[Federal Register: August 3, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 148)]
[Notices]
[Page 44841-44845]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03au05-235]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview
Information; Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or
Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind; Notice Inviting
Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers: 84.160A and
84.160B.
Dates: Applications Available: August 3, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 2, 2005.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 12, 2005.
Eligible Applicants: Public and private nonprofit agencies and
organizations, including institutions of higher education.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,100,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education Centers:
$250,000 to $300,000; National Interpreter Education Center: $500,000
to $600,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education
Centers: $275,000; National Interpreter Education Center: $550,000.
Maximum Award: Regional Interpreter Education Centers: We will
reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for a
single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for the
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the
maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
National Interpreter Education Center: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget exceeding $600,000 for a single
budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for the Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education Centers:
5. One project will be awarded in each of the U.S. Department of
Education bi-regions as follows: Region I and Region II, Region III and
Region IV, Region V and Region VII, Region VI and Region VIII, and
Region IX and Region X.
National Interpreter Education Center: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: This program provides grants to eligible
entities to establish interpreter training programs or to assist
ongoing training programs to train a sufficient number of qualified
interpreters in order to meet the communications needs of individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are deaf-blind.
Priorities: For these competitions, there are three priorities from
the notice of final priorities and definitions for this program,
published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. Also, in
accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(ii), there is a priority from the
regulations for this program (34 CFR 396.33).
Absolute Priorities: For FY 2005 priorities 1 and 2 are absolute
priorities. For the National Interpreter Education Center, under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet Priority 1 from
the notice of final priorities and definitions. For the Regional
Interpreter Education Center or Centers, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we
consider only applications that meet Priority 2 from the notice of
final priorities and definitions. For both competitions, the following
priority from the regulations (34 CFR 396.33) applies:
The Secretary, in making awards under this program, gives priority
to public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations with existing
programs that have demonstrated their capacity for providing
interpreter training services.
Competitive Preference Priority: Within the absolute priority in 34
CFR
[[Page 44842]]
396.33, for FY 2005 we are designating Priority 3 from the notice of
final priorities and definitions as a competitive preference priority.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii), we give preference to an application
that meets the competitive preference priority over an application of
comparable merit that does not meet the priority.
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772(f).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) are in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79,
80, 81, 82, 84, 85, and 86. (b) The regulations in 34 CFR 385.32,
385.40, 385.44, 385.45, and 385.46. (c) The regulations in 34 CFR part
396. (d) The notice of final priorities and definitions for this
program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of
higher education only.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $2,100,000.
Estimated Range of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education Centers:
$250,000 to $300,000; National Interpreter Education Center: $500,000
to $600,000.
Estimated Average Size of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education
Centers: $275,000; National Interpreter Education Center: $550,000.
Maximum Award: Regional Interpreter Education Centers: We will
reject any application that proposes a budget exceeding $300,000 for a
single budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for the
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the
maximum amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
National Interpreter Education Center: We will reject any
application that proposes a budget exceeding $600,000 for a single
budget period of 12 months. The Assistant Secretary for the Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services may change the maximum
amount through a notice published in the Federal Register.
Estimated Number of Awards: Regional Interpreter Education Centers:
5. One project will be awarded in each of the U.S. Department of
Education bi-regions as follows: Region I and Region II (Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico,
Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Vermont); Region III and Region
IV (Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia); Region V and Region
VII (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin); Region VI and Region VIII (Arkansas,
Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming); and Region IX and Region X (Alaska,
American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana
Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington).
National Interpreter Education Center: 1.
Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: Public and private nonprofit agencies and
organizations, including institutions of higher education.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not involve cost
sharing or matching.
Note: Under 34 CFR 75.562(c), an indirect cost reimbursement on
a training grant is limited to the recipient's actual indirect
costs, as determined by its negotiated indirect cost rate agreement,
or eight percent of a modified total direct cost base, whichever
amount is less. Indirect costs in excess of the eight percent limit
may not be charged directly, used to satisfy matching or cost-
sharing requirements, or charged to another Federal award.
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Education Publications
Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll
free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free):
1-877-576-7734.
You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html
or you may contact ED Pubs at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify
this competition as follows: CFDA numbers 84.160A and 84.160B.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the Grants and Contracts
Services Team, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 5075, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2550. Telephone:
(202) 245-7363. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this program.
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 suggest you limit Part
III to the equivalent of no more than 45 pages if you are submitting an
application for the National Interpreter Education Center and 35 pages
if you are submitting an application for the Regional Interpreter
Education Centers, using the following standards:
A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1''
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch)
all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings,
footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in
charts, tables, figures, and graphs.
Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller
than 10 pitch (characters per inch).
The 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 one-page abstract, the
resumes, the bibliography, or the letters of support. However, you must
include all of the application narrative in Part III.
3. Submission Dates and Times:
Applications Available: August 3, 2005.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: September 2, 2005.
Applications for grants under these competitions may be submitted
electronically using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-
Application) accessible through the Department's e-Grants system, or in
paper format by mail or hand delivery. For information (including dates
and times) about how to submit your application electronically, or by
mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 6. Other Submission
Requirements in this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 12, 2005.
[[Page 44843]]
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order
12372 is in the application package for this competition.
5. Funding Restrictions: We reference regulations outlining funding
restrictions in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
these competitions may be submitted electronically or in paper format
by mail or hand delivery.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
If you choose to submit your application to us electronically, you
must use e-Application available through the Department's e-Grants
system, accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov
.
