Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview Information; Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-National Center To Enhance the Training of Personnel Who Share Responsibility for Improving Outcomes for Young Children With Disabilities (National Early Childhood Training Enhancement Center); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, 9739-9744 [E7-3793]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices
identification for admission into The
Aerospace Corporation facility.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alan L. Adams, 310–336–7476 or
DeeDee Madrid, 310–336–7256 or
Douglas Brown, 310–416–7704.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Director of National Security Space
Office, Office of the Under Secretary to
the Air Force, United States Air Force
was appointed as the Compliance
Officer for Department of Defense in
keeping with a decree issued by the
United States District court, District of
Columbia. The Anti-Trust Division of
the Department of Justice brought suit
against Northrop-Grumman Corporation
to prevent their merger with TRW,
Incorporated because it would
substantially reduce competition in
production of certain satellites.
However, the merger was permitted
with the agreement that NorthropGrumman Corporation would comply
with certain prescribed behaviors
decreed in the Final Judgment. The
Compliance Division was established
within NSSO to monitor the NorthropGrumman Corporation’s compliance
with the Final Judgment on behalf of the
Director, who has contracted with the
Aerospace Corporation for much of the
administrative support.
Bao-Anh Trinh,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E7–3771 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000–04–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
Center To Enhance the Training of
Personnel Who Share Responsibility
for Improving Outcomes for Young
Children With Disabilities (National
Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center); Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2007
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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.325J.
Dates: Applications Available: March
5, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: April 19, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: June 18, 2007.
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of
higher education (IHEs).
Estimated Available Funds: The
Administration has requested
$90,626,000 for the Personnel
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Development To Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities
program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $600,000 for
the National Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center 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 $600,000 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 Early
Childhood Training Enhancement
Center Background:
In growing numbers, infants, toddlers,
and preschoolers with disabilities are
joining their peers without disabilities
in natural settings such as childcare
centers, Early Head Start and Head Start
programs, and public and private
preschools. Early interventionists, early
childhood educators and special
educators, related services providers,
and childcare personnel share
responsibility for ensuring high quality
services and improved outcomes for
young children with disabilities. To
effectively meet the learning and
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9739
developmental needs of young children
(birth through five) with disabilities, all
of these professionals must have
knowledge and training in early
intervention and early childhood
special education, including how to
work with families with young children.
Recent data collected by the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP)funded Center to Inform Personnel
Preparation Policy and Practice in Early
Intervention and Preschool Education
(https://www.uconnucedd.org/
per_prep_center/) suggest,
however, that programs have serious
difficulty finding and hiring personnel
with adequate training in early
intervention or early childhood special
education. In addition, many early care
and education personnel do not have
the training or knowledge to effectively
meet the diverse developmental and
educational needs of young children
with disabilities in natural
environments. In order to meet the early
learning and developmental needs of
young children more effectively, future
and current early childhood personnel
must have access to training,
educational resources, and materials
that reflect evidence-based practice in
the fields of early intervention and early
childhood education.
In particular, educators and service
providers must have: (1) Knowledge of
authentic assessment practices such as
collecting work samples and
observational records, which go beyond
assessment of discrete skills to
assessments that capture the depth of
children’s functional abilities within
their daily context; (2) training in
service coordination and collaborative
models of service delivery (this is
particularly important as specialized
service providers go into natural
environments, such as childcare centers
and preschools, where staff may not be
as knowledgeable about evidence-based
practices in working with children with
disabilities and their families); and (3)
knowledge of interventions and
practices that support the development
of school readiness skills, particularly in
the areas of language, early literacy, and
social-emotional development.
To this end, the Assistant Secretary
proposes a National Early Childhood
Training Enhancement Center for
preservice higher education faculty and
professional development providers
who train early interventionists, early
childhood educators and special
educators, related services providers,
and childcare personnel (the targeted
constituent group) to work with infants,
toddlers, and preschoolers with
disabilities (birth through five) and their
families.
