[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3176-3179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1391]
[[Page 3175]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part IV
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year 1997 and Final Priorities;
Notices
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 13 / Tuesday, January 21, 1997 /
Notices
[[Page 3176]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Notice
of Final Priorities
AGENCY: Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Secretary announces final priorities for three programs
administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services (OSERS) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
The Secretary may use these priorities in Fiscal Year 1997 and
subsequent years. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal
assistance on identified needs to improve results for children with
disabilities. These final priorities are intended to ensure wide and
effective use of program funds.
EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take effect on February 20, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The address, and telephone number at
the Department to contact for information on each final priority is
listed under that priority.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains six final priorities
under three programs authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, as follows: Research in Education of Individuals with
Disabilities Program (one priority); Educational Media Research,
Production, Distribution, and Training Program (four priorities); and
Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals with
Disabilities Program (one priority). The purpose of each program is
stated separately under the title of that program.
On October 9, 1996, the Secretary published a notice of proposed
priorities for these programs in the Federal Register (61 FR 53032).
These final priorities support the National Education Goals by
improving understanding of how to enable children and youth with
disabilities to reach higher levels of academic achievement.
The publication of these priorities does not preclude the Secretary
from proposing additional priorities, nor does it limit the Secretary
to funding only these priorities, subject to meeting applicable
rulemaking requirements. Funding of particular projects depends on the
availability of funds, and the quality of the applications received.
Further, FY 1997 priorities could be affected by enactment of
legislation reauthorizing these programs.
Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under these
competitions is published in a separate notice in this issue of the
Federal Register.
Analysis of Comments and Changes
In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notice of proposed
priorities, one party submitted comments. An analysis of the comment
follows. Technical and other minor changes--as well as suggested
changes the Secretary is not legally authorized to make under the
applicable statutory authority--are not addressed.
Comment: One commenter suggested that the Initial Career Awards
priority should: (1) include individuals who have completed a
professional degree, such as physical therapists, but who are not
doctorally prepared; and (2) permit researchers to request up to five
years of research support.
Discussion: The Department has a basic three-pronged approach to
develop the capacity of the special education research community.
First, there is the Student-Initiated Research Projects priority (begun
in 1974) that targets students at the post-secondary level to encourage
students to pursue special education research. Under the Student-
Initiated Research Projects priority, awards are made for up to a 12-
month period. Second, the Initial Career Awards (ICA) competition
(begun in 1990) is intended to bridge the gap between students and
established researchers by providing support to individuals who are in
the initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop promising
lines of research. Under the ICA competition, awards are made for up to
three years. Third, the Field-Initiated Research Projects (FIR)
competition (begun in 1964) provides support to researchers who may be
associated with institutions of higher education, State and local
educational agencies, and other public agencies and nonprofit private
organizations. Awards under the FIR competition may be for up to 5
years. The Department believes this approach should be maintained
because historically the students and beginning researchers have a
difficult time competing against established researchers, and the
Department believes it is important to encourage and support their
participation to expand the special education research capacity into as
broad a range as possible. The Department believes that limiting the
ICA competition to individuals who are doctorally prepared supports the
commitment to increase the capacity of individuals who intend to pursue
careers in special education research, rather than individuals who may
be capable of conducting research, but who are not making special
education research a career. The Department has limited ICA to three
years since these awards are intended as start-up rather than long-term
investments.
Changes: None.
Research in Education of Individuals With Disabilities Program
Purpose of Program: To advance and improve the knowledge base and
improve the practice of professionals, parents, and others providing
early intervention, special education, and related services--including
professionals who work with children with disabilities in regular
education environments--to provide children with disabilities effective
instruction and enable these children to learn successfully.
Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an
absolute preference to applications that meet the following priority.
The Secretary will fund under this competition only those applications
that meet this absolute priority:
Absolute Priority--Initial Career Awards
The Secretary establishes an absolute priority for the purpose of
awarding grants to eligible applicants for the support of individuals
in the initial phases of their careers to initiate and develop
promising lines of research consistent with the purposes of the
program. For purposes of this priority, the initial phase of an
individual's career is considered to be the first four years after
completing a doctoral program and graduating (e.g., for fiscal year
1997 awards, projects may support individuals who completed a doctoral
program and graduated no earlier than the 1991-92 academic year).
Projects must--
(a) Pursue a line of inquiry that reflects a programmatic strand of
research emanating either from theory or a conceptual framework. The
line of research must be evidenced by a series of related questions
that establish directions for designing future studies extending beyond
the support of this award. The project is not intended to represent all
inquiry related to the particular theory or conceptual framework;
rather, it is expected to initiate a new line or advance an existing
one;
(b) Include, in its design and conduct, sustained involvement with
nationally recognized experts having substantive or methodological
knowledge and expertise relevant to the proposed research. Experts do
not have to be at the same institution or agency at which the project
is located, but the interaction must be sufficient to develop the
[[Page 3177]]
capacity of the researcher to pursue effectively the research into mid-
career activities. At least 50 percent of the researcher's time must be
devoted to the project;
(c) Prepare its procedures, findings, and conclusions in a manner
that informs other interested researchers and is useful for advancing
professional practice or improving programs and services to infants,
toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families; and
(d) Disseminate project procedures, findings, and conclusions to
appropriate research institutes and technical assistance providers.
