[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54638-54640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21639]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket ID: ED-2013-OELA-0107]
Request for Information To Inform the Title III Technical
Assistance Agenda and the Future Activities and Services of the
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)
AGENCY: Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement,
and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students,
Department of Education.
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) requests
information in two intertwining areas in support of the English learner
community. First, the Department seeks information on the technical
assistance needs of State educational agencies (SEAs), local
educational agencies (LEAs), administrators, and teachers who provide
services to English learners (ELs). Second, the Department seeks
information on how we can best disseminate technical assistance,
including materials through the National Clearinghouse for English
Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational programs
(NCELA) in support of the EL community and those who provide services
to ELs.
DATES: Written submissions must be received by the Department by
September 25, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal
or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not
accept comments by fax or by email. To ensure that we do not receive
duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. In addition,
please include the Docket ID and the term ``Technical Assistance-
NCELA'' at the top of your comments.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to
submit your comments electronically. Information on using
Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents,
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site
under ``Are you new to this site?''
Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: If you
mail or deliver your comments, address them to Melissa Escalante,
Office of English Language Acquisition, Attention: Technical
Assistance-NCELA RFI, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue
SW., Room 5C148, Washington, DC 20202-6132.
Privacy Note: The Department's policy for comments
received from members of the public (including comments submitted by
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery) is to make these
submissions available for public viewing in their entirety on the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore,
commenters should be careful to include in their comments only
information that they wish to make publicly available on the Internet.
Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the subject matter,
some comments may include proprietary information as it relates to
confidential commercial information. The Freedom of Information Act
defines ``confidential commercial information'' as information the
disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to cause substantial
competitive harm. You may wish to request that we not disclose what you
regard as confidential commercial information.
To assist us in making a determination on your request, we
encourage you to identify any specific information in your comments
that you consider confidential commercial information. Please list the
information by page and paragraph numbers.
This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information
and planning purposes and is not a request for proposals (RFP), a
promise to issue an RFP, or a notice inviting applications (NIA), nor
does it serve as a modification to the current NCELA contract. This RFI
does not commit the Department to contract for any supply or service
whatsoever. Further, the Department is not now seeking proposals and
will not accept unsolicited proposals. The Department will not pay for
any information or administrative costs that you may incur in
responding to this RFI.
If you do not respond to this RFI, you may still apply for future
contracts and grants. The Department posts RFPs on the Federal Business
Opportunities Web site (www.fbo.gov). The Department announces grant
competitions in the Federal Register (www.gpo.gov/fdsys). It is your
responsibility to monitor these sites to determine whether the
Department issues an RFP or NIA after considering the information
received in response to this RFI.
The documents and information submitted in response to this RFI
become the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Escalante, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5C148, Washington, DC 20202-
6132 by phone at 202-401-1407.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
(800) 877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended
(ESEA) holds States accountable for closing achievement gaps and
ensuring that all children, including children with limited English
proficiency, meet the same challenging academic and achievement
standards all students are expected to meet. To this end, Title III of
ESEA requires States to develop English language proficiency (ELP)
standards that are aligned with challenging State academic content and
student academic achievement standards. States must also develop and
administer ELP assessments that are aligned with those standards, and
must develop annual measurable achievement objectives (AMAOs) for
English language proficiency. Under Section 3303 of the ESEA, the
Secretary of Education is authorized to establish and support the
operation of a National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition
and Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA). NCELA is
administered by the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language
Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient
Students (OELA).
Under Section 3303 of the ESEA, NCELA's basic function is to
collect,
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analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information concerning: (a)
Language instruction educational programs for ELs, (b) educational
research and processes related to the education of ELs, and (c) EL-
related accountability systems that include EL students' academic
content and English language achievement. NCELA will continue to offer
EL stakeholders and the public multiple products and services across
these areas. In order for NCELA's dissemination efforts to have the
greatest effect, they must be as useful and as user-friendly as
possible. This work must be continuously examined, improved, and
coordinated with, and guided by the priorities of the Department and
the needs of the field. Currently, NCELA uses a variety of methods to
disseminate information, chief of which is its dedicated Web site
(http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/). NCELA also disseminates information in a
variety of other formats--written and electronic reports, maps, and
monographs, and at various venues, such as, conferences, and pre-
conference sessions with national organizations. NCELA's operations are
managed by an external contractor responsible for carrying out its
functions.
