[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32968-32969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14023]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No. 84.325F]
Proposed Extensions and Waivers: National Center To Enhance the
Professional Development of School Personnel Who Share Responsibility
AGENCY: Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special
Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed extension of project period and waiver for
the National Center to Enhance the Professional Development of School
Personnel Who Share Responsibility for Improving Results for Children
with Disabilities.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in the
Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), in 34
CFR 75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c), respectively, that generally prohibit
project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods
involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. This extension of
project period and waiver would enable the currently funded project to
receive funding from October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012.
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before July 7, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed extension of
project period and waiver to Shedeh Hajghassemali, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 4091, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2600.
If you prefer to send your comments by e-mail, use the following
address: [email protected]. You must include the phrase
``proposed extension of project period and waiver'' in the subject line
of your message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shedeh Hajghassemali at the address
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. Telephone: (202) 245-
7506. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call
the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in this section.
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed extension
of project period and waiver.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed extension of project period and waiver in
room 4091, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC time,
Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed extension of project period and
waiver. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of aid,
please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background
On June 19, 2006, the Department published a notice in the Federal
Register (71 FR 35260) inviting applications for new awards for fiscal
year (FY) 2006 for a National Professional Development Enhancement
Center (Center), funded under the Personnel Development to Improve
Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program, authorized
under section 662 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA).
The purpose of the Center is to provide pre-service training and
professional development programs with high-quality instructional
modules, materials, and resources in order to improve the overall
quality of special education personnel training and professional
development. The goal is to help ensure that local educational agencies
(LEAs) and schools have the capacity to implement school improvement
programs to close achievement gaps between students with disabilities
and their peers, and to promote access to, and greater participation
and progress in, the general education curriculum in the least
restrictive environment for students with disabilities.
Based on the 2006 notice inviting applications, the Department made
one award for a period of 60 months to Vanderbilt University to serve
as the Center. The Center's current project period is scheduled to end
on September 30, 2011. We do not believe that it would be in the public
interest to hold a new competition in 2011 to fund this personnel
development project as the Department is currently working on changes
to the entire Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for
Children with Disabilities program. The program's new design will
ensure that all the projects being supported are more strategically
aligned with each other and that all projects more effectively meet the
needs of LEAs and schools for effective teachers and
[[Page 32969]]
other school personnel and leaders. The Department is currently shaping
these changes and expects to fund a more strategic competition in FY
2012. However, we also have concluded that it would be contrary to the
public interest to have a lapse in the provision of the resources
currently provided by the Center. For these reasons, the Secretary
proposes to waive the requirements in 34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit
project periods exceeding five years, and the requirements in 34 CFR
75.261(a) and (c), which limit the extension of a project period if the
extension involves the obligation of additional Federal funds, and
issue a continuation award in the amount of $1,350,000 to Vanderbilt
University (H325F060003) for an additional twelve-month period.
Waiving these regulations and issuing this continuation award would
ensure that pre-service and professional development programs will
continue to receive instructional modules, materials, and resources to
improve the overall quality of training for individuals who provide
services to students with disabilities.
With this proposed extension of project period and waiver, the
Center would conduct the following activities during FY 2012:
(a) Build on the previous work of the project by developing
additional materials, and disseminating products to an increased number
of institutions of higher education, State educational agencies, LEAs,
and any other entities that provide training and professional
development to individuals who provide services to students with
disabilities.
(b) Develop products and services that are based on the input
obtained from the comprehensive needs-assessments, textbook analyses,
focus groups, and consumer-input processes previously conducted by the
Center that tapped the experiences and expertise of an array of
partners, consumers, and advisors, including staff from the
Department's Office of Special Education Programs. In addition, the
Center must continue to seek recommendations from consumers and the
Department to guide the development of enhancements (e.g., interactive
modules, case studies, activities, information briefs) and services
(e.g., technical assistance to faculty, training of trainers, training
sessions, and dissemination activities) provided by the Center.
(c) Continue to disseminate project materials to instructors and
their students through a cost-free, dedicated Web site that meets
accessibility standards under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
(See http://www.section508.gov for additional information).
Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification
The Secretary certifies that this proposed extension of project
period and waiver would not have a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities. The entities that would be
affected are the current grantee serving as the Professional
Development Enhancement Center and any other potential applicant.
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This proposed extension of project period and waiver does not
contain any information collection requirements.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of
the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a
strengthened federalism. The Executive order relies on processes
developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of
proposed Federal financial assistance. This document provides early
notification of our specific plans and actions for this program.
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://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: June 2, 2011.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2011-14023 Filed 6-6-11; 8:45 am]
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