[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34987-34998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15832]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards; Training and Information for Parents
of Children With Disabilities--Technical Assistance for Parent Centers
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice
inviting
[[Page 34988]]
applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Training and
Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities--Technical
Assistance for Parent Centers, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) number 84.328R.
DATES:
Applications Available: July 24, 2018.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 2018.
ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an
application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to
Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the
Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carmen Sanchez, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5175, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone: (202) 245-6595.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to ensure that
parents of children with disabilities receive impartial training and
information to help improve outcomes for their children.
Priority: In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority
is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections
671, 672, 673, and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1471, 1472, 1473, and 1481(d)).
Absolute Priority: For FY 2018 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:
Technical Assistance for Parent Centers.
Background: The mission of the Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is to improve early childhood,
educational, and employment outcomes and raise expectations for all
people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the
Nation. The work of the centers we are proposing to fund is generally
consistent with the following priorities included in the Secretary's
Supplemental Priorities, which were published in the Federal Register
on March 2, 2018 (83 FR 9096): Priority 1--Empowering Families and
Individuals to Choose a High-Quality Education That Meets Their Unique
Needs; Priority 5--Meeting the Unique Needs of Students and Children
With Disabilities and/or Those With Unique Gifts and Talents; and
Priority 9--Promoting Economic Opportunity. The purpose of this
priority is to fund five cooperative agreements to establish and
operate five technical assistance centers for parent centers across two
focus areas. A center for parent information and resources (CPIR) will
focus on developing products for parent centers (Focus Area 1). Four
regional parent training and technical assistance centers (regional
PTACs) will focus on providing capacity-building technical assistance
(TA) to the parent centers in their regions (Focus Area 2). Section 673
of IDEA authorizes TA for developing, assisting, and coordinating
parent training and information programs carried out by parent training
and information centers (PTIs) that receive assistance under section
671 of IDEA and community parent resource centers (CPRCs) that receive
assistance under section 672 of IDEA (collectively, ``parent
centers'').
The 93 parent centers (www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/)
currently funded by the Department promote the effective education of
infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities by
``strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring
that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to
participate in the education of their children at school and at home''
(section 601(c)(5)(B) of IDEA). For the past 30 years, parent centers,
consistent with section 671(b) of IDEA, have helped parents navigate
systems providing early intervention, special education and related
services, general education, and postsecondary options; understand the
nature of their children's disabilities; learn about their rights and
responsibilities under IDEA; expand their knowledge of practices based
on evidence to help their children succeed; strengthen their
collaboration with professionals; locate resources for themselves and
their children; and advocate for improved child outcomes and student
achievement, increased graduation rates, and improved postsecondary
outcomes for all children through participation in program and school
reform activities. In addition, parent centers have helped youth with
disabilities understand their rights and responsibilities and learn
self-advocacy skills.
PTACs provide support to parent centers to carry out these
statutorily required activities and thereby help parents participate in
the education of their children to improve their children's outcomes.
In addition, section 673(b) of IDEA lists areas in which parent centers
may also need TA from PTACs: (1) Coordinating parent training efforts;
(2) disseminating scientifically based research and information; (3)
promoting the use of technology, including assistive technology devices
and services; (4) reaching underserved populations, including parents
of low-income and limited English proficient children with
disabilities; (5) including children with disabilities in general
education programs; (6) facilitating all transitions from early
intervention through postsecondary environments; and (7) promoting
alternative methods of dispute resolution, including mediation.
PTACs provide needed support to parent centers on other topics as
well, including current information on laws and policies; evidence-
based (as defined in this notice) practices (EBPs) that impact children
with disabilities and their families; how to help parents learn about
and access high-quality education options that meet their children's
unique needs; and ways to effectively engage in school reform
activities, including Federal, State, and local initiatives. Ongoing
TA, responsive to the individual needs of parent centers, can increase
parent center staff knowledge and expertise on these topics. In
addition, since many parent centers are grassroots organizations with
small budgets, they often benefit from TA on managing a Federal grant,
maximizing efficiencies, meeting complex statutory and regulatory
requirements for nonprofits, and providing professional development to
staff.
