Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 3809 

meeting of the Commission on a future 

date. 

Advance Registration and Sign-Up for 

Oral Comment. Links for registration to 

attend the virtual public hearing and 

business meeting, respectively, will be 

posted at www.drbc.gov at least ten days 

before each meeting date. Registrants 

who wish to comment on the record 

during the public hearing on February 5, 

2025 or to address the Commissioners 

informally during the Open Public 

Comment session following the meeting 

on March 12, 2025 as time allows, will 

be asked to so indicate when registering. 

The Commission’s public hearing, 

business meeting, and Open Public 

Comment session will also be 

livestreamed on YouTube at https://

www.youtube.com/@DRBC_1961. For 

assistance, please contact Ms. Patricia 

Hausler of the Commission staff, at 

patricia.hausler@drbc.gov. 

Addresses for Written Comment. 

Written comment on items scheduled 

for hearing may be made through the 

Commission’s web-based comment 

system, a link to which is provided at 

www.drbc.gov. Use of the web-based 

system ensures that all submissions are 

captured in a single location and their 

receipt is acknowledged. Exceptions to 

the use of this system are available 

based on need, by writing to the 

attention of the Commission Secretary, 

DRBC, P.O. Box 7360, 25 Cosey Road, 

West Trenton, NJ 08628–0360. For 

assistance, please contact Patricia 

Hausler at patricia.hausler@drbc.gov. 

Accommodation for Special Needs. 

Closed captioning will be available on 

both webinar and live-stream internet 

platforms. Those with limited internet 

access may listen and speak at virtual 

public meetings of the DRBC using any 

of several toll-free phone numbers that 

will be provided to all virtual meeting 

registrants. 

Other individuals in need of an 

accommodation as provided for in the 

Americans with Disabilities Act who 

wish to attend the virtual hearing or 

meeting should contact the Commission 

Secretary directly at 609–883–9500 ext. 

203 or through the Telecommunications 

Relay Services (TRS) at 711 to discuss 

how we can accommodate your needs. 

Additional Information, Contacts. 

Additional public records relating to 

hearing items may be examined at the 

Commission’s offices by appointment by 

contacting Donna Woolf, 609–477–7222. 

For other questions concerning hearing 

items, please contact David Kovach, 

Project Review Section Manager, at 609– 

477–7264. 

Authority. Delaware River Basin 

Compact, Public Law 87–328, Approved 

September 27, 1961, 75 Statutes at 

Large, 688, sec. 14.4. 

Dated: January 8, 2025. 

Pamela M. Bush, 

Commission Secretary and Assistant General 

Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00740 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination To Improve Services 

and Results for Children With 

Disabilities and Demonstration and 

Training Programs—National 

Technical Assistance Center on 

Transition for Students and Youth With 

Disabilities 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2025 for National Technical 

Assistance Center on Transition for 

Students and Youth With Disabilities. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: January 15, 

2025. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: March 17, 2025. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: May 15, 2025. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: 

No later than January 21, 2025, the 

Office of Special Education Programs 

(OSEP) and Rehabilitative Services 

(OSERS) will post details on prerecorded informational webinars 

designed to provide technical assistance 

(TA) to interested applicants. Links to 

the webinars may be found at 

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

osep/new-osep-grant-competitions. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on December 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: 

Selete Avoke, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20202–5076. 

Telephone: (202) 245–7260. Email: 

Selete.Avoke@ed.gov or Tara Jordan, 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202– 

5076. Email: Tara.Jordan@ed.gov. 

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or 

have a speech disability and wish to 

access telecommunications relay 

services, please dial 7–1–1. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purpose of 

the Technical Assistance and 

Dissemination to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program is to promote academic 

achievement and to improve results for 

children with disabilities by providing 

TA, supporting model demonstration 

projects, disseminating useful 

information, and implementing 

activities that are supported by 

scientifically based research. The 

purpose of the Demonstration and 

Training program is to provide 

competitive grants, including 

cooperative agreements, to, or enter into 

contracts with, eligible entities to 

expand and improve the provision of 

vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other 

services authorized under the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

(Rehabilitation Act), or to further the 

purposes and policies in sections 2(b) 

and (c) of the Rehabilitation Act by 

supporting activities that increase the 

provision, extent, availability, scope, 

and quality of rehabilitation services 

under the Rehabilitation Act, including 

related research and evaluation 

activities. 

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 

84.326E. 

OMB Control Number: 1820–0028. 

Priorities: This competition includes 

two absolute priorities. In accordance 

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

Priority 1 is from allowable activities 

specified in the statute (see sections 663 

and 681(d) of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 

U.S.C. 1463 and 1481(d)). In accordance 

with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), Absolute 

Priority 2 is from section 303 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973; 29 U.S.C. 

773. 

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2025 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, 

these priorities are absolute priorities. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider 

only applications that meet both of 

these priorities. 

Background: 

While overall high school graduation 

rates for students with disabilities have 


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1For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘underserved 

student’’ means a student in one or more of the 

following subgroups: Living in poverty or served by 

schools with high concentrations of students living 

in poverty, a student of color, a member of a 

federally recognized Indian Tribe, an English 

learner, disconnected, technologically unconnected, 

a migrant, experiencing homelessness or housing 

insecurity, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer 

or questioning, or intersex (LGBTQI+), in foster 

care, without documentation of immigration status, 

increased in recent years, students with 

disabilities still lag behind their peers 

without disabilities by 16 percent 

(NCES, 2024a). A recent report indicates 

that in 2021, the dropout rate for 

students without a disability was 4.8 

percent, while the rate for students with 

disabilities was more than double that at 

10.1 percent (NCES, 2024b). Highquality secondary transition planning is 

critical to reducing the likelihood of 

dropout and increasing graduation rates 

for students with disabilities (National 

Technical Assistance Center on 

Transition: The Collaborative, 2022). To 

ensure effective secondary transition 

planning for, and active participation in 

decision making by, students with 

disabilities, members of the planning 

team should be well informed about the 

student’s abilities, needs, and available 

services. 

