Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Grant Applications Under Part D, Subpart 2 of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997.

Federal RegisterJan 4, 1999

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Grant

Applications Under Part D, Subpart 2 of the Individuals With

Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997.

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year

1999.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides closing dates and other information

regarding the transmittal of applications for fiscal year 1999

competitions under four programs authorized by the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended. The four programs are:

(1) Special Education--Research and Innovation to Improve Services and

Results for Children with Disabilities (three priorities); (2) Special

Education--Personnel Preparation to Improve Services and Results for

Children with Disabilities (one priority); (3) Special Education--

Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results

for Children with Disabilities (one priority); and (4) Special

Education--Technology and Media Services for Individuals with

Disabilities (two priorities).

This notice supports the National Education Goals by helping to

improve results for children with disabilities.

Waiver of Rulemaking

It is generally the practice of the Secretary to offer interested

parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities. However,

section 661(e)(2) of IDEA makes the Administrative Procedure Act (5

U.S.C. 553) inapplicable to the priorities in this notice.

General Requirements

(a) Projects funded under this notice must make positive efforts to

employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with

disabilities in project activities (see Section 606 of IDEA);

(b) Applicants and grant recipients funded under this notice must

involve individuals with disabilities or parents of individuals with

disabilities in planning, implementing, and evaluating the projects

(see Section 661(f)(1)(A) of IDEA);

day Project Directors' meeting in Washington, D.C. during each year of

the project; and

(d) In a single application, an applicant must address only one

absolute priority in this notice.

Note: The Department of Education is not bound by any estimates

in this notice.

Information collection resulting from this notice has been

submitted to OMB for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act and has

been approved under control number 1820-0028, expiration date July 31,

2000.

Research And Innovation To Improve Services And Results for

Children With Disabilities [CFDA 84.324]

Purpose of Program: To produce, and advance the use of, knowledge

to: (1) improve services provided under IDEA, including the practices

of professionals and others involved in providing those services to

children with disabilities; and (2) improve educational and early

intervention results for infants, toddlers, and children with

disabilities.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,

81, 82, 85, and 86; (b) The selection criteria for Absolute Priorities

1-3 are drawn from the EDGAR general selection criteria menu. The

specific selection criteria for each of the priorities are included in

the funding application packet for the three competitions.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of

higher education only.

Priority

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

preference to applications that meet the following priorities. The

Secretary funds under these competitions only applications that meet

these absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--Directed Research Projects (84.324D)

This priority provides support for projects that advance and

improve the knowledge base and improve the practice of professionals,

parents, and others providing early intervention, special education,

and related services, including professionals who work with children

with disabilities in regular education environments and natural

environments, to provide those children effective instruction and

interventions that enable them to learn and develop successfully. Under

this priority, projects must support innovation, development, exchange

of information, and use of advancements in knowledge and practice

designed to contribute to the improvement of early intervention,

instruction, and learning of infants, toddlers, and children with

disabilities.

Focus 1--Inclusion of Students With Disabilities in Large-Scale

Assessment Programs

The IDEA amendments of 1997 include a number of provisions related

to State and district-wide assessment programs. These provisions call

for (1) the participation of children with disabilities in general

State and district-wide assessment programs, with appropriate

accommodations where necessary (Sec. 612(a)(17)(A)); (2) the provision

of alternate assessments for children with disabilities who cannot

participate in State or district-wide assessment programs (Sec.

612(a)(17)(A)(I)(ii)), (3) public reporting on the participation and

performance of students with disabilities in general assessment

programs and alternate assessments (Sec. 612(a)(17)(B)), and (4)

individualized decision making during the development of the IEP about

modifications in the administration of State and district-wide

assessments and participation in alternate assessments (Sec.

614(d)(1)(A)(v)).

Focus 1 supports projects that pursue systematic programs of

applied research to (a) determine how State and local educational

agencies can best meet these requirements, and/or (b) study the effects

of State and local efforts to meet these requirements. Projects may

focus on one or more specific requirements or issues.

