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Monday, July 21, 2003

Part II

Department of Education

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Notice

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Federal Register

/Vol. 68, No. 139/Monday, July 21, 2003/Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Special Education andRehabilitative Services

AGENCY

Department of Education.

ACTION

Notice inviting applications fornew awards for fiscal year (FY) 2003.

SUMMARY

This notice announces closingdates, priorities, and other informationregarding the transmittal of grantapplications for FY 2003 competitionsunder three programs authorized underpart D, subpart 2 of the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act, as amended.The three programs are: (1) SpecialEducation—Technical Assistance andDissemination to Improve Services andResults for Children with Disabilities (4priorities); (2) Special Education—Technology and Media Services forIndividuals with Disabilities (1 priority)and (3) Special Education—Trainingand Information for Parents of Childrenwith Disabilities (1 priority).Please note that significant dates forthe availability and submission of applications, as well as important fiscalinformation, are listed in a table at theend of this notice.

Waiver of Rulemaking

It is generally our practice to offerinterested parties the opportunity tocomment on proposed priorities.However, section 661(e)(2) of IDEAmakes the public commentrequirements in the AdministrativeProcedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553)inapplicable to the priorities in thisnotice.

General Requirements

(a) The projects funded under thisnotice must make positive efforts toemploy and advance in employmentqualified individuals with disabilities(

see

section 606 of IDEA).(b) Applicants and grant recipientsfunded under this notice must involveindividuals with disabilities or parentsof individuals with disabilities inplanning, implementing, and evaluatingthe projects (

see

section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA).(c) The projects funded under thesepriorities must budget for a two-dayProject Directors’ meeting inWashington, DC during each year of theproject.(d) In a single application, anapplicant must address only oneabsolute priority in this notice.(e) If a project maintains a Web site,it must include relevant informationand documents in an accessible form.

Page Limit:

If you are an applicant,Part III of each application, theapplication narrative, is where youaddress the selection criteria that areused by reviewers in evaluating theapplication. You must limit Part III tothe equivalent of no more than thenumber of pages listed in the table at theend of this notice, using the followingstandards:

•

A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5

″ ×

″

(on one sideonly) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides).

•

Double-space (no more than threelines per vertical inch) all text in theapplication narrative, including titles,headings, footnotes, quotations, andcaptions, as well as all text in charts,tables, figures, and graphs.

•

Use a font that is either 12-point orlarger or no smaller than 10 pitch(characters per inch).The page limit does not apply to PartI—the cover sheet; Part II—the budgetsection, including the narrative budgetjustification; Part IV, the assurances andcertifications; or the one-page abstract,the resumes, the bibliography orreferences, or the letters of support.However, you must include all of theapplication narrative in Part III.We will reject without considerationor evaluation any application if —

•

You apply these standards andexceed the page limit; or

•

You apply other standards andexceed the equivalent of the page limit.

Application Procedures

Note:

Some of the procedures in theseinstructions for transmitting applicationsdiffer from those in the EducationDepartment General AdministrativeRegulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Underthe Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C.553) the Department generally offersinterested parties the opportunity tocomment on proposed regulations. However,these amendments make procedural changesonly and do not establish new substantivepolicy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(A),the Secretary has determined that proposedrulemaking is not required.

Project for Electronic Submission of Applications

In Fiscal Year 2003, the U.S.Department of Education is continuingto expand its pilot project of electronicsubmission of applications to includeadditional formula grant programs andadditional discretionary grantcompetitions. The three programs inthis announcement: TechnicalAssistance and Dissemination toImprove Services and Results forChildren with Disabilities—CFDA84.326, Technology and Media Servicesfor Individuals with Disabilities—CFDA84.327, and Training and Informationfor Parents of Children withDisabilities—CFDA 84.328 are includedin the pilot project. If you are anapplicant for a grant under any of thethree programs in this notice, you maysubmit your application to us in eitherelectronic or paper format.The pilot project involves the use of the Electronic Grant Application System(e-Appliyation). Users of e-Applicationwill be entering data on-line whilecompleting their applications. You maynot e-mail a soft copy of a grantapplication to us. If you participate inthis voluntary pilot project bysubmitting an application electronically,the data you enter on-line will be savedinto a database. We request yourparticipation in e-Application. We shallcontinue to evaluate its success andsolicit suggestions for improvement.If you participate in e-Application,please note the following:

•

Your participation is voluntary.

•

You will not receive any additionalpoint value because you submit a grantapplication in electronic format, norwill we penalize you if you submit anapplication in paper format. When youenter the e-Application system, you willfind information about its hours of operation.

•

You may submit all documentselectronically, including theApplication for Federal EducationAssistance (ED 424), BudgetInformation—Non-ConstructionPrograms (ED 524), and all necessaryassurances and certifications.

•

After you electronically submityour application, you will receive anautomatic acknowledgement, whichwill include a PR/Award number (anidentifying number unique to yourapplication).

•

Within three working days aftersubmitting your electronic application,fax a signed copy of the Application forFederal Education Assistance (ED 424)to the Application Control Center afterfollowing these steps:1. Print ED 424 from e-Application.2. The institution’s AuthorizingRepresentative must sign this form.3. Place the PR/Award number in theupper right hand corner of the hardcopy signature page of the ED 424.4. Fax the signed ED 424 to theApplication Control Center at (202)260–1349.

•

We may request that you give usoriginal signatures on all other forms ata later date.

