[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-8524]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: April 11, 1994]


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Part VII





Department of Education





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Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program--
State Content Standards for English, et cetera; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education 
Program--State Content Standards for English, History, Geography, 
Civics, Foreign Languages, and the Arts

AGENCY: Education.

ACTION: Notice of final priorities for fiscal years 1994 and 1995.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces absolute priorities for Fiscal Years 
1994 and 1995 for the Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in 
Education Program. The Secretary takes this action to focus Federal 
financial assistance on State content standards as the starting point 
for systemic school improvement. The priorities will assist projects to 
develop and implement State content standards, kindergarten through 
grade 12 (K-12), in English, history, geography, civics, foreign 
languages, and the arts, together with new approaches to teacher 
education and certification appropriate to the content standards.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These priorities take effect either May 26, 1994 or 
later if the Congress takes certain adjournments. If you want to know 
the effective date of these priorities, call or write the Department of 
Education contact person.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryan Gray or Seresa Simpson, U.S. 
Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 522, 
Washington, DC 20208-5524. Telephone: (202) 219-1496. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Dual Party Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 7 
p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fund for Innovation in Education 
supports projects that show promise of identifying and disseminating 
innovative educational approaches at the preschool, elementary, and 
secondary levels. The program is authorized under part F of Title IV of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the 
Augustus F. Hawkins-Robert T. Stafford Elementary and Secondary School 
Improvement Amendments of 1988, Public Law 100-297.
    The absolute priorities in this notice support the National 
Education Goal that calls for U.S. students to leave grades four, 
eight, and twelve having demonstrated competency in challenging subject 
matter.
    Defining what students in a State should learn is a critical step 
in the process of ensuring that the State's students are prepared to 
meet challenging standards. Certain States have already developed 
challenging content standards in one or more subjects that provide 
guidelines to local schools and districts for the content of what 
should be taught. The Secretary has supported similar efforts in the 
past in mathematics and science. Engaging more States in this process 
will help to achieve a national consensus on the importance of 
challenging standards for all students and prepare the way for students 
to reach these standards.
    States, or States working with other entities of their own choice, 
may apply for funding to support projects in one or more of the 
disciplines cited in the final priorities. The Secretary believes that 
States must participate as lead agents in the development of content 
standards and related activities because they bear central 
responsibility in matters of education. State leadership is essential 
to coordinate efforts to raise standards for all students, to 
disseminate content standards, to influence new directions in teacher 
education and professional development, and to establish appropriate 
criteria for teacher certification. In every case the development of 
content standards must be accompanied by closely related plans for 
teacher education and licensing or certification, as well as for 
professional development and recertification. As States rethink their 
policies regarding teacher certification and professional development, 
they are urged to draw on relevant work of groups such as the National 
Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Association of 
State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, and the 
National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.
    On February 11, 1994, the Secretary published a notice of proposed 
priorities for this program in the Federal Register (59 FR 6852).

    Note: This notice of final priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under these priorities 
for fiscal year 1994 is published elsewhere in this issue of the 
Federal Register. A notice inviting applications under these 
priorities in FY 1995 will be published at a later date.

