Early Education Program for Children With Disabilities; Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities Program; and Program for Children and Youth With Serious Emotional Disturbance

SUMMARY: The Secretary announces final priorities for three programs

administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative

Services (OSERS) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The Secretary may use these priorities in Fiscal Year 1995 and

subsequent years. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal

assistance on identified needs to improve outcomes for children with

disabilities. The final priorities are intended to ensure wide and

effective use of program funds.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take effect either 45 days after

publication in the Federal Register or later if the Congress takes

certain adjournments. If you want to know the effective date of these

priorities call or write the Department of Education contact person.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The name, address, and telephone

number of the person at the Department to contact for information on

each specific priority is listed under that priority.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains one final priority

under the Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities, one

final priority under the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials

for Individuals with Disabilities Program, and one final priority under

the Program for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance.

The purpose of each program is stated separately under the title of

that program.

On August 1, 1994, the Secretary published a notice of proposed

priorities for these programs in the Federal Register (59 FR 39234-

39238).

These final priorities support the National Education Goals by

improving understanding of how to enable children and youth with

disabilities to reach higher levels of academic achievement.

The publication of these final priorities does not preclude the

Secretary from proposing additional priorities, nor does it limit the

Secretary to funding only these priorities, subject to meeting

applicable rulemaking requirements. Funding of particular projects

depends on the availability of funds, and the quality of the

applications received. Further, priorities could be affected by

enactment of legislation reauthorizing these programs.

Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit

applications. A notice inviting applications under these

competitions is published in separate notices in this issue of the

Federal Register.

Analysis of Comments and Changes

In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notice of proposed

priorities, one party submitted comments. The comments concerned the

priority titled ``Collaborative Research on Technology, Media, and

Materials for Children and Youth with Disabilities'' proposed under the

Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with

Disabilities Program. An analysis of the comments and of the changes in

the proposed priorities follows. Technical and other minor changes are

not addressed.

Comment: The commenter expressed concern that only researchers and

practitioners are described as actively involved in all phases of the

research under the priority titled ``Collaborative Research on

Technology, Media, and Materials for Children and Youth with

Disabilities.'' The commenter suggested that the priority be revised to

include family members and students with disabilities as active

participants in the research.

Discussion: The Secretary agrees that collaborative research means

partnerships between all stakeholders, including family members and

students with disabilities, and that their inclusion is important to

reducing the gap between research and practice.

Changes: A sentence has been added to the priority to emphasize the

importance of including input from family members and students with

disabilities in the research project. The new sentence states: ``To

further reduce the gap between research and practice, projects are

encouraged to include input from family members and students with

disabilities.''

Comment: Under the priority titled ``Collaborative Research on

Technology, Media, and Materials for Children and Youth with

Disabilities'', the same commenter expressed concern that the unique

needs of students with cognitive disabilities are too frequently not

considered. The commenter suggested that projects should indicate how

such research will benefit this population of students.

Discussion: The priority as written does not preclude projects that

focus on students with cognitive disabilities. However, it is the

responsibility of the applicant to develop the project focus in terms

of curriculum areas, grade/age levels, disabilities, types of services

provided, and/or specific types of technology, media and materials. The

Secretary does not believe it would be appropriate to limit projects to

certain disability areas, but prefers to give potential applicants the

latitude to include any disability.

Changes: None.

Early Education Program for Children With Disabilities

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support

activities that are designed (a) to address the special needs of

children with disabilities, birth through age eight, and their

families; and, (b) to assist State and local entities in expanding and

improving programs and services for these children and their families.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an absolute

preference to applications that meet the following priority. The

Secretary will fund under this competition only applications that meet

this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority--Early Childhood Research Institute: Follow

Through

Background: This priority supports an Early Childhood Research

Institute to develop, evaluate and disseminate strategies and

procedures that will move the successful practices of early

intervention and preschool programs into the early elementary school

grades. These successful practices include, but are not limited to, (1)

family-friendly and family-focused approaches to planning and providing

special education and related services, (2) extensive parent

involvement in service planning and delivery, (3) integrated and

coordinated delivery of services when multiple services are necessary,

(4) multi-disciplinary input into service planning and delivery, (5)

developmentally appropriate services delivered in ungraded/mixed-age

and mixed ability group settings, and (6) a pro-active approach to

service planning and delivery in which services (e.g., team teaching,

assistive technology applications, use of paraprofessionals) are

integrated and concentrated to ensure that as many children with

disabilities as possible successfully acquire critical skills taught in

the primary grades (e.g., beginning literacy, social skills) that are

crucial to children's progress and adjustment in school.

