17178 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 

should be electronically mailed to 

ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Individuals who 

use a telecommunications device for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

[FR Doc. E9–8502 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services; Overview 

Information; State Personnel 

Development Grants (SPDG) Program; 

Notice Inviting Applications for New 

Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.323A. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: April 14, 

2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 29, 2009. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 28, 2009. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

this program is to assist State 

educational agencies (SEAs) in 

reforming and improving their systems 

for personnel preparation and 

professional development in early 

intervention, educational, and transition 

services in order to improve results for 

children with disabilities. 

Priority: This priority is from the 

notice of final priority for this program, 

published in the Federal Register on 

June 9, 2006 (71 FR 33578). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2009 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants 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: 

Priority: 

The Assistant Secretary establishes a 

priority to assist SEAs in reforming and 

improving their personnel preparation 

and professional development systems 

for teachers, principals, administrators, 

related services personnel, 

paraprofessionals, and early 

intervention personnel. The intent of 

this priority is to improve educational 

results for children with disabilities 

through the delivery of high quality 

instruction and the recruitment, hiring, 

and retention of highly qualified special 

education teachers. 

In order to meet this priority an 

applicant must demonstrate that the 

project for which it seeks funding—(1) 

Provides professional development 

activities that improve the knowledge 

and skills of personnel, as defined in 

section 651(b) of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), in 

delivering scientifically based 

instruction to meet the needs of, and 

improve the performance and 

achievement of, infants, toddlers, 

preschoolers, and children with 

disabilities; (2) Implements practices to 

sustain the knowledge and skills of 

personnel who have received training in 

scientifically based instruction; and (3) 

Implements strategies that are effective 

in promoting the recruitment, hiring, 

and retention of highly qualified special 

education teachers in accordance with 

section 602(10) and section 612(a)(14) of 

IDEA. 

Projects Funded Under This Priority 

Must Also: 

(a) Budget for a three-day Project 

Directors’ meeting in Washington, DC 

during each year of the project; 

(b) Budget $4,000 annually for 

support of the State Personnel 

Development Grants Program Web site 

currently administered by the 

University of Oregon (http:// 

www.signetwork.org); and 

(c) If a project receiving assistance 

under this program authority maintains 

a Web site, include relevant information 

and documents in a form that meets a 

government or industry-recognized 

standard for accessibility. 

Statutory Requirements. 

State Personnel Development Plan. 

An applicant must submit a State 

Personnel Development Plan that 

identifies and addresses the State and 

local needs for personnel preparation 

and professional development of 

personnel, as well as individuals who 

provide direct supplementary aids and 

services to children with disabilities, 

and that— 

(a) Is designed to enable the State to 

meet the requirements of section 

612(a)(14) and section 635(a)(8) and (9) 

of IDEA; 

(b) Is based on an assessment of State 

and local needs that identifies critical 

aspects and areas in need of 

improvement related to the preparation, 

ongoing training, and professional 

development of personnel who serve 

infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and 

children with disabilities within the 

State, including— 

(i) Current and anticipated personnel 

vacancies and shortages; and 

(ii) The number of preservice and 

inservice programs; 

(c) Is integrated and aligned, to the 

maximum extent possible, with State 

plans and activities under the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA); the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; 

and the Higher Education Act of 1965, 

as amended (HEA); 

(d) Describes a partnership agreement 

that is in effect for the period of the 

grant, which agreement must specify— 

(i) The nature and extent of the 

partnership described in accordance 

with section 652(b) of IDEA and the 

respective roles of each member of the 

partnership, including, if applicable, an 

individual, entity, or agency other than 

the SEA that has the responsibility 

under State law for teacher preparation 

and certification; and 

(ii) How the SEA will work with other 

persons and organizations involved in, 

and concerned with, the education of 

children with disabilities, including the 

respective roles of each of the persons 

and organizations; 

(e) Describes how the strategies and 

activities the SEA uses to address 

identified professional development and 

personnel needs will be coordinated 

with activities supported with other 

public resources (including funds 

provided under Part B and Part C of 

IDEA and retained for use at the State 

level for personnel and professional 

development purposes) and private 

resources; 