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Priority
The purpose of this priority is to
address the need for high quality early
childhood personnel and ensure that
they have the skills and knowledge to
provide collaborative services to meet
the developmental and learning needs
of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
with disabilities. The goal of this
priority is to establish a National Early
Childhood Training Enhancement
Center (Center) that will identify,
develop, and disseminate evidencebased training modules for use by
higher education faculty, including
community college faculty, and
professional development providers
who provide ongoing training to the
targeted constituent group. The Center
must provide technical assistance to
programs providing preservice
preparation and professional
development. The Center also must
ensure that these programs have ready
access to current materials and
resources necessary to support the
development of personnel to effectively
work within a collaborative model to
effectively serve young children with
disabilities in natural environments.
The Center must:
(a) Identify needs. Identify knowledge
and skill enhancement needs of
preservice trainees and practicing
personnel in the targeted constituent
group that are most critical to ensuring
that these personnel are well prepared
to meet the developmental and learning
needs of young children with
disabilities. As part of this needsidentification process, the Center must
consult with, representatives of
professional organizations, faculty from
both 4-year and 2-year programs
engaged in preservice training,
professional development providers,
students in training, practicing
personnel, families of young children
with disabilities, and other stakeholders
as appropriate. In addition to the needs
identified through this process, the
Center must, as appropriate to the roles
of the targeted constituents, focus on the
following topic areas: Authentic
assessment of young children,
collaborative service delivery, working
with families of young children with
disabilities, and knowledge of
intervention and practices that support
the development of school readiness
outcomes for young children with
disabilities, especially in the areas of
language, early literacy, and socialemotional development.
(b) Identify appropriate existing
resources. Identify existing resources
that represent state of the art, evidencebased knowledge and practice in early
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intervention and early childhood
education, including resources that have
been developed through early childhood
discretionary grants or contracts funded
by OSEP, Head Start and the Child Care
Bureau in the Department of Health and
Human Services, or other relevant
agencies. Additionally, the Center must
review and consider for incorporation,
into proposed training modules and
supporting materials, appropriate early
childhood products that have been
developed by projects that are part of
the OSEP Technical Assistance
Network, including State Personnel
Development projects, Parent Training
and Information Centers, and other
OSEP-funded technical assistance
projects.
(c) Identify and develop training
modules. Identify and evaluate existing
training modules in the field using
established criteria and develop
content-rich training modules that
address the critical knowledge and skillenhancement needs identified through
activities conducted under paragraph
(a); reflect evidence-based practices and
scientifically-based research; are
designed to maximize adult learning;
and integrate existing resources
identified in paragraph (b). In addition,
the training modules must be designed
for ease of integration into existing
curricular and experiential
opportunities in the targeted preservice
preparation programs or structured to be
effective resources for providing
professional development opportunities
for personnel already in practice.
Training modules also must be
identified and developed in
collaboration with content experts,
through sub-contractual or consultative
arrangements with the Center, to ensure
that module content is current and
reflects promising and effective
practices. Each proposed content expert
and module topic must be approved by
OSEP prior to the initiation of any
development activity.
(d) Disseminate training modules and
provide targeted technical assistance.
Develop and implement mechanisms
that will result in broad, effective
dissemination and use of training
modules identified or developed in
paragraph (c). The Center must make all
training modules and supporting
materials available on a dedicated Web
site that is easily searchable by topic
and is available for use to everyone at
no cost. As an example of previous
OSEP-supported work that utilizes this
approach, please see the following Web
site: https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/.
The Center must develop a
dissemination partnership with at least
one publisher who links (without cost to
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the Center or additional costs to the
consumer) the materials and resources
created by the Center to its products and
services. The Center must develop
targeted mechanisms for the
dissemination and utilization of
products by preservice personnel
preparation programs in institutions of
higher education, including community
colleges, OSEP-funded State Personnel
Development grantees, and professional
development providers whose services
target personnel serving infants,
toddlers, and preschoolers with
disabilities. The Center must also
develop efficient, effective strategies for
providing technical assistance to assist
higher education faculty and
professional development providers in
the use of the training modules created
by the Center.