Parent centers also need support to increase their capacity to
reach and provide services to youth with disabilities and to all
parents of children with disabilities, particularly parents of infants,
toddlers, preschool children and transition-age youth; and underserved
parents with additional needs or unique circumstances, including low
income-parents, parents with limited English proficiency, parents with
low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability,
parents of youth involved in the
[[Page 34989]]
juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents,
and Native American parents.
In order to ensure that parent centers receive the TA they need to
increase their knowledge and capacity to provide services to parents
and youth effectively and efficiently, the Department plans to fund
five technical assistance centers for parent centers. The Department
will fund a CPIR that will, in coordination with the regional PTACs,
develop and disseminate resources for all parent centers to use when
working with parents of children with disabilities and youth with
disabilities. CPIR will also develop and disseminate materials that all
parent centers can use to train staff to effectively reach and serve
all parents and youth. The Department will also fund four regional
PTACs that will provide TA to parent centers to effectively manage
their centers and reach and serve all parents and youth within their
region. The CPIR and regional PTACs will coordinate their efforts in
order to maximize resources and avoid duplication. The following
website provides more information on the current parent centers,
including links to each grantee's website: www.parentcenterhub.org.
Priority: Under this priority, we will fund five cooperative
agreements to establish and operate one CPIR and four regional PTACs
across two focus areas. An applicant may submit separate applications
in more than one focus area; however, an applicant is limited to only
one application in each focus area.
Focus Area 1: Under Focus Area 1, the Department intends to fund
one CPIR to achieve at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:
(a) Increased parent centers' knowledge, through the development
and dissemination of high-quality, accurate, and impartial information
and products, of:
(1) Early intervention and educational EBPs, and current Federal
and State laws and policies, that impact children with disabilities and
their families;
(2) The range of educational options that may be available in
States to families of children with disabilities;
(3) Effective practices in carrying out parent center activities
including outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill
building;
(4) Effective and appropriate practices in outreach and service
provision to underserved parents, including parents with limited
English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who
themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the
juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents,
and Native American parents; and
(5) Effective nonprofit management practices;
(b) Increased parent centers' use of, high-quality, accurate, and
impartial materials and approaches to train:
(1) Staff in reaching all parents and youth, including underserved
parents of children with disabilities, which includes parents with
limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents
who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the
juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents,
and Native American parents; and
(2) Multilingual staff in their native languages and assure the
accuracy of the information the staff provide in languages other than
English.
In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered
for funding under Focus Area 1 of this priority, applicants must meet
the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which
are:
(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Significance,'' how the proposed project will--
(1) Address parent centers' needs both for resources to effectively
reach and serve all parents of children with disabilities and youth
with disabilities, including underserved parents, which includes
parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy
levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth
involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-
connected parents, and Native American parents, and for materials to
train staff to effectively reach and serve all parents and youth. To
meet this requirement, the applicant must--
(i) Present applicable information on the needs of parent centers
nationally; and
(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of--
(A) Current educational issues and policy initiatives relating to
early childhood (ages birth through five), general and special
education, secondary transition services, and postsecondary options;
and
(B) Best practices in:
(1) Outreach; family-centered services; and self-advocacy skill
building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service
provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities,
including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low
literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents
of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents,
military-connected parents, and Native American parents;
(2) Staff training, including multilingual staff; and
(3) Nonprofit management; and
(2) Increase the knowledge of parent centers on how to reach and
provide services to all parents and youth, train staff using high-
quality, accurate, and impartial training materials, and manage their
projects; and indicate the likely magnitude or importance of the
improvements.
(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of project services,'' how the proposed project will--
(1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that
have traditionally 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 informational and TA needs of the parent centers.
