Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview Information, Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities and Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities-National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, 76039-76044 [E5-7720]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 245 / Thursday, December 22, 2005 / Notices
Abstract: Data collection to identify
adult education sites eligible to
participate in the Adult ESL Explicit
Literacy Impact Study. A sample of
adult education program coordinators
are the primary respondents.
Requests for copies of the information
collection submission for OMB review
may be accessed from https://
edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the
‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and
by clicking on link number 2907. When
you access the information collection,
click on ‘‘Download Attachments ‘‘ to
view. Written requests for information
should be addressed to U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., Potomac Center, 9th Floor,
Washington, DC 20202–4700. Requests
may also be electronically mailed to the
Internet address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov or
faxed to 202–245–6623. Please specify
the complete title of the information
collection when making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or
the collection activity requirements
should be directed to Kim Rudolph,
Docket Manager at her e-mail address
Kim.Rudolph@ed.gov. Individuals who
use a telecommunications device for the
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339.
[FR Doc. E5–7654 Filed 12–21–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Submission for OMB Review;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Leader, Information
Management Case Services Team,
Regulatory Information Management
Services, Office of the Chief Information
Officer invites comments on the
submission for OMB review as required
by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before January
23, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be addressed to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Rachel Potter, Desk Officer,
Department of Education, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street, NW., Room 10222, New
Executive Office Building, Washington,
DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395–6974.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires
that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) provide interested
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DATES:
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Federal agencies and the public an early
opportunity to comment on information
collection requests. OMB may amend or
waive the requirement for public
consultation to the extent that public
participation in the approval process
would defeat the purpose of the
information collection, violate State or
Federal law, or substantially interfere
with any agency’s ability to perform its
statutory obligations. The Leader,
Information Management Case Services
Team, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of the
Chief Information Officer, publishes that
notice containing proposed information
collection requests prior to submission
of these requests to OMB. Each
proposed information collection,
grouped by office, contains the
following: (1) Type of review requested,
e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or
reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of
the collection; (4) Description of the
need for, and proposed use of, the
information; (5) Respondents and
frequency of collection; and (6)
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping
burden. OMB invites public comment.
Dated: December 15, 2005.
Angela C. Arrington,
Leader, Information Management Case
Services Team, Regulatory Information
Management Services, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
Institute of Education Sciences
Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Evaluation of States’ Monitoring
and Improvement Practices Under
IDEA: Site Visit Data Collection.
Frequency: Two times.
Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal
Gov’t, SEAs or LEAs.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour
Burden:
Responses: 440.
Burden Hours: 1,100.
Abstract: States’ monitoring and
improvement practices under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) are vital to ensuring that
students with disabilities receive a free
appropriate public education and that
infants and toddlers with disabilities
and their families receive early
intervention services. The purpose of
this study is to evaluate states’
monitoring and related improvement
practices under IDEA. This study will
describe the nature and scope of
monitoring as implemented by the 50
states and the District of Columbia for
Parts B and C of IDEA, assess the effect
of the quality of states’ monitoring and
related improvement practices on key
outcomes of Parts B and C of IDEA, and
identify and develop recommendations
for potential best practices in
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76039
monitoring and identify areas for
ongoing technical assistance.
Requests for copies of the information
collection submission for OMB review
may be accessed from https://
edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the
‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and
by clicking on link number 2909. When
you access the information collection,
click on ‘‘Download Attachments’’ to
view. Written requests for information
should be addressed to U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW., Potomac Center, 9th Floor,
Washington, DC 20202–4700. Requests
may also be electronically mailed to
Kim.Rudolph@ed.gov or faxed to 202–
245–6623. Please specify the complete
title of the information collection when
making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or
the collection activity requirements
should be electronically mailed to Kim
Rudolph, Docket Manager at her e-mail
address Kim.Rudolph@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–
8339.
[FR Doc. E5–7656 Filed 12–21–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information, Technical Assistance and
Dissemination to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities
and Personnel Development to
Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities—National
Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children Who
Are Deaf-Blind Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.326T.
Dates:
Applications Available: December 22,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: February 10, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: April 11, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: State educational
agencies (SEAs), local educational
agencies (LEAs), public charter schools
that are LEAs under State law,
institutions of higher education (IHEs),
other public agencies, private nonprofit
organizations, outlying areas, freely
associated States, Indian tribes or tribal
organizations, and for-profit
organizations.
