63090 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 

comments at ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. 

Please note that comments submitted by 

fax or email and those submitted after 

the comment period will not be 

accepted; ED will ONLY accept 

comments during the comment period 

in this mailbox when the regulations.gov 

site is not available. Written requests for 

information or comments submitted by 

postal mail or delivery should be 

addressed to the Director of the 

Information Collection Clearance 

Division, U.S. Department of Education, 

400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, 

Mailstop L–OM–2–2E319, Room 2E105, 

Washington, DC 20202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Ashley 

Higgins, 202–219–7061. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department of Education (ED), 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. ED is 

soliciting comments on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. The Department of 

Education 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: College 

Affordability and Transparency 

Explanation Form (CATEF) 2015–2017. 

OMB Control Number: 1840–0822. 

Type of Review: An extension of an 

existing information collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Private 

Sector, State, Local and Tribal 

Governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 655. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 2,172. 

Abstract: The Office of Postsecondary 

Education (OPE) is seeking a renewed 

three-year clearance for the College 

Affordability and Transparency 

Explanation Form (CATEF) data 

collection. OPE has collected this 

information since 2011–12 and the 

collection of information through 

CATEF is required by § 132 of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 as 

amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. § 1015a with 

the goal of increasing the transparency 

of college tuition prices for consumers. 

This submission is for the 2014–15, 

2015–16, and 2016–17 collection years. 

CATEF collects follow-up information 

from institutions that appear on the 

tuition and fees and/or net price 

increase College Affordability and 

Transparency Center (CATC) Lists for 

being in the five percent of institutions 

in their institutional sector that have the 

highest increases, expressed as a 

percentage change, over the three-year 

time period for which the most recent 

data are available. The information 

collected through CATEF is used to 

write a summary report for Congress 

which is also posted on the CATC Web 

site (accessible through the College 

Navigator). 

Dated: October 16, 2014. 

Stephanie Valentine, 

Acting Director, Information Collection 

Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and 

Records Management Services, Office of 

Management. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25028 Filed 10–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Personnel Development To Improve 

Services and Results for Children With 

Disabilities; Personnel Preparation in 

Special Education, Early Intervention, 

and Related Services 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information: 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities—Personnel Preparation in 

Special Education, Early Intervention, 

and Related Services Notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.325K. 

Dates: 

Applications Available: October 22, 

2014. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: December 5, 2014. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: February 3, 2015. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

this program are to (1) help address 

State-identified needs for personnel 

preparation in special education, early 

intervention, related services, and 

regular education to work with children, 

including infants and toddlers, with 

disabilities; and (2) ensure that those 

personnel have the necessary skills and 

knowledge, derived from practices that 

have been determined through 

scientifically based research and 

experience, to be successful in serving 

those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Personnel Preparation in Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services. 

Background: 

The purpose of the Personnel 

Preparation in Special Education, Early 

Intervention, and Related Services 

priority is to improve the quality and 

increase the number of personnel who 

are fully credentialed to serve children, 

including infants and toddlers, with 

disabilities—especially in areas of 

chronic personnel shortage—by 

supporting projects that prepare special 

education, early intervention, and 

related services personnel at the 

baccalaureate, master’s, and specialist 

levels. State demand for fully 

credentialed special education, early 

intervention, and related services 

personnel to serve infants, toddlers, and 

children with disabilities exceeds the 

available supply (Bruder, 2004a; Bruder, 

2004b; McLeskey & Billingsley, 2008; 

McLeskey, Tyler, & Flippin, 2004). 

These shortages of fully credentialed 

personnel can negatively affect the 

quality of services provided to infants, 

toddlers, and children with disabilities 

and their families (McLeskey et al., 

2004). 

Personnel preparation programs that 

prepare personnel to enter the fields of 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 63091 

1For the purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘scholar’’ means an individual who is pursuing a 

degree, license, endorsement, or certification 

related to special education, related services, or 

early intervention services and who receives 

scholarship assistance under section 662 of IDEA 

(see 34 CFR 304.3(g)). 

2For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘high-need 

children with disabilities’’ refers to children (ages 

birth through 21, depending on the State) who are 

eligible for services under IDEA, and who may be 

further disadvantaged and at risk of educational 

failure because they: (1) Are living in poverty, (2) 

are far below grade level, (3) are at risk of not 

graduating with a regular high school diploma on 

time, (4) are homeless, (5) are in foster care, (6) have 

been incarcerated, (7) are English learners, (8) are 

pregnant or parenting teenagers, (9) are new 

immigrants, (10) are migrant, or (11) are not on 

track to being college- or career-ready by 

graduation. 

3For the purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘competencies’’ means what a person knows and 

can do: the knowledge, skills, and dispositions 

necessary to effectively function in a role (National 

Professional Development Center on Inclusion, 

2011). These competencies should ensure that 

personnel are able to use challenging national and 

State content standards, child achievement and 

functional standards, and State assessments, to 

improve instructional practices, services, and 

learning and developmental outcomes (e.g., 

academic, social, emotional, behavioral); and 

college- and career-readiness of children with 

disabilities. 

special education, early intervention, 

and related services as fully 

credentialed personnel who are well 

qualified, have the necessary 

competencies, and effectively use 

evidence-based practices to improve 

outcomes for children with disabilities 

are critical to overcome the personnel 

shortages in these fields. Federal 

support of these personnel preparation 

programs is needed to increase the 

supply of personnel with the necessary 

competencies to effectively serve 

infants, toddlers, and children with 

disabilities and their families, and to 

make sure students with disabilities 

have access to and meet college- and 

career-ready standards. 

Priority: 

Except as provided for Focus Area D 

projects, to meet this priority, an 

applicant must propose a project 

associated with a pre-existing 

baccalaureate, master’s, or specialist 

degree personnel preparation program 

that will prepare and support scholars1

to complete, within the project period of 

the grant, a degree, State certification, 

professional license, or State 

endorsement in special education, early 

intervention, or a related services field. 

Projects also can be associated with 

personnel preparation programs that (a) 

prepare individuals to be assistants in 

related services professions (e.g., 

physical therapist assistants, 

occupational therapist assistants) or 

educational interpreters; or (b) provide 

an alternate route to certification or that 

support dual certification (special 

education and regular education) for 

teachers. For purposes of this priority, 

the term ‘‘personnel preparation 

program’’ refers to the program with 

which the applicant’s proposed project 

is associated. 

To be considered for funding under 

the Personnel Preparation in Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services absolute priority, 

applicants must meet the application 

requirements contained in this priority. 

All projects funded under this absolute 

priority also must meet the 

programmatic and administrative 

requirements specified in the priority. 