Note: The methods and tools to identify needs will be finalized in
consultation with the regional PTACs and the OSEP project officer in
order to assure coordination and avoid duplication; and
(ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the parent
centers;
(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet
this requirement, the applicant must provide--
(i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and
(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model (as defined in this notice) by
which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes that
depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended
outcomes of the proposed project;
(3) Use a conceptual framework (and provide a copy in Appendix A)
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: The following websites provide more information on logic
models and conceptual frameworks: www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel
and www.osepideasthatwork.org/resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tad-project-logic-model-and-conceptual-framework.
(4) Be based on current research and make use of EBPs. To meet this
requirement, the applicant must describe--
[[Page 34990]]
(i) The current research on outreach, family-centered services, and
self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate
outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with
disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents; staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit
management;
(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 EBPs 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 how knowledgeable the parent
centers are of: Outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy
skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and
service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities,
including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low
literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents
of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents,
military-connected parents, and Native American parents; staff
training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;
(ii) Its proposed approach to universal, general TA,\1\ which must
identify the intended recipients within the parent centers, including
the type and number of recipients, that will receive the products and
services under this approach, and should, at minimum, include how the
project will--
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\1\ ``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 website by independent users. Brief communications by TA
center staff with recipients, either by telephone or email, are also
considered universal, general TA.
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(A) Create, update, and maintain an online, annotated repository of
high-quality, accurate, and impartial resources,\2\ including
translations of materials as needed, produced by the CPIR, the
previously funded Military and Native American PTACs, parent centers,
OSEP-funded projects, and other federally funded projects for parent
centers' use with families, youth, staff members, and members of the
boards of directors;
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\2\ Resources shall include information on Federal and State
laws and policies, including comprehensive and impartial information
on the range of education options that may be available in States,
including district public schools, charter schools, virtual
education, voucher programs, education scholarship account (ESA)
programs, tax-credit scholarship programs, tax deductions and
credits, course choice programs, and any other relevant education
options that impact children with disabilities and their families.
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(B) Develop up-to-date, family-centered resources as needed that
parent centers can use with parents in a variety of languages, formats,
and reading levels; disseminate and modify, as needed, family-centered
resources developed by OSEP and other federally funded centers to
provide families with strategies to enhance their children's literacy,
numeracy, and scientific reasoning at home; and revise materials
developed by the previously funded Military PTAC and the Native
American PTAC as necessary;
(C) Compile and create materials to train staff, including
multilingual staff, to provide effective, appropriate, and impartial
outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with
disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents;
(D) Compile and create materials on nonprofit management, as
necessary, and develop a process for an annual orientation of new
parent center directors and other key personnel and members of the
boards of directors that provides the new personnel with the
information and resources they need to carry out their
responsibilities; and
(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;
(iii) How the proposed project will use existing knowledge and
expertise within parent centers to achieve intended project outcomes;
and
(v) How the proposed project will use non-project resources to
achieve the intended project outcomes; and
(7) Assist parent centers in the collection of annual performance
data required under section 671(b)(12) of IDEA, in consultation with
the OSEP project officer.
(c) In the narrative section of the application under ``Quality of
the project evaluation,'' include an evaluation plan for the project as
described in the following paragraphs. The evaluation plan must
describe: Measures for evaluating the quality, accuracy, and
impartiality of project services and products; measures of progress in
implementation, including the criteria for determining the extent to
which the project's products and services have met the goals for
reaching its 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 TA Center to Improve Program and Project Performance
(CIP3),\3\ the project director, and the OSEP project officer on the
following tasks:
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\3\ The major tasks of CIP3 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 CIP3 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. CIP3 does not function as a third-party
evaluator.
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(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
[[Page 34991]]
collection of progress data, including fidelity of implementation, as
appropriate, and the assessment of project outcomes; 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 completion of the plan;
(B) Delineates the data expected to be available by the end of the
second project year for use during the project's evaluation (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 CIP3, as needed, to specify the
performance measures to be addressed in the project's Annual
Performance Report;
(2) Cooperate with CIP3 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 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 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, impartial, relevant, and useful
to recipients; and
(4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of
perspectives, including those of families using a variety of education
options, youth, 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, personnel-loading charts and timelines,
as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the
narrative;
(2) 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;
(3) 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;
(4) Ensure that the budget allocates at least $200,000 annually to
carry out the project services described in paragraphs (b)(5)(ii)(A)
through (C) of this focus area;
(5) Maintain a high-quality website, with an easy-to-navigate
design, including the repository described in paragraph (b)(5)(ii)(A)
of this focus area, that meets government or industry-recognized
standards for accessibility; and
(6) Include, in Appendix A, an assurance to assist OSEP with the
transfer of pertinent resources and products and to maintain the
continuity of services to parent centers during the transition to this
new award period, as appropriate.
