Department of Education; Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services;Notice of Final Extension of Project Period and Waiver for the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (CFDA No. 84.326J) [OSERS]

FR Doc 2010-22903
[Federal Register: September 14, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 177)]
[Notices]               
[Page 55786-55787]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14se10-59]                                      
                                    

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Office of Special Education Programs, Office of Special Education 
and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education; Notice of Final 
Extension of Project Period and Waiver for the National Secondary 
Transition Technical Assistance Center (CFDA No. 84.326J)

SUMMARY: The Secretary issues this notice to waive the requirements in 
the Education Department General Administrative Regulations, in 34 CFR 
75.250 and 75.261(a) and (c), respectively, that generally prohibit 
project periods exceeding five years and extensions of project periods 
involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The extension of 
project period and waiver enable the currently funded National 
Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center to receive funding 
from December 31, 2010 through December 31, 2011.

DATES: The extension of project period and waiver are effective October 
14, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Slade, U.S. Department of 
Education, 550 12th St., SW., room 4083, Potomac Center Plaza, 
Washington, DC 20202-2641. Telephone: (202) 245-7527.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll-free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department published a notice in the 
Federal Register (75 FR 44233) on July 28, 2010, proposing an extension 
of

[[Page 55787]]

project period and a waiver in order to--
    (1) Enable the Secretary to provide additional funds to the 
currently funded National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance 
Center for an additional 12-month period, from December 31, 2010 
through December 31, 2011; and
    (2) Request comments on the proposed extension of project period 
and waiver.
    There are no substantive differences between the notice of proposed 
extension of project period and waiver and this notice of final 
extension of project period and waiver.

Public Comment

    We invited comments on the proposed extension of project period and 
waiver in the notice of proposed extension of project period and 
waiver. Five parties submitted comments in agreement with the proposal 
to extend the grant period of the current grantee. We did not receive 
any comments opposing the proposed extension of project period and 
waiver. Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes, 
as well as suggested changes the law does not authorize us to make. 
Moreover, we do not address comments that do not express views on the 
substance of the notice of proposed extension of project period and 
waiver.

Background

    On March 8, 2005, the Department published a notice in the Federal 
Register (70 FR 11214), inviting applications for new awards for fiscal 
year (FY) 2005 under the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to 
Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities (TA&D) 
program, authorized under section 663 of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), to support a Secondary Transition 
Technical Assistance Center. Based on that notice, the Department made 
one award for a period of 60 months to the University of North Carolina 
at Charlotte to carry out the National Secondary Transition Technical 
Assistance Center (NSTTAC).
    Currently, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funds 
NSTTAC to support the improvement of transition planning, services, and 
outcomes for youth with disabilities by disseminating information and 
providing technical assistance (TA) on evidence-based practices with an 
emphasis on building and sustaining State-level infrastructures of 
support and building district-level demonstrations of effective 
transition methods. NSTTAC has demonstrated significant progress in 
disseminating information on evidence-based practices and providing TA 
to States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to advance 
implementation of effective transition planning and services.
    NSTTAC's current project period is scheduled to end on December 31, 
2010. We do not believe it would be in the public interest to hold new 
competitions under the TA&D program until the Department has considered 
changes being made to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965, as amended (ESEA), during the process of reauthorizing that law 
and the Department has developed a coordinated strategy for the 
provision of technical assistance that is designed to help States, 
LEAs, and schools effectively implement key provisions of the ESEA and 
IDEA and improve educational results for all students. We also have 
concluded that it would be contrary to the public interest to have a 
lapse in the provision of technical assistance provided under the TA&D 
program pending the reauthorization of the ESEA. For these reasons, the 
Secretary waives the requirements in 34 CFR 75.250, which prohibit 
project periods exceeding five years, and the requirements in 34 CFR 
75.261(a) and (c), which limit the extension of a project period if the 
extension involves the obligation of additional Federal funds, and 
issues a continuation award in the amount of $1,100,000 to the 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (H326J050004) for an 
additional twelve-month period.
    Waiving these regulations and issuing this continuation award 
ensure that continued technical assistance is available to assist 
States and LEAs with effective transition planning and services, as the 
Department works on reauthorization of the ESEA and designs TA&D 
competitions that are coordinated and aligned with the Department's 
technical assistance priorities.
    During the next fiscal year, NSTTAC will continue, update, and 
expand its work to (1) Identify evidence-based practices that provide a 
foundation for States to improve transition planning and services that 
enhance post-school outcomes; (2) disseminate information to State 
personnel, practitioners, researchers, parents, and students regarding 
effective transition planning and services that improve post-school 
outcomes; (3) build the capacity of States and LEAs to implement 
effective transition planning and services that improve post-school 
outcomes; and (4) assist State educational agencies with collecting 
data on IDEA Part B State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report 
Indicator 13, which assesses States' implementation of comprehensive 
transition planning and services, and using these data to guide 
improvement activities.

Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

    The Secretary certifies that the extension of project period and 
waiver do not have a significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities. The only entity affected is NSTTAC.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

    The extension of project period and waiver do not contain any 
information collection requirements.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of 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.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You can view this document, as well as all other documents of this 
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable 
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To use PDF you must have Adobe 
Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.

    Note:  The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: 
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Dated: September 7, 2010.
Alexa Posny,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 2010-22903 Filed 9-13-10; 8:45 am]
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