Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/25/2018-15928/applications-for-new-awards-technical-assistance-and-dissemination-to-improve-services-and-results?utm_campaign=subscription%20mailing%20list&amp;utm_source=federalregister.gov&amp;utm_medium=email
Timestamp: 2019-05-25 03:12:47
Document Index: 748795364

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'arts 75', 'art 180', 'art 3485', 'art 200', 'art 3474', 'art 299']

Federal Register :: Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities, School Safety National Activities, and Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants Programs-National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities, School Safety National Activities, and Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants Programs-National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
A Notice by the Education Department on 07/25/2018
Applications Available: July 25, 2018.
35256-35265 (10 pages)
Absolute Priority 1—Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities—National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Absolute Priority 2—Technical Assistance for Grantees Under the School Safety National Activities Program—National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Absolute Priority 3—Technical Assistance for Grantees Under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants Program—National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-15928 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2018-15928
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education.
Start Printed Page 35257
The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities, School Safety National Activities, and Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants Programs—National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.326S.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 24, 2018.
Renee Bradley, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5161, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-7277. Email: Renee.Bradley@ed.gov.
Priorities: This notice includes three absolute priorities. Applicants must address all three absolute priorities, and we will make one award as a comprehensive investment designed to enhance local and State efforts to improve school climate, conditions for learning, and access to and engagement in the instructional environment, with a focus on students with behavioral challenges, by implementing comprehensive positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) frameworks.
In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), Absolute Priority 1 is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 663 and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1463 and 1481(d)). We are establishing Absolute Priority 2 under title IV, part F, subpart 3, section 4631 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) (20 U.S.C. 7281), and, for the FY 2018 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications for this competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)). We are establishing Absolute Priority 3 under title IV, part A, subpart 1 of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) and, for the FY 2018 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications for this competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)).
Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet all three of these priorities.
PBIS is a framework or approach for assisting school personnel in adopting and organizing evidence-based behavioral interventions and supports into an integrated continuum that enhances academic and social behavior outcomes for all students. The Department provided additional background about the term PBIS in a notice inviting applications published in the Federal Register on July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40459).[1] The term “positive behavioral interventions and supports” was first used in the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA. PBIS was also included in the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA (e.g., sections 601(c)(5)(F), 611(e)(2)(C)(iii), 614(d)(3)(B)(i), 662(b)(2)(A)(v), and 665), as well as the ESEA.
Evidence supports the positive outcomes associated with the effective implementation of PBIS frameworks (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, & Leaf, 2015). When there is fidelity in implementing PBIS frameworks, studies have found the following statistically significant results in schools as compared to schools without PBIS implementation: Improved student perception of school safety and reductions in overall problem behaviors, bullying behaviors, office discipline referrals, chronic absenteeism, and suspensions (Waasdorp, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2012). Studies have also found a correlation between the use of PBIS procedures and improved social skills and academic achievement (McIntosh, Filter, Bennett, Ryan, & Sugai, 2010; Bradshaw et al., 2009).
Projects funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to date have succeeded in developing and refining the multi-tiered behavioral framework, developing resources for educators, policy makers, students, and families, and building SEA, LEA, and school capacity for implementation of PBIS with fidelity at the universal or primary tier of support and, to some extent, at the more intensive tiers for students with disabilities. Although these projects have documented successful implementation of PBIS and positive outcome data in over 25,000 schools, additional TA is needed to focus on students with more intensive needs and those most likely to be excluded from the learning environment due to behavior that interferes with instruction. In addition, SEAs and LEAs Start Printed Page 35258need further assistance to develop and sustain school-wide behavior frameworks and build the capacity and expertise of SEAs and LEAs to address the technical and training needs of their personnel.
Accordingly, the National Technical Assistance Center on PBIS (TA Center) will enable SEAs and LEAs to continue to further develop, expand, and sustain comprehensive, systemic PBIS frameworks that (1) improve students' school behavior; (2) prevent bullying, violence, or disruptive actions that detract from a high-quality education; (3) address exclusionary practices and other disciplinary issues that detract from a high-quality learning environment; and (4) improve overall school climate by facilitating national, regional, State, and district implementation networks.
This priority is consistent with four priorities from the Secretary's Final Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096) (Supplemental Priorities): Priority 1—Empowering Families and Individuals To Choose a High-Quality Education That Meets Their Unique Needs; Priority 5—Meeting the Unique Needs of Students and Children With Disabilities and/or Those With Unique Gifts and Talents; Priority 8—Promoting Effective Instruction in Classrooms and Schools; and Priority 10—Protecting Freedom of Speech and Encouraging Respectful Interactions in a Safe Educational Environment.
