81_FR_13393 81 FR 13344 - Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-National Center for Students With Disabilities Who Require Intensive Intervention

81 FR 13344 - Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-National Center for Students With Disabilities Who Require Intensive Intervention

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 49 (March 14, 2016)

Page Range13344-13353
FR Document2016-05759

Overview Information: Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities-- National Center for Students with Disabilities Who Require Intensive Intervention Notice inviting applications for a new award for fiscal year (FY) 2016.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 49 (Monday, March 14, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13344-13353]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05759]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and 
Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With 
Disabilities--National Center for Students With Disabilities Who 
Require Intensive Intervention

AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 
Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Overview Information: Technical Assistance and Dissemination 
to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--
National Center for Students with Disabilities Who Require Intensive 
Intervention
    Notice inviting applications for a new award for fiscal year (FY) 
2016.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.326Q.


DATES: Applications Available: March 14, 2016.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 28, 2016.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: June 27, 2016.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Technical Assistance and 
Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with 
Disabilities program is to promote academic achievement and to improve 
results for children with disabilities by providing technical 
assistance (TA), supporting model demonstration projects, disseminating 
useful information, and implementing activities that are supported by 
scientifically based research.
    Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority 
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 663 
and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2016 and any subsequent year in which we 
make awards from the list of unfunded applications 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:
    National Center for Students with Disabilities Who Require 
Intensive Intervention.
    Background:
    Providing effective evidence-based (as defined in this notice) 
instruction and intervention for all students, including students with 
disabilities, is critical for their success in postsecondary settings. 
Recent data demonstrate that academic and behavioral outcomes for 
students with disabilities continue to be poor.
    In 2015, for example, a large proportion of students with 
disabilities scored below the basic level \1\ on the National 
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in both reading (4th grade: 
70 percent; 8th grade: 67 percent) and math (4th grade: 49 percent; 8th 
grade: 72 percent) (U.S. Department of Education, 2015). In the 2011-12 
school year, students with disabilities were more than twice as likely 
to receive an out-of-school suspension as their non-disabled peers, and 
over half (58 percent) were subjected to seclusion (U.S. Department of 
Education, 2014). Further, students with emotional disturbance or a 
specific learning disability were suspended at higher rates than other 
students with disabilities (Losen, Hodson, Ee, & Martinez, 2014). 
Nationally, in the 2011-12 school year, it is estimated that nearly 18 
million instructional days were lost for all U.S. public school 
children due to exclusionary discipline (Losen, Hodson, Keith, 
Morrison, & Belway, 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ For NAEP achievement level definitions, see: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/achievement.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Significant and persistent academic and behavioral difficulties can 
limit success in school and postsecondary opportunities. A recent 
report suggests that the graduation rate for students with disabilities 
(61.9 percent) is much lower than the graduation rate for all students 
(81.4 percent) (DePaoli et al., 2015). Students with disabilities are 
also less likely to have enrolled in postsecondary education, have 
lower salaries when employed, and have higher involvement with the 
criminal justice system than their non-disabled peers (Sanford et al., 
2011).
    For some students, the typical evidence-based instruction and 
behavioral supports provided in the classroom are not sufficient to 
address their educational needs or prepare them for postsecondary 
opportunities. They will need individualized, more intensive 
intervention composed of practices that are evidence-based.
    Interventions can be intensified in multiple ways (e.g., dosage, 
group size, intervention components, interventionist expertise) (e.g., 
Barnett, Daly, Jones, & Lentz, 2004; Codding & Lane, 2014; Daly, 
Martens, Barnett, Witt, & Olson, 2007; Mellard, McKnight, & Jordan, 
2010; Warren, Fey, & Yoder, 2007), and for students at risk of, or 
identified as having, a disability, research has demonstrated the 
effectiveness of intensive interventions in improving reading outcomes 
(e.g., Allor, Mathes, Roberts, Cheatham, & Al Otaiba, 2014; Al Otaiba 
et al., 2014; Denton et al., 2013; Solis, Miciak, Vaughn, & Fletcher, 
2014; Wanzek et al., 2013); mathematics outcomes (e.g., Bryant et al., 
2014; Dennis, 2015; Fuchs, Fuchs, Powell, Seethaler, Cirino, & 
Fletcher, 2008; Gersten et al., 2009); and behavioral outcomes (e.g., 
Gage, Lewis, & Stichter, 2012; Goh & Bambara, 2012).
    The co-occurrence of academic and behavioral difficulties has been 
well documented, yet the exact nature of the relationship is still not 
well understood (e.g., Algozzine, Wang, & Violette, 2011; Morgan & 
Sideridis, 2013). However, recent research on integrating academic and 
behavioral interventions has demonstrated promise for improving student 
outcomes (e.g., Algozzine et al., 2012; Chaparro, Smolkowski, Baker, 
Hanson, & Ryan-Jackson, 2012; Stewart, Benner, Martella, Marchand-
Martella, 2007). In an analysis of academic, behavioral, and integrated 
academic and behavioral intervention models, Stewart et al. (2007) 
found greater gains in reading and behavior for the integrated 
intervention model than the academic or behavioral intervention models 
alone.
    In short, there are students with disabilities who have persistent 
learning or behavior difficulties and who need intensive intervention 
to succeed in school and to be prepared for postsecondary 
opportunities. However, States, districts, and schools need assistance 
in developing or refining and coordinating their systems of instruction

[[Page 13345]]

and intervention to address the needs of these students.
    Research has identified numerous components within schools' systems 
of instruction and intervention that can make an intervention more or 
less effective and sustainable. For example, the need to improve 
educators' knowledge and use of evidence-based interventions through 
teacher preparation (e.g., Ciullo et al., 2015; Gable, Tonelson, Sheth, 
Wilson, & Park, 2012; Kern, Hilt-Panahon, & Sokol, 2009) and 
professional development (e.g., Bambara, Goh, Kern, & Caskie, 2012; 
Ciullo et al., 2015; Debnam, Pas, & Bradshaw, 2012; Kern, Hilt-Panahon, 
& Sokol, 2009; Regan, Berkeley, Hughes, & Brady, 2015) has been well 
documented. The need to improve educators' knowledge and use of 
culturally and linguistically responsive instruction for students with 
disabilities (e.g., Ford, 2012; Orosco & Klingner, 2010) has also been 
noted, as 91 percent of 4th and 89 percent of 8th grade students with 
disabilities who are English Learners (ELs) scored below the basic 
level in reading on the 2015 NAEP (U.S. Department of Education, 2015).
    Another component that can facilitate or impede implementation and 
sustainability of an intervention is school culture (O'Connor & 
Freeman, 2012), particularly for students with persistent difficulties 
(e.g., Bambara et al., 2012). The leadership and organizational 
supports, such as scheduling, roles of staff, adequate planning time, 
professional development structure, evaluation, leadership support, 
policies, and funding (e.g., Bambara et al., 2012; Fixsen, Naoom, 
Blas[eacute], Friedman, & Wallace, 2005; O'Connor & Freeman, 2012), can 
also facilitate or impede the effectiveness and sustainability of the 
system of instruction and intervention. Addressing academic and 
behavioral difficulties separately, instead of using an integrated 
approach, may result in inefficiencies in coordinating intervention. By 
using a more integrated approach, limited resources can be maximized 
and organizational structures and efficiency can be improved (e.g., 
Chaparro et al., 2012; Lane, Oakes, & Menzies, 2014; McIntosh, Bohanon, 
& Goodman, 2010).
    As part of the recent emphasis in the Department's accountability 
efforts on improved results for students with disabilities, the 
Department required States under Indicator 17 of their IDEA Part B 
State Performance Plans/Annual Performance Reports (SPPs/APRs) to 
develop a State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP).\2\ As part of the 
SSIP, States must identify the result(s) they intend to achieve through 
implementing the SSIP (referred to as the State Identified Measureable 
Result(s) (SIMR)). To date, 42 States are focusing on improving 
performance in reading, math, or both, and 12 States are focusing on 
increasing the graduation rate of children and youth with disabilities. 
States will need TA to support the implementation of their SSIP 
strategies to improve academic and behavior-related results.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ In accordance with section 616(b) of IDEA, States must have 
in place a performance plan that evaluates the State's efforts to 
implement the requirements and purposes of Part B of the IDEA and 
describes how the State will improve such implementation. As part of 
the SPP/APR, each State establishes measurable and rigorous targets 
for each indicator established by the Secretary. In the Results 
Driven Accountability System, OSERS required States under Indicator 
17 to develop a SSIP as part of their Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013 
through FFY 2018 IDEA Part B SPPs/APRs. The SSIP must include: (1) 
FFY 2013 baseline data expressed as a percentage and aligned with 
the State-identified Measurable Result(s) (SIMR) for children with 
disabilities; (2) measurable and rigorous targets (expressed as a 
percentage) for each of the five years for FFY 2014 through FFY 
2018, with the FFY 2018 target reflecting improvement over the FFY 
2013 baseline data; and (3) a plan that includes an explanation of 
how the improvement strategies selected will lead to measurable 
improvement in the SIMR.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The priority established in this notice will fund a national center 
that will focus on intensive academic and behavioral interventions for 
students with disabilities with persistent learning or behavior 
difficulties, but not students with the most significant cognitive 
disabilities, as the needs of those students are targeted in other 
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) investments.
    Priority:
    The purpose of this priority is to fund a cooperative agreement to 
establish and operate a National Center for Students with Disabilities 
Who Require Intensive Intervention (Center). The Center will assist 
State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) 
in their efforts to support schools and educators in implementing 
intensive intervention composed of practices that are evidence-based 
(``intensive intervention'') for students with disabilities who have 
persistent learning or behavior difficulties and who need intensive 
intervention to succeed in school and be prepared for postsecondary 
opportunities (``students with disabilities who need intensive 
intervention''). The Center will give priority to those States with 
SIMRs that focus on academic or behavior-related results. The Center 
must achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:
    (1) Increased LEA and educators' knowledge and use of intensive 
intervention in reading, mathematics, and behavior;
    (2) Increased LEA and educators' knowledge and use of culturally 
and linguistically responsive intensive intervention, including 
intensive intervention for ELs with disabilities;
    (3) Increased capacity of LEAs and schools to develop or refine and 
coordinate their system of instruction and intervention to implement 
intensive intervention in reading, mathematics, and behavior;
    (4) Increased capacity of SEAs, LEAs, and educators to support, 
implement, and sustain intensive intervention in reading, mathematics, 
and behavior;
    (5) Increased capacity of SEAs to support the efforts of LEAs to 
use intensive intervention to achieve the academic and behavior-related 
results identified in a State's SIMR;
    (6) Increased knowledge and capacity of SEAs, LEAs, and educators 
to use and coordinate existing national, regional, State, and local 
resources (e.g., parent and family organizations, TA providers, mental 
health agencies and organizations, etc.) to better support, implement, 
and sustain intensive intervention in reading, mathematics, and 
behavior;
    (7) Increased dissemination of lessons learned from implementing 
intensive intervention to inform State and local implementation 
efforts; and
    (8) Increased capacity of institutions of higher education (IHEs) 
to prepare educators to coordinate instruction and intervention and 
support, implement, and sustain intensive intervention in reading, 
mathematics, and behavior.
    In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered 
for funding under this priority, applicants must meet the application 
and administrative requirements in this priority. OSEP encourages 
innovative approaches to meet these requirements, which are:
    (a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Significance of the Project,'' how the proposed project will--
    (1) Address the current training and information needs of LEAs and 
educators in providing intensive intervention to students with 
disabilities who need intensive intervention. To meet this requirement 
the applicant must--
    (i) Present information and current data on the current capacity of 
LEAs and educators to address the needs of students with disabilities 
who need intensive intervention; and

[[Page 13346]]

    (ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current educational issues around, 
and policy initiatives intended to address, the needs of students with 
disabilities who need intensive intervention; and
    (2) Address the current and emerging needs of SEAs and LEAs in 
developing or refining and coordinating their systems of instruction 
and intervention for supporting, implementing, and sustaining intensive 
intervention.
    (b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Quality of the Project Services,'' how the proposed project will--
    (1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that 
have historically been underrepresented based on race, color, national 
origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this requirement, the 
applicant must describe how it will--
    (i) Identify the needs of the intended recipients for TA and 
information; and
    (ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the 
intended recipients (e.g., by creating materials in formats accessible 
to and in languages understandable to the stakeholders served by the 
intended recipients);
    (2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet 
this requirement, the applicant must provide--
    (i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and
    (ii) The logic model by which the proposed project will achieve its 
intended outcomes. A logic model communicates how a project will 
achieve its intended outcomes and provides a framework for both the 
formative and summative evaluations of the project;
    (3) Use a conceptual framework to develop project plans and 
activities, describing any underlying concepts, assumptions, 
expectations, beliefs, or theories, as well as the presumed 
relationships or linkages among these variables, and any empirical 
support for this framework;

    Note: Rather than use the definition of ``logic model'' in 
section 77.1(c) of EDGAR, OSEP uses the definition in paragraph 
(b)(2)(ii) of these application requirements. This definition, 
unlike the definition in 34 CFR 77.1(c), differentiates between 
logic models and conceptual frameworks. The following Web sites 
provide more information on logic models: 
www.researchutilization.org/matrix/logicmodel_resource3c.html and 
www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel/index.asp;