The Secretary intends to fund at least one project focusing on low-

incidence disabilities, i.e., visual impairments (including blindness),

hearing impairments (including deafness), orthopedic impairments,

autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, and multiple

and severe disabilities. The Secretary intends to make approximately 3

awards in Focus Area 1.

Focus 2--Instructional Interventions and Results for Children With

Disabilities

The successful implementation of the IDEA Amendments of 1997

requires a strong emphasis on access to and support for children with

disabilities in general education curricula. Research is needed to

describe, test, and validate instructional practices that have the

potential for generating positive results for children with

disabilities as they strive to meet State and local standards and

performance goals set for all students. The research must focus on

children in preschool, elementary, middle, or high school. The

Secretary intends to award at least 2 projects for each of the

following grade levels;

[[Page 353]]

preschool, elementary, middle, and high school.

Projects supported under Focus 2 must investigate one or more

issues related to content-area results for children with disabilities.

These issues may include, but are not limited to:

(a) The relationship of instructional interventions in core

subjects to results. Core subjects include, for example, language arts,

mathematics, science, and social studies.

(b) The relationship of contextual variables to results. Contextual

variables include, for example, classroom design, groupings, or

management strategies; curricular design, delivery, or materials;

family and staff interaction.

ensure that students with disabilities have access to the general

education curriculum.

The Secretary intends to fund approximately 12 awards in Focus 2.

Focus Area 3--Early and Prescriptive Assessment of Children With

Learning or Emotional Disabilities

Analyses of identification rates for children with disabilities

have repeatedly documented that, in general, children with physical,

sensory, speech, and severe cognitive disabilities are recognized

relatively early, and children with learning and emotional

disabilities, relatively late. Between first grade and fourth grade the

number of children identified with learning disabilities and emotional

disturbance triples. In contrast, research has shown that early

intervention is particularly effective for children with learning or

emotional disabilities, to improve educational results and reduce

behavioral difficulties.

Attempts to explain the late identification patterns for children

with learning or emotional disabilities have targeted weaknesses in

assessment practices, and the consequent reluctance of schools to

engage in potentially stigmatizing erroneous identification.

Nevertheless, this reluctance has undoubtedly resulted in the denial of

appropriate services to many young children at the age when they would

obtain the greatest benefit from targeted interventions.

Research is needed to examine and document effective and

prescriptive assessment procedures that will contribute to the accurate

identification of young children (3 through 9 years of age) with

learning or emotional disabilities, and will lead to specification of

appropriate services to maximize their social and educational

development. The procedures and services to be studied must incorporate

multiple assessment approaches including observational techniques and,

where appropriate, prereferral strategies to enhance the accuracy of

assessment and prevent misidentification of children. The research must

document the effectiveness of methods to accurately identify and

prescribe interventions for young children with learning or emotional

disabilities, including students who may be determined eligible for

special education under the classifications of specific learning

disabilities, emotional disturbance, development delay, or other health

impaired. Given the common co-occurrence of learning and behavioral

problems in young children with any of these disabilities, and the

importance of including appropriate objectives in IEPs that cover both

of these areas when necessary, all applicants for research awards under

this focus area must conduct research on early assessment procedures

that examine both emotional/behavioral and learning domains.

The Secretary intends to award approximately 4 projects in Focus 3.

Focus 4--Improving the Delivery of Early Intervention, Special

Education or Related Services to Children With Disabilities From High

Poverty Backgrounds

The association between socioeconomic status and enrollment in

special education has been well documented. Poverty has been associated

with an increased risk of children being born with a lower than average

birth weight. Low birth weight babies are at higher risk of developing

learning disabilities, hyperactivity, emotional problems, mental

illness, neurodevelopmental problems, and visual and hearing

impairments. When poverty and low birth weight occur together, the

number of students who need special education services is greater than

would be predicted for those factors independently (Nineteenth Annual

Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA). Available data from

the National Longitudinal Transition Study show that 68 percent of

students in special education live in a household where the income is

less than $25,000 per year versus 39 percent of the general population

of youth.