(e) Conduct comprehensive project
evaluation. Design and conduct a
comprehensive evaluation of the work,
accomplishments, outcomes, impact,
and effectiveness of the Center. This
evaluation must be designed to provide
information to guide ongoing
refinements to the structure, activities,
workflow, and products that will
improve the ultimate impact and
effectiveness of the Center. This
comprehensive evaluation must also be
designed to measure the impact of the
Center’s work on the goal of enhancing
the knowledge and skills of the targeted
constituent group so that they can
effectively provide young children with
disabilities the services and supports
necessary for them to fully participate in
natural environments, meet their
developmental and learning potential,
and be prepared to enter school ready to
learn.
(f) Establish an advisory board. In
designing and carrying out the required
activities of the Center, the project must
establish and make ongoing and
effective use of a Board of Advisors. The
make-up of the Board of Advisors
should include as appropriate:
Professional organization
representatives, higher education
faculty, practicing personnel,
professional development providers,
family members of young children with
disabilities, State and local IDEA Part C
and section 619 coordinators, federally
supported technical assistance
providers, and federally supported
higher education project directors.
(g) Maintain communication with
OSEP. The project should maintain
ongoing communication with the OSEP
Project Officer, including monthly
conference calls. The project must also
budget for a three-day Project Directors’
meeting in Washington, DC during each
year of the project plus additional two-
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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.
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. The 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; and
(c) The degree to which the Center’s
products reflect evidence-based
practices and scientifically-based
research and address the identified
critical knowledge and skill
enhancement needs within the field.
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
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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day trips annually to Washington, DC to
attend additional national meetings and
to meet and collaborate with the OSEP
Project Officer and other funded
projects for purposes of cross-project
collaboration and information exchange.
Note: The Department is not bound by any
estimates in this notice.
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 $600,000 for
the National Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center 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 $600,000 for a single budget
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15:17 Mar 02, 2007
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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
84.325J.
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
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9741
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: March 5,
2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: April 19, 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.
Individuals with disabilities who
need an accommodation or auxiliary aid
in connection with the application
process should contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Deadline for Intergovernmental
Review: June 18, 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
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competition may be submitted
electronically or in paper format by mail
or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications. To comply with the
President’s Management Agenda, we are
participating as a partner in the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site.
The National Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center competition—
CFDA number 84.325J is included in
this project. We request your
participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your
application electronically, you must use
the Governmentwide 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 email an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
You may access the electronic grant
application for the National Early
Childhood Training Enhancement
Center competition—CFDA number
84.325J 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 (e.g., search for 84.326, not
84.326A).
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 and 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 and 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 and 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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15:17 Mar 02, 2007
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deadline date to begin the submission
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 steps
in the Grants.gov registration process
(see https://www.grants.gov/applicants/
get_registered.jsp). These steps include
(1) registering your organization, a
multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor
Registry (CCR); (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 submit
successfully an application via
Grants.gov. In addition you will need to
update your CCR registration on an
annual basis. This may take three or
more business days to complete.
• 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.
• If you submit your application
electronically, you must submit all
documents electronically, including all
information you typically provide 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 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)
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format. If you upload a file type other
than the three file types specified in this
paragraph or submit a passwordprotected 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 from
Grants.gov an automatic notification of
receipt that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number. (This notification
indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not
receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send a
second notification to you by e-mail.
This second notification indicates that
the Department has received your
application and has assigned your
application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified 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 Technical Issues with the
Grants.gov System: If you are
experiencing problems submitting your
application through Grants.gov, please
contact the Grants.gov Support Desk at
1–800–518–4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number
and must keep a record of it.
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 described elsewhere in this
notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application 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. 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.
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Note: The extensions to which we refer 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
application 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 84.325J), 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 84.325J),
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.
(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.
(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.
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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 84.325J), 550 12th
Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:17 Mar 02, 2007
Jkt 211001
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 the SF 424
the CFDA number, including suffix
letter, if any, of the competition under
which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center
will mail to you a notification of receipt
of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification 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 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.
