[Federal Register: October 11, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 196)]
[Notices]
[Page 60045-60048]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11oc06-171]
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Part IV
Department of Education
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Discretionary Grant Programs; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Discretionary Grant Programs
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of final priorities.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education establishes priorities that the
Department of Education (Department) may use for any appropriate
discretionary grant program in fiscal year (FY) 2007 and in FY 2008. We
take this action to focus Federal financial assistance on expanding the
number of programs and projects Department-wide that support activities
in areas of greatest educational need. Although we expect that these
priorities will have the greatest applicability to programs authorized
by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (as amended by
the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001), we are establishing the
priorities on a Department-wide basis, so that Department offices can
use one or more of these priorities in any discretionary grant
competition, as appropriate.
DATES: Effective Date: These priorities are effective November 13,
2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margo Anderson, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4W311, Washington, DC 20202-
5910. Telephone: (202) 205-3010 or via Internet at:
Margo.Anderson@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:
General
In the more than four years since the enactment of the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), there have been significant changes in
our educational system that provide a strong framework for reaching the
goal that all students will be proficient in reading/language arts and
mathematics by the year 2014. States have put in place rigorous new
accountability systems and in the last school year (2005-2006)
administered reading and mathematics assessments covering all students
in grades 3 to 8 and at least once for students in grades 10 to 12. By
school year 2007-2008, States will be assessing students in science at
least once in each of three grade spans (3-5, 6-9, 10-12). A focus on
professional development and teacher qualifications is helping States
to ensure that increasing numbers of students are being taught by
highly-qualified teachers. School districts are providing new support
and assistance to schools in need of improvement, while making
available public school choice and supplemental educational services
options to eligible students who attend these schools.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results for
older students provide a reminder of the need to continue to emphasize
high standards and accountability for all students, especially those in
the higher grades. The 2005 NAEP math results for 8th graders, for
example, are both illustrative and alarming: less than one-third of 8th
graders, and just 13 percent of low-income 8th graders, scored at the
proficient or above level. High school test scores in mathematics have
barely budged since the 1970's and less than half of high school
graduates in 2005 were ready for college-level math and science
coursework, according to American College Testing, Inc. (ACT).
America's rapidly changing economy requires an educational system
that is producing high school graduates with the skills needed to be
successful in postsecondary education and the workforce. In addition to
improving the academic achievement of students in mathematics and
science, we must expand the number of Americans mastering foreign
languages critical to national security and to our participation in the
global economy. High schools must develop a larger pool of technically
adept and numerically literate Americans, a continual supply of highly
trained mathematicians, scientists, and engineers, and more students
with higher levels of proficiency in critical-need languages. The
Department believes that high-quality professional development for
secondary school teachers is a critical part of the solution, because
it can help ensure that these teachers have the content knowledge and
expertise required to improve student achievement.
Rigorous instruction, high standards, and accountability for
results are helping to raise achievement in the early grades. Now
America must complete the task. We must focus on improving the
mathematics and science achievement of secondary school students,
expanding foreign language learning to critical need languages,
providing teachers with better training and support, helping districts
improve all their schools, and ensuring that all students meet rigorous
State mathematics and science academic standards and graduate from high
school. Student performance is not just an education issue; it is an
economic issue, a civic issue, a social issue, and a national security
issue.
In addition to content-specific priorities, the Secretary is
establishing a priority for collecting data to assess the effect of
projects on the academic achievement of student participants relative
to appropriate comparison or control groups. The Secretary believes
that interventions must be designed to collect the best available data
to determine the impact of the proposed intervention on student
achievement and to inform future improvement efforts. Finally, to
assist schools and districts in using data effectively, we are
establishing a priority for projects that will help educators use
information from State data systems to improve student achievement or
other appropriate outcomes.
We published a notice of proposed priorities in the Federal
Register on August 7, 2006 (71 FR 44671). The Department has made one
change to priority three since publication of the notice of proposed
priorities. We explain this change in the Analysis of Comments and
Change elsewhere in this notice.
Analysis of Comments and Change
In response to our invitation in the notice of proposed priorities,
seven parties submitted comments on the proposed priorities. Although
we received several substantive comments, we determined that the
comments did not warrant changes to the priorities. However, based on
intradepartmental review of the notice of proposed priorities, we made
a change to priority three. An analysis of the comments and the change
to priority three follows.
Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes--and
suggested changes the law does not authorize us to make under the
applicable statutory authority.
Comment: One commenter recommended the addition of a priority for
technology.
Discussion: The Secretary believes that technology issues can be
addressed in the context of the content priorities.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter recommended the addition of a priority for
language arts.
Discussion: The Secretary identified the content areas of the
priorities (math, science, and critical foreign languages) based on a
determination that these are the most important areas on which to
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focus next in terms of the skills needed for our students to
successfully compete in the global economy. The Secretary believes that
language arts can be addressed through existing Department programs on
reading.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter expressed concern that there was not an
emergent and beginning literacy component to the priorities and
wondered if this type of activity could be supported in the critical-
need languages priority.
