[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69986-69988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28779]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program
AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department
of Education.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for input to gather
technical expertise pertaining to the U.S.
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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.371C.
Department of Education's (Department) development of a State
competition for funding under the Striving Readers Comprehensive
Literacy program.
SUMMARY: By February 2011, the Secretary of Education (Secretary)
intends to announce a competition for State educational agency (SEA)
projects to support comprehensive literacy development and to advance
literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing,
for students from birth through grade 12, including limited-English-
proficient students and students with disabilities. To inform the
development of a notice inviting applications that establishes the
requirements for this competition, the Secretary is seeking input from
States, technical experts, and members of the public through a public
meeting and written submissions. Following the public meeting and
review of the written submissions, the Department will publish a notice
inviting applications for this competition.
DATES: The public meeting will occur on Friday, November 19, 2010, in
Washington, DC, at the Department's Potomac Center Plaza (PCP)
Auditorium, 550 12th Street, SW.; from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Washington, DC time. Written submissions must
be received by the Department on or before 5:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on November 19, 2010.
ADDRESSES: For those submitting written input, we encourage submissions
by e-mail using the following address:
[email protected]. You must include the
term ``Striving Readers Public Input'' in the subject line of your e-
mail. If you prefer to send your input by mail, address it to Office of
Elementary and Secondary Education, Attention: Striving Readers Public
Input Meeting, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
room 3E230, Washington, DC 20202.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Spitz, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3E230, Washington, DC 20202.
Telephone: 202-260-3793 or by e-mail:
[email protected].
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: Background: The Striving Readers program is
authorized as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub.
L. 111-117) (the Act) under the demonstration authority in Title I,
part E, section 1502 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965, as amended (ESEA). $200 million in funds is available in fiscal
year 2010 under section 1502 of the ESEA for a comprehensive literacy
development and education program to advance literacy skills, including
pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing, for students from birth
through grade 12, including limited-English-proficient students and
students with disabilities. To clearly distinguish this program from
the Striving Readers program funded from FY 2005 to FY 2009, which
focused on adolescent literacy, the Department is referring to the
program created pursuant to the FY 2010 appropriation as the ``Striving
Readers Comprehensive Literacy'' program.
The Act reserves $10 million for formula grants to States to create
or maintain a State Literacy Team with expertise in literacy
development and education for children from birth through grade 12 and
to assist States in developing a comprehensive literacy plan. One-half
of one percent of these funds is reserved for the Secretary of the
Interior for a comprehensive literacy program for schools funded by the
Bureau of Indian Education and one-half of one percent is reserved for
such programs for grants to the outlying areas.
After reserving up to 5 percent of the total appropriation for
national activities, the Department must use the remaining funds for
competitive awards to SEAs. SEAs may use up to five percent for State
leadership activities and must award not less than 95 percent
[[Page 69987]]
through subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or, in the case
of early literacy, to LEAs or other nonprofit providers of early
childhood education that partner with a public or private nonprofit
organization or agency with a demonstrated record of effectiveness in
improving the early literacy development of children from birth through
kindergarten entry and in providing professional development in early
literacy, giving priority to such agencies or other entities serving
greater numbers or percentages of disadvantaged children.
The Act requires that the subgrants to LEAs be allocated as
follows: (1) At least 15 percent to serve children from birth through
age five, (2) 40 percent to serve students in kindergarten through
grade five, and (3) 40 percent to serve students in middle and high
school, through grade 12, including an equitable distribution of funds
between middle and high schools. Eligible entities receiving subgrants
must use these funds for services and activities that have the
characteristics of effective literacy instruction through professional
development, screening and assessment, targeted interventions for
students reading below grade level, and other research-based methods of
improving classroom instruction and practice.
The Department wishes to solicit input, including written input,
from literacy experts, literacy organizations, States, other key
stakeholders, and members of the public to inform the design and
development of this new competition for SEAs.
