[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29064-29068]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13940]



[[Page 29063]]

_______________________________________________________________________

Part II





Department of Education





_______________________________________________________________________



Applications Invitation for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998; Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 101 / Wednesday, May 27, 1998 / 
Notice

[[Page 29064]]



DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1998

SUMMARY: On June 4, 1997, the President signed into law Pub. L. 105-17, 
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, 
amending the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
    This notice provides closing dates and other information regarding 
the transmittal of applications for fiscal year 1998 competitions under 
two programs authorized by IDEA, as amended. The two programs are: (1) 
Special Education--Personnel Preparation to Improve Services and 
Results for Children with Disabilities (two priorities); and (2) 
Special Education--Training and Information for Parents of Children 
with Disabilities (one priority).
    This notice supports the National Education Goals by helping to 
improve results for children with disabilities.

Waiver of Rulemaking

    It is generally the practice of the Secretary to offer interested 
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However, 
section 661(e)(2) of IDEA makes the Administrative Procedure Act (5 
U.S.C. 553) inapplicable to the priorities in this notice. In order to 
make awards on a timely basis, the Secretary has decided to publish 
these priorities in final under the authority of section 661(e)(2).

General Requirements

    (a) Projects funded under this notice must make positive efforts to 
employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with 
disabilities in project activities (see Section 606 of IDEA);
    (b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must 
involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with 
disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects 
(see Section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA); and
    (c) Projects funded under these priorities must budget for a two-
day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, D.C. during each year of 
the project.

    Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates 
in this notice.

Special Education--Personnel Preparation To Improve Services and 
Results for Children With Disabilities [CFDA 84.325]

    Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help 
address State-identified needs for qualified personnel in special 
education, related services, early intervention, and regular education, 
to work with children with disabilities; and (2) to ensure that those 
personnel have the skills and knowledge, derived from practices that 
have been determined through research and experience to be successful, 
that are needed to serve those children.
    Eligible Applicants: State and local educational agencies; 
institutions of higher education; other public agencies; private 
nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; and 
Indian tribes or tribal organizations.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 85, and 86; (b) The selection criteria included in regulations 
in 34 CFR 318.23; and (c) 34 CFR 318.31-318.33.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

    Priority: Under section 673 and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary 
gives an absolute preference to applications that meet the following 
priorities. The Secretary funds under this competition only those 
applications that meet these absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--Projects of National Significance (84.325N)

    The Secretary establishes an absolute priority to support projects 
that address issues of national significance and have broad 
applicability. Projects supported under this priority must develop, 
implement, and evaluate innovative models that will serve as blueprints 
for improving the preparation and ongoing development of early 
intervention personnel, general and special education teachers, 
administrators, related service personnel, and paraprofessionals who 
have responsibility for ensuring that children with disabilities 
achieve to high standards and become independent, productive citizens.
    Priority: A project of national significance must:
    (a) Include a detailed description of a personnel preparation 
model, including descriptions of: the population(s) that the model is 
designed to serve; the content and expected outcomes of the model; the 
processes for, and costs involved with, implementation and ongoing 
evaluation; and the organizational and contextual factors that may 
either facilitate or impede implementation of the model. The model 
must--
    (1) Be guided by a conceptual framework that integrates all 
proposed model components; and
    (2) Incorporate relevant, research-based curricular content and 
pedagogical practice;
    (b) Provide substantial evidence that the proposed model will serve 
a broad-based need;
    (c) Establish an advisory panel of relevant stakeholders and 
potential users to provide guidance that will help to assure that the 
model developed has broad applicability;
    (d) Conduct ongoing formative evaluations of project activities, 
and a final evaluation to assess the success of the model in enhancing 
the skills, knowledge, and practices of professional personnel that 
will lead to improved results for children with disabilities;
    (e) Produce a model ``blueprint'' or case study that would permit 
others to replicate the model and includes comprehensive information 
related to paragraphs (a) and (b), and comprehensive outcomes of the 
final evaluation required under paragraph (d); and
    (f) In addition to the annual two day Project Directors' meeting in 
Washington, D.C. mentioned in the General Requirements section of this 
notice, budget for another annual two-day trip to Washington, D.C. to 
collaborate with the Federal project officer and other projects funded 
under this priority by sharing information and discussing model 
development, implementation, evaluation and dissemination issues, 
including the carrying out of cross-project dissemination activities.