(f) Describes how the SEA will align 

its personnel development plan with the 

plan and application submitted under 

sections 1111 and 2112, respectively, of 

the ESEA; 

(g) Describes strategies the SEA will 

use to address the identified 

professional development and 

personnel needs and how such 

strategies will be implemented, 

including— 

(i) A description of the programs and 

activities that will provide personnel 

with the knowledge and skills to meet 

the needs of, and improve the 

performance and achievement of, 

infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and 

children with disabilities; and 

(ii) How such strategies will be 

integrated, to the maximum extent 

possible, with other activities supported 

by grants funded under section 662 of 

IDEA; 

(h) Provides an assurance that the 

SEA will provide technical assistance to 

local educational agencies (LEAs) to 

improve the quality of professional 

development available to meet the 

needs of personnel who serve children 

with disabilities; 

(i) Provides an assurance that the SEA 

will provide technical assistance to 

entities that provide services to infants 

and toddlers with disabilities to 

improve the quality of professional 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 17179 

development available to meet the 

needs of personnel serving those 

children; 

(j) Describes how the SEA will recruit 

and retain highly qualified teachers and 

other qualified personnel in geographic 

areas of greatest need; 

(k) Describes the steps the SEA will 

take to ensure that economically 

disadvantaged and minority children 

are not taught at higher rates by teachers 

who are not highly qualified; and 

(l) Describes how the SEA will assess, 

on a regular basis, the extent to which 

the strategies implemented have been 

effective in meeting the performance 

goals described in section 612(a)(15) of 

IDEA. 

Partnerships. 

Required Partners. 

Applicants must establish a 

partnership with LEAs and other State 

agencies involved in, or concerned with, 

the education of children with 

disabilities, including— 

(a) Not less than one institution of 

higher education; and 

(b) The State agencies responsible for 

administering Part C of IDEA, early 

education, child care, and vocational 

rehabilitation programs. 

Other Partners. 

An SEA must work in partnership 

with other persons and organizations 

involved in, and concerned with, the 

education of children with disabilities, 

which may include— 

(a) The Governor; 

(b) Parents of children with 

disabilities ages birth through 26; 

(c) Parents of nondisabled children 

ages birth through 26; 

(d) Individuals with disabilities; 

(e) Parent training and information 

centers or community parent resource 

centers funded under sections 671 and 

672 of IDEA, respectively; 

(f) Community-based and other 

nonprofit organizations involved in the 

education and employment of 

individuals with disabilities; 

(g) Personnel as defined in section 

651(b) of IDEA; 

(h) The State advisory panel 

established under Part B of IDEA; 

(i) The State interagency coordinating 

council established under Part C of 

IDEA; 

(j) Individuals knowledgeable about 

vocational education; 

(k) The State agency for higher 

education; 

(l) Noneducational public agencies 

with jurisdiction in the areas of health, 

mental health, social services, and 

juvenile justice; 

(m) Other providers of professional 

development who work with infants, 

toddlers, preschoolers, and children 

with disabilities; 

(n) Other individuals; and 

(o) In cases where the SEA is not 

responsible for teacher certification, an 

individual, entity, or agency responsible 

for teacher certification, as defined in 

section 652(b)(3) of IDEA. 

Use of Funds. 

(a) Professional Development 

Activities—Consistent with the absolute 

priority announced in this notice, each 

SEA that receives a SPDG under this 

program must use the grant funds to 

support activities in accordance with 

the State’s Personnel Development Plan, 

including one or more of the following: 

(1) Carrying out programs that provide 

support to both special education and 

regular education teachers of children 

with disabilities and principals, such as 

programs that— 

(i) Provide teacher mentoring, team 

teaching, reduced class schedules and 

case loads, and intensive professional 

development; 

(ii) Use standards or assessments for 

guiding beginning teachers that are 

consistent with challenging State 

student academic achievement and 

functional standards and with the 

requirements for professional 

development, as defined in section 9101 

of the ESEA; and 

(iii) Encourage collaborative and 

consultative models of providing early 

intervention, special education, and 

related services. 

