oppED-GRANTS-072418-001-cfda84.328-cid84-328R2018-1-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION & REHABILITATIVE SERVICES

OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20202

FISCAL YEAR 2018

APPLICATION FOR NEW GRANTS UNDER THE

INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA)

TRAINING AND INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

(CFDA 84.328)

APPLICATIONS FOR NEW AWARDS;

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR PARENT

CENTERS

(CFDA 84.328R)

DATED MATERIAL: OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE: AUGUST 23, 2018

FORM APPROVED —OMB NO. 1820-0028, EXP. DATE: 09/30/2019

http://www.ed.gov/

GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE CFDA 84.328R

CONTENTS

Applicant Letter ...................................................................................................................... A1

Notice Inviting Applications .................................................................................................. B1

Federal Register Notice ...................................................................................................... B2

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants ............................................. B42

Priority Description and Selection Criteria........................................................................... C1

Technical Assistance for Parent Centers, (CFDA 84.328R) ............................................... C2

Selection Criteria and Format for the Applications for New Awards— Technical

Assistance for Parent Centers, (CFDA 84.328R) Competition .......................................... C32

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

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

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)

Part II: Budget Information (Form 524)

Part III: Application Narrative

Part IV: Assurances and Certifications

Assurances—Non-Construction Programs

Certification Regarding Lobbying

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Part V: Additional Information

DUNS Number Instructions

Grant Application Receipt Acknowledgement

Grant and Contract Funding Information

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. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 45 hours and 40 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:

U.S. Department of Education

Washington, DC 20202-4651

If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to:

Office of Special Education Programs

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave. SW, PCP 5159

Washington, DC 20202-2600

APPLICANT LETTER

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 Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities (CFDA 84.328) program—Applications for New Awards;

Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities—Technical Assistance for

Parent Centers (CFDA No. 84.328R).

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-42, 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 .PDF files only in a read only, flattened format.

Please be aware that applications submitted to Grants.gov for the Department of Education will now be posted using Adobe forms. 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 D-1 of this application package, Application Transmittal Instructions and Requirements for

Intergovernmental Review. Additional instructions for sending applications electronically are provided on page G-4, Application Forms and Instructions for Grants.gov Applications.

file:///C:/Users/Debra.Sturdivant/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/8WBIWOAI/www.Grants.gov http://www.sam.gov/

• MAXIMUM AWARD AMOUNT.

The competitions included in this package have 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 competitions included in this package limit the Part III Application Narrative to a recommended number of double-spaced pages. This recommended page limitation 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-4 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/programs/oseppic/applicant.html.

• ABSOLUTE PRIORITY AND COMPETITIVE PREFERENCE PRIORITY.

This competition includes one absolute priority and two competitive preference priorities.

The Department will use peer reviewers to review and score applications on the selection criteria.

• Prior to the peer review, Department staff will determine if an application has met 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 either competitive https://www2.ed.gov/programs/oseppic/applicant.html preference priority, up to a total of five points for Focus Area 1 and ten points for Focus Area

2.

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

• RESPONSE TO GPRA.

As required by the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act (GPRA) of 2010 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.

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 http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/gcsindex.html http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/humansub.html https://www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel 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.

Directory

Research to Practice Division

Office of Special Education Programs 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; Training and Information for Parents of Children with

Disabilities Program—Technical Assistance for Parent Centers

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) 2018 for Training and Information for Parents of Children with

Disabilities Program—Technical Assistance for Parent Centers

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.328R.

Dates:

Applications Available: July 24, 2018.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: August 23, 2018.

Addresses:

For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common

Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2018 (83 FR 6003) and available at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf.

For Further Information Contact:

Carmen Sanchez

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Room 5175, Potomac Center Plaza

Washington, DC 20202-5076.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-02-12/pdf/2018-02558.pdf

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Telephone: (202) 245-6595.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the

Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program:

The purpose of this program is to ensure that parents of children with disabilities receive impartial training and information to help improve outcomes for their children.

Priority:

In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(v), this priority is from allowable activities specified in the statute (see sections 671, 672, 673, and 681(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act (IDEA); 20 U.S.C. 1471, 1472, 1473, and 1481(d)).