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 245 / Thursday, December 22, 2005 / Notices
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$49,397,000 for the Technical
Assistance and Dissemination to
Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program for
FY 2006, of which we intend to use an
estimated $1,850,000 for the National
Technical Assistance and Dissemination
Center for Children who are Deaf-Blind
competition. The Administration has
also requested $90,626,000 for the
Personnel Development to Improve
Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities program, of which we
intend to use an estimated $250,000 to
support the personnel training activities
of the National Technical Assistance
and Dissemination Center for Children
who are Deaf-Blind. The actual levels of
funding, if any, depend 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget
period of 12 months. A minimum of
$250,000 must be budgeted in each
budget period of 12 months for the
personnel training activities described
under the heading Activity Area (3) in
the Priority section of this notice
because the Secretary intends to support
these activities of the project from funds
provided under section 662 of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA). The Assistant Secretary for
Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change these maximum
amounts through a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
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I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Technical
Assistance and Dissemination to
Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program
promotes academic achievement and
improves results for children with
disabilities by supporting technical
assistance, model demonstration
projects, dissemination of useful
information, and implementation
activities that are supported by
scientifically based research. The
purposes of the Personnel Development
to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program are
to (1) help address State-identified
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needs for highly qualified personnel—in
special education, related services, early
intervention, and regular education—to
work with children with disabilities;
and (2) ensure that those personnel have
the skills and knowledge—derived from
practices that have been determined
through research and experience to be
successful—that are needed to serve
those children.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from
allowable activities specified in the
statute (see sections 662(b)(2)(C), 663,
and 681(d) of IDEA).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2005 this
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34
CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only
applications that meet this priority.
This priority is: National Technical
Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children who are Deaf-Blind.
Background
IDEA requires that each child with a
disability be provided appropriate
special education and related services
that meet the child’s individual
educational needs. For children who are
deaf and blind to receive such services,
intensive technical assistance is needed
to enable SEAs and LEAs to
appropriately address the special needs
of these children. In addition, given the
low-incidence nature of the deaf-blind
population, many early intervention
programs and educational agencies lack
personnel with the training or
experience to serve the unique needs of
these children.
Priority
This priority supports one center (the
Center) to provide specialized technical
assistance, training, dissemination, and
informational services to States,
families, and agencies and organizations
that are responsible for the provision of
early intervention, special education,
and related and transitional services for
children through age 26 who are deafblind. This priority emphasizes building
capacity and the implementation of
systems interventions so that quality
outcomes can be achieved for all
children who are deaf-blind. Under this
priority, the Center’s activities must
address gaps in the knowledge of
service providers, including knowledge
of evidence-based practices to improve
outcomes for the deaf-blind population.
The Center must accomplish this
mission through a combination of
activities in the following areas: (1)
Technical assistance, (2) information
and dissemination, and (3) personnel
training.
Activity Area (1): The Center’s
technical assistance activities must
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include, but are not limited to, the
following:
(a) Identifying specific project goals,
objectives, and activities for providing
an array of services to States, families,
and agencies and organizations that are
responsible for providing services to
children who are deaf-blind.
(b) Assisting SEAs and LEAs,
including those receiving funds under
the Projects for Children who are DeafBlind competition—CFDA 84.326C
(State Projects), and other related
agencies and organizations, in
developing and implementing systemicchange goals supported by available
evidence-based research for children
with deaf-blindness.
(c) Providing assistance to State
Projects and agencies to increase the
States’ capacities to improve early
intervention, special education, and
related and transitional services to
improve outcomes for children who are
deaf-blind and their families.
(d) Facilitating activities and
enhancing collaborative partnerships
that build the capacity of children who
are deaf-blind and their families for
advocacy, empowerment, and increased
knowledge.
(e) Communicating, collaborating, and
forming partnerships as appropriate,
and as directed by the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP), with others
to improve results for children who are
deaf-blind and their families.
(f) Gathering, maintaining, and
analyzing demographic information of
children who are deaf-blind for the
purpose of developing project priorities
based on data documenting the needs of
these children.
(g) Convening topical meetings, at the
request of OSEP, to study issues and
develop recommendations for
addressing challenges related to issues
in the field of deaf-blindness.