The Institute's research, development and evaluation activities

must (1) identify administrative, attitudinal, and programmatic

barriers to establishing these successful practices in kindergarten

through grade three (or equivalent) for children with disabilities and

their families; (2) develop and evaluate strategies and procedures that

are designed to overcome these barriers, such as strategies parents can

use to maintain their involvement once their child reaches school age,

and strategies school personnel can use to encourage and facilitate

continued parent involvement; and (3) identify effective ways to

disseminate the findings and products of the Institute so that

successful practices, or combinations of practices, can be adopted

easily by school systems.

The Secretary anticipates funding one cooperative agreement with a

project period of up to 60 months subject to the requirements of 34 CFR

75.253(a) for continuation awards. In determining whether to continue

the Institute for the fourth and fifth years of the project period, the

Secretary, in addition to applying the requirements of 34 CFR

75.253(a), considers the recommendation of a review team consisting of

three experts selected by the Secretary. The services of the review

team, including a two-day visit to the project, are to be performed

during the last half of the Institute's second year and may be included

in that year's evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590.

Priority: The Early Childhood Research Institute considered for

funding under this priority must--

(a) Conduct a program of research that addresses the issues

identified above.

(b) Identify specific strategies and procedures that will be

investigated.

(c) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on

previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the strategies

and procedures to be studied, the research methods and instrumentation

that will be used, and the specific target populations and settings

that will be studied.

(d) Collect, analyze, and report a variety of descriptive and

outcome data, including (1) specific information on the settings, the

service providers, the children and families targeted by the Institute

(e.g., age, disability, level of functioning and membership in a

special population, if appropriate); (2) multiple, functional outcome

data for the children and families who are the focus of the strategies

and procedures; and (3) multiple outcome data for the teachers,

administrators, and other school staff involved in the research.

(e) Conduct the research in typical school settings, including

settings that are, or will be, implementing different combinations of

the successful practices.

(f) Conduct the research using methodological procedures that are

designed to produce unambiguous findings regarding the effects of the

strategies and procedures, as well as any findings on interaction

effects between particular strategies or procedures and particular

characteristics of participants or settings. These findings will be

rendered through appropriate sample selection and adequate sample size

to permit use of the findings in policy analyses.

(g) Design all activities in a manner that is likely to lead to

improved services for children with disabilities and their families,

including those who are members of cultural, linguistic, or racial

minority groups.

(h) Develop, field test, and disseminate a variety of products that

can be used for training and technical assistance activities with

policy makers, administrators, school board members, parents, and

service providers and that are likely to facilitate the implementation

of the successful practices in early elementary school settings.

(i) Coordinate research and dissemination activities with other

relevant efforts sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education,

including other research institutes, technical assistance entities, and

information clearinghouses.

(j) Provide research training and experience for at least 10

graduate students annually.

In determining whether to continue the Institute for the fourth and

fifth years of the project period, in addition to considering factors

in 34 CFR 75.253(a), the Secretary considers the following:

(a) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of

the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the

Institute.

(b) The degree to which the Institute's research designs and

methodological procedures demonstrate the potential for producing

significant new knowledge and products.

In order to apply for funding for years four and five, the

Institute must set aside in its budget for the second year, funds to

cover costs associated with the services to be performed by the review

team appointed by the Secretary to evaluate the project in the second

year. These funds are estimated to be approximately $4,000.

For Further Information Contact: Gail Houle, U.S. Department of

Education, Room 4613, Switzer Building, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C., 20202-2644. Telephone (202) 205-9045. Individuals who

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

number at (202) 205-8169.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1423.

Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With

Disabilities Program

Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support

projects and centers for advancing the availability, quality, use, and

effectiveness of technology, educational media, and materials in the

education of children and youth with disabilities and the provision of

early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.

In creating Part G of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,

Congress expressed the intent that the projects and centers funded

under that part should be primarily for the purpose of enhancing

research and development advances and efforts being undertaken by the

public or private sector, and to provide necessary linkages to make

more efficient and effective the flow from research and development to

application.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an absolute

preference to applications that meet the following priority. The

Secretary will fund under this competition only applications that meet

this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority--Collaborative Research on Technology,

Media, and Materials for Children and Youth With Disabilities

Background: In 1993 an agenda was developed for the Technology,

Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities

Program which set forth four program commitments. These four

commitments were derived from broad-based input from the field, and

together they represent the means by which the Office of Special

Education Programs intends to advance the use of technology, media, and

materials with students with disabilities. They are:

(1) Enable the Learner Across Environments. This means fostering

instructional environments, both in and out of school, that use

technology, educational media, and materials to enable students with

disabilities to access knowledge, develop skills and problem-solving

strategies, and engage in educational experiences necessary for their

success as adults.

