[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29641]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: December 2, 1994]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part VIII
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Secondary Education and Transitional Services for Youth With
Disabilities Program; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Secondary Education and Transitional Services for Youth With
Disabilities Program
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education proposes to establish an absolute
priority for an award to provide technical assistance to improve the
transition from school to work and other postsecondary settings,
including assistance to State and local partnerships that are
responsible for developing and implementing School-to-Work
Opportunities systems. This proposed priority is intended to provide
technical assistance to support students with disabilities, including
those with severe disabilities, in a wide range of school to work
experiences and promote their successful transition to a variety of
postsecondary settings. The Secretary also proposes selection criteria
that will be applied in evaluating applications submitted for this
competition.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 3, 1995.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be
addressed to Joseph Clair, U.S. Department of Education, 600
Independence Avenue, S.W., Switzer Building, Room 4622, Washington,
D.C. Telephone: (202) 205-9503. (Internet address: Sec__Trans@ed.gov.).
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the last decade, three pieces of
Federal legislation have been enacted that impact on the transition of
students with disabilities from school to postsecondary settings,
including gainful employment. These include amendments to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of
1994. Each piece of legislation is described below.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended, now
requires that a statement of needed transition services be included in
the individualized education program (IEP) of all eligible students
beginning no later than age 16, and at a younger age if appropriate,
and that the statement of required services be updated on an annual
basis. 20 U.S.C. 1401(a)(20)(D). Transition services are defined as ``a
coordinated set of activities for a student, designed within an
outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school to post-
school activities * * * and shall include instruction, community
experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult
living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living
skills and functional vocational evaluation.'' 20 U.S.C. 1401(a)(19).
The Rehabilitation Act now requires the State Vocational
Rehabilitation programs to enter into formal interagency cooperative
agreements with education officials responsible for the provision of a
free appropriate public education to students with disabilities in
order to facilitate the development and accomplishment of long term
rehabilitation goals, intermediate rehabilitation objectives, and goals
and objectives to enable students with disabilities to live
independently before leaving the school setting. State vocational
rehabilitation plans must address: (i) Provisions for determining State
lead agencies and qualified personnel responsible for transition
services; (ii) procedures for outreach to and identification of youth
in need of such services; and (iii) a timeframe for evaluation and
follow-up of youth who have received such services. 29 U.S.C.
721(a)(24).
In May of 1994, President Clinton signed into law the School-to-
Work Opportunities Act of 1994. This law, administered jointly by the
Departments of Education and Labor, establishes a national framework
within which all States can create statewide School-to-Work
Opportunities systems. These systems will be designed to help youth
acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities, and labor market information
they need to make a smooth and effective transition from school to
career-oriented work and to further education and training.
Under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, 20 U.S.C. 6101
et seq., States and local partnerships are developing and implementing
plans for school-to-work opportunities systems that will provide
opportunities for all students, including those with disabilities, to
prepare successfully for high-skill, high-wage jobs or further
education and training. Any student who completes a School-to-Work
Opportunities program of study will receive: (1) A high school diploma,
(2) a certificate or diploma recognizing one or two years of
postsecondary education, if appropriate, and (3) a portable, industry-
recognized skill certificate. While each State and locality will have
broad latitude to design its own system, every system will have common
core components:
Work-based learning. Providing students with a planned
program of job training and work experiences in a broad range of tasks
in an occupational area, as well as workplace mentoring.
School-based learning. Including a coherent multi-year
sequence of instruction--typically including at least 2 years of
secondary education and at least 1 or 2 years of postsecondary
education--tied to occupational skills standards and challenging
academic standards such as those established by States under Goals
2000.
Connecting activities. To ensure coordination of the work-
and school-based learning components, such as providing technical
assistance in designing work-based learning, matching students with
employers' work-based learning opportunities, and collecting
information on what happens to students after they complete the
program.
