H. R. 1350—134
State law or regulation for serving children with disabilities
or serving infants and toddlers with disabilities.
‘‘(f) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.—
‘‘(1) IMPACT OF PROJECT.—In selecting eligible entities for
assistance under this section, the Secretary shall consider the
impact of the proposed project described in the application
in meeting the need for personnel identified by the States.
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT FOR ELIGIBLE ENTITIES TO MEET STATE
AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS.—The Secretary shall make
grants and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements
under this section only to eligible entities that meet State
and professionally recognized qualifications for the preparation
of special education and related services personnel, if the pur-
pose of the project is to assist personnel in obtaining degrees.
‘‘(3) PREFERENCES.—In selecting eligible entities for assist-
ance under this section, the Secretary may give preference
to eligible entities that are institutions of higher education
that are—
‘‘(A) educating regular education personnel to meet
the needs of children with disabilities in integrated set-
tings;
‘‘(B) educating special education personnel to work in
collaboration with regular educators in integrated settings;
and
‘‘(C) successfully recruiting and preparing individuals
with disabilities and individuals from groups that are
underrepresented in the profession for which the institution
of higher education is preparing individuals.
‘‘(g) SCHOLARSHIPS.—The Secretary may include funds for schol-
arships, with necessary stipends and allowances, in awards under
subsections (b), (c), and (d).
‘‘(h) SERVICE OBLIGATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each application for assistance under
subsections (b), (c), and (d) shall include an assurance that
the eligible entity will ensure that individuals who receive
a scholarship under the proposed project agree to subsequently
provide special education and related services to children with
disabilities, or in the case of leadership personnel to subse-
quently work in the appropriate field, for a period of 2 years
for every year for which the scholarship was received or repay
all or part of the amount of the scholarship, in accordance
with regulations issued by the Secretary.
‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the
Secretary may reduce or waive the service obligation require-
ment under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that
the service obligation is acting as a deterrent to the recruitment
of students into special education or a related field.
‘‘(3) SECRETARY’S RESPONSIBILITY.—The Secretary—
‘‘(A) shall ensure that individuals described in para-
graph (1) comply with the requirements of that paragraph;
and
‘‘(B) may use not more than 0.5 percent of the funds
appropriated under subsection (i) for each fiscal year, to
carry out subparagraph (A), in addition to any other funds
that are available for that purpose.
H. R. 1350—135
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may
be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through 2010.
‘‘SEC. 663. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS,
DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, AND IMPLEMENTA-
TION OF SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make competitive grants
to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, eligible
entities to provide technical assistance, support model demonstra-
tion projects, disseminate useful information, and implement activi-
ties that are supported by scientifically based research.
‘‘(b) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—Funds received under this section
shall be used to support activities to improve services provided
under this title, including the practices of professionals and others
involved in providing such services to children with disabilities,
that promote academic achievement and improve results for chil-
dren with disabilities through—
‘‘(1) implementing effective strategies for addressing
inappropriate behavior of students with disabilities in schools,
including strategies to prevent children with emotional and
behavioral problems from developing emotional disturbances
that require the provision of special education and related
services;
‘‘(2) improving the alignment, compatibility, and develop-
ment of valid and reliable assessments and alternate assess-
ments for assessing adequate yearly progress, as described
under section 1111(b)(2)(B) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965;
‘‘(3) providing training for both regular education teachers
and special education teachers to address the needs of students
with different learning styles;
‘‘(4) disseminating information about innovative, effective,
and efficient curricula designs, instructional approaches, and
strategies, and identifying positive academic and social learning
opportunities, that—
‘‘(A) provide effective transitions between educational
settings or from school to post school settings; and
‘‘(B) improve educational and transitional results at
all levels of the educational system in which the activities
are carried out and, in particular, that improve the progress
of children with disabilities, as measured by assessments
within the general education curriculum involved; and
‘‘(5) applying scientifically based findings to facilitate sys-
temic changes, related to the provision of services to children
with disabilities, in policy, procedure, practice, and the training
and use of personnel.
