Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/10/09/2015-25876/applications-for-new-awards-personnel-development-to-improve-services-and-results-for-children-with
Timestamp: 2019-07-20 15:44:25
Document Index: 390090428

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 75', 'art 180', 'art 3485', 'art 200', 'art 3474', 'art 304']

Applications Available: October 9, 2015.
61194-61202 (9 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-25876 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-25876
Overview Information: Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: February 8, 2016.
Background: The purpose of the Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel priority is to Start Printed Page 61195support pre-existing programs that prepare special education, early intervention, and related services personnel at the doctoral 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 (Montrosse & Young, 2012; Robb, Smith, & Montrosse, 2012; Smith, Montrosse, Robb, Tyler, & Young, 2011; 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:
Moreover, Smith et al. (2011) report that some special education doctoral programs anticipate one-half to two-thirds 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 (Robb et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2010; West & Hardman, 2012).
State and local agencies also need leadership personnel who are prepared at the doctoral level 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 pre-existing doctoral 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:
Preparation programs that lead to clinical doctoral degrees in related services (e.g., a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree or Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree) are not included in this priority. These types of preparation programs are eligible to apply for funding under the Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services priority (CFDA 84.325K) that the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) intends to fund in FY 2016.
Type B programs are designed to prepare special education or early intervention administrators to work in SEAs, LAs, LEAs, EIS programs or providers, or schools. Type B programs prepare personnel for positions such as SEA special education administrators, LEA or regional special education directors, school-based special education directors, including those in youth correctional facilities, preschool coordinators, and early intervention coordinators. Type B programs culminate in a doctoral degree or provide postdoctoral learning opportunities.
To be considered for funding under the Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel absolute priority, all program applicants must meet the application requirements contained in the priority. All projects funded under this absolute priority also must meet the programmatic and administrative requirements specified in the priority.
(i) Present appropriate and applicable national, State, regional, or district data demonstrating the need for the leadership personnel the applicant proposes to prepare; and
(ii) Present data on the effectiveness of the doctoral program to date in areas such as: The effectiveness of program graduates as educators of teachers, service providers, or administrators, including any results from evaluating the impact of those teachers, service providers, or administrators on the outcomes of children with disabilities; the average amount of time it takes for Start Printed Page 61196program graduates to complete the program; the percentage of program graduates finding employment directly related to their preparation; and the professional accomplishments of program graduates (e.g., public service, honors, or publications) that demonstrate their leadership in special education, early intervention, or related services.
Data on the effectiveness of a doctoral program should be no older than five years prior to the start date of the project proposed in the application. When reporting percentages, the denominator (i.e., the total number of students or program graduates) must be provided.
(i) Identify the competencies needed by leadership personnel in postsecondary instruction, administration, policy development, professional practice, leadership, or research in order to administer programs or provide, or prepare others to provide, interventions and services that improve outcomes of children with disabilities, ages birth through 21, including high-need children with disabilities;
(ii) Demonstrate that the interventions and services of the project's specialized preparation area are supported by evidence of promise [3] that they will result in improved outcomes for children with disabilities; and
(iii) Describe how the components of the project prepare scholars to administer programs or provide, or prepare others to provide, interventions and services that improve outcomes, including college- and career-readiness, of children with disabilities in a variety of settings, including in 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 Department of Education's (Department's) approval of a request for ESEA flexibility); [7] and early childhood programs located Start Printed Page 61197within the geographical boundaries of a high-need LEA;
(iv) Demonstrate, through a letter of support from the partnering agency, school, or program that there is an agreement with one or more high-need LEAs; publicly funded preschool programs, including Head Start programs, located within the geographic boundaries of a high-need LEA; or programs serving children eligible for services under Part C or Part B, section 619 of IDEA located within the geographic boundaries of a high-need LEA, that it will provide scholars with a high-quality internship or practicum experience in a school in a high-need LEA, publicly funded preschool, or early intervention program;
(8) Ensure that the institution of higher education (IHE) will not require scholars enrolled in the program to work (e.g., as graduate assistants) as a condition of receiving support (e.g., tuition, stipends) from the proposed project, unless the work is specifically related to the acquisition of scholars' competencies and the requirements for completion of their personnel preparation program. This prohibition on work as a condition of receiving support does not apply to the service obligation requirements in section 662(h) of IDEA;
(10) Ensure that if the project maintains a Web site, relevant information and documents are in a format that meets government or industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and
(11) Ensure that annual data will be submitted on each scholar who receives grant support (OMB Control Number 1820-0686). The primary purposes of the data collection are to track the service obligation fulfillment of scholars who receive funds from OSEP grants and to collect data for program performance measure reporting under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA). Applicants are encouraged to visit the Personnel Development Program Data Collection System (DCS) Web site at https://pdp.ed.gov/​osep 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, although grantees may submit data as needed, year round. 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). Data collection includes the submission of a signed, completed Pre-Scholarship Agreement and Exit Start Printed Page 61198Certification for each scholar funded under an OSEP grant (see paragraph (4) of this section, subparagraphs (i) and (ii)).
Applicable Regulations: (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 OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part 304.
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 2016, of which we intend to use an estimated $3,500,000 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.
3. Eligible Subgrantees: (a) Under 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee may award subgrants—to directly carry out project activities described in its application—to the following types of entities: IHEs and private nonprofit organizations suitable to carry out the activities proposed in the application.
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.Start Printed Page 61199
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.
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 Other Submission Requirements section IV of this notice.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and Start Printed Page 61200submitted 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.
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 Start Printed Page 61201exception prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Celia Rosenquist, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4070, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2600. FAX: (202) 245-7617.
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 84.325D), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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 84.325D), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
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.Start Printed Page 61202
4. Performance Measures: Under 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 curricula; (2) the percentage of scholars completing Special Education Personnel Development funded programs who are knowledgeable and skilled in evidence-based 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 funded 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 gather information on the following outcome measures: (1) The number and percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in high-need schools; (2) the number and percentage of degree/certification recipients who are employed in a school for at least two years; and (3) the number and percentage of degree/certification recipients who are rated as effective by their employers.
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives in its approved application and budget; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
Celia Rosenquist, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 4070, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2600. Telephone: (202) 245-7373.
3. Under 34 CFR 77.1, “evidence of promise” means there is empirical evidence to support the theoretical linkage(s) between at least one critical component and at least one relevant outcome presented in the logic model for the proposed process, product, strategy, or practice. Specifically, “evidence of promise” means the conditions in both paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this definition are met:
4. For purposes of this priority, the term “high-need 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.
5. For purposes of this priority, the term “high-poverty 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).
6. For purposes of this priority, the term “persistently lowest-achieving schools” means, as determined by the State—
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) as part of a State's approved 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.
7. For 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.
[FR Doc. 2015-25876 Filed 10-8-15; 8:45 am]