This award will be jointly funded in fiscal year 1995 under three
statutory authorities:
(1) The Secondary Education and Transitional Services for Youth
with Disabilities Program authorized by section 626 of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act;
(2) Sections 202(b)(4) and (6) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
and
(3) The Cooperative Demonstration Program authorized by section
420A of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education
Act (the Perkins Act). In fiscal year 1996, the award will include
funding from section 311(d) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The
Secretary has determined that this joint award is necessary because of
the need to provide technical assistance to support students with
disabilities in a wide range of school to work experiences and promote
their successful transition to a variety of postsecondary settings
including gainful employment.
The funds provided under the Cooperative Demonstration Program must
meet the cost-sharing requirement of section 420A(b)(2) of the Perkins
Act implemented by 34 CFR 426.30. In the first year of the project, we
anticipate providing $25,000 from the Cooperative Demonstration
program. The funds provided under section 311(d) of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 must be used only for youth with severe disabilities.
In the application notice, we will inform potential applicants how
much funding we estimate will come from each program for fiscal year
1995. As noted above, we anticipate that the source and amount of
funding will change in future years and will notify the grantee. If
other sources of funding are added that would result in additional
requirements in a future year, the Secretary will notify the grantee
concerning those requirements.
Proposed Priority: Accessing School-to-Work and Postsecondary
Environments--A Technical Assistance Effort
Purpose
The purpose of this technical assistance project is to improve the
skills and knowledge-base of (1) staff delivering transitional services
and (2) School-to-Work Opportunities grantees to assist individuals
with disabilities, including those with severe disabilities, to become
integrated into appropriate transition programs and School-to-Work
Opportunities systems established at State and local levels. The
proposed project must provide technical assistance to all Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) transition and
postsecondary education projects as well as to States funded under the
School-to-Work Opportunities Act to ensure that they provide personnel
with the necessary training to accommodate and support students with
disabilities, including those with severe disabilities, in the
transition to a variety of postsecondary settings. The project must
also disseminate information to other interested parties.
Project activities must include the development of effective
practice information on:
(1) Promoting compliance with transition requirements mandated by
Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the
Rehabilitation Act, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act;
(2) Helping students with disabilities, including those with severe
disabilities, access transition programs including those supported by
developing School-to-Work Opportunities systems;
(3) Overcoming administrative, attitudinal, and programmatic
barriers that limit the planning and implementation of effective
practices for students with disabilities in transitional programs, such
as those that school personnel can use to encourage and facilitate
extensive student/parent involvement;
(4) Working with statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems, in
collaboration with activities initiated by the State Systems for
Transition Services projects, to help students with disabilities,
including those with severe disabilities, acquire the academic and
occupational skills, abilities, and labor market information they need
to make a smooth and effective transition from school to career-
oriented work or to further education or training;
(5) Building on and enriching current promising programs such as
tech-prep education, career academies, school-to-apprenticeship, youth
apprenticeship, cooperative education, adult education, adult services,
and business-education compacts;
(6) Facilitating the representation of disability interests in the
formation of partnerships among secondary and postsecondary educational
institutions, private and public employers, labor organizations,
government, community groups, parents, and other key groups; and
(7) Ensuring that students with disabilities, including those with
severe disabilities, are provided an integrated array of learning
experiences in the classroom and at the worksite, including appropriate
modification of curriculum, instructional techniques, equipment, and
the work environment.
The Secretary anticipates funding one cooperative agreement with a
project period of up to 60 months subject to the requirements of 34 CFR
75.253(a) for continuation awards. In making the initial award, the
Secretary will consider the extent to which applicants provide evidence
that States receiving School-to-Work Opportunities grants are likely to
participate in the training and other technical assistance activities
provided by the Technical Assistance Project.
The Technical Assistance Project must demonstrate collaborative
relationships among other established and relevant school-to-work and
transitional efforts, including entities that will be involved with the
broader technical assistance efforts of the school-to-work
opportunities initiative and entities which have assisted in the
development of statewide School-to-Work Opportunities systems.
Procedures to promote the involvement of students, parents, relevant
employment training agencies and other providers of adult services, and
members of underrepresented populations, such as minorities, women, and
disadvantaged persons, in the proposed project must be clearly
delineated.