    (4) Be based on current research and make use of evidence-based 
practices. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe--
    (i) The current research on the effectiveness of intensive 
intervention for students with disabilities who need intensive 
intervention;
    (ii) The current research about adult learning principles and 
implementation science that will inform the proposed TA; and
    (iii) How the proposed project will incorporate current research 
and evidence-based practices in the development and delivery of its 
products and services;
    (5) Develop products and provide services that are of high quality 
and sufficient intensity and duration to achieve the intended outcomes 
of the proposed project. To address this requirement, the applicant 
must describe--
    (i) How it proposes to identify or develop the knowledge base on 
coordinating systems of instruction and intervention and supporting, 
implementing, and sustaining intensive intervention for students with 
disabilities who need intensive intervention;
    (ii) Its proposed approach to universal, general TA,\3\ which must 
identify the intended recipients of the products and services under 
this approach;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ ``Universal, general TA'' means TA and information provided 
to independent users through their own initiative, resulting in 
minimal interaction with TA center staff and including one-time, 
invited or offered conference presentations by TA center staff. This 
category of TA also includes information or products, such as 
newsletters, guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded from the 
TA center's Web site by independent users. Brief communications by 
TA center staff with recipients, either by telephone or email, are 
also considered universal, general TA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (iii) Its proposed approach to targeted, specialized TA,\4\ which 
must identify--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ ``Targeted, specialized TA'' means TA services based on 
needs common to multiple recipients and not extensively 
individualized. A relationship is established between the TA 
recipient and one or more TA center staff. This category of TA 
includes one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating 
strategic planning or hosting regional or national conferences. It 
can also include episodic, less labor-intensive events that extend 
over a period of time, such as facilitating a series of conference 
calls on single or multiple topics that are designed around the 
needs of the recipients. Facilitating communities of practice can 
also be considered targeted, specialized TA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (A) The intended recipients of the products and services under this 
approach; and
    (B) Its proposed approach to measure the readiness of potential TA 
recipients to work with the project, assessing, at a minimum, their 
current infrastructure, available resources, and ability to build 
capacity at the local level;
    (C) Its proposed approach to working with IHEs to prepare educators 
to coordinate instruction and intervention and support, implement, and 
sustain intensive intervention in reading, mathematics, and behavior; 
and
    (iv) Its proposed approach to intensive, sustained TA,\5\ which 
must identify--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ ``Intensive, sustained TA'' means TA services often provided 
on-site and requiring a stable, ongoing relationship between the TA 
center staff and the TA recipient. ``TA services'' are defined as 
negotiated series of activities designed to reach a valued outcome. 
This category of TA should result in changes to policy, program, 
practice, or operations that support increased recipient capacity or 
improved outcomes at one or more systems levels.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (A) The intended recipients of the products and services under this 
approach;
    (B) Its proposed approach to measure the readiness of the SEAs, 
LEAs, and schools to work with the project, including their commitment 
to the initiative, alignment of the initiative to their needs, current 
infrastructure, available resources, and ability to build capacity at 
the district level;
    (C) Its proposed plan for assisting LEAs to build or enhance 
training systems that include professional development based on adult 
learning principles and coaching;
    (D) Its proposed plan for working with appropriate levels of the 
education system (e.g., SEAs, LEAs, schools) to ensure that there is 
communication between each level and that there are systems in place to 
support the use of intensive intervention;
    (E) Its proposed plan for working with national, State, regional, 
and local TA providers and agencies (e.g., State TA providers, regional 
TA providers, Department-funded and other federally funded TA Centers, 
mental health agencies and organizations) and families to ensure that 
there is communication between each level and that there are systems in 
place to support the use of intensive intervention; and
    (F) Its proposed plan for collaborating and coordinating with 
Department-funded TA investments, where appropriate, in order to align 
complementary work and jointly develop and implement products and 
services to implement intensive intervention;
    (6) Develop products and implement services that maximize 
efficiency. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe--
    (i) How the proposed project will use technology to achieve the 
intended project outcomes;
    (ii) With whom the proposed project will collaborate and the 
intended outcomes of this collaboration; and

[[Page 13347]]

    (iii) How the proposed project will use non-project resources to 
achieve the intended project outcomes.
    (c) In the narrative section of the application under ``Quality of 
the Evaluation Plan,'' include an evaluation plan for the project as 
described in the following paragraphs. The evaluation plan must 
describe: Measures of progress in implementation, including the 
criteria for determining the extent to which the project's products and 
services have reached their target population; measures of intended 
outcomes or results of the project's activities in order to evaluate 
those activities; and how well the goals or objectives of the proposed 
project, as described in its logic model, have been met.
    The applicant must provide an assurance that, in designing the 
evaluation plan, it will--
    (1) Designate, with the approval of the OSEP project officer, a 
project liaison staff person with sufficient dedicated time, experience 
in evaluation, and knowledge of the project to work in collaboration 
with the Center to Improve Project Performance (CIPP),\6\ the project 
director, and the OSEP project officer on the following tasks:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ The major tasks of CIPP are to guide, coordinate, and 
oversee the design of formative evaluations for every large 
discretionary investment (i.e., those awarded $500,000 or more per 
year and required to participate in the 3+2 process) in OSEP's 
Technical Assistance and Dissemination; Personnel Development; 
Parent Training and Information Centers; and Educational Technology, 
Media, and Materials programs. The efforts of CIPP are expected to 
enhance individual project evaluation plans by providing expert and 
unbiased TA in designing the evaluations with due consideration of 
the project's budget. CIPP does not function as a third-party 
evaluator.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (i) Revise, as needed, the logic model submitted in the grant 
application to provide for a more comprehensive measurement of 
implementation and outcomes and to reflect any changes or 
clarifications to the model discussed at the kick-off meeting;
    (ii) Refine the evaluation design and instrumentation proposed in 
the grant application consistent with the logic model (e.g., prepare 
evaluation questions about significant program processes and outcomes; 
develop quantitative or qualitative data collections that permit both 
the collection of progress data, including fidelity of implementation, 
as appropriate, and the assessment of project outcomes; select 
respondent samples if appropriate; design instruments or identifying 
data sources; and identify analytic strategies); and
    (iii) Revise, as needed, the evaluation plan submitted in the grant 
application such that it clearly--
    (A) Specifies the measures and associated instruments or sources 
for data appropriate to the evaluation questions, suggests analytic 
strategies for those data, provides a timeline for conducting the 
evaluation, and includes staff assignments for completing the plan;
    (B) Delineates the data expected to be available by the end of the 
second project year for use during the project's 3+2 review for 
continued funding described under the heading Fourth and Fifth Years of 
the Project; and
    (C) Can be used to assist the project director and the OSEP project 
officer, with the assistance of CIPP, as needed, to specify the 
performance measures to be addressed in the project's Annual 
Performance Report;
    (2) Cooperate with CIPP staff in order to accomplish the tasks 
described in paragraph (1) of this section; and
    (3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each budget year to cover the 
costs of carrying out the tasks described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
this section and implementing the evaluation plan.
    (d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Adequacy of Project Resources,'' how--
    (1) The proposed project will encourage applications for employment 
from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been 
underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or 
disability, as appropriate;
    (2) The proposed key project personnel, consultants, and 
subcontractors have the qualifications and experience to carry out the 
proposed activities and achieve the project's intended outcomes;
    (3) The applicant and any key partners have adequate resources to 
carry out the proposed activities; and
    (4) The proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the 
anticipated results and benefits.
    (e) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under 
``Quality of the Management Plan,'' how--
    (1) The proposed management plan will ensure that the project's 
intended outcomes will be achieved on time and within budget. To 
address this requirement, the applicant must describe--
    (i) Clearly defined responsibilities for key project personnel, 
consultants, and subcontractors, as applicable; and
    (ii) Timelines and milestones for accomplishing the project tasks;
    (2) Key project personnel and any consultants and subcontractors 
will be allocated to the project and how these allocations are 
appropriate and adequate to achieve the project's intended outcomes;
    (3) The proposed management plan will ensure that the products and 
services provided are of high quality, relevant, and useful to 
recipients; and
    (4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of 
perspectives, including those of families, educators, TA providers, 
researchers, and policy makers, among others, in its development and 
operation.
    (f) Address the following application requirements. The applicant 
must--
    (1) Include, in Appendix A, a logic model that depicts, at a 
minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes of the 
proposed project.
    (2) Include, in Appendix A, a conceptual framework for the project;
    (3) Include, in Appendix A, personnel-loading charts and timelines, 
as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the 
narrative;
    (4) Include, in the budget, attendance at the following:
    (i) A one and one-half day kick-off meeting in Washington, DC, 
after receipt of the award, and an annual planning meeting in 
Washington, DC, with the OSEP project officer and other relevant staff 
during each subsequent year of the project period.

    Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the award, a post-award 
teleconference must be held between the OSEP project officer and the 
grantee's project director or other authorized representative;

    (ii) A two and one-half day project directors' conference in 
Washington, DC, during each year of the project period;
    (iii) Two annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings, 
Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by 
OSEP; and
    (iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review meeting in Washington, DC, 
during the last half of the second year of the project period;
    (5) Include, in the budget, a line item for an annual set-aside of 
five percent of the grant amount to support emerging needs that are 
consistent with the proposed project's intended outcomes, as those 
needs are identified in consultation with, and approved by, the OSEP 
project officer. With approval from the OSEP project officer, the 
project must reallocate any remaining funds from this annual set-aside 
no later than the end of the third quarter of each budget period; and
    (6) Maintain a Web site that meets government or industry-
recognized standards for accessibility.

[[Page 13348]]

    Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:
    In deciding whether to continue funding the project for the fourth 
and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 
75.253(a), as well as--
    (a) The recommendation of a 3+2 review team consisting of experts 
selected by the Secretary. This review will be conducted during a one-
day intensive meeting that will be held during the last half of the 
second year of the project period;
    (b) The timeliness and effectiveness with which all requirements of 
the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the 
project; and
    (c) The quality, relevance, and usefulness of the project's 
products and services and the extent to which the project's products 
and services are aligned with the project's objectives and likely to 
result in the project achieving its intended outcomes.

References

Algozzine, B., Wang, C., & Violette, A. S. (2011). Reexamining the 
relationship between academic achievement and social behavior. 
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 13, 3-16.
Algozzine, B., Wang, C., White, R., Cooke, N., Marr, M. B., 
Algozzine, K., Helf, S. S., & Duran, G. Z. (2012). Effects of multi-
tier academic and behavior instruction on difficult-to-teach 
students. Exceptional Children, 79, 45-64.
Allor, J. H., Mathes, P. G., Roberts, J. K., Cheatham, J. P., & Al 
Otaiba, S. (2014). Is scientifically based reading instruction 
effective for students with below-average IQs? Exceptional Children, 
80, 287-306.
Al Otaiba, S., Connor, C. M., Folsom, J., Wanzek, J., Greulich, L., 
Schatschneider, C., & Wagner, R. K. (2014). To wait in Tier 1 or 
intervene immediately: A randomized experiment examining first-grade 
response to intervention in reading. Exceptional Children, 81, 11-
27.
Bambara, L. M., Goh, A., Kern, L., & Caskie, G. (2012). Perceived 
barriers and enablers to implementing individualized positive 
behavior interventions and supports in school settings. Journal of 
Positive Behavior Interventions, 14, 228-240.
Barnett, D. W., Daly, E. J., Jones, K. M., & Lentz, F. E. (2004). 
Response to intervention: Empirically based special service delivery 
decisions from single-case designs of increasing and decreasing 
intensity. The Journal of Special Education, 38, 66-79.
Bryant, B. R., Bryant, D. P., Porterfield, J., Dennis, M. S., 
Falcomata, T., Valentine, C., Brewer, C., & Bell, K. (2014). The 
effects of a Tier 3 intervention on the mathematics performance of 
second grade students with severe mathematics difficulties. Journal 
of Learning Disabilities. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/
0022219414538516.
Chaparro, E. A., Smolkowski, K., Baker, S. K., Hanson, N., & Ryan-
Jackson, K. (2012). A model for system-wide collaboration to support 
integrated social behavior and literacy evidence-based practices. 
Psychology in the Schools, 49, 465-482.
Ciullo, S., Lembke, E. S., Carlisle, A., Thomas, C. N., Goodwin, M., 
& Judd, L. (2015). Implementation of evidence-based literacy 
practices in middle school response to intervention: An observation 
study. Learning Disability Quarterly. Advance online publication. 
doi: 10.1177/0731948714566120.
Codding, R. S., & Lane, K. L. (2014). A spotlight on treatment 
intensity: An important and often overlooked component of 
intervention inquiry. Journal of Behavioral Education, 24, 1-10.
Daly, E. J., Martens, B. K., Barnett, D., Witt, J. C., & Olson, S. 
C. (2007). Varying intervention delivery in a response to 
intervention: Confronting and resolving challenges in instruction, 
measurement, and intensity. School Psychology Review, 36, 562-581.
Debnam, K. J., Pas, E. T., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2012). Secondary and 
tertiary support systems in schools implementing school-wide 
positive behavioral interventions and supports: A preliminary 
descriptive analysis. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 
14, 142-152.
Dennis, M. S. (2015). Effects of Tier 2 and Tier 3 mathematics 
interventions for second graders with mathematics difficulties. 
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 30, 29-42.
Denton, C. A., Tolar, T. D., Fletcher, J. M., Barth, A. E., Vaughn, 
S., & Francis, D. J. (2013). Effects of Tier 3 intervention for 
students with persistent reading difficulties and characteristics of 
inadequate responders. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 633-
648.
DePaoli, J. L., Fox, J. H., Ingram, E. S., Maushard, M., Bridgeland, 
J. M., & Balfanz, R. (2015). 2015 Building a grad nation: Progress 
and challenge in ending the high school dropout epidemic. Retrieved 
from America's Promise Alliance Web site: http://gradnation.org/report/2015-building-grad-nation-report.
Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blas[eacute], K. A., Friedman, R. M., & 
Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the 
literature. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, Louis de la 
Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.
Ford, D. Y. (2012). Culturally different students in special 
education: Looking backward to move forward. Exceptional Children, 
78, 391-405.
Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Powell, S. R., Seethaler, P. M., Cirino, P. 
T., & Fletcher, J. M. (2008). Intensive intervention for students 
with mathematics disabilities: Seven principles of effective 
practice. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 31, 79-92.
Gable, R. A., Tonelson, S. W., Sheth, M., Wilson, C., & Park, K. L. 
(2012). Importance, usage, and preparedness to implement evidence-
based practices for students with emotional disabilities: A 
comparison of knowledge and skills of special education and general 
education teachers. Education & Treatment of Children, 35, 499-519.
Gage, N. A., Lewis, T. A., & Stichter, J. P. (2012). Functional 
behavioral assessment-based interventions for students with or at 
risk for emotional and/or behavioral disorders in school: A 
hierarchical linear modeling meta-analysis. Behavioral Disorders, 
37, 55-77.
Gersten, R., Beckmann, S., Clarke, B., Foegen, A., Marsh, L., Star, 
J. R., & Witzel, B. (2009). Assisting students struggling with 
mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for elementary and 
middle schools (NCEE 2009-4060). Washington, DC: National Center for 
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education 
Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide.aspx?sid=2.
Goh, A. E., & Bambara, L. M. (2012). Individualized positive 
behavior supports in school settings: A meta-analysis. Remedial and 
Special Education, 33, 271-286.
Kern, L., Hilt-Panahon, A., & Sokol, N. G. (2009). Further examining 
the triangle tip: Improving support for students with emotional and 
behavioral needs. Psychology in the Schools, 46, 18-32.
Lane, H. L., Oakes, W. P., & Menzies, H. M. (2014). Comprehensive, 
integrated, three-tiered models of prevention: Why does my school 
and district need an integrated approach to meet students' academic, 
behavioral, and social needs? Preventing School Failure: Alternative 
Education for Children and Youth, 58, 121-128.
Losen, D., Hodson, C., Ee, J., & Martinez, T. (2014). Disturbing 
inequities: Exploring the relationship between racial disparities in 
special education identification and discipline. Journal of Applied 
Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 5(2), 
Article 15. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol5/iss2/15.
Losen, D., Hodson, C., Keith, M. A., Morrison, K., & Belway, S. 
(2015). Are we closing the school discipline gap? Retrieved from The 
Civil Rights Project Web site: http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/resources/projects/center-for-civil-rights-remedies/school-to-prison-folder/federal-reports/are-we-closing-the-school-discipline-gap/AreWeClosingTheSchoolDisciplineGap_FINAL221.pdf.
McIntosh, K., Bohanon, H., & Goodman, S. (2010). Toward true 
integration of response to intervention systems in academic and 
behavior support: Part Three: Tier 3 support. Communiqu[eacute], 39, 
30-31.
Mellard, D., McKnight, M., & Jordan, J. (2010). RTI tier structures 
and instructional intensity. Disabilities Research & Practice, 25, 
217-225.
Morgan, P. L., & Sideridis, G. D. (2013). Academic and behavioral 
difficulties at