Discussion: The Secretary believes that an emerging literacy
component could, depending on how it is designed, be one of many
appropriate activities to address the critical-need languages priority.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter suggested that for the critical-need
languages priority, the Department consider using such resources as
highly educated foreign immigrants and faculty and students from area
colleges and universities. The commenter also suggested using summer
foreign language institutes for high school students to encourage their
pursuit of foreign language studies in college.
Discussion: Depending on the individual program competition
requirements, the Secretary believes that these activities, if properly
designed, could address this priority.
Change: None.
Comment: None.
Discussion: Based on intradepartmental review of the notice of
proposed priorities, we added to priority three language that expands
the applicability of this priority to include activities to develop
programs in certain critical needs languages. The proposed language of
priority three limited the priority to activities to enable students to
achieve proficiency or advanced proficiency in certain critical needs
languages. This change is necessary to ensure that the broadest range
of the Department's programs can use the priority.
Change: We have amended priority three by adding language that
expands the applicability of this priority to include activities to
develop programs in certain critical needs languages.
Comment: One commenter recommended adding a priority for after-
school programs.
Discussion: The Department supports after-school programs through
its existing, State-administered after-school program, 21st Century
Learning Centers, which received approximately $981,000,000 in FY 2006
funding.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter recommended that the Department provide a
definition of secondary school.
Discussion: The term ``secondary school'' is already defined in
section 9101(38) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20
U.S.C. 7801(38), and in the Department's regulations at 34 CFR 77.1.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter asked why the first two priorities on
mathematics and science proficiency, respectively, weren't more
explicit about teacher recruitment.
Discussion: Teacher recruitment and training could be one of the
many possible activities that, if properly designed, could address
these two priorities. The Secretary believes that applicants should
have the flexibility to use a variety of strategies to achieve the
goals of proficiency or advanced proficiency in mathematics and
science.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter recommended that, for the professional
development for secondary school teachers priority, consideration be
given to preparing secondary school teachers to integrate advanced
literacy skills and mathematics concepts and applications into their
areas of specialization.
Discussion: Depending upon the individual program competition
requirements, the Secretary believes that this activity, if properly
designed, could address this priority.
Change: None.
Comment: One commenter asked what the purpose was of the priority
for State data systems.
Discussion: The purpose of this priority is to encourage educators
to use State data systems to track individual student achievement
(including for students who move across schools and districts) in order
to improve instruction, design and implement interventions for students
at risk of failure, and hold schools and districts accountable for
performance.
Change: None.
Note: This notice does not solicit applications. In any year in
which we choose to use one or more of these priorities, we invite
applications for new awards under the applicable program through a
notice in the Federal Register. When inviting applications we
designate each 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 preference 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)).
Priorities
The Secretary establishes priorities that the Department may use
for discretionary grant competitions in FY 2007 and FY 2008, as
appropriate. The Secretary intends that these priorities will allow
program participants and the Department to focus limited Federal
resources in areas of greatest educational need. The Secretary
recognizes that some of the priorities will not be appropriate for
particular programs.
Priority 1--Mathematics. Projects that support activities to enable
students to achieve proficiency or advanced proficiency in mathematics.
Priority 2--Science. Projects that support activities to enable
students to achieve proficiency or advanced proficiency in science.
Priority 3--Critical-Need Languages. Projects that support
activities to enable students to achieve proficiency or advanced
proficiency or to develop programs in one or more of the following less
commonly taught languages: Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian,
and languages in the Indic, Iranian, and Turkic language families.
Priority 4--Secondary Schools. Projects that support activities and
interventions aimed at improving the academic achievement of secondary
school students who are at greatest risk of not meeting challenging
State academic standards and not completing high school.
Priority 5--Professional Development for Secondary School Teachers.
Projects that support high-quality professional development for
secondary school teachers to help these teachers improve student
academic achievement.
Priority 6--School Districts With Schools in Need of Improvement,
Corrective Action, or Restructuring. Projects that help school
districts implement academic and structural interventions in schools
that have been identified for improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education
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Act of 1965, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Priority 7--Student Achievement Data. Projects that collect pre-
and post-intervention test data to assess the effect of the projects on
the academic achievement of student participants relative to
appropriate comparison or control groups.
Priority 8--State Data Systems. Projects that help educators use
information from State data systems to improve student achievement or
other appropriate outcomes.
Executive Order 12866
This notice of final priorities 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 notice of final priorities
are those resulting from statutory requirements and those we have
determined as necessary for administering the Department's
discretionary grant programs effectively and efficiently.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits--both quantitative
and qualitative--of this notice of final priorities, we have determined
that the benefits of the final priorities 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.
Executive Order 12372
Some of the programs affected by these final priorities are 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 these programs.
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.
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 does not apply.)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3; 20 U.S.C. 6301 et. seq.
Dated: October 4, 2006.
Margaret Spellings,
Secretary of Education.
[FR Doc. 06-8608 Filed 10-10-06; 8:45 am]
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