(h) Assisting State Projects, agencies,
and organizations to strengthen
collaborative partnerships with parents
and families, and developing strategies
to more effectively serve families
representing different cultural, ethnic,
and linguistic backgrounds.
(i) Assisting State Projects in
identifying effective evaluation
strategies for collecting and analyzing
data to improve results for children.
(j) Promoting the improvement of
student achievement in language arts,
science, and math for children who are
deaf-blind.
Activity Area (2): The Center’s
information and dissemination activities
must include, but are not limited to, the
following:
(a) Identifying, collecting, organizing,
and disseminating information related
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to deaf-blindness, including researchbased and other practices that are
supported by evidence-based research
that demonstrates their effectiveness in
improving results for children who are
deaf-blind.
(b) Responding to information
requests from professionals, parents,
students, institutions of higher
education, and others, and developing
and implementing appropriate strategies
for disseminating information to underrepresented groups, including those
with limited English proficiency.
(c) Developing a broad, coordinated
network of professionals, parents,
related organizations and associations,
mass media, and others for promoting
awareness of issues related to deafblindness. This may include using the
Internet and other cost-effective
methods to share information with the
international deaf-blindness
community.
(d) Expanding and broadening the use
of current informational resources by
developing materials that synthesize
evidence-based research, best practices,
and emerging knowledge into easily
understandable products with
accessible formats.
(e) Developing and disseminating
materials and products to supplement
technical assistance and training,
including synthesized research findings
on relevant topics such as
communication, assessments,
accommodations, alternate assessments,
and data analysis.
(f) Maintaining a Web site, with a
dedicated URL, on which all ongoing,
and completed products, as well as
related information, are available in a
format that meets a government or
industry-recognized standard for
accessibility. The Web site also must
contain other features that facilitate
communication and links to other Web
sites that are appropriate and helpful to
users.
Activity Area (3): The Center’s
personnel training activities must
consist of activities authorized under
section 662(b)(2)(C) of IDEA, including,
but not limited to, the following:
(a) Implementing and maintaining an
assessment of the needs of individual
States and the overall needs of States to
determine the array, type, and intensity
of personnel training to be provided.
(b) Providing personnel training that
focuses on the implementation of IDEA
specific to children who are deaf-blind
and their families.
(c) Providing personnel training that
focuses on the implementation of
research-based, effective practices that
will result in improved capacity of SEAs
and LEAs to provide appropriate
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assessment, planning, placement, and
transitional services.
(d) Assisting personnel training
programs to work collaboratively in
order to assist a greater number of
teachers and paraprofessionals. This
includes facilitating career development
activities by promoting internships,
mentorships, and other strategies to
address the shortage of leadership and
highly qualified personnel in the field of
deaf-blindness.
General Activities. The Center also
must:
(a) Annually, provide OSEP with a
report analyzing policies and emerging
issues that are of significant national
concern in the field of deaf-blindness.
This report must include a narrative
description that reflects important
demographic characteristics, data, and
trends;
(b) Annually, establish and
implement a comprehensive system of
evaluation to determine the impact of
the Center’s activities on children with
deaf-blindness, identify relevant
achievements, and identify strategies for
improvement;
(c) Collaborate with the OSEP Project
Officer in planning and conducting the
annual Project Directors’ Meeting in
Washington, DC, and budget funds for
that purpose; and
(d) Establish and maintain an
advisory committee to assist in
promoting project activities. The
committee must include at least one
individual with deaf-blindness, one
parent of a child with deaf-blindness,
one representative of an SEA, and at
least three professionals with training
and experience in serving children with
deaf-blindness.
Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project
In deciding whether to continue
funding the Center for the fourth and
fifth years, the Secretary will consider
the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a),
and in addition:
(a) The recommendation of a review
team consisting of experts selected by
the Secretary, which review will be
conducted during the last half of the
project’s second year in Washington,
DC. Projects must budget for travel
expenses associated with this one-day
intensive review;
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness
with which all requirements of the
negotiated cooperative agreement have
been or are being met by the Center.
(c) The degree to which the project
promotes best practices in the area of
services to children who are deaf-blind.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking:
Under the Administrative Procedure Act
(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department
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76041
generally offers interested parties the
opportunity to comment on a proposed
priority. However, section 681(d) of
IDEA makes the public comment
requirements under the APA
inapplicable to the priority in this
notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C.
