purposes of the data collection 

are to track the service obligation 

fulfillment of scholars who receive 

funds from OSEP grants and to collect 

data for program performance measure 

reporting under 34 CFR 75.110. Data 

collection includes the submission of a 

signed, completed pre-scholarship 

agreement and exit certification for each 

scholar funded under an OSEP grant 

(see paragraph (f)(4)(i) of this priority). 

Applicants are encouraged to visit the 

Personnel Development Program Data 

Collection System website at https://

pdp.ed.gov/osep for further information 

about this data collection requirement. 

Competitive Preference Priority: For 

FY 2025 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition, this priority is a 

competitive preference priority. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an 

additional 5 points to an application 

that meets the competitive preference 

priority. Applicants should indicate in 

the abstract if they are addressing the 

competitive preference priority. 

The competitive preference priority 

is: 

Applications from New Potential 

Grantees (0 or 5 points). 

(a) Under this priority, an applicant 

must demonstrate that the applicant 

(e.g., the IHE) has not had an active 

discretionary grant under the ALN 

84.325K, 84.325M, or 84.325R, 

including through membership in a 

group application submitted in 

accordance with 24 CFR 75.127–75.129 

in the last five years before the deadline 

date for submission of applications 

under this program (ALN 84.325K). 

(b) For the purpose of this priority, a 

grant is active until the end of the 

grant’s project or funding period, 

including any extensions of those 

periods that extend the grantee’s 

authority to obligate funds. 

References 

American Association for Employment in 

Education. (2023). 2022–2023 Educator 

Supply and Demand Report. https://

specialedshortages.org/wp-content/ 

uploads/2023/11/2022-2023-AAEEEducator-Supply-and-DemandReport.pdf. 

Barnett, E., & Huang, T. (2024). Increasing 

teacher retention and supporting 

students with low-incidence disabilities 

through university partnership. Rural 

Special Education Quarterly, 43(1), 44– 

57. https://doi.org/10.1177/

87568705241232388. 

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

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

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

special education teachers: Indicators, 

explanations, and impacts. 

Exceptionality, 21(2), 103–125. https://

doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2013.771563. 

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

Ribuffo, C. (2014). Evidence-based 

practices for students with severe 

disabilities (Document No. IC–3). https:// 

ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/ 

uploads/2014/09/IC-3_FINAL_03-03- 

15.pdf. 

Early Childhood Personnel Center. (2022). 

ECPC Part C and Part B/619 personnel 

recruitment and retention survey. 

https://ecpcta-org.media.uconn.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/2810/2023/11/ 

Recruitment-and-Retention-SurveyReport-2022.pdf. 

Fauth, R.C., Kotake, C., Manning, S.E., 

Goldberg, J.L., Easterbrooks, M.A., 

Buxton, B., & Downs, K. (2023). 

Timeliness of early identification and 

referral of infants with social and 

environmental risks. Prevention Science, 

24(1), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/ 

s11121-022-01453-6. 

Luft, P., Fischgrund, J.E., Eardley, A., Tanner, 

C., & Reusser, J. (2022). Identifying wellprepared teachers of deaf and hard of 

hearing students: Federal legislation 

versus inconsistent State requirements. 

American Annals of the Deaf, 167(2), 

101–122. https://doi.org/10.1353/ 

aad.2022.0024. 

Mason-Williams, L., Bettini, E., Peyton, D., 

Harvey, A., Rosenberg, M., & Sindelar, 

P.T. (2020). Rethinking shortages in 

special education: Making good on the 

promise of an equal opportunity for 

students with disabilities. Teacher 

Education and Special Education, 43(1), 

45–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/

0888406419880352. 

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

preparation in special education 

(Document No. PR–1). CEEDAR Center. 

https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2016/05/High-LeveragePractices-and-Teacher-Preparation-inSpecial-Education.pdf. 

National Center for Educational Statistics. 

(March, 2022). U.S. Schools Report 

Increased Teacher Vacancies Due to 

COVID–19 Pandemic, New NCES Data 

Show. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/ 

press_releases/3_3_2022.asp. 

National Professional Development Center on 

Inclusion. (August, 2011). Competencies 

for early childhood educators in the 

context of inclusion: Issues and guidance 

for States. The University of North 

Carolina, FPG Child Development 

Institute. https://fpg.unc.edu/sites/ 

fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/reports-andpolicy-briefs/FPG_NPDCI_

Competencies_2011.pdf. 

Ondrasek, N., Carver-Thomas, D., Scott, C., & 

Darling-Hammond, L. (2020). 

California’s special education teacher 

shortage (policy report). Policy Analysis 

for California Education. Learning Policy 

Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.

org/media/395/download?inline&

file=PACE_Special_Education_Teacher_

Shortage_REPORT.pdf. 

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 absolute priority in this notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 

and 1481. 