The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to establish and operate a National Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) (TA Center) to assist SEAs and LEAs and national and regional networks, including professional networks and private school associations, to successfully implement and sustain evidence-based (as defined in this notice) PBIS practices and policies, especially for, but not limited to, students with the most significant behavioral challenges that interfere with their ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment in public, private, parochial, alternative, charter, and other educational settings. This investment is needed to continue to assist SEAs and LEAs to enhance their capacity to develop, implement, scale-up, and sustain school-wide frameworks for PBIS to improve behavior and climate and to enable all students to fully participate in, and benefit from, instruction. The applicant must propose to achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:
(a) Improved infrastructure at the national, regional, State, and district levels to support, develop, and sustain local PBIS implementation efforts;
(b) Improved capacity at the SEA and LEA levels to implement the components of a PBIS framework (i.e., policies, funding, professional development, coaching, data collection, analysis, and use) and develop more tools for selecting and aligning multiple initiatives within the State or district with a special focus on tiers beyond universal (i.e., beyond strategies and supports provided to all students to include strategies that are provided to selected groups of students or individual students) in order to increase the number of schools effectively implementing a PBIS framework;
(c) Improved capacity of SEA and LEA personnel to enhance the knowledge and skills of members of school leadership teams and Individualized Education Program (IEP) Teams to implement PBIS practices and policies to support positive school behavior and respond to behaviors that interfere with a student's ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment (e.g., insubordination, leaving class without permission, chronic absenteeism, and aggression);
(d) Increased use and promulgation by SEAs and LEAs, as well as charter management organizations and private school organizations, of interventions, accommodations, and reliable and valid tools and processes for implementing a behavioral framework, developing local capacity, and measuring fidelity of implementation and outcomes (e.g., reductions in the use of discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions, restrictive placements, chronic absenteeism, and restraints and seclusion; and improvements in school climate, time engaged in instruction, and overall academic achievement); and
(e) Increased body of knowledge to enhance implementation of PBIS in schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(d)(1) of the ESEA, schools identified for targeted support and improvement under section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA, rural schools, high schools, alternative public schools, charter schools, mental health settings, private schools, parochial schools, and juvenile correction settings; and develop and improve the quality of information, tools, and resources to address these environments.
In FY 2014, under Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities National Programs (the predecessor ESEA authority to School Safety National Activities) the Department awarded five-year grants to a cohort of SEAs and to a cohort of LEAs under a competition for School Climate Transformation Grants (SCTGs). The grants enabled these SEAs and LEAs to develop, adapt, or expand a multi-tiered decision-making framework that guides the selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based behavioral practices aimed at improving school climate and behavioral outcomes for all students.
The current National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports continues to provide TA to the recipients of SCTGs but began its five-year project period one year earlier than the FY 2014 cohort of SCTGs. As a result, there is a need for the National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports to provide TA to recipients of SCTGs during their fifth and final year, as well as to one or more new cohorts of SCTGs, if additional funds for SCTGs become available.
The purpose of this priority is to assist SEAs and LEAs that received or will receive SCTGs with developing and implementing PBIS frameworks that are designed to keep students engaged in instruction and improve academic outcomes. To meet this priority, the applicant must at a minimum propose to achieve for School Climate Transformation Grantees the following intended outcomes that support implementing a PBIS framework:
(a) Improved skills of SEA personnel to organize the components of a PBIS framework, such as policies, funding, professional development, coaching, data collection and analysis, and interagency coordination for service provision with State justice, mental health, and other youth services agencies.
(b) Improved skills of LEA personnel to (1) implement the evidence-based practices and skills that comprise the PBIS behavioral framework; (2) collect and use data to inform behavioral decision-making; and (3) develop, Start Printed Page 35259including through collaboration with mental health and juvenile justice agencies, the local capacity and expertise needed to implement, scale up, and sustain a PBIS framework and demonstrate the effects of the implementation within the school and the larger school community.
(c) Increased body of knowledge of researchers and practitioners on implementing, scaling up, and sustaining a PBIS framework to provide the behavioral supports to prevent violence and the illegal use of drugs among, and promote safety and discipline for, students.