1462(b)(2)(C), 1463, and 1481(d).
Applicable Regulations: The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
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 to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative
agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$49,397,000 for the Technical
Assistance and Dissemination to
Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program for
FY 2006, of which we intend to use an
estimated $1,850,000 for the National
Technical Assistance and Dissemination
Center for Children who are Deaf-Blind
competition. The Administration has
also requested $90,626,000 for the
Personnel Development to Improve
Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities program, of which we
intend to use an estimated $250,000 to
support the personnel training activities
of the National Technical Assistance
and Dissemination Center for Children
who are Deaf-Blind. The actual levels of
funding, if any, depend 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget
period of 12 months. A minimum of
$250,000 must be budgeted in each
budget period of 12 months for the
personnel training activities described
under the heading Activity Area (3) in
the Priority section of this notice
because the Secretary intends to support
these activities of the project from funds
provided under section 662 of IDEA.
The Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change these maximum amounts
through a notice published in the
Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 245 / Thursday, December 22, 2005 / Notices
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, LEAs,
public charter schools that are LEAs
under State law, IHEs, other public
agencies, private nonprofit
organizations, outlying areas, freely
associated States, Indian tribes or tribal
organizations, and for-profit
organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements—(a)
The projects funded under this
competition must make positive efforts
to employ and advance in employment
qualified individuals with disabilities
(see section 606 of IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients
funded under this competition must
involve individuals with disabilities or
parents of individuals with disabilities
ages birth through 26 in planning,
implementing, and evaluating the
projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of
IDEA).
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IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: Education Publications Center
(ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD
20794–1398. Telephone (toll free): 1–
877–433–7827. FAX: (301) 470–1244. If
you use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll
free): 1–877–576–7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its
Web site: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/
edpubs.html or you may contact ED
Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED
Pubs, be sure to identify this
competition as follows: CFDA Number
84.326T.
Individuals with disabilities may
obtain a copy of the application package
in an alternative format (e.g., Braille,
large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) by contacting the Grants and
Contracts Services Team listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII 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
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your application. You must limit part III
to the equivalent of no more than 70
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,
references, and captions, as well as all
text in charts, tables, figures, and
graphs.
• Use a font that is either 12 point or
larger or no smaller than 10 pitch
(characters per inch).
The page limit 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; the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, the
references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the
application narrative in part III.
We will reject your application if:
• You apply these standards and
exceed the page limit; or
• You apply other standards and
exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 22,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: February 10, 2006.
Applications for grants under this
competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov
Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper
format by mail or hand delivery. For
information (including dates and times)
about how to submit your application
electronically, or by mail or hand
delivery, please refer to section IV. 6.
Other Submission Requirements in this
notice.
We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: April 11, 2006.
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. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this
competition may be submitted
electronically or in paper format by mail
or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications.
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We have been accepting applications
electronically through the Department’s
e-Application system since FY 2000. In
order to expand on those efforts and
comply with the President’s
Management Agenda, we are continuing
to participate as a partner in the new
government wide Grants.gov Apply site
in FY 2006. The National Technical
Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children who are Deaf-Blind-CFDA
Number 84.326T is one of the
competitions included in this project.
We request your participation in
Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your
application electronically, you must use
the Grants.gov Apply site at https://
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 e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to
us.
You may access the electronic grant
application for The National Technical
Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children who are Deaf-Blind at: https://
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.
Please note the following:
• Your participation in Grants.gov is
voluntary.
• 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 time and date stamped. Your
application must be fully uploaded and
submitted, and must be date/time
stamped by the Grants.gov system no
later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this
section, we will not consider your
application if it is date/time stamped by
the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it
was date/time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 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
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deadline date to begin the application
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 at https://eGrants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
• To submit your application via
Grants.gov, you must complete all of the
steps in the Grants.gov registration
process (see https://www.Grants.gov/
GetStarted). These steps include (1)
registering your organization, (2)
registering yourself as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR), and
(3) getting authorized as an AOR by
your organization. Details on these steps
are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step
Registration Guide (see https://
www.grants.gov/assets/
GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf).