Invitational Priorities

    Within this absolute priority, the Secretary is particularly 
interested in applications that meet one of the following invitational 
priorities. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) an application that 
meets one or more of these invitational priorities does not receive 
competitive or absolute preference over other applications:
    (a) Projects that improve the ability of school principals and 
other local educational agency administrators to provide leadership in 
meeting the needs of children with disabilities through:
    (1) Model preservice programs for the training and certification of 
school administrators (including principals and other instructional 
leaders) that incorporate relevant special education content and 
provide for trainees to apply special education knowledge in field-
based practice opportunities; or,
    (2) Model projects that provide ongoing training for practicing 
school principals, LEA administrators, local school board members, and 
other local

[[Page 29065]]

decision makers in order to improve the ability of such individuals to 
make informed instructional and policy-related decisions regarding the 
provision of appropriate, beneficial services and supports for children 
with disabilities.
    (b) Projects that improve the training of paraprofessionals to meet 
the needs of children, K through age 21, with high- or low-incidence 
disabilities, in general education classrooms through:
    (1) Model preservice programs for the training and certification of 
paraprofessionals that incorporate relevant special and regular 
education content and provide opportunities for trainees to apply their 
knowledge and skills in field-based practice;
    (2) Model inservice programs for current paraprofessionals to 
improve their knowledge, skills, and practices; or,
    (3) Model pre- or inservice programs that incorporate content for 
teachers to supervise and work more effectively with paraprofessionals.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Maximum Award: The Secretary rejects and does not consider an 
application that proposes a budget exceeding $200,000 for any single 
budget period of 12 months. The Secretary may change the maximum amount 
through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Page Limits: Part III of the application, the application 
narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection criteria that 
are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An applicant must 
limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 40 double-spaced 
pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is 8\1/2\'' x 11'' 
(on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides). (2) 
All text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs, must be double-spaced (no more 
than 3 lines per vertical inch). If using a proportional computer font, 
use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an average character density 
no greater than 18 characters per inch. If using a nonproportional font 
or a typewriter, do not use more than 12 characters to the inch.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I--the cover sheet; Part II--
the budget section (including the narrative budget justification); Part 
IV--the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, 
resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the 
application narrative must be included in Part III. If an application 
narrative uses a smaller print size, spacing, or margin that would make 
the narrative exceed the equivalent of the page limit, the application 
will not be considered for funding.

    Program Authority: Section 673 of the Act.

Absolute Priority 2--Partnerships to Link Personnel Training and School 
Practice [84.325P]