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
9743
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 annual performance
measures that will yield information on
various aspects of the technical
assistance and dissemination activities
currently being supported under IDEA
Part D. These measures will be used for
the National Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center competition. They
are: The percentage of products and
services deemed to be of high quality by
an independent review panel of
qualified experts or individuals with
appropriate expertise to review the
substantive content of the products and
services; the percentage of products and
services deemed to be of high relevance
to educational and early intervention
policy or practice by an independent
review panel of qualified members of
the target audiences of the technical
assistance and disseminations; the
percentage of all products and services
deemed to be of high usefulness by
target audiences to improve educational
or early intervention policy or 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:
Christy Kavulic, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Room 4057, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–2550.
Telephone: (202) 245–7359.
E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM
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9744
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 42 / Monday, March 5, 2007 / Notices
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: February 28, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special, Education
and Rehabilitative, Services.
[FR Doc. E7–3793 Filed 3–2–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL–8283–2]
Proposed Settlement Agreement,
Clean Air Act Citizen Suit
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of proposed settlement
agreement; request for public comment.
erjones on PRODPC74 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with section
113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended
(‘‘Act’’), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is
hereby given of a proposed settlement
agreement, to address a lawsuit filed by
the Center for Biological Diversity,
Preston Forsythe and Hilary Lambert
(collectively ‘‘Plaintiffs’’): Center for
Biological Diversity et al. v. Johnson,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
15:17 Mar 02, 2007
Jkt 211001
No. 06–1350 (D. D.C.). On July 31, 2006,
Plaintiffs filed a complaint alleging that
EPA had a mandatory duty under 42
U.S.C. 7661(b)(2), to respond within 60
days to Plaintiffs Title V petition
requesting that EPA object to the
proposed Tennessee Valley Authority’s
(‘‘TVA’’) Paradise Fossil Plant Title V
Operating Permit (‘‘TVA Paradise Title
V Operating Permit’’). The complaint
also alleges that EPA had a mandatory
duty under 42 U.S.C. 7661(b)(3) and (c)
and 40 CFR 71.4(e) to modify, terminate,
or revoke, or issue or deny, the
proposed TVA Paradise Title V
Operating permit and that EPA has
unreasonably delayed modifying,
terminating, or revoking, or issuing or
denying, the permit. The complaint also
alleges that EPA has unreasonably
delayed responding to the Plaintiffs’
petition for rulemaking requesting,
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a), that EPA
promulgate a rule to amend the
Kentucky State Implementation Plan to
fully incorporate the credible evidence
rule. Under the terms of the proposed
settlement agreement, EPA shall by May
25, 2007, take final action to grant or
deny Plaintiffs’ April 2005 petition for
rulemaking. The proposed settlement
agreement also provides that EPA shall
conclude a completeness determination
within 60 days after receipt of TVA’s
forthcoming Title V federal operating
permit application for the Paradise
Plant. Within 18 months after
determining the application is complete,
EPA shall take final action to issue the
permit.
DATES: Written comments on the
proposed settlement agreement must be
received by April 4, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
identified by Docket ID number EPA–
HQ–OGC–2007–0190, online at https://
www.regulations.gov (EPA’s preferred
method); by e-mail to
oei.docket@epa.gov; mailed to EPA
Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 2822T,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460–0001; or by
hand delivery or courier to EPA Docket
Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington,
DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. Comments on a disk or CD–
ROM should be formatted in Word or
ASCII file, avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption,
and may be mailed to the mailing
address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Apple Chapman, Air and Radiation Law
Office (2344A), Office of General
Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: (202)
564–5666; fax number (202) 564–5603;
e-mail address:
chapman.apple@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Additional Information About the
Proposed Settlement
On February 18, 2005, EPA formally
objected to the issuance of the proposed
TVA Paradise’s Title V Operating Permit
submitted by the Kentucky Division of
Air Quality (‘‘KDAQ’’). On April 21,
2005, Plaintiffs filed a petition
requesting that EPA object to the
proposed TVA Paradise Title V
Operating Permit and a petition for
rulemaking requesting that EPA amend
the Kentucky State Implementation
Plant to fully incorporate the credible
evidence rule. On August 18, 2006,
KDAQ withdrew the proposed TVA
Paradise Title V Operating Permit.