Absolute Priority:

For FY 2018 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is an absolute priority. Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet this priority.

This priority is:

Technical Assistance for Parent Centers

Background:

The mission of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is to improve early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes and raise expectations for all people with disabilities, their families, their communities, and the Nation. The work of the centers we are proposing to fund is generally consistent with the following priorities included in the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities, which were published in the Federal Register on March

2, 2018 (83 FR 9096): Priority 1--Empowering Families and Individuals to Choose a High-

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Quality Education That Meets Their Unique Needs; Priority 5--Meeting the Unique Needs of

Students and Children With Disabilities and/or Those With Unique Gifts and Talents; and Priority

9--Promoting Economic Opportunity. The purpose of this priority is to fund five cooperative agreements to establish and operate five technical assistance centers for parent centers across two focus areas. A center for parent information and resources (CPIR) will focus on developing products for parent centers (Focus Area 1). Four regional parent training and technical assistance centers (regional PTACs) will focus on providing capacity-building technical assistance (TA) to the parent centers in their regions (Focus Area 2). Section 673 of IDEA authorizes TA for developing, assisting, and coordinating parent training and information programs carried out by parent training and information centers (PTIs) that receive assistance under section 671 of IDEA and community parent resource centers (CPRCs) that receive assistance under section 672 of IDEA (collectively, “parent centers”).

The 93 parent centers (www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/) currently funded by the

Department promote the effective education of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities by “strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home” (section 601(c)(5)(B) of IDEA). For the past 30 years, parent centers, consistent with section 671(b) of IDEA, have helped parents navigate systems providing early intervention, special education and related services, general education, and postsecondary options; understand the nature of their children’s disabilities; learn about their rights and responsibilities under IDEA; expand their knowledge of practices based on evidence to help their children succeed; strengthen their collaboration with professionals; locate resources for themselves and their children; and advocate for improved child outcomes and student achievement, increased graduation rates, and improved postsecondary outcomes for all children through participation in program and school reform activities. In addition, parent centers have helped youth with disabilities understand their rights and responsibilities and learn self-advocacy skills.

PTACs provide support to parent centers to carry out these statutorily required activities and thereby help parents participate in the education of their children to improve their children’s outcomes. In addition, section 673(b) of IDEA lists areas in which parent centers may also need

TA from PTACs: (1) coordinating parent training efforts; (2) disseminating scientifically based research and information; (3) promoting the use of technology, including assistive technology devices and services; (4) reaching underserved populations, including parents of low-income

B-5 and limited English proficient children with disabilities; (5) including children with disabilities in general education programs; (6) facilitating all transitions from early intervention through postsecondary environments; and (7) promoting alternative methods of dispute resolution, including mediation.

PTACs provide needed support to parent centers on other topics as well, including current information on laws and policies; evidence-based (as defined in this notice) practices (EBPs) that impact children with disabilities and their families; how to help parents learn about and access high-quality education options that meet their children’s unique needs; and ways to effectively engage in school reform activities, including Federal, State, and local initiatives.

Ongoing TA, responsive to the individual needs of parent centers, can increase parent center staff knowledge and expertise on these topics. In addition, since many parent centers are grassroots organizations with small budgets, they often benefit from TA on managing a Federal grant, maximizing efficiencies, meeting complex statutory and regulatory requirements for nonprofits, and providing professional development to staff.

Parent centers also need support to increase their capacity to reach and provide services to youth with disabilities and to all parents of children with disabilities, particularly parents of infants, toddlers, preschool children and transition-age youth; and underserved parents with additional needs or unique circumstances, including low income-parents, parents with limited

English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents.

In order to ensure that parent centers receive the TA they need to increase their knowledge and capacity to provide services to parents and youth effectively and efficiently, the Department plans to fund five technical assistance centers for parent centers. The Department will fund a

CPIR that will, in coordination with the regional PTACs, develop and disseminate resources for all parent centers to use when working with parents of children with disabilities and youth with disabilities. CPIR will also develop and disseminate materials that all parent centers can use to train staff to effectively reach and serve all parents and youth. The Department will also fund four regional PTACs that will provide TA to parent centers to effectively manage their centers and reach and serve all parents and youth within their region. The CPIR and regional PTACs will coordinate their efforts in order to maximize resources and avoid duplication. The following

B-6 website provides more information on the current parent centers, including links to each grantee’s website: www.parentcenterhub.org.