You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number
used with this registration. Please note
that the registration process may take
five or more business days to complete,
and you must have completed all
registration steps to allow you to
successfully submit an application via
Grants.gov.
• You will not receive additional
point value because you submit your
application in electronic format, nor
will we penalize you if you submit your
application in paper format.
• You may submit all documents
electronically, including all information
typically included on the Application
for Federal Education Assistance (ED
424), Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
If you choose to submit your application
electronically, you must attach any
narrative sections of your application as
files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich
text), or .PDF (Portable Document)
format. If you upload a file type other
than the three file types specified above
or submit a password protected file, we
will not review that material.
• Your electronic application must
comply with any page limit
requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit
your application, you will receive an
automatic acknowledgment from
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number. The Department will
retrieve your application from
Grants.gov and send you a second
confirmation by e-mail that will include
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a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
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 System Unavailability: 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 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 as
described elsewhere in this notice. If
you submit an application after 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
deadline date, please contact the person
listed elsewhere in this notice under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and
provide an explanation of the technical
problem you experienced with
Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov
Support Desk Case Number (if
available). 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 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: Extensions referred to 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 deadline
date and time or if the technical problem you
experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov
system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications
by Mail.
If you submit your application in
paper format by mail (through the U.S.
Postal Service or a commercial carrier),
you must mail the original and two
copies of your application, on or before
the application deadline date, to the
Department at the applicable following
address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal
Service: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.326T), 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202–
4260, or
By mail through a commercial carrier:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center—Stop 4260,
PO 00000
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76043
Attention: (CFDA Number 84.326T),
7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD
20785–1506.
Regardless of which address you use,
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, or
(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, or
(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 submit your application in
paper format by hand delivery, you (or
a courier service) 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 84.326T), 550 12th
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.
The Application Control Center accepts
hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m.
and 4:30 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 4 of ED 424 the CFDA number—and
suffix letter, if any—of the competition under
which you are submitting your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will
mail a grant application receipt
acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive
the grant application receipt
acknowledgment 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
Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from 34
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CFR 75.210 and are listed in the
application package.
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). We may also notify you
informally.
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: 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 specified by
the Secretary in 34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the
Government Performance and Results
Act (GPRA), the Department has
developed measures that will yield
information on various aspects of the
Technical Assistance and Dissemination
to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program.
These measures focus on: the extent to
which projects provide high quality
products and services, the relevance of
project products and services to
educational and early intervention
policy and practice, and the use of
products and services to improve
educational and early intervention
policy and practice.
We will notify grantees if they will be
required to provide any information
related to these measures.
Grantees will also be required to
report information on their projects’
performance in annual reports to the
Department (34 CFR 75.590).
cchase on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles Freeman, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 4097, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2550.
Telephone: (202) 245–7347.
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If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–
800–877–8339.
Individuals with disabilities may
obtain this document in an alternative
format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request by contacting the following
office: The Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC
20202–2550. Telephone: (202) 245–
7363.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document:
You may 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) on the Internet at the
following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/
fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free
at this site. If you have questions about
using PDF, call the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–
888–293–6498; or in the Washington,
DC, area at (202) 512–1530.
Note: 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 on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: December 19, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E5–7720 Filed 12–21–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has plans to set aside
$33,024,000 for the Vocational
Rehabilitation Services Projects for
American Indians With Disabilities
program for FY 2006, of which we
intend to use an estimated $2,700,000
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.
Estimated Median Amount of Awards:
The estimated median amount of an
award is $500,000, which means that
one-half of the awards will be over
$500,000 and one-half of the awards
will be under $500,000, with the
majority of awards in the range of
approximately $350,000 to $575,000.
Maximum Award: There is no
maximum award amount for the first
project year. However, when preparing
your submission, applicants should be
aware that we anticipate an increase of
about three percent in the award
amounts for this program compared to
FY 2005.
In addition, the Secretary may limit
any proposed increases in funding for
project years two through five to the
annual estimated percentage change in
the consumer price index for all urban
consumers (CPIU). The current
estimated percentage increase in the
CPIU over the prior year for project
years two through five is as follows: FY
2007—2.9 percent, FY 2008—2.4
percent, FY 2009—2.4 percent, and FY
2010—2.4 percent.