Because we are inviting public input in this manner, and because we
want to facilitate the award of funds in a timely manner, we do not
intend to conduct notice-and-comment rulemaking. Section 437(d)(1) of
the General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1), allows the
Department to waive notice-and-comment rulemaking for the first grant
competition under a new or substantially revised program authority.
This will be the first competition for the Striving Readers
Comprehensive Literacy program.
Details of Public Meeting
Structure of Public Meeting
The Department anticipates that the meeting will have two
components as follows:
(1) Input from invited panels of experts and stakeholders.
[cir] The morning and afternoon sessions of the meeting will each
have an invited set of panelists who will have a set amount of time to
respond individually to the questions in this notice.
[cir] The Department representatives will then ask questions of
individual panelists and facilitate cross-panelist discussion.
(2) Open opportunity to share input.
[cir] The morning and afternoon sessions of the meeting will each
have 60 to 90 minutes dedicated to opportunities for interested members
of the public, who have registered to speak, to respond to the
questions in this notice.
[cir] Each individual scheduled to speak will have five minutes to
provide oral input.
[cir] Written submissions will also be accepted as described in the
SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN INPUT section.
The Department will share any updates, including posting an agenda
and list of invited experts, online at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders-literacy/index.html.
Topic Areas, Dates, Times, Locations, and Registration Information
Topic Areas: The morning session of the meeting will address the
topics of Transition and Alignment; Professional Development,
Instruction, and Assessment; and Evidence and Evaluation. The afternoon
session of the meeting will address the topics of SEA and LEA Capacity
and Support; and Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners. Specific
questions relating to these topics are provided in the Questions for
Input section of this notice. The Department reserves the right to
change the order of these topics; please check the program Web site at
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders-literacy/index.html for the
latest information.
Attendance at the meeting: If you are interested in attending the
meeting, you should register by sending an e-mail to
[email protected] with your name,
organization, and the session you are interested in attending (morning
or afternoon) at least three days before the scheduled meeting date.
Registration is not required for attendance but will help us to plan
the meeting and to facilitate the security process.
Providing input at the meeting: If you are interested in speaking
during the open-input portion of the meeting, you must register by
sending an e-mail to [email protected] at
least three days before the scheduled meeting date. Registrations will
be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. People who are unable
to attend a meeting in person or who do not register early enough to
speak during the meeting are encouraged to submit written input.
Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities at the Public Meetings
The meeting site will be accessible to individuals with
disabilities and sign language interpreters will be available. If you
need an auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter
to participate in the meeting (e.g., interpreting service such as oral,
cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assisted listening device; or
materials in alternate format), notify the contact person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT as soon as possible before the
scheduled meeting date. Although we will attempt to meet every request
we receive, we might not be able to make available the requested
auxiliary aid or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
Submission of Written Input
All interested parties, including those who cannot attend a meeting
or from whom we do not have time to hear at the meeting, may submit
written input in response to this notice.
Written input will be accepted at the meeting site or via e-mail
and mail at the addresses listed in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice. Written input must be submitted by the date listed in the DATES
section.
When submitting input at the meeting, we request that you submit
three written copies and an electronic file (CD or diskette) of your
statement at the meeting. Please include your name and contact
information on the written and electronic files.
Both at the meeting and in your written submission, we encourage
you to be as specific as possible. To ensure that your input is fully
considered, we urge you to identify clearly the specific question,
purpose, and characteristic that each of your suggestions addresses and
to arrange your submission in the order of the questions listed later
in this notice.
Sharing Input Publicly
The Department is committed to gathering and sharing publicly the
input from the meeting and written submissions. The meeting will be
video-taped and/or transcribed, and the video and/or transcript will be
available for viewing at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/strivingreaders-literacy/index.html. All written input received will also be available
for viewing via this Web site.
[[Page 69988]]
Questions for Input
In the following paragraphs, we have listed the specific questions
on which we seek input. These relate to both SEA and subgrantee uses of
funds.