(2) Encouraging and supporting the 

training of special education and regular 

education teachers and administrators 

to effectively use and integrate 

technology— 

(i) Into curricula and instruction, 

including training to improve the ability 

to collect, manage, and analyze data to 

improve teaching, decision-making, 

school improvement efforts, and 

accountability; 

(ii) To enhance learning by children 

with disabilities; and 

(iii) To effectively communicate with 

parents. 

(3) Providing professional 

development activities that— 

(i) Improve the knowledge of special 

education and regular education 

teachers concerning— 

(A) The academic and developmental 

or functional needs of students with 

disabilities; or 

(B) Effective instructional strategies, 

methods, and skills, and the use of State 

academic content standards and student 

academic achievement and functional 

standards, and State assessments, to 

improve teaching practices and student 

academic achievement; 

(ii) Improve the knowledge of special 

education and regular education 

teachers and principals and, in 

appropriate cases, paraprofessionals, 

concerning effective instructional 

practices, that— 

(A) Provide training in how to teach 

and address the needs of children with 

different learning styles and children 

who are limited English proficient; 

(B) Involve collaborative groups of 

teachers, administrators, and, in 

appropriate cases, related services 

personnel; 

(C) Provide training in methods of— 

(I) Positive behavioral interventions 

and supports to improve student 

behavior in the classroom; 

(II) Scientifically-based reading 

instruction, including early literacy 

instruction; 

(III) Early and appropriate 

interventions to identify and help 

children with disabilities; 

(IV) Effective instruction for children 

with low incidence disabilities; 

(V) Successful transitioning to 

postsecondary opportunities; and 

(VI) Classroom-based techniques to 

assist children prior to referral for 

special education; 

(D) Provide training to enable 

personnel to work with and involve 

parents in their child’s education, 

including parents of low income and 

limited English proficient children with 

disabilities; 

(E) Provide training for special 

education personnel and regular 

education personnel in planning, 

developing, and implementing effective 

and appropriate individualized 

education programs (IEPs); and 

(F) Provide training to meet the needs 

of students with significant health, 

mobility, or behavioral needs prior to 

serving those students; 

(iii) Train administrators, principals, 

and other relevant school personnel in 

conducting effective IEP meetings; and 

(iv) Train early intervention, 

preschool, and related services 

providers, and other relevant school 

personnel in conducting effective 

individualized family service plan 

(IFSP) meetings. 

(4) Developing and implementing 

initiatives to promote the recruitment 

and retention of highly qualified special 

education teachers, particularly 

initiatives that have proven effective in 

recruiting and retaining highly qualified 

teachers, including programs that 

provide— 

(i) Teacher mentoring from exemplary 

special education teachers, principals, 

or superintendents; 

(ii) Induction and support for special 

education teachers during their first 

three years of employment as teachers; 

or 

(iii) Incentives, including financial 

incentives, to retain special education 

17180 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 

teachers who have a record of success 

in helping students with disabilities. 

(5) Carrying out programs and 

activities that are designed to improve 

the quality of personnel who serve 

children with disabilities, such as— 

(i) Innovative professional 

development programs (which may be 

provided through partnerships with 

institutions of higher education), 

including programs that train teachers 

and principals to integrate technology 

into curricula and instruction to 

improve teaching, learning, and 

technology literacy and that are 

consistent with the definition of 

professional development in section 

9101 of the ESEA; and 

(ii) The development and use of 

proven, cost effective strategies for the 

implementation of professional 

development activities, such as through 

the use of technology and distance 

learning. 

(6) Carrying out programs and 

activities that are designed to improve 

the quality of early intervention 

personnel, including paraprofessionals 

and primary referral sources, such as— 

(i) Professional development 

programs to improve the delivery of 

early intervention services; 

(ii) Initiatives to promote the 

recruitment and retention of early 

intervention personnel; and 

(iii) Interagency activities to ensure 

that early intervention personnel are 

adequately prepared and trained. 