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 with which, and how well, the 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.
Focus Area 2: Under Focus Area 2, the Department intends to fund
four regional PTACs to meet the unique needs of parent centers in their
region and to achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:
(a) Increased parent center capacity to accurately and impartially
train parents on, and inform them about:
(1) Early intervention and educational EBPs;
(2) Their rights and responsibilities under Federal, State, and
local laws and policies that impact children with disabilities and
their families; and
(3) The range of education options that may be available to
families of children with disabilities in the area served by the parent
center.
(b) Increased parent center capacity to reach more parents and
youth; and effectively provide parent center services to help more
parents improve outcomes for their children, and youth build their
self-advocacy skills;
[[Page 34992]]
(c) Increased parent center capacity to provide effective and
appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of
children with disabilities including parents with limited English
proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves
experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile
justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native
American parents; and
(d) Increased parent center capacity to effectively manage their
projects and provide high-quality training to staff, including
multilingual staff, to reach and serve all parents and youth in their
region.
The geographic regions served by the four regional PTACs are
generally aligned with the States served by the Equity Assistance
Centers funded under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, while also
balancing the number of centers each regional PTAC will have in their
region. This alignment will help the regional PTACs meet the
requirement in section 673(c) of IDEA that the regional PTACs develop
collaborative agreements with the geographically appropriate centers.
The four regional PTACs will be awarded to represent the following
geographic regions:
Region A PTAC: CT, DC, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, Puerto Rico,
RI, U.S. Virgin Islands, VT.
Region B PTAC: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA.
Region C PTAC: IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, SD,
WI, WV, WY.
Region D PTAC: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and the
outlying areas of the Pacific Basin, and the Freely Associated States.
In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered
for funding under Focus Area 2 of this priority, applicants must meet
the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which
are:
(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Significance,'' how the proposed project will--
(1) Address the needs of parent centers in its region for TA to
increase their capacity to reach and provide services to parents and
youth in their areas, including underserved parents of children with
disabilities, which includes parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents; build youth's self-advocacy skills; train staff; and
effectively manage their centers. To meet this requirement the
applicant must--
(i) Present applicable information on the needs of parent centers
in the region; and
(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of--
(A) Current early intervention and educational issues and policy
initiatives relating to early childhood, general and special education,
secondary transition services, and postsecondary options; and
(B) Best practices in:
(1) Outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill
building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service
provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities,
including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low
literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents
of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents,
military-connected parents, and Native American parents;
(2) Staff training, including multilingual staff; and
(3) Nonprofit management; and
(2) Increase the capacity of parent centers to reach and provide
services to all parents and youth, train staff, and manage their
projects; and indicate the likely magnitude or importance of the
improvements.
(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Quality of project services,'' how the proposed project will--
(1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that
have traditionally 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 parent centers in the proposed region
for TA and information.
Note: The methods and tools to identify needs will be finalized in
consultation with the CPIR, other regional PTACs, and the OSEP project
officer in order to assure coordination and avoid duplication; and
(ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the parent
centers;
(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet
this requirement, the applicant must provide--
(i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and
(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model (as defined in this notice) by
which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes that
depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended
outcomes of the proposed project;
(3) Use a conceptual framework (and provide a copy in Appendix A)
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: The following websites provide more information on logic
models and conceptual frameworks: www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel
and www.osepideasthatwork.org/resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tad-project-logic-model-and-conceptual-framework.