Background

    Teachers need to be prepared to provide effective instruction 
across the full range of student abilities. More than 90 percent of all 
students with disabilities spend at least a portion of their school day 
in a general education classroom. The movement toward inclusive 
education in today's schools requires that general and special 
education teachers work together to meet the needs of students with 
disabilities. However, extensive data indicate that general education 
teachers do not feel that they have the knowledge and skills necessary 
to meet the educational needs of these students in their classrooms and 
that special education teachers are required to assume roles (e.g., 
consulting with general education teachers, co-teaching in general 
education classrooms, and supervising paraprofessional staff) for which 
they are insufficiently prepared.
    In order to meet the challenge of preparing general and special 
education teachers to be effective in addressing the needs, and 
improving the results, of students with disabilities in inclusive 
schools, teacher preparation programs must be grounded in the 
structural, organizational, and instructional realities of schools, 
while schools must facilitate continuous improvement of teacher 
knowledge and skills. Institutions that prepare teachers and the 
schools in which teachers work both have a responsibility to ensure 
that teachers (special and regular education) can effectively fulfill 
their roles in working with children with disabilities. Too often the 
sole relationship between preparation programs and local schools is 
limited to setting up practicum settings for trainees. Faculty members 
at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) are often minimally involved 
in practicum supervision. Universities and schools can no longer afford 
to work in isolation. Similarly, training regular and special education 
teachers can no longer be viewed as separate functions. The following 
priority is intended to develop models for building and enhancing 
partnerships between training institutions and local schools in order 
to strengthen the quality and effectiveness of preservice preparation 
programs and ongoing professional development activities for teachers 
and instructional leaders (both special and regular education) who 
serve children with disabilities.
    The power of the partnerships supported through this priority 
should not be underestimated. The Secretary expects projects to develop 
models that intersect between preservice and inservice development for 
professional personnel and will have a significant impact on the 
improvement of educational practices that will lead to better results 
for children. It is intended that these models will provide a means by 
which local schools and IHEs can simultaneously improve their work and 
effectiveness.
    Priority: The Secretary establishes an absolute priority to support 
projects that develop, implement, and evaluate innovative models for 
engaging general education and special education faculty in IHEs and 
general education and special education teachers and instructional 
leaders in local schools and districts in a dynamic and enduring 
partnership to enhance and simultaneously improve the quality of 
preservice preparation and ongoing professional development of teachers 
and instructional leaders. Partnership activities must be designed to 
ensure that both special education and regular education professionals 
have the knowledge and skills necessary to improve results for children 
with disabilities.
    Projects funded under this priority must:
    (a) Develop a partnership model for linking IHE personnel training 
programs with local school practice that is guided by a conceptual 
framework incorporating relevant, research-based knowledge and 
practice. The partnership model must include the following features:
    (1) A systematic approach to professional development at all stages 
of the training continuum by focusing on continuous learning by 
teachers, instructional leaders, and faculties of IHE education 
programs;
    (2) The integration of theory and practice to produce more 
practical, contextualized theory and more theoretically grounded, 
broadly informed practice;
    (3) A strong commitment to research-based change that is 
continually responsive to personnel needs and to advances in the 
knowledge base; and
    (4) A description of the benefits that will accrue to all 
stakeholders, including, but not limited to, IHE faculty, teachers in 
training, practicing professionals in local schools, and students with 
disabilities, as a result of

[[Page 29066]]

the implementation of the proposed partnership model.
    (b) Provide substantial evidence that the proposed model will serve 
a broad-based need.
    (c) Establish an advisory panel of relevant stakeholders and 
potential users to provide guidance that will help to assure the model 
developed has broad applicability.
    (d) Include the following partnerships activities:
    (1) Identification of a common core of knowledge and skills that 