Subsequently, EPA initiated a Part 71
permit process for the TVA Paradise
Plant and on December 14, 2006, EPA
published notice in the Federal Register
denying Plaintiffs’ Title V petition. EPA
has filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’
Complaint.
The settlement agreement, which is
subject to CAA section 113(g), provides
that by May 25, 2007, EPA shall take
final action to grant or deny Plaintiffs’
petition for rulemaking. The agreement
also provides that within 60 days after
receipt of TVA’s forthcoming permit
application to EPA for a Title V permit
for the Paradise Plant, EPA shall
conclude a completeness determination.
Within 18 months after determining the
application is complete, EPA shall take
final action to issue the permit. Should
KDAQ submit a new proposed CAA
Title V Operating Permit for the TVA
Paradise Plant that EPA determines
adequately addresses the issues raised
by EPA in its February 18, 2006
objections, EPA must notify Plaintiff’s
counsel with written notice that the
commitments with regard to the Title V
Federal Operating Permit for the TVA
Paradise Plant are null and void. Within
20 days after EPA has fulfilled the above
obligations or after agreement becomes
null and void, Plaintiffs shall file a
motion to dismiss with prejudice.
For a period of thirty (30) days
following the date of publication of this
notice, the Agency will receive written
comments relating to the proposed
settlement agreement from persons who
were not named as parties or
intervenors to the litigation in question.
EPA or the Department of Justice may
withdraw or withhold consent to the
proposed settlement agreement if the
E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM
05MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 42 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9739-9744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-3793]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Overview
Information; Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for
Children With Disabilities--National Center To Enhance the Training of
Personnel Who Share Responsibility for Improving Outcomes for Young
Children With Disabilities (National Early Childhood Training
Enhancement Center); Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2007
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.325J.
Dates: Applications Available: March 5, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 19, 2007.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 18, 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
Results for Children with Disabilities program for FY 2007, of which we
intend to use an estimated $600,000 for the National Early Childhood
Training Enhancement Center 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 $600,000 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 Early Childhood Training Enhancement
Center Background:
In growing numbers, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with
disabilities are joining their peers without disabilities in natural
settings such as childcare centers, Early Head Start and Head Start
programs, and public and private preschools. Early interventionists,
early childhood educators and special educators, related services
providers, and childcare personnel share responsibility for ensuring
high quality services and improved outcomes for young children with
disabilities. To effectively meet the learning and developmental needs
of young children (birth through five) with disabilities, all of these
professionals must have knowledge and training in early intervention
and early childhood special education, including how to work with
families with young children.
Recent data collected by the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP)-funded Center to Inform Personnel Preparation Policy and
Practice in Early Intervention and Preschool Education (https://
www.uconnucedd.org/per_prep_center/) suggest, however, that
programs have serious difficulty finding and hiring personnel with
adequate training in early intervention or early childhood special
education. In addition, many early care and education personnel do not
have the training or knowledge to effectively meet the diverse
developmental and educational needs of young children with disabilities
in natural environments. In order to meet the early learning and
developmental needs of young children more effectively, future and
current early childhood personnel must have access to training,
educational resources, and materials that reflect evidence-based
practice in the fields of early intervention and early childhood
education.
In particular, educators and service providers must have: (1)
Knowledge of authentic assessment practices such as collecting work
samples and observational records, which go beyond assessment of
discrete skills to assessments that capture the depth of children's
functional abilities within their daily context; (2) training in
service coordination and collaborative models of service delivery (this
is particularly important as specialized service providers go into
natural environments, such as childcare centers and preschools, where
staff may not be as knowledgeable about evidence-based practices in
working with children with disabilities and their families); and (3)
knowledge of interventions and practices that support the development
of school readiness skills, particularly in the areas of language,
early literacy, and social-emotional development.
