Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/06/26/2015-15781/applications-for-new-awards-coordinating-center-for-transition-programs-for-students-with
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Federal Register :: Applications for New Awards; Coordinating Center for Transition Programs for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Into Higher Education
Applications for New Awards; Coordinating Center for Transition Programs for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Into Higher Education
36777-36783 (7 pages)
1. Quality of the Project Design (Up to 20 Points)
2. Quality of Project Services (Up to 15 Points)
3. Quality of Project Personnel (Up to 10 Points)
4. Adequacy of Resources (Up to 15 Points)
5. Quality of Project Evaluation (Up to 15 Points)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-15781 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2015-15781
Coordinating Center for Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education (TPSID)—Model Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2015.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.407B.
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support a national coordinating center (Coordinating Center) charged with conducting and disseminating research on strategies to promote positive academic, social, employment, and independent living outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities. The Coordinating Center will establish a comprehensive research and evaluation protocol for TPSID programs; administer a mentoring program matching current and new TPSID grantees based on areas of expertise; and coordinate longitudinal follow-up data collection and technical assistance to TPSID grantees on programmatic components and evidence-based practices. The Coordinating Center will also provide technical assistance to build the capacity of kindergarten through grade 12 transition services and support postsecondary education inclusive practices, among other activities.Start Printed Page 36778
Priority: This notice contains one absolute priority. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from section 777(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1140q(b)).
A grant recipient must use grant funds to establish and maintain a national coordinating center for institutions of higher education (IHEs) that offer inclusive comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The Coordinating Center must provide such programs recommendations related to the development of standards for such programs, technical assistance for such programs, and evaluations for such programs. The Coordinating Center is also required to:
(1) Serve as the technical assistance entity for all comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities;
(2) Provide technical assistance regarding the development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of such programs;
(3) Develop an evaluation protocol for such programs that includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies for measuring student outcomes and program strengths in the areas of academic enrichment, socialization, independent living, and competitive or supported employment;
(4) Assist recipients of grants under the TPSID program (CFDA 84.407A) in efforts to award a meaningful credential to students with intellectual disabilities upon the completion of such programs, which credential must take into consideration unique State factors;
(5) Develop recommendations for the necessary components of such programs, such as—
(v) Issues regarding the equivalency of a student's participation in such programs to semester, trimester, quarter, credit, or clock hours at an IHE, as the case may be;
(6) Analyze possible funding streams for such programs and provide recommendations regarding the funding streams;
(7) Develop model memoranda of agreement for use between or among IHEs and State and local agencies providing funding for such programs;
(8) Develop mechanisms for regular communication, outreach, and dissemination of information about comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities to those institutions that have grants authorized under the TPSID Program and to families and prospective students;
(9) Host a meeting of all recipients of grants authorized under the TPSID program not less often than once each year; and
(10) Convene a workgroup to develop and recommend model criteria, standards, and components of such programs as described in paragraph (5) that are appropriate for the development of accreditation standards, which workgroup must include—
Definition: This definition is from section 760(1) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1140(1)).
(A) Is offered by an IHE;
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1140q(b).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Government-wide 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 in 2 CFR part 3474.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $2,000,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education may change the maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
1. Eligible Applicants: Under section 777(b)(1) of the HEA, an “eligible entity” means an entity, or a partnership of entities, that has demonstrated expertise in the fields of—
(3) The development of comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities; and
1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an application Start Printed Page 36779package via the Internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs).
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program as follows: CFDA number 84.407B.
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. There is a limit for the application narrative of no more than 70 pages using the following standards:
For the purpose of determining compliance with the 70-page limit, each page on which there are words will be counted as one full page.
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 Ariel Narrow) will not be accepted.
The 70-page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet or the table of contents; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; the Abstract and Information Page; or the resumes (three-page limit), the citations, or letters of support.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative Start Printed Page 36780(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.
Applications for grants under the TPSID Coordinating Center Program, CFDA number 84.407B, must be submitted electronically using the Government-wide 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.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Coordinating Center for Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities into Higher Education program at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.407, not 84.407B).
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 Start Printed Page 36781unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because—
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 84.407B), 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 84.407B), 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 75.210. The points assigned to each criterion are indicated in parentheses. Applicants may earn up to a total of 75 points for the selection criteria. These selection criteria serve as the template for submitting and reviewing proposals. Additional details may be found in the application package under Instructions for the Project Narrative.
The five selection criteria for the grant in this competition are as follows:
The extent to which the design of the proposed project includes a thorough, high-quality review of the relevant literature, a high-quality plan for project implementation, and the use of appropriate methodological tools to ensure successful achievement of project objectives.
The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed project. In Start Printed Page 36782determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the project evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.
3. Special Conditions: Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the Secretary may impose special 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 in2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.
(b) At the end of the project period, a grantee 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 this program, not later than five years after the date of the establishment of the Coordinating Center, the Coordinating Center must report to the Secretary, the authorizing committees, and the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity on the recommendations of the workgroup described in the absolute priority of this notice. For specific requirements on reporting, please go to http://www2.ed.gov/​fund/​grant/​apply/​appforms/​appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program results against those goals. The goal of the Coordinating Center Program is to provide: (A) Recommendations related to the development of standards for inclusive comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities; (B) technical assistance for such programs; and (C) evaluations for such programs. To assess the success of the grantee in meeting these goals, in addition to other information, the grantee's annual performance report must include—
(1) The percentage of inclusive comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs assisted by the center that meet evidence-based, center-developed standards for necessary program components, reported across each standard; and
(2) The percentage of students with intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in programs assisted by the center who complete the programs and obtain a meaningful credential, as defined by the center and supported through empirical evidence.
In addition, the Coordinating Center will work closely with the Federal project officer to develop additional performance measures, performance targets, and data collection methodologies that are aligned with this work. Data must be collected by the Coordinating Center around accreditation standards and communications with accrediting bodies, descriptions and analyses of funding streams, and the impact of the Coordinating Center's technical assistance activities related to outreach and dissemination. These additional performance measures will capture formative data about the quality, usefulness, relevance, and efficiency of the Coordinating Center's technical assistance and evaluation services.
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 toward Start Printed Page 36783meeting the goals and objectives of the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the performance targets in the grantee's approved application. 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).
[FR Doc. 2015-15781 Filed 6-25-15; 8:45 am]