[[Page 13349]]

school: Introduction to the special issue. Behavioral Disorders, 38, 
193-200.
O'Connor, E. P., & Freeman, E. W. (2012). District-level 
considerations in supporting and sustaining RTI implementation. 
Psychology in the Schools, 49, 297-310.
Orosco, M. J., & Klingner, J. (2010). One school's implementation of 
RTI with English language learners: ``Referring into RTI.'' Journal 
of Learning Disabilities, 43, 269-288.
Regan, K. S., Berkeley, S. L., Hughes, M., & Brady, K. K. (2015). 
Understanding practitioner perceptions of responsiveness to 
intervention. Learning Disability Quarterly. Advance online 
publication. doi: 10.1177/0731948715580437.
Sanford, C., Newman, L., Wagner, M., Cameto, R., Knokey, M., & 
Shaver, D. (2011). The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults 
With Disabilities up to 6 Years After High School. Key findings from 
the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) (NCSER 2011-
3004). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved from http://www.nlts2.org/reports/2011_09/index.html.
Solis, M., Miciak, J., Vaughn, S., & Fletcher, J. M. (2014). Why 
intensive interventions matter: Longitudinal studies of adolescents 
with reading disabilities and poor reading comprehension. Learning 
Disability Quarterly, 37, 218-229.
Stewart, R. M., Benner, G. J., Martella, R. C., & Marchand-Martella, 
N. E. (2007). Three-tier models of reading and behavior: A research 
review. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 9, 239-253.
U.S. Department of Education. (2015). National assessment of 
educational progress [Data file]. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/.
U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. (2014). Civil 
rights data collection data snapshot: School discipline. Retrieved 
from: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/crdc-discipline-snapshot.pdf.
Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Scammacca, N. K., Metz, K., Murray, C. S., 
Roberts, G., & Danielson, L. (2013). Extensive reading interventions 
for students with reading difficulties after grade 3. Review of 
Educational Research, 83, 163-195.
Warren, S. F., Fey, M. E., & Yoder, P. J. (2007). Differential 
treatment intensity research: A missing link to creating optimally 
effective communication interventions. Mental Retardation and 
Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13, 70-77.

    Definitions:
    For the purposes of this priority:
    Evidence-based means supported by strong theory.
    Strong theory means a rationale for the proposed process, product, 
strategy, or practice that includes a logic model.
    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. 1463 and 1481.
    Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 
97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to 
Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 
2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department 
in 2 CFR part 3485. (c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 
200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR 
part 3474.

    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 IHEs only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Cooperative agreement.
    Estimated Available Funds: $2,100,000.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2017 from the list of 
unfunded applications from this competition.
    Maximum Award: We will reject any application that proposes a 
budget exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
    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. Applications must include plans for both 
the 36-month award and the 24-month extension.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs, including public charter 
schools that operate as LEAs under State law; IHEs; other public 
agencies; private nonprofit organizations; freely associated States and 
outlying areas; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; and for-profit 
organizations.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.
    3. Eligible Subgrantees: (a) Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a 
grantee may award subgrants--to directly carry out project activities 
described in its application--to the following types of entities: SEAs; 
LEAs, including public charter schools that operate as LEAs under State 
law; IHEs; other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations; 
freely associated States and outlying areas; Indian tribes or tribal 
organizations; and for-profit organizations suitable to carry out the 
activities proposed in the application.
    (b) The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified 
in an approved application.
    4. Other General Requirements:
    (a) Recipients of funding under this competition must make positive 
efforts to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with 
disabilities (see section 606 of IDEA).
    (b) Each applicant for, and recipient of, funding under this 
program must involve individuals with disabilities, or parents of 
individuals with disabilities ages birth through 26, in planning, 
implementing, and evaluating the project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of 
IDEA).

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an 
application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications 
Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following 
address: www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html. To obtain a 
copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call: 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) or a text telephone (TTY), call, toll free: 
1-877-576-7734.
    You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at 
its email address: [email protected].
    If you request an application package from ED Pubs, be sure to 
identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.326Q.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) 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 13350]]

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 
no more than 70 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, reference citations, and captions, as well as 
all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.
     Use a font that is 12 point or larger.
     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 and double-spacing requirements do 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 abstract (follow the guidance provided in the 
application package for completing the abstract), the table of 
contents, the list of priority requirements, the resumes, the reference 
list, the letters of support, or the appendices. However, the page 
limit and double-spacing requirements do apply to all of Part III, the 
application narrative, including all text in charts, tables, figures, 
graphs, and screen shots.
    We will reject your application if you exceed the page limit in the 
application narrative section or if you apply standards other than 
those specified in this notice and the application package.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 14, 2016.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: April 28, 2016.
    Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted 
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For 
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your 
application electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, please refer to Other Submission Requirements in section 
IV 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: June 27, 2016.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This competition 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 System for Award Management: 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 System for Award 
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry), the 
Government's primary registrant database;
    c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
    d. Maintain an active SAM 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 at the 
following Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. A DUNS number can be 
created within one to two business days.
    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 two to five weeks for your TIN to become active.
    The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business 
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the 
completeness and accuracy of the data you enter into the SAM database. 
Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal financial 
assistance under a program administered by the Department, please allow 
sufficient time to obtain and register your DUNS number and TIN. We 
strongly recommend that you register early.

    Note: Once your SAM registration is active, it may be 24 to 48 
hours before you can access the information in, and submit an 
application through, Grants.gov.

    If you are currently registered with SAM, 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 registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
    Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further 
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in 
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov 
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
    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 at the 
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.
    7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the National Center for Students with 
Disabilities Who Require Intensive Intervention competition, CFDA 
number 84.326Q, must be submitted electronically using the 
Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at 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 email an electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks

[[Page 13351]]

before the application deadline date is provided later in this section 
under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    You may access the electronic grant application for the National 
Center for Students with Disabilities Who Require Intensive 
Intervention competition at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the 
downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA 
number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search 
(e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326Q).
    Please note the following:
     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 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 www.G5.gov. In addition, for specific guidance and 
procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov, please 
refer to the Grants.gov Web site at: www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     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.
     You must upload any narrative sections and all other 
attachments to your application as files in a read-only, non-modifiable 
Portable Document Format (PDF). Do not upload an interactive or 
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only, 
non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a 
password-protected file, we will not review that material. Please note 
that this could result in your application not being considered for 
funding because the material in question--for example, the project 
narrative--is critical to a meaningful review of your proposal. For 
that reason it is important to allow yourself adequate time to upload 
all material as PDF files. The Department will not convert material 
from other formats to PDF. Additional, detailed information on how to 
attach files is in the application instructions.
     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. Grants.gov 
will also notify you automatically by email if your application met all 
the Grants.gov validation requirements or if there were any errors 
(such as submission of your application by someone other than a 
registered Authorized Organization Representative, or inclusion of an 
attachment with a file name that contains special characters). You will 
be given an opportunity to correct any errors and resubmit, but you 
must still meet the deadline for submission of applications.
    Once your application is successfully validated by Grants.gov, the 
Department will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send you 
an email with a unique PR/Award number for your application.
    These emails do not mean that your application is without any 
disqualifying errors. While your application may have been successfully 
validated by Grants.gov, it must also meet the Department's application 
requirements as specified in this notice and in the application 
instructions. Disqualifying errors could include, for instance, failure 
to upload attachments in a read-only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to 
submit a required part of the application; or failure to meet applicant 
eligibility requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure that your 
submitted application has met all of the Department's requirements.
     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 the 
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00 
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. We will 
contact you after we determine 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

[[Page 13352]]

application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you 
experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through the Grants.gov system because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
the Grants.gov system;

and

     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application.
    If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be 
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must 
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the 
application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: Celia Rosenquist, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5146, Potomac 
Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-5076. FAX: (202) 245-7590.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. 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 84.326Q) 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.

    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.

    We will not consider applications postmarked after the application 
deadline date.
    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You 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 84.326Q) 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, 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 competition 
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are listed in the application package.
    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 
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 section 682(b) of 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. Risk Assessment and Special Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 
200.205, before awarding grants under this competition the Department 
conducts a review of the risks posed by applicants. Under 2 CFR 
3474.10, the Secretary may impose special conditions and, in 
appropriate circumstances, high-risk 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 2 CFR part 200, subpart D; has not 
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not 
responsible.

[[Page 13353]]

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); or we may send you an email containing a link to 
access an electronic version of your 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 multiyear 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 www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    (c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the Secretary may provide a grantee 
with additional funding for data collection analysis and reporting. In 
this case the Secretary establishes a data collection period.
    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 Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve 
Services and Results for Children With Disabilities program. For 
purposes of this priority, the Center will use these measures, which 
focus on the extent to which projects provide high-quality products and 
services, the relevance of project products and services to educational 
and early intervention policy and practice, and the use of products and 
services to improve educational and early intervention policy and 
practice.
    Projects funded under this competition are required to submit data 
on these measures as directed by OSEP.
    Grantees will be required to report information on their project's 
performance in annual and final performance reports to the Department 
(34 CFR 75.590).
    5. Continuation Awards: In making a continuation award under 34 CFR 
75.253, the Secretary considers, among other things: Whether a grantee 
has made substantial progress in achieving the goals and objectives of 
the project; whether the grantee has expended funds in a manner that is 
consistent with its approved application and budget; and, if the 
Secretary has established performance measurement requirements, the 
performance targets in the grantee's approved application.
    In making a continuation award, 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: Celia Rosenquist, U.S. Department 
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5146, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-7373.
    If you use a TDD or a TTY, 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 compact disc) by contacting 
the Grants and Contracts Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 
400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5037, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, 
DC 20202-2550. Telephone: (202) 245-7363. If you use a TDD or a TTY, 
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: www.thefederalregister.org/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 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: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: March 9, 2016.
Michael K. Yudin,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2016-05759 Filed 3-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P