To this end, the Assistant Secretary proposes a National Early
Childhood Training Enhancement Center for preservice higher education
faculty and professional development providers who train early
interventionists, early childhood educators and special educators,
related services providers, and childcare personnel (the targeted
constituent group) to work with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
with disabilities (birth through five) and their families.
[[Page 9740]]
Priority
The purpose of this priority is to address the need for high
quality early childhood personnel and ensure that they have the skills
and knowledge to provide collaborative services to meet the
developmental and learning needs of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
with disabilities. The goal of this priority is to establish a National
Early Childhood Training Enhancement Center (Center) that will
identify, develop, and disseminate evidence-based training modules for
use by higher education faculty, including community college faculty,
and professional development providers who provide ongoing training to
the targeted constituent group. The Center must provide technical
assistance to programs providing preservice preparation and
professional development. The Center also must ensure that these
programs have ready access to current materials and resources necessary
to support the development of personnel to effectively work within a
collaborative model to effectively serve young children with
disabilities in natural environments.
The Center must:
(a) Identify needs. Identify knowledge and skill enhancement needs
of preservice trainees and practicing personnel in the targeted
constituent group that are most critical to ensuring that these
personnel are well prepared to meet the developmental and learning
needs of young children with disabilities. As part of this needs-
identification process, the Center must consult with, representatives
of professional organizations, faculty from both 4-year and 2-year
programs engaged in preservice training, professional development
providers, students in training, practicing personnel, families of
young children with disabilities, and other stakeholders as
appropriate. In addition to the needs identified through this process,
the Center must, as appropriate to the roles of the targeted
constituents, focus on the following topic areas: Authentic assessment
of young children, collaborative service delivery, working with
families of young children with disabilities, and knowledge of
intervention and practices that support the development of school
readiness outcomes for young children with disabilities, especially in
the areas of language, early literacy, and social-emotional
development.
(b) Identify appropriate existing resources. Identify existing
resources that represent state of the art, evidence-based knowledge and
practice in early intervention and early childhood education, including
resources that have been developed through early childhood
discretionary grants or contracts funded by OSEP, Head Start and the
Child Care Bureau in the Department of Health and Human Services, or
other relevant agencies. Additionally, the Center must review and
consider for incorporation, into proposed training modules and
supporting materials, appropriate early childhood products that have
been developed by projects that are part of the OSEP Technical
Assistance Network, including State Personnel Development projects,
Parent Training and Information Centers, and other OSEP-funded
technical assistance projects.
(c) Identify and develop training modules. Identify and evaluate
existing training modules in the field using established criteria and
develop content-rich training modules that address the critical
knowledge and skill-enhancement needs identified through activities
conducted under paragraph (a); reflect evidence-based practices and
scientifically-based research; are designed to maximize adult learning;
and integrate existing resources identified in paragraph (b). In
addition, the training modules must be designed for ease of integration
into existing curricular and experiential opportunities in the targeted
preservice preparation programs or structured to be effective resources
for providing professional development opportunities for personnel
already in practice. Training modules also must be identified and
developed in collaboration with content experts, through sub-
contractual or consultative arrangements with the Center, to ensure
that module content is current and reflects promising and effective
practices. Each proposed content expert and module topic must be
approved by OSEP prior to the initiation of any development activity.
(d) Disseminate training modules and provide targeted technical
assistance. Develop and implement mechanisms that will result in broad,
effective dissemination and use of training modules identified or
developed in paragraph (c). The Center must make all training modules
and supporting materials available on a dedicated Web site that is
easily searchable by topic and is available for use to everyone at no
cost. As an example of previous OSEP-supported work that utilizes this
approach, please see the following Web site: https://
iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/. The Center must develop a dissemination
partnership with at least one publisher who links (without cost to the
Center or additional costs to the consumer) the materials and resources
created by the Center to its products and services. The Center must
develop targeted mechanisms for the dissemination and utilization of
products by preservice personnel preparation programs in institutions
of higher education, including community colleges, OSEP-funded State
Personnel Development grantees, and professional development providers
whose services target personnel serving infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers with disabilities. The Center must also develop efficient,
effective strategies for providing technical assistance to assist
higher education faculty and professional development providers in the
use of the training modules created by the Center.