Estimated Number of Awards: 5.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Overview
Information, Vocational Rehabilitation
Services, Projects for American
Indians With Disabilities; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.250B.
Dates:
Applications Available: December 27,
2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: April 21, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: The governing
bodies of Indian tribes (and consortia of
those governing bodies) located on
Federal and State reservations.
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Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
this program is to provide vocational
rehabilitation services to American
Indians with disabilities who reside on
or near Federal or State reservations,
consistent with their individual
strengths, resources, priorities,
concerns, abilities, capabilities, and
informed choices, so that they may
prepare for and engage in gainful
employment, including selfemployment, telecommuting, or
business ownership.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR
75.105(b)(2)(iv), this priority is from
section 121(b)(4) of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C.
741).
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[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76039-76044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7720]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information, Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services
and Results for Children with Disabilities and Personnel Development to
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--National
Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children Who Are
Deaf-Blind Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2006
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326T.
Dates:
Applications Available: December 22, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 10, 2006.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 11, 2006.
Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), public charter schools that are LEAs under
State law, institutions of higher education (IHEs), other public
agencies, private nonprofit organizations, outlying areas, freely
associated States, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and for-
profit organizations.
[[Page 76040]]
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$49,397,000 for the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY
2006, of which we intend to use an estimated $1,850,000 for the
National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children who
are Deaf-Blind competition. The Administration has also requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities program, of which we intend to
use an estimated $250,000 to support the personnel training activities
of the National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children who are Deaf-Blind. The actual levels of funding, if any,
depend 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. A
minimum of $250,000 must be budgeted in each budget period of 12 months
for the personnel training activities described under the heading
Activity Area (3) in the Priority section of this notice because the
Secretary intends to support these activities of the project from funds
provided under section 662 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services may change these maximum amounts through a
notice published in the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The Technical Assistance and Dissemination to
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program
promotes academic achievement and improves results for children with
disabilities by supporting technical assistance, model demonstration
projects, dissemination of useful information, and implementation
activities that are supported by scientifically based research. The
purposes of the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results
for Children with Disabilities program are to (1) help address State-
identified needs for highly qualified personnel--in special education,
related services, early intervention, and regular education--to work
with children with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel
have the skills and knowledge--derived from practices that have been
determined through research and experience to be successful--that are
needed to serve those children.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections
662(b)(2)(C), 663, and 681(d) of IDEA).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2005 this priority is an absolute
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that
meet this priority.
This priority is: National Technical Assistance and Dissemination
Center for Children who are Deaf-Blind.
Background
IDEA requires that each child with a disability be provided
appropriate special education and related services that meet the
child's individual educational needs. For children who are deaf and
blind to receive such services, intensive technical assistance is
needed to enable SEAs and LEAs to appropriately address the special
needs of these children. In addition, given the low-incidence nature of
the deaf-blind population, many early intervention programs and
educational agencies lack personnel with the training or experience to
serve the unique needs of these children.
Priority
This priority supports one center (the Center) to provide
specialized technical assistance, training, dissemination, and
informational services to States, families, and agencies and
organizations that are responsible for the provision of early
intervention, special education, and related and transitional services
for children through age 26 who are deaf-blind. This priority
emphasizes building capacity and the implementation of systems
interventions so that quality outcomes can be achieved for all children
who are deaf-blind. Under this priority, the Center's activities must
address gaps in the knowledge of service providers, including knowledge
of evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for the deaf-blind
population. The Center must accomplish this mission through a
combination of activities in the following areas: (1) Technical
assistance, (2) information and dissemination, and (3) personnel
training.
Activity Area (1): The Center's technical assistance activities
must include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Identifying specific project goals, objectives, and activities
for providing an array of services to States, families, and agencies
and organizations that are responsible for providing services to
children who are deaf-blind.
(b) Assisting SEAs and LEAs, including those receiving funds under
the Projects for Children who are Deaf-Blind competition--CFDA 84.326C
(State Projects), and other related agencies and organizations, in
developing and implementing systemic-change goals supported by
available evidence-based research for children with deaf-blindness.
(c) Providing assistance to State Projects and agencies to increase
the States' capacities to improve early intervention, special
education, and related and transitional services to improve outcomes
for children who are deaf-blind and their families.