(e) Increased body of knowledge on the processes to effectively implement PBIS in high-need LEAs [2] —including those with schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(d)(1) of the ESEA and schools identified for targeted support and improvement under section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA—to develop and improve the quality of information, tools, and products to assist initial and sustained implementation of a PBIS framework in these LEAs;
(f) Expanded use of the lessons learned from implementing a PBIS framework to: (1) Inform other Federal, State, and district efforts to reduce incidents of violence and illegal drug use by students (including bullying), the use of restraint and seclusion, and the disproportionate application of disciplinary procedures such as suspension and expulsion to minority students and students with disabilities; (2) reduce inappropriate referrals of students to law enforcement; and (3) inform school climate and school mental health initiatives that are supported or will be supported by the Department and other Federal agencies.
Funds under this priority must be used to meet the absolute priority with regard to serving recipients of SCTGs that do not receive assistance under Absolute Priority 3.
Authorized under title IV, part A, subpart 1 of the ESEA, the SSAE Grants Program is intended to improve student academic achievement by increasing the capacity of States, LEAs, schools, and communities to (1) provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, (2) improve school conditions for student learning, and (3) improve the use of technology in order to improve academic achievement and digital literacy. State capacity-building under this priority could include, for example, assisting States in developing or refining PBIS frameworks for implementation by their LEAs.
The purpose of this priority is to build the capacity of States to assist LEAs that seek to use SSAE funds to improve school conditions for student learning by implementing PBIS frameworks. To meet this priority the applicant must propose to build the capacity of States to assist such LEAs in a manner that achieves, at a minimum, the following intended outcomes that support implementing a PBIS framework:
(b) Increased body of knowledge on implementing, scaling up, and sustaining a PBIS framework to provide the behavioral supports to prevent violence and illegal use of drugs among, and promote safety and discipline for, students.
(c) Increased use of reliable and valid tools and processes for evaluating the fidelity of the implementation of a PBIS framework and for measuring its outcomes, including reductions in violence and the illegal use of drugs, discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions, and the use of restraints and seclusion, and improvements in school climate, time spent on instruction, and overall academic achievement.
(d) Increased body of knowledge on the processes to effectively implement PBIS in high-need schools, high-poverty schools, schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement under section 1111(d)(1) of the ESEA, schools identified for targeted support and improvement under section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA, or schools identified as persistently dangerous public elementary or secondary schools under section 8532 of the ESEA, to develop and improve the quality of information, tools, and products to assist initial and sustained implementation of a PBIS framework.
(e) Expanded use of the lessons learned from implementing a PBIS framework to (1) inform other Federal, State, and district efforts to reduce incidents of illegal drug use and violence by students (including bullying), the use of restraint and seclusion, and the disproportionate application of disciplinary procedures such as suspension and expulsion to minority students and students with disabilities; and (2) reduce inappropriate referrals of students to law enforcement.
Funds received under this priority must be used to build the capacity of States to assist only LEAs that: (1) Seek to use SSAE funds to improve school conditions for student learning by implementing PBIS frameworks; and (2) are not receiving assistance under Absolute Priority 2.
Requirements: We are establishing the following application and administrative requirements for FY 2018 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA:
(1) Improve SEAs' and LEAs' implementation, scaling, and sustainability of evidence-based PBIS practices and policies that are designed to improve school climate and, as needed, to provide additional behavioral supports for students whose behavior interferes with their ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment, including students with disabilities. To meet this requirement, the applicant must—
(i) Present applicable State, regional, or local data demonstrating SEAs' and LEAs' needs related to (A) high-quality implementation of evidence-based PBIS practices and policies and (B) increasing students' ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment, particularly for students Start Printed Page 35260with the most significant behavioral challenges;
(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current educational issues and policy initiatives relating to PBIS and school climate practices and policies for students whose behavioral challenges interfere with their ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment, including students with disabilities; and
(iii) Present information about the current level of implementation of PBIS practices and policies, as well as students' access to more positive school climates that supports their ability to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment;
(2) Improve outcomes for students with behavioral challenges that interfere with their ability or the ability of their peers to fully participate in, and benefit from, a high-quality learning environment through the implementation of PBIS frameworks, and indicate the likely magnitude or importance of the improvements.