While completing your electronic application, you will be entering
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
Please note the following:
Your participation in e-Application is voluntary.
You must complete the electronic submission of your grant
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. The e-Application system will not accept an application
for these competitions after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do
not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application
process.
The regular hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site
are 6 a.m. Monday until 7 p.m. Wednesday; and 6 a.m. Thursday until
midnight Saturday, Washington, DC time. Please note that the system is
unavailable on Sundays, and between 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6 a.m. on
Thursdays, Washington, DC time, for maintenance. Any modifications to
these hours are posted on the e-Grants Web site.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you submit your application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
the Application for Federal Education Assistance (ED 424), Budget
Information--Non-Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
Any narrative sections of your application must be
attached as files in a .DOC (document), .RFT (rich text), or .PDF
(Portable Document) format.
Your electronic application must comply with any page
limit requirements described in this notice.
Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number
(an identifying number unique to your application).
Within three working days after submitting your electronic
application, fax a signed copy of the ED 424 to the Application Control
Center after following these steps:
(1) Print ED 424 from e-Application.
(2) The applicant's Authorizing Representative must sign this form.
(3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper right hand corner of the
hard copy signature page of the ED 424.
(4) Fax the signed ED 424 to the Application Control Center at
(202) 245-6272.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of System
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting
your application on the application deadline date because the e-
Application system is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of
one business day in order to transmit your application electronically,
by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
(1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
(2)(a) The e-Application system is unavailable for 60 minutes or
more between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time,
on the application deadline date; or
(b) The e-Application system is unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgement of any system unavailability, you may
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If the system is down and therefore
the application deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all
registered users who have initiated an e-Application.
Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of the Department's e-Application system. If the e-
Application system is available, and, for any reason, you are unable to
submit your application electronically or you do not receive an
automatic acknowledgment of your submission, you may submit your
application in paper format by mail or hand delivery in accordance with
the instructions in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications By Mail.
If you submit your application in paper format by mail (through the
U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier), you must mail the
original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable
following address:
By mail through the U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Department of
Education, Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.160A
and 84.160B), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260; or
By mail through a commercial carrier: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center--Stop 4260, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.160A
and 84.160B), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506.
Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark,
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service,
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier, or
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark, or
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
If you submit your application in paper format by hand delivery,
you (or
[[Page 44844]]
a courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of your
application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the
Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention: (CFDA Numbers 84.160A and
84.160B), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and
Federal holidays.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Department:
(1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by the
Department--in Item 4 of the ED 424 the CFDA number--and suffix letter,
if any--of the competition under which you are submitting your
application.
(2) The Application Control Center will mail a grant application
receipt acknowledgment to you. If you do not receive the grant
application receipt acknowledgment within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
from 34 CFR 75.209, 34 CFR 75.210, and 34 CFR 396.31 and are listed in
the application package.
2. Review and Selection Process: As required by 34 CFR 396.32, an
additional factor we consider in selecting an application for an award
under 84.160A for the Regional Interpreter Education Centers is the
geographical location of the applicant that can best carry out the
purposes of this program.
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). We may also notify you informally.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: 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 multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as specified by the Secretary in
34 CFR 75.118.
4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act
of 1993 (GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning,
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program
results against those goals. The goal of the Training of Interpreters
for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are
Deaf-Blind program is to establish interpreter training programs or to
assist ongoing training programs to train a sufficient number of
qualified interpreters in order to meet the communications needs of
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who are
deaf-blind.
As required by the priorities, grantees must develop and implement
program quality indicators and measure their performance against these
indicators. In addition, the Rehabilitation Services Administration
(RSA) will use the following indicators for the Training of
Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and
Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind National Interpreter Education Center
project:
(a) The percentage of interpreter educators receiving educational
opportunities (based on the model curriculum developed for interpreter
educators under Grant Number H160C030001) from the National Center and
who successfully completed those opportunities as demonstrated through
pre- and post-activity assessments, the development of portfolios, etc.
(b) The extent to which the educational activities and products for
delivery through the five proposed Regional Interpreter Education
Centers meet the clear, measurable goals that the grantee is required
to establish.
(c) A listing of organizations and individuals that received
information related to the activities of this project and the Regional
Interpreter Education Center projects.
(d) The degree to which the project's activities have contributed
to changed practices and improved the quality of interpreters.
RSA will use the following indicators for each of the Training of
Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and
Individuals Who Are Deaf-Blind Regional Interpreter Education Center
projects:
(a) A listing of all formal relationships with Local Partner
Networks across the region.
(b) The percentage of interpreters at all skill levels receiving
educational opportunities by the Regional Interpreter Education Center
who successfully completed those opportunities as demonstrated through
pre- and post-activity assessments, the development of portfolios, the
completion of mentoring goals, the attainment of interpreter
certification, etc.
(c) The degree to which the project's activities have contributed
to changed practices and improved the quality of interpreters.
(d) The degree to which the project's activities have served each
State within its designated geographic region.
Each grantee must report annually to RSA on these indicators
through their annual performance report.
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annette Reichman, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5032, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone: (202) 245-7489 or by e-mail:
Annette.Reichman@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call (202) 205-8352.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the program contact person listed in this
section.
VIII. Other Information
Electronic Access to This Document: You may view this document, as
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
[[Page 44845]]
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html
.
Dated: July 28, 2005.
John H. Hager,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 05-15253 Filed 8-2-05; 8:45 am]
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