Under 34 CFR 300.320(b), an 

individualized education program (IEP) 

team develops a student’s IEP and 

updates it annually. Any IEP in effect 

when the student turns 16, or younger, 

if determined appropriate by the IEP 

team, must include appropriate 

measurable postsecondary goals based 

upon age-appropriate transition 

assessments related to training, 

education, employment, and, where 

appropriate, independent living skills 

and the services (including courses of 

study) needed to assist the child in 

reaching those goals. For any IEP team 

meeting where transition services are to 

be discussed, the school/IEP team must 

invite the student and, with the prior 

consent of the parent or the student if 

the student has reached the age of 

majority, any participating agency 

representative. 

While IDEA has requirements for 

transition services, local educational 

agencies (LEAs) face challenges in 

providing age-appropriate transition 

assessments, work experiences, and 

transition services, and obtaining the 

necessary collaborating partners to 

attend IEP meetings (Rowe et al., 2020). 

IDEA requires States to report data 

through their IDEA Part B State 

Performance Plan/Annual Performance 

Report (SPP/APR) on Indicator 13, 

which measures the percentage of youth 

ages 16 and above with IEPs that meet 

the transition requirements under IDEA. 

State SPP/APR data for FY 2022 for 

Indicator B13 showed that only 14 

States reported 100 percent compliance. 

VR agencies also struggled to 

implement transition services, including 

pre-employment transition services 

(pre-ETS). Under the Rehabilitation Act, 

VR agencies must reserve and expend 

not less than 15 percent of the Federal 

VR grant award for the provision of preETS to all students and youth with 

disabilities in need of such services who 

are eligible or potentially eligible for 

services under the VR program. The 

Rehabilitation Services Administration’s 

(RSA’s) most recent monitoring reports 

identified 38 VR agencies that still need 

considerable support regarding the use 

of funds and strategies to implement 

pre-ETS. Those reports identified 

information sharing, coaching, strategic 

planning, navigating regulations, and 

strengthening partnerships with State 

educational agencies (SEAs), LEAs, and 

families to effectively deliver pre-ETS as 

areas of greatest need. Even in States 

that have a history of collaboration 

among SEAs, LEAs, and VR agencies, 

the depth of collaboration and 

implementation required to define 

responsibilities and align services is a 

continuing challenge. 

According to the Case Service Report 

(RSA–911), 120,119 students and youth 

with disabilities were referred for VR 

services in program year 2023 (July 1, 

2023—June 30, 2024). During this 

period, 78 percent were referred by 

educational institutions, while 22 

percent were referred by other referral 

sources (e.g., self-referrals, family and 

friends, employers). As there were 

2,414,034 students ages 14 to 21 who 

received services under IDEA in school 

year 2022–23, the number of referrals 

for VR services represents only a small 

fraction of those students and youth 

with disabilities who were potentially 

eligible or eligible for VR services. 

Throughout 2023 and 2024, OSERS, 

as part of its transition initiative 

‘‘Expect, Engage and Empower: 

Successful Transitions for All!’’, 

gathered input from faculty, teachers, 

service providers, families, and 

individuals with disabilities across the 

country. The feedback consistently 

revealed that planning for a student’s 

exit from high school when they 

reached the age of 16, or even 14 in 

some States, was far too late, especially 

for those with significant disabilities. In 

addition to starting earlier and 

maintaining high expectations for 

students and youth with disabilities, 

many constituents noted the need for 

ongoing TA to support the 

implementation of effective transition 

planning and services by education 

personnel and VR providers at State and 

local levels who may be inexperienced 

or otherwise face challenges due to 

shortages and turnover. 

Consistent with IDEA and the 

Rehabilitation Act, OSEP and RSA will 

jointly fund a center to provide support 

to SEAs, LEAs, and VR agencies to 

improve postsecondary outcomes for 

students and youth with disabilities, 

including strengthening efforts to more 

deeply collaborate and provide seamless 

and robust transition services. 

These priorities are: 

Absolute Priority 1: National 

Technical Assistance Center on 

Transition for Students and Youth with 

Disabilities. 

The purpose of this priority is to fund 

a cooperative agreement to establish and 

operate a National Technical Assistance 

Center on Transition for Students and 

Youth with Disabilities (Center). The 

Center will assist SEAs, LEAs, and VR 

agencies, including those located in 

rural areas, to implement practices and 

strategies that will promote 

collaboration among agency personnel 

to help ensure students and youth with 

disabilities graduate from high school 

with the knowledge, skills, and supports 

needed for credential attainment, 

postsecondary education, competitive 

integrated employment (CIE), and 

independent living. 

The Center must achieve, at a 

minimum, the following expected 

outcomes: 

(a) Increased SEA and VR agency 

capacity to collect valid and reliable 

data (i.e., absentee rates, SPP/APR 

indicators B–1 (graduation rates), B2 

(dropout rates), B13 (compliance with 

IDEA IEP transition requirements), and 

B14 (post-school outcomes), and RSA– 

911 (Case Service Reports)) for decision 

making and program improvement at 

State and local levels, and 

improvements in their ability to share 

these data across agencies and with 

diverse constituents, including OSERSfunded parent centers, career and 

technical education (CTE) providers, 

and correctional education entities; 

(b) Increased SEA and VR agency 

capacity to deliver professional 

development and TA to LEAs to reduce 

student absenteeism and drop out, and 

improve access to CTE, credential 

attainment, high school completion, 

postsecondary education, CIE, and 

independent living for students and 

youth with disabilities; 

(c) Increased SEA, LEA, and VR 

agency capacity to deliver culturally 

and linguistically responsive transition 

services including pre-ETS and VR 

services for underserved students 1 and 

youth with disabilities; 


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pregnant, parenting, or caregiving, impacted by the 

justice system including formerly incarcerated, the 

first in their family to attend postsecondary 

education, performing significantly below grade 

level, and military- or veteran-connected. 