(4) Be based on current research and make use of EBPs. To meet this
requirement, the applicant must describe--
(i) The current research on: Outreach, family-centered services,
and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate
outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with
disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents; staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit
management;
(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 EBPs 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 work with the CPIR to identify the knowledge
base for parent centers': Outreach, family-centered services, and self-
advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach
and service provision to underserved families of children with
disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents;
[[Page 34993]]
staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;
(ii) Its proposed approach to targeted, specialized TA,\4\ which
must identify the intended recipients within the parent centers,
including the type and number of recipients, that will receive the
products and services under this approach, and how the project will--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\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) Conduct at least one in-person, on-site visit to each parent
center in the region during the course of the five-year project period;
(B) Increase parent centers' capacity to reach and provide services
to all parents with children with disabilities and youth, including
underserved parents, which includes parents with limited English
proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves
experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile
justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native
American parents;
(C) Increase parent centers' capacity to train staff, including
multilingual staff, to provide effective and appropriate outreach and
service provision to underserved families of children with
disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency,
parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience
disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system,
foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American
parents; and
(D) Increase parent centers' capacity to effectively manage
nonprofit organizations, including developing the board of directors so
that parent centers have the organizational policies, procedures, and a
structure in place to manage their grants effectively;
(iii) 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, including the type and number of
recipients, that will receive the products and services under this
approach;
(B) Its proposed approach to measure the readiness of the parent
centers to work with the project, including their commitment to the
initiative, current infrastructure, and available resources;
(C) Its proposed plan for assisting parent centers to build or
enhance their staff training and professional development based on
adult learning principles and coaching; and
(D) Its proposed approach to providing intensive TA when requested
by OSEP project officers; and
(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;
(iii) How the proposed project will use existing knowledge and
expertise within parent centers to achieve intended project outcomes;
(iv) How the proposed project will use the resources housed in and
developed by the CPIR--including family-centered resources that provide
families with strategies to enhance their children's literacy,
numeracy, and scientific reasoning at home--and build on the CPIR's
universal TA; and
(v) 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 project evaluation,'' include an evaluation plan for the project.
The evaluation plan must describe: Measures for evaluating the quality,
accuracy, and impartiality of project services and products; measures
of progress in implementation, including the criteria for determining
the extent to which the project's products and services have met the
goals for reaching its 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.
Note: The evaluations for all the regional PTACs will be developed
in consultation with the regional PTACs and OSEP project officers for
the regional PTACs.
(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under
``Adequacy of 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 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, impartial, relevant, and useful
to recipients; and
(4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of
perspectives, including those of families using a variety of education
options, youth, 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, personnel-loading charts and timelines,
as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the
narrative;
(2) 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
[[Page 34994]]
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; and
(iii) Two annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings,
Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by
OSEP;
(5) Ensure that the budget allocates $75,000 annually to carry out
the project services described in paragraphs (b)(5)(ii)(B) and (C)
(military connected and native American parents and youth) of this
focus area.
(6) 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
(7) Maintain a presence on a high-quality website, with an easy-to-
navigate design, that meets government or industry-recognized standards
for accessibility.
Competitive Preference Priorities: Within this absolute priority,
we give competitive preference to applications that address the
following priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we will award five
additional points to an application for Focus Area 2 that meets each of
these priorities, for a total of no more than 10 points, as follows.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1--Applicants that are parent
organizations (5 Points).
Section 671(a)(2) of IDEA defines a ``parent organization'' as a
private nonprofit organization (other than an institution of higher
education) that--
(A) Has a board of directors--
(i) The majority of whom are parents of children with disabilities
ages birth through 26;
(ii) That includes--
(I) Individuals working in the fields of special education, related
services, and early intervention;
(II) Individuals with disabilities; and
(iii) The parent and professional members of which are broadly
representative of the population to be served, including low-income
parents and parents of limited English proficient children; and
(B) Has as its mission serving families of children with
disabilities who--
(i) Are ages birth through 26; and
(ii) Have the full range of disabilities described in section
602(3) of IDEA.
Competitive Preference Priority 2--Location (5 Points).
Applicants under Focus Area 2 that are located in the region they
propose to serve.