                                                  13344                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices

                                                  this date may not be provided to the                    disseminating useful information, and                 2015). Students with disabilities are also
                                                  committee until its next meeting.                       implementing activities that are                      less likely to have enrolled in
                                                    Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.140d, the                    supported by scientifically based                     postsecondary education, have lower
                                                  committee is not obligated to allow a                   research.                                             salaries when employed, and have
                                                  member of the public to speak or                           Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR                higher involvement with the criminal
                                                  otherwise address the committee during                  75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from                justice system than their non-disabled
                                                  the meeting. However, the committee                     allowable activities specified in the                 peers (Sanford et al., 2011).
                                                  Designated Federal Official and                         statute (see sections 663 and 681(d) of                  For some students, the typical
                                                  Chairperson may choose to invite                        the Individuals with Disabilities                     evidence-based instruction and
                                                  certain submitters to present their                     Education Act (IDEA)).                                behavioral supports provided in the
                                                  comments verbally during the open                          Absolute Priority: For FY 2016 and                 classroom are not sufficient to address
                                                  portion of this meeting or at a future                  any subsequent year in which we make                  their educational needs or prepare them
                                                  meeting. The Designated Federal                         awards from the list of unfunded                      for postsecondary opportunities. They
                                                  Officer, in consultation with the                       applications from this competition, this              will need individualized, more
                                                  committee Chairperson, may allot a                      priority is an absolute priority. Under 34            intensive intervention composed of
                                                  specific amount of time for submitters to               CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only                    practices that are evidence-based.
                                                  present their comments verbally.                        applications that meet this priority.                    Interventions can be intensified in
                                                                                                             This priority is:                                  multiple ways (e.g., dosage, group size,
                                                  Brenda S. Bowen,                                           National Center for Students with                  intervention components,
                                                  Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.                  Disabilities Who Require Intensive                    interventionist expertise) (e.g., Barnett,
                                                  [FR Doc. 2016–05512 Filed 3–11–16; 8:45 am]             Intervention.                                         Daly, Jones, & Lentz, 2004; Codding &
                                                  BILLING CODE 5001–03–P                                     Background:                                        Lane, 2014; Daly, Martens, Barnett, Witt,
                                                                                                             Providing effective evidence-based (as             & Olson, 2007; Mellard, McKnight, &
                                                                                                          defined in this notice) instruction and               Jordan, 2010; Warren, Fey, & Yoder,
                                                  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION                                 intervention for all students, including              2007), and for students at risk of, or
                                                                                                          students with disabilities, is critical for           identified as having, a disability,
                                                  Applications for New Awards;                            their success in postsecondary settings.              research has demonstrated the
                                                  Technical Assistance and                                Recent data demonstrate that academic                 effectiveness of intensive interventions
                                                  Dissemination To Improve Services                       and behavioral outcomes for students                  in improving reading outcomes (e.g.,
                                                  and Results for Children With                           with disabilities continue to be poor.                Allor, Mathes, Roberts, Cheatham, & Al
                                                  Disabilities—National Center for                           In 2015, for example, a large                      Otaiba, 2014; Al Otaiba et al., 2014;
                                                  Students With Disabilities Who                          proportion of students with disabilities              Denton et al., 2013; Solis, Miciak,
                                                  Require Intensive Intervention                          scored below the basic level 1 on the                 Vaughn, & Fletcher, 2014; Wanzek et al.,
                                                                                                          National Assessment of Educational                    2013); mathematics outcomes (e.g.,
                                                  AGENCY:  Office of Special Education and
                                                                                                          Progress (NAEP) in both reading (4th                  Bryant et al., 2014; Dennis, 2015; Fuchs,
                                                  Rehabilitative Services, Department of
                                                                                                          grade: 70 percent; 8th grade: 67 percent)             Fuchs, Powell, Seethaler, Cirino, &
                                                  Education.
                                                                                                          and math (4th grade: 49 percent; 8th                  Fletcher, 2008; Gersten et al., 2009); and
                                                  ACTION: Notice.                                         grade: 72 percent) (U.S. Department of                behavioral outcomes (e.g., Gage, Lewis,
                                                  SUMMARY:   Overview Information:                        Education, 2015). In the 2011–12 school               & Stichter, 2012; Goh & Bambara, 2012).
                                                  Technical Assistance and Dissemination                  year, students with disabilities were
                                                                                                                                                                   The co-occurrence of academic and
                                                  to Improve Services and Results for                     more than twice as likely to receive an
                                                                                                                                                                behavioral difficulties has been well
                                                  Children with Disabilities—National                     out-of-school suspension as their non-
                                                                                                                                                                documented, yet the exact nature of the
                                                  Center for Students with Disabilities                   disabled peers, and over half (58
                                                                                                                                                                relationship is still not well understood
                                                  Who Require Intensive Intervention                      percent) were subjected to seclusion
                                                                                                                                                                (e.g., Algozzine, Wang, & Violette, 2011;
                                                    Notice inviting applications for a new                (U.S. Department of Education, 2014).
                                                                                                                                                                Morgan & Sideridis, 2013). However,
                                                  award for fiscal year (FY) 2016.                        Further, students with emotional
                                                                                                                                                                recent research on integrating academic
                                                                                                          disturbance or a specific learning
                                                  Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance                                                                        and behavioral interventions has
                                                                                                          disability were suspended at higher
                                                    (CFDA) Number: 84.326Q.                                                                                     demonstrated promise for improving
                                                                                                          rates than other students with
                                                                                                                                                                student outcomes (e.g., Algozzine et al.,
                                                  DATES: Applications Available: March                    disabilities (Losen, Hodson, Ee, &
                                                                                                                                                                2012; Chaparro, Smolkowski, Baker,
                                                  14, 2016.                                               Martinez, 2014). Nationally, in the
                                                                                                                                                                Hanson, & Ryan-Jackson, 2012; Stewart,
                                                    Deadline for Transmittal of                           2011–12 school year, it is estimated that
                                                                                                                                                                Benner, Martella, Marchand-Martella,
                                                  Applications: April 28, 2016.                           nearly 18 million instructional days
                                                                                                                                                                2007). In an analysis of academic,
                                                    Deadline for Intergovernmental                        were lost for all U.S. public school
                                                                                                                                                                behavioral, and integrated academic and
                                                  Review: June 27, 2016.                                  children due to exclusionary discipline
                                                                                                                                                                behavioral intervention models, Stewart
                                                  SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:                              (Losen, Hodson, Keith, Morrison, &
                                                                                                                                                                et al. (2007) found greater gains in
                                                                                                          Belway, 2015).
                                                  Full Text of Announcement                                                                                     reading and behavior for the integrated
                                                                                                             Significant and persistent academic
                                                                                                                                                                intervention model than the academic
                                                  I. Funding Opportunity Description                      and behavioral difficulties can limit
                                                                                                                                                                or behavioral intervention models alone.
                                                                                                          success in school and postsecondary
                                                    Purpose of Program: The purpose of                                                                             In short, there are students with
                                                                                                          opportunities. A recent report suggests
                                                  the Technical Assistance and                                                                                  disabilities who have persistent learning
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                          that the graduation rate for students
                                                  Dissemination to Improve Services and                                                                         or behavior difficulties and who need
                                                                                                          with disabilities (61.9 percent) is much
                                                  Results for Children with Disabilities                                                                        intensive intervention to succeed in
                                                                                                          lower than the graduation rate for all
                                                  program is to promote academic                                                                                school and to be prepared for
                                                                                                          students (81.4 percent) (DePaoli et al.,
                                                  achievement and to improve results for                                                                        postsecondary opportunities. However,
                                                  children with disabilities by providing                   1 For NAEP achievement level definitions, see:      States, districts, and schools need
                                                  technical assistance (TA), supporting                   https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/                assistance in developing or refining and
                                                  model demonstration projects,                           achievement.aspx.                                     coordinating their systems of instruction


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00035   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices                                              13345

                                                  and intervention to address the needs of                Plan (SSIP).2 As part of the SSIP, States                  (1) Increased LEA and educators’
                                                  these students.                                         must identify the result(s) they intend to              knowledge and use of intensive
                                                     Research has identified numerous                     achieve through implementing the SSIP                   intervention in reading, mathematics,
                                                  components within schools’ systems of                   (referred to as the State Identified                    and behavior;
                                                  instruction and intervention that can                   Measureable Result(s) (SIMR)). To date,                    (2) Increased LEA and educators’
                                                  make an intervention more or less                       42 States are focusing on improving                     knowledge and use of culturally and
                                                  effective and sustainable. For example,                 performance in reading, math, or both,                  linguistically responsive intensive
                                                  the need to improve educators’                          and 12 States are focusing on increasing                intervention, including intensive
                                                  knowledge and use of evidence-based                     the graduation rate of children and                     intervention for ELs with disabilities;
                                                  interventions through teacher                           youth with disabilities. States will need                  (3) Increased capacity of LEAs and
                                                                                                          TA to support the implementation of                     schools to develop or refine and
                                                  preparation (e.g., Ciullo et al., 2015;
                                                                                                          their SSIP strategies to improve                        coordinate their system of instruction
                                                  Gable, Tonelson, Sheth, Wilson, & Park,
                                                                                                          academic and behavior-related results.                  and intervention to implement intensive
                                                  2012; Kern, Hilt-Panahon, & Sokol,
                                                                                                             The priority established in this notice              intervention in reading, mathematics,
                                                  2009) and professional development
                                                                                                          will fund a national center that will                   and behavior;
                                                  (e.g., Bambara, Goh, Kern, & Caskie,
                                                                                                          focus on intensive academic and                            (4) Increased capacity of SEAs, LEAs,
                                                  2012; Ciullo et al., 2015; Debnam, Pas,
                                                                                                          behavioral interventions for students                   and educators to support, implement,
                                                  & Bradshaw, 2012; Kern, Hilt-Panahon,
                                                                                                          with disabilities with persistent learning              and sustain intensive intervention in
                                                  & Sokol, 2009; Regan, Berkeley, Hughes,
                                                                                                          or behavior difficulties, but not students              reading, mathematics, and behavior;
                                                  & Brady, 2015) has been well
                                                                                                          with the most significant cognitive                        (5) Increased capacity of SEAs to
                                                  documented. The need to improve
                                                                                                          disabilities, as the needs of those                     support the efforts of LEAs to use
                                                  educators’ knowledge and use of
                                                                                                          students are targeted in other Office of                intensive intervention to achieve the
                                                  culturally and linguistically responsive
                                                                                                          Special Education Programs (OSEP)                       academic and behavior-related results
                                                  instruction for students with disabilities
                                                                                                          investments.                                            identified in a State’s SIMR;
                                                  (e.g., Ford, 2012; Orosco & Klingner,                      Priority:
                                                  2010) has also been noted, as 91 percent                                                                           (6) Increased knowledge and capacity
                                                                                                             The purpose of this priority is to fund              of SEAs, LEAs, and educators to use and
                                                  of 4th and 89 percent of 8th grade                      a cooperative agreement to establish and
                                                  students with disabilities who are                                                                              coordinate existing national, regional,
                                                                                                          operate a National Center for Students                  State, and local resources (e.g., parent
                                                  English Learners (ELs) scored below the                 with Disabilities Who Require Intensive
                                                  basic level in reading on the 2015 NAEP                                                                         and family organizations, TA providers,
                                                                                                          Intervention (Center). The Center will                  mental health agencies and
                                                  (U.S. Department of Education, 2015).                   assist State educational agencies (SEAs)                organizations, etc.) to better support,
                                                     Another component that can facilitate                and local educational agencies (LEAs) in                implement, and sustain intensive
                                                  or impede implementation and                            their efforts to support schools and                    intervention in reading, mathematics,
                                                  sustainability of an intervention is                    educators in implementing intensive                     and behavior;
                                                  school culture (O’Connor & Freeman,                     intervention composed of practices that
                                                                                                                                                                     (7) Increased dissemination of lessons
                                                  2012), particularly for students with                   are evidence-based (‘‘intensive
                                                                                                                                                                  learned from implementing intensive
                                                  persistent difficulties (e.g., Bambara et               intervention’’) for students with
                                                                                                                                                                  intervention to inform State and local
                                                  al., 2012). The leadership and                          disabilities who have persistent learning
                                                                                                                                                                  implementation efforts; and
                                                  organizational supports, such as                        or behavior difficulties and who need
                                                                                                                                                                     (8) Increased capacity of institutions
                                                  scheduling, roles of staff, adequate                    intensive intervention to succeed in
                                                                                                                                                                  of higher education (IHEs) to prepare
                                                  planning time, professional                             school and be prepared for
                                                                                                                                                                  educators to coordinate instruction and
                                                  development structure, evaluation,                      postsecondary opportunities (‘‘students
                                                                                                                                                                  intervention and support, implement,
                                                  leadership support, policies, and                       with disabilities who need intensive
                                                                                                                                                                  and sustain intensive intervention in
                                                  funding (e.g., Bambara et al., 2012;                    intervention’’). The Center will give
                                                                                                                                                                  reading, mathematics, and behavior.
                                                  Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, &                      priority to those States with SIMRs that
                                                                                                                                                                     In addition to these programmatic
                                                  Wallace, 2005; O’Connor & Freeman,                      focus on academic or behavior-related
                                                                                                                                                                  requirements, to be considered for
                                                  2012), can also facilitate or impede the                results. The Center must achieve, at a
                                                                                                                                                                  funding under this priority, applicants
                                                  effectiveness and sustainability of the                 minimum, the following expected
                                                                                                                                                                  must meet the application and
                                                  system of instruction and intervention.                 outcomes:
                                                                                                                                                                  administrative requirements in this
                                                  Addressing academic and behavioral
                                                                                                                                                                  priority. OSEP encourages innovative
                                                  difficulties separately, instead of using                  2 In accordance with section 616(b) of IDEA,

                                                                                                          States must have in place a performance plan that       approaches to meet these requirements,
                                                  an integrated approach, may result in
                                                                                                          evaluates the State’s efforts to implement the          which are:
                                                  inefficiencies in coordinating                          requirements and purposes of Part B of the IDEA            (a) Demonstrate, in the narrative
                                                  intervention. By using a more integrated                and describes how the State will improve such
                                                                                                                                                                  section of the application under
                                                  approach, limited resources can be                      implementation. As part of the SPP/APR, each State
                                                                                                          establishes measurable and rigorous targets for each    ‘‘Significance of the Project,’’ how the
                                                  maximized and organizational
                                                                                                          indicator established by the Secretary. In the          proposed project will—
                                                  structures and efficiency can be                        Results Driven Accountability System, OSERS                (1) Address the current training and
                                                  improved (e.g., Chaparro et al., 2012;                  required States under Indicator 17 to develop a
                                                                                                                                                                  information needs of LEAs and
                                                  Lane, Oakes, & Menzies, 2014;                           SSIP as part of their Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013
                                                                                                          through FFY 2018 IDEA Part B SPPs/APRs. The             educators in providing intensive
                                                  McIntosh, Bohanon, & Goodman, 2010).
                                                                                                          SSIP must include: (1) FFY 2013 baseline data           intervention to students with
                                                     As part of the recent emphasis in the                expressed as a percentage and aligned with the          disabilities who need intensive
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                  Department’s accountability efforts on                  State-identified Measurable Result(s) (SIMR) for
                                                                                                          children with disabilities; (2) measurable and
                                                                                                                                                                  intervention. To meet this requirement
                                                  improved results for students with                      rigorous targets (expressed as a percentage) for each   the applicant must—
                                                  disabilities, the Department required                   of the five years for FFY 2014 through FFY 2018,           (i) Present information and current
                                                  States under Indicator 17 of their IDEA                 with the FFY 2018 target reflecting improvement         data on the current capacity of LEAs
                                                  Part B State Performance Plans/Annual                   over the FFY 2013 baseline data; and (3) a plan that
                                                                                                          includes an explanation of how the improvement
                                                                                                                                                                  and educators to address the needs of
                                                  Performance Reports (SPPs/APRs) to                      strategies selected will lead to measurable             students with disabilities who need
                                                  develop a State Systemic Improvement                    improvement in the SIMR.                                intensive intervention; and


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00036   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                  13346                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices

                                                     (ii) Demonstrate knowledge of current                   (i) The current research on the                       and support, implement, and sustain
                                                  educational issues around, and policy                   effectiveness of intensive intervention                  intensive intervention in reading,
                                                  initiatives intended to address, the                    for students with disabilities who need                  mathematics, and behavior; and
                                                  needs of students with disabilities who                 intensive intervention;                                    (iv) Its proposed approach to
                                                  need intensive intervention; and                           (ii) The current research about adult                 intensive, sustained TA,5 which must
                                                     (2) Address the current and emerging                 learning principles and implementation                   identify—
                                                  needs of SEAs and LEAs in developing                    science that will inform the proposed                      (A) The intended recipients of the
                                                  or refining and coordinating their                      TA; and                                                  products and services under this
                                                  systems of instruction and intervention                    (iii) How the proposed project will                   approach;
                                                  for supporting, implementing, and                       incorporate current research and
                                                                                                                                                                     (B) Its proposed approach to measure
                                                  sustaining intensive intervention.                      evidence-based practices in the
                                                                                                                                                                   the readiness of the SEAs, LEAs, and
                                                     (b) Demonstrate, in the narrative                    development and delivery of its
                                                                                                                                                                   schools to work with the project,
                                                  section of the application under                        products and services;
                                                                                                             (5) Develop products and provide                      including their commitment to the
                                                  ‘‘Quality of the Project Services,’’ how                                                                         initiative, alignment of the initiative to
                                                  the proposed project will—                              services that are of high quality and
                                                                                                          sufficient intensity and duration to                     their needs, current infrastructure,
                                                     (1) Ensure equal access and treatment                                                                         available resources, and ability to build
                                                  for members of groups that have                         achieve the intended outcomes of the
                                                                                                          proposed project. To address this                        capacity at the district level;
                                                  historically been underrepresented                                                                                 (C) Its proposed plan for assisting
                                                  based on race, color, national origin,                  requirement, the applicant must
                                                                                                          describe—                                                LEAs to build or enhance training
                                                  gender, age, or disability. To meet this                                                                         systems that include professional
                                                  requirement, the applicant must                            (i) How it proposes to identify or
                                                                                                          develop the knowledge base on                            development based on adult learning
                                                  describe how it will—                                                                                            principles and coaching;
                                                     (i) Identify the needs of the intended               coordinating systems of instruction and
                                                  recipients for TA and information; and                  intervention and supporting,                               (D) Its proposed plan for working with
                                                     (ii) Ensure that services and products               implementing, and sustaining intensive                   appropriate levels of the education
                                                  meet the needs of the intended                          intervention for students with                           system (e.g., SEAs, LEAs, schools) to
                                                  recipients (e.g., by creating materials in              disabilities who need intensive                          ensure that there is communication
                                                  formats accessible to and in languages                  intervention;                                            between each level and that there are
                                                  understandable to the stakeholders                         (ii) Its proposed approach to                         systems in place to support the use of
                                                  served by the intended recipients);                     universal, general TA,3 which must                       intensive intervention;
                                                     (2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and               identify the intended recipients of the                    (E) Its proposed plan for working with
                                                  intended outcomes. To meet this                         products and services under this                         national, State, regional, and local TA
                                                  requirement, the applicant must                         approach;                                                providers and agencies (e.g., State TA
                                                  provide—                                                   (iii) Its proposed approach to targeted,              providers, regional TA providers,
                                                     (i) Measurable intended project                      specialized TA,4 which must identify—                    Department-funded and other federally
                                                                                                             (A) The intended recipients of the                    funded TA Centers, mental health
                                                  outcomes; and
                                                     (ii) The logic model by which the                    products and services under this                         agencies and organizations) and families
                                                  proposed project will achieve its                       approach; and                                            to ensure that there is communication
                                                                                                             (B) Its proposed approach to measure                  between each level and that there are
                                                  intended outcomes. A logic model
                                                                                                          the readiness of potential TA recipients                 systems in place to support the use of
                                                  communicates how a project will
                                                                                                          to work with the project, assessing, at a                intensive intervention; and
                                                  achieve its intended outcomes and
                                                                                                          minimum, their current infrastructure,                     (F) Its proposed plan for collaborating
                                                  provides a framework for both the
                                                                                                          available resources, and ability to build                and coordinating with Department-
                                                  formative and summative evaluations of
                                                                                                          capacity at the local level;                             funded TA investments, where
                                                  the project;                                               (C) Its proposed approach to working
                                                     (3) Use a conceptual framework to                                                                             appropriate, in order to align
                                                                                                          with IHEs to prepare educators to
                                                  develop project plans and activities,                                                                            complementary work and jointly
                                                                                                          coordinate instruction and intervention
                                                  describing any underlying concepts,                                                                              develop and implement products and
                                                  assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or                     3 ‘‘Universal, general TA’’ means TA and
                                                                                                                                                                   services to implement intensive
                                                  theories, as well as the presumed                       information provided to independent users through        intervention;
                                                  relationships or linkages among these                   their own initiative, resulting in minimal                 (6) Develop products and implement
                                                  variables, and any empirical support for                interaction with TA center staff and including one-      services that maximize efficiency. To
                                                                                                          time, invited or offered conference presentations by
                                                  this framework;                                         TA center staff. This category of TA also includes
                                                                                                                                                                   address this requirement, the applicant
                                                     Note: Rather than use the definition of              information or products, such as newsletters,            must describe—
                                                  ‘‘logic model’’ in section 77.1(c) of EDGAR,            guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded              (i) How the proposed project will use
                                                  OSEP uses the definition in paragraph                   from the TA center’s Web site by independent             technology to achieve the intended
                                                                                                          users. Brief communications by TA center staff with
                                                  (b)(2)(ii) of these application requirements.           recipients, either by telephone or email, are also       project outcomes;
                                                  This definition, unlike the definition in 34            considered universal, general TA.                          (ii) With whom the proposed project
                                                  CFR 77.1(c), differentiates between logic                  4 ‘‘Targeted, specialized TA’’ means TA services
                                                                                                                                                                   will collaborate and the intended
                                                  models and conceptual frameworks. The                   based on needs common to multiple recipients and
                                                  following Web sites provide more
                                                                                                                                                                   outcomes of this collaboration; and
                                                                                                          not extensively individualized. A relationship is
                                                  information on logic models:                            established between the TA recipient and one or
                                                  www.researchutilization.org/matrix/                     more TA center staff. This category of TA includes         5 ‘‘Intensive, sustained TA’’ means TA services
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                  logicmodel_resource3c.html and                          one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating   often provided on-site and requiring a stable,
                                                  www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel/                   strategic planning or hosting regional or national       ongoing relationship between the TA center staff
                                                                                                          conferences. It can also include episodic, less labor-   and the TA recipient. ‘‘TA services’’ are defined as
                                                  index.asp;                                              intensive events that extend over a period of time,      negotiated series of activities designed to reach a
                                                    (4) Be based on current research and                  such as facilitating a series of conference calls on     valued outcome. This category of TA should result
                                                                                                          single or multiple topics that are designed around       in changes to policy, program, practice, or
                                                  make use of evidence-based practices.                   the needs of the recipients. Facilitating                operations that support increased recipient capacity
                                                  To meet this requirement, the applicant                 communities of practice can also be considered           or improved outcomes at one or more systems
                                                  must describe—                                          targeted, specialized TA.                                levels.



                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00037   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM     14MRN1


                                                                                 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices                                             13347

                                                     (iii) How the proposed project will                     (A) Specifies the measures and                     allocations are appropriate and adequate
                                                  use non-project resources to achieve the                associated instruments or sources for                 to achieve the project’s intended
                                                  intended project outcomes.                              data appropriate to the evaluation                    outcomes;
                                                     (c) In the narrative section of the                  questions, suggests analytic strategies                  (3) The proposed management plan
                                                  application under ‘‘Quality of the                      for those data, provides a timeline for               will ensure that the products and
                                                  Evaluation Plan,’’ include an evaluation                conducting the evaluation, and includes               services provided are of high quality,
                                                  plan for the project as described in the                staff assignments for completing the                  relevant, and useful to recipients; and
                                                  following paragraphs. The evaluation                    plan;                                                    (4) The proposed project will benefit
                                                  plan must describe: Measures of                            (B) Delineates the data expected to be             from a diversity of perspectives,
                                                  progress in implementation, including                   available by the end of the second                    including those of families, educators,
                                                  the criteria for determining the extent to              project year for use during the project’s             TA providers, researchers, and policy
                                                  which the project’s products and                        3+2 review for continued funding                      makers, among others, in its
                                                  services have reached their target                      described under the heading Fourth and                development and operation.
                                                  population; measures of intended                        Fifth Years of the Project; and                          (f) Address the following application
                                                  outcomes or results of the project’s                       (C) Can be used to assist the project              requirements. The applicant must—
                                                  activities in order to evaluate those                   director and the OSEP project officer,                   (1) Include, in Appendix A, a logic
                                                  activities; and how well the goals or                   with the assistance of CIPP, as needed,               model that depicts, at a minimum, the
                                                  objectives of the proposed project, as                  to specify the performance measures to                goals, activities, outputs, and intended
                                                  described in its logic model, have been                 be addressed in the project’s Annual                  outcomes of the proposed project.
                                                  met.                                                    Performance Report;                                      (2) Include, in Appendix A, a
                                                     The applicant must provide an                           (2) Cooperate with CIPP staff in order             conceptual framework for the project;
                                                  assurance that, in designing the                        to accomplish the tasks described in                     (3) Include, in Appendix A,
                                                  evaluation plan, it will—                               paragraph (1) of this section; and                    personnel-loading charts and timelines,
                                                     (1) Designate, with the approval of the                 (3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each              as applicable, to illustrate the
                                                  OSEP project officer, a project liaison                 budget year to cover the costs of                     management plan described in the
                                                  staff person with sufficient dedicated                  carrying out the tasks described in                   narrative;
                                                  time, experience in evaluation, and                     paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section                   (4) Include, in the budget, attendance
                                                  knowledge of the project to work in                     and implementing the evaluation plan.                 at the following:
                                                  collaboration with the Center to                           (d) Demonstrate, in the narrative                     (i) A one and one-half day kick-off
                                                  Improve Project Performance (CIPP),6                    section of the application under                      meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt
                                                  the project director, and the OSEP                      ‘‘Adequacy of Project Resources,’’                    of the award, and an annual planning
                                                  project officer on the following tasks:                 how—                                                  meeting in Washington, DC, with the
                                                     (i) Revise, as needed, the logic model                  (1) The proposed project will                      OSEP project officer and other relevant
                                                  submitted in the grant application to                   encourage applications for employment                 staff during each subsequent year of the
                                                  provide for a more comprehensive                        from persons who are members of                       project period.
                                                  measurement of implementation and                       groups that have traditionally been                     Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the
                                                  outcomes and to reflect any changes or                  underrepresented based on race, color,                award, a post-award teleconference must be
                                                  clarifications to the model discussed at                national origin, gender, age, or                      held between the OSEP project officer and
                                                  the kick-off meeting;                                   disability, as appropriate;                           the grantee’s project director or other
                                                     (ii) Refine the evaluation design and                   (2) The proposed key project                       authorized representative;
                                                  instrumentation proposed in the grant                   personnel, consultants, and                              (ii) A two and one-half day project
                                                  application consistent with the logic                   subcontractors have the qualifications                directors’ conference in Washington,
                                                  model (e.g., prepare evaluation                         and experience to carry out the                       DC, during each year of the project
                                                  questions about significant program                     proposed activities and achieve the                   period;
                                                  processes and outcomes; develop                         project’s intended outcomes;                             (iii) Two annual two-day trips to
                                                  quantitative or qualitative data                           (3) The applicant and any key                      attend Department briefings,
                                                  collections that permit both the                        partners have adequate resources to                   Department-sponsored conferences, and
                                                  collection of progress data, including                  carry out the proposed activities; and                other meetings, as requested by OSEP;
                                                  fidelity of implementation, as                             (4) The proposed costs are reasonable              and
                                                  appropriate, and the assessment of                      in relation to the anticipated results and               (iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review
                                                  project outcomes; select respondent                     benefits.                                             meeting in Washington, DC, during the
                                                  samples if appropriate; design                             (e) Demonstrate, in the narrative                  last half of the second year of the project
                                                  instruments or identifying data sources;                section of the application under                      period;
                                                  and identify analytic strategies); and                  ‘‘Quality of the Management Plan,’’                      (5) Include, in the budget, a line item
                                                     (iii) Revise, as needed, the evaluation              how—                                                  for an annual set-aside of five percent of
                                                  plan submitted in the grant application                    (1) The proposed management plan                   the grant amount to support emerging
                                                  such that it clearly—                                   will ensure that the project’s intended               needs that are consistent with the
                                                                                                          outcomes will be achieved on time and                 proposed project’s intended outcomes,
                                                    6 The major tasks of CIPP are to guide, coordinate,
                                                                                                          within budget. To address this                        as those needs are identified in
                                                  and oversee the design of formative evaluations for
                                                  every large discretionary investment (i.e., those       requirement, the applicant must                       consultation with, and approved by, the
                                                  awarded $500,000 or more per year and required to       describe—                                             OSEP project officer. With approval
                                                  participate in the 3+2 process) in OSEP’s Technical
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                             (i) Clearly defined responsibilities for           from the OSEP project officer, the
                                                  Assistance and Dissemination; Personnel
                                                  Development; Parent Training and Information
                                                                                                          key project personnel, consultants, and               project must reallocate any remaining
                                                  Centers; and Educational Technology, Media, and         subcontractors, as applicable; and                    funds from this annual set-aside no later
                                                  Materials programs. The efforts of CIPP are                (ii) Timelines and milestones for                  than the end of the third quarter of each
                                                  expected to enhance individual project evaluation       accomplishing the project tasks;                      budget period; and
                                                  plans by providing expert and unbiased TA in
                                                  designing the evaluations with due consideration of
                                                                                                             (2) Key project personnel and any                     (6) Maintain a Web site that meets
                                                  the project’s budget. CIPP does not function as a       consultants and subcontractors will be                government or industry-recognized
                                                  third-party evaluator.                                  allocated to the project and how these                standards for accessibility.


