Training Personnel for the Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program Administered by the Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Education and Rehabilitative Services; Notice DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary provides notice that the Department

intends to revise the forms it requires grantees under Part D of the

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to use in submitting

their Annual Performance Reports under Section 634 of Pub. L. 101-476,

as amended. These forms are the Personnel Data Form and the Parent Data

Form.

The Department is publishing this notice of intent to collect data

to solicit public comment from State education agencies, institutions

of higher education, parent organizations, professionals in the field

of special education, individuals with disabilities, professional

organizations and advocacy groups for persons with disabilities,

researchers, other Federal agencies, and other appropriate parties

regarding the utility and burden of collecting and reporting data in

addition to that specified in IDEA. The new data would be (1) Outcomes

and placement information from grantees training personnel to serve

children with disabilities and their families; and (2) the names of

organizations networked or consulted with by parent information and

training center grantees.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 16, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this notice should be addressed to

Norman D. Howe, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,

room 3072, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-2643.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janice S. Ancarrow, U.S. Department of

Education, Maryland Avenue SW., room 3515, Switzer Building,

Washington, DC 20202-2643. Telephone: (202) 205-8274. Individuals who

use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the TDD

number at (202) 205-9999.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Statutory Provisions and Legislative History

Part D of the Act (IDEA) provides support for programs to increase

the quantity and improve the quality of personnel trained to provide

early intervention, education, and related services to infants,

toddlers, children, youth, and their families. The Division of

Personnel Preparation (DPP) in the Office of Special Education Programs

(OSEP), Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

(OSERS), administers this program.

As amended in 1990 through 1992, section 634(a) (1) and (2) of IDEA

requires personnel training grantees funded under 631(a) to report the

number of personnel enrolled under each grant by category of training

and level of training; and the number of individuals trained receiving

degrees and certification, by category and level of training. The law

further requires that applicants for training grants must provide a

description of detailed strategies to recruit and train members of

minority groups and persons with disabilities, as well as to give them

priority consideration for stipend support when selecting among

qualified trainees. See section 631(a)(2)(B) and (3) of IDEA.

Therefore, trainees' race or ethnicity, and their disability status

were added to the Personnel Data Form, as well as the information

required by Section 634.

Under section 631(e)(11), as amended in 1990 through 1992, grantees

who are parent training and information centers must report detailed

information on their clients served. OSEP developed a separate Parent

Data Form to capture these data.

Both forms were provisionally approved for one year by the Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) on November 12, 1992.

Proposed Data Elements

To assist the Department of Education in monitoring the efficacy of

this training program in meeting the educational and related needs of

infants, children, youth, and their families, and to examine how

grantees are implementing statutory requirements, the Department

intends to add further data elements to the Personnel Data Form, as

well as to the Parent Data Form.

The planned revision of the Personnel Data Form would add a Part

III, which would include individual counts for student trainee outcomes

data on: (1) Completers (such as length of time to the degree) and (2)

noncompleters (such as reasons for not completing); and aggregate

counts for placement outcomes (such as type of employment and

geographic location).

The revised Parent Data Form would include data on the names of

organizations networked or consulted with under IDEA section 631(e)(11)

(E) and (F).

Invitation To Comment

The Assistant Secretary is interested in receiving public comment

on the utility and burden of obtaining from personnel training grantees

various outcomes data, including placement data by aggregated counts or

by individual trainee; and from parent training and information

centers, the names of organizations they networked or consulted with.

The DPP data collection package previously approved by OMB, and all

comments submitted in response to this notice will be available for

public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 3072,

Switzer Building, 330 ``C'' Street SW., Washington, DC, between the

hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week

except Federal holidays.

To familiarize the public with the format of the proposed changes,

copies of the draft proposed Part III of the Personnel Data Form (Form

1) and the draft revised Parent Form (Form 2) are available by calling

(202) 205-9554.

Please note that the Department has not yet submitted the proposed

revised forms to OMB for its formal review and approval. Public

comments received under this Notice will be considered prior to

finalizing the forms for submission to OMB.

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1409(g).

Dated: June 13, 1994.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 94-14858 Filed 6-16-94; 8:45 am]

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