(2) Promote Effective Policy. This means policymaking at all levels

in government, schools, and business to ensure accessibility,

availability, effective application, and consistent use of appropriate

technology, media, and materials.

(3) Foster Use Through Professional Development. This means

training and supporting teachers, administrators, parents, and related

service personnel on the benefits of instructional and assistive

technologies so that they can increase productive use of instructional

time, prepare students with disabilities for employment and

citizenship, and promote their intellectual, ethical, cultural,

emotional, and physical growth.

(4) Create Innovative Tools. This means encouraging development of

varied and integrated technologies, media, and materials which open up

and expand the lives of those with disabilities.

However, research is needed on how these interrelated commitments

can be applied in the complex reality of educational practice. This

priority addresses that need by supporting collaborative research,

which means research based on a partnership between researchers and

practitioners in which both are actively involved in all phases of the

research--initial planning and design, collection of information or

data, analysis of information or data, and reporting and dissemination.

This research strategy is intended to produce methodologically sound

research information that is relevant and applicable to practice and

reduces the gap between research and practice. To further reduce the

gap between research and practice, projects are encouraged to include

input from family members and students with disabilities.

Priority: The Assistant Secretary establishes an absolute priority

for collaborative research projects that--

(a) Formulate a research topic and design based on commitments (1),

(2), and (3), as described above, as they relate to improving education

and/or related services at the local level for students with

disabilities. This priority is not intended to support projects that

are primarily engaged in product development; thus, commitment (4) may

be included only as a supporting activity. In formulating the research

topic, projects must develop a focus in terms of curriculum areas,

grade/age levels, disabilities, types of services provided, and/or

specific types of technology, media and materials. In formulating the

research design, projects must apply the standards for conducting

rigorous social science research. The following research topics are

offered as illustrative examples and do not represent the full range of

possible topics. These examples are broad, and projects may opt for

more narrow focuses. However, projects must address all three program

commitments--either as background, contextual factors, or as components

of interventions or manipulations.

Example 1: Research on how local policies in schools and other

agencies restrict or facilitate the acquisition and use of assistive

devices, and how professional development within the context of these

policies can yield improved assistive technology services to better

enable students to access school, home, and community environments.

Example 2: Research on how local policies regarding curriculum and

accountability can be revised to promote interdisciplinary professional

collaboration in the effective use of technology, media and materials

to enable students with disabilities to acquire high-level problem-

solving strategies.

Example 3: Research on how policies and professional practices may

contribute to inequitable access and use of technology, media and

materials for some students with disabilities, and how the inequities

can be reduced by means of policy and/or professional interventions to

better enable students with disabilities to engage in beneficial

educational experiences.

(b) Conduct a program of collaborative research on the research

topic.

(c) Measure the effects of the intervention and relationships

within and across the program commitments (1, 2, and 3).

(d) Disseminate information on the findings of the collaborative

research in a form conducive to use by other schools or service

providers, as well as other researchers.

(e) Coordinate their activities, as appropriate, with recipients of

grants under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with

Disabilities Act (Pub. L. 100-407 as amended by Pub. L. 103-218).

A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, D.C.,

for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another

meeting, to meet and collaborate with the project officer of the Office

of Special Education Programs and the other projects funded under this

priority, to share information and to discuss findings and joint

methods of dissemination.

For Further Information Contact: Ellen Schiller, U.S. Department of

Education, Room 3523, Switzer Building, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8123. Individuals who

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

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 333.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461.

Program for Children and Youth With Serious Emotional Disturbance

Purpose of Program: This program supports projects designed to

improve special education and related services to children and youth

with serious emotional disturbance. Types of projects that may be

supported under the program include, but are not limited to, research,

development, and demonstration projects. Funds may also be used to

develop and demonstrate approaches to assist and prevent children with

emotional and behavioral problems from developing serious emotional

disturbance.