A project's budget must include funds to attend the two-day
Research Project Directors' meeting to be held in Washington, DC each
year of the project.
For Further Information Contact: For further information on the
priority under the Research in Education of Individuals with
Disabilities Program contact the U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, SW., room 3529, Switzer Building, Washington, DC
20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 205-9864. FAX: (202) 205-8105. Internet:
Claudette--Carey@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8953.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1441.
Educational Media Research, Production, Distribution, and Training
Program
Purpose of Program: To promote the general welfare of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals with visual
disabilities, and to promote the educational advancement of individuals
with disabilities.
Priorities: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the Secretary gives an
absolute preference to applications that meet any one of the following
priorities. The Secretary will fund under these competitions only
applications that meet any one of these absolute priorities:
Absolute Priority 1--Closed-Captioned Sports Programs
Background
This priority supports cooperative agreements to continue and to
expand closed-captioning of major national sports programs shown on
national commercial broadcast or basic cable television networks.
Captioning provides a visual representation of the audio portion of the
programming and enables individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to
participate in the shared educational, social, and cultural experiences
of national sporting events. Funds provided under this priority may be
used to support no more than sixty percent of the captioning costs for
the first year of the project, fifty-five percent for the second year,
and fifty percent for the third year.
Priority
To be considered for funding under this competition, a project
must--
(1) Include criteria for selecting programs for captioning that
take into account the preference of consumers for particular sports
programs, the diversity of programming available, and the contribution
of programs to the general educational, social, and cultural
experiences of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing;
(2) Provide a flexible plan, including back-up systems, to ensure
closed-captioning of sports programs without interruption, while
accommodating last-minute program substitutions and new programs;
(3) Identify the total number of hours and the projected cost per
hour for each of the programs to be captioned;
(4) Identify for each proposed program to be captioned the source
of private or other public support and the projected dollar amount of
that support;
(5) Identify the methods of captioning to be used for each
program--indicating whether captioning is provided in real-time, live
display, offline, or reformatted--and the projected cost per hour for
each method used;
(6) Demonstrate the willingness of major national commercial
broadcast or basic cable networks to permit captioning of their
programs; and
(7) Implement procedures for monitoring the extent to which full
and accurate captioning is provided and use this information to make
refinements in captioning operations.
Absolute Priority 2--Video Description
Background
This priority supports cooperative agreements to provide video
description in two areas: (1) Broadcast and cable television programs;
and (2) home video. The purpose of this activity will be to describe
television programs and videos to make television programming and home
videos more accessible to children and adults with visual disabilities.
The intent of this priority is to provide access to described
television programming and home videos in order to enhance shared
educational, social, and cultural experiences for children and adults
with visual disabilities.
Priority
To be considered for funding under this priority, a project must--
(1) Include criteria for selecting programs and videos that take
into account the preference of consumers for particular topics of
interest, the diversity of programs or videos available, and the
contribution of these programs or videos to the general educational,
social, and cultural experiences of individuals with visual
disabilities;
(2) Identify the total number of hours to be described and the
projected cost per hour for each program or video to be described;
(3) Identify the source of private or public support, if any, for
each program or video to be described, and the projected dollar amount
of that support;
(4) Demonstrate the willingness of program or video producers to
permit video description and distribution of their program or video;
and,
(5) Evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and technologies used
in providing this service and the impact on intended populations.
Absolute Priority 3--Educational Video Selection and Captioning
Background
This priority supports one cooperative agreement that would screen,
evaluate, obtain, caption, and make available educational videos,
including classics and general interest titles, for use by students and
other individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, parents of
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and other individuals
directly involved in activities promoting the advancement of
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This activity includes the
preparation of captions on computer diskettes or CD-ROM, as
appropriate, and the preparation of lesson guides for educational
videos. This priority would ensure that students and other individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing may benefit from the same educational
and general interest videos used to enrich the educational experiences
of students and other individuals without hearing disabilities.
Priority
To be considered for funding under this priority, the project
must--
(1) Develop strategies and procedures to be used in determining
curricular needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in all
types of school settings for captioned videos;
(2) Develop and implement an on-going evaluation program for
incorporating the reaction and
[[Page 3178]]
suggestions of users into the selection and captioning process;
(3) Develop and implement criteria and procedures for screening,
evaluating, and captioning selected videos;
(4) Obtain videos from film and video distributors for screening,
evaluation, and possible captioning. Select from among video titles
submitted by evaluators those that closely match the curricular needs
identified under paragraph (1) of this proposed priority, taking into
account the videos most commonly used in school districts across the
Nation for all students;
(5) Make arrangements with respective producers and distributors to
have selected videos captioned and made available through general
distribution mechanisms (such as video sales catalogues), as well as
through the captioned film and video loan service authorized under Part
F of IDEA and 34 CFR Part 330 (by purchasing up to 100 copies of each
captioned title, which must be open-captioned). Closed-captioned
masters must be made available to producers and distributors in an
effort to promote the use of captioned videos.