A number of problems that affect educational outcomes for children

are associated with poverty. Children of low-income families on average

miss more days of school (Sherman, 1994). A pattern of underachievement

is also associated with children of low-income families (Carnegie

Corporation, 1996). Students from low-income families are twice as

likely to drop out of high school as their middle income peers, and 11

times more likely to drop out than their upper-income peers (Sherman,

1994).

Research projects supported under this focus must identify,

examine, and document information about the specific factors that

contribute to effective early intervention, special education, or

related services for children with disabilities from high poverty

backgrounds.

Invitational Priority

The Secretary is particularly interested in applications that

address issues related to young women and girls with disabilities from

high poverty backgrounds. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), an

application that meets this invitational priority does not receive

competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

The Secretary intends to award approximately 3 projects in Focus 4.

Project Period for All Focus Areas: Up to 36 months.

Maximum Award for All Focus Areas: The Secretary rejects and does

not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding $180,000

for any single budget period of 12 months. This maximum award applies

to any application for any Focus area. The Secretary may change the

maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Eligible Applicants: State and local educational agencies;

institutions of higher education; other public agencies; private

nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; and

Indian tribes or tribal organizations.

Page Limits for All Focus Areas: Part III of the application, the

application narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection

criteria that are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An

applicant must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 50

double-spaced pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is

8\1/2\'' x 11'' (on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom,

and sides); (2) 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, must be

double-spaced (no more than 3 lines per vertical inch). If using a

proportional computer font, use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an

average character density no greater than 18 characters per inch. If

using a nonproportional font or a typewriter, do not use more than 12

characters to the inch.

[[Page 354]]

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,

resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the

application narrative must be included in Part III. If an application

narrative uses a smaller print size, spacing, or margin that would make

the narrative exceed the equivalent of the page limit, the application

will not be considered for funding.

Absolute Priority 2--Model Demonstration Projects for Children with

Disabilities (84.324T)

This priority supports model demonstration projects that develop,

implement, evaluate, and disseminate new or improved approaches for

providing early intervention, special education and related services to

infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities, ages birth through

21. Projects supported under this priority are expected to be major

contributors of models or components of models for service providers

and for outreach projects funded under the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act.

Under this absolute priority, the Secretary expects to fund

projects across the full range of age, disability, and service issue

categories. In addition, the Secretary intends, under section 661(e)(2)

of IDEA, to fund a limited number of projects in each of the focus

areas listed below.

Requirements for All Demonstration Projects

A model demonstration project must--

(a) Develop and implement the model with specific components or

strategies that are based on theory, research, or evaluation data;

(b) Evaluate the model by using multiple measures of results to

determine the effectiveness of the model and its components or

strategies. With the exception of projects under focus area 3, Local or

State Child Find, all projects must include measures of individual

child change and other indicators of the effects of the model (e.g.,

family outcomes, peer outcomes, teacher outcomes), and cost data

associated with implementing the model; and

others to replicate the model.

Federal financial participation for a project funded under this

priority will not exceed 90 percent of the total annual costs of

development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of the

project.

In addition to the annual two day Project Director's meeting in

Washington, D.C. mentioned in the General Requirements section of this

notice, projects must budget for another annual two-day trip to

Washington, D.C. to collaborate with the Federal project officer and

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

discuss project implementation issues.

Focus Areas

Focus Area 1--Instructional Models To Improve Early Reading Results

for Children With Learning Disabilities.

Children with learning disabilities typically need highly

purposeful, strategic, systematic, and carefully designed instruction

to learn to read. The purpose of this focus area is to develop models

to improve the early reading results for children with learning

disabilities in kindergarten through third grade. As a result of

research conducted over the last several years, researchers have found

that the models must incorporate research-based principles of phonemic

awareness, alphabetic understanding and knowledge, and the appreciation

of meaning. The models must also reflect research-based principles

including, creating an appreciation of the written word; developing

awareness of printed language; learning the alphabet; understanding the

relation of letters and words; understanding that language is made of

words, syllables, and phonemes; learning letter sounds; sounding out

new words; identifying words in print accurately and easily; knowing

spelling patterns; and learning to read critically.

