Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview Information; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities-National Outreach and Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority Institutions; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, 68577-68582 [E6-20024]
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V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from 34
CFR 75.210 and are listed in the
application package.
2. Treating A Priority As Two
Separate Competitions: In the past,
there have been problems in finding
peer reviewers without conflicts of
interest for competitions in which many
entities throughout the country submit
applications. The Standing Panel
requirements under IDEA also have
placed additional constraints on the
availability of reviewers. Therefore, the
Department has determined that, for
some discretionary competitions,
applications may be separated into two
or more groups and ranked and selected
for funding within the specific group.
This procedure will ensure the
availability of a much larger group of
reviewers without conflicts of interest. It
also will increase the quality,
independence and fairness of the review
process and permit panel members to
review applications under discretionary
competitions for which they have also
submitted applications. However, if the
Department decides to select for funding
an equal number of applications in each
group, this may result in different cutoff points for fundable applications in
each group.
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.
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4. Performance Measures: The goal of
the State Personnel Development Grants
(SPDG) Program is to reform and
improve State systems for personnel
preparation and professional
development in early intervention,
educational, and transition services in
order to improve results for children
with disabilities. Under the Government
Performance and Results Act (GPRA),
the Department has developed
performance measures to assess the
success of the program in meeting these
goals. These measures are: (1) The
percent of personnel receiving
professional development through the
SPDG program based on scientific- or
evidence-based instructional practices;
(2) the percentage of SPDG projects that
have implemented personnel
development/training activities that are
aligned with improvement strategies
identified in their State Performance
Plan (SPP); (3) the percentage of
professional development/training
activities provided through the SPDG
program based on scientific- or
evidence-based instructional/behavioral
practices; (4) the percentage of
professional development/training
activities based on scientific- or
evidence-based instructional/behavioral
practices, provided through the SPDG
program, that are sustained through
ongoing and comprehensive practices
(e.g., mentoring, coaching, structured
guidance, modeling, continuous
inquiry, etc.); and (5) in States with
SPDG projects that have special
education teacher retention as a goal,
the Statewide percentage of highly
qualified special education teachers in
State-identified professional disciplines
(e.g., teachers of children with
emotional disturbance, deafness, etc.)
consistent with sections 602(a)(10) and
612(a)(14) of IDEA, who remain
teaching after the first three years of
employment.
Each grantee must annually report its
performance on these measures in the
project’s annual performance report to
the Department in accordance with
section 653(d) of IDEA and 34 CFR
75.590.
VII. Agency Contact
For Further Information Contact:
Larry Wexler, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 4019, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2550.
Telephone: (202) 245–7571.
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
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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: 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: www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
Dated: November 20, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6–20022 Filed 11–24–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Personnel Development
to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities—National
Outreach and Technical Assistance
Center on Discretionary Awards for
Minority Institutions; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.325R.
Dates: Applications Available:
November 27, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: January 11, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: March 12, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of
higher education (IHEs).
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel
Development to Improve Services and
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Results for Children with Disabilities
program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $1,668,121
for the National Outreach and Technical
Assistance Center on Discretionary
Awards for Minority Institutions
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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $1,668,121 for a single budget
period of 12 months. The Assistant
Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services may change the
maximum amount 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 purposes of
this 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 infants or toddlers with
disabilities, or 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(d) and 681(d)
of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 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 Outreach and Technical
Assistance Center on Discretionary
Awards for Minority Institutions
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Background
Section 681(c)(2) of IDEA requires the
Secretary to set aside funds to support
one or both of the following activities:
(1) The provision of outreach and
technical assistance to Historically
Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs) and to IHEs with minority
enrollments of not less than 25 percent
to promote their participation in certain
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activities under IDEA; or (2) the
provision of support to enable such
institutions to assist other institutions
and agencies in improving educational
and transitional results for children
with disabilities. Consistent with this
requirement, this priority is aimed at:
(1) Promoting the participation of
HBCUs and IHEs with minority
enrollments of not less than 25 percent
in discretionary grant competitions
conducted by the Department pursuant
to section 662 of IDEA (the Personnel
Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities
program); and (2) building the capacity
of such institutions to prepare personnel
to work effectively with children with
disabilities from diverse backgrounds.