Priority:

Under this priority, we will fund five cooperative agreements to establish and operate one CPIR and four regional PTACs across two focus areas. An applicant may submit separate applications in more than one focus area; however, an applicant is limited to only one application in each focus area.

Focus Area 1:

Under Focus Area 1, the Department intends to fund one CPIR to achieve at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:

(a) Increased parent centers’ knowledge, through the development and dissemination of high-quality, accurate, and impartial information and products, of:

(1) Early intervention and educational EBPs, and current Federal and State laws and policies, that impact children with disabilities and their families;

(2) The range of educational options that may be available in States to families of children with disabilities;

(3) Effective practices in carrying out parent center activities including outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building;

(4) Effective and appropriate practices in outreach and service provision to underserved parents, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents; and

(5) Effective nonprofit management practices;

(b) Increased parent centers’ use of, high-quality, accurate, and impartial materials and approaches to train:

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(1) Staff in reaching all parents and youth, including underserved parents of children with disabilities, which includes parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents; and

(2) Multilingual staff in their native languages and assure the accuracy of the information the staff provide in languages other than English.

In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered for funding under Focus Area

1 of this priority, applicants must meet the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which are:

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance,” how the proposed project will--

(1) Address parent centers’ needs both for resources to effectively reach and serve all parents of children with disabilities and youth with disabilities, including underserved parents, which includes parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents, and for materials to train staff to effectively reach and serve all parents and youth. To meet this requirement, the applicant must--

(i) Present applicable information on the needs of parent centers nationally; and

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of--

(A) Current educational issues and policy initiatives relating to early childhood (ages birth through five), general and special education, secondary transition services, and postsecondary options; and

(B) Best practices in:

(1) Outreach; family-centered services; and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, B-8 parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents;

(2) Staff training, including multilingual staff; and

(3) Nonprofit management; and

(2) Increase the knowledge of parent centers on how to reach and provide services to all parents and youth, train staff using high-quality, accurate, and impartial training materials, and manage their projects; and indicate the likely magnitude or importance of the improvements.

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

(1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe how it will--

(i) Identify the informational and TA needs of the parent centers.

Note: The methods and tools to identify needs will be finalized in consultation with the regional

PTACs and the OSEP project officer in order to assure coordination and avoid duplication; and

(ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the parent centers;

(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet this requirement, the applicant must provide--

(i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and

(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model (as defined in this notice) by which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes that depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes of the proposed project;

(3) Use a conceptual framework (and provide a copy in Appendix A) to develop project plans and activities, describing any underlying concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or

B-9 theories, as well as the presumed relationships or linkages among these variables, and any empirical support for this framework;

Note: The following websites provide more information on logic models and conceptual frameworks: www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel and www.osepideasthatwork.org/resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tad-project-logic-model-and-conceptual-framework.

(4) Be based on current research and make use of EBPs. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe--

(i) The current research on outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents; staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;

(ii) The current research about adult learning principles and implementation science that will inform the proposed TA; and

(iii) How the proposed project will incorporate current research and EBPs in the development and delivery of its products and services;

(5) Develop products and provide services that are of high quality and sufficient intensity and duration to achieve the intended outcomes of the proposed project. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe--

(i) How it proposes to identify how knowledgeable the parent centers are of: outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents; staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;

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(ii) Its proposed approach to universal, general TA,1 which must identify the intended recipients within the parent centers, including the type and number of recipients, that will receive the products and services under this approach, and should, at minimum, include how the project will--

(A) Create, update, and maintain an online, annotated repository of high-quality, accurate, and impartial resources,2 including translations of materials as needed, produced by the CPIR, the previously funded Military and Native American PTACs, parent centers, OSEP-funded projects, and other federally funded projects for parent centers’ use with families, youth, staff members, and members of the boards of directors;

(B) Develop up-to-date, family-centered resources as needed that parent centers can use with parents in a variety of languages, formats, and reading levels; disseminate and modify, as needed, family–centered resources developed by OSEP and other federally funded centers to provide families with strategies to enhance their children’s literacy, numeracy, and scientific reasoning at home; and revise materials developed by the previously funded

Military PTAC and the Native American PTAC as necessary;

(C) Compile and create materials to train staff, including multilingual staff, to provide effective, appropriate, and impartial outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents;

“Universal, general TA” means TA and information provided to independent users through their own initiative, resulting in minimal interaction with TA center staff and including one-time, invited or offered conference presentations by TA center staff. This category of TA also includes information or products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded from the TA center's website by independent users. Brief communications by TA center staff with recipients, either by telephone or email, are also considered universal, general TA.