Projects are required to evaluate their effectiveness. Where

appropriate, the Secretary particularly encourages projects under this

focus area to include information related to the following measures--

(a) Multiple measures of student's beginning reading knowledge and

skills;

(b) The extent to which children with learning disabilities access

the general education curriculum, including participation in national

and State assessments; and

reading programs, supplemental materials, and instructional approaches.

The Secretary intends to make approximately 3 awards in Focus Area

Focus Area 2--Appropriate Services for Children With Deaf-Blindness

This focus area supports model projects to meet the needs of

children with deaf-blindness. Projects may include, for example,

related services such as assistive technology devices, innovative

approaches, media and materials to address language and communication,

sensory functioning, and orientation and mobility skills for students

attending their local schools. Projects may address the heterogeneous

nature of the students' needs, ranging from advanced curricula for some

students to lifelong support for others. Projects are required to

evaluate their effectiveness. Where appropriate, the Secretary

particularly encourages projects under this focus area to include

information related to the following measures:

(a) Changes in family satisfaction with the provision of services

and the child's education; and

(b) Changes in the teacher's assessment of the provision of

services.

The Secretary intends to make approximately 3 awards in Focus Area

Focus Area 3--Local or State Child Find

Local or State Child Find Projects under this area support

development of local or State Child Find models to identify all

eligible children under IDEA Part C (e.g., children with specific

disabilities or children with developmental delays). Projects must test

and describe the environments that promote successful child find

practices (e.g., success in identifying all eligible children with

disabilities or screening of all children for hearing loss or low birth

weight.

Projects are required to evaluate their effectiveness. Where

appropriate, the Secretary particularly encourages projects under this

focus area to include information related to the following measures--

(a) Changes in the number and proportion of children served under

Part C, ages birth to 3;

(b) Changes in the number of children referred to the State Child

Find system from all sources, public and private;

birth to one year old, as measured relative to the total number of

children served under IDEA, Part C within the geographic area served by

the project; and

(d) Changes in the collaboration efforts and linkages among other

agencies in States that provide services for infants and toddlers at-

risk for disabilities.

[[Page 355]]

The Secretary intends to make approximately 3 awards in Focus Area

Focus Area 4--Services Through Age 21

Projects under this focus area support models that provide

appropriate transition services to students ages 18 through 21 who have

not exited and are not expected to exit secondary schools with

``regular'' diplomas. To the extent possible, the models should be

developed in age appropriate environments such as community-based work

settings, community colleges, or other adult learning environments.

Students included in these models are expected to remain eligible for

special education services until they reach their State's maximum age

for services. Students must be included in the IDEA Part B Child Count.

Projects are required to evaluate their effectiveness. Where

appropriate, the Secretary particularly encourages projects under this

focus area to include information related to the following measures--

(a) Participation of youth with disabilities and their families in

the planning and implementation of services;

(b) Participation of adult service agencies or providers in the

planning and implementation of services;

Income (SSI) Program; and

(d) Change in the percentage of students participating in

employment and other post school activities.

The Secretary intends to make approximately 3 awards in Focus Area

Project Period For All Focus Areas: Up to 48 months.

Maximum Award for All Focus Areas: The Secretary rejects and does

not consider an application that proposes a budget exceeding $180,000

(exclusive of any matching funds) for any single budget period of 12

months.

The Secretary may change the maximum amount through a notice

published in the Federal Register.

Eligible Applicants: For Focus areas 1-3, eligible applicants

include, State and local educational agencies; institutions of higher

education; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations;

outlying areas; freely associated States; and Indian tribes or tribal

organizations. For Focus area 4, eligible applicants are limited to

local educational agencies only.