Note: Projects will be awarded and 

must be operated in a manner consistent 

with the nondiscrimination 

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 (OMB) 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 Guidance for Federal Financial 

Assistance in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) 

The regulations for this program in 34 

CFR part 304. (e) The Administrative 

Priorities. 

Note: The Department will implement 

the changes included in the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) final 

rule, OMB Guidance for Federal 

Financial Assistance (https://

www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 

2024/04/22/2024-07496/guidance-forfederal-financial-assistance), formerly 

called, Office of Management and 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2024 / Notices 81499 

Budget Guidance for Grants and 

Agreements, which amends 2 CFR part 

200, on October 1, 2024. Grant 

applicants who anticipate a 

performance period start date on or after 

October 1, 2024, should follow the 

provisions stated in the updated 2 CFR 

part 200, when preparing an 

application. For more information about 

these updated regulations please visit: 

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/ 

uniform-guidance/index.html. The 

Department will continue to provide 

more resources on our web page as they 

become available. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

86 apply to IHEs only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration requested $125,000,000 

for the Personnel Development to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities program for 

FY 2025, of which we intend to use an 

estimated $3,000,000 for this 

competition. The actual level of 

funding, if any, depends on final 

congressional action. However, we are 

inviting applications to allow enough 

time to complete the grant process if 

Congress appropriates funds for this 

program. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2026 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$200,000–$350,000 per year. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$275,000 per year. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $1,250,000 per 

project for a project period of 60 months 

or an award that exceeds $350,000 for 

a single budget period of 12 months. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 12. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible 

applicants are IHEs and private 

nonprofit organizations that have legal 

authority to enter into grants and 

cooperative agreements with the Federal 

government on behalf of an IHE. 

Note: If you are a nonprofit 

organization, under 34 CFR 75.51, you 

may demonstrate your nonprofit status 

by providing: (1) proof that the Internal 

Revenue Service currently recognizes 

the applicant as an organization to 

which contributions are tax deductible 

under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 

Revenue Code; (2) a statement from a 

State taxing body or the State attorney 

general certifying that the organization 

is a nonprofit organization operating 

within the State and that no part of its 

net earnings may lawfully benefit any 

private shareholder or individual; (3) a 

certified copy of the applicant’s 

certificate of incorporation or similar 

document if it clearly establishes the 

nonprofit status of the applicant; or (4) 

any item described above if that item 

applies to a State or national parent 

organization, together with a statement 

by the State or parent organization that 

the applicant is a local nonprofit 

affiliate. 

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost 

sharing or matching is not required for 

this competition. 

b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This 

program uses a training indirect cost 

rate. This limits indirect cost 

reimbursement to an entity’s actual 

indirect costs, as determined in its 

negotiated indirect cost rate agreement, 

or eight percent of a modified total 

direct cost base, whichever amount is 

less. For more information regarding 

training indirect cost rates, see 34 CFR 

75.562. For more information regarding 

indirect costs, or to obtain a negotiated 

indirect cost rate, please see 

www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/ 

ofo#Indirect-Cost-Division. 

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 Guidance for 

Federal Financial Assistance. 

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/ 

content/pkg/FR-2022-12-07/pdf/2022- 

26554.pdf, 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 40 pages; (2) limit the whole 

application to no more than 100 pages; 

and (3) use the following standards: 

• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5′′ × 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, 


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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 (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 the proposed 

project will prepare personnel for fields 

in which shortages have been 

demonstrated; and 

(ii) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project, 

especially improvements in teaching 

and student achievement. 

(b) Quality of project services (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 

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 

reflect up-to-date knowledge from 

research and effective practice; 

(ii) The extent to which the training 

or professional development services to 

be provided by the proposed project are 

of sufficient quality, intensity, and 

duration to lead to improvements in 

practice among the recipients of those 

services; 

(iii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners for maximizing the 

effectiveness of project services; and 

(iv) The extent to which the proposed 

activities constitute a coherent, 

sustained program of training in the 

field. 

(c) Quality of project personnel and 

quality of the management plan (20 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the project personnel and the 

quality of the management plan. 

(2) In determining the quality of 

project personnel, the Secretary 

considers the extent to which the 

applicant encourages applications for 

employment from persons who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disability. 

(3) In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of key 

project personnel; 

(ii) The adequacy of the management 

plan to achieve the objectives of the 

proposed project on time and within 

budget, including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks; and 

(iii) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 

project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project. 

(d) Adequacy of resources (20 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources of the proposed 

project. 

(2) In determining the adequacy of 

resources of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(i) The adequacy of support, including 

facilities, equipment, supplies, and 

other resources, from the applicant 

organization or the lead applicant 

organization; and 

(ii) 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 project evaluation 

(15 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; and 

(ii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation will provide performance 

feedback and permit periodic 

assessment of progress toward achieving 

intended outcomes. 

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). 