(b) Other Activities—Consistent with 

the absolute priority announced in this 

notice, each SEA that receives a SPDG 

under this program must use the grant 

funds to support activities in 

accordance with the State’s Personnel 

Development Plan, including one or 

more of the following: 

(1) Reforming special education and 

regular education teacher certification 

(including re-certification) or licensing 

requirements to ensure that— 

(i) Special education and regular 

education teachers have— 

(A) The training and information 

necessary to address the full range of 

needs of children with disabilities 

across disability categories; and 

(B) The necessary subject matter 

knowledge and teaching skills in the 

academic subjects that the teachers 

teach; 

(ii) Special education and regular 

education teacher certification 

(including re-certification) or licensing 

requirements are aligned with 

challenging State academic content 

standards; and 

(iii) Special education and regular 

education teachers have the subject 

matter knowledge and teaching skills, 

including technology literacy, necessary 

to help students with disabilities meet 

challenging State student academic 

achievement and functional standards. 

(2) Programs that establish, expand, or 

improve alternative routes for State 

certification of special education 

teachers for highly qualified individuals 

with a baccalaureate or master’s degree, 

including mid-career professionals from 

other occupations, paraprofessionals, 

and recent college or university 

graduates with records of academic 

distinction who demonstrate the 

potential to become highly effective 

special education teachers. 

(3) Teacher advancement initiatives 

for special education teachers that 

promote professional growth and 

emphasize multiple career paths (such 

as paths to becoming a career teacher, 

mentor teacher, or exemplary teacher) 

and pay differentiation. 

(4) Developing and implementing 

mechanisms to assist LEAs and schools 

in effectively recruiting and retaining 

highly qualified special education 

teachers. 

(5) Reforming tenure systems, 

implementing teacher testing for subject 

matter knowledge, and implementing 

teacher testing for State certification or 

licensure, consistent with Title II of the 

HEA (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.). 

(6) Funding projects to promote 

reciprocity of teacher certification or 

licensing between or among States for 

special education teachers, except that 

no reciprocity agreement developed 

under this priority may lead to the 

weakening of any State teacher 

certification or licensing requirement. 

(7) Assisting LEAs to serve children 

with disabilities through the 

development and use of proven, 

innovative strategies to deliver intensive 

professional development programs that 

are both cost effective and easily 

accessible, such as strategies that 

involve delivery through the use of 

technology, peer networks, and distance 

learning. 

(8) Developing, or assisting LEAs in 

developing, merit-based performance 

systems and strategies that provide 

differential and bonus pay for special 

education teachers. 

(9) Supporting activities that ensure 

that teachers are able to use challenging 

State academic content standards and 

student academic achievement and 

functional standards, and the results of 

State assessments for all children with 

disabilities to improve instructional 

practices and improve the academic 

achievement of children with 

disabilities. 

(10) When applicable, coordinating 

with, and expanding centers established 

under section 2113(c)(18) of the ESEA to 

benefit special education teachers. 

(c) Contracts and Subgrants—An SEA 

that receives a grant under this 

program— 

(1) Must award contracts or subgrants 

to LEAs, institutions of higher 

education, parent training and 

information centers, or community 

parent resource centers, as appropriate, 

to carry out the State plan; and 

(2) May award contracts and 

subgrants to other public and private 

entities, including the lead agency 

under Part C of IDEA, to carry out the 

State plan. 

(d) Use of Funds for Professional 

Development—An SEA that receives a 

grant under this program must use— 

(1) Not less than 90 percent of the 

funds the SEA receives under the grant 

for any fiscal year for the Professional 

Development Activities described in 

paragraph (a); and 

(2) Not more than 10 percent of the 

funds the SEA receives under the grant 

for any fiscal year for the Other 

Activities described in paragraph (b). 

(e) Grants to Outlying Areas—Pub. L. 

95–134, permitting the consolidation of 

grants to the outlying areas, does not 

apply to funds received under this 

program authority. 

Within this absolute priority, we are 

particularly interested in applications 

that address the following invitational 

priorities. 