Page Limits for All Focus Areas: Part III of the application, the

application narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection

criteria that are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An

applicant must limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 40

double-spaced pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is

8\1/2\'' x 11'' (on one side only) with one-inch margins (top,

bottom, and sides); (2) 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,

must be double-spaced (no more than 3 lines per vertical inch). If

using a proportional computer font, use no smaller than a 12-point

font, and an average character density no greater than 18 characters

per inch. If using a nonproportional font or a typewriter, do not use

more than 12 characters to the 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,

resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the

application narrative must be included in Part III. If an application

narrative uses a smaller print size, spacing, or margin that would make

the narrative exceed the equivalent of the page limit, the application

will not be considered for funding.

Absolute Priority 3--Research Institute To Improve Results for

Adolescents With Disabilities in General Education Academic Curricula

(84.324S)

Background: The purpose of this priority is to support an institute

that will conduct research and development activities aimed at

improving results for secondary school-aged (grades 9 through 12)

students with disabilities participating in the general education

academic curricula. Research must be conducted on how students with

disabilities learn challenging academic content, as well as on a broad

array of instructional and contextual variables that influence skill

acquisition among high school students with disabilities.

Although various school reforms have been implemented that are

intended to help all students succeed academically, multiple and

significant challenges face both general and special educators. For

example, findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study

indicate that students with disabilities are spending, on average,

nearly 70 percent of their school day in regular education classrooms

where exposure to general education academic curricula is most common.

However, it is uncertain if academic content is learned when fewer than

one-quarter of students with disabilities move on to two or four-year

colleges. Furthermore, when special education and other related

services are being increasingly provided in regular education

classrooms, a stronger collaboration among general and special

educators is needed. For example, general educators play an

increasingly prominent role in the education of students with

disabilities, not only as classroom teachers for academic content, but

also in the IEP process. Therefore, the redefinition of

responsibilities for both general and special educators will require

the learning of new content and new strategies for teaching and

assessing students.

Furthermore, many high school students with disabilities have

significant skill deficiencies that create significant barriers which

enable them to benefit from instruction offered in the general

education academic curricula. Studies are needed to develop

instructional strategies that enable students with disabilities to

understand, remember, and integrate content information contained in

academic curricula, and to examine factors which define the

instructional dynamic within high school classrooms between teachers

and students and between groups of students.

Some of the specific questions about which more knowledge is needed

include: Are current practices sufficient for teaching complex, high

school subject content within the context of restructured high schools

to students with disabilities, including students who live in poverty?

How do classroom teachers best structure and deliver content

information? How can teachers best organize instruction within an

academically diverse class to ensure that all students master and can

generalize targeted content? What are the critical instructional and

contextual variables that influence skill acquisition among adolescents

with disabilities? How can this knowledge inform the improvement of

instructional practice?

For real change to occur, secondary special and general education

teachers who serve children with disabilities in the general education

academic curricula need to know of, and be able to use, research-based

practices. Moreover, it is necessary to develop effective ways of

disseminating research results and effective research-based practices

to teachers and other school personnel. This calls for ambitious,

innovative, and collaborative approaches to infuse research findings

into professional practice. Effective approaches for translating

research to secondary school practice can help ensure that students

with disabilities

[[Page 356]]

have access to and achieve success in general education curricula with

high, measurable standards, and that they will be prepared to succeed

in post-secondary education.