The current Technical Assistance
Center funded by the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP) under
section 681(c)(2) provides technical
assistance to IHEs in grant writing and
disseminates specific information to aid
HBCUs and other minority IHEs in
developing applications for grants,
cooperative agreements, and contracts.
This priority will shift the focus of the
center that will be funded from that of
grant-writing technical assistance to
assistance that will help HBCUs and
minority IHEs build their capacity to
prepare personnel to work effectively
with children with disabilities from
linguistically and culturally diverse
backgrounds.
Priority: The purpose of the National
Outreach and Technical Assistance
Center on Discretionary Awards for
Minority Institutions (Center) is to
increase: (a) The participation of HBCUs
and other institutions with a minority
student enrollment of at least 25 percent
in the Personnel Development to
Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program
competitions authorized under section
662 of IDEA; and (b) the capacity of
these institutions to prepare personnel
to work with children with disabilities
from diverse backgrounds.
To meet this priority, the Center must
demonstrate that it will—
(a) Maintain contacts with HBCUs and
other minority institutions;
(b) Prepare and disseminate grantwriting technical assistance materials
that will enable HBCUs and other
minority IHEs to become competitive
applicants in competitions authorized
under Subpart 2, section 662 of IDEA;
(c) Prepare and disseminate program
development materials, such as:
modules on a variety of research-based
pedagogy and practices that are effective
in preparing personnel to provide
quality service to children with
disabilities; and, a State by State
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directory of resources that will provide
special education needs by State,
disability type, personnel supply and
demand, etc. Other materials could
include information on identifying
competencies that are needed to work
effectively with linguistically and
culturally diverse populations and how
to infuse those competencies into
personnel preparation programs;
(d) Analyze the results of each
applicable discretionary grant
competition conducted by the
Department under IDEA to determine
which HBCUs and minority IHEs
applied and whether they were
successful, and submit this analysis to
the Department;
(e) Provide support and guidance to
faculty at HBCUs and other minority
IHEs to enhance the capacity of these
institutions to design and implement
professional education programs that
graduate highly qualified special
educators; and
(f) Ensure that all program
development and professional
education program enhancements that
the Center recommends to HBCUs and
minority IHEs include research-based
practices, and appropriate cultural
competencies to improve outcomes for
infants, toddlers, and children with
disabilities.
Additionally, the Center must meet
the following additional requirements:
(a) Develop a plan in the first three
months that outlines a comprehensive
technical assistance approach based on
effective strategies;
(b) Establish, maintain, and meet with
an Advisory Board at least once a year
that includes individuals with
disabilities, members from
underrepresented groups, technical
assistance providers and university
personnel;
(c) Include a third party evaluator,
approved by the Office of Special
Education Programs (OSEP), that will
conduct a rigorous evaluation of core
Center activities, and determine the
overall impact of its work;
(d) Budget for a three-day Project
Directors’ meeting in Washington, DC,
the Technical Assistance and
Dissemination Project Directors’
meeting and at least 2 one-day planning
meetings with the OSEP Project Officer
and other appropriate staff in
Washington, DC; and
(e) Budget five percent of the grant
amount annually to support emerging
needs, as identified jointly through
consultation with the OSEP project
officer.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project:
Finally, in deciding whether to continue
funding the Center for the fourth and
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fifth years, the Secretary will consider
the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), in
addition to the following items:
(a) The recommendation of a review
team consisting of experts selected by
the Secretary. This review will be
conducted in Washington, DC during
the last half of the project’s second year.
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) Evidence of changes in capacity at
HBCUs or other relevant institutions;
and
(d) Evidence of increased
participation of HBCUs and IHEs with
minority enrollments of not less than 25
percent in competitions conducted
under section 662 of IDEA.
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 of the APA inapplicable to
the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462,
1481(c)(2), 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.
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II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative
agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel
Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities
program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $1,668,121
for the National Outreach and Technical
Assistance Center on Discretionary
Awards for Minority Institutions
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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $1,668,121 for a single budget
period of 12 months. The Assistant
Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services may change the
maximum amount through a notice
published in the Federal Register.
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Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs.
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
84.325R.
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.
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68579
• 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; or 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: November 27,
2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: January 11, 2007.
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: March 12, 2007.
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
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continuing to participate as a partner in
the new government wide Grants.gov
Apply site in FY 2007. The National
Outreach and Technical Assistance
Center on Discretionary Awards for
Minority Institutions competition—
CFDA number 84.325R 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 Outreach
and Technical Assistance Center on
Discretionary Awards for Minority
Institutions competition—CFDA
number 84.325R 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
deadline date to begin the application
process through Grants.gov.