(6) For selected titles, prepare captions on computer diskettes or
CD-ROM, as appropriate, and check for accuracy. These captions would
take into account the age and reading levels of the likely target
audience;
(7) For selected educational videos, prepare lesson guides;
(8) Identify, select, and, if necessary, provide training or
technical assistance to video evaluators, caption checkers, and
captioning service providers; and
(9) Develop and implement quality control guidelines and procedures
for checking videocassettes after they are captioned.
Absolute Priority 4--Research on Educational Captioning
Background
This priority supports research on captioning of educational media
and materials. Research can be based on the instructional use of
captioning or the use of captioning as a language development tool for
enhancing the reading and literacy skills of individuals who are deaf
or hard of hearing. Media and technologies explored or used by projects
funded under this priority may include, but are not limited to: (1)
Television--including high-definition television; (2) videos; and (3)
other media and multi-media technologies such as interactive videodiscs
and CD-ROMs.
Priority
Under this competition, projects must--
(1) Identify specific technological approaches that would be
investigated;
(2) Carry out the research within a conceptual framework, based on
previous research or theory, that provides a basis for the strategies
to be studied, the research design, and target population;
(3) Collect, analyze and report (a) characteristics and outcome
data (actual rather than expected results), including the settings, the
service providers, and the individuals targeted by the project; and (b)
multiple, functional outcome data on the individuals who are the focus
of the technological approaches;
(4) Conduct the research in realistic settings such as residential
or integrated schools or colleges, or in community settings, as
appropriate; and
(5) Conduct the research using methodological procedures that
would: (a) Produce unambiguous findings regarding the effects of
approaches and effects of the interaction among particular approaches
and particular groups of individuals or particular settings; and (b)
permit use of the findings in policy analyses.
For Further Information Contact: For further information on the
four priorities under the Educational Media Research, Production,
Distribution, and Training Program contact the U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue SW., room 4627, Switzer Building,
Washington, DC 20202-4641. Telephone: (202) 205-8894. FAX: (202) 205-
8971. Internet: Jeffrey__Payne@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8169.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1451, 1452.
Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals With
Disabilities Program
Purpose of Program: To support projects and centers for advancing
the availability, quality, use, and effectiveness of technology,
educational media, and materials in the education of children and youth
with disabilities and the provision of related services and early
intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities.
Priority: Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary gives an absolute
preference to applications that meet the following priority. The
Secretary will fund under this competition only applications that meet
this absolute priority:
Absolute Priority--Technology, Educational Media, and Materials
Projects That Create Innovative Tools for Students With Disabilities
This priority provides support for development projects that design
or adapt technology, assistive technology, educational media, or
materials to improve the education of children and youth with
disabilities.
Invitational Priority
Within the absolute priority specified in this notice, the
Secretary is particularly interested in applications that meet the
following invitational priorities. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)
an application that meets one or more of these invitational priorities
does not receive competitive or absolute preference over other
applications:
The Secretary is particularly interested in projects that--
(a) Create Innovative Tools--by encouraging development of varied
and integrated technologies, media, and materials that open up and
expand the lives of those with disabilities. This work should enable
individuals with disabilities to achieve the outcomes expected of all
students, such as independence, productivity and an improved quality of
life, that promote equity in opportunity; or
(b) Foster the Creation of State-of-the-Art Instructional
Environments--both in and out of school. These environments should use
technology, educational media, and materials to enable students with
disabilities to access knowledge, develop skills and problem-solving
strategies, and engage in educational experiences necessary for their
success as adults who are fully included in our society.
For Further Information Contact: For further information on the
priority under the Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for
Individuals with Disabilities Program contact the U.S. Department of
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 4617, Switzer Building,
Washington, D.C. 20202-2734. Telephone: (202) 205-9884. FAX: (202) 205-
8971. Internet: Robin Murphy@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the TDD number: (202) 205-8169.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1461.
Intergovernmental Review
The programs (except for the Research in Education of Individuals
with Disabilities Program) included in this notice are subject to the
requirements of
[[Page 3179]]
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The
objective of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental
partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on processes
developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of
proposed Federal assistance.
In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for
this program.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers: Research in
Education of Individuals with Disabilities Program, 84.023; Media
Research, Production, Distribution, and Training Program, 84.026;
and Technology, Educational Media, and Materials for Individuals
with Disabilities Program, 84.180)
Dated: January 14, 1997.
Katherine D. Seelman,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 97-1391 Filed 1-17-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