The requirements of this priority are 

as follows: 

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Significance of the Project,’’ how the 

proposed project will— 

(1) Address national, State, or regional 

shortages of personnel who are fully 

credentialed to serve children with 

disabilities, ages birth through 21, 

including high-need children with 

disabilities,2 by preparing special 

education, early intervention, or related 

services personnel at the baccalaureate, 

master’s, or specialist levels. To address 

this requirement, the applicant must 

present— 

(i) Appropriate and applicable data 

that demonstrate a national, State, or 

regional need for the personnel the 

applicant proposes to prepare; and 

(ii) Data that demonstrate the 

effectiveness of the applicant’s 

personnel preparation program to date 

in areas such as: The average amount of 

time it takes program participants to 

complete the program; the percentage of 

program graduates finding employment 

related to their preparation within one 

year of graduation; the effectiveness of 

program graduates in providing special 

education, early intervention, or related 

services, which could include data on 

the learning and developmental 

outcomes of children with disabilities 

they serve; or the percentage of program 

graduates who maintain employment for 

three or more years in the area for which 

they were prepared and who are fully 

qualified under IDEA. 

Note: Data provided in response to this 

requirement should be no older than five 

years from the start date of the project 

proposed in the application. When reporting 

percentages, the denominator (e.g., total 

number of students or program graduates) 

must be provided. 

(2) Increase the number of personnel 

who demonstrate the competencies 

needed to provide high-quality 

instruction, evidence-based 

interventions, and services for children 

with disabilities, ages birth through 21, 

including high-need children with 

disabilities, that result in improvements 

in learning and developmental 

outcomes (e.g., academic, social, 

emotional, behavioral), and successful 

transition to postsecondary education 

and the workforce. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must— 

(i) Identify the competencies 3 that 

special education, early intervention, or 

related services personnel need in order 

to provide high-quality services using 

evidence-based instruction and 

interventions that will lead to improved 

learning and developmental outcomes; 

ensure access to college- and careerready standards; lead to successful 

transition to college and career for 

children with disabilities, including 

high-need children with disabilities; 

and maximize the use of effective 

technology to deliver instruction, 

interventions, and services; and 

(ii) Provide the conceptual framework 

of the personnel preparation program, 

including any empirical support, that 

will promote the acquisition of the 

identified competencies (see paragraph 

(a)(2)(i) of this priority) needed by 

special education, early intervention, or 

related services personnel, and how 

these competencies relate to the 

proposed project. 

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

section of the application under 

‘‘Quality of Project Services,’’ how the 

proposed project— 

(1) Will recruit and retain high-quality 

scholars and ensure equal access and 

treatment for eligible project 

participants who are members of groups 

who have traditionally been 

underrepresented based on race, color, 

national origin, gender, age, or 

disability. To meet this requirement, the 

applicant must describe— 

(i) The selection criteria that it will 

use to identify high-quality applicants 

for admission to the proposed project; 

(ii) The recruitment strategies that it 

will use to attract high-quality 

applicants and any specific recruitment 

strategies targeting high-quality 

applicants from traditionally 

underrepresented groups, including 

individuals with disabilities; and 

(iii) The approach, including 

mentoring, monitoring, and 

accommodations, that will be used to 

support scholars to complete the 

personnel preparation program. 

(2) Reflects current research and 

evidence-based practices, and is 

designed to prepare scholars in the 

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63092 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 

4For the purposes of this priority, the term ‘‘highneed LEA’’ means an LEA (a) that serves not fewer 

than 10,000 children from families with incomes 

below the poverty line; or (b) for which not less 

than 20 percent of the children served by the LEA 

are from families with incomes below the poverty 

line. 

5For the purposes of this priority, the term ‘‘highpoverty school’’ means a school in which at least 

50 percent of students are eligible for free or 

reduced-price lunches under the Richard B. Russell 

National School Lunch Act or in which at least 50 

percent of students are from low-income families as 

determined using one of the criteria specified under 

section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). For 

middle and high schools, eligibility may be 

calculated on the basis of comparable data from 

feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty school 

under this definition is determined on the basis of 

the most currently available data (www2.ed.gov/

legislation/FedRegister/other/2010–4/

121510b.html). 

6For the purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘persistently lowest-achieving schools’’ means, as 

determined by the State— 

(a)(1) Any Title I school in improvement, 

corrective action, or restructuring that— 

(i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of 

Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring or the lowest-achieving five Title I 

schools in improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring in the State, whichever number of 

schools is greater; or 

(ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate 

as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60 

percent over a number of years; and 

(2) Any secondary school that is eligible for, but 

does not receive, Title I funds that— 

(i) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of 

secondary schools or the lowest-achieving five 

secondary schools in the State that are eligible for, 

but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number 

of schools is greater; or 

(ii) Is a high school that has had a graduation rate 

as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60 

percent over a number of years. 

(b) To identify the lowest-achieving schools, a 

State must take into account both— 

(i) The academic achievement of the ‘‘all 

students’’ group in a school in terms of proficiency 

on the State’s assessments under section 1111(b)(3) 

of the ESEA in reading/language arts and 

mathematics combined; and 

(ii) The school’s lack of progress on those 

assessments over a number of years in the ‘‘all 

students’’ group. 

For the purposes of this priority, the Department 

considers schools that are identified as Tier I or Tier 

II schools under the School Improvement Grants 

Program (see 75 FR 66363 [October 28, 2010]) as 

part of a State’s approved FY 2009, FY 2010, FY 

2011, or FY 2012 application to be persistently 

lowest-achieving schools. A list of these Tier I and 

Tier II schools can be found on the Department’s 

Web site at www2.ed.gov/programs/sif/index.html. 

7For the purposes of this priority, the term 

‘‘priority school’’ means a school that has been 

identified by the State as a priority school pursuant 

to the State’s approved request for ESEA flexibility. 

identified competencies. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe how the proposed project 

will— 

(i) Incorporate current research and 

evidence-based practices that improve 

outcomes (e.g., meeting college- and 

career-ready standards) for children 

with disabilities (including relevant 

research citations) into the project’s 

required coursework and clinical 

experiences; and 

(ii) Use current research and 

evidence-based professional 

development practices for adult learners 

to instruct scholars. 

(3) Is of sufficient quality, intensity, 

and duration to prepare scholars in the 

identified competencies. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe how— 

(i) The components of the proposed 

project (e.g., coursework, clinical 

experiences, or internships) will 

support scholars’ acquisition and 

enhancement of the identified 

competencies; 

(ii) The components of the proposed 

project (e.g., coursework, clinical 

experiences, or internships) will be 

integrated to allow scholars to use their 

content knowledge in clinical practice, 

and how scholars will be provided with 

ongoing guidance and feedback; and 

(iii) The proposed project will provide 

ongoing induction opportunities and 

support to program graduates. 

(4) Will collaborate with appropriate 

partners, including— 

(i) High-need LEAs; 4 high-poverty 

schools; 5 low-performing schools, 

including persistently lowest-achieving 

schools; 6 priority schools (in the case of 

States that have received the U.S. 