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• 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/
applicants/get_registered.jsp). 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/section910/
Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.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 following
forms: Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for
SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
Please note that two of these forms—the
SF 424 and the Department of Education
Supplemental Information for SF 424—
have replaced the ED 424 (Application
for Federal Education Assistance). 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
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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 84.325R), 400 Maryland
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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 84.325R),
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.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
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 84.325R), 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 11 of SF 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.
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16:58 Nov 24, 2006
Jkt 211001
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this competition are from 34
CFR 75.210 and are listed in the
application package.
2. Treating A Priority As Two
Separate Competitions: In the past,
there have been problems in finding
peer reviewers without conflicts of
interest for competitions in which many
entities throughout the country submit
applications. The Standing Panel
requirements under IDEA also have
placed additional constraints on the
availability of reviewers. Therefore, the
Department has determined that, for
some discretionary competitions,
applications may be separated into two
or more groups and ranked and selected
for funding within the specific group.
This procedure will ensure the
availability of a much larger group of
reviewers without conflicts of interest. It
also will increase the quality,
independence and fairness of the review
process and permit panel members to
review applications under discretionary
competitions for which they have also
submitted applications. However, if the
Department decides to select for funding
an equal number of applications in each
group, this may result in different cutoff points for fundable applications in
each group.
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.
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68581
4. Performance Measures: Under the
Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has
developed measures that will yield
information on various aspects of the
technical assistance and dissemination
activities currently being supported
under Part D of IDEA. These measures
will be used for the National Outreach
and Technical Assistance Center on
Discretionary Awards for Minority
Institutions competition, and they 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:
Vicki Mims, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 4094, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2600.
Telephone: (202) 245–7451.
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
E:\FR\FM\27NON1.SGM
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68582
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 227 / Monday, November 27, 2006 / Notices
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: November 20, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6–20024 Filed 11–24–06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information Training and Information
for Parents of Children With
Disabilities—Community Parent
Resource Centers; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.328C.
Dates: Applications Available:
November 27, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: January 11, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: March 12, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Local parent
organizations, as defined in section III.
Eligibility Information in this notice.
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$25,704,000 for the Training and
Information for Parents of Children with
Disabilities program for FY 2007, of
which we intend to use an estimated
$1,000,000 for the Community Parent
Resource Centers 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. This priority may be
used for competitions held in FY 2008
and later years.
Estimated Average Size of Awards:
$100,000.
Maximum Award: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget
exceeding $100,000 for a single budget
period of 12 months. The Assistant
Secretary for the Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services
may change the maximum amount
through a notice published in the
Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 10.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:58 Nov 24, 2006
Jkt 211001
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
this program is to ensure that parents of
children with disabilities receive
training and information to help
improve results for their children.
Priorities: This competition contains
an absolute priority and two
competitive preference priorities. In
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv)
and (v), these priorities are from
allowable activities specified in the
statute, or otherwise authorized in the
statute (see sections 672 and 681(d) of
the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 this
priority is an absolute priority. Under 34
CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only
applications that meet this priority.
This priority is: Community Parent
Resource Centers. Background: This
priority supports community parent
training and information centers in
targeted communities that will provide
underserved parents of children with
disabilities, including low-income
parents, parents of limited English
proficient children, and parents with
disabilities in that community, with the
training and information they need to
enable them to participate effectively in
helping their children with disabilities
to—
(a) Meet developmental and
functional goals, and challenging
academic achievement goals that have
been established for all children; and
(b) Be prepared to lead productive,
independent adult lives, to the
maximum extent possible.
In addition, a purpose of this priority
is to ensure that children with
disabilities and their parents receive
training and information on their rights,
responsibilities, and protections under
IDEA in order to develop the skills
necessary to cooperatively and
effectively participate in planning and
decision making relating to early
intervention, educational, and
transitional services.
Text of Priority: Each community
parent resource center assisted under
this priority shall—
(a) Provide training and information
that meets the training and information
needs of parents of children with
disabilities within the proposed targeted
community to be served by the center,
particularly underserved parents and
parents of children who may be
inappropriately identified as having
disabilities when they do not have
them;
Note: For purposes of this priority,
‘‘community to be served’’ refers to a
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Sfmt 4703
community whose members experience
significant isolation from available sources of
information and support as a result of
cultural, economic, linguistic, or other
circumstances deemed appropriate by the
Secretary.