Definitions: The following definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1:
Demonstrates a rationale means a key project component included in
the project's logic model is informed by research or evaluation
findings that suggest the project component is likely to improve
relevant outcomes.
Evidence-based means the proposed project component is supported by
one or more of strong evidence, moderate evidence, promising evidence,
or evidence that demonstrates a rationale.
Experimental study means a study that is designed to compare
outcomes between two groups of individuals (such as students) that are
otherwise equivalent except for their assignment to either a treatment
group receiving a project component or a control group that does not.
Randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity design studies,
and single-case design studies are the specific types of experimental
studies that, depending on their design and implementation (e.g.,
sample attrition in randomized controlled trials and regression
discontinuity design studies), can meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)
standards without reservations as described in the WWC Handbook:
(i) A randomized controlled trial employs random assignment of, for
example, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to receive the
project component being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to
receive the project component (the control group).
(ii) A regression discontinuity design study assigns the project
component being evaluated using a measured variable (e.g., assigning
students reading below a cutoff score to tutoring or developmental
education classes) and controls for that variable in the analysis of
outcomes.
(iii) A single-case design study uses observations of a single case
(e.g., a student eligible for a behavioral intervention) over time in
the absence and presence of a controlled treatment manipulation to
determine whether the outcome is systematically related to the
treatment.
Logic model (also referred to as a theory of action) means a
framework that identifies key project components of the proposed
project (i.e., the active ``ingredients'' that are hypothesized to be
critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the
theoretical and operational relationships among the key project
components and relevant outcomes.
Moderate evidence means that there is evidence of effectiveness of
a key project component in improving a relevant outcome for a sample
that overlaps with the populations or settings proposed to receive that
component, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:
(i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1 or 3.0
of the WWC Handbook reporting a ``strong evidence base'' or ``moderate
evidence base'' for the corresponding practice guide recommendation;
(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1
or 3.0 of the WWC Handbook reporting a ``positive effect'' or
``potentially positive effect'' on a relevant outcome based on a
``medium to large'' extent of evidence, with no reporting of a
``negative effect'' or ``potentially negative effect'' on a relevant
outcome; or
(iii) A single experimental study or quasi-experimental design
study reviewed and reported by the WWC using version 2.1 or 3.0 of the
WWC Handbook, or otherwise assessed by the Department using version 3.0
of the WWC Handbook, as appropriate, and that--
(A) Meets WWC standards with or without reservations;
(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive
(i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome;
(C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative
effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a
corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1 or 3.0
of the WWC Handbook; and
(D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (e.g., State,
county, city, school district, or postsecondary campus) and includes at
least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies
of the same project component that each meet requirements in paragraphs
(iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this definition may together satisfy this
requirement.
Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention,
process, product, practice, or policy included in a project. Evidence
may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of
project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices
for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).
Promising evidence means that there is evidence of the
effectiveness of a key project component in improving a
[[Page 34995]]
relevant outcome, based on a relevant finding from one of the
following:
(i) A practice guide prepared by WWC reporting a ``strong evidence
base'' or ``moderate evidence base'' for the corresponding practice
guide recommendation;
(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC reporting a
``positive effect'' or ``potentially positive effect'' on a relevant
outcome with no reporting of a ``negative effect'' or ``potentially
negative effect'' on a relevant outcome; or
(iii) A single study assessed by the Department, as appropriate,
that--
(A) Is an experimental study, a quasi-experimental design study, or
a well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with
statistical controls for selection bias (e.g., a study using regression
methods to account for differences between a treatment group and a
comparison group); and
(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive
(i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome.
Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that
attempts to approximate an experimental study by identifying a
comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important
respects. This type of study, depending on design and implementation
(e.g., establishment of baseline equivalence of the groups being
compared), can meet WWC standards with reservations, but cannot meet
WWC standards without reservations, as described in the WWC Handbook.
Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s)
the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the
specific goals of the program.