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00038   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                  13348                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices

                                                     Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:               Chaparro, E. A., Smolkowski, K., Baker, S. K.,            comparison of knowledge and skills of
                                                     In deciding whether to continue                          Hanson, N., & Ryan-Jackson, K. (2012). A              special education and general education
                                                  funding the project for the fourth and                      model for system-wide collaboration to                teachers. Education & Treatment of
                                                                                                              support integrated social behavior and                Children, 35, 499–519.
                                                  fifth years, the Secretary will consider
                                                                                                              literacy evidence-based practices.                Gage, N. A., Lewis, T. A., & Stichter, J. P.
                                                  the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), as                    Psychology in the Schools, 49, 465–482.               (2012). Functional behavioral
                                                  well as—                                                Ciullo, S., Lembke, E. S., Carlisle, A.,                  assessment-based interventions for
                                                     (a) The recommendation of a 3+2                          Thomas, C. N., Goodwin, M., & Judd, L.                students with or at risk for emotional
                                                  review team consisting of experts                           (2015). Implementation of evidence-                   and/or behavioral disorders in school: A
                                                  selected by the Secretary. This review                      based literacy practices in middle school             hierarchical linear modeling meta-
                                                  will be conducted during a one-day                          response to intervention: An observation              analysis. Behavioral Disorders, 37,
                                                  intensive meeting that will be held                         study. Learning Disability Quarterly.                 55–77.
                                                  during the last half of the second year                     Advance online publication. doi:                  Gersten, R., Beckmann, S., Clarke, B., Foegen,
                                                                                                              10.1177/0731948714566120.                             A., Marsh, L., Star, J. R., & Witzel, B.
                                                  of the project period;                                  Codding, R. S., & Lane, K. L. (2014). A                   (2009). Assisting students struggling
                                                     (b) The timeliness and effectiveness                     spotlight on treatment intensity: An                  with mathematics: Response to
                                                  with which all requirements of the                          important and often overlooked                        Intervention (RtI) for elementary and
                                                  negotiated cooperative agreement have                       component of intervention inquiry.                    middle schools (NCEE 2009–4060).
                                                  been or are being met by the project; and                   Journal of Behavioral Education, 24, 1–               Washington, DC: National Center for
                                                     (c) The quality, relevance, and                          10.                                                   Education Evaluation and Regional
                                                  usefulness of the project’s products and                Daly, E. J., Martens, B. K., Barnett, D., Witt,           Assistance, Institute of Education
                                                  services and the extent to which the                        J. C., & Olson, S. C. (2007). Varying                 Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
                                                                                                              intervention delivery in a response to                Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/
                                                  project’s products and services are
                                                                                                              intervention: Confronting and resolving               wwc/PracticeGuide.aspx?sid=2.
                                                  aligned with the project’s objectives and                   challenges in instruction, measurement,           Goh, A. E., & Bambara, L. M. (2012).
                                                  likely to result in the project achieving                   and intensity. School Psychology Review,              Individualized positive behavior
                                                  its intended outcomes.                                      36, 562–581.                                          supports in school settings: A meta-
                                                                                                          Debnam, K. J., Pas, E. T., & Bradshaw, C. P.              analysis. Remedial and Special
                                                  References
                                                                                                              (2012). Secondary and tertiary support                Education, 33, 271–286.
                                                  Algozzine, B., Wang, C., & Violette, A. S.                  systems in schools implementing school-           Kern, L., Hilt-Panahon, A., & Sokol, N. G.
                                                      (2011). Reexamining the relationship                    wide positive behavioral interventions                (2009). Further examining the triangle
                                                      between academic achievement and                        and supports: A preliminary descriptive               tip: Improving support for students with
                                                      social behavior. Journal of Positive                    analysis. Journal of Positive Behavior                emotional and behavioral needs.
                                                      Behavior Interventions, 13, 3–16.                       Interventions, 14, 142–152.                           Psychology in the Schools, 46, 18–32.
                                                  Algozzine, B., Wang, C., White, R., Cooke, N.,          Dennis, M. S. (2015). Effects of Tier 2 and           Lane, H. L., Oakes, W. P., & Menzies, H. M.
                                                      Marr, M. B., Algozzine, K., Helf, S. S., &              Tier 3 mathematics interventions for                  (2014). Comprehensive, integrated, three-
                                                      Duran, G. Z. (2012). Effects of multi-tier              second graders with mathematics                       tiered models of prevention: Why does
                                                      academic and behavior instruction on                    difficulties. Learning Disabilities                   my school and district need an
                                                      difficult-to-teach students. Exceptional                Research & Practice, 30, 29–42.                       integrated approach to meet students’
                                                      Children, 79, 45–64.                                Denton, C. A., Tolar, T. D., Fletcher, J. M.,             academic, behavioral, and social needs?
                                                  Allor, J. H., Mathes, P. G., Roberts, J. K.,                Barth, A. E., Vaughn, S., & Francis, D. J.            Preventing School Failure: Alternative
                                                      Cheatham, J. P., & Al Otaiba, S. (2014).                (2013). Effects of Tier 3 intervention for            Education for Children and Youth, 58,
                                                      Is scientifically based reading instruction             students with persistent reading                      121–128.
                                                      effective for students with below-average               difficulties and characteristics of               Losen, D., Hodson, C., Ee, J., & Martinez, T.
                                                      IQs? Exceptional Children, 80, 287–306.                 inadequate responders. Journal of                     (2014). Disturbing inequities: Exploring
                                                  Al Otaiba, S., Connor, C. M., Folsom, J.,                   Educational Psychology, 105, 633–648.                 the relationship between racial
                                                      Wanzek, J., Greulich, L., Schatschneider,           DePaoli, J. L., Fox, J. H., Ingram, E. S.,                disparities in special education
                                                      C., & Wagner, R. K. (2014). To wait in                  Maushard, M., Bridgeland, J. M., &                    identification and discipline. Journal of
                                                      Tier 1 or intervene immediately: A                      Balfanz, R. (2015). 2015 Building a grad              Applied Research on Children: Informing
                                                      randomized experiment examining first-                  nation: Progress and challenge in ending              Policy for Children at Risk, 5(2), Article
                                                      grade response to intervention in                       the high school dropout epidemic.                     15. Retrieved from http://
                                                      reading. Exceptional Children, 81, 11–                  Retrieved from America’s Promise                      digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/
                                                      27.                                                     Alliance Web site: http://gradnation.org/             childrenatrisk/vol5/iss2/15.
                                                  Bambara, L. M., Goh, A., Kern, L., & Caskie,                report/2015-building-grad-nation-report.          Losen, D., Hodson, C., Keith, M. A.,
                                                      G. (2012). Perceived barriers and                   Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blasé, K. A.,               Morrison, K., & Belway, S. (2015). Are
                                                      enablers to implementing individualized                 Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005).                we closing the school discipline gap?
                                                      positive behavior interventions and                     Implementation research: A synthesis of               Retrieved from The Civil Rights Project
                                                      supports in school settings. Journal of                 the literature. Tampa, FL: University of              Web site: http://
                                                      Positive Behavior Interventions, 14, 228–               South Florida, Louis de la Parte Florida              civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/resources/
                                                      240.                                                    Mental Health Institute.                              projects/center-for-civil-rights-remedies/
                                                  Barnett, D. W., Daly, E. J., Jones, K. M., &            Ford, D. Y. (2012). Culturally different                  school-to-prison-folder/federal-reports/
                                                      Lentz, F. E. (2004). Response to                        students in special education: Looking                are-we-closing-the-school-discipline-gap/
                                                      intervention: Empirically based special                 backward to move forward. Exceptional                 AreWeClosingTheSchoolDisciplineGap_
                                                      service delivery decisions from single-                 Children, 78, 391–405.                                FINAL221.pdf.
                                                      case designs of increasing and decreasing           Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Powell, S. R.,               McIntosh, K., Bohanon, H., & Goodman, S.
                                                      intensity. The Journal of Special                       Seethaler, P. M., Cirino, P. T., & Fletcher,          (2010). Toward true integration of
                                                      Education, 38, 66–79.                                   J. M. (2008). Intensive intervention for              response to intervention systems in
                                                  Bryant, B. R., Bryant, D. P., Porterfield, J.,              students with mathematics disabilities:               academic and behavior support: Part
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                      Dennis, M. S., Falcomata, T., Valentine,                Seven principles of effective practice.               Three: Tier 3 support. Communiqué, 39,
                                                      C., Brewer, C., & Bell, K. (2014). The                  Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 31, 79–              30–31.
                                                      effects of a Tier 3 intervention on the                 92.                                               Mellard, D., McKnight, M., & Jordan, J.
                                                      mathematics performance of second                   Gable, R. A., Tonelson, S. W., Sheth, M.,                 (2010). RTI tier structures and
                                                      grade students with severe mathematics                  Wilson, C., & Park, K. L. (2012).                     instructional intensity. Disabilities
                                                      difficulties. Journal of Learning                       Importance, usage, and preparedness to                Research & Practice, 25, 217–225.
                                                      Disabilities. Advance online publication.               implement evidence-based practices for            Morgan, P. L., & Sideridis, G. D. (2013).
                                                      doi: 10.1177/0022219414538516.                          students with emotional disabilities: A               Academic and behavioral difficulties at



                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00039   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices                                             13349

                                                      school: Introduction to the special issue.          (APA) (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department                      3. Eligible Subgrantees: (a) Under 34
                                                      Behavioral Disorders, 38, 193–200.                  generally offers interested parties the               CFR 75.708(b) and (c) a grantee may
                                                  O’Connor, E. P., & Freeman, E. W. (2012).               opportunity to comment on proposed                    award subgrants—to directly carry out
                                                      District-level considerations in
                                                                                                          priorities and requirements. Section                  project activities described in its
                                                      supporting and sustaining RTI
                                                      implementation. Psychology in the                   681(d) of IDEA, however, makes the                    application—to the following types of
                                                      Schools, 49, 297–310.                               public comment requirements of the                    entities: SEAs; LEAs, including public
                                                  Orosco, M. J., & Klingner, J. (2010). One               APA inapplicable to the priority in this              charter schools that operate as LEAs
                                                      school’s implementation of RTI with                 notice.                                               under State law; IHEs; other public
                                                      English language learners: ‘‘Referring                Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1463                   agencies; private nonprofit
                                                      into RTI.’’ Journal of Learning                     and 1481.                                             organizations; freely associated States
                                                      Disabilities, 43, 269–288.                            Applicable Regulations: (a) The                     and outlying areas; Indian tribes or
                                                  Regan, K. S., Berkeley, S. L., Hughes, M., &            Education Department General                          tribal organizations; and for-profit
                                                      Brady, K. K. (2015). Understanding
                                                      practitioner perceptions of
                                                                                                          Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR                  organizations suitable to carry out the
                                                      responsiveness to intervention. Learning            parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98,             activities proposed in the application.
                                                      Disability Quarterly. Advance online                and 99. (b) The Office of Management                     (b) The grantee may award subgrants
                                                      publication. doi: 10.1177/                          and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on                  to entities it has identified in an
                                                      0731948715580437.                                   Governmentwide Debarment and                          approved application.
                                                  Sanford, C., Newman, L., Wagner, M.,                    Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR                     4. Other General Requirements:
                                                      Cameto, R., Knokey, M., & Shaver, D.                part 180, as adopted and amended as                      (a) Recipients of funding under this
                                                      (2011). The Post-High School Outcomes               regulations of the Department in 2 CFR
                                                      of Young Adults With Disabilities up to                                                                   competition must make positive efforts
                                                                                                          part 3485. (c) The Uniform                            to employ and advance in employment
                                                      6 Years After High School. Key findings
                                                      from the National Longitudinal                      Administrative Requirements, Cost                     qualified individuals with disabilities
                                                      Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) (NCSER                   Principles, and Audit Requirements for                (see section 606 of IDEA).
                                                      2011–3004). Menlo Park, CA: SRI                     Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as                     (b) Each applicant for, and recipient
                                                      International. Retrieved from http://               adopted and amended as regulations of                 of, funding under this program must
                                                      www.nlts2.org/reports/2011_09/                      the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.                    involve individuals with disabilities, or
                                                      index.html.                                                                                               parents of individuals with disabilities
                                                                                                            Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79
                                                  Solis, M., Miciak, J., Vaughn, S., & Fletcher,
                                                      J. M. (2014). Why intensive interventions
                                                                                                          apply to all applicants except federally              ages birth through 26, in planning,
                                                                                                          recognized Indian tribes.                             implementing, and evaluating the
                                                      matter: Longitudinal studies of
                                                      adolescents with reading disabilities and                                                                 project (see section 682(a)(1)(A) of
                                                                                                            Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86
                                                      poor reading comprehension. Learning                                                                      IDEA).
                                                                                                          apply to IHEs only.
                                                      Disability Quarterly, 37, 218–229.
                                                  Stewart, R. M., Benner, G. J., Martella, R. C.,
                                                                                                                                                                IV. Application and Submission
                                                                                                          II. Award Information                                 Information
                                                      & Marchand-Martella, N. E. (2007).
                                                      Three-tier models of reading and                      Type of Award: Cooperative                             1. Address to Request Application
                                                      behavior: A research review. Journal of             agreement.                                            Package: You can obtain an application
                                                      Positive Behavior Interventions, 9, 239–              Estimated Available Funds:                          package via the Internet or from the
                                                      253.                                                $2,100,000.
                                                  U.S. Department of Education. (2015).
                                                                                                                                                                Education Publications Center (ED
                                                                                                            Contingent upon the availability of                 Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet,
                                                      National assessment of educational
                                                      progress [Data file]. Retrieved from
                                                                                                          funds and the quality of applications,                use the following address: www.ed.gov/
                                                      http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/               we may make additional awards in FY                   fund/grant/apply/grantapps/index.html.
                                                      naepdata/.                                          2017 from the list of unfunded                        To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write,
                                                  U.S. Department of Education, Office for                applications from this competition.                   fax, or call: ED Pubs, U.S. Department
                                                      Civil Rights. (2014). Civil rights data               Maximum Award: We will reject any                   of Education, P.O. Box 22207,
                                                      collection data snapshot: School                    application that proposes a budget                    Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone, toll
                                                      discipline. Retrieved from: https://                exceeding $2,100,000 for a single budget              free: 1–877–433–7827. FAX: (703) 605–
                                                      www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/            period of 12 months.
                                                      crdc-discipline-snapshot.pdf.
                                                                                                                                                                6794. If you use a telecommunications
                                                                                                            Estimated Number of Awards: 1.                      device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
                                                  Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Scammacca, N. K.,
                                                      Metz, K., Murray, C. S., Roberts, G., &               Note: The Department is not bound by any            telephone (TTY), call, toll free: 1–877–
                                                      Danielson, L. (2013). Extensive reading             estimates in this notice.                             576–7734.
                                                      interventions for students with reading               Project Period: Up to 36 months with                   You can contact ED Pubs at its Web
                                                      difficulties after grade 3. Review of               an optional additional 24 months based                site, also: www.EDPubs.gov or at its
                                                      Educational Research, 83, 163–195.                                                                        email address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
                                                  Warren, S. F., Fey, M. E., & Yoder, P. J.
                                                                                                          on performance. Applications must
                                                                                                          include plans for both the 36-month                      If you request an application package
                                                      (2007). Differential treatment intensity
                                                                                                          award and the 24-month extension.                     from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this
                                                      research: A missing link to creating
                                                      optimally effective communication                                                                         competition as follows: CFDA number
                                                                                                          III. Eligibility Information                          84.326Q.
                                                      interventions. Mental Retardation and
                                                      Developmental Disabilities Research                    1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs; LEAs,                   Individuals with disabilities can
                                                      Reviews, 13, 70–77.                                 including public charter schools that                 obtain a copy of the application package
                                                     Definitions:                                         operate as LEAs under State law; IHEs;                in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
                                                                                                          other public agencies; private nonprofit              large print, audiotape, or compact disc)
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                     For the purposes of this priority:
                                                     Evidence-based means supported by                    organizations; freely associated States               by contacting the person or team listed
                                                  strong theory.                                          and outlying areas; Indian tribes or                  under Accessible Format in section VIII
                                                     Strong theory means a rationale for                  tribal organizations; and for-profit                  of this notice.
                                                  the proposed process, product, strategy,                organizations.                                           2. Content and Form of Application
                                                  or practice that includes a logic model.                   2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This                  Submission: Requirements concerning
                                                     Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking:                       program does not require cost sharing or              the content of an application, together
                                                  Under the Administrative Procedure Act                  matching.                                             with the forms you must submit, are in