All input, including expert presentations and discussions, public
input, and written submissions, should focus primarily on responding to
these questions. We encourage you to make your input as specific as
possible, to provide evidence to support your proposals, and to present
the information in a context and format that will be helpful to the
Department in developing the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy
program competition and to States implementing comprehensive literacy
plans and making high-quality literacy subgrant awards.
To ensure that your input is fully considered in the development of
the notice inviting applications, we urge you to identify clearly the
specific question, purpose, or characteristic that you are addressing,
and to arrange your input in the order of the questions as they are
listed in the next section.
SEA and LEA Capacity and Support
(1) What should States be considering in their State Literacy Plans
to ensure effective literacy and language development and instruction?
For example, what are core components of a State Literacy Plan? What
roles and capacities should States have or develop in order to
effectively support subgrantees in carrying out substantial
improvements in literacy and language development, teaching, and
learning?
(2) How can this program most effectively support States' and LEAs'
transition to new internationally-benchmarked college- and career-ready
standards held in common by multiple States, as well as their alignment
with State early learning standards?
(3) How can SEAs and subgrantees best leverage the use of funds
under the ESEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and
the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, as well as other
Federal, State, and local funds, for effective literacy development and
instruction?
(4) What other key factors should a State consider in regards to
how it would structure and administer its subgrant competition?
Transition and Alignment Across Birth Through Grade 12
(1) How should States and LEAs assess the needs of children from
birth through grade 12 in order to effectively target the funds to
appropriately support literacy and language development?
(2) How can subgrantees ensure that the needs of children from
birth through age five will be met under this program? How should
subgrantees create effective partnerships with relevant organizations,
including the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and
Care in their State?
(3) How can subgrantees ensure that the needs of adolescent
learners will be met under this program? Specifically, how can
subgrantees ensure that schools integrate effective literacy
development and instruction into core subject areas and increase
motivation and interest in reading and writing?
Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
(1) How can a State best ensure that its comprehensive literacy
plan will effectively address the needs of economically disadvantaged
children and youth, limited-English-proficient children and youth, and
children and youth with disabilities?
(2) How can a State ensure that subgrantees will effectively
address the needs of economically disadvantaged children and youth,
limited-English-proficient children and youth, and children and youth
with disabilities?
(3) What should subgrantees consider when addressing the needs of
their diverse learners across the age spans?
Professional Development, Instruction, and Assessment
(1) What are the essential components of high-quality literacy-
related professional development? What aspects, if any, should be
considered essential in a successful subgrant proposal?
(2) In what ways can technology and materials conforming to
principles of universal design for learning (UDL) support effective
literacy development and instruction for limited-English-proficient
children and youth and children and youth with disabilities? What
aspects of technology and UDL should be considered for incorporation in
subgrant proposals?
(3) What are the critical elements of an integrated, age-
appropriate assessment system for identifying the strengths and
weaknesses of children and youth and improving literacy development and
instruction?
(4) What are the most important ways to collect, analyze, and use
data to improve literacy development and instructional practices and
child and youth outcomes in early learning settings and in schools?
Evidence and Evaluation
(1) In order to have a rigorous competition and make high-quality
subgrant awards, what evidence should States require subgrantees to put
forward in their applications? How can early learning providers
demonstrate a ``record of effectiveness,'' as required in the Act?
(2) What approaches should States and subgrantees implement in
order to effectively monitor program implementation and outcomes so as
to inform continuous program improvement?
(3) What strategies should States and subgrantees implement in
order to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of job-embedded,
ongoing professional development for teachers, coaches, principals, and
administrators?
(4) What should the Department require regarding rigorous,
independent State evaluations of the program, given limited State-level
administrative funds?
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 program 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. 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.
Program Authority: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, Pub.
L. 111-117.
Dated: November 10, 2010.
Thelma Mel[eacute]ndez de Santa Ana,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-28779 Filed 11-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P