Strong evidence means that there is evidence of the effectiveness
of a key project component in improving a relevant outcome for a sample
that overlaps with the populations and settings proposed to receive
that component, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:
(i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC using version 2.1 or 3.0
of the WWC Handbook reporting a ``strong evidence base'' for the
corresponding practice guide recommendation;
(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC using version 2.1
or 3.0 of the WWC Handbook reporting a ``positive effect'' on a
relevant outcome based on a ``medium to large'' extent of evidence,
with no reporting of a ``negative effect'' or ``potentially negative
effect'' on a relevant outcome; or
(iii) A single experimental study reviewed and reported by the WWC
using version 2.1 or 3.0 of the WWC Handbook, or otherwise assessed by
the Department using version 3.0 of the WWC Handbook, as appropriate,
and that--
(A) Meets WWC standards without reservations;
(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive
(i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome;
(C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative
effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a
corresponding WWC intervention report prepared under version 2.1 or 3.0
of the WWC Handbook; and
(D) Is based on a sample from more than one site (e.g., State,
county, city, school district, or postsecondary campus) and includes at
least 350 students or other individuals across sites. Multiple studies
of the same project component that each meet requirements in paragraphs
(iii)(A), (B), and (C) of this definition may together satisfy this
requirement.
What Works Clearinghouse Handbook (WWC Handbook) means the
standards and procedures set forth in the WWC Procedures and Standards
Handbook, Version 3.0 or Version 2.1 (incorporated by reference, see 34
CFR 77.2). Study findings eligible for review under WWC standards can
meet WWC standards without reservations, meet WWC standards with
reservations, or not meet WWC standards. WWC practice guides and
intervention reports include findings from systematic reviews of
evidence as described in the Handbook documentation.
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. 1471, 1472, 1473, and 1481.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 81, 82, 84, 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.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Cooperative agreements.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,800,000.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2019 from the list of
unfunded applications from this competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$800,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: 4 awards at $500,000 for the
regional PTACs; 1 award of $800,000 for the CPIR.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $500,000 for
each of the regional PTACs or $800,000 for the CPIR for a single budget
period of 12 months.
Estimated Number of Awards: 5.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit private organizations.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching.
3. Subgrantees: Under 34 CFR 75.708(b) and (c), a grantee under
this competition may award subgrants--to directly carry out project
activities described in its application--to the following types of
entities: IHEs and private nonprofit organizations suitable to carry
out the activities proposed in the application 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) Applicants for, and recipients of, funding must, with respect
to the aspects of their proposed project relating to the absolute
priority, 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).
[[Page 34996]]
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Application Submission Instructions: For information on how to
submit an application please refer to our Common Instructions for
Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs,
published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and
available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.
2. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However,
under 34 CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to
make awards by the end of FY 2018.
3. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
4. Recommended 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. We recommend
that you (1) limit the application narrative to no more than 50 pages,
and (2) use 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.
The recommended page limit does not apply to Part I, the cover
sheet; Part II, the budget section, including the narrative budget
justification; Part IV, the assurances and certifications; or the
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 recommended page limit does apply to
all of the application narrative, including all text in charts, tables,
figures, graphs, and screen shots.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition
are from 34 CFR 75.210 and are as follows:
(a) Significance (10 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed
project.
(2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the
Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the proposed project will focus on serving
or otherwise addressing the needs of disadvantaged individuals;
(ii) The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services,
infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be
addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude
of those gaps or weaknesses; and
(iii) The importance or magnitude of the results or outcomes likely
to be attained by the proposed project.
(b) Quality of the project services (35 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the services to be
provided by the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the services to be provided by
the proposed project, the Secretary considers the quality and
sufficiency of strategies for ensuring equal access and treatment for
eligible project participants who are members of groups that have
traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national
origin, gender, age, or disability.
(3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be
achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable;
(ii) The extent to which there is a conceptual framework underlying
the proposed research or demonstration activities and the quality of
that framework;
(iii) The extent to which the services to be provided by the
proposed project reflect up-to-date knowledge from research and
effective practice;
(iv) The extent to which the services to be provided by the
proposed project are appropriate to the needs of the intended
recipients or beneficiaries of those services;
(v) The extent to which the services to be provided by the proposed
project involve the collaboration of appropriate partners for
maximizing the effectiveness of project services; and
(vi) The extent to which the technical assistance services to be
provided by the proposed project involve the use of efficient
strategies, including the use of technology, as appropriate, and the
leveraging of non-project resources.