are appropriate for all prospective general and special education 
teachers, are aligned with critical teaching standards and with high 
student content and performance standards, and for which there is broad 
based support among all stakeholders;
    (2) Clarification of the current and emerging roles and 
responsibilities of special educators in inclusive schools, including 
identification of the specialized knowledge and skill competencies that 
these educators must perform effectively, and for which there is broad 
based support among all stakeholders;
    (3) Modification of curricula and materials used for preservice 
preparation of general and special education teachers that is 
consistent with the requirements under paragraph (a) and is conducted 
through collaboration between IHEs and schools or districts; and
    (4) Development of an approach for providing intensive, ongoing 
professional development that will advance the career-long learning of 
school and IHE personnel and ensure that children with disabilities 
achieve to high standards.
    (e) Conduct ongoing formative evaluations of project activities, 
and a final evaluation to assess the success of the partnership model 
in enhancing the skills, knowledge, and practices of professional 
personnel that will lead to improved results for children with 
disabilities.
    (f) Develop a plan for sustaining implementation of the model 
beyond the period of Federal funding for this project.
    (g) Produce a model ``blueprint'' or case study that would permit 
others to replicate or implement the model and includes comprehensive 
information related to paragraphs (a) through (d) and comprehensive 
outcomes of the final evaluation required under paragraph (e).
    (h) In addition to the annual two day Project Directors' meeting in 
Washington, DC, mentioned in the General Requirements section of this 
notice, budget for another annual two-day trip to Washington, DC, to 
collaborate with the Federal project officer and other projects funded 
under this priority by sharing information and discussing model 
development, implementation, and dissemination issues, including the 
carrying out of cross-project dissemination activities.
    Under this priority, the project period is up to 60 months subject 
to the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for continuation awards. In 
determining whether to continue the project for the fourth and fifth 
years of the project period, the Secretary, in addition to the 
requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), will consider--
    (a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of three experts 
selected by the Secretary. The services of the review team, including a 
two-day site visit to the project, are to be performed during the last 
half of the project's second year and may be included in that year's 
evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs associated with the 
services to be performed by the review team must also be included in 
the project's budget for year two. These costs are estimated to be 
approximately $4,000;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the grant have been or are being met by the project; and
    (c) The degree to which the project's design and methodology 
demonstrates the potential for advancing significant new knowledge.
    Project Period: Up to 60 months.
    Maximum Award: The Secretary rejects and does not consider an 
application that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for any single 
budget period of 12 months. The Secretary may change the maximum amount 
through a notice published in the Federal Register.
    Page Limits: Part III of the application, the application 
narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection criteria that 
are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An applicant must 
limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 50 double-spaced 
pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is 8'' x 11'' (on 
one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides). (2) All 
text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, 
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in 
charts, tables, figures, and graphs, must be double-spaced (no more 
than 3 lines per vertical inch). If using a proportional computer font, 
use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an average character density 
no greater than 18 characters per inch. If using a nonproportional font 
or a typewriter, do not use more than 12 characters to the inch.
    The page limit does not apply to Part I--the cover sheet; Part II--
the budget section (including the narrative budget justification); Part 
IV--the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, 
resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the 
application narrative must be included in Part III. If an application 
narrative uses a smaller print size, spacing, or margin that would make 
the narrative exceed the equivalent of the page limit, the application 
will not be considered for funding.