(d) Facilitating activities and enhancing collaborative
partnerships that build the capacity of children who are deaf-blind and
their families for advocacy, empowerment, and increased knowledge.
(e) Communicating, collaborating, and forming partnerships as
appropriate, and as directed by the Office of Special Education
Programs (OSEP), with others to improve results for children who are
deaf-blind and their families.
(f) Gathering, maintaining, and analyzing demographic information
of children who are deaf-blind for the purpose of developing project
priorities based on data documenting the needs of these children.
(g) Convening topical meetings, at the request of OSEP, to study
issues and develop recommendations for addressing challenges related to
issues in the field of deaf-blindness.
(h) Assisting State Projects, agencies, and organizations to
strengthen collaborative partnerships with parents and families, and
developing strategies to more effectively serve families representing
different cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds.
(i) Assisting State Projects in identifying effective evaluation
strategies for collecting and analyzing data to improve results for
children.
(j) Promoting the improvement of student achievement in language
arts, science, and math for children who are deaf-blind.
Activity Area (2): The Center's information and dissemination
activities must include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Identifying, collecting, organizing, and disseminating
information related
[[Page 76041]]
to deaf-blindness, including research-based and other practices that
are supported by evidence-based research that demonstrates their
effectiveness in improving results for children who are deaf-blind.
(b) Responding to information requests from professionals, parents,
students, institutions of higher education, and others, and developing
and implementing appropriate strategies for disseminating information
to under-represented groups, including those with limited English
proficiency.
(c) Developing a broad, coordinated network of professionals,
parents, related organizations and associations, mass media, and others
for promoting awareness of issues related to deaf-blindness. This may
include using the Internet and other cost-effective methods to share
information with the international deaf-blindness community.
(d) Expanding and broadening the use of current informational
resources by developing materials that synthesize evidence-based
research, best practices, and emerging knowledge into easily
understandable products with accessible formats.
(e) Developing and disseminating materials and products to
supplement technical assistance and training, including synthesized
research findings on relevant topics such as communication,
assessments, accommodations, alternate assessments, and data analysis.
(f) Maintaining a Web site, with a dedicated URL, on which all
ongoing, and completed products, as well as related information, are
available in a format that meets a government or industry-recognized
standard for accessibility. The Web site also must contain other
features that facilitate communication and links to other Web sites
that are appropriate and helpful to users.
Activity Area (3): The Center's personnel training activities must
consist of activities authorized under section 662(b)(2)(C) of IDEA,
including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Implementing and maintaining an assessment of the needs of
individual States and the overall needs of States to determine the
array, type, and intensity of personnel training to be provided.
(b) Providing personnel training that focuses on the implementation
of IDEA specific to children who are deaf-blind and their families.
(c) Providing personnel training that focuses on the implementation
of research-based, effective practices that will result in improved
capacity of SEAs and LEAs to provide appropriate assessment, planning,
placement, and transitional services.
(d) Assisting personnel training programs to work collaboratively
in order to assist a greater number of teachers and paraprofessionals.
This includes facilitating career development activities by promoting
internships, mentorships, and other strategies to address the shortage
of leadership and highly qualified personnel in the field of deaf-
blindness.
General Activities. The Center also must:
(a) Annually, provide OSEP with a report analyzing policies and
emerging issues that are of significant national concern in the field
of deaf-blindness. This report must include a narrative description
that reflects important demographic characteristics, data, and trends;
(b) Annually, establish and implement a comprehensive system of
evaluation to determine the impact of the Center's activities on
children with deaf-blindness, identify relevant achievements, and
identify strategies for improvement;
(c) Collaborate with the OSEP Project Officer in planning and
conducting the annual Project Directors' Meeting in Washington, DC, and
budget funds for that purpose; and
(d) Establish and maintain an advisory committee to assist in
promoting project activities. The committee must include at least one
individual with deaf-blindness, one parent of a child with deaf-
blindness, one representative of an SEA, and at least three
professionals with training and experience in serving children with
deaf-blindness.
Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project
In deciding whether to continue funding the Center for the fourth
and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a), and in addition:
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary, which review will be conducted during the
last half of the project's second year in Washington, DC. Projects must
budget for travel expenses associated with this one-day intensive
review;
(b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the
Center.
(c) The degree to which the project promotes best practices in the
area of services to children who are deaf-blind.