•

Closing Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability:

If you elect toparticipate in the e-Application pilot forthe Technical Assistance andDissemination to Improve Services andResults for Children with DisabilitiesProgram, the Technology and Media

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/Vol. 68, No. 139/Monday, July 21, 2003/Notices

Services for Individuals withDisabilities Program, or the Trainingand Information for Parents of Childrenwith Disabilities Program and you areprevented from submitting yourapplication on the closing date becausethe e-Application system is unavailable,we will grant you an extension of one business day in order to transmit yourapplication electronically, by mail, or byhand delivery. For us to grant thisextension

—

1. You must be a registered user of e-Application, and have initiated an e-Application for this competition; and2. (a) The e-Application system must be unavailable for 60 minutes or more between the hours of 8:30 and 3:30 p.m.,Washington, DC time, on the deadlinedate; or(b) The e-Application system must beunavailable for any period of timeduring the last hour of operation (that is,for any period of time between 3:30 and4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time) on thedeadline date.The Department must acknowledgeand confirm these periods of unavailability before granting you anextension. To request this extension youmust contact either (1) the person listedelsewhere in this notice under

FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

or (2) thee-GRANTS help desk at 1

–

888

–

336

–

8930.You may access the electronic grantapplication for the Technical Assistanceand Dissemination to Improve Servicesand Results for Children withDisabilities Program, the Technologyand Media Services for Individuals withDisabilities Program, or the Trainingand Information for Parents of Childrenwith Disabilities Program at:

http://e-grants.ed.gov.

We have included additionalinformation about the e-Applicationpilot project (see Parity Guidelines between Paper and ElectronicApplications) in the applicationpackages.

Special Education—TechnicalAssistance and Dissemination toImprove Services and Results forChildren with Disabilities [CFDANumber 84.326]

Purpose of Program:

The purpose of this program is to provide technicalassistance and information

—

throughsuch mechanisms as institutes, regionalresource centers, clearinghouses, andprograms that support States and localentities in building capacity

—

to (1)improve early intervention, educational,and transitional services and results forchildren with disabilities and theirfamilies; and (2) address systemic-change goals and priorities.

Eligible Applicants:

State educationalagencies, local educational agencies,institutions of higher education, otherpublic agencies, nonprofit privateorganizations, for-profit organizations,outlying areas, freely associated States,and Indian tribes or tribal organizations.

Applicable Regulations:

(a) TheEducation Department GeneralAdministrative Regulations (EDGAR) in34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,85, 86, 97, 98, and 99; and (b) Theselection criteria, chosen from thegeneral selection criteria in 34 CFR75.210. The specific selection criteriafor these competitions are included inthe application package for thesecompetitions.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 79apply to all applicants except federallyrecognized Indian tribes.

Note:

The regulations in 34 CFR part 86apply to institutions of higher educationonly.

Priorities

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) weconsider only applications that meetone of the following priorities:

Absolute Priority 1—Absolute Priority 1—The IDEA Partnership Project (84.326A)

BackgroundIn 1998 the Department of Education,Office of Special Education Programs(OSEP), funded four projects to supportpartnerships among nationalassociations and membershiporganizations so that they couldcontribute to the successfulimplementation of the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act (IDEA)Amendments of 1997 by makingavailable accurate information on thestatute, as well as research-basedpractices for implementing the statute,to their grass-roots constituencies.Partnerships were funded to meet theneeds of four audiences: (1) Familiesand advocates, (2) policymakers, (3)service providers, and (4) local-leveladministrators.Over the last four and a half years,these four projects have madeconsiderable progress building trust between the participating organizationsand creating an infrastructure by whichmember organizations within individualprojects could collaborate, shareinformation, and develop activities andproducts to meet the needs of theirconstituencies. In addition, through thePartnership Projects

’

CoordinatingCommittee, cross-partnershipcollaborations were initiated thatallowed the various constituency groupsto share their perspectives and to gaininsights on the perspectives of others.This cross-stakeholder communicationis essential to successfully address thecomplex challenges associated with theimplementation of both IDEA and NoChild Left Behind (NCLB).PriorityThe purpose of this priority is tocontinue, and further focus, the work of the four Partnership Projects bysupporting one partnership amongnational associations and membershiporganizations representing all fouraudiences: (1) Families, (2)policymakers, (3) service providers, and(4) local-level administrators. Thispartnership project must build upon therelationships and infrastructures created by the four previous partnerships, butmust focus its work primarily onactivities that are relevant across all fouraudiences. In addition, activitiesconducted by this project must bedesigned to move national-levelcollaborations down to State and locallevels.Like the previous four projects, thissingle partnership will be funded as acooperative agreement, and must informand provide support to its members inunderstanding IDEA, including Part C,and NCLB. The project must focus onthe effect these two statutes have on therespective roles of its members inimproving results for children withdisabilities. The project must alsoprovide opportunities for members toengage in meaningful dialogue andproblem solving designed to improvethe integration of regular and specialeducation.Applicants may not make financialcommitments to any associations ormembership organizations in designingthis application. These commitmentswill be negotiated during the first monthof the award with final approval byOSEP. The project must:(a) Form a single partnership amongnational associations and membershiporganizations from both regular andspecial education to meet the collectiveneeds of four audiences:(1) Policymakers (

e.g.

, associations of chief State school officers, State boardsof education, local school boards, Statedirectors of special education, mentalhealth, and children with special healthcare needs programs, deans of educationand special education, departmentchairs at institutions of highereducation, superintendents, governors,State legislators);(2) Service providers, (

e.g.

,associations of regular and specialeducation teachers, community-based