    Program Authority: Section 673 of IDEA.

Special Education--Training and Information for Parents of Children 
With Disabilities [CFDA 84.328C]

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support local 
parent organizations to help ensure that underserved parents of 
children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of 
children with limited English proficiency, and parents with 
disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable 
them to participate effectively in helping their children with 
disabilities.
    Eligible Applicants: Local parent organizations must meet the 
criteria in section 682(g) of the Act, and also must meet one of the 
following criteria--
    (a) Have a board of directors the majority of whom are from the 
community to be served; or
    (b) Have as part of its mission, serving the interests of 
individuals with disabilities from such community; and have a special 
governing committee to administer the project, a majority of the 
members of which are individuals from such community; examples of 
administrative responsibilities include controlling the use of the 
project funds, and hiring and managing project personnel.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, and 85; and (b) the selection criteria included in 34 CFR 
316.22.
    Priority: Under sections 661(e)(2) and 683 of the Act, and 34 CFR 
75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an absolute preference to 
applications that meet the following priority. The Secretary funds 
under this competition only those applications that meet this absolute 
priority:

Absolute Priority--Community Parent Resource Centers (84.029C)

    The purpose of this statutory priority is to support local parent 
training and

[[Page 29067]]

information centers that will help ensure that underserved parents of 
children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of 
children with limited English proficiency, and parents with 
disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable 
them to participate effectively in helping their children with 
disabilities to--
    (a) Meet developmental goals and, to the maximum extent possible, 
those challenging standards that have been established for all 
children; and
    (b) Be prepared to lead productive independent adult lives, to the 
maximum extent possible.
    Each community parent training and information center supported 
under this priority must--
    (a) Provide training and information that meets the training and 
information needs of parents of children with disabilities proposed to 
be served by the project;
    (b) Assist parents to understand the availability of, and how to 
effectively use, procedural safeguards under Section 615 of the Act, 
including encouraging the use, and explaining the benefits, of 
alternative methods of dispute resolution, such as the mediation 
process described in the Act;
    (c) Serve the parents of infants, toddlers, and children with the 
full range of disabilities by assisting parents to--
    (1) Better understand the nature of their children's disabilities 
and their educational and developmental needs;
    (2) Communicate effectively with personnel responsible for 
providing special education, early intervention, and related services;
    (3) Participate in decision making processes and the development of 
individualized education programs and individualized family service 
plans;
    (4) Obtain appropriate information about the range of options, 
programs, services, and resources available to assist children with 
disabilities and their families;
    (5) Understand the provisions of the Act for the education of, and 
the provision of early intervention services to, children with 
disabilities; and
    (6) Participate in school reform activities;
    (d) Contract with the State education agencies, if the State elects 
to contract with the community parent resource centers, for the purpose 
of meeting with parents who choose not to use the mediation process, to 
encourage the use and explain the benefits of mediation, consistent 
with Sections 615(e)(2)(B) and (D) of the Act;
    (e) In order to serve parents and families of children with the 
full range of disabilities, network with appropriate clearinghouses, 
including organizations conducting national dissemination activities 
under section 685(d) of the Act, and with other national, State, and 
local organizations and agencies, such as protection and advocacy 
agencies;
    (f) Establish cooperative partnerships with the parent training and 
information centers funded under Section 682 of the Act;
    (g) Be designed to meet the specific needs of families who 
experience significant isolation from available sources of information 
and support; and
    (h) Annually report to the Secretary on--
    (1) The number of parents to whom it provided information and 
training in the most recently concluded fiscal year, and
    (2) The effectiveness of strategies used to reach and serve 
parents, including underserved parents of children with disabilities.
    Competitive Priorities: Within this Absolute Priority, the 
Secretary, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), gives preference to 
applications that meet one or both of the following competitive 
priorities:
    The Secretary awards 20 points to an application submitted by a 
local parent organization that has a board of directors, the majority 
of whom are parents of children with disabilities, from the community 
to be served. These points are in addition to any points the 
application earns under the selection criteria for the program.
    The Secretary awards 10 points to an application that provides 
parent training and information in one or more Empowerment Zones or 
Enterprise Communities in a manner that meets the competitive priority 
relating to Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities published in 
the Federal Register on November 7, 1994 (59 FR 55534). A list of areas 
that have been selected as Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities 
is included in the application package. These points are in addition to 
any points the application earns under the selection criteria for the 
program.
    Project Period: Up to 36 months.
    Project Award: Projects will not be funded in excess of $100,000 
for any single budget period of 12 months.
    Program Authority: Section 683 of the Act.
    For Applications and General Information Contact: Requests for 
applications and general information should be addressed to the Grants 
and Contracts Services Team, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., room 3317, 
Switzer Building, Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. The preferred method for 
requesting information is to FAX your request to: (202) 205-8717. 
Telephone: (202) 260-9182.
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8953.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of this notice or 
the application packages referred to in this notice in an alternate 
format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by 
contacting the Department as listed above. However, the Department is 
not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms 
included in the application package.

Intergovernmental Review

    These programs are subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The objective of the 
Executive order is to foster an inter-governmental partnership and a 
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
those program.

                                   Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Application Notice for Fiscal Year 1998                                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                   Application     Deadline for      Maximum                  Estimated 
                         CFDA No. and name                           Applications    deadline   intergovernmental  award  (per  Page limit*   number of 
                                                                       available       date           review          year)*                    awards  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.325N Professional Development--Projects of National Significance       5/27/98      7/10/98         9/08/98        $200,000           40           15

[[Page 29068]]

                                                                                                                                                        
84.325P Professional Development--Partnerships to Link Personnel                                                                                        
 Training and School Practice......................................       5/27/98      7/10/98         9/08/98         300,000           50            4
84.328C Community Parent Resource Centers..........................      5//27/98      7/17/98         9/15/98         100,000         NONE          10 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding the amount listed for each priority for any single budget  
  period of 12 months, except 84.328C, Community Parent Resource Centers.                                                                               
**Applicants must limit the Application Narrative, Part III of the Application, to the page limits noted above. Please refer to the ``Page Limit''      
  section of this notice for the specific requirements. The Secretary rejects and does not consider an application that does not adhere to this         
  requirement.                                                                                                                                          

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of a document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

    Dated: May 13, 1998.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 98-13940 Filed 5-26-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P