(b) Carry out the following activities
required of parent training and
information centers:
(1) Serve the parents of infants,
toddlers, and children, from ages birth
through 26, with the full range of
disabilities described in section 602(3)
of IDEA.
(2) Ensure that the training and
information provided meets the needs of
low-income parents and parents of
limited English proficient children.
(3) Assist parents to—
(A) Better understand the nature of
their children’s disabilities and their
educational, developmental, and
transitional needs;
(B) Communicate effectively and work
collaboratively with personnel
responsible for providing special
education, early intervention services,
transition services, and related services;
(C) Participate in decision making
processes, including those regarding
participation in State and local
assessments, and the development of
individualized education programs
under Part B of IDEA and
individualized family service plans
under Part C of IDEA;
(D) Obtain appropriate information
about the range, type, and quality of—
(1) Options, programs, services,
technologies, practices, and
interventions that are based on
scientifically based research, to the
extent practicable; and
(2) Resources available to assist
children with disabilities and their
families in school and at home,
including information available through
the Office of Special Education
Programs’ (OSEP) technical assistance
network and Communities of Practice;
(E) Understand the provisions of IDEA
for the education of, and the provision
of early intervention services to,
children with disabilities;
(F) Participate in activities at the
school level that benefit their children;
and
(G) Participate in school reform
activities.
(4) In States where the State elects to
contract with the parent training and
information center, contract with the
State educational agencies to provide,
consistent with paragraphs (B) and (D)
of section 615(e)(2) of IDEA, individuals
to meet with parents in order to explain
the mediation process.
(5) Assist parents in resolving
disputes in the most expeditious and
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[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 227 (Monday, November 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68577-68582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20024]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities--National Outreach and Technical Assistance
Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority Institutions; Notice
Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.325R.
Dates: Applications Available: November 27, 2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 11, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: March 12, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and
[[Page 68578]]
Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $1,668,121 for the National Outreach and
Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority
Institutions 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,668,121 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount 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 purposes of this 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 infants or toddlers with disabilities, or
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(d) and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2007 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 Outreach and Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary
Awards for Minority Institutions
Background
Section 681(c)(2) of IDEA requires the Secretary to set aside funds
to support one or both of the following activities: (1) The provision
of outreach and technical assistance to Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) and to IHEs with minority enrollments of not less
than 25 percent to promote their participation in certain activities
under IDEA; or (2) the provision of support to enable such institutions
to assist other institutions and agencies in improving educational and
transitional results for children with disabilities. Consistent with
this requirement, this priority is aimed at: (1) Promoting the
participation of HBCUs and IHEs with minority enrollments of not less
than 25 percent in discretionary grant competitions conducted by the
Department pursuant to section 662 of IDEA (the Personnel Development
to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities
program); and (2) building the capacity of such institutions to prepare
personnel to work effectively with children with disabilities from
diverse backgrounds.
The current Technical Assistance Center funded by the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP) under section 681(c)(2) provides
technical assistance to IHEs in grant writing and disseminates specific
information to aid HBCUs and other minority IHEs in developing
applications for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts. This
priority will shift the focus of the center that will be funded from
that of grant-writing technical assistance to assistance that will help
HBCUs and minority IHEs build their capacity to prepare personnel to
work effectively with children with disabilities from linguistically
and culturally diverse backgrounds.
Priority: The purpose of the National Outreach and Technical
Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority Institutions
(Center) is to increase: (a) The participation of HBCUs and other
institutions with a minority student enrollment of at least 25 percent
in the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program competitions authorized under
section 662 of IDEA; and (b) the capacity of these institutions to
prepare personnel to work with children with disabilities from diverse
backgrounds.