2For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘evidencebased’’ means, at a minimum, evidence that 

demonstrates a rationale (as defined in 34 CFR 

77.1), where a key project component included in 

the project’s logic model is informed by research or 

evaluation findings that suggest the project 

component is likely to improve relevant outcomes. 

3 ‘‘Universal, general TA’’ means TA and 

information provided to independent users through 

their own initiative, resulting in minimal 

interaction with TA project staff and including onetime, invited or offered conference presentations by 

TA project staff. This category of TA also includes 

information or products, such as newsletters, 

guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded 

from the TA project’s website by independent users. 

Brief communications by TA project staff with 

recipients, either by telephone or email, are also 

considered universal, general TA. 

4 ‘‘Targeted, specialized TA’’ means TA services 

based on needs common to multiple recipients and 

not extensively individualized. A relationship is 

established between the TA recipient and one or 

more TA project staff. This category of TA includes 

one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating 

strategic planning or hosting regional or national 

conferences. It can also include episodic, less laborintensive events that extend over a period of time, 

such as facilitating a series of conference calls on 

single or multiple topics that are designed around 

the needs of the recipients. Facilitating 

communities of practice can also be considered 

targeted, specialized TA. 

(d) Increased levels of collaboration 

between SEAs and VR agencies and 

their partners at the State and local 

levels, including LEAs, to implement 

transition services including pre-ETS 

and VR transition services; 

(e) Improved SEA and VR agency 

methods and strategies for engaging 

students and youth with disabilities and 

their families at the local levels, 

including with LEAs, as collaborative 

partners to improve the delivery of 

transition services including pre-ETS 

and VR transition services; and 

(f) Increased SEA, LEA, and VR 

agency capacity to implement career 

pathways including work-based 

learning experiences, internships, and 

pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship 

activities for students and youth with 

disabilities. 

In addition, to be considered for 

funding under this priority, applicants 

must meet the following requirements: 

(a) Describe, in the narrative section 

of the application under ‘‘Significance,’’ 

how the proposed project will— 

(1) Address current training and 

information needs, gaps, or weaknesses 

of SEAs, LEAs, and VR agencies, 

including those located in rural areas, in 

promoting collaboration among agency 

personnel to better serve students and 

youth with disabilities. To meet this 

requirement, the applicant must— 

(i) Demonstrate knowledge of new 

and emerging issues and TA needs 

related to reducing student absenteeism 

and drop out, and improving access to 

CTE, credential attainment, high school 

completion, postsecondary education, 

CIE, and independent living for students 

and youth with disabilities; 

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of 

exemplary career pathway models, 

including work-based learning 

experiences, internships, and preapprenticeship and apprenticeship 

activities, that will assist SEAs, LEAs, 

and VR agencies in improving postschool outcomes for students and youth 

with disabilities; 

(iii) Demonstrate knowledge of VR 

agencies’ current efforts to improve 

engagement and promote collaboration 

with secondary schools, charter schools, 

youth programs, and other programs 

that provide services to students and 

youth with disabilities for the purpose 

of providing pre-ETS; and 

(iv) Present applicable national and 

State data demonstrating the training 

needs of SEAs, LEAs, and VR agencies 

related to implementing exemplary 

practices and strategies and promoting 

collaboration to reduce student 

absenteeism and drop out, and 

improving access to CTE, credential 

attainment, high school completion, 

postsecondary education, CIE, and 

independent living for students and 

youth with disabilities; 

(2) Demonstrate understanding of the 

need for and value of secondary 

transition planning, self-determination, 

and self-advocacy skills at an early age, 

and the types of support needed by 

elementary and secondary general and 

special education and related services 

personnel, CTE providers, and families 

to support secondary transition 

planning, self-determination, and selfadvocacy skills; and 

(3) Demonstrate knowledge of 

strategies for reaching and meeting the 

needs of underserved students. 

(b) Describe, in the narrative section 

of the application under ‘‘Quality of 

project services,’’ how the proposed 

project will— 

(1) Achieve its goals, objectives, and 

intended outcomes. To meet this 

requirement, the applicant must 

provide— 

(i) Measurable intended project 

outcomes; and 

(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model 

(as defined in 34 CFR 77.1) by which 

the proposed project will achieve its 

intended outcomes that depicts, at a 

minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, 

and intended outcomes of the proposed 

project; 

(2) Use a conceptual framework (and 

provide a copy in Appendix A) to 

develop project plans and activities, 

describing any underlying concepts, 

assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or 

theories, as well as the presumed 

relationships or linkages among these 

variables, and any empirical support for 

this framework; 

Note: The following website provides 

more information on logic models and 

conceptual frameworks: https://

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/ 

central/Resource/100644. 

(3) Be based on current research and 

make use of evidence-based 2 practices 

(EBPs). To meet this requirement, the 

applicant must describe— 

(i) The current research on the most 

effective ways to prepare students and 

youth with disabilities to engage in 

transition services including pre-ETS 

and VR services, CTE, credential 

attainment, high school completion, 

postsecondary school, CIE, and 

independent living; 

(ii) The current research about adult 

learning principles and implementation 

science that will inform the proposed 

TA; and 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

incorporate current research and EBPs 

in the development and delivery of its 

products and services; 

(4) Develop products and provide 

services that are of high quality and 

sufficient intensity and duration to 

achieve the intended outcomes of the 

proposed project. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) How it proposes to further the 

knowledge base on the most effective 

ways to prepare students and youth 

with disabilities to engage in transition 

services including pre-ETS and VR 

services, CTE, credential attainment, 

high school completion, postsecondary 

school, CIE, and independent living; 

(ii) The proposed approach to 

universal, general TA,3 which must 

describe— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services; 

(B) The products and services that the 

project proposes to make available; 

(C) The development and 

maintenance of a high-quality website, 

with an easy-to-navigate design, that 

meets or exceeds government- or 

industry-recognized standards for 

accessibility; and 

(D) The expected reach and impact of 

universal, general TA; 

(iii) The proposed approach to 

targeted, specialized TA,4 which must 

describe— 


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5 ‘‘Intensive, sustained TA’’ means TA services 

often provided on-site and requiring a stable, 

ongoing relationship between the TA project staff 

and the TA recipient. ‘‘TA services’’ are defined as 

negotiated series of activities designed to reach a 

valued outcome. This category of TA should result 

in changes to policy, program, practice, or 

operations that support increased recipient capacity 

or improved outcomes at one or more systems 

levels. 

6For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘underserved 

families’’ refers to foster, kinship, migrant, 

technologically unconnected, and military- or 

veteran-connected families; and families of color, 

living in poverty, without documentation of 

immigration status, experiencing homelessness or 

housing insecurity, or impacted by the justice 

system, including the juvenile justice system. 

Underserved families also refers to families that 

include: members of a federally or State recognized 

Indian Tribe; English learners; adults who 

experience a disability; members who are lesbian, 

gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, or 

intersex (LGBTQI+); adults in need of improving 

their basic skills or with limited literacy; and 

disconnected adults. 

7The major tasks of CIPP are to guide, coordinate, 

and oversee the design of formative evaluations for 

every large discretionary investment (i.e., those 

awarded $500,000 or more per year and required to 

participate in the 3+2 process) in OSEP’s Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination; Personnel 

Development; Parent Training and Information 

Centers; and Educational Technology, Media, and 

Materials programs. The efforts of CIPP are 

expected to enhance individual project evaluation 

plans by providing expert and unbiased TA in 

designing the evaluations with due consideration of 

the project’s budget. CIPP does not function as a 

third-party evaluator. 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients, that will receive the products 

and services; 

(B) The products and services that the 

project proposes to make available; 

(C) The proposed approach to 

measure the readiness of potential TA 

recipients to work with the project, 

including, at a minimum, an assessment 

of potential recipients’ current 

infrastructure, available resources, and 

ability to build capacity at the local 

level; and 

(D) The expected impact of targeted, 

specialized TA; 

(iv) The proposed approach to 

intensive, sustained TA,5 which must 

describe— 

(A) The intended recipients, 

including the type and number of 

recipients from a variety of settings and 

geographic distribution, that will 

receive the products and services 

designed to improve post-school 

outcomes; 

(B) The proposed approach to 

measure the readiness of SEAs, LEAs, 

and VR agencies to work with the 

project, including their commitment to 

the initiative, alignment of the initiative 

to their needs, and ability to build 

capacity, and implement and sustain TA 

at the local, district, or State level; and 

(C) The expected impact of intensive, 

sustained TA; and 

(v) How the proposed project will 

intentionally engage families of children 

with disabilities and individuals with 

disabilities—including underserved 

families 6 and individuals—in the 

development, implementation, and 

evaluation of its products and services 

across all levels of TA; 

(5) Develop products and implement 

services that maximize efficiency. To 

address this requirement, the applicant 

must describe— 

(i) How the proposed project will use 

technology to achieve the intended 

project outcomes; 

(ii) With whom the proposed project 

will collaborate, including the Parent 

Training and Information centers and 

Community Parent Resource centers 

funded under sections 671, 672, and 

681(d) of IDEA and the regional Parent 

Information and Training (PTI) centers 

and a national PTI Center funded under 

section 303(c) of the Rehabilitation Act, 

as well as other Department-funded 

projects and those supported by other 

Federal agencies, including those 

funded by the Department of Health and 

Human Services’ Administration on 

Community Living, and the Department 

of Labor’s Office of Disability 

Employment Policy, as appropriate, and 

the intended outcomes of this 

collaboration; and 

(iii) How the proposed project will 

use non-project resources, such as nonFederal funds and in-kind 

contributions, to achieve the intended 

project outcomes; and 

(6) Systematically disseminate 

information, products, and services to 

varied intended audiences. To address 

this requirement the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) The variety of dissemination 

strategies the project will use 

throughout the five years of the project 

to promote awareness and use of its 

products and services; 

(ii) How the project will tailor 

dissemination strategies across all 

planned levels of TA to ensure that 

products and services reach intended 

recipients, and those recipients can 

access and use those products and 

services; 

(iii) How the project’s dissemination 

plan is connected to the proposed 

outcomes of the project; and 

(iv) How the project will evaluate and 

correct all digital products and external 

communications to ensure they meet or 

exceed government or industryrecognized standards for accessibility. 

(c) In the narrative section of the 

application under ‘‘Quality of the 

project evaluation or other evidencebuilding,’’ include an evaluation plan 

for the project as described in the 

following paragraphs. The evaluation 

plan must describe: measures of 

progress in implementation, including 

the criteria for determining the extent to 

which the project’s products and 

services have met the goals for reaching 

its target population; measures of 

intended outcomes or results of the 

project’s activities in order to evaluate 

those activities; and how the project 

will determine whether the goals or 

objectives of the proposed project, as 

described in its logic model, have been 

met. 

In the evaluation plan, the applicant 

must— 

(1) Designate, with the approval of the 

OSEP project officers, a project liaison 

with sufficient dedicated time, 

experience in evaluation, and 

knowledge of the project to work in 

collaboration with the Center to 

Improve Program and Project 

Performance (CIPP),7 the project 

director, and the OSEP project officer on 

the following tasks: 

(i) Revise the logic model submitted 

in the application to provide for a more 

comprehensive measurement of 

implementation and outcomes and to 

reflect any changes or clarifications to 

the model discussed at the kick-off 

meeting; 

(ii) Refine the evaluation design and 

instrumentation proposed in the 

application consistent with the revised 

logic model and using the most rigorous 

design suitable (e.g., prepare evaluation 

questions about significant program 

processes and outcomes; develop 

quantitative or qualitative data 

collections that permit both the 

collection of progress data, including 

fidelity of implementation, as 

appropriate, and the assessment of 

project outcomes; and identify analytic 

strategies); and 

(iii) Revise the evaluation plan 

submitted in the application such that it 

clearly— 

(A) Specifies the evaluation questions, 

measures, and associated instruments or 

sources for data appropriate to answer 

these questions, suggests analytic 

strategies for those data, provides a 

timeline for conducting the evaluation, 

and includes staff assignments for 

completing the evaluation activities; 