Department of Education’s 

(Department’s) approval of a request for 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) 

flexibility),7 or publicly funded 

preschool programs, including Head 

Start programs and programs serving 

children eligible for services under 

IDEA Part C and Part B, Section 619, 

that are located within the geographic 

boundaries of a high-need LEA. The 

purpose of these partnerships is to 

provide clinical practice for scholars 

aimed at developing the identified 

competencies; and 

(ii) Other programs on campus or at 

partnering universities for the purpose 

of sharing resources, supporting 

program development and delivery, and 

addressing personnel shortages. 

(5) Will use technology, as 

appropriate, to promote scholar 

learning, enhance the efficiency of the 

project, collaborate with partners, and 

facilitate ongoing mentoring and 

support for scholars. 

(6) Will align with and use resources, 

as appropriate, available through 

technical assistance centers, which may 

include centers funded by the 

Department. 

(c) Include, in the narrative section of 

the application under ‘‘Quality of 

Project Evaluation,’’ how— 

(1) The proposed project will use 

comprehensive and appropriate 

methodologies to evaluate the 

effectiveness of the project, including 

the effectiveness of project processes 

and outcomes. 

(2) The proposed project will collect 

and analyze data related to specific and 

measurable goals, objectives, and 

outcomes of the project. To address this 

requirement, the applicant must 

describe— 

(i) How scholar competencies and 

other project processes and outcomes 

will be measured for formative 

evaluation purposes, including 

proposed instruments, data collection 

methods, and possible analyses; and 

(ii) How data on the quality of 

services provided by proposed project 

graduates, including data on the 

learning and developmental outcomes 

(e.g., academic, social, emotional, 

behavioral, meeting college- and careerready standards) and on growth toward 

these outcomes of the children with 

disabilities that the project graduates 

serve, will be collected and analyzed. 

Note: Following the completion of the 

project period, grantees are encouraged—but 

not required—to engage in ongoing data 

collection activities. 

(3) The methods of evaluation will 

produce quantitative and qualitative 

data for objective performance measures 

that are related to the outcomes of the 

proposed project. 

(4) The methods of evaluation will 

provide performance feedback and 

allow for periodic assessment of 

progress towards meeting the project 

outcomes. To address this requirement, 

the applicant must describe how— 

(i) Findings from the evaluation will 

be used as a basis for improving the 

proposed project to prepare special 

education, early intervention, or related 

services personnel to provide highquality interventions and services to 

improve outcomes of children with 

disabilities; and 

(ii) The proposed project will report 

evaluation results to the Office of 

Special Education Programs (OSEP) in 

the annual and final performance 

reports. 

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative 

under ‘‘Project Assurances,’’ or 

appendices, as applicable, that the 

following program requirements are 

met. The applicant must— 

(1) Include, in the application as 

Appendix B, syllabi for all required 

coursework of the proposed project, 

including syllabi for new or proposed 

courses. 

(2) Ensure that the proposed number 

of scholars to be recruited into the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 63093 

8For the purposes of this priority, ‘‘Workforce 

Knowledge and Competency Framework’’ is 

defined by the definitions published in the Notice 

Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal 

Year 2013 Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge 

(RTT–ELC) (78 FR 53992 [August 30, 2013]): a set 

of expectations that describes what Early Childhood 

Educators (including those working with children 

with disabilities and English learners) should know 

and be able to do. The Workforce Knowledge and 

Competency Framework, at a minimum (a) is 

evidence-based; (b) incorporates knowledge and 

application of the State’s Early Learning and 

Development Standards, the Comprehensive 

Assessment Systems, child development, health, 

and culturally and linguistically appropriate 

strategies for working with families; (c) includes 

knowledge of early mathematics and literacy 

development and effective instructional practices to 

support mathematics and literacy development in 

young children; (d) incorporates effective use of 

data to guide instruction and program 

improvement; (e) includes effective behavior 

management strategies that promote positive socialemotional development and reduce challenging 

behaviors; and (f) incorporates feedback from 

experts at the State’s postsecondary institutions and 

other early learning and development experts and 

Early Childhood Educators. 

program can graduate from the program 

by the end of the grant’s project period. 

The strategies for recruiting scholars 

(including individuals with disabilities), 

the program components and their 

sequence, and proposed budget must be 

consistent with this project requirement. 

(3) Ensure that prior approval from 

the OSEP project officer will be 

obtained before admitting additional 

scholars beyond the number of scholars 

proposed in the application and before 

transferring a scholar to another OSEPfunded grant. 

(4) Ensure that the project will meet 

the service obligation requirements in 

34 CFR part 304, particularly those 

related to informing all scholarship 

recipients of their service obligation 

commitment. Failure by a grantee to 

properly meet these requirements would 

be a violation of the grant award that 

could result in sanctions, including the 

grantee being liable for returning any 

misused funds to the Department. 

Specifically, the grantee must prepare 

and ensure that each scholarship 

recipient signs the following two 

documents: 

(i) A Pre-Scholarship Agreement prior 

to the scholar receiving a scholarship for 

an eligible program (OMB Control 

Number 1820–0686); and 

(ii) An Exit Certification immediately 

upon the scholar leaving, completing, or 

otherwise exiting that program (OMB 

Control Number 1820–0686). 

(5) Ensure that the project will meet 

the statutory requirements in section 

662(e) through 662(h) of IDEA. 

(6) Ensure that at least 65 percent of 

the total requested budget over the five 

years will be used for scholar support. 

(7) Ensure that the institution of 

higher education (IHE) will not require 

scholars to work (e.g., as graduate 

assistants) as a condition of receiving 

support (e.g., tuition, stipends, books) 

from the proposed project unless the 

work is specifically required to advance 

scholars’ competencies or complete 

other requirements in their personnel 

preparation program. Please note that 

this prohibition on work as a condition 

of receiving support does not apply to 

the service obligation requirements in 

section 662(h) of IDEA. 

(8) Ensure that the budget includes 

attendance of the project director at a 

three-day project directors’ meeting in 

Washington, DC, during each year of the 

project. 

(9) Ensure that if the proposed project 

maintains a Web site, relevant 

information and documents are in a 

format that meets government or 

industry-recognized standards for 

accessibility. 

(10) Ensure that the project director 

submits annual data on each scholar 

who receives grant support. Applicants 

are encouraged to visit the Personnel 

Development Program Scholar Data 

Report Web site at: http://

oseppdp.ed.gov for further information 

about this data collection requirement. 

Typically, data collection begins in 

January of each year, and grantees are 

notified by email about the data 

collection period for their grant. This 

data collection must be submitted 

electronically by the grantee and does 

not supplant the annual grant 

performance report required of each 

grantee for continuation funding (see 34 

CFR 75.590). 

Focus Areas: 

Within this absolute priority, the 

Secretary intends to support projects 

under the following four focus areas: (A) 

Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, 

Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children 

with Disabilities; (B) Preparing 

Personnel to Serve School-Age Children 

with Low-Incidence Disabilities; (C) 

Preparing Personnel to Provide Related 

Services to Children, Including Infants 

and Toddlers, with Disabilities; and (D) 

Preparing Personnel in Minority 

Institutions of Higher Education to 

Serve Children, Including Infants and 

Toddlers, with Disabilities. 

Interdisciplinary projects are 

encouraged to apply under Focus Area 

A, B, C, or D. Interdisciplinary projects 

are projects that deliver core content 

through coursework and clinical 

experiences shared across disciplines. 

Note: Applicants must identify the specific 

focus area (i.e., A, B, C, or D) under which 

they are applying as part of the competition 

title on the application cover sheet (SF form 

424, line 4). Applicants may not submit the 

same proposal under more than one focus 

area. 

Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve Infants, Toddlers, and PreschoolAge Children with Disabilities. OSEP 

intends to fund six awards under this 

focus area. For the purpose of Focus 

Area A, early intervention personnel are 

those who are prepared to provide 

services to infants and toddlers with 

disabilities ages birth to three, and early 

childhood personnel are those who are 

prepared to provide services to children 

with disabilities ages three through five 

(and in States where the age range is 

other than ages three through five, we 

will defer to the State’s certification for 

early childhood). In States where 

certification in early intervention is 

combined with certification in early 

childhood, applicants may propose a 

combined early intervention and early 

childhood personnel preparation project 

under this focus area. We encourage 

interdisciplinary projects under this 

focus area. For purposes of this focus 

area, interdisciplinary projects are 

projects that deliver core content 

through coursework and clinical 

experiences shared across disciplines 

for early intervention providers or early 

childhood special educators, and related 

services personnel to serve infants, 

toddlers, and preschool-age children 

with disabilities. Projects preparing only 

related services personnel to serve 

infants, toddlers, and preschool-age 

children with disabilities are not 

eligible under this focus area (see Focus 

Area C). Scholars in the program should 

be able to demonstrate the competencies 

outlined in a State’s Workforce 

Knowledge and Competency 

Framework,8 as appropriate. 

Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to 

Serve School-Age Children with LowIncidence Disabilities. OSEP intends to 

fund twelve awards under this focus 

area. For the purpose of Focus Area B, 

personnel who serve children with lowincidence disabilities are special 

education personnel prepared to serve 

school-age children with low-incidence 

disabilities, including visual 

impairments, hearing impairments, 

simultaneous visual and hearing 

impairments, significant intellectual 

disabilities, orthopedic impairments, 

traumatic brain injury, and persistent 

and severe learning and behavioral 

problems that need the most intensive 

individualized supports. Programs 

preparing special education personnel 

to provide services to children with 

visual impairments or blindness that 

can be appropriately provided in braille 

must prepare those individuals to 

provide those services in braille, 

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63094 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 

including the Unified English Braille 

Code (UEB). Projects preparing 

educational interpreters are eligible 

under this focus area. We encourage 

interdisciplinary projects under this 

focus area. For purposes of this focus 

area, interdisciplinary projects are 

projects that deliver core content 

through coursework and clinical 

experiences shared across disciplines 

for low-incidence and related services 

personnel to serve school-aged children 

with low incidence disabilities. Projects 

preparing early intervention or 

preschool personnel are not eligible 

under this focus area (see Focus Area 

A). 

Focus Area C: Preparing Personnel to 

Provide Related Services to Children, 

Including Infants and Toddlers, with 

Disabilities. OSEP intends to fund eight 

awards under this focus area. Programs 

preparing related services personnel to 

serve children, including infants and 

toddlers, with disabilities are eligible 

within Focus Area C. For the purpose of 

this focus area, related services include, 

but are not limited to, psychological 

services, physical therapy (including 

therapy provided by personnel prepared 

at the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) 

level), adapted physical education, 

occupational therapy, therapeutic 

recreation, social work services, 

counseling services, audiology services 

(including services provided by 

personnel prepared at the Doctor of 

Audiology (AudD) level), speech and 

language services, and applied behavior 

analysis services provided by personnel 

at the Board Certified Behavior 

Specialists level. Preparation programs 

in States where personnel prepared to 

serve children with speech and 

language impairments are considered to 

be special educators are eligible under 

this focus area. We encourage 

interdisciplinary projects under this 

focus area. 

For purposes of this focus area, 

interdisciplinary projects are projects 

that deliver core content through 

coursework and clinical experiences 

shared across disciplines for related 

services personnel who serve children, 

including infants and toddlers, with 

disabilities. Projects preparing 

educational interpreters are not eligible 

under this focus area (see Focus Area B). 

Focus Area D: Preparing Personnel in 

Minority Institutions of Higher 

Education to Serve Children, Including 

Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities. 

OSEP intends to fund ten awards under 

this focus area. Programs in minority 

IHEs are eligible under Focus Area D if 

they prepare one of the following: (a) 

Personnel to serve infants, toddlers, and 

preschool-age children with disabilities; 

(b) personnel to serve school-age 

children with low-incidence 

disabilities, including those with 

persistent and severe learning or 

behavioral problems that need the most 

intensive individualized supports; or (c) 

personnel to provide related services to 

children, including infants and toddlers, 

with disabilities. Minority IHEs include 

IHEs with a minority enrollment of 50 

percent or more, which may include 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities, Tribal Colleges, and 

Predominantly Hispanic Serving 

Colleges and Universities. We encourage 

interdisciplinary projects under this 

focus area. For purposes of this focus 

area, interdisciplinary projects are 

projects that deliver core content 

through coursework and clinical 

experiences shared across disciplines 

for: (a) Early intervention providers or 

early childhood special educators and 

related services personnel who serve 

infants, toddlers, and preschool-age 

children with disabilities; (b) lowincidence and related services 

personnel who serve school-age 

children with low-incidence 

disabilities; or (c) related services 

personnel who serve children, including 

infants and toddlers, with disabilities. 

Programs in minority IHEs preparing 

personnel in Focus Area A, B, or C are 

eligible within Focus Area D. Programs 

preparing high-incidence special 

education personnel are not eligible 

under this priority. 

Note: In Focus Area D, OSEP intends to 

fund in FY 2015 at least three high-quality 

applications from Historically Black Colleges 

and Universities and, as a result, may fund 

applications out of rank order. 

Note: A project funded under Focus Area 

D may budget for less than the 65 percent 

required for scholar support if the applicant 

can provide sufficient justification for a 

designation less than this required 

percentage. Sufficient justification for 

proposing less than 65 percent of the budget 

for scholar support would include support 

for activities such as program development, 

program expansion, or the addition of a new 

area of emphasis. Some examples of projects 

that may be eligible to designate less than 65 

percent of their budget for scholar support 

include the following: 

(1) A project that is proposing to 

develop and deliver a newly established 

baccalaureate, master’s, and specialist 

level personnel preparation program or 

add a new area of emphasis may request 

up to a year of funding for program 

development (e.g., hiring of a new 

faculty member or consultant to assist in 

course development, providing 

professional development and training 

for faculty). In the initial project year, 

scholar support would not be required. 