(c) Quality of project evaluation (20 points).
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be
conducted of the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary
considers the following factors:
(i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough,
feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the
proposed project;
(ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are appropriate
to the context within which the project operates;
(iii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide
performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward
achieving intended outcomes; and
(iv) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use
of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the
intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and
qualitative data to the extent possible.
(d) Adequacy of resources and Quality of Project Personnel (15
points).
(1) The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources and quality
of project personnel for the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary
considers the extent to which the applicant encourages 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.
(3) In determining the adequacy of resources and quality of project
personnel for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the
following factors:
(i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience,
of the project director or principal investigator;
(ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of key project personnel;
(iii) The qualifications, including relevant training and
experience, of project consultants or subcontractors;
(iv) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment,
supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the
lead applicant organization;
(v) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in
the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project;
and
(vi) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to
the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed
project.
(e) Quality of the management plan (20 points).
[[Page 34997]]
(1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for
the proposed project.
(2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the
proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:
(i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives
of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly
defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing
project tasks;
(ii) The extent to which the time commitments of the project
director and principal investigator and other key project personnel are
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed
project;
(iii) The adequacy of mechanisms for ensuring high-quality products
and services from the proposed project; and
(iv) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives
are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including
those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of
disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of
services, or others, as appropriate.
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.
4. Risk Assessment and Specific 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 specific 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.
5. Integrity and Performance System: If you are selected under this
competition to receive an award that over the course of the project
period may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (currently
$150,000), under 2 CFR 200.205(a)(2) we must make a judgment about your
integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal
awards--that is, the risk posed by you as an applicant--before we make
an award. In doing so, we must consider any information about you that
is in the integrity and performance system (currently referred to as
the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System
(FAPIIS)), accessible through the System for Award Management (SAM) at
https://www.sam.gov. You may review and comment on any information
about yourself that a Federal agency previously entered and that is
currently in FAPIIS.
Please note that, if the total value of your currently active
grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from the
Federal Government exceeds $10,000,000, the reporting requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, require you to report certain integrity
information to FAPIIS semiannually. Please review the requirements in 2
CFR part 200, Appendix XII, if this grant plus all the other Federal
funds you receive exceed $10,000,000.
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. Open Licensing Requirements: Unless an exception applies, if you
are awarded a grant under this competition, you will be required to
openly license to the public grant deliverables created in whole, or in
part, with Department grant funds. When the deliverable consists of
modifications to pre-existing works, the license extends only to those
modifications that can be separately identified and only to the extent
that open licensing is permitted under the terms of any licenses or
other legal restrictions on the use of pre-existing works.
Additionally, a grantee or subgrantee that is awarded competitive grant
funds must have a plan to disseminate these public grant deliverables.
This dissemination plan can be developed and submitted after your
application has been reviewed and selected for funding. For additional
information on the open licensing requirements please refer to 2 CFR
3474.20.
4. 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
[[Page 34998]]
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.
5. 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 the quality, relevance, and usefulness of the
materials, products, and services of the Parent Training and
Information Centers program. These measures are:
Program Performance Measure #1: The percentage of
materials used by projects that are deemed to be of high quality;
Program Performance Measure #2: The percentage of products
and services deemed to be of high relevance to educational and early
intervention policy and practice; and
Program Performance Measure #3: The percentage of all
products and services deemed to be useful by target audiences to
improve educational or early intervention policy or practice.
Grantees will be required to report information on their project's
performance in annual 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. 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 Management Support Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue SW, Room 5113, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC
20202-2500. 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. You may
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of
Federal Regulations via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other
documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text
or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: July 19, 2018.
Johnny W. Collett,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2018-15832 Filed 7-23-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P