3188 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2024–SCC–0132] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

National Evaluation of the Pathways to 

Partnerships Program (84.421E) 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the Department is proposing a 

new information collection request 

(ICR). 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before February 

13, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for proposed 

information collection requests should 

be submitted within 30 days of 

publication of this notice. Click on this 

link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain to access the site. Find this 

information collection request (ICR) by 

selecting ‘‘Department of Education’’ 

under ‘‘Currently Under Review,’’ then 

check the ‘‘Only Show ICR for Public 

Comment’’ checkbox. Reginfo.gov 

provides two links to view documents 

related to this information collection 

request. Information collection forms 

and instructions may be found by 

clicking on the ‘‘View Information 

Collection (IC) List’’ link. Supporting 

statements and other supporting 

documentation may be found by 

clicking on the ‘‘View Supporting 

Statement and Other Documents’’ link. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Diandrea 

Bailey, (202) 987–0126. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: National 

Evaluation of the Pathways to 

Partnerships Program (84.421E). 

OMB Control Number: 1820–NEW. 

Type of Review: New ICR. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individual or Households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 17,137. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 4,674. 

Abstract: The U.S. Department of 

Education’s Rehabilitation Services 

Administration (RSA) requests 

clearance for new data collection 

activities to support the evaluation of 

the 84.421E Federal fiscal year (FFY) 

2023 Disability Innovation Fund (DIF), 

Pathways to Partnerships Innovative 

Model Demonstration Project. The 

purpose of the DIF, as provided by the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 

(Pub. L. 117–103), is to support 

innovative activities aimed at increasing 

competitive integrated employment as 

defined in section 7 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

(Rehabilitation Act) (29 U.S.C. 705(5)) 

for children, youth, and other 

individuals with disabilities. The 

program aims to create systematic and 

seamless approaches to offering 

transition services to children with 

disabilities, ages 10–13 and youth with 

disabilities ages 14 to 24 through 

collaborations among State vocational 

rehabilitation (VR) agencies, State 

education agencies (SEAs), local 

education agencies (LEAs), Federally 

funded Centers for Independent Living 

(CILs), and other organizations offering 

services to this population. RSA is 

investing a total of $198,975,322 in 

grant funding to the 20 States through 

the FFY 2023 DIF. This request covers 

primary data collection activities for the 

National Evaluation of the Pathways to 

Partnerships Program. These activities 

include the following: 

Æ Surveys and interviews with program 

participants or their parent or 

guardian 

Æ Surveys with State VR, SEA, and CIL 

directors 

Æ Surveys and interviews with project 

staff 

Æ Collecting project administrative data 

(staff rosters, cost worksheets, and 

web analytics) from project directors 

In September 2023, RSA awarded 

five-year cooperative agreements for the 

84.421E FFY 2023 DIF model 

demonstration projects. The awards 

provide 20 State VR agencies or SEAs 

with funding to implement Pathways to 

Partnerships model demonstration 

projects. The Pathways to Partnerships 

models vary across the 20 projects, but 

the projects’ purpose is to create and 

implement systematic approaches to 

delivering transition services to children 

and youth with disabilities. The 

approaches must entail establishing 

close partnerships across key agencies 

to deliver these services in ways likely 

to improve the education and 

employment outcomes of children and 

youth with disabilities. 

Dated: January 8, 2025. 

Juliana Pearson, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00569 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Independent Living Services for Older 

Individuals Who Are Blind— 

Independent Living Services for Older 

Individuals Who Are Blind Training and 

Technical Assistance 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

is issuing a notice inviting applications 

for fiscal year (FY) 2025 for the 

Independent Living Services for Older 

Individuals Who Are Blind Program— 

Independent Living Services for Older 

Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) 

Training and Technical Assistance. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: March 17, 

2025. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 14, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on December 23, 2024 

(89 FR 104528) and available at https:// 

www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 

2024/12/23/2024-30488/commoninstructions-for-applicants-todepartment-of-education-discretionarygrant-programs. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mary Williams, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

room 4A220, Washington, DC 20202– 

2600. Telephone: (202) 245–6263. 

Email: mary.williams@ed.gov. 