The project must demonstrate that the 

newly established program or area of 

emphasis is approved and ready for 

implementation in order to receive 

continuation funds in year two. 

(2) A project that is proposing to 

expand or enhance an existing program 

may request funding for capacity 

building (e.g., hiring of a clinical 

practice supervisor, providing 

professional development and training 

for faculty) or purchasing needed 

resources (e.g., additional teaching 

supplies or specialized equipment to 

enhance instruction). 

Note: Applicants proposing projects to 

develop, expand, or add a new area of 

emphasis to special education or related 

services programs must provide, in their 

applications, information on how these new 

areas will be sustained once Federal funding 

ends. 

References 

Bruder, M. B. (December, 2004a). The 

National Landscape of Early Intervention 

in Personnel Preparation Standards 

under Part C of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Study 

I Data Report). Farmington, CT: A. J. 

Pappanikou Center for Excellence in 

Developmental Disabilities. Retrieved 

from: www.uconnucedd.org/pdfs/

projects/per_prep/pp_data_report_

study1_partc_11_14_08.pdf. 

Bruder, M. B. (December, 2004b). The 

National Landscape of Early Childhood 

Special Education in Personnel 

Preparation Standards under 619 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA) (Study I Data Report). 

Farmington, CT: A. J. Pappanikou Center 

for Excellence in Developmental 

Disabilities. Retrieved from: 

www.uconnucedd.org/pdfs/projects/per_

prep/pp_data_report_study1_619_11_

19_08%20ccs.pdf. 

McLeskey, J., & Billingsley, B. (2008). How 

does the quality and stability of the 

teaching force influence the research-topractice gap? Remedial and Special 

Education, 29(5), 293–305. 

McLeskey, J., Tyler, N., & Flippin, S. S. 

(2004). The supply and demand for 

special education teachers: A review of 

research regarding the chronic shortage 

of special education teachers. Journal of 

Special Education, 38(1), 5–21. 

National Professional Development Center on 

Inclusion. (August, 2011). Competencies 

for early childhood educators in the 

context of inclusion: Issues and guidance 

for States. Chapel Hill, NC: The 

University of North Carolina, FPG Child 

Development Institute, Author. 

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 the 

proposed priorities and requirements. 

Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, makes 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 63095 

the public comment requirements of the 

APA inapplicable to the priority in this 

notice. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 

1481. 

Applicable Regulations: This Notice 

Inviting Applications (NIA) is being 

published before the Department adopts 

the Uniform Administrative 

Requirements, Cost Principles, and 

Audit Requirements in 2 CFR part 200. 

We expect to publish interim final 

regulations that would adopt those 

requirements before December 26, 2014, 

and make those regulations effective on 

that date. Because grants awarded under 

this NIA will likely be made after ED 

adopts the requirements in 2 CFR part 

200, we list as applicable regulations 

both those that are currently effective 

and those that will be effective at the 

time ED makes grants. 

The current regulations follow: (a) 

The Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

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

84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education 

Department debarment and suspension 

regulations in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The 

regulations for this program in 34 CFR 

part 304. 

At the time we award grants under 

this NIA, the following regulations will 

apply: (a) The Education Department 

General Administrative Regulations 

(EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 

82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The 

Education Department debarment and 

suspension regulations as adopted in 2 

CFR part 3485 and the Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles, and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards as adopted in 2 CFR 

part 3474. (c) The regulations for this 

program in 34 CFR part 304. 

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 only to institutions of higher education 

(IHEs). 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. 

Estimated Available Funds: The 

Administration has requested 

$83,700,000 for the Personnel 

Development to Improve Services and 

Results for Children with Disabilities 

program for FY 2015, of which we 

intend to use an estimated $9,000,000 

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 

2016 from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition. 

Estimated Range of Awards: See 

chart. 

Estimated Average Size of Awards: 

See chart. 

Maximum Award: See chart. 

Estimated Number of Awards: See 

chart. 

Project Period: See chart. 

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63096 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 

PERSONNEL

DEVELOPMENT

T

O IMPROVE

SERVICES AND

RESULTS FOR

CHILDREN

WITH

DISABILITIES (84.325

K) APPLICATION

NOTICE FOR

FISCAL

YEAR 2015 

CFDA No. and name Applications available Deadline for transmittal of applications Deadline for intergovernmental review Estimated range of awards Estimated average size of awards 

Maximum 

award for 

each 

budget 

period of 

12 months 

Estimated 

number 

of awards 

Project 

period Contact person 

84.325K Personnel Preparation in Special Education, 

Early Intervention, and Related Services.

March 22, 2014 ............ December 5, 2014 February 3, 2015.

Focus Area A: Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, 

Toddlers, and Pre-school Age Children with Disabilities.

...................................... ............................... ............................... $225,000–$250,000 $237,500 * $250,000 6 Up to 60 mos ....... Maryann McDermott, 202– 

245–7439, maryann.mcdermott@ed.gov, PCP, Room 4062. 

Focus Area B: Preparing Personnel to Serve SchoolAge Children with Low Incidence Disabilities. ...................................... ............................... ............................... $225,000–$250,000 237,500 * 250,000 12 Up to 60 mos ....... Maryann McDermott, 202– 245–7439, maryann.mcdermott@ ed.gov, PCP, Room 4062. Focus Area C: Preparing Personnel to Provide Related 

Services to Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities.

...................................... ............................... ............................... $225,000–$250,000 237,500 * 250,000 8 Up to 60 mos ....... Sarah Allen, 202–245–7875, 

sarah.allen@ed.gov, PCP, Room 4105. 

Focus Area D: Preparing Personnel in Minority Institutions of Higher Education 

to Serve Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities.

...................................... ............................... ............................... $225,000–$250,000 237,500 * 250,000 10 Up to 60 mos ....... Dawn Ellis, 202–245–6417, 

dawn.ellis@ed.gov, PCP, Room 4092. 

* We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding the maximum award for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change 

the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 63097 

Note: The Department is not bound by any 

estimates in this notice. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs and 

private nonprofit organizations. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Other General Requirements: 

(a) Recipients of funding under this 

program must make positive efforts to 

employ and advance in employment 

qualified individuals with disabilities 

(see section 606 of IDEA). 

(b) Each applicant for, and recipient 

of, funding under this program must 

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). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: You can obtain an application 

package via the Internet or from the 

Education Publications Center (ED 

Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, 

use the following address: www.ed.gov/ 

fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. 

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, 

fax, or call the following: ED Pubs, U.S. 

Department of Education, P.O. Box 

22207, Alexandria, VA 22304. 

Telephone, toll free: 1–877–433–7827. 

FAX: (703) 605–6794. If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call, 

toll free: 1–877–576–7734. 

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web 

site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its 

email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. 