Background: 

The Secretary is especially interested 

in applications that propose programs of 

personnel preparation and professional 

development to address the inequitable 

distribution of highly qualified special 

education teachers between low and 

high poverty schools. Teacher quality is 

one of the most important factors in 

improving student achievement and 

eliminating achievement gaps between 

our neediest students and their more 

advantaged peers. Research shows that 

effective teaching is integral to 

improving the academic achievement of 

students who are at greatest risk of not 

meeting high academic standards. It is 

critical that children with disabilities 

from low-income and minority 

backgrounds have the same access to 

highly qualified special education 

teachers as do children with disabilities 

attending low poverty schools. One of 

the principal goals of the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 

(ARRA), Pub. L. 111–5, is making 

improvements in teacher effectiveness 

and in the equitable distribution of 

qualified teachers for all children, 

particularly children who are most in 

need. Section 14005(d)(2) of the ARRA 

recognizes that States need to make 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 17181 

significant progress in remedying the 

inequitable distribution of highly 

qualified teachers between low and high 

poverty schools and to ensure that lowincome and minority children are not 

taught at higher rates by inexperienced, 

unqualified, or out-of-field teachers. 

These invitational priorities, which 

focus on applications that promote 

teacher effectiveness to reduce 

inequities in highly qualified special 

education teacher distribution between 

low and high poverty schools, are 

consistent with the absolute priority for 

this program to improve results for 

children with disabilities through the 

delivery of high quality instruction and 

the recruitment, retention, and hiring of 

highly qualified special education 

teachers. 

Invitational Priorities: Under 34 CFR 

75.105(c)(1) we do not give an 

application that meets one of these 

invitational priorities a competitive or 

absolute preference over other 

applications. 

These Priorities Are: 

(1) Projects that will improve 

effectiveness of special education 

teachers of children with disabilities 

from low-income or minority 

backgrounds attending high poverty 

schools. 

(2) Projects that will address 

inequities in the distribution of highly 

qualified special education teachers 

between low and high poverty schools. 

(3) Projects that will work to ensure 

that low-income and minority children 

with disabilities are not taught at higher 

rates than other children by 

inexperienced, unqualified, or out-offield teachers. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1451 

through 1455. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) EDGAR in 

34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 

84, 85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The notice of 

final priority for this program published 

in the Federal Register on June 9, 2006 

(71 FR 33578). 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 

apply to all applicants except Federally 

recognized Indian tribes. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: We 

estimate that $4,965,000 will be 

available for new awards for this 

program in FY 2009. Contingent upon 

the availability of funds and the quality 

of applications, we may make additional 

awards in FY 2010 from the list of 

unfunded applicants from this 

competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: 

$500,000–$4,000,000 (for the 50 States, 

the District of Columbia, and the 

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico). In the 

case of an outlying area awards will be 

not less than $80,000. 

Maximum Award: We will reject any 

application that proposes a budget 

exceeding $4,000,000 for a single budget 

period of 12 months. The Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services may change the 

maximum amount through a notice 

published in the Federal Register. 

Note: We will set the amount of each 

award after considering— 

(1) The amount of funds available for 

making the grants; 

(2) The relative population of the State or 

outlying area; 

(3) The types of activities proposed by the 

State or outlying area; 

(4) The alignment of proposed activities 

with section 612(a)(14) of IDEA; 

(5) The alignment of proposed activities 

with State plans and applications submitted 

under sections 1111 and 2112, respectively, 

of the ESEA; and 

(6) The use, as appropriate, of 

scientifically-based research and instruction. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

$993,000, excluding outlying areas. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 5. 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Not less than one year 

and not more than five years. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: An SEA of one 

of the 50 States, the District of 

Columbia, or the Commonwealth of 

Puerto Rico or an outlying area (United 

States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 

Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands). 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Other: General Requirements—The 

projects funded under this program 

must make positive efforts to employ 

and advance in employment qualified 

individuals with disabilities (see section 

606 of IDEA). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Education Publications Center 

(ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 

20794–1398. Telephone, toll free: 1– 

877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–1244. If 

you use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1–877– 

576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ 

edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: 

edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.323A. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., braille, 

large print, audiotape, or computer 

diskette) by contacting the person or 

team listed under Accessible Format in 

section VIII of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

program. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit Part III 

to the equivalent of no more than 100 

pages, using the following standards: 

• A ‘‘;page’’ is 8.5′′ x 11′′, on one side 

only, with 1′′ margins at the top, bottom, 

and both sides. 