Resources shall include information on Federal and State laws and policies, including comprehensive and impartial information on the range of education options that may be available in States, including district public schools, charter schools, virtual education, voucher programs, education scholarship account (ESA) programs, tax-credit scholarship programs, tax deductions and credits, course choice programs, and any other relevant education options that impact children with disabilities and their families.

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(D) Compile and create materials on nonprofit management, as necessary, and develop a process for an annual orientation of new parent center directors and other key personnel and members of the boards of directors that provides the new personnel with the information and resources they need to carry out their responsibilities; and

(6) Develop products and implement services that maximize efficiency. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe--

(i) How the proposed project will use technology to achieve the intended project outcomes;

(ii) With whom the proposed project will collaborate and the intended outcomes of this collaboration;

(iii) How the proposed project will use existing knowledge and expertise within parent centers to achieve intended project outcomes; and

(v) How the proposed project will use non-project resources to achieve the intended project outcomes; and

(7) Assist parent centers in the collection of annual performance data required under section

671(b)(12) of IDEA, in consultation with the OSEP project officer.

(c) In the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the project evaluation,” include an evaluation plan for the project as described in the following paragraphs. The evaluation plan must describe: measures for evaluating the quality, accuracy, and impartiality of project services and products; measures of progress in implementation, including the criteria for determining the extent to which the project’s products and services have met the goals for reaching its target population; measures of intended outcomes or results of the project’s activities in order to evaluate those activities; and how well the goals or objectives of the proposed project, as described in its logic model, have been met.

The applicant must provide an assurance that, in designing the evaluation plan, it will--

(1) Designate, with the approval of the OSEP project officer, a project liaison staff person with sufficient dedicated time, experience in evaluation, and knowledge of the project to work in

B-12 collaboration with the TA Center to Improve Program and Project Performance (CIP3),3 the project director, and the OSEP project officer on the following tasks:

(i) Revise, as needed, the logic model submitted in the grant application to provide for a more comprehensive measurement of implementation and outcomes and to reflect any changes or clarifications to the model discussed at the kick-off meeting;

(ii) Refine the evaluation design and instrumentation proposed in the grant application consistent with the logic model (e.g., prepare evaluation questions about significant program processes and outcomes; develop quantitative or qualitative data collections that permit both the collection of progress data, including fidelity of implementation, as appropriate, and the assessment of project outcomes; and identify analytic strategies); and

(iii) Revise, as needed, the evaluation plan submitted in the grant application such that it clearly--

(A) Specifies the measures and associated instruments or sources for data appropriate to the evaluation questions, suggests analytic strategies for those data, provides a timeline for conducting the evaluation, and includes staff assignments for completion of the plan;

(B) Delineates the data expected to be available by the end of the second project year for use during the project’s evaluation (3+2 review) for continued funding described under the heading Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project; and

(C) Can be used to assist the project director and the OSEP project officer, with the assistance of CIP3, as needed, to specify the performance measures to be addressed in the project’s

Annual Performance Report;

(2) Cooperate with CIP3 staff in order to accomplish the tasks described in paragraph (1) of this section; and

The major tasks of CIP3 are to guide, coordinate, and oversee the design of formative evaluations for every large discretionary investment (i.e., those awarded $500,000 or more per year and required to participate in the 3+2 process) in OSEP’s Technical Assistance and Dissemination; Personnel Development; Parent Training and Information Centers; and Educational Technology, Media, and Materials programs. The efforts of CIP3 are expected to enhance individual project evaluation plans by providing expert and unbiased TA in designing the evaluations with due consideration of the project’s budget. CIP3 does not function as a third-party evaluator.