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00040   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                  13350                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices

                                                  the application package for this                        in connection with the application                    administered by the Department, please
                                                  competition.                                            process should contact the person listed              allow sufficient time to obtain and
                                                     Page Limit: The application narrative                under For Further Information Contact                 register your DUNS number and TIN.
                                                  (Part III of the application) is where you,             in section VII of this notice. If the                 We strongly recommend that you
                                                  the applicant, address the selection                    Department provides an accommodation                  register early.
                                                  criteria that reviewers use to evaluate                 or auxiliary aid to an individual with a                 Note: Once your SAM registration is active,
                                                  your application. You must limit Part III               disability in connection with the                     it may be 24 to 48 hours before you can
                                                  to no more than 70 pages, using the                     application process, the individual’s                 access the information in, and submit an
                                                  following standards:                                    application remains subject to all other              application through, Grants.gov.
                                                     • A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ x 11″, on one side              requirements and limitations in this                     If you are currently registered with
                                                  only, with 1″ margins at the top, bottom,               notice.                                               SAM, you may not need to make any
                                                  and both sides.                                            Deadline for Intergovernmental
                                                     • Double-space (no more than three                                                                         changes. However, please make certain
                                                                                                          Review: June 27, 2016.
                                                  lines per vertical inch) all text in the                                                                      that the TIN associated with your DUNS
                                                                                                             4. Intergovernmental Review: This
                                                  application narrative, including titles,                                                                      number is correct. Also note that you
                                                                                                          competition is subject to Executive
                                                  headings, footnotes, quotations,                                                                              will need to update your registration
                                                                                                          Order 12372 and the regulations in 34
                                                  reference citations, and captions, as well                                                                    annually. This may take three or more
                                                                                                          CFR part 79. Information about
                                                  as all text in charts, tables, figures,                                                                       business days.
                                                                                                          Intergovernmental Review of Federal
                                                                                                                                                                   Information about SAM is available at
                                                  graphs, and screen shots.                               Programs under Executive Order 12372
                                                     • Use a font that is 12 point or larger.                                                                   www.SAM.gov. To further assist you
                                                                                                          is in the application package for this
                                                     • Use one of the following fonts:                                                                          with obtaining and registering your
                                                                                                          competition.
                                                  Times New Roman, Courier, Courier                          5. Funding Restrictions: We reference              DUNS number and TIN in SAM or
                                                  New, or Arial. An application submitted                 regulations outlining funding                         updating your existing SAM account,
                                                  in any other font (including Times                      restrictions in the Applicable                        we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet,
                                                  Roman or Arial Narrow) will not be                      Regulations section of this notice.                   which you can find at: www2.ed.gov/
                                                  accepted.                                                  6. Data Universal Numbering System                 fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html.
                                                     The page limit and double-spacing                    Number, Taxpayer Identification                          In addition, if you are submitting your
                                                  requirements do not apply to Part I, the                Number, and System for Award                          application via Grants.gov, you must (1)
                                                  cover sheet; Part II, the budget section,               Management: To do business with the                   be designated by your organization as an
                                                  including the narrative budget                          Department of Education, you must—                    Authorized Organization Representative
                                                  justification; Part IV, the assurances and                 a. Have a Data Universal Numbering                 (AOR); and (2) register yourself with
                                                  certifications; or the abstract (follow the             System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer                   Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these
                                                  guidance provided in the application                    Identification Number (TIN);                          steps are outlined at the following
                                                  package for completing the abstract), the                  b. Register both your DUNS number                  Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/
                                                  table of contents, the list of priority                 and TIN with the System for Award                     web/grants/register.html.
                                                  requirements, the resumes, the reference                Management (SAM) (formerly the                           7. Other Submission Requirements:
                                                  list, the letters of support, or the                    Central Contractor Registry), the                     Applications for grants under this
                                                  appendices. However, the page limit                     Government’s primary registrant                       competition must be submitted
                                                  and double-spacing requirements do                      database;                                             electronically unless you qualify for an
                                                  apply to all of Part III, the application                  c. Provide your DUNS number and                    exception to this requirement in
                                                  narrative, including all text in charts,                TIN on your application; and                          accordance with the instructions in this
                                                  tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots.                 d. Maintain an active SAM                          section.
                                                     We will reject your application if you               registration with current information                    a. Electronic Submission of
                                                  exceed the page limit in the application                while your application is under review                Applications.
                                                  narrative section or if you apply                       by the Department and, if you are                        Applications for grants under the
                                                  standards other than those specified in                 awarded a grant, during the project                   National Center for Students with
                                                  this notice and the application package.                period.                                               Disabilities Who Require Intensive
                                                     3. Submission Dates and Times:                          You can obtain a DUNS number from                  Intervention competition, CFDA number
                                                     Applications Available: March 14,                    Dun and Bradstreet at the following                   84.326Q, must be submitted
                                                  2016.                                                   Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/                      electronically using the
                                                     Deadline for Transmittal of                          webform. A DUNS number can be                         Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site
                                                  Applications: April 28, 2016.                           created within one to two business days.              at www.Grants.gov. Through this site,
                                                     Applications for grants under this                      If you are a corporate entity, agency,             you will be able to download a copy of
                                                  competition must be submitted                           institution, or organization, you can                 the application package, complete it
                                                  electronically using the Grants.gov                     obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue                offline, and then upload and submit
                                                  Apply site (Grants.gov). For information                Service. If you are an individual, you                your application. You may not email an
                                                  (including dates and times) about how                   can obtain a TIN from the Internal                    electronic copy of a grant application to
                                                  to submit your application                              Revenue Service or the Social Security                us.
                                                  electronically, or in paper format by                   Administration. If you need a new TIN,                   We will reject your application if you
                                                  mail or hand delivery if you qualify for                please allow two to five weeks for your               submit it in paper format unless, as
                                                  an exception to the electronic                          TIN to become active.                                 described elsewhere in this section, you
                                                                                                             The SAM registration process can take              qualify for one of the exceptions to the
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                  submission requirement, please refer to
                                                  Other Submission Requirements in                        approximately seven business days, but                electronic submission requirement and
                                                  section IV of this notice.                              may take upwards of several weeks,                    submit, no later than two weeks before
                                                     We do not consider an application                    depending on the completeness and                     the application deadline date, a written
                                                  that does not comply with the deadline                  accuracy of the data you enter into the               statement to the Department that you
                                                  requirements.                                           SAM database. Thus, if you think you                  qualify for one of these exceptions.
                                                     Individuals with disabilities who                    might want to apply for Federal                       Further information regarding
                                                  need an accommodation or auxiliary aid                  financial assistance under a program                  calculation of the date that is two weeks


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00041   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices                                                13351

                                                  before the application deadline date is                    • You will not receive additional                  a unique PR/Award number for your
                                                  provided later in this section under                    point value because you submit your                   application.
                                                  Exception to Electronic Submission                      application in electronic format, nor                    These emails do not mean that your
                                                  Requirement.                                            will we penalize you if you qualify for               application is without any disqualifying
                                                     You may access the electronic grant                  an exception to the electronic                        errors. While your application may have
                                                  application for the National Center for                 submission requirement, as described                  been successfully validated by
                                                  Students with Disabilities Who Require                  elsewhere in this section, and submit                 Grants.gov, it must also meet the
                                                  Intensive Intervention competition at                   your application in paper format.                     Department’s application requirements
                                                  www.Grants.gov. You must search for                        • You must submit all documents                    as specified in this notice and in the
                                                  the downloadable application package                    electronically, including all information             application instructions. Disqualifying
                                                  for this competition by the CFDA                        you typically provide on the following                errors could include, for instance,
                                                  number. Do not include the CFDA                         forms: the Application for Federal                    failure to upload attachments in a read-
                                                  number’s alpha suffix in your search                    Assistance (SF 424), the Department of                only, non-modifiable PDF; failure to
                                                  (e.g., search for 84.326, not 84.326Q).                 Education Supplemental Information for                submit a required part of the
                                                     Please note the following:                           SF 424, Budget Information—Non-                       application; or failure to meet applicant
                                                     • When you enter the Grants.gov site,                Construction Programs (ED 524), and all               eligibility requirements. It is your
                                                  you will find information about                         necessary assurances and certifications.              responsibility to ensure that your
                                                  submitting an application electronically                                                                      submitted application has met all of the
                                                                                                             • You must upload any narrative
                                                  through the site, as well as the hours of                                                                     Department’s requirements.
                                                                                                          sections and all other attachments to
                                                  operation.
                                                                                                          your application as files in a read-only,                • We may request that you provide us
                                                     • Applications received by Grants.gov                                                                      original signatures on forms at a later
                                                  are date and time stamped. Your                         non-modifiable Portable Document
                                                                                                          Format (PDF). Do not upload an                        date.
                                                  application must be fully uploaded and                                                                           Application Deadline Date Extension
                                                  submitted and must be date and time                     interactive or fillable PDF file. If you
                                                                                                          upload a file type other than a read-                 in Case of Technical Issues with the
                                                  stamped by the Grants.gov system no                                                                           Grants.gov System: If you are
                                                  later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC                 only, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., Word,
                                                                                                          Excel, WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a                 experiencing problems submitting your
                                                  time, on the application deadline date.                                                                       application through Grants.gov, please
                                                  Except as otherwise noted in this                       password-protected file, we will not
                                                                                                          review that material. Please note that                contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
                                                  section, we will not accept your                                                                              toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
                                                  application if it is received—that is, date             this could result in your application not
                                                                                                          being considered for funding because                  obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
                                                  and time stamped by the Grants.gov                                                                            Number and must keep a record of it.
                                                  system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,                  the material in question—for example,
                                                                                                                                                                   If you are prevented from
                                                  DC time, on the application deadline                    the project narrative—is critical to a
                                                                                                                                                                electronically submitting your
                                                  date. We do not consider an application                 meaningful review of your proposal. For
                                                                                                                                                                application on the application deadline
                                                  that does not comply with the deadline                  that reason it is important to allow
                                                                                                                                                                date because of technical problems with
                                                  requirements. When we retrieve your                     yourself adequate time to upload all
                                                                                                                                                                the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
                                                  application from Grants.gov, we will                    material as PDF files. The Department
                                                                                                                                                                an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
                                                  notify you if we are rejecting your                     will not convert material from other
                                                                                                                                                                Washington, DC time, the following
                                                  application because it was date and time                formats to PDF. Additional, detailed
                                                                                                                                                                business day to enable you to transmit
                                                  stamped by the Grants.gov system after                  information on how to attach files is in
                                                                                                                                                                your application electronically or by
                                                  4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on                   the application instructions.
                                                                                                                                                                hand delivery. You also may mail your
                                                  the application deadline date.                             • Your electronic application must
                                                                                                                                                                application by following the mailing
                                                     • The amount of time it can take to                  comply with any page-limit
                                                                                                                                                                instructions described elsewhere in this
                                                  upload an application will vary                         requirements described in this notice.
                                                                                                                                                                notice.
                                                  depending on a variety of factors,                         • After you electronically submit                     If you submit an application after
                                                  including the size of the application and               your application, you will receive from               4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
                                                  the speed of your Internet connection.                  Grants.gov an automatic notification of               the application deadline date, please
                                                  Therefore, we strongly recommend that                   receipt that contains a Grants.gov                    contact the person listed under FOR
                                                  you do not wait until the application                   tracking number. This notification                    FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
                                                  deadline date to begin the submission                   indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not             section VII of this notice and provide an
                                                  process through Grants.gov.                             receipt by the Department. Grants.gov                 explanation of the technical problem
                                                     • You should review and follow the                   will also notify you automatically by                 you experienced with Grants.gov, along
                                                  Education Submission Procedures for                     email if your application met all the                 with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case
                                                  submitting an application through                       Grants.gov validation requirements or if              Number. We will accept your
                                                  Grants.gov that are included in the                     there were any errors (such as                        application if we can confirm that a
                                                  application package for this competition                submission of your application by                     technical problem occurred with the
                                                  to ensure that you submit your                          someone other than a registered                       Grants.gov system and that the problem
                                                  application in a timely manner to the                   Authorized Organization                               affected your ability to submit your
                                                  Grants.gov system. You can also find the                Representative, or inclusion of an                    application by 4:30:00 p.m.,
                                                  Education Submission Procedures                         attachment with a file name that                      Washington, DC time, on the
                                                  pertaining to Grants.gov under News                     contains special characters). You will be             application deadline date. We will
                                                  and Events on the Department’s G5                       given an opportunity to correct any
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                                                                                contact you after we determine whether
                                                  system home page at www.G5.gov. In                      errors and resubmit, but you must still               your application will be accepted.
                                                  addition, for specific guidance and                     meet the deadline for submission of
                                                  procedures for submitting an                            applications.                                            Note: The extensions to which we refer in
                                                                                                                                                                this section apply only to the unavailability
                                                  application through Grants.gov, please                     Once your application is successfully              of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
                                                  refer to the Grants.gov Web site at:                    validated by Grants.gov, the Department               system. We will not grant you an extension
                                                  www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/                   will retrieve your application from                   if you failed to fully register to submit your
                                                  apply-for-grants.html.                                  Grants.gov and send you an email with                 application to Grants.gov before the