In the event there are two or more 

applications with the same final score, 

and there are insufficient funds to fully 

support each of these applications, the 

scores under selection criterion (b) 

Quality of project services will be used 

as a tiebreaker. If the scores remain tied, 

then the scores under selection criterion 

(d) Adequacy of resources will be used 

to break the tie. 

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 

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 


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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 also may 

notify you informally. 

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. 

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

Secretary may provide a grantee with 

additional funding for data collection 

analysis and reporting. In this case the 

Secretary establishes a data collection 

period. 

5. Performance Measures: For the 

purposes of Department reporting under 

34 CFR 75.110, 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 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

include (1) the percentage of 

preparation programs that incorporate 

scientifically based practices or EBPs 

into their curricula; (2) the percentage of 

scholars completing the preparation 

program who are knowledgeable and 

skilled in EBPs that improve outcomes 

for children with disabilities; (3) the 

percentage of scholars who exit the 

preparation program prior to completion 

due to poor academic performance; (4) 

the percentage of scholars completing 

the preparation program who are 

working in the area(s) in which they 

were prepared upon program 

completion; (5) the Federal cost per 

scholar who completed the preparation 

program; (6) the percentage of scholars 

who completed the preparation program 

and are employed in high-need districts; 

and (7) the percentage of scholars who 

completed the preparation program and 

who are rated effective by their 

employers. 

In addition, the Department will 

gather information on the following 

outcome measures: the number and 

percentage of scholars proposed by the 

grantee in their application that were 

actually enrolled and making 

satisfactory academic progress in the 

current academic year; the number and 

percentage of enrolled scholars who are 

on track to complete the training 

program by the end of the project’s 

original grant period; and the percentage 

of scholars who completed the 

preparation program and are employed 

in the field of special education for at 

least two years. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things: whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 


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81502 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2024 / Notices 

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, 

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 

Department documents 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 Department 

documents 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. 2024–23033 Filed 10–7–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2024–SCC–0096] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

Federal Student Aid (FSA) Partner 

Connect System and User Access 

Management 

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the Department is proposing a 

new information collection request 

(ICR). 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before 

November 7, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for proposed 

information collection requests should 

be submitted within 30 days of 

publication of this notice. Click on this 

link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain to access the site. Find this 

information collection request (ICR) by 

selecting ‘‘Department of Education’’ 

under ‘‘Currently Under Review,’’ then 

check the ‘‘Only Show ICR for Public 

Comment’’ checkbox. Reginfo.gov 

provides two links to view documents 

related to this information collection 

request. Information collection forms 

and instructions may be found by 

clicking on the ‘‘View Information 

Collection (IC) List’’ link. Supporting 

statements and other supporting 

documentation may be found by 

clicking on the ‘‘View Supporting 

Statement and Other Documents’’ link. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Beth 

Grebeldinger, (202) 570–8414. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Federal Student 

Aid (FSA) Partner Connect System and 

User Access Management. 

OMB Control Number: 1845–NEW. 

Type of Review: New ICR. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Private 

Sector; State, Local, and Tribal 

Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 48,600. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 10,196. 

Abstract: This is a request for a new 

information collection. Federal Student 

Aid (FSA) Partner Connect will be 

replacing Student Aid internet Gateway 

(SAIG) Enrollment via 

fsawebenroll.ed.gov. SAIG Mailboxes 

will remain as the access point for 

electronically transmitting and receiving 

data. FSA Partner Connect System and 

User Access Management allows 

authorized entities, including 

postsecondary educational institutions, 

institutional third-party servicers, 

guaranty agencies and guaranty agency 

(GA) servicers, Federal Family 

Education Loan Program (FFELP) 

lenders and lender servicers, federal 

loan servicers, and State Higher 

Education Agencies, to exchange data 

electronically with the U.S. Department 

of Education (Department). In order to 

participate, each entity must enroll for 

system and service access through FSA 

Partner Connect (fsapartners.ed.gov). 

The enrollment process enables the 

organization enrolling to create new 

users and select services to receive, 

submit, view, and/or update student 

financial aid data online and by batch 

using Department provided software 

EDconnect (PC-based software) or 

TDClient (client software for multiple 

environments). As authorized by the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as 

amended (HEA); 20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq., 

and in order to manage the Title IV, 

HEA assistance programs, the entities 

listed above may electronically transmit 

and receive data from the following FSA 

systems through SAIG Mailboxes by 

enrolling through FSA Partner Connect: 

Free Application for Federal Student 

Aid (FAFSA) Processing System (FPS) 

Common Origination and Disbursement 

(COD) System 

National Student Loan Data System 

(NSLDS) Online 

Electronic Cohort Default Rate (eCDR) 

Appeals 

Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) 

System 

Digital Customer Care (DCC) Customer 

Relationship Management (CRM) 

Online 

Access and Identity Management 

System (AIMS) 


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