FR Doc E8-1528
[Federal Register: January 29, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 19)]
[Notices]
[Page 5179-5182]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29ja08-45]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Rehabilitation Training--Rehabilitation Continuing Education
Program
AGENCY: Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services proposes a priority under the Rehabilitation
Continuing Education Program (RCEP) to fund regional Technical
Assistance and Continuing Education (TACE) centers. The Assistant
Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY)
2008 and later years. We take this action to improve the quantity and
quality of employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities
through enhanced technical assistance and continuing education for
State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies and agency partners that
cooperate with State VR agencies in providing VR and other
rehabilitation services (e.g., Centers for Independent Living, Client
Assistance Programs, and Community Rehabilitation Programs).
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before February 28, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments about this proposed priority to
Christine Marschall, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave.,
SW., room 5053, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. If you
prefer to send your comments through
[[Page 5180]]
the Internet, use the following address: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov.
You must include the term ``TACE Priority'' in the subject line of
your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Marschall. Telephone: (202)
245-7429 or via Internet: Christine.Marschall@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
We invite you to submit comments regarding this proposed priority.
We invite you to assist us in complying with the specific
requirements of Executive Order 12866 and its overall requirement of
reducing regulatory burden that might result from this proposed
priority. Please let us know of any further opportunities we should
take to reduce potential costs or increase potential benefits while
preserving the effective and efficient administration of the program.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about this proposed priority in room 5053, Potomac Center
Plaza, 550 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours of 8:30
a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week
except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this proposed priority. If you want to schedule
an appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background
The RCEP has traditionally provided continuing education to
employees of State VR agencies and agency partners that cooperate with
State VR agencies in providing VR and other rehabilitation services.
Through the RCEP the Department currently supports 11 regional programs
that focus on training employees and professionals of State VR
agencies, Centers for Independent Living (CILs), and Client Assistance
Programs (CAPs) and 10 regional programs that focus on training
professionals of Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs).
Over the past two years, the Department's Rehabilitation Services
Administration (RSA) has enhanced its program monitoring of State VR
agencies to not only evaluate program compliance, but also to assist
State VR agencies improve the quantity and quality of employment
outcomes for individuals with disabilities. One result of RSA's
enhanced monitoring has been the ability to identify the needs of State
VR agencies for technical assistance and continuing education in such
areas as improving quality assurance, using program data for program
improvement, and managing personnel effectively.
On March 6, 2007, the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services solicited public comments and recommendations
regarding the RSA Rehabilitation Training program through a notice
published in the Federal Register (72 FR 9942). The public comments and
recommendations received in response to this notice generally support
the role of the RCEP in providing technical assistance and continuing
education. Many of the comments and recommendations also support
maintaining the regional model of service provision for the program
because it enables each regional RCEP center to be knowledgeable about
the unique demographic, economic, and service needs of the State VR
agencies in its region, and to tailor its continuing education and
technical assistance activities to meet those needs.
Additionally, needs assessments conducted by the Department's
current RCEP grantees indicate that technical assistance and continuing
education for both the State VR agency and the agency partners are
needed to improve employment outcomes for individuals with
disabilities.
To address the need for technical assistance and continuing
education, RSA seeks to revise the structure of the RCEP. Rather than
supporting two types of Regional Centers as has been done under the
current RCEP model--those serving State VR agencies, CILS, and CAPs and
those serving CRPs--RSA seeks to fund 10 regional Technical Assistance
and Continuing Education (TACE) centers to provide technical assistance
and continuing education for both employees of State VR agencies and
all agency partners (e.g., CILs, CAPs and CRPs). The integration of
these activities in each regional center would help ensure that State
VR agencies and all agency partners are provided with consistent
information and strategies that can be implemented by State VR agencies
and all agency partners to improve VR service delivery and the quality
and quantity of employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
In addition, the integration of the two types of RCEPs would result in
greater administrative efficiency because the RCEPs that served the
State VR agencies, CILs and CAPs and the RCEPs that served the CRPs
frequently developed materials and provided training on similar topics.
The reduction of overhead costs resulting from combining the two types
of RCEPs would enable more RSA funds to be devoted to providing
technical assistance and continuing education.
We will announce the final priority in a notice in the Federal
Register. We will determine the final priority after considering
responses to this notice and other information available to the
Department. This notice does not preclude us from proposing or funding
additional priorities, subject to meeting applicable rulemaking
requirements.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use this proposed priority, we invite
applications through a notice in the Federal Register. When inviting
applications we designate the priority as absolute, competitive
preference, or invitational. The effect of each type of priority
follows:
Absolute priority: Under an absolute priority we consider only
applications that meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority: Under a competitive preference
priority we give competitive preference to an application by either
(1) awarding additional points, depending on how well or the extent
to which the application meets the competitive priority (34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting an application that meets the
competitive priority over an application of comparable merit that
does not meet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority: Under an invitational priority we are
particularly interested in applications that meet the invitational
priority. However, we do not give an application that meets the
invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over
other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priority: Proposed Priority--Regional Technical Assistance and
Continuing Education (TACE) Centers.
The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services proposes a priority to establish 10 regional TACE centers to
provide (1) technical assistance to State VR agencies and agency
partners that cooperate with State VR agencies in providing VR and
[[Page 5181]]
other rehabilitation services to improve services required under the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and (2) continuing education to
employees of State VR agencies and agency partners.