                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00042   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                  13352                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices

                                                  application deadline date and time or if the              (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or             award, such as the applicant’s use of
                                                  technical problem you experienced is                    receipt from a commercial carrier.                    funds, achievement of project
                                                  unrelated to the Grants.gov system.                       (4) Any other proof of mailing                      objectives, and compliance with grant
                                                     Exception to Electronic Submission                   acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.               conditions. The Secretary may also
                                                  Requirement: You qualify for an                         Department of Education.                              consider whether the applicant failed to
                                                  exception to the electronic submission                    If you mail your application through                submit a timely performance report or
                                                  requirement, and may submit your                        the U.S. Postal Service, we do not                    submitted a report of unacceptable
                                                  application in paper format, if you are                 accept either of the following as proof               quality.
                                                  unable to submit an application through                 of mailing:                                              In addition, in making a competitive
                                                  the Grants.gov system because—                            (1) A private metered postmark.                     grant award, the Secretary requires
                                                     • You do not have access to the                        (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by             various assurances including those
                                                  Internet; or                                            the U.S. Postal Service.                              applicable to Federal civil rights laws
                                                     • You do not have the capacity to                      Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not              that prohibit discrimination in programs
                                                  upload large documents to the                           uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before            or activities receiving Federal financial
                                                  Grants.gov system;                                      relying on this method, you should check              assistance from the Department of
                                                  and                                                     with your local post office.                          Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4,
                                                     • No later than two weeks before the                   We will not consider applications                   108.8, and 110.23).
                                                  application deadline date (14 calendar                  postmarked after the application                         3. Additional Review and Selection
                                                  days or, if the fourteenth calendar day                 deadline date.                                        Process Factors: In the past, the
                                                  before the application deadline date                      c. Submission of Paper Applications                 Department has had difficulty finding
                                                  falls on a Federal holiday, the next                    by Hand Delivery.                                     peer reviewers for certain competitions
                                                  business day following the Federal                        If you qualify for an exception to the              because so many individuals who are
                                                  holiday), you mail or fax a written                     electronic submission requirement, you                eligible to serve as peer reviewers have
                                                  statement to the Department, explaining                 (or a courier service) may deliver your               conflicts of interest. The standing panel
                                                  which of the two grounds for an                         paper application to the Department by                requirements under section 682(b) of
                                                  exception prevents you from using the                   hand. You must deliver the original and               IDEA also have placed additional
                                                  Internet to submit your application.                    two copies of your application by hand,               constraints on the availability of
                                                     If you mail your written statement to                on or before the application deadline                 reviewers. Therefore, the Department
                                                  the Department, it must be postmarked                   date, to the Department at the following              has determined that for some
                                                  no later than two weeks before the                      address: U.S. Department of Education,                discretionary grant competitions,
                                                  application deadline date. If you fax                   Application Control Center, Attention:                applications may be separated into two
                                                  your written statement to the                           (CFDA Number 84.326Q) 550 12th                        or more groups and ranked and selected
                                                  Department, we must receive the faxed                   Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center                 for funding within specific groups. This
                                                  statement no later than two weeks                       Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–4260.                     procedure will make it easier for the
                                                  before the application deadline date.                     The Application Control Center                      Department to find peer reviewers by
                                                     Address and mail or fax your                         accepts hand deliveries daily between                 ensuring that greater numbers of
                                                  statement to: Celia Rosenquist, U.S.                    8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,               individuals who are eligible to serve as
                                                  Department of Education, 400 Maryland                   DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,                   reviewers for any particular group of
                                                  Avenue SW., Room 5146, Potomac                          and Federal holidays.                                 applicants will not have conflicts of
                                                  Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–                        Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper
                                                                                                                                                                interest. It also will increase the quality,
                                                  5076. FAX: (202) 245–7590.                              Applications: If you mail or hand deliver             independence, and fairness of the
                                                     Your paper application must be                       your application to the Department—                   review process, while permitting panel
                                                  submitted in accordance with the mail                      (1) You must indicate on the envelope              members to review applications under
                                                  or hand delivery instructions described                 and—if not provided by the Department—in              discretionary grant competitions for
                                                  in this notice.                                         Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number,                which they also have submitted
                                                     b. Submission of Paper Applications                  including suffix letter, if any, of the               applications. However, if the
                                                                                                          competition under which you are submitting            Department decides to select an equal
                                                  by Mail.
                                                                                                          your application; and                                 number of applications in each group
                                                     If you qualify for an exception to the                  (2) The Application Control Center will
                                                  electronic submission requirement, you                  mail to you a notification of receipt of your
                                                                                                                                                                for funding, this may result in different
                                                  may mail (through the U.S. Postal                       grant application. If you do not receive this         cut-off points for fundable applications
                                                  Service or a commercial carrier) your                   notification within 15 business days from the         in each group.
                                                  application to the Department. You                      application deadline date, you should call               4. Risk Assessment and Special
                                                  must mail the original and two copies                   the U.S. Department of Education                      Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR
                                                  of your application, on or before the                   Application Control Center at (202) 245–              200.205, before awarding grants under
                                                  application deadline date, to the                       6288.                                                 this competition the Department
                                                  Department at the following address:                                                                          conducts a review of the risks posed by
                                                  U.S. Department of Education,                           V. Application Review Information                     applicants. Under 2 CFR 3474.10, the
                                                  Application Control Center, Attention:                    1. Selection Criteria: The selection                Secretary may impose special
                                                  (CFDA Number 84.326Q) LBJ Basement                      criteria for this competition are from 34             conditions and, in appropriate
                                                  Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,                       CFR 75.210 and are listed in the                      circumstances, high-risk conditions on a
                                                  Washington, DC 20202–4260.                              application package.                                  grant if the applicant or grantee is not
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                     You must show proof of mailing                         2. Review and Selection Process: We                 financially stable; has a history of
                                                  consisting of one of the following:                     remind potential applicants that in                   unsatisfactory performance; has a
                                                     (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service              reviewing applications in any                         financial or other management system
                                                  postmark.                                               discretionary grant competition, the                  that does not meet the standards in 2
                                                     (2) A legible mail receipt with the                  Secretary may consider, under 34 CFR                  CFR part 200, subpart D; has not
                                                  date of mailing stamped by the U.S.                     75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the             fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant;
                                                  Postal Service.                                         applicant in carrying out a previous                  or is otherwise not responsible.


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00043   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1


                                                                                Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2016 / Notices                                                   13353

                                                  VI. Award Administration Information                    purposes of this priority, the Center will            the document published in the Federal
                                                     1. Award Notices: If your application                use these measures, which focus on the                Register. Free Internet access to the
                                                  is successful, we notify your U.S.                      extent to which projects provide high-                official edition of the Federal Register
                                                  Representative and U.S. Senators and                    quality products and services, the                    and the Code of Federal Regulations is
                                                  send you a Grant Award Notification                     relevance of project products and                     available via the Federal Digital System
                                                  (GAN); or we may send you an email                      services to educational and early                     at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you
                                                  containing a link to access an electronic               intervention policy and practice, and                 can view this document, as well as all
                                                  version of your GAN. We may notify                      the use of products and services to                   other documents of this Department
                                                  you informally, also.                                   improve educational and early                         published in the Federal Register, in
                                                     If your application is not evaluated or              intervention policy and practice.                     text or PDF. To use PDF you must have
                                                  not selected for funding, we notify you.                   Projects funded under this                         Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
                                                     2. Administrative and National Policy                competition are required to submit data               available free at the site.
                                                  Requirements: We identify                               on these measures as directed by OSEP.                   You may also access documents of the
                                                                                                             Grantees will be required to report                Department published in the Federal
                                                  administrative and national policy
                                                                                                          information on their project’s                        Register by using the article search
                                                  requirements in the application package
                                                                                                          performance in annual and final                       feature at: www.federalregister.gov.
                                                  and reference these and other
                                                                                                          performance reports to the Department                 Specifically, through the advanced
                                                  requirements in the Applicable
                                                                                                          (34 CFR 75.590).                                      search feature at this site, you can limit
                                                  Regulations section of this notice.                        5. Continuation Awards: In making a
                                                     We reference the regulations outlining                                                                     your search to documents published by
                                                                                                          continuation award under 34 CFR                       the Department.
                                                  the terms and conditions of an award in
                                                                                                          75.253, the Secretary considers, among
                                                  the Applicable Regulations section of                                                                           Dated: March 9, 2016.
                                                                                                          other things: Whether a grantee has
                                                  this notice and include these and other                                                                       Michael K. Yudin,
                                                                                                          made substantial progress in achieving
                                                  specific conditions in the GAN. The                                                                           Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
                                                                                                          the goals and objectives of the project;
                                                  GAN also incorporates your approved                                                                           Rehabilitative Services.
                                                                                                          whether the grantee has expended funds
                                                  application as part of your binding                                                                           [FR Doc. 2016–05759 Filed 3–11–16; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                          in a manner that is consistent with its
                                                  commitments under the grant.
                                                                                                          approved application and budget; and,                 BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
                                                     3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a
                                                                                                          if the Secretary has established
                                                  grant under this competition, you must
                                                                                                          performance measurement
                                                  ensure that you have in place the                                                                             DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
                                                                                                          requirements, the performance targets in
                                                  necessary processes and systems to
                                                                                                          the grantee’s approved application.                   [Docket No.: ED–2016–ICCD–0003]
                                                  comply with the reporting requirements                     In making a continuation award, the
                                                  in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive                    Secretary also considers whether the                  Agency Information Collection
                                                  funding under the competition. This                     grantee is operating in compliance with               Activities; Submission to the Office of
                                                  does not apply if you have an exception                 the assurances in its approved                        Management and Budget for Review
                                                  under 2 CFR 170.110(b).                                 application, including those applicable               and Approval; Comment Request;
                                                     (b) At the end of your project period,               to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit            Loan Cancellation in the Federal
                                                  you must submit a final performance                     discrimination in programs or activities              Perkins Loan Program
                                                  report, including financial information,                receiving Federal financial assistance
                                                  as directed by the Secretary. If you                                                                          AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA),
                                                                                                          from the Department (34 CFR 100.4,
                                                  receive a multiyear award, you must                                                                           Department of Education (ED).
                                                                                                          104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
                                                  submit an annual performance report                                                                           ACTION: Notice.
                                                  that provides the most current                          VII. Agency Contact
                                                  performance and financial expenditure                                                                         SUMMARY:   In accordance with the
                                                                                                            For Further Information Contact:                    Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
                                                  information as directed by the Secretary                Celia Rosenquist, U.S. Department of
                                                  under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary                                                                            U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is
                                                                                                          Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,                   proposing an extension of an existing
                                                  may also require more frequent                          Room 5146, Potomac Center Plaza,
                                                  performance reports under 34 CFR                                                                              information collection.
                                                                                                          Washington, DC 20202–5076.
                                                  75.720(c). For specific requirements on                                                                       DATES: Interested persons are invited to
                                                                                                          Telephone: (202) 245–7373.
                                                  reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/                       If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the                 submit comments on or before April 13,
                                                  fund/grant/apply/appforms/                              Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at            2016.
                                                  appforms.html.                                          1–800–877–8339.                                       ADDRESSES: To access and review all the
                                                     (c) Under 34 CFR 75.250(b), the                                                                            documents related to the information
                                                  Secretary may provide a grantee with                    VIII. Other Information                               collection listed in this notice, please
                                                  additional funding for data collection                    Accessible Format: Individuals with                 use http://www.regulations.gov by
                                                  analysis and reporting. In this case the                disabilities can obtain this document                 searching the Docket ID number ED–
                                                  Secretary establishes a data collection                 and a copy of the application package in              2016–ICCD–0003. Comments submitted
                                                  period.                                                 an accessible format (e.g., braille, large            in response to this notice should be
                                                     4. Performance Measures: Under the                   print, audiotape, or compact disc) by                 submitted electronically through the
                                                  Government Performance and Results                      contacting the Grants and Contracts                   Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://
                                                  Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Department has                  Services Team, U.S. Department of                     www.regulations.gov by selecting the
                                                  established a set of performance                                                                              Docket ID number or via postal mail,
jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                                                                          Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
                                                  measures, including long-term                           Room 5037, Potomac Center Plaza,                      commercial delivery, or hand delivery.
                                                  measures, that are designed to yield                    Washington, DC 20202–2550.                            Please note that comments submitted by
                                                  information on various aspects of the                   Telephone: (202) 245–7363. If you use a               fax or email and those submitted after
                                                  effectiveness and quality of the                        TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at             the comment period will not be
                                                  Technical Assistance and Dissemination                  1–800–877–8339.                                       accepted. Written requests for
                                                  to Improve Services and Results for                       Electronic Access to This Document:                 information or comments submitted by
                                                  Children With Disabilities program. For                 The official version of this document is              postal mail or delivery should be


                                             VerDate Sep<11>2014   14:27 Mar 11, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00044   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM   14MRN1



Document Created: 2016-03-12 01:00:19
Document Modified: 2016-03-12 01:00:19
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice.
DatesApplications Available: March 14, 2016.
ContactCelia Rosenquist, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5146, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-7373.
FR Citation81 FR 13344 

2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR