The state validation process in New York identifies promising practices developed through the Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV-C funding. The new validation procedures included in this handbook are revised to: (1) make the evaluation process easier to apply; (2) provide technical assistance in evaluating the project; (3) extend eligibility to other state agencies and not-for-profit organizations; (4) be more flexible in the evidence that can be submitted for validation; (5) increase the number of groups examining each application; and (6) provide immediate feedback to each applicant. Topics include: (1) the context of validation; (2) planning the application; (3) preparing the application; (4) application review and response; (5) the technical assistance visit; (6) presentation to the validation panel; and (7) the validation panel. Appendices include the form used by applicants in the validation process, a guide for internal review, forms for the technical assistant, forms for the validation panel members, recommendations of the validation panel members, and an outline of the New York State Education Department's Validation Process. (SLD)