(B) Delineates the data expected to be 

available by the end of the second 

project year for use during the project’s 

evaluation (3+2 review) for continued 

funding described under the heading 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project; 

and 

(C) Assists the project director and the 

OSEP project officer, with the assistance 


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8For information about digital accessibility and 

accessibility standards, visit https://sites.ed.gov/ 

idea/topic-areas/#Accessibility-Creating-Content 

and https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/civilrights-laws/disability-discrimination/disabilitydiscrimination-key-issues/disability-discriminationtechnology-accessibility. Starting in either April 

2026 or April 2027 (depending on the size of the 

school district), Title II of the Americans with 

Disabilities Act will require that public entities, 

including public schools, ensure that web content 

and mobile apps made available by the public 

entities are accessible in compliance with the Web 

Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, level 

AA. For New Rule on the Accessibility of Web 

Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and 

Local Governments, visit https://www.ada.gov/ 

resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/ (ada.gov). 

of CIPP, as needed, in specifying the 

project performance measures to be 

addressed in the project’s annual 

performance report; 

(2) Dedicate sufficient staff time and 

other resources during the first six 

months of the project to collaborate with 

CIPP staff, including regular meetings 

(e.g., weekly, biweekly, monthly) with 

CIPP and the OSEP and RSA project 

officers, to accomplish the tasks 

described in paragraph (C)(1) of this 

section; and 

(3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each 

budget year to carry out the tasks 

described in paragraphs (C)(1) and (2) of 

this section and revise and implement 

the evaluation plan. Please note in your 

budget narrative the funds dedicated for 

this activity. 

(d) Describe, in the narrative section 

of the application under ‘‘Adequacy of 

resources and quality of the project 

personnel,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed project will 

encourage applications for employment 

from persons who are members of 

groups that have traditionally been 

underrepresented, as appropriate; 

(2) The proposed key project 

personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors have the qualifications 

and experience to carry out the 

proposed activities and achieve the 

project’s intended outcomes; 

(3) The applicant and any key 

partners have adequate resources to 

carry out the proposed activities; 

(4) The proposed project will have 

processes, resources, and funds in place 

to provide equitable access for project 

staff, contractors, and partners, who 

require digital accessibility 

accommodations; 8 and 

(5) The proposed costs are reasonable 

in relation to the anticipated results and 

benefits, and funds will be spent in a 

way that increases their efficiency and 

cost-effectiveness. 

(e) Describe, in the narrative section 

of the application under ‘‘Quality of the 

management plan,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the project’s intended 

outcomes will be achieved on time and 

within budget. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for 

key project personnel, consultants, and 

subcontractors, as applicable; and 

(ii) Timelines and milestones for 

accomplishing the project tasks; 

(2) Key project personnel and any 

consultants and subcontractors will be 

allocated to the project and how these 

allocations are appropriate and adequate 

to achieve the project’s intended 

outcomes; 

(3) The proposed management plan 

will ensure that the products and 

services provided are of high quality, 

relevant, and useful to recipients; and 

(4) The proposed project will benefit 

from a diversity of perspectives, 

including those of families, educators, 

TA providers, researchers, and policy 

makers, among others, in its 

development and operation. 

(f) Address the following application 

requirements. The applicant must— 

(1) Include, in Appendix A, 

personnel-loading charts and timelines, 

as applicable, to illustrate the 

management plan described in the 

narrative; 

(2) Include, in the budget, attendance 

at the following: 

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off 

meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt 

of the award, and an annual one and 

one-half day planning meeting in 

Washington, DC, with the OSEP project 

officer, RSA project officer, and other 

relevant staff during each subsequent 

year of the project period. 

Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the 

award, a post-award teleconference 

must be held between the OSEP project 

officer, the RSA project officer, and the 

grantee’s project director or other 

authorized representative; 

(ii) A two and one-half day project 

directors’ conference in Washington, 

DC, during each year of the project 

period; 

(iii) Two annual two-day trips to 

attend Department briefings, 

Department-sponsored conferences, and 

other meetings, as requested by OSEP; 

and 

(iv) A one-day virtual 3+2 review 

meeting during the second year of the 

project period; 

(3) Provide an assurance that the 

project will reallocate unused travel 

funds no later than the end of the third 

quarter if the kick-off or planning 

meetings are conducted virtually; 

(4) Include, in the budget, a line item 

for an annual set-aside of 5 percent of 

the grant amount to support emerging 

needs that are consistent with the 

proposed project’s intended outcomes, 

as those needs are identified in 

consultation with, and approved by, the 

OSEP project officer. With approval 

from the OSEP project officer, the 

project must reallocate any remaining 

funds from this annual set-aside no later 

than the end of the third quarter of each 

budget period; 

(5) Describe how it will engage 

doctoral students or post-doctoral 

fellows, including those who are 

multilingual and racially, ethnically, 

and culturally diverse, and those with 

disabilities, in the project to increase the 

number of future leaders in the field 

who are knowledgeable about 

exemplary practices and strategies that 

will reduce student absenteeism and 

drop out, and improve access to CTE, 

credential attainment, high school 

completion, postsecondary education, 

CIE, and independent living for students 

and youth with disabilities; 

(6) Describe how it will ensure that 

annual project progress toward meeting 

project goals is posted on the project 

website; and 

(7) Include, in Appendix A, an 

assurance to assist OSEP with the 

transfer of pertinent resources and 

products and to maintain the continuity 

of services to States during the 

transition to a new award at the end of 

this award period, as appropriate. 