(e) Conduct comprehensive project evaluation. Design and conduct a
comprehensive evaluation of the work, accomplishments, outcomes,
impact, and effectiveness of the Center. This evaluation must be
designed to provide information to guide ongoing refinements to the
structure, activities, workflow, and products that will improve the
ultimate impact and effectiveness of the Center. This comprehensive
evaluation must also be designed to measure the impact of the Center's
work on the goal of enhancing the knowledge and skills of the targeted
constituent group so that they can effectively provide young children
with disabilities the services and supports necessary for them to fully
participate in natural environments, meet their developmental and
learning potential, and be prepared to enter school ready to learn.
(f) Establish an advisory board. In designing and carrying out the
required activities of the Center, the project must establish and make
ongoing and effective use of a Board of Advisors. The make-up of the
Board of Advisors should include as appropriate: Professional
organization representatives, higher education faculty, practicing
personnel, professional development providers, family members of young
children with disabilities, State and local IDEA Part C and section 619
coordinators, federally supported technical assistance providers, and
federally supported higher education project directors.
(g) Maintain communication with OSEP. The project should maintain
ongoing communication with the OSEP Project Officer, including monthly
conference calls. The project must also budget for a three-day Project
Directors' meeting in Washington, DC during each year of the project
plus additional two-
[[Page 9741]]
day trips annually to Washington, DC to attend additional national
meetings and to meet and collaborate with the OSEP Project Officer and
other funded projects for purposes of cross-project collaboration and
information exchange.
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. The 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; and
(c) The degree to which the Center's products reflect evidence-
based practices and scientifically-based research and address the
identified critical knowledge and skill enhancement needs within the
field.
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 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 $600,000 for the National Early Childhood
Training Enhancement Center 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 $600,000 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 84.325J.
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: March 5, 2007.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 19, 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.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 18, 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
[[Page 9742]]
competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail
or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications. To comply with the
President's Management Agenda, we are participating as a partner in the
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site. The National Early Childhood
Training Enhancement Center competition--CFDA number 84.325J is
included in this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Governmentwide 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
Early Childhood Training Enhancement Center competition--CFDA number
84.325J 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 (e.g., search for 84.326,
not 84.326A).
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 and 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 and 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 and 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 submission 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 steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see https://
www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp). These steps include (1)
registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes
registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); (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 submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In
addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual
basis. This may take three or more business days to complete.
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.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including all information you
typically provide 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 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 in
this paragraph 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 from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application 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 Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support
Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
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 described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application 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. 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.
[[Page 9743]]
Note: The extensions to which we refer 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 application 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
84.325J), 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
84.325J), 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.
(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.
(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 84.325J), 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 the SF 424 the CFDA number, including suffix
letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your
application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification
of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this
notification 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 annual
performance measures that will yield information on various aspects of
the technical assistance and dissemination activities currently being
supported under IDEA Part D. These measures will be used for the
National Early Childhood Training Enhancement Center competition. They
are: The percentage of products and services deemed to be of high
quality by an independent review panel of qualified experts or
individuals with appropriate expertise to review the substantive
content of the products and services; the percentage of products and
services deemed to be of high relevance to educational and early
intervention policy or practice by an independent review panel of
qualified members of the target audiences of the technical assistance
and disseminations; the percentage of all products and services deemed
to be of high usefulness by target audiences to improve educational or
early intervention policy or 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: Christy Kavulic, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4057, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7359.
[[Page 9744]]
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: February 28, 2007.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special, Education and Rehabilitative,
Services.
[FR Doc. E7-3793 Filed 3-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