Priority

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an absolute

preference to applications that meet the following priority. The

Secretary will fund under this competition only applications that meet

this absolute priority:

Proposed Absolute Priority--Nondiscriminatory, Culturally-Competent,

Collaborative Demonstration Models To Improve Services for Students

With Serious Emotional Disturbance and Prevention Services for Students

With Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Background: The rates of identification, placement, and achievement

of children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems vary

across racial, cultural, gender, and socioeconomic dimensions. For

example, African-American students are most likely to be identified as

students with serious emotional disturbance (SED). African-Americans

comprise 16 percent of public school enrollment, but represent 22

percent of all students identified with SED (based on data from the

1990 OCR survey of school districts), and 25 percent of secondary

students with SED (based on data from OSEP National Longitudinal

Transition Study). Rates of SED identification for African-American

students vary greatly across States but, on average, States with the

lowest overall African-American enrollment have the highest SED

incidence rates for those students and, conversely, States with the

highest overall African-American enrollment have the lowest average

rate of SED classification for these students (based on data from the

1990 OCR survey of school districts). These data suggest that African-

American students may be over-represented in SED programs in some

States, and underserved in others, and that some of these differences

may be related to identification, evaluation, and placement methods

that fail to recognize cultural differences.

Diversity must be acknowledged and valued, and both prevention and

SED service delivery systems must be culturally-competent. Cultural

competencies represent the interpersonal skills and attitudes that

enable individuals to increase their understanding and appreciation of

the rich and fluid nature of culture and of differences and

similarities within, among, and between cultures and individuals.

Culturally-competent approaches recognize the cultural origins of

teachers' and service providers' views, behaviors, and methods. These

approaches also recognize that language and language use conventions

are culturally based, and attend to the communicative styles of

students and their families. Culturally-competent approaches address

culturally-based definitions of family and networks. They view family

and community as critical parts of a student's support system. Such

approaches also demonstrate a willingness and ability to draw on

community-based values, traditions, customs, and resources. Assessment,

pre-referral, and preventive approaches that are culturally-competent

and linguistically appropriate recognize and nurture the strengths--

individual and cultural--that students bring to school.

There is a need to improve the capacity of individuals and systems

to respond skillfully, respectfully, and effectively to students,

families, teachers, and other providers in a manner that recognizes,

affirms, and values their worth and dignity. To accomplish this,

collaboration must be fostered--among families, professionals,

students, and communities--to identify and provide culturally-competent

services for students with SED and prevention services that address the

needs of children and youth with emotional and behavioral problems.

Priority: The Assistant Secretary establishes an absolute priority

for demonstration projects that develop, implement, evaluate, and

disseminate nondiscriminatory, culturally-competent, collaborative

practices to prevent children with emotional and behavioral problems

from developing SED, and to improve special education and related

services for ethnic and cultural minority students, in the least

restrictive environment. The projects must establish local, community-

based assessment, planning, prevention, and intervention teams that

involve participation from education, mental health, juvenile justice

agencies, other appropriate community service agencies, and

organizations representing families. The first stage of each project

must consist of the development and refinement of working agreements

between the various community agencies and organizations, to identify

approaches that improve the capacity of individuals and systems to

respond skillfully, respectfully, and effectively to students,

families, teachers, and other providers in a manner that recognizes,

affirms, and values their worth and dignity.

The first stage planning must include the collaborative

consideration and development, by all participating groups, of non-

discriminatory, culturally-competent techniques that enhance the

fairness and effectiveness of key service delivery elements, including

but not necessarily limited to assessment, education, training,

transition planning, and the provision of related services. The second

stage of each project must consist of the implementation and evaluation

of the services delivered, across service providers, followed by

dissemination of the results.

A project must budget for two trips annually to Washington, D.C.,

for (1) a two-day Research Project Directors' meeting; and (2) another

meeting, to meet and collaborate with the OSEP project officer and the

other projects funded under this priority, to share information and to

discuss findings and methods of dissemination.

For Further Information Contact: Tom V. Hanley, U.S. Department of

Education, Switzer Building, Room 3526, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-8110. Individuals who

use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8

p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Intergovernmental Review

The Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities, the

Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with

Disabilities Program and the Program for Children and Youth with

Serious Emotional Disturbance are subject to the requirements of

Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The

objective of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on processes

developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of

proposed Federal financial assistance.

In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide

early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for

these programs.

Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR part 309, 328, and 333.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Early Education

Program for Children with Disabilities, 84.024; Technology,

Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities

Program, 84.180; and Program for Children and Youth with Serious

Emotional Disturbance, 84.237)

Dated: October 6, 1994.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 94-25258 Filed 10-12-94; 8:45 am]

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