32106 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 112 /Thursday, June 11, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation

Long-Term Training

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services, Department of

Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priority for

fiscal year 1999 and subsequent fiscal

years.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a

funding priority for fiscal year 1999 and

subsequent fiscal years under the

Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation

Long-Term Training program. The

Secretary takes this action in order to

assist State vocational rehabilitation

(VR) agencies in carrying out their

Comprehensive System of Personnel

Development (CSPD) plans.

DATES: Comments must be received by

the Department on or before July 13,

1998.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

this proposed priority should be

addressed to Beverly Steburg, U.S.

Department of Education, 61 Forsyth

Street, S.W., Room 18T91, Atlanta,

Georgia 30303. Telephone: (404)562–

6336. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the TDD number at (404)

562–6347. Comments may also be sent

through the Internet to:

BeverlylSteburg@ed.gov

You must include the term

‘‘Rehabilitation Long-Term Training

Program’’ in the subject line of your

electronic message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Steburg. Telephone: (404) 562–

6336. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the TDD number at (404)

562–6347.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

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 this document

is the document published in the Federal

Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: One of the

emphases in the 1992 Amendments to

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the

Amendments) is the need for qualified

personnel in the VR program. This is

evidenced in both the statutory language

and legislative history, including the

report of the Senate Committee, which

indicates that trained, qualified VR

personnel often make the difference

between success and failure in

facilitating the achievement of quality

employment outcomes for individuals

with disabilities. Accordingly, the

Amendments introduced into the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the Act) the

provisions of section 101(a)(7) related to

the Comprehensive System of Personnel

Development. One of the key CSPD

provisions, section 101(a)(7)(B) of the

Act, requires designated State units

(DSUs) to establish and maintain

personnel standards for rehabilitation

personnel, including VR counselors.

The regulations in 34 CFR 361.18(c)

implement the CSPD statutory

requirements with respect to the

development and maintenance of DSU

personnel standards. These provisions

require, in part, that DSUs establish

personnel standards ‘‘that are consistent

with any national or State-approved or

-recognized certification, licensing, or

registration requirements * * *’’

applicable to a particular profession. In

addition, those standards must be based

on the ‘‘highest requirements in the

State’’—defined in the regulations to

mean the highest entry-level academic

degree needed for any national or Stateapproved or -recognized certification,

licensing, registration * * *.’’

Based on the preceding requirements,

if a State has not adopted certification,

licensing, or registration requirements

for rehabilitation counselors, State VR

agency counselors must meet personnel

standards that are consistent with the

national standard for VR counselors—

Certification for Rehabilitation

Counselors—meaning that counselors

must have a masters degree in

rehabilitation counseling or a closely

related field. An informal survey by the

Council of State Administrators of

Vocational Rehabilitation estimates that

approximately 45 percent of the current

11,000 counselors nationwide have a

masters degree. Some State agencies

have very few counselors who meet this

standard. To the extent that is the case,

VR agencies are required to develop and

implement a plan (referred to as the

State’s CSPD plan) for retraining or

hiring counselors that meet the highest

requirements in the State.

The proposed priority would support

creative, innovative approaches for

assisting State agencies to meet the

previously-described statutory and

regulatory personnel requirements for

VR counselors and to carry out their

CSPD plans. Distance learning and

virtual training arenas are among the

potential approaches that can reach

counselors conveniently, including

counselors who do not live or work near

an academic training institution.

Degree-granting programs that include

competency-based components also

would be appropriate under this

priority. Those programs would allow

for consideration of the past experiences

of counselors, yet require rigorous

assessment of skills and knowledge to

ensure competency in core areas.

Generally, training approaches proposed

by applicants must address the unique

learning needs of currently employed

VR counselors, reflect their learning

styles and professional experiences, and

be accessible at a time and in a place

that would maximize participation.

In an effort to maximize benefit to the

VR program while minimizing costs,

potential applicants may wish to

consider collaborative models with, for

example, community rehabilitation

programs, other public agencies, or

private entities.