Priority

The Secretary establishes an absolute priority for a research

institute to improve results for high school students with disabilities

by enhancing learning in general education academic curricula. A

project funded under this priority must--

(a) Review and identify the critical gaps in the current knowledge

in the following areas:

(1) How high school students with disabilities learn challenging

academic content, specifically in core high school courses (e.g., math,

science, English, social studies, and foreign language);

(2) How teachers learn and use effective and efficient, research-

based instructional practices including necessary instructional

accommodations and supports to help students with disabilities achieve

in a rigorous, standards-based curriculum. We know that certain

teaching strategies (e.g., intensive instruction; individualized,

instructional decision-making and planning; curriculum that provides

contextualized learning opportunities) enable students to learn in a

more efficient manner; and

(3) How contextual factors in secondary classrooms and schools

influence teaching and learning. For example, scheduling, cross-

disciplinary teaching and cooperative teaching approaches, and the use

of technology to support instruction and learning are often-cited

factors that improve learning for all students;

(b) Design and conduct a strategic program of research that

addresses knowledge gaps identified in paragraph (a) by:

(1) Conducting a rigorous research program and employing

collaborative research team models (e.g., teacher-researcher

partnership research, action research);

(2) Conducting the program of research in organizationally and

demographically diverse high school settings, including high poverty

rural and urban schools; and

(3) Collaborating with other research institutes supported under

the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other experts and

researchers in related subject matter and methodological fields in

designing and conducting the activities of the institute;

links research to practice and promotes the use of current knowledge

and ongoing research findings in the professional development of

teachers. This approach must--

(1) Serve as a ``blueprint'' for maximizing the use of research-

based knowledge to improve and sustain effective and efficient

instructional practices of general and special education teachers in

high school academic courses;

(2) Actively engage teachers, administrators, and related service

personnel in learning about, adapting, and evaluating research;

(3) Be comprehensive, flexible and responsive to new knowledge and

to changing school environments;

(4) Include a rigorous evaluation methodology with multiple outcome

measures to assess its effectiveness across diverse sites;

(5) Be implemented and evaluated in organizationally and

demographically diverse settings including high poverty urban and rural

high schools; and

(6) Be developed in coordination with other U. S. Department of

Education-sponsored efforts and technical assistance providers,

including other research institutes, centers, and information

clearinghouses;

(d) Develop approaches to disseminating effective research-based

information and practices to secondary education teachers who serve

high school students with disabilities participating in general

education academic curricula; and

(e) The project must budget three trips annually to Washington, D.

C. (two trips to meet with U.S. Department of Education officials and

one trip, as specified in the general requirements for all projects, to

attend the Office of Special Education Programs Project Director's

Conference).

Under this priority, The Secretary will make one award for a

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 project for the fourth and fifth

years of the project period, the Secretary, in addition to the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), will consider--

(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of three experts

selected by the Secretary. The services of the review team, including a

two-day site visit to the project, are to be performed during the last

half of the project's second year and may be included in that year's

evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs associated with the

services to be performed by the review team must also be included in

the project's budget for year two. These costs are estimated to be

approximately $6,000;

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

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

project; and

demonstrates the potential for advancing significant new knowledge.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Maximum Award: The Secretary rejects and does not consider an

application that proposes a budget exceeding $700,000 for any single

budget period of 12 months. The Secretary may change the maximum amount

through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Eligible Applicants: State and local educational agencies;

institutions of higher education; other public agencies; private

nonprofit organizations; outlying areas; freely associated States; and

Indian tribes or tribal organizations.

Page Limits: Part III of the application, the application

narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection criteria that

are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An applicant must

limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 75 double-spaced

pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is 8\1/2\'' x

11'' (on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides);

(2) 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, must be double-spaced (no more

than 3 lines per vertical inch). If using a proportional computer font,

use no smaller than a 12-point font, and an average character density

no greater than 18 characters per inch. If using a nonproportional font

or a typewriter, do not use more than 12 characters to the 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,

resumes, bibliography, and letters of support. However, all of the

application narrative must be included in Part III. If an application

narrative uses a smaller print size, spacing, or margin that would make

the narrative exceed the equivalent of the page limit, the application

will not be considered for funding.

[[Page 357]]

Special Education--Personnel Preparation To Improve Services and

Results for Children With Disabilities [CFDA 84.325]

Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help

address State-identified needs for qualified personnel in special

education, related services, early intervention, and regular education,

to work with children with disabilities; and (2) to 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.

