100 STAT. 1594
Grants.
Handicapped persons.
Grants.
Reports.
State and local governments.
PUBLIC LAW 99-498—OCT. 17, 1986
>. "(ii) proposals for such assistance are developed by the re{j gional educational laboratories and the research and development centers in consultation with the Office; and "(iii) the Office determines that the proposed activities will be consistent with the education research and development program and dissemination activities which are being conducted by the Office. "(E) No regional educational laboratory or research and development center receiving assistance under this subsection shall, by reason of the receipt of that assistance, be ineligible to receive any other assistance from the Office authorized by law. "(F) The Secretary shall make available adequate funds to support meritorious, unsolicited proposals as described under subparagraph (A)(iii), and provide sufficient notice of the availability of such funds to individual researchers in all regions of the country. "(5) The Secretary, from funds appropriated under this section, may establish and maintain research fellowships in the. Office, for scholars, researchers, and statisticians engaged in the collection and dissemination of information about education and educational research. Subject to regulations published by the Secretary, fellowships may include such stipends and allowance, including travel and subsistence expenses provided for under title 5, United States Code, as the Secretary considers appropriate. "(6) The Secretary may award gremts to institutions of higher education, including teclmical and community colleges as appropriate, to assess the new and emerging specialties and the technologies, academic subjects, and occupational areas requiring vocational education, with emphasis on the unique needs for preparing an adequate supply of vocational teachers of handicapped students. The Secretary shall give special consideration to the preparation required to teach classrooms of handicapped, or other highly targeted groups of students, in combination with other nonhandicapped or other nontargeted students, within the same vocational education setting. "(e)(1) In addition to the other responsibilities of the Office under this section, the Office shall carry out, by grant or cooperative agreement with a nonprofit educational organization, a National Assessment of Educational Progress which shall have as a primary purpose the assessment of the performance of children and young adults in the basic skills of reading, mathematics, communication, and other subjects and skills. Such a National Assessment shall— "(A) collect and report at least once every five years data assessing the performance of students at various age or grade levels in each of the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics;
"(B) report periodically data on changes in knowledge and skills of such students over a period of time; "(C) conduct special assessments of other educational areas, as the need for additionad national information arises; ,;. "(D) include in assessment activities information on special groups of individuals; "(E) provide technical assistance to State educational agencies and to local educational agencies on the use of National Assessment objectives, primarily pertaining to— "(i) the basic skills of reading, mathematics, and communication, and
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