The Secretary notes that the

Rehabilitation Services Administration

(RSA) funds only training programs that

are accredited. For purposes of this

priority, RSA may fund programs that

are in the process of applying for

accreditation. However, a funded

project must be accredited by the time

its first graduates complete the program.

The Council on Rehabilitation

Education is the current body that

accredits programs that train

rehabilitation counselors.

The Secretary will announce the final

priority in a notice in the Federal

Register. The final priority will be

determined by responses to this notice,

available funds, and other

considerations of the Department.

Funding of particular projects depends

on the availability of funds, the nature

of the final priority, and the quality of

the applications received. The
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 112 /Thursday, June 11, 1998 / Notices 32107

publication of this proposed priority

does not preclude the Secretary from

proposing additional priorities, nor does

it limit the Secretary to funding only

this priority, subject to meeting

applicable rulemaking requirements.

Note: This notice of proposed priority does

not solicit applications. In any year in which

the Secretary chooses to use this proposed

priority, the Secretary invites applications

through a notice published in the Federal

Register. A notice inviting applications

under this competition will be published in

the Federal Register concurrent with or

following publication of the notice of final

priority.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) and

section 302(a)(1) of the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973, as amended, the Secretary

proposes to give an absolute preference

to applications that meet the following

priority. The Secretary proposes to fund

under this competition only

applications that meet this absolute

priority:

Projects shall—

(1) Provide training to current

vocational rehabilitation counselors,

including counselors with disabilities,

ethnic minorities, and those from

diverse backgrounds, toward meeting

DSU personnel standards required

under section 101(a)(7) of the Act,

commonly referred to as the

Comprehensive System of Personnel

Development (CSPD);

(2) Address the training needs

specified in the CSPD plans of those

States with which the project will be

working; and

(3) Develop innovative approaches

(e.g., distance learning, competencybased programs, and other methods)

that would maximize participation in,

and the effectiveness of, project training.

Multi-State projects and projects that

involve consortia of institutions and

agencies are also authorized, although

other projects will be considered.

The regulations in 34 CFR 386.31(b)

require that a minimum of 75 percent of

project funds be used to support student

scholarships and stipends. The

regulations also provide for a waiver of

this requirement under certain

circumstances, including for new

training programs.

Finally, the Secretary intends to

approve a wide range of approaches for

providing training and different levels

of funding, based on the quality of

individual projects. The Secretary takes

these factors into account in making

grants under this priority.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act

The Goals 2000: Educate America Act

(Goals 2000) focuses the Nation’s

education reform efforts on the eight

National Education Goals and provides

a framework for meeting them. Goals

2000 promotes new partnerships to

strengthen schools and expands the

Department’s capacities for helping

communities to exchange ideas and

obtain information needed to achieve

the goals.

This proposed priority would address

the National Education Goal that every

adult American will be literate and will

possess the knowledge and skills

necessary to compete in a global

economy and exercise the rights and

responsibilities of citizenship. The

proposed priority furthers the objectives

of this Goal by focusing available funds

on projects that improve the counseling

skills of vocational rehabilitation

counselors of State VR agencies, which

will improve the responsiveness of the

VR system to adults with disabilities

and their vocational pursuits.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is 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 intergovernmental

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 this program.

Invitation To Comment

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments and recommendations

regarding this proposed priority. All

comments submitted in response to this

proposed priority will be available for

public inspection, during and after the

comment period, in Room 18T91, 61

Forsyth Street, S.W., Atlanta, Georgia,

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00

p.m., Monday through Friday of each

week except Federal holidays.

On request the Department supplies

an appropriate aid, such as a reader or

print magnifier, to an individual with a

disability who needs assistance to

review the comments or other

documents in the public rulemaking

docket for this proposed priority. An

individual with a disability who wants

to schedule an appointment for this type

of aid may call (202) 205–8113 or (202)

260–9895. An individual who uses a

TDD may call the Federal Information

Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 721 (b) and

(e) and 796(e).

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Number 84.129, Rehabilitation Long-Term

Training)

Dated: June 8, 1998.

Curtis L. Richards,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 98–15575 Filed 6–10–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P