(i) The current research on the assessment of the implementation of PBIS frameworks and related EBPs;
(i) How it proposes to further develop the knowledge base of PBIS;
(C) Its proposed plan for assisting SEAs, LEAs, charter management organizations, and private school organizations to build or enhance training systems that include professional development based on adult learning principles and coaching; and
(D) Its proposed plan for working with appropriate levels of the education system (e.g., SEAs, regional TA providers, districts, schools, families) to ensure that there is communication between each level and that there are systems in place to support the use of PBIS;
(c) In the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the project evaluation,” include an evaluation plan for the project developed in consultation with and implemented by a third-party evaluator.[6] The evaluation plan must—
(1) Articulate formative and summative evaluation questions, Start Printed Page 35261including important process and outcome evaluation questions. These questions should be related to the project's proposed logic model required in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of these requirements;
(2) Describe how progress in and fidelity of implementation, as well as project outcomes, will be measured to answer the evaluation questions by, at a minimum:
(i) Specifying the measures and associated instruments or sources for data appropriate to the evaluation questions; and
(ii) Including information regarding reliability and validity of measures where appropriate;
(4) Provide a timeline for conducting the evaluation, and include staff assignments for completing the plan. The timeline must indicate that the data will be available annually for the Annual Performance Report (APR) and at the end of Year 2 for the review process described under the heading, Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project; and
(iii) Three annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings, Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by OSEP; and
Bradshaw, C.P., Waasdorp, T.E., & Leaf, P.J. (2015). Examining variation in the impact of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports: Findings from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107 (2), 546-557.
Bradshaw, C.P., Koth, C.W., Thornton, L.A., & Leaf, P.J. (2009). Altering school climate through school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports: Findings from a group-randomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science. Retrieved from https://doi.org/​10.1007/​s11121-008-0114-9.
McIntosh, K., Filter, K.J., Bennett, J., Ryan, C., & Sugai, G. (2010). Principles of sustainable prevention: Designing scale-up of school-wide positive behavior support to promote durable systems. Psychology in the Schools, 47, 5-21.
Waasdorp, T.E., Bradshaw, C.P., & Leaf, P.J. (2012). The impact of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports on bullying and peer rejection: A randomized controlled effectiveness Start Printed Page 35262trial. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 166 (2), 149-56. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.755.
The following definition of “evidence-based” is from section 8101(21) of the ESEA, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 7801(21). The remaining definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1:
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and requirements. Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the public comment requirements of the APA inapplicable to Absolute Priority 1 in this notice. In addition, section 437(d)(1) of GEPA allows the Secretary to exempt from rulemaking requirements regulations governing the first grant competition under a new or substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant competition for both the School Safety National Activities Program under section 4631(a)(1)(B) of the ESEA and the National Activities for the SSAE Grants Program under section 4103(a)(3), and therefore qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant awards, the Secretary has decided to forgo public comment on Absolute Priorities 2 and 3 and the requirements under section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. Absolute Priorities 2 and 3 and the requirements will apply to the FY 2018 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463, 1481, 7113(a)(3), 7101, and 7281(a)(1)(B).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget 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 in 34 CFR part 299.
Estimated Available Funds: For Absolute Priority 1: $1,850,000.
For Absolute Priority 2: $3,750,000 from the School Safety National Activities Program.
For Absolute Priority 3: $750,000 from the SSAE Grants Program.
We will make one award comprised of separate funding under each of the three absolute priorities. Therefore, applicants must submit a separate Form 524b budget and budget narrative for each absolute priority. The Secretary may reject any application that does not separately address the requirements specified in Absolute Priority 1, Absolute Priority 2, and Absolute Priority 3 and include separate budgets and budget narratives for each of those priorities.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $1,850,000 for Absolute Priority 1 for a single budget period of 12 months. We will not make an award exceeding $3,750,000 for Absolute Priority 2 for a single budget period of 12 months. We will not make an award exceeding $750,000 for Absolute Priority 3 for a single budget period of 12 months.
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, including charter schools that operate as LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations.
(b) Applicants for, and recipients of, funding must, with respect to the aspects of their proposed project relating to Absolute Priority 1, involve individuals with disabilities, or parents of individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26, in planning, implementing, and evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).
1. Application Submission Instructions: For information on how to Start Printed Page 35263submit an application please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at www.gpo.gov/​fdsys/​pkg/​FR-2018-02-12/​pdf/​2018-02558.pdf.
4. Recommended 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. We recommend that you (1) limit the application narrative to no more than 100 pages, and (2) use the following standards:
(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the Start Printed Page 35264proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.
5. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and Results Start Printed Page 35265Act of 1993, the Department has established a set of performance measures, including long-term measures, that are designed to yield information on various aspects of the effectiveness and quality of the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities program. These measures are:
Assistant Secretary, Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
1. Available at: www.gpo.gov/​fdsys/​pkg/​FR-2013-07-05/​pdf/​2013-16191.pdf.
2. 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.
6. A “third-party” evaluator is an independent and impartial program evaluator who is contracted by the grantee to conduct an objective evaluation of the project. This evaluator must not have participated in the development or implementation of any project activities, except for the evaluation activities, nor have any financial interest in the outcome of the evaluation.
[FR Doc. 2018-15928 Filed 7-24-18; 8:45 am]