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Activities that may be carried
out under this section include activities to improve services provided
under this title, including the practices of professionals and others
involved in providing such services to children with disabilities,
that promote academic achievement and improve results for chil-
dren with disabilities through—
‘‘(1) applying and testing research findings in typical set-
tings where children with disabilities receive services to deter-
mine the usefulness, effectiveness, and general applicability
H. R. 1350—136
of such research findings in such areas as improving instruc-
tional methods, curricula, and tools, such as textbooks and
media;
‘‘(2) supporting and promoting the coordination of early
intervention and educational services for children with disabil-
ities with services provided by health, rehabilitation, and social
service agencies;
‘‘(3) promoting improved alignment and compatibility of
general and special education reforms concerned with curricular
and instructional reform, and evaluation of such reforms;
‘‘(4) enabling professionals, parents of children with disabil-
ities, and other persons to learn about, and implement, the
findings of scientifically based research, and successful practices
developed in model demonstration projects, relating to the
provision of services to children with disabilities;
‘‘(5) conducting outreach, and disseminating information,
relating to successful approaches to overcoming systemic bar-
riers to the effective and efficient delivery of early intervention,
educational, and transitional services to personnel who provide
services to children with disabilities;
‘‘(6) assisting States and local educational agencies with
the process of planning systemic changes that will promote
improved early intervention, educational, and transitional
results for children with disabilities;
‘‘(7) promoting change through a multistate or regional
framework that benefits States, local educational agencies, and
other participants in partnerships that are in the process of
achieving systemic-change outcomes;
‘‘(8) focusing on the needs and issues that are specific
to a population of children with disabilities, such as providing
single-State and multi-State technical assistance and in-service
training—
‘‘(A) to schools and agencies serving deaf-blind children
and their families;
‘‘(B) to programs and agencies serving other groups
of children with low incidence disabilities and their fami-
lies;
‘‘(C) addressing the postsecondary education needs of
individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing; and
‘‘(D) to schools and personnel providing special edu-
cation and related services for children with autism spec-
trum disorders;
‘‘(9) demonstrating models of personnel preparation to
ensure appropriate placements and services for all students
and to reduce disproportionality in eligibility, placement, and
disciplinary actions for minority and limited English proficient
children; and
‘‘(10) disseminating information on how to reduce inappro-
priate racial and ethnic disproportionalities identified under
section 618.
‘‘(d) BALANCE AMONG ACTIVITIES AND AGE RANGES.—In carrying
out this section, the Secretary shall ensure that there is an appro-
priate balance across all age ranges of children with disabilities.
‘‘(e) LINKING STATES TO INFORMATION SOURCES.—In carrying
out this section, the Secretary shall support projects that link
States to technical assistance resources, including special education
and general education resources, and shall make research and
H. R. 1350—137
related products available through libraries, electronic networks,
parent training projects, and other information sources, including
through the activities of the National Center for Education Evalua-
tion and Regional Assistance established under part D of the Edu-
cation Sciences Reform Act of 2002.
‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that wishes to receive
a grant, or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement,
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
‘‘(2) STANDARDS.—To the maximum extent feasible, each
eligible entity shall demonstrate that the project described in
the eligible entity’s application is supported by scientifically
valid research that has been carried out in accordance with
the standards for the conduct and evaluation of all relevant
research and development established by the National Center
for Education Research.
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—As appropriate, the Secretary shall give
priority to applications that propose to serve teachers and school
personnel directly in the school environment.
‘‘SEC. 664. STUDIES AND EVALUATIONS.
‘‘(a) STUDIES AND EVALUATIONS.—
‘‘(1) DELEGATION.—The Secretary shall delegate to the
Director of the Institute of Education Sciences responsibility
to carry out this section, other than subsections (d) and (f).
‘‘(2) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall, directly or through
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements awarded to eligible
entities on a competitive basis, assess the progress in the
implementation of this title, including the effectiveness of State
and local efforts to provide—
‘‘(A) a free appropriate public education to children
with disabilities; and
‘‘(B) early intervention services to infants and toddlers
with disabilities, and infants and toddlers who would be
at risk of having substantial developmental delays if early
intervention services were not provided to the infants and
toddlers.
‘‘(b) ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a national
assessment of activities carried out with Federal funds under
this title in order—
‘‘(A) to determine the effectiveness of this title in
achieving the purposes of this title;
‘‘(B) to provide timely information to the President,
Congress, the States, local educational agencies, and the
public on how to implement this title more effectively;
and
‘‘(C) to provide the President and Congress with
information that will be useful in developing legislation
to achieve the purposes of this title more effectively.
‘‘(2) SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT.—The national assessment shall
assess activities supported under this title, including—
‘‘(A) the implementation of programs assisted under
this title and the impact of such programs on addressing
the developmental needs of, and improving the academic