To meet this priority, the Center must demonstrate that it will--
(a) Maintain contacts with HBCUs and other minority institutions;
(b) Prepare and disseminate grant-writing technical assistance
materials that will enable HBCUs and other minority IHEs to become
competitive applicants in competitions authorized under Subpart 2,
section 662 of IDEA;
(c) Prepare and disseminate program development materials, such as:
modules on a variety of research-based pedagogy and practices that are
effective in preparing personnel to provide quality service to children
with disabilities; and, a State by State directory of resources that
will provide special education needs by State, disability type,
personnel supply and demand, etc. Other materials could include
information on identifying competencies that are needed to work
effectively with linguistically and culturally diverse populations and
how to infuse those competencies into personnel preparation programs;
(d) Analyze the results of each applicable discretionary grant
competition conducted by the Department under IDEA to determine which
HBCUs and minority IHEs applied and whether they were successful, and
submit this analysis to the Department;
(e) Provide support and guidance to faculty at HBCUs and other
minority IHEs to enhance the capacity of these institutions to design
and implement professional education programs that graduate highly
qualified special educators; and
(f) Ensure that all program development and professional education
program enhancements that the Center recommends to HBCUs and minority
IHEs include research-based practices, and appropriate cultural
competencies to improve outcomes for infants, toddlers, and children
with disabilities.
Additionally, the Center must meet the following additional
requirements:
(a) Develop a plan in the first three months that outlines a
comprehensive technical assistance approach based on effective
strategies;
(b) Establish, maintain, and meet with an Advisory Board at least
once a year that includes individuals with disabilities, members from
underrepresented groups, technical assistance providers and university
personnel;
(c) Include a third party evaluator, approved by the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP), that will conduct a rigorous
evaluation of core Center activities, and determine the overall impact
of its work;
(d) Budget for a three-day Project Directors' meeting in
Washington, DC, the Technical Assistance and Dissemination Project
Directors' meeting and at least 2 one-day planning meetings with the
OSEP Project Officer and other appropriate staff in Washington, DC; and
(e) Budget five percent of the grant amount annually to support
emerging needs, as identified jointly through consultation with the
OSEP project officer.
Fourth and Fifth Years of Project: Finally, in deciding whether to
continue funding the Center for the fourth and
[[Page 68579]]
fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a), in addition to the following items:
(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of experts
selected by the Secretary. This review will be conducted in Washington,
DC during the last half of the project's second year. 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) Evidence of changes in capacity at HBCUs or other relevant
institutions; and
(d) Evidence of increased participation of HBCUs and IHEs with
minority enrollments of not less than 25 percent in competitions
conducted under section 662 of IDEA.
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 of the APA
inapplicable to the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1462, 1481(c)(2), 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.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: The Administration has requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $1,668,121 for the National Outreach and
Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority
Institutions 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.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,668,121 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount 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.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: IHEs.
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 84.325R.
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; or 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: November 27,
2006.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 11, 2007.
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: March 12, 2007.
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
[[Page 68580]]
continuing to participate as a partner in the new government wide
Grants.gov Apply site in FY 2007. The National Outreach and Technical
Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority Institutions
competition--CFDA number 84.325R 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
Outreach and Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for
Minority Institutions competition--CFDA number 84.325R 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 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/applicants/get_registered.jsp). 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/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.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 following forms: Application for
Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications. Please note
that two of these forms--the SF 424 and the Department of Education
Supplemental Information for SF 424--have replaced the ED 424
(Application for Federal Education Assistance). 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
84.325R), 400 Maryland
[[Page 68581]]
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 84.325R), 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 84.325R), 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 11 of SF 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
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
2. Treating A Priority As Two Separate Competitions: In the past,
there have been problems in finding peer reviewers without conflicts of
interest for competitions in which many entities throughout the country
submit applications. The Standing Panel requirements under IDEA also
have placed additional constraints on the availability of reviewers.
Therefore, the Department has determined that, for some discretionary
competitions, applications may be separated into two or more groups and
ranked and selected for funding within the specific group. This
procedure will ensure the availability of a much larger group of
reviewers without conflicts of interest. It also will increase the
quality, independence and fairness of the review process and permit
panel members to review applications under discretionary competitions
for which they have also submitted applications. However, if the
Department decides to select for funding an equal number of
applications in each group, this may result in different cut-off points
for fundable applications in each group.
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 of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has developed measures that
will yield information on various aspects of the technical assistance
and dissemination activities currently being supported under Part D of
IDEA. These measures will be used for the National Outreach and
Technical Assistance Center on Discretionary Awards for Minority
Institutions competition, and they 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: Vicki Mims, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4094, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2600. Telephone: (202) 245-7451.
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
[[Page 68582]]
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: November 20, 2006.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E6-20024 Filed 11-24-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