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or 

have a speech disability and wish to 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3189 

1See: www.sedl.org/pubs/catalog/items/ 

dis104.html. 

access telecommunications relay 

services, please dial 7–1–1. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

this program is to provide training and 

technical assistance to designated State 

agencies (DSAs)—the State agencies that 

provide vocational rehabilitation 

services to individuals who are blind— 

that receive grant funding under the OIB 

program and to other service providers 

that receive OIB program funding from 

DSAs to provide services to consumers. 

The training and technical assistance 

are designed to improve the operation 

and performance of programs and 

services for older individuals who are 

blind resulting in their enhanced 

independence and self-sufficiency. 

Assistance Listing Number: 84.177Z. 

OMB Control Number: 1894–0006. 

Priorities: This notice includes one 

absolute priority and one competitive 

preference priority. These priorities are 

from the notice of final priorities and 

definitions (NFP) for this program 

published in the Federal Register on 

August 6, 2020, 85 FR 47652. 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2025 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3). We consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Independent Living Services for Older 

Individuals Who Are Blind (OIB) 

Training and Technical Assistance. 

This priority supports a cooperative 

agreement to establish an OIB Training 

and Technical Assistance Center 

(Center) to provide universal, targeted, 

and intensive training and technical 

assistance to DSAs funded under the 

OIB program and to any service 

providers that DSAs fund to provide 

services directly to consumers. The 

Center will develop and provide 

training and technical assistance in the 

following general topic areas: 

(a) Community outreach methods and 

strategies to identify potential recipients 

of services. 

(b) Promising practices, based on 

‘‘promising evidence’’ as defined in 34 

CFR 77.1(c), including the development 

and dissemination of relevant materials 

to facilitate the delivery of high-quality 

services. 

(c) Program performance, including 

data reporting and analysis. 

(d) Financial and management 

practices, including practices to ensure 

compliance with grant administration 

requirements. 

To meet the requirements of this 

priority, the Center must, at a minimum, 

conduct the following activities: 

(a) Annually provide intensive 

training and technical assistance to a 

minimum of three DSAs or other service 

providers on the four general topic areas 

in this priority. Intensive training and 

technical assistance may be provided 

through remote delivery as appropriate. 

The technical assistance must be— 

(1) Consistent with the project 

activities and tailored to the specific 

needs and challenges of the DSA or 

other service provider receiving 

intensive training and technical 

assistance; 

(2) Provided under an agreement with 

each DSA or other service provider that, 

at a minimum, details the purpose, 

intended outcomes, and requirements 

for subsequent evaluation of the training 

and technical assistance; and 

(3) Assessed 90 days after completion 

to ensure that the DSAs and other 

service providers receiving intensive 

training and technical assistance are 

applying it effectively, and to address 

any issues or challenges in its 

implementation. 

(b) Provide a range of targeted training 

and technical assistance and universal 

training and technical assistance 

products and services on the four 

general topic areas in this priority. The 

training and technical assistance must 

include, at a minimum, the following 

activities: 

(1) In each year of the project, provide 

a minimum of 10 webinars, podcasts, 

video conferences, teleconferences, or 

other virtual methods of dissemination 

of information and training and 

technical assistance on the four general 

topic areas in this priority to describe 

and disseminate information about 

emerging promising practices. 

(2) Develop new information 

technology (IT) platforms or systems, or 

modify existing platforms and systems, 

as follows: 

(i) Develop or modify, and maintain, 

a state-of-the-art IT platform sufficient 

to support webinars, podcasts, video 

conferences, teleconferences, and other 

virtual methods of dissemination of 

information and training and technical 

assistance; and 

(ii) Develop or modify, and maintain, 

a state-of-the-art archiving and 

dissemination system that is open and 

available to the public, at no cost, and 

that provides a central location for later 

use of training and technical assistance 

products, including course curricula, 

audiovisual materials, webinars, 

examples of emerging and promising 

practices related to the four general 

topic areas in this priority, and any 

other training and technical assistance 

products developed by the grantee and 

others. 

Note: All products produced by the 

Center must meet government and 

industry-recognized standards for 

accessibility. 

(c) Conduct outreach to DSAs so that 

they are aware of, and can participate 

in, training and technical assistance 

activities. 

(d) Establish a community of 

practice 1 that will act as a vehicle for 

communication, an exchange of 

information among DSAs and other 

service providers, and a forum for 

sharing the results of training and 

technical assistance activities that are in 

progress or that have been completed. 

(e) Facilitate annually a minimum of 

one in-person conference, or, if health 

and safety reasons make an in-person 

conference infeasible, a virtual 

conference, for the purpose of 

dissemination of information related to 

emerging promising practices and 

ongoing technical assistance needs and 

activities. 

(f) Communicate and coordinate, on 

an ongoing basis, with other federally 

funded training and technical assistance 

projects, particularly Departmentfunded projects, to ensure that training 

and technical assistance activities are 

complementary and non-duplicative. 

(g) Conduct an evaluation to 

determine the impact of the Center’s 

training and technical assistance on the 

DSAs and other service providers that 

received the Center’s services. 

Competitive Preference Priority: For 

FY 2025 and any subsequent year in 

which we make awards from the list of 

unfunded applications from this 

competition, this priority is a 

competitive preference priority. Under 

34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to 

an additional 5 points to an application, 

depending on how well the application 

meets the competitive preference 

priority. 

This priority is: 

Identify and Demonstrate how 

Specific Technical Assistance Strategies 

Provided to OIB Grantees will Facilitate 

Collaboration and Leveraging of 

Resources at the State and Local Level. 

To meet the requirements of this 

priority, the Center must, at a minimum, 

develop technical assistance focused on 

partnerships to facilitate the sharing of 

information and leveraging of resources 

from other systems that work with aging 

individuals and individuals with 

disabilities. 

These technical assistance strategies 

must be designed to improve the 


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capacity of OIB grantee staff, and staff 

from other service providers that receive 

OIB program funding from DSAs to 

provide services to the OIB population, 

to acquire and develop the skills and 

tools they need to help the OIB 

population sustain and increase their 

ability to live independently in their 

homes and communities. 

Definitions: 

For FY 2025, the following definitions 

from the NFP apply to this competition: 

Intensive training and technical 

assistance means training and technical 

assistance provided to a DSA, or other 

service provider that receives OIB 

program funding from a DSA to provide 

services, primarily on-site or through 

remote delivery, as needed and 

appropriate, over an extended period. 

Intensive training and technical 

assistance is based on an ongoing 

relationship between the training and 

technical assistance center staff and a 

DSA, or other service provider that 

receives OIB program funding from a 

DSA to provide services, under the 

terms of a signed intensive training and 

technical assistance agreement. 

Targeted training and technical 

assistance means training and technical 

assistance based on needs common to 

one or more DSAs, or other service 

providers that receive OIB program 

funding from DSAs to provide services, 

on a time-limited basis and with a 

limited commitment of training and 

technical assistance center resources. 

Targeted training and technical 

assistance are delivered through virtual 

or in-person methods tailored to the 

identified needs of the participating 

DSAs, or other service providers that 

receive OIB program funding from DSAs 

to provide services. 

Universal training and technical 

assistance means training and technical 

assistance broadly available to DSAs, or 

other service providers that receive OIB 

program funding from DSAs to provide 

services, and other interested parties 

resulting in minimal interaction with 

training and technical assistance center 

staff. Universal training and technical 

assistance includes generalized 

presentations, products, and related 

activities available through a website or 

through brief contact with the training 

and technical assistance center staff. 

Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 796j–1. 

Note: Projects will be awarded and 

must be operated in a manner consistent 

with the nondiscrimination 

requirements contained in Federal civil 

rights laws. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, 

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to 

Agencies on Governmentwide 

Debarment and Suspension 

(Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) 

The Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements for Federal Awards 

in 2 CFR part 200 (Uniform Guidance), 

as adopted and amended as regulations 

of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. 

(d) The regulations for this program in 

34 CFR part 367. (e) The NFP. 

Note: As of October 1, 2024, grant 

applicants must follow the provisions 

stated in the OMB Guidance for Federal 

Financial Assistance (89 FR 30046, 

April 22, 2024) when preparing an 

application. For more information about 

these regulations please visit: https://

www.cfo.gov/resources-coffa/uniformguidance/. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

79 apply to all applicants except 

federally recognized Indian Tribes. 

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 

86 apply to institutions of higher 

education only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

agreement. 

Estimated Available Funds: $599,706. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $599,706 for a 

single budget period of 12 months. 

Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 

Note: The Department is not bound by 

any estimates in this notice. 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

Eligible Applicants: State and public 

or non-profit agencies and organizations 

and institutions of higher education that 

have the capacity to provide training 

and technical assistance in the 

provision of independent living services 

for older individuals who are blind and 

have demonstrated through their 

application a capacity to provide the 

level of training and technical assistance 

as indicated in the priority section of 

this notice. 

Note: If you are a nonprofit 

organization, under 34 CFR 75.51, you 

may demonstrate your nonprofit status 

by providing: (1) proof that the Internal 

Revenue Service currently recognizes 

the applicant as an organization to 

which contributions are tax deductible 

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

Revenue Code; (2) a statement from a 

State taxing body or the State attorney 

general certifying that the organization 

is a nonprofit organization operating 

within the State and that no part of its 

net earnings may lawfully benefit any 

private shareholder or individual; (3) a 

certified copy of the applicant’s 

certificate of incorporation or similar 

document if it clearly establishes the 

nonprofit status of the applicant; or (4) 

any item described above if that item 

applies to a State or national parent 

organization, together with a statement 

by the State or parent organization that 

the applicant is a local nonprofit 

affiliate. 

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

competition does not require cost 

sharing or matching. 

b. Indirect Cost Rate Information: This 

program uses an unrestricted indirect 

cost rate. For more information 

regarding indirect costs, or to obtain a 

negotiated indirect cost rate, please see 

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

ofo#Indirect-Cost-Division. 

c. Administrative Cost Limitation: 

This program does not include any 

program-specific limitation on 

administrative expenses. All 

administrative expenses must be 

reasonable and necessary and conform 

to Cost Principles described in 2 CFR 

part 200 subpart E of the Guidance for 

Federal Financial Assistance. 

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this 

competition may not award subgrants to 

entities to directly carry out project 

activities described in its application. 

Under 34 CFR 75.708(e), a grantee may 

contract for supplies, equipment, and 

other services in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 200. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application Submission 

Instructions: Applicants are required to 

follow the Common Instructions for 

Applicants to Department of Education 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528) and 

available at https://

www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 

2024/12/23/2024-30488/commoninstructions-for-applicants-todepartment-of-education-discretionarygrant-programs, which contain 

requirements and information on how to 

submit an application. 

2. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the OIB Training and Technical 

Assistance competition, your 

application may include business 

information that you consider 

proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11, we define 

‘‘business information’’ and describe the 

process we use in determining whether 

any of that information is proprietary 

and, thus, protected from disclosure 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3191 

under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as 

amended). 

Because we plan to make successful 

applications available to the public, you 

may wish to request confidentiality of 

business information. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600 (Predisclosure Notification 

Procedures for Confidential Commercial 

Information), please designate in your 

application any information that you 

believe is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4. In the appropriate 

Appendix section of your application, 

under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ 

please list the page number or numbers 

on which we can find this information. 

For additional information please see 34 

CFR 5.11(c). 

3. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

4. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

5. Recommended 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. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to no 

more than 45 pages and (2) use the 

following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double-space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

references, 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). 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended 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 resumes, the 

bibliography, or the letters of support. 

However, the recommended page limit 

does apply to all of the application 

narrative. 

6. Notice of Intent to Apply: The 

Department will be able to review grant 

applications more efficiently if we 

know the approximate number of 

applicants that intend to apply. 

Therefore, we strongly encourage each 

potential applicant to notify us of their 

intent to submit an application. To do 

so, please email the program contact 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT with the subject 

line ‘‘Intent to Apply,’’ and include the 

applicant’s name and a contact person’s 

name and email address. Applicants 

that do not submit a notice of intent to 

apply may still apply for funding; 

applicants that do submit a notice of 

intent to apply are not bound to apply 

or bound by the information provided. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are as follows: 

(a) Significance (15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the significance of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The likelihood that the proposed 

project will result in systemic change 

that supports continuous, sustainable, 

and measurable improvement. 

(ii) The extent to which the proposed 

project is likely to build local, State, 

regional, or national capacity to provide, 

improve, sustain, or expand training or 

services that address the needs of 

underserved populations; and 

(iii) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project, 

especially improvements in 

independent living services. 

(b) Quality of the project design (10 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the design of the proposed 

project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

design of the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(i) The extent to which the goals, 

objectives, and outcomes to be achieved 

by the proposed project are clearly 

specified, measurable, and ambitious 

yet achievable within the project period, 

and aligned with the purposes of the 

grant program; 

(ii) The extent to which the proposed 

project demonstrates that it is designed 

to build capacity and yield sustainable 

results that will extend beyond the 

project period; 

(iii) The extent to which the proposed 

project will include coordination with 

other Federal investments, as well as 

appropriate agencies and organizations 

providing similar services to the target 

population; and 

(iv) The quality of the logic model or 

other conceptual framework underlying 

the proposed project, including how 

inputs are related to outcomes. 

(c) Quality of project services (25 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

services to be provided by the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

quality and sufficiency of strategies for 

ensuring equitable and adequate access 

and participation for project 

participants who experience barriers 

based on one or more of the following: 

economic disadvantage; gender; race; 

ethnicity; color; national origin; 

disability; age; language; migration; 

living in a rural location; experiencing 

homelessness or housing insecurity; 

involvement with the justice system; 

pregnancy, parenting, or caregiver 

status; and sexual orientation. This 

determination includes the steps 

developed and described in the form 

Equity For Students, Teachers, And 

Other Program Beneficiaries (OMB 

Control No. 1894–0005) (section 427 of 

the General Education Provisions Act 

(20 U.S.C. 1228a)). 

(3) In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the services to 

be provided by the proposed project 

reflect up-to-date knowledge and an 

evidence-based project component; 

(ii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

were determined with input from the 

community to be served to ensure that 

they are appropriate and responsive to 

the needs of the intended recipients or 

beneficiaries, including underserved 

populations, of those services; 

(iii) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the collaboration of appropriate 

partners, including those from 

underserved populations, to maximize 

the effectiveness of project services; and 

(iv) The extent to which the services 

to be provided by the proposed project 

involve the use of efficient strategies, 

including the use of technology, as 

appropriate, and the leveraging of nonproject resources. 

(d) Quality of the project evaluation or 

other evidence-building. (15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the evaluation or other 

evidence-building of the proposed 

project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

evaluation or other evidence-building, 


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the Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(i) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation or other evidence-building 

are thorough, feasible, relevant, and 

appropriate to the goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the proposed project; 

(ii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation or other evidence-building 

are appropriate to the context within 

which the project operates and the 

target population of the proposed 

project; 

(iii) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation or other evidence-building 

will provide performance feedback and 

provide formative, diagnostic, or interim 

data that is a periodic assessment of 

progress toward achieving intended 

outcomes; and 

(iv) The extent to which the methods 

of evaluation or other evidence-building 

include the use of objective performance 

measures that are clearly related to the 

intended outcomes of the project and 

will produce quality data that are 

quantitative and qualitative. 

(e) Adequacy of resources (10 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources for the proposed 

project. 

(2) In determining the adequacy of 

resources for the proposed project, the 

Secretary considers the following 

factors: 

(i) The adequacy of support for the 

project, including facilities, equipment, 

supplies, and other resources, from the 

applicant or the lead applicant 

organization; 

(ii) The extent to which the budget is 

adequate to support the proposed 

project and the costs are reasonable in 

relation to the objectives, design, and 

potential significance of the proposed 

project. 

(iii) The relevance and demonstrated 

commitment of each partner in the 

proposed project to the implementation 

and success of the project. 

(f) Quality of the project personnel (10 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the personnel who will carry 

out the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of 

project personnel, the Secretary 

considers the extent to which the 

applicant demonstrates that it has 

project personnel or a plan for hiring of 

personnel who are members of groups 

that have historically encountered 

barriers, or who have professional or 

personal experiences with barriers, 

based on one or more of the following: 

economic disadvantage; gender; race; 

ethnicity; color; national origin; 

disability; age; language; migration; 

living in a rural location; experiencing 

homelessness or housing insecurity; 

involvement with the justice system; 

pregnancy, parenting, or caregiver 

status; and sexual orientation. 

(3) In addition, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The extent to which the key 

personnel in the project, when hired, 

have the qualifications required for the 

project, including formal training or 

work experience in fields related to the 

objectives of the project and experience 

in designing, managing, or 

implementing similar projects for the 

target population, and represent or have 

lived experiences of the target 

population; 

(ii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of 

project consultants or subcontractors; 

and 

(g) Quality of the management plan 

(15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the management plan for the 

proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

management plan for the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

following factors: 

(i) The feasibility of the management 

plan to achieve project objectives and 

goals on time and within budget, 

including clearly defined 

responsibilities, timelines, and 

milestones for accomplishing project 

tasks; 

(ii) The extent to which the time 

commitments of the project director and 

principal investigator and other key 

project personnel are appropriate and 

adequate to meet the objectives of the 

proposed project; 

(iii) The adequacy of mechanisms for 

ensuring high-quality and accessible 

products and services from the 

proposed project for the target 

population; and 

(iv) How the applicant will ensure 

that a diversity of perspectives, 

including those from underserved 

populations, are brought to bear in the 

design, implementation, operation, 

evaluation, and improvement of the 

proposed project, including those of 

parents, educators, community-based 

organizations, civil rights organizations, 

the business community, a variety of 

disciplinary and professional fields, 

recipients or beneficiaries of services, or 

others, as appropriate. 

2. Review and Selection Process: We 

remind potential applicants that in 

reviewing applications in any 

discretionary grant competition, the 

Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 

75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the 

applicant in carrying out a previous 

award, such as the applicant’s use of 

funds, achievement of project 

objectives, and compliance with grant 

conditions. The Secretary may also 

consider whether the applicant failed to 

submit a timely performance report or 

submitted a report of unacceptable 

quality. 

In addition, in making a competitive 

grant award, the Secretary requires 

various assurances, including those 

applicable to Federal civil rights laws 

that prohibit discrimination in programs 

or activities receiving Federal financial 

assistance from the Department (34 CFR 

100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

In the event there are two or more 

applications with the same final score, 

and there are insufficient funds to fully 

support each of these applications, the 

scores under selection criterion (b) 

Quality of project services will be used 

as a tiebreaker. If the scores remain tied, 

then the scores under selection criterion 

(e) Quality of the management plan will 

be used to break the tie. 

3. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.206, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10, in 

appropriate circumstances, high-risk 

conditions on a grant if the applicant or 

grantee is not financially stable; has a 

history of unsatisfactory performance; 

has a financial or other management 

system that does not meet the standards 

in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

4. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 

CFR 200.206(a)(2) we must make a 

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through the System for 

Award Management. You may review 

and comment on any information about 

yourself that a Federal agency 

previously entered and that is currently 

in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal Government exceeds 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3193 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, appendix XII, require 

you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, appendix XII, if this grant plus 

all the other Federal funds you receive 

exceed $10,000,000. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN), or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We also may 

notify you informally. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee or 

subgrantee that is awarded competitive 

grant funds must have a plan to 

disseminate these public grant 

deliverables. This dissemination plan 

can be developed and submitted after 

your application has been reviewed and 

selected for funding. For additional 

information on the open licensing 

requirements please refer to 2 CFR 

3474.20. 

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

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. See the 

standards in 2 CFR 170.105 to 

determine whether you are covered by 

2 CFR part 170. 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: The goal of 

this grant is to provide training and 

technical assistance designed to 

improve the operation and performance 

of programs and services for older 

individuals who are blind resulting in 

their enhanced independence and selfsufficiency. 

The cooperative agreement will 

specify the measures that will be used 

to assess the grantee’s performance 

against the goals and objectives of the 

project, including outcome measures 

and measures that reflect the quality, 

relevance, and usefulness of the training 

and technical assistance products 

developed by the Center. Such measures 

will include, at a minimum, (1) the 

improved administration, operation, 

and performance of the DSAs or other 

service providers as measured through 

the attainment of goals established in 

the intensive training and technical 

assistance agreements; and (2) the 

number and percentage of DSAs or other 

service providers receiving intensive 

training and technical assistance that 

report that the training and technical 

assistance they received was of high 

quality, relevant, and useful. 

Other specific measures related to the 

priority areas for training and technical 

assistance will be determined on an 

annual basis and specified in the 

cooperative agreement. 

In its annual and final performance 

reports to the Department, the grantee 

will be expected to report the data 

outlined in the cooperative agreement 

that is needed to assess its performance. 

The annual performance reports must 

include both quantitative and 

qualitative information necessary to 

assess the Center’s performance on the 

outcome measures established in the 

cooperative agreement. The data used 

must be valid and verifiable. 

The annual performance reports must 

provide, at a minimum, specific 

information on the number of training 

and technical assistance activities, the 

topics of such activities, the type of 

training and technical assistance 

provided (i.e., intensive, targeted, 

universal), the number and types of 

participants served (i.e., DSAs or other 

providers of services under the OIB 

program), and summary data from 

participant evaluations. 

6. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award under 34 CFR 

75.253, the Secretary considers, among 

other things, whether a grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the goals and objectives of the project; 

whether the grantee has expended funds 

in a manner that is consistent with its 

approved application and budget; and, 

if the Secretary has established 

performance measurement 

requirements, whether the grantee has 

made substantial progress in achieving 

the performance targets in the grantee’s 

approved application. 

In making a continuation award, the 

Secretary also considers whether the 

grantee is operating in compliance with 

the assurances in its approved 

application, including those applicable 

to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit 

discrimination in programs or activities 

receiving Federal financial assistance 

from the Department (34 CFR 100.4, 

104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23). 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: On request to the 

program contact person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 

individuals with disabilities can obtain 

this document and a copy of the 

application package in an accessible 

format. The Department will provide the 

requestor with an accessible format that 

may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or 

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

file, braille, large print, audiotape, 

compact disc, or other accessible format. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations at 

www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can 

view this document, as well as all other 

Department documents published in the 

Federal Register, in text or Portable 

Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 

you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, 

which is available free at the site. 

You may also access Department 

documents published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
3194 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Glenna Wright-Gallo, 

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00533 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2025–SCC–0002] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Comment Request; 

Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment 

Universal Forms 

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the Department is proposing a 

revision of a currently approved 

information collection request (ICR). 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before March 

17, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the 

documents related to the information 

collection listed in this notice, please 

use http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching the Docket ID number ED– 

2025–SCC–0002. Comments submitted 

in response to this notice should be 

submitted electronically through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://

www.regulations.gov by selecting the 

Docket ID number or via postal mail, 

commercial delivery, or hand delivery. 

If the regulations.gov site is not 

available to the public for any reason, 

the Department will temporarily accept 

comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. 

Please include the docket ID number 

and the title of the information 

collection request when requesting 

documents or submitting comments. 

Please note that comments submitted 

after the comment period will not be 

accepted. Written requests for 

information or comments submitted by 

postal mail or delivery should be 

addressed to the Manager of the 

Strategic Collections and Clearance 

Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Ave, SW, LBJ, Room 4C210, 

Washington, DC 20202–1200. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Beth 

Grebeldinger, 202–570–8414. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 

(44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the 

general public and Federal agencies 

with an opportunity to comment on 

proposed, revised, and continuing 

collections of information. This helps 

the Department assess the impact of its 

information collection requirements and 

minimize the public’s reporting burden. 

It also helps the public understand the 

Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. The 

Department is soliciting comments on 

the proposed information collection 

request (ICR) that is described below. 

The Department is especially interested 

in public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Borrower Defense 

to Loan Repayment Universal Forms. 

OMB Control Number: 1845–0163. 

Type of Review: A revision of a 

currently approved ICR. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals and Households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 83,750. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 217,750. 

Abstract: On April 4, 2024 the U.S. 

Court of Appeals of the Fifth Circuit 

granted a preliminary injunction against 

34 ?685.400 et seq (‘‘2023 Regulation’’) 

enjoining the rule and postponing the 

effective date of the regular pending 

final judgment in the case. The current 

Borrower Defense to Repayment 

application and related Request for 

Reconsideration are drafted to conform 

to the enjoined provisions of the 2023 

Regulation. This request is to revise the 

currently approved information 

collection 1845–0163 to comply with 

the regulatory requirements of the 

borrower defense regulations that are 

still in effect, 34 CFR 685.206(e) (‘‘2020 

Regulation’’), 34 CFR 685.222 (‘‘2016 

Regulation’’), and 34 CFR 685.206(c) 

(‘‘1995 Regulation’’) (together, the 

‘‘current regulations’’). These regulatory 

requirements are distinct from the 2023 

Regulation’s provisions. The revision is 

part of contingency planning in case the 

2023 Regulation is permanently struck 

down. The Department of Education 

(‘‘the Department’’) is attaching an 

updated Borrower Defense Application 

and application for Request for 

Reconsideration. The forms will be 

available in paper and electronic forms 

on studentaid.gov and will provide 

borrowers with an easily accessible and 

clear method to provide the information 

necessary for the Department to review 

and process claim applications. Also, 

under the current regulations, the 

Department will no longer require a 

group application nor group 

reconsideration application. 

Dated: January 6, 2025. 

Kun Mullan, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00359 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2024–SCC–0119] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

District Survey on Use of Funds Under 

Title II, Part A 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education (OESE), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the Department is proposing a 

extension without change of a currently 

approved information collection request 

(ICR). 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before February 

13, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for proposed 

information collection requests should 

be submitted within 30 days of 

publication of this notice. Click on this 

link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain to access the site. Find this 

information collection request (ICR) by 

selecting ‘‘Department of Education’’ 

under ‘‘Currently Under Review,’’ then 

check the ‘‘Only Show ICR for Public 

Comment’’ checkbox. Reginfo.gov 

provides two links to view documents 

related to this information collection 

request. Information collection forms 

and instructions may be found by 

clicking on the ‘‘View Information 

Collection (IC) List’’ link. Supporting 

statements and other supporting 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES