[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 102 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30688-30695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13107]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Technology and Media Services for
Individuals With Disabilities--Research and Development Center on the
Use of Emerging Technologies To Improve Literacy Achievement for
Students With Disabilities in Middle School
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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Overview Information
Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2011.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.327M.
DATES:
Applications Available: May 26, 2011.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 25, 2011.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 23, 2011.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purposes of the Technology and Media
Services for Individuals with Disabilities program are to: (1) Improve
results for children with disabilities by promoting the development,
demonstration, and use of technology; (2) support educational media
services activities designed to be of educational value in the
classroom setting to children with disabilities; and (3) provide
support for captioning and video description that are appropriate for
use in the classroom setting.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute or otherwise
authorized in the statute (see sections 674(c) and 681(d) of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2011 and any subsequent year in which we
make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition,
this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we
consider only applications that meet this priority.
This priority is:
Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities--
Research and Development Center on the Use of Emerging Technologies To
Improve Literacy Achievement for Students With Disabilities in Middle
School
Background
Middle school students with disabilities lag significantly behind
students without disabilities in reading achievement. For example, the
2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that 8
percent of 8th grade students with disabilities scored proficient or
above in reading compared to 35 percent of students without
disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2010b).
For students with disabilities who are struggling readers, the
general middle school curriculum offers fewer opportunities for
developing basic literacy skills than the elementary school curriculum.
For example, when a student enters middle school, there is a shift from
developing basic reading skills to applying those skills to learn
content in which general literacy skills are combined with ``content-
area literacy'' skills, such as specialized vocabulary, basic concepts,
and content-specific comprehension skills (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008).
Alleviating reading deficits at the middle school level requires
integrating instruction to remediate basic skills with academic content
instruction (Reed, 2009).
Technology can play a role in remediating academic deficits, and
has the potential to improve the literacy achievement of students,
including students with disabilities, at the middle school level (Moran
et al., 2008; Kim et al., 2006). New technologies such as collaborative
online environments, multiplayer and alternate reality games,
electronic books, mobile broadband, augmented reality, learning
analytics, and personalized Web-based environments offer new forms of
powerful and engaging learning opportunities (Johnson, et al., 2009;
Johnson, et al., 2010; Johnson, et al., 2011).
The Department's Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act emphasizes the importance of
improving capacity at the State and district levels to support the
effective use of technology to improve instruction (U.S. Department of
Education, 2010a). In addition, the National Educational Technology
Plan (NETP) (U.S. Department of Education, 2010c) emphasizes that
technology is at the core of virtually all aspects of modern life, and
that it should play an essential role in 21st century education and
contribute to the ``revolutionary transformation'' that is needed to
address critical educational challenges.
There is, however, a need for continued research, particularly as
21st century technologies advance and are integrated into instruction.
Of particular importance is research on how the benefits of emerging
technologies can be extended to areas of highest need such as
persistently lowest-achieving schools. The Department has previously
identified this further need for research in the Supplemental
Priorities for Discretionary Grant Programs, issued in December 2010.
Those supplemental priorities included Priority 14 ``Building Evidence
of Effectiveness'' for projects that propose evaluation plans that are
likely to produce valid and reliable evidence for, among other areas,
``identifying and improving practices * * * that may contribute to
improving outcomes;'' and Priority 6 ``Technology'' for projects
designed to ``improve student achievement or teacher effectiveness
through the use of high-quality digital tools or materials, which may
include * * * developing, implementing, or evaluating digital
[[Page 30689]]
tools or materials'' (U.S. Department of Education, 2010d). This
priority is consistent with the Supplemental Priorities.
The purpose of this priority is to support research that
investigates how emerging 21st century technologies can be used to
improve literacy achievement for students with disabilities in middle
school. Specifically, the Center funded under this priority will
explore how technologies can be used to: (1) Accelerate remediation in
basic reading skills in conjunction with content-area instruction; (2)
enhance student motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy related to
literacy learning; and (3) improve efficiency in the use of educational
resources (e.g., through the use of open educational resources,
increasing academic learning time).
Priority:
The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to
support the establishment and operation of a Research and Development
Center on the Use of Emerging Technologies to Improve Literacy
Achievement for Students with Disabilities in Middle School (Center).
Under this priority, the Center will form a consortium with established
technology developers and researchers to conduct a systematic program
of research and development on the use of emerging 21st century
technologies to improve literacy achievement for students with
disabilities in middle schools, including middle schools that are
persistently lowest-achieving schools.\1\
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\1\ For purposes of this priority, the term persistently lowest-
achieving school means, consistent with section 1003(g) of the ESEA,
School Improvement Grants (74 FR 65618), as determined by the State:
(i) Any Title I school in improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring that (a) Is among the lowest-achieving five percent of
Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring
or the lowest-achieving five Title I schools in improvement,
corrective action, or restructuring in the State, whichever number
of schools is greater; or (b) Is a high school that has had a
graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60
percent over a number of years; and (ii) Any secondary school that
is eligible for, but does not receive, Title I funds that (a) Is
among the lowest-achieving five percent of secondary schools or the
lowest-achieving five secondary schools in the State that are
eligible for, but do not receive, Title I funds, whichever number of
schools is greater; or (b) Is a high school that has had a
graduation rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60
percent over a number of years. To determine whether a school is a
lowest-achieving school for purposes of this definition, a State
must take into account both (i) The academic achievement of the
``all students'' group in a school in terms of proficiency on the
State's assessments under section 1111(b)(3) of the ESEA in reading/
language arts and mathematics combined; and (ii) The school's lack
of progress on those assessments over a number of years in the ``all
students'' group (U.S. Department of Education, 2010b).
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To be considered for funding under this absolute priority,
applicants must meet the application requirements contained in this
priority. The Center funded under this absolute priority also must meet
the programmatic and administrative requirements specified in the
priority.
Application Requirements. An applicant must include in its
application--
(a) A theoretical and empirical justification for the technology or
technologies to be developed and evaluated under the proposed Center.
This may be a single emerging technology (e.g., a game-based learning
environment) or a combination of emerging technologies (e.g., a
collaborative learning environment incorporating multiplayer, game-
based features and learning analytic tools). (For simplicity, the word
``technology'' will be used hereinafter to refer to the technology or
combination of technologies to be developed and studied by the Center.)
In essence, the theoretical and empirical justification must answer the
following question: What is the evidence that the proposed technology
has strong potential for substantially improving literacy outcomes for
middle school students with disabilities? Applicants must--
(1) Describe the broader education context for the proposed
technology by including data on, and reviewing research describing, the
attributes of typical existing practices that the technology will
enhance or replace; and
(2) Demonstrate an understanding of how the proposed technology
would address the shortcomings of existing practices.
(b) A detailed description of the proposed technology for improving
literacy achievement for students with disabilities in middle school
and a theory of change for the proposed technology. Applicants must--
(1) Specify the key components of the proposed technology (i.e.,
the active ingredients that are hypothesized to be critical to
achieving the intended results) and describe how they relate to each
other temporally (or operationally), pedagogically, and theoretically
(e.g., why A leads to B); and
(2) Provide a strong theoretical and empirical justification for
the design and sequencing of the features or components of the
technology.
For example, if the applicant proposes to develop and study a
combination of technologies including a collaborative learning
environment, game-based learning, and learning analytic tools, the
applicant must describe the specific components of the technologies
(e.g. the types of collaboration, the game experiences, the analytics
to be performed, etc.) and how they might interrelate to produce
outcomes of interest in this priority (e.g. accelerated remediation in
basic reading skills and enhanced student motivation, engagement, and
self-efficacy). Although the specific combination of technologies may
be new, the applicant must provide theoretical and empirical support
from existing literature (e.g. on technology-based games and
motivation, collaborative learning, data-based decision making, etc.)
to justify the design and features of the proposed technology. This
example is illustrative only and not intended to constrain or guide the
selection of technologies. We note that when applicants clearly
describe the features of a proposed technology and the theory of change
that guides the technology, reviewers are better able to evaluate
whether the proposed technology has the potential to substantially
improve student outcomes relative to current practice.
(c) A detailed research plan for developing the proposed technology
and assessing the feasibility of implementing the proposed technology
in middle schools including middle schools that are persistently
lowest-achieving schools, and the promise of the proposed technology
for improving student outcomes. The plan must--
(i) Describe a systematic, iterative development process to be used
in the design and refinement of the proposed technology and plans for
acquiring evidence about the operation of the intervention according to
the theory of change for the proposed technology;
(ii) Define the samples and settings that will be used to develop
the proposed technology, assess the feasibility of the proposed
technology for use in middle schools by students with disabilities, and
test the promise of the proposed technology for improving the literacy
outcomes of students with disabilities. Evidence of the promise of the
proposed technology may be obtained through a small quasi-experimental
study incorporating a comparison group with pretest and posttest data,
a small experimental study, or for low-incidence populations, a series
of single-subject experimental design studies. Assessment of the
feasibility of implementation and testing of the promise of the
technology provides feedback to the Center on the usability of the
technology in middle schools by students with disabilities and their
teachers and initial information on the effectiveness of the technology
for substantially improving student outcomes. These data may result in
further modification and development of the technology; and
[[Page 30690]]
(iii) Explicitly, but not necessarily exclusively, address the
needs of students with disabilities in middle schools that are
persistently lowest-achieving schools, recognizing that these schools
often face challenges in technology innovation and implementation. The
Center may, for example, develop technology that can be adapted to a
school's level of achievement and technology readiness, develop
strategies for establishing affiliations with high-performing schools
to support the use of emerging technology in low-performing schools, or
simply set aside a portion of the Center's resources to develop
technology specifically suited to middle schools that are persistently
lowest-achieving schools.
(d) A detailed research plan for testing the efficacy of the
proposed technology for improving literacy outcomes of students with
disabilities. This plan must--
(i) Define the sample to be selected, a portion of which must be
middle schools that are persistently lowest-achieving schools, and
sampling procedures to be employed, including justification for
exclusion and inclusion criteria;
(ii) Describe strategies to increase the likelihood that
participants (including schools, teachers, and students) will remain in
the study over the course of the evaluation (i.e., reduce attrition);
(iii) Describe the design of the evaluation. Studies using random
assignment to intervention and comparison conditions have the strongest
internal validity for causal conclusions and, thus, are preferred
whenever they are feasible. When a randomized trial is proposed, the
applicant must clearly state and present a convincing rationale for the
unit of randomization (e.g., student, classroom, teacher, or school).
Applicants must explain the procedures for assignment of groups (e.g.,
schools) or participants to intervention and comparison conditions and
how the integrity of the assignment process will be ensured.
Applicants may propose a quasi-experimental design (e.g., a
regression discontinuity design) rather than a randomized trial when
randomization is not possible. Applicants must justify that the
proposed design permits drawing causal conclusions about the effect of
the intervention on the intended outcomes. Applicants must discuss how
selection bias will be minimized or modeled. To this end, the specific
assumptions made by the design should be well justified. Applicants
must explicitly discuss the threats to internal validity that are not
addressed convincingly by the design and how conclusions from the
research will be tempered in light of these threats;
(iii) Address the statistical power of the evaluation design to
detect a reasonably expected and minimally important effect. When
justifying what constitutes a reasonably expected effect, applicants
must indicate clearly (e.g., by including the statistical formula) how
the effect size was calculated;
(iv) Justify the appropriateness of the chosen measures. Applicants
must provide information on the reliability and validity of the
proposed measures, the procedures for and the timing of the data
collection, and indicate procedures to guard against bias entering into
the data collection process;
(v) Describe how the applicant will assess the fidelity of
implementation of the proposed technology in middle schools and how
fidelity data will be incorporated into analyses of the impact of the
intervention;
(vi) Demonstrate consideration to the selection of the
counterfactual. Comparisons of interventions against other conditions
are only meaningful to the extent that one can tell what the comparison
group receives or experiences (e.g., regular instruction only, regular
instruction including a different technology product); and
(vii) Describe data analysis procedures. For quantitative data,
specific statistical procedures must be described. The relation between
hypotheses, measures, and independent and dependent variables should be
clear. For qualitative data, the specific methods used to index,
summarize, and interpret data must be delineated.
(e) Evidence of commitment from established technology developers
and researchers in areas relevant to the Center's mission who express
their commitment to form a consortium to conduct collaborative research
and development efforts. The members of the consortium must
collectively demonstrate high levels of expertise in all of the
following: development of the emerging technology described in
paragraphs (a) and (b) of this priority, educational uses of advanced
technology, addressing the problems of persistently lowest-achieving
schools, field-based technology research and development, literacy
pedagogy, and teaching students with disabilities at the middle school
level.
(f) A plan for a formative evaluation of the proposed project's
activities. The plan must describe how the formative evaluation will
use clear performance objectives to ensure continuous improvement in
the operation of the proposed project, including objective measures of
progress in implementing the project and ensuring the quality of
products and services;
(g) A budget for a summative evaluation to be conducted by an
independent third party; and
(h) A budget for attendance at the following:
(1) A one and one half-day kick-off meeting to be held in
Washington, DC, within four weeks after receipt of the award, and an
annual planning meeting held in Washington, DC, with the Office of
Special Education Programs (OSEP) Project Officer during each
subsequent year of the project period.
(2) A three-day Project Directors' Conference in Washington, DC,
during each year of the project period.
(3) Two additional two-day trips annually to attend Department
briefings, Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as
requested by OSEP.
Project Activities. To meet the requirements of this priority, the
Center, at a minimum, must--
(a) Establish and maintain a technical work group (TWG) to review
the research plans and activities of the Center and to provide
technical advice throughout the project period. At a minimum, the TWG
must convene annually, whether in person, by phone, or through another
means. The TWG must include experts in the research methodologies
employed by the Center, the emerging technology under study, issues
faced by persistently lowest-achieving middle schools, literacy
instruction, and instruction for students with disabilities;
(b) Carry out the research plan developed under Application
Requirements item (c) to develop the proposed technology, assess the
feasibility of implementing the proposed technology in middle schools,
and test the promise of the proposed technology for improving literacy
outcomes of students with disabilities.
(c) Carry out the research plan developed under Application
Requirements item (d) to evaluate the efficacy of the proposed
technology to improve literacy outcomes of students with disabilities.
(d) Maintain a Web site that meets government or industry-
recognized standards for accessibility;
(e) Disseminate information on the activities and findings of the
Center regionally and nationally through the use of Web sites,
listservs, publications, presentations, and communities of practice;
(f) Maintain ongoing communication with the OSEP Project Officer
through
[[Page 30691]]
monthly phone conversations and e-mail communication; and
(g) Communicate and collaborate, on an ongoing basis, with
Department-funded projects and other projects engaged in related
activities. This collaboration may include the joint development of
products, coordination of research, and planning and carrying out of
meetings and events.
Extending the Project for a Fourth and Fifth Year
The Secretary may extend the Center for up to two additional years
beyond its original project period of 36 months if the grantee is
achieving the intended outcomes of the grant, and is making a positive
contribution to developing and testing emerging technology to improve
the academic achievement of middle school students with disabilities.
References
Balfanz, R. (2009). Putting middle grades students on the graduation
path: A policy and practice brief. National Middle School
Association. Retrieved on January 3, 2010 from http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/RMLEOnline/Articles/tabid/101/Default.aspx.
Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009). The 2009
Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media
Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Levine, A., and Haywood, K. (2010). 2010
Horizon Report: K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media
Consortium.
Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K.
(2011). 2011 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media
Consortium.
Kim, A. E., Vaughn, S., Klingner, J. K., Woodruff, A. L., Reutebuch,
C. K., & Kouzekanani, K. (2006). Improving the reading comprehension
of middle school students with disabilities through computer-
assisted collaborative strategic reading. Remedial and Special
Education, 27(4), 235-249.
Moran, J., Ferdig, R. E., Pearson, P. D., Wardrop, J., Blomeyer, R.
L. (2008). Technology and reading performance in the middle-school
grades: A meta-analysis with recommendations for policy and practice
Journal of Literacy Research, 40, 6-58.
Reed, D.K. (2009). A synthesis of professional development on the
implementation of literacy strategies for middle school content area
teachers. Research in Middle Level Education Online, 32, 1-12.
Retrieved January 3, 2009 from http://www.nmsa.org/Publications/RMLEOnline/Articles/tabid/101/Default.aspx.
Shanahan, T, & Shanahan, C. (2008). Teaching disciplinary literacy
to adolescents: Rethinking content-area literacy. Harvard
Educational Review, 78(1), 40-59.
U.S. Department of Education. (2010a). A Blueprint for Reform: The
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/blueprint.pdf.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences,
National Center for Education Statistics. (2010b). NAEP Data
Explorer. Retrieved on July 9, 2010, from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology.
(2010c). Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by
Technology, Washington, DC.
U.S. Department of Education. (2010d). Supplemental Priorities for
Discretionary Grant Programs. Federal Register, 75(240), December
15, 2010, pp 78486-78511.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally offers interested
parties the opportunity to comment on proposed priorities and
requirements. Section 681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the public comment
requirements of the APA inapplicable to the priority in this notice.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1474 and 1481(d).
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants
except Federally recognized Indian Tribes.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education (IHEs) only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
Estimated Available Funds: $1,996,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2012 from the list of
unfunded applicants from the competition.
Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a
budget exceeding $1,996,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services may change the maximum amount through a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 36 months with an optional additional 24
months based on performance.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: State educational agencies (SEAs); local
educational agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools that are
considered LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public agencies; private
nonprofit organizations; and for-profit organizations.
Note: Because of the challenging nature of the project, the
Secretary encourages eligible entities with the ability and capacity
to conduct scientifically valid research to form consortia with any
other eligible parties (including researchers, developers, etc.)
that meet the requirements in 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129 to apply
under the priority in this notice. A consortium is any combination
of eligible entities. The Secretary views the formation of consortia
as an effective and efficient strategy to address the requirements
of the priority in this notice.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This competition does not require cost
sharing or matching.
3. Other: General Requirements--(a) The Center funded under this
competition must make positive efforts to employ and advance in
employment qualified individuals with disabilities (see section 606 of
IDEA).
(b) Applicants and the grant recipient funded under this
competition must involve individuals with disabilities or parents of
individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26 in planning,
implementing, and evaluating the projects (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of
IDEA).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 22207,
Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. Fax: (703)
605-6794. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD),
call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.EDPubs.gov or at its e-mail address: [email protected].
If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to
identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.327M.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape,
or computer diskette) by contacting the person or team listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in
[[Page 30692]]
the application package for this competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application)
is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that
reviewers use to evaluate your application. You must limit Part III to
the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier,
Courier New, or Arial. An application submitted in any other font
(including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be accepted.
The page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover sheet; Part II,
the budget section, including the narrative budget justification; Part
IV, the assurances and certifications; or the one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, the references, or the letters of support.
However, the page limit does apply to all of the application narrative
section (Part III).
We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit; or if
you apply other standards and exceed the equivalent of the page limit.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: May 26, 2011.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 25, 2011.
Applications for grants under this competition may be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov), or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 7.
Other Submission Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 23, 2011.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and Central Contractor Registry: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the Central
Contractor Registry (CCR), the Government's primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active CCR registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Department and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one business day.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The CCR registration process may take five or more business days to
complete. If you are currently registered with the CCR, you may not
need to make any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN
associated with your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will
need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take
three or more business days to complete.
In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov,
you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined in the
Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf).
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this competition may be submitted electronically or in paper format by
mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
We are participating as a partner in the Governmentwide Grants.gov
Apply site. The Research and Development Center on the use of Emerging
Technologies to Improve Academic Achievement for Students with
Disabilities in Middle School competition, CFDA number 84.327M, is
included in this project. We request your participation in Grants.gov.
If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must
use the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at http://www.Grants.gov.
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
You may access the electronic grant application for the Research
and Development Center on the use of Emerging Technologies to Improve
Academic Achievement for Students with Disabilities in Middle School
competition, CFDA number 84.327M at http://www.Grants.gov. You must
search for the downloadable application package for this program by the
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your
search (e.g., search for 84.327, not 84.327M).
Please note the following:
Your participation in Grants.gov is voluntary.
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your
[[Page 30693]]
application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this competition to ensure that
you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov
system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department's G5
system home page at http://www.G5.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
submit all documents electronically, including all information you
typically provide on the following forms: the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of Education Supplemental
Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(ED 524), and all necessary assurances and certifications.
If you submit your application electronically, you must
attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .PDF
(Portable Document) format only. If you upload a file type other than a
.PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that
material.
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates
receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send
a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
(CFDA Number 84.327M), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with
your local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of
your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date,
to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Number
84.327M), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
[[Page 30694]]
2. Review and Selection Process: We remind potential applicants
that in reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition,
the Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past
performance of the applicant in carrying out a previous award, such as
the applicant's use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and
compliance with grant conditions. The Secretary may also consider
whether the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or
submitted a report of unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary
also requires various assurances including those applicable to Federal
civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
3. Additional Review and Selection Process Factors: In the past,
the Department has had difficulty finding peer reviewers for certain
competitions because so many individuals who are eligible to serve as
peer reviewers have conflicts of interest. The Standing Panel
requirements under IDEA also have placed additional constraints on the
availability of reviewers. Therefore, the Department has determined
that, for some discretionary grant competitions, applications may be
separated into two or more groups and ranked and selected for funding
within specific groups. This procedure will make it easier for the
Department to find peer reviewers, by ensuring that greater numbers of
individuals who are eligible to serve as reviewers for any particular
group of applicants will not have conflicts of interest. It also will
increase the quality, independence, and fairness of the review process,
while permitting panel members to review applications under
discretionary grant competitions for which they also have submitted
applications. However, if the Department decides to select an equal
number of applications in each group for funding, this may result in
different cut-off points for fundable applications in each group.
4. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary
may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant or grantee is
not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory performance;
has a financial or other management system that does not meet the
standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not fulfilled
the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not responsible.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the
Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an annual
performance report that provides the most current performance and
financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary under 34
CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting,
please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has established a set of
performance measures, including long-term measures, that are designed
to yield information on various aspects of the effectiveness and
quality of the Technology and Media Services for Individuals with
Disabilities program. These measures focus on the extent to which
projects are of high quality, are relevant to improving outcomes of
children with disabilities, and contribute to improving outcomes for
children with disabilities. We will collect data on these measures from
the project funded under this competition.
The grantee will be required to report information on its project's
performance in annual performance reports to the Department (34 CFR
75.590).
5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award, the
Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR 75.253, the extent to which a
grantee has made ``substantial progress toward meeting the objectives
in its approved application.'' This consideration includes the review
of a grantee's progress in meeting the targets and projected outcomes
in its approved application, and whether the grantee has expended funds
in a manner that is consistent with its approved application and
budget. In making a continuation grant, the Secretary also considers
whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the assurances in
its approved application, including those applicable to Federal civil
rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department (34 CFR
100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Malouf, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4114, Potomac Center Plaza
(PCP), Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-6253.
If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free,
at 1-800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by
contacting the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 5075, PCP, Washington, DC
20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD, call the FRS,
toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document,
as well as all other documents of this Department published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://
[[Page 30695]]
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: May 20, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-13107 Filed 5-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P