Under this priority, the TACE centers must contribute to the
following outcomes: Improved quality of VR services, increased
effectiveness and efficiency of State VR agencies in delivering VR
services, and improved quantity and quality of VR employment outcomes
for individuals with disabilities. The TACE centers must contribute to
these outcomes by providing technical assistance and continuing
education, either directly or through contract, to employees of State
VR agencies and agency partners on topics that are identified jointly
by RSA and each center's advisory committee and included in the
center's work plan.
Under this priority, applicants must demonstrate their ability to
respond rapidly to a broad range of technical assistance and continuing
education needs. Applicants must provide evidence in their applications
that they have expertise, or access to subject-matter experts with
experience, in conducting technical assistance and continuing education
in such areas of need as the improvement of VR agencies' service
delivery; practices and interventions related to specific VR
populations; quality assurance; case management at the administrative
and counselor level; the use of assistive technology to achieve
employment goals; personnel management (e.g., staff retention
strategies); fiscal management; data management; communication skills
development; development of individualized plans for employment;
development of VR State plans; and strategic planning.
Under this priority, each TACE center must--
1. Establish, in consultation with RSA, an annual work plan
describing activities that the center will conduct to assist State VR
agencies to accomplish the goals identified in their VR State plans and
to achieve other performance and compliance goals identified by RSA's
monitoring reports. The work plan must identify the nature and scope,
including delivery means and methods, of the technical assistance and
continuing education to be provided by the center;
2. Conduct an annual needs assessment to identify technical
assistance and continuing education needs of State VR agencies and
agency partners in its region, as applicable. Each center must base its
annual needs assessment on a thorough review of VR State plans, on-site
monitoring reports and annual review reports issued by RSA, other
performance and compliance information available from RSA and State VR
agencies, and other data, as appropriate;
3. Establish a center advisory committee to provide input on the
annual needs assessments conducted by the center in accordance with
paragraph (2) of this priority. In addition to the requirements in 34
CFR 385.40 for mandatory members of the center advisory committee, the
committee must include representatives from Independent Living Training
and Technical Assistance grantees and RSA representatives as ex-officio
members.
Note: Members of minority groups are listed in 34 CFR 385.40 as
one of the categories of mandatory participants on rehabilitation
training advisory committees. However, the Department intends to
publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 34 CFR
385.40, which would remove the requirement that an applicant include
members of minority groups on all project advisory committees. The
NPRM would add a requirement that an applicant include individuals
who are knowledgeable about the special needs of individuals with
disabilities from diverse groups, including minority groups. The
purpose of this change would be to more clearly reflect the intent
of the Department that project advisory committees include
individuals who are familiar with the needs of individuals with
disabilities from diverse groups, rather than individuals who are
just members of such groups.
4. Participate as an observer in RSA's triennial monitoring of
State VR agencies in its region by attending, at a minimum, each State
VR agency's monitoring exit conference in order to gain a thorough
understanding of each State VR agency's technical assistance and
continuing education needs;
5. Collaborate with other TACE centers to provide technical
assistance and continuing education as efficiently as possible to
employees of State VR agencies and agency partners that have similar
needs;
6. Coordinate services with other entities that provide technical
assistance to State VR agencies and agency partners, including, but not
limited to, Independent Living Training and Technical Assistance
grantees and Assistive Technology projects funded under the
Department's Assistive Technology program; and
7. Evaluate how well each technical assistance and continuing
education activity provided by the center meets a targeted area of need
(e.g., the improvement of VR agencies' service delivery; practices and
interventions related to specific VR populations; quality assurance),
based on goals and objectives established for the activity in the
center's work plan. Each center must provide data on each training and
technical assistance activity it conducts, including the topic of the
activity, the number and types of personnel and agencies participating
in the activity, participant evaluations of the effectiveness of the
activity, and any other data required by the Department. Each center
must include the results of its evaluation in its annual performance
report. RSA will convene an independent review panel to evaluate the
work of the centers. The independent review panel will use the
following performance measures: (a) The percentage of technical
assistance and continuing education services provided by the center
that are deemed to be of high quality; (b) the percentage of technical
assistance and continuing education services provided by the center
that are deemed to be of high relevance to State VR policies or
practices; and (c) the percentage of technical assistance and
continuing education services provided by the center that are deemed to
be useful in improving State VR agency policies or practices.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of proposed priority (NPP) has been reviewed in
accordance with Executive Order 12866. Under the terms of the order, we
have assessed the potential costs and benefits of this regulatory
action.
The potential costs associated with the NPP are those resulting
from statutory requirements and those we have determined as necessary
for administering this program effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this NPP, we have determined that the benefits of
the proposed priority justify the costs.
We have also determined that this regulatory action does not unduly
interfere with State, local, and tribal governments in the exercise of
their governmental functions.
Summary of potential costs and benefits: Potential costs of the
proposed priority include costs of establishing and administrating the
program, conducting the annual needs assessments, providing technical
assistance and continuing education, conducting the annual evaluation,
and preparing and filing required reports. The benefits of the program
are improved VR employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities
as a result of technical assistance and continuing education activities
and decreased
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administrative costs because the technical assistance and continuing
education activities in each region are provided by one center rather
than two centers.
Intergovernmental Review
This program is subject to Executive Order 12372 and the
regulations in 34 CFR part 79. One of the objectives of the Executive
order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a strengthened
federalism. The Executive order relies on processes developed by State
and local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal
financial assistance.
This document provides early notification of our specific plans and
actions for this program. Applicable Program Regulations: 34 CFR parts
385 and 389.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/index.html.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.264A
Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program).
Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 772.
Dated: January 24, 2008.
Tracy R. Justesen,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. E8-1528 Filed 1-28-08; 8:45 am]
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