2023-325D Application Package - 508 FINAL.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20202

FISCAL YEAR 2023

APPLICATION FOR NEW GRANTS UNDER THE

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA)

PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND

RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

(ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER 84.325)

APPLICATIONS FOR NEW AWARDS;

PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE SERVICES

AND RESULTS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

PROGRAM-- PREPARATION OF SPECIAL

EDUCATION, EARLY INTERVENTION, AND RELATED

SERVICES LEADERSHIP PERSONNEL

(ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER 84.325D)

DATED MATERIAL: OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE: JULY 7, 2023

FORM APPROVED—OMB NO. 1820-0028, EXP. DATE: 07/31/2025

http://www.ed.gov/

GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER 84.325D

CONTENTS

Applicant Letter ...................................................................................................................... A2

Notice Inviting Applications ................................................................................................... B1 Federal Register Notice ...................................................................................................... B2

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants .............................................. B31

Priority Description and Selection Criteria ........................................................................... C1 Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-- Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel (Assistance Listing Number 84.325D) ............................... C2

Selection Criteria and Format for the Applications for New Awards— Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program-

- Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel (Assistance Listing Number 84.325D) Competition ........................ C20

General Information on Completing an Application ............................................................. D1

Application Transmittal Instructions and Requirements for Intergovernmental Review ..................................................................................................... E1

Application Transmittal Instructions ..................................................................................... E2

Appendix ................................................................................................................................. F1 Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs ................................................................. F2

State Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) ............................................................................. F3

Notice to All Applicants Ensuring Equitable Access and Application Forms and Instructions .......................................................................................................... G1

Part I: Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) ............................................................. G6

Part II: Budget Information (Form 524) .............................................................................. G18

Part III: Application Narrative ............................................................................................. G27

Certification Regarding Lobbying ........................................................................... G28

Part IV: Additional Information ........................................................................................... G30

DUNS Number Instructions ................................................................................... G30

Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgement ......................................................... G32

Grant and Contract Funding Information................................................................ G32

A-1

PAPERWORK BURDEN STATEMENT

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1820-0028. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 45 hours and 40 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain a benefit (P.L. 108-446, Sec. 650 and 682). If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, please contact the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Discretionary Grant Programs, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Potomac Center Plaza, room 5008C, Washington D.C. 20202-5076 or by phone at 202-245-7542.

A-2

APPLICANT LETTER

A-3

Dear Applicant:

This application packet contains information and the required forms for you to use in submitting a new application for funding under one program authorized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This packet covers one competition under the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.325) program—Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program-- Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel (Assistance Listing Number 84.325D).

Please take the time to review all of the applicable requirements, definitions, selection criteria, and application instructions thoroughly. An application will not be evaluated for funding if the applicant does not comply with all of the procedural rules that govern the submission of the application or if the application does not contain the information required. (EDGAR §75.216 (b) and (c)).

Please note the following:

• GRANTS.GOV APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND SAM REGISTRATION.

Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (www.Grants.gov). Please read carefully the Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants document included on page B-32, which includes helpful tips about submitting electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site. Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on SAM (www.sam.gov) which may take approximately one week to complete but could take as many as several weeks to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration steps are complete. Please note that once your SAM registration is active, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov. You cannot submit an application through Grants.gov until Grants.gov has received your SAM registration information. We strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself with SAM and Grants.gov, and strongly recommend that you register and submit early.

Applicants are required to upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in either Portable Document Format (PDF) or Microsoft Word.

However, it is recommended that applicants upload files as read-only flattened PDFs.

Information on computer and operating system compatibility with Adobe and links to download the latest version of Adobe are available on Grants.gov. Please note that you must follow the Application Procedures as described in the Federal Register notice announcing this grant competition. Information (including dates and times) about how to submit your application electronically can also be found in section E of this application package, Application Transmittal Instructions and Requirements for Intergovernmental Review.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/

A-4

Additional instructions for sending applications electronically are provided on page E-2, Application Forms and Instructions for Grants.gov Applications.

• MAXIMUM AWARD AMOUNT.

The competition included in this package has maximum award amounts. Please refer to the specific information for the priority/competition to which you are submitting an application (i.e., Section B of this package) for detailed budget information for the total grant period requested.

Please be advised that for the priority in this package, the maximum award amount covers all project costs including indirect costs.

• RECOMMENDED PAGE LIMITS AND LINE SPACING OF APPLICATION NARRATIVE.

The competition included in this package limits the Application Narrative to a recommended number of double-spaced pages. This recommended page limit and double-line spacing applies to all material presented in the application narrative. This recommended double-line spacing applies to all titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, reference citations, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, graphs, screen shots, and logic models included in the application narrative. (Please refer to the specific recommendations on page limits for the priority/competition to which you are submitting an application, Section B of this package).

• FORMAT FOR OTHER SECTIONS OF THE APPLICATION.

Additional information regarding formatting applications has been included on Pages D-3 and D-3 of the “General Information on Completing an Application” section of this package.

Appendix A: Reviewers will be instructed to review the content of Appendix A as they do the application narrative. Reviewers will not be required to review any other appendices.

Charts, tables, figures, graphs, screen shots and logic models that provide information directly relating to the application requirements for the narrative should be the only items included in Appendix A. Appendix A should not be used for supplementary information. Please note that charts, tables, figures, graphs, screen shots, and logic models can be single-spaced when placed in an Appendix A.

Abstract: For the application Abstract, applicants should use the template located at:

https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html.

• ABSOLUTE PRIORITY AND COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITIES.

This competition includes one absolute priority and, within that absolute priority, two competitive preference priorities. The Department will use peer reviewers to review and score applications on the selection criteria.

https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html

A-5

Prior to the peer review, Department staff will determine if an application has met the qualifications of the absolute priority and is eligible for peer review. An application that has not met the absolute priority will not be considered for funding and may not be reviewed.

Department staff will assign competitive preference priority points to applications meeting the competitive preference priorities, up to a total of 6 points.

• PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH.

The discretionary grant Application Form SF-424 requires applicants to indicate whether they plan to conduct research involving human subjects at any time during the proposed project period. The Protection of Human Subjects in Research Attachment is an integral part of the SF-424 form. It includes information that applicants need to complete the protection of human subjects item and, as appropriate, to provide additional information to the Department regarding human subjects research projects. Additional information on completing the protection of human subjects item is also available and can be accessed on the internet at:

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/humansub.html

• RESPONSE TO GPRA.

As required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has developed a strategic plan for measuring GPRA performance. The program included in this announcement is authorized under Part D - National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Projects funded under this competition are required to submit data on GPRA performance measures as directed by OSEP. See Performance Measures included in the Priority Description section of this application package. Applicants are encouraged to consider this information when preparing their applications.

• COPIES OF THE APPLICATION.

Unless you qualify for an exception in accordance with the instructions found in the Notice inviting applications, you must submit your application electronically. Therefore, you do not need to submit paper copies of the application. If you are granted an exception, current Government-wide policy requires that an original and two paper copies need to be submitted. Please note: If an application is recommended for funding and a grant award is issued, we will contact the applicant to request an electronic copy of the application in MS Word or a PDF file. The Department is moving toward an electronic grant filing system and an electronic copy of all applications that are being funded will facilitate this effort.

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/humansub.html

A-6

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

OSEP also provides information on developing performance measures and logic models at https://www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel to assist you in preparing a quality application.

For information about other U.S. Department of Education grant and contract opportunities, we encourage you to use the Department's grant information web page which can be accessed on the internet at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/grants/grants.html.

We appreciate your efforts to improve the provision of services for individuals with disabilities.

Sincerely, /s/

Lawrence J. Wexler, Ed.D.

Director Research to Practice Division Office of Special Education Programs https://www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/grants/grants.html

B-1

NOTICE INVITING APPLICATIONS

B-2

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities Program-- Preparation of Early Intervention and Special Education Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs

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

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities--Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel, Assistance Listing Number 84.325D. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1820-0028.