Eligible Applicants: Local educational agencies and institutions of

higher education.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,

81, 82, 85, and 86; (b) The selection criteria for this priority are

drawn from the EDGAR general selection criteria menu. The specific

selection criteria for this priority are included in the funding

application packet for this competition.

Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of

higher education only.

Priority: Under section 673 of the Act and 34 CFR 75.105 (c)(3),

the Secretary gives an absolute preference to applications that meet

the following priority. The Secretary funds under this competition only

those applications that meet this absolute priority:

Absolute Priority 1--Partnerships To Link Personnel Training and School

Practice (84.325P)

Background: Teachers need to be prepared to provide effective

instruction across the full range of student abilities. An overwhelming

majority of all students with disabilities spend at least a portion of

their school day in a general education classroom. The movement toward

inclusive education in today's schools requires that general and

special education teachers work together to meet the needs of students

with disabilities. However, extensive data indicate that general

education teachers do not feel that they have the knowledge and skills

necessary to meet the educational needs of these students in their

classrooms and that special education teachers are required to assume

roles (e.g., consulting with general education teachers, co-teaching in

general education classrooms, and supervising paraprofessional staff)

for which they are insufficiently prepared.

In order to meet the challenge of preparing general and special

education teachers to be effective in addressing the needs, and

improving the results, of students with disabilities in inclusive

schools, teacher preparation programs must be grounded in the

structural, organizational, and instructional realities of schools,

while schools must facilitate continuous improvement of teacher

knowledge and skills. Institutions that prepare teachers and the

schools in which teachers work both have a responsibility to ensure

that teachers (special and regular education) can effectively fulfill

their roles in working with children with disabilities.

Too often the sole relationship between preparation programs and

local schools is limited to setting up practicum settings for trainees.

Faculty members at Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) are most

often minimally involved in practicum supervision. Yet, universities

and schools can no longer afford to work in isolation. Similarly,

training regular and special education teachers can no longer be viewed

as separate functions. The following priority is intended to develop

models for building and enhancing partnerships between training

institutions and local schools in order to strengthen the quality and

effectiveness of preservice preparation programs and ongoing

professional development activities for teachers and instructional

leaders (both special and regular education) who serve children with

disabilities.

The power of the partnerships supported through this priority

should not be underestimated. The Secretary expects projects to develop

models that connect preservice and inservice development for

professional personnel and will have a significant impact on the

improvement of educational practices that will lead to better results

for children. It is intended that these models will provide a means by

which local schools and IHEs can simultaneously improve their work and

effectiveness.

Priority

The Secretary establishes an absolute priority to support projects

that develop, implement, and evaluate innovative models for engaging

general education and special education faculty in IHEs and general

education and special education teachers and instructional leaders in

local schools and districts in a dynamic and enduring partnership to

enhance and simultaneously improve the quality of preservice

preparation and ongoing professional development of teachers and

instructional leaders. Partnership activities must be designed to

ensure that both special education and regular education professionals

have the knowledge and skills necessary to improve results for children

with disabilities.

Projects funded under this priority must:

(a) Develop a partnership model for linking IHE personnel training

programs with local school practice that is guided by a conceptual

framework incorporating relevant, research-based knowledge and

practice. The partnership model must include the following features:

(1) A systematic approach to professional development at all stages

of the training continuum by focusing on continuous learning by

teachers, instructional leaders, and faculties of IHE education

programs;

(2) The integration of theory and practice to produce more

practical, contextualized theory and more theoretically grounded,

broadly informed practice;

(3) A strong commitment to research-based change that is

continually responsive to personnel needs and to advances in the

knowledge base; and

(4) A description of the benefits that will accrue to all

stakeholders, including, but not limited to, IHE faculty, teachers-in-

training, practicing professionals in local schools, and students with

disabilities, as a result of the implementation of the proposed

partnership model.

(b) Provide substantial evidence that the proposed model will serve

a broad-based need.

potential users to provide guidance that will help to assure the model

developed has broad applicability.