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project: 

In deciding whether to continue 

funding the project for the fourth and 

fifth years, the Secretary will consider 

the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), 

including— 

(a) The recommendations of a 3+2 

review team consisting of experts with 

knowledge and experience in IDEA 

transition services, VR services 

including pre-ETS, CTE participation, 

and underserved students and youth 

with disabilities. This review will be 

conducted during a one-day intensive 

meeting that will be held during the last 

half of the second year of the project 

period; 

(b) The timeliness with which, and 

how well, the requirements of the 

negotiated cooperative agreement have 

been or are being met by the project; and 

(c) The quality, relevance, and 

usefulness of the project’s products and 

services and the extent to which the 

project’s products and services are 

aligned with the project’s objectives and 

likely to result in the project achieving 

its intended outcomes. 

Under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary 

may reduce continuation awards or 

discontinue awards in any year of the 

project period for excessive carryover 

balances, a failure to make substantial 

progress, or a failure to maintain 


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3814 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 

financial and administrative 

management systems that meet the 

requirements in 2 CFR 200.302, 

Financial management, and 200.303, 

Internal controls. The Department 

intends to closely monitor unobligated 

balances and substantial progress under 

this program and may reduce or 

discontinue funding accordingly. 

Absolute Priority 2: National 

Technical Assistance Center on 

Transition for Students and Youth with 

Disabilities—Vocational Rehabilitation 

Demonstration and Training Program. 

Projects that are designed to include 

initiatives focused on improving 

transition from education, including 

postsecondary education, to 

employment, particularly in competitive 

integrated employment, for youth who 

are individuals with significant 

disabilities and address the needs of 

underserved populations, unserved and 

underserved areas, individuals with 

significant disabilities, low-incidence 

disability population or individuals 

residing in federally designated 

empowerment zones and enterprise 

communities. 

References: 

National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES). (2024a). High school graduation 

rates. Condition of education. U.S. 

Department of Education, Institute of 

Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/ 

programs/coe/indicator/coi. 

National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES). (2024b). Status dropout rates. 

Condition of education. U.S. Department 

of Education, Institute of Education 

Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/ 

coe/indicator/coj. 

National Technical Assistance Center on 

Transition: The Collaborative. (2022). 

Effective practices in secondary 

transition: Operational definitions. 

Authors: D. Rowe, C.Y. Alverson, S. 

Kwiatek, C.H. Fowler, J.N. Vicchio, J.G. 

Rousey, & V.L. Mazzotti. https://

transitionta.org/wp-content/uploads/ 

docs/Updated_EBP_Definitions_June_

2022.pdf. 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services. (2022). 

Rehabilitation Services Administration 

report for fiscal year 2017–2020: Report 

on Federal action under the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973. https://

rsa.ed.gov/sites/default/files/ 

publications/ARC%20to%20Congress/ 

RSA%20Report%20for

%20FFY%202017_2020%20

(May%2019%2C%202022).pdf. 

Rowe, D.A., Carter, E., Gajjar, S., Maves, E.A., 

& Wall, J. C. (2020). Supporting strong 

transitions remotely: Considerations and 

complexities for rural communities 

during COVID–19. Rural Special 

Education Quarterly, 39(4), 220–232. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/ 

8756870520958199. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department 

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

priorities. Section 681(d) of IDEA, 

however, makes the public comment 

requirements of the APA inapplicable to 

Absolute Priority 1; Absolute Priority 2 

is from the program statute. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463 

and 1481; 29 U.S.C. 709(c) and 773(b). 

Note: Projects will be awarded and 

must be operated in a manner consistent 

with the nondiscrimination 

requirements contained in Federal civil 

rights laws. 

Applicable Regulations: (a) The 

Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR 

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

and 99. (b) The Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) Guidelines to 

Agencies on Governmentwide 

Debarment and Suspension 

(Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) 

The Guidance for Federal Financial 

Assistance in 2 CFR part 200, as 

adopted and amended as regulations of 

the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. 

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: 

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 (IHEs) only. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Cooperative 

agreement. 

Estimated Available Funds: 

$4,099,988. 

The Administration has requested 

$39,345,000 for the Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination to 

Improve Services and Results for 

Children with Disabilities program for 

FY 2025, of which we intend to use an 

estimated $2,099,988 for this 

competition. The actual level of 

funding, if any, depends on final 

congressional action. However, we are 

inviting applications to allow enough 

time to complete the grant process if 

Congress appropriates funds for this 

program. 

The Administration has requested 

$11,796,000 for the RSA Demonstration 

and Training program for FY 2025, of 

which we intend to use an estimated 

$2,000,000 for this competition. The 

actual level of funding, if any, depends 

on final congressional action. However, 

we are inviting applications to allow 

enough time to complete the grant 

process if Congress appropriates funds 

for this program. 

Contingent upon the availability of 

funds and the quality of applications, 

we may make additional awards in FY 

2026 from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Maximum Award: We will not make 

an award exceeding $4,099,998 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 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; State 

lead agencies under Part C of the IDEA; 

LEAs, including public charter schools 

that are considered LEAs under State 

law; IHEs; other public agencies; private 

nonprofit organizations; freely 

associated States and outlying areas; 

Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; 

and for-profit organizations. 

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 

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

ofo#Indirect-Cost-Division. 

c. Administrative Cost Limitation: 

This program does not include any 

program-specific limitation on 

administrative expenses. All 

administrative expenses must be 

reasonable and necessary and conform 

to Cost Principles described in 2 CFR 

part 200 subpart E of the Guidance for 

Federal Financial Assistance. 

3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 

75.708(b) and (c), a grantee under this 

competition may award subgrants—to 

directly carry out project activities 

described in its application under 

Absolute Priority 1—to the following 

types of entities: IHEs, nonprofit 

organizations suitable to carry out the 

activities proposed in the application, 

and other public agencies. The grantee 

may award subgrants to entities it has 

identified in an approved application or 

that it selects through a competition 

under procedures established by the 

grantee, consistent with 34 CFR 

75.708(b)(2). 

A grantee may not make a subgrant to 

carry out project activities described in 


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its application under Absolute Priority 

2. However, a grantee may contract for 

supplies, equipment, and other services, 

in accordance with 2 CFR part 200 

(Guidance for Federal Financial 

Assistance) as adopted at 2 CFR part 

3474, consistent with 34 CFR 373.23(b). 

4. Other General Requirements: 

(a) Recipients of funding under this 

competition must make positive efforts 

to employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Applicants for, and recipients of, 

funding must, with respect to the 

aspects of their proposed project 

relating to Absolute Priority 1, involve 

individuals with disabilities, or parents 

of individuals with disabilities ages 

birth through 26, in planning, 

implementing, and evaluating the 

project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of 

IDEA). 

(c) Recipients of funding must, with 

respect to the aspects of their proposed 

project relating to Absolute Priority 2, 

(1) ensure equal access and treatment 

for eligible project participants who are 

members of groups that have 

traditionally been underrepresented 

based on race, color, national origin, 

gender, age, or disabilities; (2) 

encourage applications for employment 

from persons who are members of 

groups that have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disabilities; (3) advise individuals with 

disabilities who are applicants for or 

recipients of the services, or the 

applicants’ representatives or the 

individuals’ representatives, of the 

availability and purposes of the Client 

Assistance Program, including 

information on means of seeking 

assistance under that program; and (4) 

provide, through a careful appraisal and 

study, an assessment and evaluation of 

the project that indicates the 

significance or worth of processes, 

methodologies, and practices 

implemented by the project. (34 CFR 

373.23(a)). 

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.federal

register.gov/documents/2024/12/23/ 

2024-30488/common-instructions-forapplicants-to-department-of-educationdiscretionary-grant-programs. 

2. Intergovernmental Review: This 

competition is subject to Executive 

Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 

CFR part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

3. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

4. Recommended Page Limit: The 

application narrative is where you, the 

applicant, address the selection criteria 

that reviewers use to evaluate your 

application. We recommend that you (1) 

limit the application narrative to no 

more than 70 pages and (2) use 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, 

reference citations, and captions, as well 

as all text in charts, tables, figures, 

graphs, and screen shots. 

• Use a font that is 12 point or larger. 

• Use one of the following fonts: 

Times New Roman, Courier, Courier 

New, or Arial. 

The recommended page limit does not 

apply to the cover sheet; the budget 

section, including the narrative budget 

justification; the assurances and 

certifications; or the abstract (follow the 

guidance provided in the application 

package for completing the abstract), the 

table of contents, the list of priority 

requirements, the resumes, the reference 

list, the letters of support, or the 

appendices. However, the 

recommended page limit does apply to 

all of the application narrative, 

including all text in charts, tables, 

figures, graphs, and screen shots. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are as follows: 

(a) Significance (10 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

significance of the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the significance of 

the proposed project, the Secretary 

considers the following factors: 

(i) The significance of the problem or 

issue as it affects educational access and 

opportunity, including the underlying 

or related challenges for underserved 

populations. 

(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. 

(iii) The importance or magnitude of 

the results or outcomes likely to be 

attained by the proposed project, 

especially contributions toward 

improving teaching practice and student 

learning and achievement. 

(iv) The potential contribution of the 

proposed project to improve the 

provision of rehabilitative services, 

increase the number or quality of 

rehabilitation counselors, or develop 

and implement effective strategies for 

providing VR services to individuals 

with disabilities. 

(b) Quality of project services (35 

points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

quality of the services to be provided by 

the proposed project. 

(2) In determining the quality of the 

services to be provided by the proposed 

project, the Secretary considers the 

quality and sufficiency of strategies for 

ensuring 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 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 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 

reflect up-to-date knowledge and an 

evidence-based project component. 

(iv) The extent to which the training 

or professional development services to 

be provided by the proposed project are 

of sufficient quality, intensity, and 


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duration to build recipient and project 

capacity in ways that lead to 

improvements in practice among the 

recipients of those services. 

(v) 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. 

(c) Quality of the project evaluation or 

other evidence-building (20 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, 

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. 

(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. 

(d) Adequacy of resources and quality 

of the project personnel (15 points). 

(1) The Secretary considers the 

adequacy of resources for the proposed 

project and 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 project 

director or principal investigator, when 

hired, has 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 to be served by the 

project. 

(ii) The extent to which the key 

personnel in the project, when hired, 

have the qualifications required for the 

proposed project, including formal 

training or work experience in fields 

related to the objectives of the project, 

and represent or have lived experiences 

of the target population. 

(iii) The qualifications, including 

relevant training and experience, of 

project consultants or subcontractors. 

(iv) The extent to which the evaluator 

has the qualifications, including the 

relevant training, experience, and 

independence, required to conduct an 

evaluation of the proposed project, 

including experience conducting 

evaluations of similar methodology as 

proposed and with evaluations for the 

proposed population and setting. 

(v) The adequacy of support for the 

project, including facilities, equipment, 

supplies, and other resources, from the 

applicant organization or the lead 

applicant organization. 

(vi) The relevance and demonstrated 

commitment of each partner in the 

proposed project to the implementation 

and success of the project. 

(vii) 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. 

(viii) 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. 

(e) Quality of the management plan 

(20 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. 

(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 

(d) Adequacy of resources and quality of 

the project personnel will be used to 

break the tie. 

3. Additional Review and Selection 

Process Factors: In the past, the 

Department has had difficulty finding 

peer reviewers for certain competitions 

because so many individuals who are 

eligible to serve as peer reviewers have 

conflicts of interest. The standing panel 

requirements under section 682(b) of 

IDEA also have placed additional 

constraints on the availability of 

reviewers. Therefore, the Department 


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has determined that for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within specific groups. This 

procedure will make it easier for the 

Department to find peer reviewers by 

ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process, while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. 

4. Risk Assessment and Specific 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.206, before awarding grants under 

this competition the Department 

conducts a review of the risks posed by 

applicants. Under 2 CFR 200.208, the 

Secretary may impose specific 

conditions and, under 2 CFR 3474.10, in 

appropriate circumstances, high-risk 

conditions on a grant if the applicant or 

grantee is not financially stable; has a 

history of unsatisfactory performance; 

has a financial or other management 

system that does not meet the standards 

in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

5. Integrity and Performance System: 

If you are selected under this 

competition to receive an award that 

over the course of the project period 

may exceed the simplified acquisition 

threshold (currently $250,000), under 2 

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

judgment about your integrity, business 

ethics, and record of performance under 

Federal awards—that is, the risk posed 

by you as an applicant—before we make 

an award. In doing so, we must consider 

any information about you that is in the 

integrity and performance system 

(currently referred to as the Federal 

Awardee Performance and Integrity 

Information System (FAPIIS)), 

accessible through the System for 

Award Management. You may review 

and comment on any information about 

yourself that a Federal agency 

previously entered and that is currently 

in FAPIIS. 

Please note that, if the total value of 

your currently active grants, cooperative 

agreements, and procurement contracts 

from the Federal Government exceeds 

$10,000,000, the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix XII, 

require you to report certain integrity 

information to FAPIIS semiannually. 

Please review the requirements in 2 CFR 

part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant 

plus all the other Federal funds you 

receive exceed $10,000,000. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: If your application 

is successful, we notify your U.S. 

Representative and U.S. Senators and 

send you a Grant Award Notification 

(GAN), or we may send you an email 

containing a link to access an electronic 

version of your GAN. We also may 

notify you informally. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Open Licensing Requirements: 

Unless an exception applies, if you are 

awarded a grant under this competition, 

you will be required to openly license 

to the public grant deliverables created 

in whole, or in part, with Department 

grant funds. When the deliverable 

consists of modifications to pre-existing 

works, the license extends only to those 

modifications that can be separately 

identified and only to the extent that 

open licensing is permitted under the 

terms of any licenses or other legal 

restrictions on the use of pre-existing 

works. Additionally, a grantee that is 

awarded competitive grant funds must 

have a plan to disseminate these public 

grant deliverables. This dissemination 

plan can be developed and submitted 

after your application has been 

reviewed and selected for funding. For 

additional information on the open 

licensing requirements please refer to 2 

CFR 3474.20. 

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

grant under this competition, you must 

ensure that you have in place the 

necessary processes and systems to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive 

funding under the competition. This 

does not apply if you have an exception 

under 2 CFR 170.110(b). 

(b) At the end of your project period, 

you must submit a final performance 

report, including financial information, 

as directed by the Secretary. If you 

receive a multiyear award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/appforms/ 

appforms.html. 

5. Performance Measures: For the 

purposes of Department reporting under 

34 CFR 75.110, the Department has 

established a set of performance 

measures including long-term measures 

that are designed to yield information 

on various aspects of the effectiveness 

and quality of the Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination to Improve Services 

and Results for Children with 

Disabilities program. These measures 

are: 

• Program Performance Measure #1: 

The percentage of Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination products and 

services deemed to be of high quality by 

an independent review panel of experts 

qualified to review the substantive 

content of the products and services. 

• Program Performance Measure #2: 

The percentage of Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination products and 

services deemed by an independent 

review panel of qualified experts to be 

of high relevance to educational and 

early intervention policy or practice. 

• Program Performance Measure #3: 

The percentage of all Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination products 

and services deemed by an independent 

review panel of qualified experts to be 

useful in improving educational or early 

intervention policy or practice. 

• Program Performance Measure #4: 

The cost efficiency of the Technical 

Assistance and Dissemination Program 

includes the percentage of milestones 

achieved in the current annual 

performance report period and the 

percentage of funds spent during the 

current fiscal year. 

• Long-term Program Performance 

Measure (applies to Absolute Priority 1 

only): The percentage of States receiving 

Special Education Technical Assistance 

and Dissemination services regarding 

scientifically or evidence-based 

practices for infants, toddlers, children, 

and youth with disabilities that 

successfully promote the 

implementation of those practices in 

school districts and service agencies. 

The measures apply to projects 

funded under this competition, and 

grantees are required to submit data on 

these measures as directed by OSEP and 

RSA. 

Grantees will be required to report 

information on their project’s 

performance in annual and final 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
3818 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 9 / Wednesday, January 15, 2025 / Notices 

performance reports to the Department 

(34 CFR 75.590). 

The Department will also closely 

monitor the extent to which the 

products and services provided by the 

project meet needs identified by 

stakeholders and may require the 

project to report on such alignment in 

its annual and final performance 

reports. 

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 persons listed under 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 

individuals with disabilities can obtain 

this document and a copy of the 

application package in an accessible 

format. The Department will provide the 

requestor with an accessible format that 

may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or 

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

file, braille, large print, audiotape, 

compact disc, or other accessible format. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. You may access the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the 

Code of Federal Regulations at 

www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can 

view this document, as well as all other 

Department documents published in the 

Federal Register, in text or Portable 

Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 

you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, 

which is available free at the site. 

You may also access Department 

documents published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Glenna Wright-Gallo, 

Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00691 Filed 1–14–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No.: ED–2025–SCC–0004] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Comment Request; Best 

Interest Determination—Prison 

Education Program 

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, the Department is proposing a 

new information collection request 

(ICR). 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before 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–0004. 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: Best Interest 

Determination—Prison Education 

Program. 

OMB Control Number: 1845–NEW. 

Type of Review: A new ICR. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Private 

Sector; State, Local, and Tribal 

Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 1,000. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 6,000. 

Abstract: The Prison Education 

Program (PEP) is authorized under 

section 484(t) of the Higher Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) with the 

requirements for participation outlined 

in 34 CFR 668, subpart P, effective July 

1, 2023. The regulatory requirements are 

for a school to offer a PEP to confined 

or incarcerated individuals. This is a 

request for a new information collection 

to develop a form for Oversight Entities 

to have a mechanism to report the Best 

Interest Determination for every PEP 

under their jurisdiction as required 

under 34 CFR 668.241. This is an 

optional form which includes the 

required elements and is being offered 

for ease of reporting by the appropriate 

Oversight Entities. Oversight Entities 

include the appropriate State 

department of corrections or other entity 

responsible for overseeing correctional 

facilities or the Federal Bureau of 

Prisons. Once completed by the 

Oversight Entities, the report is 


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