DATES:

Applications Available: May 8, 2023

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 7, 2023

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 5, 2023

Pre-Application Webinar Information: No later than May 15, 2023, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services will post details on pre-recorded informational webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants. Links to the webinars may be found at https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html.

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 December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-https://www2.ed.gov/%E2%80%8Bfund/%E2%80%8Bgrant/%E2%80%8Bapply/%E2%80%8Bosep/%E2%80%8Bnew-osep-grants.html https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs

B-3 applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs. Please note that these Common Instructions supersede the version published on December 27, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Celia Rosenquist U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Room 5076, Potomac Center Plaza Washington, DC 20202-5076

Telephone: 202-245-7373

Email: Celia.Rosenquist@ed.gov.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs mailto:Celia.Rosenquist@ed.gov

B-4

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Purpose of Program:

The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.

Priorities:

This competition includes one absolute priority and, within that absolute priority, two competitive preference priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), the absolute priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 662 and 681 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1462 and 1481).

Absolute Priority:

For FY 2023 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:

Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel.

Background:

The Department is committed to promoting equity for children with disabilities to access educational resources and opportunities. The Department also places a high priority on increasing the number of leadership personnel, including increasing the number of multilingual leadership personnel and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, who provide, or prepare others to provide, services to children with disabilities. To support these goals, under this absolute priority, the Department will fund projects that support doctoral degree programs to prepare and increase the number of personnel who are well qualified for, and can act effectively in, leadership positions as researchers and special education/early intervention/related services personnel preparers in institutions of higher education (IHEs), or as leaders in State educational agencies (SEAs), lead agencies (LAs) under Part C of IDEA, local educational agencies (LEAs), early intervention services programs (EIS programs), or schools, including increasing the number of multilingual leadership personnel

B-5 and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds at the doctoral level in special education, early intervention, and related services.

There is a well-documented need for special education, early intervention, and related services leadership personnel who serve critical roles within different settings (Bellamy & Iwaszuk, 2017; Castillo et al., 2014; Montrosse & Young, 2012; NCSI, 2018a; NCSI, 2018b;

Robb et al., 2012; Tucker et al., 2020). For example, leadership personnel in IHEs teach practices supported by research to future special education, early intervention, related services, and general education professionals. These leaders also conduct research that increases knowledge of effective interventions and services for children, including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities. Another example of a critical leadership role includes special education and early intervention administrators who supervise and evaluate the implementation of instructional programs to ensure that State or local agencies are meeting the needs of children with disabilities. Administrators also ensure that schools and programs meet Federal, State, and local requirements for special education, early intervention, and related services.

The need to increase the number of multilingual leadership personnel and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds has been recognized due to the significant benefits for both personnel and the children they serve (e.g., Carver-Thomas, 2018;

deBettencourt et al., 2016). For example, special education programs at IHEs benefit from multilingual faculty and faculty from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds who bring different perspectives, experiences, and contexts to the program and its curriculum, which, in turn, benefits the individuals enrolled in the program and the children with disabilities those individuals will ultimately serve (e.g., deBettencourt, et al., 2016; Maggin et al., 2021). A multilingual faculty and faculty from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds also brings different perspectives, experiences, and contexts to research, which is critical to promoting innovative advances in knowledge and practice (e.g., Hofstra et al., 2020), including advances in knowledge of effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and interventions and services that improve outcomes for children with disabilities. Special education and early intervention administrators have a critical role in increasing the number of multilingual personnel and personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds who support children with disabilities through policies, initiatives, and promoting an inclusive culture in early intervention and school settings (e.g., Carver-Thomas, 2018; Steiner et al., 2022) as well as retaining personnel. Administrators also ensure that schools and programs implement culturally and linguistically responsive instructional programs to ensure that State or local agencies are meeting the needs of children with disabilities (Bellamy et al., 2014).

Leadership personnel can have significant influence in preparing and supporting personnel, policy, and research. All leadership personnel need to promote high expectations and have current knowledge of effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services that improve outcomes for children with disabilities. Critical

B-6 competencies for special education, early intervention, and related services leadership personnel vary depending on the type of leadership personnel and the requirements of the preparation program, but can include, for example, skills needed for postsecondary instruction, administration and supervision, interpreting and applying research, policy development and implementation, organizational and systems change, communication, collaboration, and the use of technologies to support in-person and distance education (Boscardin & Lashley, 2018; Bruns et al., 2017). Scholars’ acquisition of competencies and success in doctoral programs depends on factors such as supportive supervision, experiential learning opportunities, access to resources, and developing and enhancing professional networks and collaborative learning opportunities (Douglas, 2020; Sverdlik et al., 2018). Networks, in particular, are integral to leadership development and critical to addressing complex problems (Cullen-Lester et al., 2017;

Hoppe & Reinelt, 2010).

Priority:

The purpose of this priority is to support doctoral degree programs to prepare and increase the number of personnel who are well-qualified for, and can act effectively in, leadership positions as researchers and special education/early intervention/related services personnel preparers in IHEs, or as leaders in SEAs, LAs under Part C of IDEA, LEAs, or EIS programs, including increasing the number of multilingual leadership personnel and leadership personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds at the doctoral level in special education, early intervention, and related services. Proposed projects must be designed to prepare graduates to be well-qualified for, and act effectively in, leadership positions as researchers and special education/early intervention/related services personnel preparers in IHEs, or as leaders in SEAs, LAs, LEAs, or EIS programs. Projects must support a program that culminates in a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.).

Note: Eligible applicants include partnerships1 that are comprised of two or three IHEs with doctoral programs that prepare scholars2 and otherwise meet the eligibility requirements.

1 For the purposes of this priority, a “partnership” is a group comprised of two or three IHEs with doctoral programs in which (a) each IHE enrolls and supports scholars as part of the partnership, and (b) the partnership provides joint experiences each year for scholars to learn from faculty and scholars at each participating IHE that promote the acquisition of leadership competencies through coursework, research, internship experiences, work-based experiences, or other opportunities as a requirement of the project.

2 For the purposes of this priority, “scholar” is limited to an individual who (a) is pursuing a doctoral degree related to special education, early intervention, or related services; (b) receives scholarship assistance as authorized under section 662 of IDEA (34 CFR 304.3(g)); and (c) will be able to be employed in a position that serves children with disabilities for at least 51 percent of their time or case load. See https://pdp.ed.gov/OSEP/Home/Regulation for more information.

B-7

For additional information regarding group applications, refer to 34 CFR 75.127, 75.128, and 75.129.

Note: Project periods under this priority may be up to 60 months. Projects should be designed to ensure that all proposed scholars successfully complete the program within 60 months from the start of the project. The Secretary may reduce continuation awards for any project in which scholars are not on track to complete the program by the end of that period.

To be considered for funding under this absolute priority, applicants must meet the application requirements contained in the priority. All projects funded under this absolute priority also must meet the programmatic and administrative requirements specified in the priority.

Note: Preparation programs that lead to clinical doctoral degrees in related services

(e.g., a Doctor of Audiology degree or Doctor of Physical Therapy degree) are not included in this priority. These types of preparation programs are eligible to apply for funding under the Preparation of Early Intervention and Special Education Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs (84.325K), Preparation of Related Services Personnel Serving Children with Disabilities who have High-Intensity Needs priority (84.325R), or the Personnel Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and other Minority Serving Institutions priority (84.325M) that the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) intends to fund in FY 2023.

To meet the requirements of this priority, an applicant must—

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance,” how—

(1) The proposed project would increase the number of leadership personnel who are well qualified to advance practice, policy, or research in the project’s preparation focus area and how it will provide, or prepare others to provide, effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services that improve outcomes for children with disabilities;

(2) The doctoral program to date has been successful (including program data, if available) in producing leadership personnel. Applicants should include data for the number of students who have completed the doctoral program disaggregated by race, national origin and primary language(s), and disability status; the types of leadership positions that recent program graduates are employed in related to their preparation; the professional accomplishments of program graduates that demonstrate their leadership in special education, early intervention, or related services (e.g., public service, awards, publications); and the percentage of program graduates finding employment related to their preparation serving students with disabilities in

B-8 underserved communities if applicable (e.g., employed in districts with high rates of poverty);

and

Note: Data on the success of a doctoral program should be no more than 5 years old on the start date of the project proposed in the application. When reporting percentages, the denominator (i.e., the total number of scholars or program graduates) must be provided.

(2) Scholar competencies to be acquired in the program relate to knowledge and skills needed by the leadership personnel in the project’s proposed preparation focus area to provide, or prepare others to provide, effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services, including through distance education, that improve outcomes for children with disabilities.

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of project services,” how--

(1) The applicant will recruit and retain scholars participating in the project. To meet this requirement, the narrative must describe—

(i) The selection criteria the applicant will use to identify doctoral applicants for admission to the program;

(ii) The recruitment strategies the project will use to attract doctoral applicants, including from groups that are underrepresented in the field, including applicants with disabilities, multilingual applicants, and applicants from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, to ensure a diverse pool of applicants; and

Note: Applicants should engage in focused outreach and recruitment to increase the number of doctoral applicants from groups that are underrepresented in the field, including applicants with disabilities, multilingual applicants, and applicants from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, but the scholar selection criteria the applicant intends to use must ensure equal access and treatment of all applicants seeking admission to the program and must be consistent with applicable law, including Federal civil rights laws.

(iii) The approach that will be used to mentor and support all scholars in completing the program and preparing them for careers in special education, early intervention, or related services; and

(2) The project is designed to promote the acquisition of the competencies needed by leadership personnel in the project’s proposed preparation focus area to provide, or prepare

B-9 others to provide, effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services that improve outcomes for children with disabilities. To address this requirement, the applicant must--

(i) Describe how the proposed project components, such as coursework, research, internship experiences, work-based experiences, program evaluation, and other opportunities provided to scholars, and sequence of the components will enable the scholars to acquire the competencies needed by leadership personnel;

Note: Applicants that propose partnership projects must describe how the project components and sequence of the components are designed to ensure that scholars have opportunities to acquire the competencies needed by leadership personnel through engaging and collaborating with faculty and scholars at each IHE participating in the partnership.

(ii) Describe how the proposed project components will prepare scholars to provide, or prepare others to provide, culturally and linguistically responsive effective instruction, interventions, and services that improve outcomes for children with disabilities, in a variety of educational or early childhood and early intervention settings, including in-person and remote settings;

(iii) Describe how the proposed project will engage partners, including multilingual individuals, individuals and families from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, public or private entities (e.g., organizations, centers, agencies, schools, programs) that provide services to multilingual children with disabilities and their families, and public or private entities that provide services to children of color with disabilities and their families, to inform project components; and

(iv) Describe how the proposed project components will promote the acquisition of scholars’ knowledge of strategies and approaches in attracting, preparing, and retaining future personnel with disabilities, multilingual personnel and personnel from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, who will work with, and provide effective culturally and linguistically responsive instruction, interventions, and services to, children with disabilities and their families.

(c) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the Project

Personnel and Management Plan,” how--

(1) The project director and other key project personnel are qualified to prepare scholars in the project’s preparation focus area;

(2) The project director and other key project personnel will manage the components of the project;

B-10

(3) The time commitments of the project director and other key project personnel are adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project; and

(4) For proposed partnership projects, the project will establish policies, procedures, standards, and fiscal management of the partnership.

(d) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Adequacy of resources,” how--

(1) Information regarding the types of accommodations and resources available to fully support scholars’ well-being and a work-life balance (e.g., university and community mental health supports, counseling services, health resources, housing resources, childcare) will be disseminated and how the project will support scholars accessing those accommodations and resources on a timely basis, if needed, while the scholar is in the program;

(2) The types of accommodations and resources provided to support scholars’ well-being and a work-life balance will be individualized based on scholars’ cultural, academic, and social emotional needs with the goal of supporting them to complete the program; and

(3) The budget is adequate for meeting the project objectives and mitigating financial burden to scholars while completing the program of study.

Note: Scholar support does not need to be uniform for all scholars and should be customized for individual scholars based on the scholar’s financial needs, including a consideration of all costs associated with the attendance, even if that means enrolling fewer scholars as part of the proposed project. Scholar support can include support for cost of attendance (i.e., tuition and fees; university student health insurance; an allowance for books, materials, and supplies; an allowance for miscellaneous personal expenses; an allowance for dependent care, such as childcare; and an allowance for room and board), travel in conjunction with training assignments, including conference registration, and stipends to support scholars’ completion of the program and professional development. Projections for scholar support should consider tuition increases and cost of living increases over the project period.

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the project evaluation,” how the applicant will--

(1) Evaluate how well the goals or objectives of the proposed leadership project have been met. The applicant must describe the outcomes to be measured for both the project and the scholars, particularly the acquisition of scholars’ competencies, and the evaluation methodologies to be employed, data collection methods, and possible analyses; and

B-11

(2) Collect, analyze, and use data on scholars supported by the project to inform the proposed project on an ongoing basis.

(f) Demonstrate, in the appendices or narrative under “Required project assurances” as directed, that the following requirements are met. The applicant must--

(1) Include, in Appendix A of the application--

(i) Charts, tables, figures, graphs, screen shots, and visuals that provide information directly relating to the application requirements for the narrative. Appendix A should not be used for supplementary information. Please note that charts, tables, figures, graphs, and screen shots can be single-spaced when placed in Appendix A; and

(ii) A letter of support from a public or private partnering agency, school, or program, that states it will provide scholars with a field or clinic experience in a high-need LEA,3 a high-poverty school,4 a school implementing a comprehensive support and improvement plan,5 a school implementing a targeted support and improvement plan6 for children with disabilities, an SEA, an early childhood and early intervention program located within the geographical boundaries of a high-need LEA, or an early childhood and early intervention program located within the geographical boundaries of an LEA serving the highest percentage of schools

3 For the purposes of this priority, “high-need LEA” means an LEA (a) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or (b) for which not less than 20 percent of the children are from families with incomes below the poverty line.

4 For the purposes of this priority, “high-poverty school” means a school in which at least 50 percent of students are from low-income families as determined using one of the measures of poverty specified in section 1113(a)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). For middle and high schools, eligibility may be calculated on the basis of comparable data from feeder schools. Eligibility as a high-poverty school under this definition is determined on the basis of the most currently available data.

5 For the purposes of this priority, “school implementing a comprehensive support and improvement plan” means a school identified for comprehensive support and improvement by a State under section 1111(c)(4)(D) of the ESEA that includes (a) not less than the lowest performing 5 percent of all schools in the State receiving funds under title I, part A of the ESEA; (b) all public high schools in the State failing to graduate one third or more of their students; and (c) public schools in the State described in section 1111(d)(3)(A)(i)(II) of the ESEA.

6 For the purposes of this priority, “school implementing a targeted support and improvement plan” means a school identified for targeted support and improvement by a State that has developed and is implementing a school-level targeted support and improvement plan to improve student outcomes based on the indicators in the statewide accountability system as defined in section 1111(d)(2) of the ESEA.

B-12 identified for comprehensive support and improvement or implementing targeted support and improvement plans in the State;

(2) Include in Appendix B of the application--

(i) A table that includes the project’s required coursework that provides the title, description, and learning goals; and

(ii) Four exemplars of course syllabi in research methods, evaluation methods, or data analysis courses required by the degree program;

Note: Partnership projects should include two course syllabi from each participating IHE.

(3) Include in the application budget attendance by the project director at a 3-day project directors’ meeting in Washington, DC, during each year of the project. The budget may also provide for the attendance of scholars at the same 3-day project directors’ meetings in Washington, DC; and

(4) Provide an assurance that-–

(i) The project will meet the requirements in 34 CFR 304.23, particularly those related to

(A) informing all scholarship recipients of their service obligation commitment; and (B) disbursing scholarships. Failure by a grantee to properly meet these requirements is a violation of the grant award that may result in the grantee being liable for returning any misused funds to the Department;

(ii) The project will meet the statutory requirements in section 662(e) through (h) of

IDEA;

(iii) The project will be operated in a manner consistent with nondiscrimination requirements contained in the U.S. Constitution and Federal civil rights laws;

(iv) All the syllabi for the project’s required coursework will be provided if requested by

OSEP;

(v) At least 65 percent of the total award over the project period (i.e., up to 5 years) will be used for scholar support;

(vi) Scholar support provided by the project (e.g., tuition and fees; university student health insurance; an allowance for books, materials, and supplies; an allowance for miscellaneous personal expenses; an allowance for dependent care, such as childcare; and an

B-13 allowance for room and board) will not be conditioned on the scholar working for the grantee (e.g., personnel at the IHE);

(vii) The project director, key personnel, and scholars will actively participate in the cross-project collaboration, advanced trainings, and cross-site learning opportunities (e.g., webinars, briefings) supported by OSEP. This network is intended to promote opportunities for participants to share resources and generate new knowledge by addressing topics of common interest to participants across projects including Department priorities and needs in the field;

(viii) The project website, if applicable, will be of high quality, with an easy-to-navigate design that meets government or industry-recognized standards for accessibility;

(ix) Scholar accomplishments (e.g., public service, awards, publications) will be reported in annual and final performance reports; and

(x) Annual data will be submitted on each scholar who receives grant support (OMB

Control Number 1820-0686). The primary purposes of the data collection are to track the service obligation fulfillment of scholars who receive funds from OSEP grants and to collect data for program performance measure reporting under 34 CFR 75.110. Data collection includes the submission of a signed, completed pre-scholarship agreement and exit certification for each scholar funded under an OSEP grant (see paragraph (f)(4)(i) of this priority). Applicants are encouraged to visit the Personnel Development Program Data Collection System (DCS) website at https://pdp.ed.gov/osep for further information about this data collection requirement.

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 award an additional 3 points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 1 and an additional 3 points to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2.

Applicants should indicate in the abstract if competitive preference priorities are addressed, and which competitive preference priorities are being addressed.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1--Applications from New Potential Grantees (0 or

3 points).

(a) Under this priority, an applicant must demonstrate that the applicant (i.e., the IHE) has not had an active discretionary grant under the program from which it seeks funds, including through membership in a group application submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127- 75.129, in the last 5 years before the deadline date for submission of applications under the 84.325D program.

B-14

(b) For the purposes of this priority, a grant or contract is active until the end of the grant’s or contract’s project or funding period, including any extensions of those periods that extend the grantee’s or contractor’s authority to obligate funds.

Competitive Preference Priority 2--Partnership Applications that Include Minority-Serving

Institutions (MSIs) (0 or 3 points).

(a) Under this priority, a partnership application that includes one or more IHEs that meet the definition of an MSI.7

(b) For purposes of this priority, the Department will use the FY 2022 Eligibility Matrix to determine MSI eligibility.

References:

Bellamy, G. T., Crockett, J. B, & Nordengren, C. (2014). Preparing school leaders for every student’s learning (Document No. LS-2). Collaboration for Effective Educator, Development, Accountability, and Reform Center. https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/LS-2_FINAL_09-18-14.pdf.

Bellamy, T., & Iwaszuk, W. (2017, October). Responding to the need for new local special education administrators: A case study. CEEDAR Center.

https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Case-Study-SPED-10-29- 17.pdf.

Boscardin, M. L., & Lashley, C. L. (2018). Expanding the leadership framework to support socially just special education policy, preparation, and standards. In J. B. Crockett, B. S.

Billingsley, & M. L. Boscardin (Eds.), The handbook of leadership and administration for special education. Routledge.

7 For purposes of this priority, “Minority-Serving Institution (MSI)” means an institution that is eligible to receive assistance under sections 316 through 320 of part A of title III, under part B of title III, or under title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. For purposes of this priority, the Department will use the FY 2022 Eligibility Matrix to determine MSI eligibility (see www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html).

https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/LS-2_FINAL_09-18-14.pdf https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/LS-2_FINAL_09-18-14.pdf https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Case-Study-SPED-10-29-17.pdf https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Case-Study-SPED-10-29-17.pdf

B-15

Bruns, D. A., LaRocco, D. J., Sharp, O. L., & Sopko, K. M. (2017). Leadership competencies in

U.S. early intervention/early childhood special education service systems: A national survey. Infants and Young Children, 30(4), 304-319.

Carver-Thomas, D. (2018). Diversifying the teaching profession: How to recruit and retain teachers of color. Learning Policy Institute.

https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/diversifying-teaching-profession-report.

Castillo, J. M., Curtis, M. J., & Tan, S. Y. (2014). Personnel needs in school psychology: A 10-year follow-up study on predicted personnel shortages. Psychology in the Schools, 51(8), 832-849.

Cullen-Lester, K. L., Maupin, C. K., & Carter, D. R. (2017). Incorporating social networks in leadership development: A conceptual model and evaluation of research and practice.

The Leadership Quarterly, 28(1), 130-152.

deBettencourt, L. U., Hoover, J. J., Rude, H. A., & Taylor, S. S. (2016). Preparing special education higher education faculty: The influence of contemporary education issues and policy recommendations. Teacher Education and Special Education, 39, 121-133.

Douglas, A. S. (2020). Engaging doctoral students in networking opportunities: A relational approach to doctoral study. Teaching in Higher Education.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1808611.

Hofstra, B., Kulkarni, V.V., Munoz-Najar Galvez, S., He, B., Jurafsky, D., & McFarland, D.A.

(2020). The Diversity-Innovation paradox in science. Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, 117, 9284–9291.

Hoppe, B., & Reinelt, C. (2010). Social network analysis and the evaluation of leadership networks. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(4), 600-619.

Maggin, D. M., Collins, T. A., Foster, J. A., Scott, M. N., Mossing, K. W., & Dorsey, C. M. (2021).

Faculty perspectives on the recruitment, retention, and preparation of special education https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/diversifying-teaching-profession-report https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1808611

B-16 doctoral students of color. Teacher Education and Special Education, 45(3), 227–245.

https://doi.org/10.1177/08884064211046230.

Montrosse, B. E., & Young, C. J. (2012). Market demand for special education faculty. Teacher

Education and Special Education, 35(2), 140-153.

National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI). (2018a). Leadership turnover: The impact on State special education systems. https://ncsi-library.wested.org/resources/250.

National Center for Systemic Improvement (NCSI). (2018b). Leadership turnover: The impact on State early intervention systems. https://ncsi-library.wested.org/resources/200.

Robb, S. M., Smith, D. D., & Montrosse, B. E. (2012). A context of the demand for special education faculty: A study of special education teacher preparation programs. Teacher

Education and Special Education, 35(2), 128-139.

Steiner, E. D., Greer, L., Berdie, L., Schwartz, H. L., Woo, A., Doan, S., Lawrence, R. A., Wolfe, R. L., & Gittens, A. D. (2022). Prioritizing strategies to racially diversify the K–12 teacher workforce: Findings from the state of the American teacher and state of the

American principal surveys. RAND Corporation.

www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-6.html.

Sverdlik, A., Hall, N. C., McAlpine, L., & Hubbard, K. (2018). The PhD experience: A review of the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and well-being.

International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 361-388.

Tucker, D. A, Compton, M. V., Allen, S. J., Mayo, R., Hooper, C., Ogletree, B., Flynn, P., Frazier, A., McMurry, S. (2020). Exploring barriers to doctoral education in communication sciences and disorders: Insights from practicing professionals. Perspectives of the

ASHA…