(d) Include the following partnerships activities:

(1) Identification of a common core of knowledge and skills that

are appropriate for all prospective general and special education

teachers, are aligned with critical teaching standards and with high

student content and performance standards, and for which there is broad

based support among all stakeholders;

(2) Clarification of the current and emerging roles and

responsibilities of special educators in inclusive schools, including

identification of the specialized knowledge and skill competencies that

these educators must perform effectively, and for which there is broad

based support among all stakeholders;

(3) Modification of curricula and materials used for preservice

preparation of general and special education teachers that is

consistent

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with the requirements under paragraph (a) and is conducted through

collaboration between IHEs and schools or districts; and

(4) Development of an approach for providing intensive, ongoing

professional development that will advance the career-long learning of

school and IHE personnel and ensure that children with disabilities

achieve to high standards.

(e) Conduct ongoing formative evaluations of project activities,

and a final evaluation to assess the success of the partnership model

in enhancing the skills, knowledge, and practices of professional

personnel that will lead to improved results for children with

disabilities.

(f) Develop a plan for sustaining implementation of the model

beyond the period of Federal funding for this project.

(g) Produce a model ``blueprint'' or case study that would permit

others to replicate or implement the model and includes comprehensive

information related to paragraphs (a) through (d) and comprehensive

outcomes of the final evaluation required under paragraph (e).

(h) In addition to the annual two day Project Directors' meeting in

Washington, D.C. listed in the General Requirements section of this

notice, budget for another annual two-day trip to Washington, D.C. to

collaborate with the Federal project officer and other projects funded

under this priority by sharing information and discussing model

development, implementation, and dissemination issues, including the

carrying out of cross-project dissemination activities.

To be considered for an award, an applicant must satisfy the

following requirements:

(a) Any applicant that is not a local educational agency or a State

educational agency must demonstrate that it has engaged in a

cooperative effort with one or more State educational agencies or, if

appropriate, lead agencies for providing early intervention services,

to plan, carry out, and monitor the project Section 673 (f)(2)(B) of

the Act;

(b) Projects that provide student financial assistance may only

provide such assistance for the preservice preparation of special

education, related services, early intervention, and leadership

personnel to serve children ages 3 through 21, and early intervention

personnel who serve infants and toddlers; and

assistance under the proposed project will subsequently provide,

special education and related services to children with disabilities,

or early intervention services to infants and toddlers with

disabilities, for a period of two years for every year for which

assistance was received or repay all or part of the cost of that

assistance. Applicants must describe how they will notify scholarship

recipients of this work or repay requirement, which is specified under

section 673(h)(1) of the Act (20 U.S.C. 1473(h)(1)). The requirement

must be implemented consistently with section 673(h)(1) of the Act and

with applicable regulations in effect prior to the awarding of grants

under this priority.

Under this priority, the project period is up to 60 months subject

to the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a) for continuation awards. In

determining whether to continue the project for the fourth and fifth

years of the project period, the Secretary, in addition to the

requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), will consider--

(a) The recommendation of a review team consisting of three experts

selected by the Secretary. The services of the review team, including a

two-day site visit to the project, are to be performed during the last

half of the project's second year and may be included in that year's

evaluation required under 34 CFR 75.590. Costs associated with the

services to be performed by the review team must also be included in

the project's budget for year two. These costs are estimated to be

approximately $6,000;

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

the grant have been or are being met by the project; and

demonstrates the potential for advancing significant new knowledge.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Maximum Award: The Secretary rejects and does not consider an

application that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for any single

budget period of 12 months. The Secretary may change the maximum amount

through a notice published in the Federal Register.

Page Limits: Part III of the application, the application

narrative, is where an applicant addresses the selection criteria that

are used by reviewers in evaluating an application. An applicant must

limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 50 double-spaced

pages, using the following standards: (1) A ``page'' is 8\1/2\'' x 11''

(on one side only) with one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides); (2)

All text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,