In determining whether to continue this technical assistance
project for the third, fourth, and fifth years, the Secretary, in
addition to applying the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), will
consider the recommendation of a review team consisting of three
experts selected by the Secretary. The review, including a two-day
visit to the project, is to be performed during the third quarter of
the second year and must be included in the year's evaluation required
under 34 CFR 75.590. Funds to cover costs associated with the services
to be performed by the review team are estimated to be approximately
$4,000.
Priority
The Technical Assistance Project considered for funding under this
priority must--
(1) Identify proven models, components of models, or exemplary
practices and approaches that can successfully support and accommodate
students with disabilities, including those with severe disabilities,
in transition from school to employment and other postsecondary
environments, including information from model demonstration transition
projects supported by all programs in OSERS and those projects
supported with funds received under the School-to-Work Opportunities
grants;
(2) Document proven and exemplary transition practices and
approaches for students with disabilities by collecting, analyzing, and
reporting a variety of descriptive and outcome data, including (a)
specific information on the educational settings, the students targeted
by the practices and approaches (e.g., age, disability, level of
functioning and membership in a special population, if appropriate),
(b) outcome data for the students who are the focus of these practices
and approaches; and (c) outcome data for the teachers, administrators,
and other service providers involved in the effort;
(3) Prepare, field-test, revise, and publicize user-friendly
documentation of model practices;
(4) Disseminate information on effective practices to all relevant
audiences, including project directors, policy makers, administrators,
personnel from educational agencies, community leaders, parents,
service providers, grantees under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act,
and other interested parties;
(5) Coordinate a network among relevant OSERS transitional efforts,
specifically research and model demonstration projects, technical
assistance entities, and clearinghouses. Coordination activities must
include (a) the analysis of research and model demonstration project
designs through progress and final reports describing the interventions
and the synthesis of findings across competitions to identify effective
practices, (b) the provision of logistical support for an annual
project directors' meeting for all OSERS-sponsored transition and
postsecondary projects, and (c) the development of an annual directory
of these projects;
(6) Maintain a comprehensive library on transition/school-to-work
best practices for students with disabilities, including those with
severe disabilities, and integrate this information into an on-line
electronic bulletin board/data base. Users must be able to locally
access this bulletin board/data base and download selected information
free of charge;
(7) Provide technical assistance, upon request, to States receiving
School-to-Work Opportunities Development Grants. If requests for
assistance exceed the project's ability to respond, project staff and
the Federal project officer will develop a priority list of those in
need of assistance.
(8) Enter into agreements with States receiving School-to-Work
Opportunities Implementation Grants to develop technical assistance
plans that address the needs of students with disabilities, including
those with severe disabilities. These plans must be based on the
grantees' identified needs for the purposes of establishing School-to-
Work Opportunities systems in collaboration with activities initiated
by the State Systems for Transition Services projects. This assistance
must include, but need not be limited to, providing information on
successful practices in training, teacher instruction, adaptation of
materials, curriculum development, recruitment, and evaluation;
(9) Provide technical assistance, training, and on-going
consultation based on agreements developed in paragraph (8) to
personnel involved with or supported under the technical assistance
efforts of the Federal School-to-Work Opportunities Initiative. These
efforts may take on many different forms, such as the participation in
national meetings, one-on-one State visits, regional sessions, and
visits to successful School-to-Work Opportunities systems. The training
and consultation must include the use of materials and strategies for
accessing, recruiting, accommodating, and supporting students with
disabilities, including those with severe disabilities, in the State
School-to-Work Opportunities systems developed under the Act;
(10) Assist the Departments of Education and Labor in evaluating
the extent to which students with disabilities have access to,
participate in, and benefit from the range of School-to-Work
Opportunities Systems through the analysis of data from State and local
implementation. This effort must be coordinated with the evaluation
activities carried out under the Act;
(11) In years 2 and 4 of the grant, conduct a national forum in
Washington, DC that identifies persistent problems, proposes solutions,
and responds to emerging issues and trends in providing students with
disabilities with access to School-to-Work Opportunities systems.