Analysis of the Comments and Changes

    In response to the Secretary's invitation in the notice of proposed 
priorities, one party submitted comments. An analysis of the comments 
and change in the priorities since publication of the notice of 
proposed priorities follows. Technical and other minor changes--and 
suggested changes the Secretary is not legally authorized to make under 
the applicable statutory authority--are not addressed.
    Comment: The commenter expressed concern about the exclusion of 
experts in the field of educating children with special needs from the 
list of professionals required to be involved in the development of 
standards under activity (a) and suggested that they be added to the 
list.
    Discussion: The priorities state that the standards must reflect a 
Statewide consensus. In order to accomplish this, the Secretary 
intended that groups such as experts in the field of educating children 
with special needs be involved and has changed the priorities to cite 
this example.
    Changes: The Secretary has changed activity (a) of the priorities 
to clarify that others, such as experts in the field of educating 
children with special needs, should be involved in the development of 
standards.
    Comment: The commenter is very concerned with the lack of content 
standards that demonstrate competency in functional life skills. It is 
the commenter's belief that instruction in appropriate functional life 
skills is a legitimate and important area of study for students with 
severe cognitive and social disabilities. The commenter suggested that 
the Secretary add a requirement that content standards in each subject 
area incorporate a range of standards addressing functional life skills 
and social skills. A further suggestion was made that teacher 
education, initial licensing and recertification models also address 
these functional life skills.
    Discussion: The Secretary agrees that instruction in functional 
life skills and social skills is important for children with severe 
cognitive and social skills deficits and believes that State standards 
and assessment systems should provide for the participation of all 
children with disabilities. At the same time, the Secretary believes 
that States should have flexibility in determining how to accommodate 
the needs of children with disabilities in developing their standards.
    Changes: None.

Priorities

Absolute Priorities

    Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) the Secretary proposes to give an 
absolute preference to applications that meet one of the following 
priorities. The Secretary proposes to fund under this competition only 
applications that meet one of these absolute priorities:

Absolute Priority 1--State Content Standards for English
Absolute Priority 2--State Content Standards for History
Absolute Priority 3--State Content Standards for Geography
Absolute Priority 4--State Content Standards for Civics
Absolute Priority 5--State Content Standards for Foreign Languages
Absolute Priority 6--State Content Standards for the Arts
Absolute Priority 7--State Content Standards for Two or More of the 
Disciplines in Absolute Priorities 1-6

    To meet one of these seven priorities, an application must be for a 
project in which a State, or a State in collaboration with other 
entities, carries out all of the following activities:
    (a) Develops challenging State content standards, kindergarten 
through grade 12 (K-12), that will be made available for use by local 
schools and districts. The standards must be designed to serve as the 
foundation for coherent, non-repetitive curricula carefully designed to 
ensure that all children study challenging subject material in every 
grade, K-12. The standards must cover English, history, geography, 
civics, foreign languages or the arts, or a combination of two or more 
of these disciplines. The development of the standards must involve 
classroom teachers, university and school-based content specialists in 
English, history, geography, civics, foreign languages, or the arts; 
State and local school administrators, representatives of private 
schools, specialists in teacher education, representatives of the State 
legislature, the Governor's office, State and local boards of 
education; representatives of business, labor, industry, the community 
at large; parents, and others, such as experts in the field of 
educating children with special needs. The standards must reflect a 
Statewide consensus.
    (b) Develops model guidelines for effective approaches to teacher 
education and initial licensing or certification aligned with 
challenging State content standards. The model guidelines must be 
developed in cooperation with one or more institutions of higher 
education in the State. The work of designing these model guidelines 
must also involve collaboration among scholars and specialists, 
teachers and administrators from public or private schools, and State 
and local policymakers.
    (c) Develops criteria for teacher recertification, and designs and 
pilot tests a model, cost-effective inservice professional development 
program for teachers based on challenging State content standards. The 
work of designing these programs must involve collaboration among 
scholars and specialists, teachers and administrators from public or 
private schools, and State and local policymakers. In addition, these 
programs must be pilot-tested in a variety of schools throughout each 
State.
    (d) Provides the Secretary with a copy of the evaluation conducted 
under 34 CFR 75.590.
    To guide the activities of the project, each project must establish 
an overall advisory committee that includes representatives of each of 
the groups specified in (a) above.

Intergovernmental Review

    This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. The objective of the 
Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental partnership and a 
strengthened federalism by relying on processes developed by State and 
local governments for coordination and review of proposed Federal 
financial assistance.
    In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide 
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for 
this program.

    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 3151.

    Dated: April 5, 1994.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.215E, Fund for 
Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program)
[FR Doc. 94-8524 Filed 4-8-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P