• Double space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, abstracts and captions, as 

well as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

and graphs. 

• Use a font that is either 12 point or 

larger or no smaller than 10 pitch 

(characters per 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, 

the re ́sume ́s, the bibliography, the 

references, or the letters of support. 

However, the page limit does apply to 

the application narrative section. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit or if you apply 

other standards and exceed the 

equivalent of the page limit. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: April 14, 

2009. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: May 29, 2009. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition may be submitted 

electronically using the Electronic Grant 

Application System (e-Application) 

accessible through the Department’s eGrants system, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or by mail or hand 

delivery, please refer to section IV.6. 

Other Submission Requirements of 

this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

17182 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: July 28, 2009. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program 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 

program. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

program may be submitted 

electronically or in paper format by mail 

or hand delivery. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

If you choose to submit your 

application to us electronically, you 

must use e-Application, accessible 

through the Department’s e-Grants 

portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov. 

While completing your electronic 

application, you will be entering data 

online that will be saved into a 

database. You may not e-mail an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

Please Note the Following: 

• Your participation in e-Application 

is voluntary. 

• You must complete the electronic 

submission of your grant application by 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. The eApplication system will not accept an 

application for this competition after 

4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on 

the application deadline date. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process. 

• The regular hours of operation of 

the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 a.m. 

Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; 

and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 8:00 p.m. 

Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please 

note that, because of maintenance, the 

system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. 

on Sundays and 6:00 a.m. on Mondays, 

and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays 

and 6:00 a.m. on Thursdays, 

Washington, DC time. Any 

modifications to these hours are posted 

on the e-Grants Web site. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you submit your 

application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all 

necessary assurances and certifications. 

You must attach any narrative sections 

of your application as files in a .DOC 

(document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 

(Portable Document) format. If you 

upload a file type other than the three 

file types specified in this paragraph or 

submit a password protected file, we 

will not review that material. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• Prior to submitting your electronic 

application, you may wish to print a 

copy of it for your records. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgment that will 

include a PR/Award number (an 

identifying number unique to your 

application). 

• Within three working days after 

submitting your electronic application, 

fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center after 

following these steps: 

(1) Print SF 424 from e-Application. 

(2) The applicant’s Authorizing 

Representative must sign this form. 

(3) Place the PR/Award number in the 

upper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the SF 424. 

(4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the 

Application Control Center at (202) 

245–6272. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on other forms at a 

later date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of System Unavailability: If you 

are prevented from electronically 

submitting your application on the 

application deadline date because the eApplication system is unavailable, we 

will grant you an extension of one 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically, by mail, 

or by hand delivery. We will grant this 

extension if— 

(1) You are a registered user of eApplication and you have initiated an 

electronic application for this 

competition; and 

(2) (a) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for 60 minutes or more 

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 

p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date; or 

(b) The e-Application system is 

unavailable for any period of time 

between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. 

We must acknowledge and confirm 

these periods of unavailability before 

granting you an extension. To request 

this extension or to confirm our 

acknowledgment of any system 

unavailability, you may contact either 

(1) the person listed elsewhere in this 

notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) 

the e-Grants help desk at 1–888–336– 

8930. If the e-Application system is 

unavailable due to technical problems 

with the system and, therefore, the 

application deadline is extended, an email will be sent to all registered users 

who have initiated an e-Application. 

Extensions referred to in this section 

apply only to the unavailability of the 

Department’s e-Application system. If 

the e-Application system is available, 

and, for any reason, you are unable to 

submit your application electronically 

or you do not receive an automatic 

acknowledgment of your submission, 

you may submit your application in 

paper format by mail or hand delivery 

in accordance with the instructions in 

this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. If you submit your application 

in paper format by mail (through the 

U.S. Postal Service or a commercial 

carrier), you must mail the original and 

two copies of your application, on or 

before the application deadline date, to 

the Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of 

Education,Application Control Center, 

Attention: (CFDA Number 84.323A), LBJ 

Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202– 

4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service 

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 17183 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you submit your application in 

paper format by hand delivery, you (or 

a courier service) must deliver the 

original and two copies of your 

application by hand, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.323A), 550 12th 

Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper 

Applications: If you mail or hand deliver 

your application to the Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the Department—in 

Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, 

including suffix letter, if any, of the 

competition under which you are submitting 

your application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center will 

mail to you a notification of receipt of your 

grant application. If you do not receive this 

notification within 15 business days from the 

application deadline date, you should call 

the U.S. Department of Education 

Application Control Center at (202) 245– 

6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 

75.210 and are listed in the application 

package. 

2. Peer Review: 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 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. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

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 Notice (GAN). 

We may notify you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: 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 multi-year 

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 

http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/ 

appforms/appforms.html. 

4. Performance Measures: The goal of 

the SPDG Program is to reform and 

improve State systems for personnel 

preparation and professional 

development in early intervention, 

educational, and transition services in 

order to improve results for children 

with disabilities. Under the Government 

Performance and Results Act of 1993, 

the Department has developed 

performance measures to assess the 

success of the program in meeting these 

goals. These measures are: (1) The 

percent of personnel receiving 

professional development through the 

SPDG Program based on scientific- or 

evidence-based instructional practices; 

(2) the percentage of SPDG projects that 

have implemented personnel 

development/training activities that are 

aligned with improvement strategies 

identified in their State Performance 

Plan; (3) the percentage of professional 

development/training activities 

provided through the SPDG Program 

based on scientific- or evidence-based 

instructional/behavioral practices; (4) 

the percentage of professional 

development/training activities based 

on scientific- or evidence-based 

instructional/behavioral practices, 

provided through the SPDG Program, 

that are sustained through ongoing and 

comprehensive practices (e.g., 

mentoring, coaching, structured 

guidance, modeling, continuous 

inquiry, etc.); (5) in States with SPDG 

projects that have special education 

teacher retention as a goal, the 

Statewide percentage of highly qualified 

special education teachers in Stateidentified professional disciplines (e.g., 

teachers of children with emotional 

disturbance, deafness, etc.), consistent 

with sections 602(a)(10) and 612(a)(14) 

of IDEA, who remain teaching after the 

first three years of employment; (6) the 

percentage of SPDG projects that 

successfully replicate the use of 

scientific- or evidence-based 

instructional/behavioral practices in 

schools; and (7) the percentage of SPDG 

projects whose cost per personnel 

receiving professional development on 

scientific- or evidence-based practices is 

within a specified range. 

Each grantee must annually report its 

performance on these measures in the 

project’s annual performance report to 

the Department in accordance with 

section 653(d) of IDEA and 34 CFR 

75.590. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For Further Information Contact: 

Jennifer Doolittle, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 4096, Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), 

Washington, DC 20202–2550. 

Telephone: (202) 245–6673. 

If you use a TDD, call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800– 

877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

by contacting the Grants and Contracts 

17184 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 14, 2009 / Notices 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll 

free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You can view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. 

To use PDF you must have Adobe 

Acrobat Reader, which is available free 

at this site. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1– 

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC, area at (202) 512–1530. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Delegation of Authority: The Secretary 

of Education has delegated authority to 

Andrew J. Pepin, Executive 

Administrator for the Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services to 

perform the functions of the Assistant 

Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

Dated: April 9, 2009. 

Andrew J. Pepin, 

Executive Administrator for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. E9–8522 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

[OE Docket No. EA–264–B] 

Application To Export Electric Energy; 

ENMAX Energy Marketing, Inc. 

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of application. 

SUMMARY: ENMAX Energy Marketing, 

Inc. (ENMAX) has applied to renew its 

authority to transmit electric energy 

from the United States to Canada 

pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal 

Power Act. 