If you request an application from ED 

Pubs, be sure to identify this 

competition as follows: CFDA number 

84.325K. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

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

large print, audiotape, or compact disc) 

by contacting the person or team listed 

under Accessible Format in section VIII 

of this notice. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content of an application, together 

with the forms you must submit, are in 

the application package for this 

competition. 

Page Limit: The application narrative 

(Part III of the application) is where you, 

the applicant, address the selection 

criteria that reviewers use to evaluate 

your application. You must limit Part III 

to no more than 50 pages, using the 

following standards: 

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

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

and both sides. 

• Double-space (no more than three 

lines per vertical inch) all text in the 

application narrative, including titles, 

headings, footnotes, quotations, 

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. An application submitted 

in any other font (including Times 

Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be 

accepted. 

The page limit and double-spacing 

requirement 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 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 page limit 

and double-spacing requirement does 

apply to all of Part III, the application 

narrative, including all text in charts, 

tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots. 

We will reject your application if you 

exceed the page limit in the application 

narrative section; or if you apply 

standards other than those specified in 

the application package. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: October 22, 

2014. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: December 5, 2014. 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically using the Grants.gov 

Apply site (Grants.gov). For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, or in paper format by 

mail or hand delivery if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, please refer to 

section IV. 7. Other Submission 

Requirements of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If 

the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: February 3, 2015. 

4. Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. Information about 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs under Executive Order 12372 

is in the application package for this 

competition. 

5. Funding Restrictions: We reference 

regulations outlining funding 

restrictions in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

6. Data Universal Numbering System 

Number, Taxpayer Identification 

Number, and System for Award 

Management: To do business with the 

Department of Education, you must— 

a. Have a Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer 

Identification Number (TIN); 

b. Register both your DUNS number 

and TIN with the System for Award 

Management (SAM) (formerly the 

Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the 

Government’s primary registrant 

database; 

c. Provide your DUNS number and 

TIN on your application; and 

d. Maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information 

while your application is under review 

by the Department and, if you are 

awarded a grant, during the project 

period. 

You can obtain a DUNS number from 

Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number 

can be created within one to two 

business days. 

If you are a corporate entity, agency, 

institution, or organization, you can 

obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue 

Service. If you are an individual, you 

can obtain a TIN from the Internal 

Revenue Service or the Social Security 

Administration. If you need a new TIN, 

please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to 

become active. 

The SAM registration process can take 

approximately seven business days, but 

may take upwards of several weeks, 

depending on the completeness and 

accuracy of the data entered into the 

SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you 

think you might want to apply for 

Federal financial assistance under a 

program administered by the 

Department, please allow sufficient time 

to obtain and register your DUNS 

number and TIN. We strongly 

recommend that you register early. 

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, 

you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the 

information to be available in Grants.gov and 

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before you can submit an application through 

Grants.gov. 

If you are currently registered with 

SAM, you may not need to make any 

changes. However, please make certain 

that the TIN associated with your DUNS 

number is correct. Also note that you 

will need to update your registration 

annually. This may take three or more 

business days. 

Information about SAM is available at 

www.SAM.gov. To further assist you 

with obtaining and registering your 

DUNS number and TIN in SAM or 

updating your existing SAM account, 

we have prepared a SAM.gov tip sheet, 

which you can find at: http://www2.ed.

gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html. 

In addition, if you are submitting your 

application via Grants.gov, you must (1) 

be designated by your organization as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR); and (2) register yourself with 

Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these 

steps are outlined at the following 

Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/

web/grants/register.html. 

7. Other Submission Requirements: 

Applications for grants under this 

competition must be submitted 

electronically unless you qualify for an 

exception to this requirement in 

accordance with the instructions in this 

section. 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

Applications for grants under the 

Personnel Preparation in Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services competition, CFDA 

number 84.325K, must be submitted 

electronically using the 

Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site 

at www.Grants.gov. Through this site, 

you will be able to download a copy of 

the application package, complete it 

offline, and then upload and submit 

your application. You may not email an 

electronic copy of a grant application to 

us. 

We will reject your application if you 

submit it in paper format unless, as 

described elsewhere in this section, you 

qualify for one of the exceptions to the 

electronic submission requirement and 

submit, no later than two weeks before 

the application deadline date, a written 

statement to the Department that you 

qualify for one of these exceptions. 

Further information regarding 

calculation of the date that is two weeks 

before the application deadline date is 

provided later in this section under 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement. 

You may access the electronic grant 

application for the Personnel 

Preparation in Special Education, Early 

Intervention, and Related Services 

competition at www.Grants.gov. You 

must search for the downloadable 

application package for this program by 

the CFDA number. Do not include the 

CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your 

search (e.g., search for 84.325, not 

84.325K). 

Please note the following: 

• When you enter the Grants.gov site, 

you will find information about 

submitting an application electronically 

through the site, as well as the hours of 

operation. 

• Applications received by Grants.gov 

are date and time stamped. Your 

application must be fully uploaded and 

submitted and must be date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system no 

later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC 

time, on the application deadline date. 

Except as otherwise noted in this 

section, we will not accept your 

application if it is received—that is, date 

and time stamped by the Grants.gov 

system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, 

DC time, on the application deadline 

date. We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. When we retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov, we will 

notify you if we are rejecting your 

application because it was date and time 

stamped by the Grants.gov system after 

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

the application deadline date. 

• The amount of time it can take to 

upload an application will vary 

depending on a variety of factors, 

including the size of the application and 

the speed of your Internet connection. 

Therefore, we strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the submission 

process through Grants.gov. 

• You should review and follow the 

Education Submission Procedures for 

submitting an application through 

Grants.gov that are included in the 

application package for this competition 

to ensure that you submit your 

application in a timely manner to the 

Grants.gov system. You can also find the 

Education Submission Procedures 

pertaining to Grants.gov under News 

and Events on the Department’s G5 

system home page at www.G5.gov. 

• You will not receive additional 

point value because you submit your 

application in electronic format, nor 

will we penalize you if you qualify for 

an exception to the electronic 

submission requirement, as described 

elsewhere in this section, and submit 

your application in paper format. 

• You must submit all documents 

electronically, including all information 

you typically provide on the following 

forms: The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 

Education Supplemental Information for 

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

necessary assurances and certifications. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a PDF 

(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF or submit a 

password-protected file, we will not 

review that material. Additional, 

detailed information on how to attach 

files is in the application instructions. 

• Your electronic application must 

comply with any page-limit 

requirements described in this notice. 

• After you electronically submit 

your application, you will receive from 

Grants.gov an automatic notification of 

receipt that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. (This notification 

indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not 

receipt by the Department.) The 

Department then will retrieve your 

application from Grants.gov and send a 

second notification to you by email. 

This second notification indicates that 

the Department has received your 

application and has assigned your 

application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to 

your application). 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

Application Deadline Date Extension 

in Case of Technical Issues with the 

Grants.gov System: If you are 

experiencing problems submitting your 

application through Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, 

toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must 

obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number and must keep a record of it. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Grants.gov system, we will grant you 

an extension until 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, the following 

business day to enable you to transmit 

your application electronically or by 

hand delivery. You also may mail your 

application by following the mailing 

instructions described elsewhere in this 

notice. 

If you submit an application after 

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

the application deadline date, please 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in 

section VII of this notice and provide an 

explanation of the technical problem 

you experienced with Grants.gov, along 

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with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case 

Number. We will accept your 

application if we can confirm that a 

technical problem occurred with the 

Grants.gov system and that that problem 

affected your ability to submit your 

application by 4:30:00 p.m., 

Washington, DC time, on the 

application deadline date. The 

Department will contact you after a 

determination is made on whether your 

application will be accepted. 

Note: The extensions to which we refer in 

this section apply only to the unavailability 

of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov 

system. We will not grant you an extension 

if you failed to fully register to submit your 

application to Grants.gov before the 

application deadline date and time or if the 

technical problem you experienced is 

unrelated to the Grants.gov system. 

Exception to Electronic Submission 

Requirement: You qualify for an 

exception to the electronic submission 

requirement, and may submit your 

application in paper format, if you are 

unable to submit an application through 

the Grants.gov system because— 

• You do not have access to the 

Internet; or 

• You do not have the capacity to 

upload large documents to the 

Grants.gov system; 

and 

• No later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date (14 calendar 

days or, if the fourteenth calendar day 

before the application deadline date 

falls on a Federal holiday, the next 

business day following the Federal 

holiday), you mail or fax a written 

statement to the Department, explaining 

which of the two grounds for an 

exception prevent you from using the 

Internet to submit your application. 

If you mail your written statement to 

the Department, it must be postmarked 

no later than two weeks before the 

application deadline date. If you fax 

your written statement to the 

Department, we must receive the faxed 

statement no later than two weeks 

before the application deadline date. 

Address and mail or fax your 

statement to: Mary Ann McDermott, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4062, 

Potomac Center Plaza (PCP), 

Washington, DC 20202–2600. FAX: 

(202) 245–7617. 

Your paper application must be 

submitted in accordance with the mail 

or hand delivery instructions described 

in this notice. 

b. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Mail. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

may mail (through the U.S. Postal 

Service or a commercial carrier) your 

application to the Department. You 

must mail the original and two copies 

of your application, on or before the 

application deadline date, to the 

Department at the following address: 

U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.325K), LBJ Basement 

Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

You must show proof of mailing 

consisting of one of the following: 

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

postmark. 

(2) A legible mail receipt with the 

date of mailing stamped by the U.S. 

Postal Service. 

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or 

receipt from a commercial carrier. 

(4) Any other proof of mailing 

acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. 

Department of Education. 

If you mail your application through 

the U.S. Postal Service, we do not 

accept either of the following as proof 

of mailing: 

(1) A private metered postmark. 

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by 

the U.S. Postal Service. 

If your application is postmarked after 

the application deadline date, we will 

not consider your application. 

Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not 

uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before 

relying on this method, you should check 

with your local post office. 

c. Submission of Paper Applications 

by Hand Delivery. 

If you qualify for an exception to the 

electronic submission requirement, you 

(or a courier service) may deliver your 

paper application to the Department by 

hand. You must deliver the original and 

two copies of your application by hand, 

on or before the application deadline 

date, to the Department at the following 

address: U.S. Department of Education, 

Application Control Center, Attention: 

(CFDA Number 84.325K), 550 12th 

Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center 

Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260. 

The Application Control Center 

accepts hand deliveries daily between 

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

DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, 

and Federal holidays. 

Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of 

Paper Applications: If you mail or hand 

deliver your application to the 

Department— 

(1) You must indicate on the envelope 

and—if not provided by the 

Department—in Item 11 of the SF 424 

the CFDA number, including suffix 

letter, if any, of the competition under 

which you are submitting your 

application; and 

(2) The Application Control Center 

will mail to you a notification of receipt 

of your grant application. If you do not 

receive this notification within 15 

business days from the application 

deadline date, you should call the U.S. 

Department of Education Application 

Control Center at (202) 245–6288. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this competition are from 34 

CFR 75.210 and are listed in the 

application package. 

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 also 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 of 

Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 

108.8, and 110.23). 

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 

has determined that for some 

discretionary grant competitions, 

applications may be separated into two 

or more groups and ranked and selected 

for funding within specific groups. This 

procedure will make it easier for the 

Department to find peer reviewers by 

ensuring that greater numbers of 

individuals who are eligible to serve as 

reviewers for any particular group of 

applicants will not have conflicts of 

interest. It also will increase the quality, 

independence, and fairness of the 

review process, while permitting panel 

members to review applications under 

discretionary grant competitions for 

which they also have submitted 

applications. However, if the 

Department decides to select an equal 

number of applications in each group 

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63100 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 

for funding, this may result in different 

cut-off points for fundable applications 

in each group. 

4. Special Conditions: Under current 

34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12 and, when 

grants are made under this NIA, 2 CFR 

3574.10, the Secretary may impose 

specific conditions and, 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 34 

CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable or, 

when grants are awarded, the standards 

in 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 

fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; 

or is otherwise not responsible. 

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 may notify 

you informally, also. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected for funding, we notify you. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: We identify 

administrative and national policy 

requirements in the application package 

and reference these and other 

requirements in the Applicable 

Regulations section of this notice. 

We reference the regulations outlining 

the terms and conditions of an award in 

the Applicable Regulations section of 

this notice and include these and other 

specific conditions in the GAN. The 

GAN also incorporates your approved 

application as part of your binding 

commitments under the grant. 

3. Reporting: (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 multi-year award, you must 

submit an annual performance report 

that provides the most current 

performance and financial expenditure 

information as directed by the Secretary 

under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary 

may also require more frequent 

performance reports under 34 CFR 

75.720(c). For specific requirements on 

reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/

fund/grant/apply/appforms/

appforms.html. 

(c) The Secretary may provide a 

grantee with additional funding for data 

collection analysis and reporting. In this 

case the Secretary establishes a data 

collection period. 

4. Performance Measures: Under the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act of 1993 (GPRA), 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 

Personnel Development to Improve 

Services and Results for Children with 

Disabilities Program. These measures 

include: (1) The percentage of Special 

Education Personnel Development 

projects that incorporate evidence-based 

practices into their curriculum; (2) the 

percentage of scholars completing 

Special Education Personnel 

Development-funded programs who are 

knowledgeable and skilled in evidencebased practices for infants, toddlers, 

children, and youth with disabilities; (3) 

the percentage of Special Education 

Personnel Development-funded scholars 

who exit preparation programs prior to 

completion due to poor academic 

performance; (4) the percentage of 

Special Education Personnel 

Development-funded degree/

certification recipients who are working 

in the area(s) for which they were 

prepared upon program completion; (5) 

the percentage of Special Education 

Personnel Development-funded degree/

certification recipients who are working 

in the area(s) for which they were 

prepared upon program completion and 

who are fully qualified under IDEA; (6) 

the percentage of Special Education 

Personnel Development degree/

certification recipients who maintain 

employment in the area(s) for which 

they were prepared for three or more 

years and who are fully qualified under 

IDEA; and (7) the Federal cost per fully 

qualified degree/certification recipient. 

In addition, the Department will be 

gathering information on the following 

outcome measures: (1) The number and 

percentage of degree/certification 

recipients who are employed in highneed schools; (2) the number and 

percentage of degree/certification 

recipients who are employed in a school 

for at least three years; and (3) the 

number and percentage of degree/

certification recipients whose employers 

are satisfied with the performance of the 

individuals. 

Grantees may be asked to participate 

in assessing and providing information 

on these aspects of program quality. 

5. Continuation Awards: In making a 

continuation award, the Secretary may 

consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the 

extent to which a grantee has made 

‘‘substantial progress toward meeting 

the objectives in its approved 

application.’’ This consideration 

includes the review of a grantee’s 

progress in meeting the targets and 

projected outcomes in its approved 

application, and whether the grantee 

has expended funds in a manner that is 

consistent with its approved application 

and budget. In making a continuation 

grant, 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. Agency Contacts 

For Further Information Contact: See 

chart in the Award Information section 

in this notice for the name, room 

number, telephone number, and email 

address of the contact person for each 

Focus Area of this competition. You can 

write to the Focus Area contact person 

at the following address: U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue SW., Potomac Center Plaza 

(PCP), Washington, DC 20202–2600. 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 

1–800–877–8339. 

VIII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

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

print, audiotape, or compact disc) by 

contacting the Grants and Contracts 

Services Team, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., 

Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC 

20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245– 

7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, call 

the FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the 

official edition of the Federal Register 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF). To use PDF you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 204 / Wednesday, October 22, 2014 / Notices 63101 

1For a definition of ‘‘high-need children with 

disabilities,’’ please see footnote 2. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department 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. 

Dated: October 17, 2014. 

Michael K. Yudin, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Special 

Education and Rehabilitative Services. 

[FR Doc. 2014–25182 Filed 10–21–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Personnel Development To Improve 

Services and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—Preparation of Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services Leadership 

Personnel 

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Overview Information 

Personnel Development To Improve 

Services and Results for Children With 

Disabilities—Preparation of Special 

Education, Early Intervention, and 

Related Services Leadership Personnel 

Notice inviting applications for new 

awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 84.325D. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: October 22, 

2014. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: December 12, 2014. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: February 10, 2015. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The purposes of 

this program are to (1) help address 

State-identified needs for personnel 

preparation in special education, related 

services, early intervention, and regular 

education to work with children, 

including infants and toddlers, with 

disabilities; and (2) ensure that those 

personnel have the necessary skills and 

knowledge, derived from practices that 

have been determined through 

scientifically based research and 

experience, to be successful in serving 

those children. 

Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 

75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from 

allowable activities specified in the 

statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education 

Act (IDEA)). 

Absolute Priority: For FY 2015 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applicants from this competition, this 

priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 

CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only 

applications that meet this priority. 

This priority is: 

Preparation of Special Education, Early 

Intervention, and Related Services 

Leadership Personnel 

Background 

The purpose of the Preparation of 

Special Education, Early Intervention, 

and Related Services Leadership 

Personnel priority is to support preexisting programs that prepare special 

education, early intervention, and 

related services personnel at the 

graduate level who are well-qualified 

for, and can act effectively in, 

leadership positions in universities, 

State educational agencies (SEAs), lead 

agencies (LAs), local educational 

agencies (LEAs), early intervention 

services programs (EIS programs), or 

schools. 

There is a well-documented need for 

leadership personnel who are prepared 

at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels 

to fill faculty and leadership positions 

in special education, early intervention, 

and related services (Sindelar & Taylor, 

1988; Smith & Lovett, 1987; Smith, 

Montrosse, Robb, Tyler, & Young, 2011; 

Smith, Pion, & Tyler, 2004; Smith, Robb, 

West, & Tyler, 2010; Woods & Snyder, 

2009). In the report, Assessing Trends in 

Leadership: Special Education’s 

Capacity to Produce a Highly Qualified 

Workforce, Smith et al. (2011) stated: 

Although the field has faced a 

consistent shortage of faculty, the 

predicted supply/demand imbalance is 

of historic proportions. To meet 

projected demand, the nation’s doctoral 

programs will need to produce over six 

times the current number of SE [special 

education] doctoral graduates. * * * 

Unless abated, this shortage will impair 

the field’s capacity to generate new 

knowledge and produce a sufficient 

number of SE teacher educators who 

can in turn produce enough wellprepared teachers to meet the needs of 

students with disabilities and their 

families. (p. 38) 

Moreover, Smith et al. (2011) report 

that some special education doctoral 

programs anticipate 1⁄2 to 2⁄3 of their 

faculty will retire in the next six years. 

These leaders teach evidence-based 

practices to future special education, 

early intervention, and related services 

professionals who will work in a variety 

of educational settings and provide 

services directly to children and youth 

with disabilities. These leaders also 

conduct research to increase the 

knowledge of effective interventions 

and services for these children (Smith et 

al., 2010). 

State and local agencies also need 

leadership personnel who are prepared 

at the graduate level (i.e., master’s, 

education specialist, and doctoral 

degrees, depending on State 

certification requirements) to fill special 

education and early intervention 

administrator positions. These 

administrators supervise and evaluate 

the implementation of evidence-based 

instructional programs to make sure that 

State or local agencies are meeting the 

needs of children with disabilities. 

Administrators also ensure that schools 

and programs meet Federal, State, and 

local requirements for special 

education, early intervention, and 

related services (Lashley & Boscardin, 

2003). 

Federal support can increase the 

supply of personnel who have the 

necessary knowledge and skills to 

assume leadership positions in special 

education, early intervention, and 

related services in universities, SEAs, 

LAs, LEAs, EIS programs, or schools. 

Critical competencies for special 

education, early intervention, and 

related services personnel vary 

depending on the type of personnel and 

the requirements of the preparation 

program but can include, for example, 

skills needed for postsecondary 

instruction, administration, policy 

development, professional practice, 

leadership, or research. However, all 

leadership personnel need to have 

current knowledge of effective 

interventions and services that improve 

outcomes for children with disabilities, 

including high-need children with 

disabilities.1

Priority 

The purpose of the Preparation of 

Special Education, Early Intervention, 

and Related Services Leadership 

Personnel priority is to support preexisting graduate degree programs and 

postdoctoral learning experiences that 

prepare special education, early 

intervention, and related services 

personnel who are well-qualified for, 

and can act effectively in, leadership 

positions in universities, SEAs, LAs, 

LEAs, EIS programs, or schools. This 

priority supports two types of programs: 

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