Invited participants must include, but not be limited to, Development
and Implementation grantees under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act;
and
(12) Provide support for at least 10 graduate students annually to
assist with the provision of technical assistance with an emphasis on
recruiting students from traditionally underrepresented populations.
Selection Criteria for Evaluating Applications
Under the Accessing School-to-Work and Postsecondary Environments--
A Technical Assistance Effort competition, the Secretary proposes to
use the following selection criteria. These criteria were taken from 34
CFR 380.11 (a)-(e) and 380.13 (f) and (g).
(a) Plan of Operation. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the
project, including--
(1) The extent to which the plan of management is effective and
ensures proper and efficient administration of the project; and
(2) How the applicant will ensure that project participants who are
otherwise eligible to participate are selected without regard to race,
color, national origin, gender, age, or handicapping condition.
(b) Quality of key personnel. (15 points) (1) The Secretary reviews
each application to determine the quality of key personnel the
applicant plans to use on the project, including--
(i) The qualifications of the project director (if one is to be
used);
(ii) The qualifications of each of the other key personnel to be
used in the project;
(iii) The time that each person referred to in paragraph (b)(1) (i)
and (ii) of this section will commit to the project; and
(iv) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment
practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected for employment
without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or
handicapping condition.
(2) To determine personnel qualifications under paragraph (b)(1)
(i) and (ii) of this section, the Secretary considers--
(i) Experience and training in fields related to the objectives of
the project; and
(ii) Any other qualifications that pertain to the quality of the
project.
(c) Budget and cost-effectiveness. (5 points) The Secretary reviews
each application to determine the extent to which--
(1) The budget is adequate to support the project; and
(2) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the
project.
(d) Evaluation plan. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the quality of the evaluation plan for the
project, including the extent to which the applicant's methods of
evaluation--
(1) Are appropriate to the project; and
(2) To the extent possible, are objective and produce data that are
quantifiable.
(e) Adequacy of resources. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each
application to determine the adequacy of the resources that the
applicant plans to devote to the project, including facilities,
equipment, and supplies.
(f) Evidence of need. (10 points) (1) The Secretary reviews each
application to assess whether the need for the proposed technical
assistance has been adequately justified.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which the application--
(i) Describes the technical assistance needs to be addressed by the
project;
(ii) Describes how the applicant identified those needs;
(iii) Describes how those needs will be met by the project; and
(iv) Describes the benefits to be gained by meeting those needs.
(g) Project design. (40 points) (1) The Secretary reviews each
application to evaluate the quality of the proposed technical
assistance project design.
(2) The Secretary determines the extent to which--
(i) The technical assistance objectives are designed to meet the
identified needs and are clearly defined, measurable, and achievable;
(ii) The content of the proposed technical assistance and
instructional approach are appropriate for the project participants.
(3) The Secretary determines the extent to which each application
provides for--
(i) A method for gaining the participation of prospective target
populations in need of technical assistance;
(ii) Innovative procedures for disseminating information and
imparting skills to project participants; and
(iii) Use of current research finding and information on model
practices in providing the technical assistance.
Eligible Applicants
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), State educational agencies
(SEAs), Local educational agencies (LEAs), and other public or private
non-profit institutions or agencies.
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding this proposed priority. All comments
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public
inspection, during and after the comment period, 330 C Street S.W.,
Mary Switzer Building, Room 4622, Washington, D.C., between the hours
of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except
Federal holidays.
Applicable Program Regulations
34 CFR Part 326 and 34 CFR Part 426.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1425, 20 U.S.C. 2420a, 29 U.S.C.
761a(b) (4) and (6), 29 U.S.C. 777a(d), and section 430(b) of the
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) as amended by sections
212(b)(1) and 241 of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994,
Pub. L. 103-382, October 20, 1994.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.158, Secondary
Education and Transitional Services for Youth with Disabilities
Program)
Dated: November 28, 1994.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 94-29641 Filed 12-1-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