With this RFI the Department seeks to gather information on (a) how
we can improve the content of the information that we disseminate
through NCELA and (b) how NCELA can tailor its existing services and
resources to deliver relevant and pertinent information to the EL
community at large.
The Department anticipates making use of this information to inform
our technical assistance agenda in the second term of the
administration and to guide the future activities and services of
NCELA.
Once we receive responses to this RFI, the Department will
summarize the recommendations made by the public and post that summary
on the NCELA Web site for public viewing. The Department will also use
the information received through this RFI to inform our technical
assistance agenda. That technical assistance agenda will also take into
account the variety of formats used to deliver information to meet the
needs of the EL community. Finally, the Department will use the
feedback gathered from the RFI about the services provided through the
NCELA Web site to consider any updates or enhancements to the Web site
that are required by legislation or needed by the EL community.
Context for Responses
The primary goal of this RFI is to gather information that will
help guide the Department's technical assistance agenda to assist SEAs
and LEAs in meeting the educational needs of ELs, and then to use those
responses to guide the dissemination of information to the public,
SEAs, LEAs, and IHEs. We have developed a set of questions about the
areas of technical assistance that would be most helpful and the most
effective way for NCELA to deliver that technical assistance to the
field. You do not have to respond to any specific question, nor do you
have to respond to each topic area; however, it would be helpful if you
would elaborate on each topic or question you choose to address. You
may provide comments in any convenient format and may also provide
relevant information that is not responsive to a particular question
but may, nevertheless, be helpful.
Questions
1. General Questions About Technical Assistance
1.1 In which of the following areas is more technical assistance
needed and at what level (e.g., SEA, LEA, school or classroom)?
a. Common Core State Standards or college- and career-ready
standards and ELs;
b. English Language Proficiency Standards, which could include
their alignment to college- and career-ready standards;
c. Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs) (See the 2008-
10 Biennial Report to Congress, page 20, Table 6 for examples of LIEPs
http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/3/Biennial_Report_0810.pdf),
which could include their alignment to the Common Core State Standards
or to college- and career-ready standards;
d. Accountability;
e. The collection or use of data;
f. Professional development and education for teachers and leaders
working with ELs;
g. ELP assessments;
h. Interpretation of Title III statutory requirements (e.g.
supplanting prohibition);
i. Teacher evaluation;
j. Program evaluation protocols, such as protocols for teachers,
programs, or students;
k. ESEA flexibility and ELs;
l. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) instruction
for ELs;
m. Students with interrupted formal education (SIFE);
n. Early childhood programs and ELs;
o. ELs at the secondary school level;
p. ELs served under IDEA;
q. Civil rights and ELs; or
r. Other areas.
1.2 What is your preferred method of delivery for technical
assistance (e.g., NCELA listserv blasts, Webinars, written guides,
conferences, meetings, presentations at National events held by
mainstream organizations, or other delivery methods)?
2. General Questions Regarding the NCELA Web site and the Delivery of
Technical Assistance and EL Related Information
2.1 How useful is the current information displayed on the Web
site? Please indicate what is and what is not useful.
2.2 Is there information missing from the Web site that should be
disseminated?
2.3 How easy is the Web site to navigate? Can you find the
information you are searching for?
2.4 Are there any features you would recommend adding to the Web
site?
2.5 How would you describe the organization of the resource library
on the Web site? Would you recommend any improvements?
2.6 How do you find the content of the resource library with regard
to its quality, relevance, and usefulness?
2.7 When you seek information or technical assistance on a topic,
do you consult NCELA? Why or why not?
2.8 Are there other issues about the Web site that you would like
to make us aware of that would be helpful to improve its utility to the
public?
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program contact person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: 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 via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site 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). To use PDF
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the
site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at
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this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the
Department.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6801-7014.
Dated: August 30, 2013.
Joseph C. Conaty,
Acting Director, Office of English Language Acquisition, Language
Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient
Students.
[FR Doc. 2013-21639 Filed 9-4-13; 8:45 am]
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