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 a proposed priority. However,
section 681(d) of IDEA makes the public comment requirements under the
APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462(b)(2)(C), 1463, and 1481(d).
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
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 to IHEs only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$49,397,000 for the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY
2006, of which we intend to use an estimated $1,850,000 for the
National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children who
are Deaf-Blind competition. The Administration has also requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities program, of which we intend to
use an estimated $250,000 to support the personnel training activities
of the National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for
Children who are Deaf-Blind. The actual levels of funding, if any,
depend 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget period of 12 months. A
minimum of $250,000 must be budgeted in each budget period of 12 months
for the personnel training activities described under the heading
Activity Area (3) in the Priority section of this notice because the
Secretary intends to support these activities of the project from funds
provided under section 662 of IDEA. The Assistant Secretary for Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services may change these maximum amounts
through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Number of Awards: 1.
[[Page 76042]]
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs, LEAs, public charter schools that are
LEAs under State law, IHEs, other public agencies, private nonprofit
organizations, outlying areas, freely associated States, Indian tribes
or tribal organizations, and for-profit organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The projects funded under this
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of
IDEA).
(b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this competition
must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals
with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning, implementing, and
evaluating the projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: https://www.ed.gov/
pubs/edpubs.html or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address:
edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA Number 84.326T.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section
VII 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
the equivalent of no more than 70 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, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The page limit 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; the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support.
However, you must include all of the application narrative in part III.
We will reject your application if:
You apply these standards and exceed the page limit; or
You apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the
page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: December 22, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 10, 2006.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: April 11, 2006.
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. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We have been accepting applications electronically through the
Department's e-Application system since FY 2000. In order to expand on
those efforts and comply with the President's Management Agenda, we are
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government wide
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2006. The National Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Center for Children who are Deaf-Blind-CFDA Number
84.326T is one of the competitions included in this project. We request
your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Grants.gov Apply site at https://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 e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for The National
Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children who are
Deaf-Blind at: https://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.
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
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 time and date
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and
must be date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application
if it is date/time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we
retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are
rejecting your application because it was date/time stamped by the
Grants.gov system after 4:30 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
[[Page 76043]]
deadline date to begin the application 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 at https://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/
GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf.
To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must
complete all of the steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see
https://www.Grants.gov/GetStarted). These steps include (1) registering
your organization, (2) registering yourself as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR), and (3) getting authorized as an AOR
by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see https://www.grants.gov/assets/
GrantsgovCoBrandBrochure8X11.pdf). You also must provide on your
application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please
note that the registration process may take five or more business days
to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to
allow you to successfully submit an application via Grants.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You may submit all documents electronically, including all
information typically included on the Application for Federal Education
Assistance (ED 424), Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED
524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. If you choose to
submit your application electronically, you must attach any narrative
sections of your application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich
text), or .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type
other than the three file types specified above or submit a password
protected file, we will not review that material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment from Grants.gov that contains a
Grants.gov tracking number. The Department will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send you a second confirmation by e-
mail that will include a PR/Award number (an ED-specified 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 System
Unavailability: 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 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 as described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an
application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline date,
please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and provide an explanation of the
technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number (if available). 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 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: Extensions referred to 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 deadline date
and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to
the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326T), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260, or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.326T), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, 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, or
(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, or
(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 submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) 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
84.326T), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8
a.m. and 4:30 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 4 of ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix
letter, if any--of the competition under which you are submitting
your application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment 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
Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are
from 34
[[Page 76044]]
CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
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). We may also notify you informally.
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: 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 specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that will
yield information on various aspects of the Technical Assistance and
Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with
Disabilities program. These measures focus on: the extent to which
projects provide high quality products and services, the relevance of
project products and services to educational and early intervention
policy and practice, and the use of products and services to improve
educational and early intervention policy and practice.
We will notify grantees if they will be required to provide any
information related to these measures.
Grantees will also be required to report information on their
projects' performance in annual reports to the Department (34 CFR
75.590).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Freeman, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4097, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7347.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request by contacting the following office: The Grants and
Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550.
Telephone: (202) 245-7363.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may 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) on the
Internet at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: 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 on GPO Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/
nara/.
Dated: December 19, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E5-7720 Filed 12-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P