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(3) Dedicate sufficient funds in each budget year to cover the costs of carrying out the tasks described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this section and implementing the evaluation plan.

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

(1) The proposed project will encourage applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability, as appropriate;

(2) The proposed key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors have the qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed activities and achieve the project’s intended outcomes;

(3) The applicant and any key partners have adequate resources to carry out the proposed activities; and

(4) The proposed costs are reasonable in relation to the anticipated results and benefits.

(e) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the management plan,” how--

(1) The proposed management plan will ensure that the project’s intended outcomes will be achieved on time and within budget. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe--

(i) Clearly defined responsibilities for key project personnel, consultants, and subcontractors, as applicable; and

(ii) Timelines and milestones for accomplishing the project tasks;

(2) Key project personnel and any consultants and subcontractors will be allocated and how these allocations are appropriate and adequate to achieve the project’s intended outcomes;

(3) The proposed management plan will ensure that the products and services provided are of high quality, impartial, relevant, and useful to recipients; and

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(4) The proposed project will benefit from a diversity of perspectives, including those of families using a variety of education options, youth, educators, TA providers, researchers, and policy makers, among others, in its development and operation.

(f) Address the following application requirements. The applicant must--

(1) Include, in Appendix A, personnel-loading charts and timelines, as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the narrative;

(2) Include, in the budget, attendance at the following:

(i) A one and one-half day kick-off meeting in Washington, DC, after receipt of the award, and an annual planning meeting in Washington, DC, with the OSEP project officer and other relevant staff during each subsequent year of the project period;

Note: Within 30 days of receipt of the award, a post-award teleconference must be held between the OSEP project officer and the grantee’s project director or other authorized representative;

(ii) A two and one-half day project directors’ conference in Washington, DC, during each year of the project period;

(iii) Two annual two-day trips to attend Department briefings, Department-sponsored conferences, and other meetings, as requested by OSEP; and

(iv) A one-day intensive 3+2 review meeting in Washington, DC, during the last half of the second year of the project period;

(3) Include, in the budget, a line item for an annual set-aside of five percent of the grant amount to support emerging needs that are consistent with the proposed project’s intended outcomes, as those needs are identified in consultation with, and approved by, the OSEP project officer. With approval from the OSEP project officer, the project must reallocate any remaining funds from this annual set-aside no later than the end of the third quarter of each budget period;

(4) Ensure that the budget allocates at least $200,000 annually to carry out the project services described in paragraphs (b)(5)(ii)(A) through (C) of this focus area;

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(5) Maintain a high-quality website, with an easy-to-navigate design, including the repository described in paragraph (b)(5)(ii)(A) of this focus area, that meets government or industry-recognized standards for accessibility; and

(6) Include, in Appendix A, an assurance to assist OSEP with the transfer of pertinent resources and products and to maintain the continuity of services to parent centers during the transition to this new award period, as appropriate.

Fourth and Fifth Years of the Project:

In deciding whether to continue funding the project for the fourth and fifth years, the Secretary will consider the requirements of 34 CFR 75.253(a), as well as--

(a) The recommendation of a 3+2 review team consisting of experts selected by the Secretary.

This review will be conducted during a one-day intensive meeting that will be held during the last half of the second year of the project period;

(b) The timeliness with which, and how well, the requirements of the negotiated cooperative agreement have been or are being met by the project; and

(c) The quality, relevance, and usefulness of the project’s products and services and the extent to which the project’s products and services are aligned with the project’s objectives and likely to result in the project achieving its intended outcomes.

Focus Area 2:

Under Focus Area 2, the Department intends to fund four regional PTACs to meet the unique needs of parent centers in their region and to achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:

(a) Increased parent center capacity to accurately and impartially train parents on, and inform them about:

(1) Early intervention and educational EBPs;

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(2) Their rights and responsibilities under Federal, State, and local laws and policies that impact children with disabilities and their families; and

(3) The range of education options that may be available to families of children with disabilities in the area served by the parent center.

(b) Increased parent center capacity to reach more parents and youth; and effectively provide parent center services to help more parents improve outcomes for their children, and youth build their self-advocacy skills;

(c) Increased parent center capacity to provide effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities including parents with limited

English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents; and

(d) Increased parent center capacity to effectively manage their projects and provide high-quality training to staff, including multilingual staff, to reach and serve all parents and youth in their region.

The geographic regions served by the four regional PTACs are generally aligned with the States served by the Equity Assistance Centers funded under Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, while also balancing the number of centers each regional PTAC will have in their region. This alignment will help the regional PTACs meet the requirement in section 673(c) of IDEA that the regional PTACs develop collaborative agreements with the geographically appropriate centers.

The four regional PTACs will be awarded to represent the following geographic regions:

Region A PTAC: CT, DC, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, PA, Puerto Rico, RI, U.S. Virgin

Islands, VT.

Region B PTAC: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA.

Region C PTAC: IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI, WV, WY.

Region D PTAC: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, and the outlying areas of the

Pacific Basin, and the Freely Associated States.

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In addition to these programmatic requirements, to be considered for funding under Focus Area

2 of this priority, applicants must meet the application and administrative requirements in this priority, which are:

(a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance,” how the proposed project will--

(1) Address the needs of parent centers in its region for TA to increase their capacity to reach and provide services to parents and youth in their areas, including underserved parents of children with disabilities, which includes parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native

American parents; build youth’s self-advocacy skills; train staff; and effectively manage their centers. To meet this requirement the applicant must--

(i) Present applicable information on the needs of parent centers in the region; and

(ii) Demonstrate knowledge of--

(A) Current early intervention and educational issues and policy initiatives relating to early childhood, general and special education, secondary transition services, and postsecondary options; and

(B) Best practices in:

(1) Outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents;

(2) Staff training, including multilingual staff; and

(3) Nonprofit management; and

(2) Increase the capacity of parent centers to reach and provide services to all parents and youth, train staff, and manage their projects; and indicate the likely magnitude or importance of the improvements.

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

(1) Ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe how it will--

(i) Identify the needs of the parent centers in the proposed region for TA and information.

Note: The methods and tools to identify needs will be finalized in consultation with the CPIR, other regional PTACs, and the OSEP project officer in order to assure coordination and avoid duplication; and

(ii) Ensure that services and products meet the needs of the parent centers;

(2) Achieve its goals, objectives, and intended outcomes. To meet this requirement, the applicant must provide--

(i) Measurable intended project outcomes; and

(ii) In Appendix A, the logic model (as defined in this notice) by which the proposed project will achieve its intended outcomes that depicts, at a minimum, the goals, activities, outputs, and intended outcomes of the proposed project;

(3) Use a conceptual framework (and provide a copy in Appendix A) to develop project plans and activities, describing any underlying concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, or theories, as well as the presumed relationships or linkages among these variables, and any empirical support for this framework;

Note: The following websites provide more information on logic models and conceptual frameworks: www.osepideasthatwork.org/logicModel and www.osepideasthatwork.org/resources-grantees/program-areas/ta-ta/tad-project-logic-model-and-conceptual-framework.

(4) Be based on current research and make use of EBPs. To meet this requirement, the applicant must describe--

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(i) The current research on: outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved parents of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and

Native American parents; staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;

(ii) The current research about adult learning principles and implementation science that will inform the proposed TA; and

(iii) How the proposed project will incorporate current research and EBPs in the development and delivery of its products and services;

(5) Develop products and provide services that are of high quality and sufficient intensity and duration to achieve the intended outcomes of the proposed project. To address this requirement, the applicant must describe--

(i) How it proposes to work with the CPIR to identify the knowledge base for parent centers’:

outreach, family-centered services, and self-advocacy skill building, including effective and appropriate outreach and service provision to underserved families of children with disabilities, including parents with limited English proficiency, parents with low literacy levels, parents who themselves experience disability, parents of youth involved in the juvenile justice system, foster parents, military-connected parents, and Native American parents;

staff training, including multilingual staff; and nonprofit management;

(ii) Its proposed approach to targeted, specialized TA,4 which must identify the intended recipients within the parent centers, including the type and number of recipients, that will receive the products and services under this approach, and how the project will--

“Targeted, specialized TA” means TA services based on needs common to multiple recipients and not extensively individualized. A relationship is established between the TA recipient and one or more TA center staff. This category of TA includes one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating strategic planning or hosting regional or national conferences.