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests 

to intervene must be submitted on or 

before May 14, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or 

requests to intervene should be 

addressed as follows: Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, Mail Code: OE–20, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0350 (FAX 202– 

586–8008). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202–586– 

9624 or Michael Skinker (Program 

Attorney) 202–586–2793. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of 

electricity from the United States to a 

foreign country are regulated and 

require authorization under section 

202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA) 

(16 U.S.C. 824a(e)). 

On May 30, 2002, the Department of 

Energy (DOE) issued Order No. EA–264 

authorizing ENMAX to transmit electric 

energy from the United States to Canada 

as a power marketer using international 

transmission facilities located at the 

United States border with Canada. On 

May 19, 2004, DOE issued Order No. 

EA–264–A which renewed that 

authorization for a five-year period. 

That Order will expire on May 19, 2009. 

On April 7, 2009, ENMAX filed an 

application with DOE to renew the 

export authority contained in Order No. 

EA–264–A for an additional five-year 

term. 

The electric energy which ENMAX 

proposes to export to Canada would be 

surplus energy purchased from electric 

utilities, Federal power marketing 

agencies, and other entities within the 

United States. 

The construction, operation, 

maintenance, and connection of each of 

the international transmission facilities 

to be utilized by ENMAX has previously 

been authorized by a Presidential permit 

issued pursuant to Executive Order 

10485, as amended. 

Procedural Matters: Any person 

desiring to become a party to these 

proceedings or to be heard by filing 

comments or protests to this application 

should file a petition to intervene, 

comment, or protest at the address 

provided above in accordance with 

sections 385.211 or 385.214 of the 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). 

Fifteen copies of each petition and 

protest should be filed with DOE on or 

before the date listed above. 

Comments on the ENMAX application 

to export electric energy to Canada 

should be clearly marked with Docket 

No. EA–264–B. Additional copies are to 

be filed directly with Penny Haldane, 

Regulatory Affairs Specialist, ENMAX 

Corporation, 141–50 Ave SE, Calgary, 

AB T2G 4S7. A final decision will be 

made on this application after the 

environmental impacts have been 

evaluated pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and 

a determination is made by DOE that the 

proposed action will not adversely 

impact on the reliability of the U.S. 

electric power supply system. 

Copies of this application will be 

made available, upon request, for public 

inspection and copying at the address 

provided above, by accessing the 

program Web site at http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov/ 

permits_pending.htm, or by e-mailing 

Odessa Hopkins at 

Odessa.Hopkins@hq.doe.gov. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 8, 

2009. 

Anthony J. Como, 

Director, Permitting and Siting, Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. 

[FR Doc. E9–8489 Filed 4–13–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 13369–000] 

Community Hydro, LLC; Notice of 

Preliminary Permit Applications 

Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 

Comment, Motions To Intervene, and 

Competing Applications 

April 7, 2009. 

On February 6, 2009, Community 

Hydro, LLC, filed an application, 

pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal 

Power Act, proposing to study the 

feasibility of the Knightville Dam 

Hydroelectric Project, to be located on 

the Middle Branch of the Westfield 

River, in Hampshire and Hampden 

Counties, Massachusetts. 

The proposed Knightville Dam 

Hydroelectric Project would be located 

at: (1) the existing 1,200-foot-long U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers Knightville 

Dam; (2) an existing Corps intake and 

control works; and (3) an existing 960- 

acre reservoir with 49,000 acre-feet of 

storage. 

The project would consist of: (1) six 

new turbine generating units connected 

to the intake with a total installed 

capacity of 1.175 megawatts; (2) a new 

45-kilovolt 3-phase transmission line 

and transformer connected to an 

existing above ground distribution 

system; and (3) appurtenant facilities. 

The Knightville Dam Project would 

have an estimated average annual 

generation of 3,980 megawatt-hours, 

which would be sold to local utilities. 

Applicant Contact: Ms. Lori Barg, 

Community Hydro, LLC, 113 Bartlett