[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 134 (Thursday, July 14, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-17019]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: July 14, 1994]


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Part III





Department of Education





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Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education Program--
Model Content Standards for English and Economics; proposed priorities 
for Fiscal Year 1995; Notice
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

 
Fund for Innovation in Education: Innovation in Education 
Program--Model Content Standards for English and Economics

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Priorities for Fiscal Year 1995.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes absolute priorities under the Fund for 
Innovation in Education Program as currently authorized or the 
successor program as it will be established with the reauthorization of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Secretary takes this 
action to focus Federal financial assistance on the development of 
content standards--broad descriptions of the knowledge and skills 
students should acquire in particular subject areas--as the starting 
point for nationwide systemic education reform. The priorities will 
guide projects in developing model content standards in English and in 
Economics for grades K-12.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 15, 1994.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning these proposed priorities should be 
addressed to Joseph Conaty, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New 
Jersey Avenue, N.W., room 610d, Washington, DC 20208-5648. Comments on 
this notice may also be sent to the Department of Education at the 
appropriate Internet electronic mail address: 
E[email protected] or E[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joseph Conaty, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, 
NW., room 610d, Washington, DC 20208-5648. Telephone: (202) 219-2079. 
Internet electronic mail address: Priorities__Q[email protected]. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Dual Information Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Goals 2000: Educate America Act will 
improve performance for all students. The Secretary believes that the 
development of model content standards in critical subject areas is a 
useful first step in nationwide systemic education reform. The 
priorities in this notice support the development of model content 
standards in English and in Economics and will assist the States in the 
development of their State content standards as the basis for State 
systemic reform.
    National organizations have developed content standards in 
mathematics and the arts. The Department of Education is supporting 
other projects to develop model content standards for science, foreign 
language, civics, history, and geography. Certain States have already 
developed related materials in one or more of these subjects that 
provide guidelines to local schools and districts for the content of 
what should be taught.
    The Secretary believes that a broad, collaborative process is 
necessary to achieve consensus on what children should know in the 
content area. Entities or consortia of entities, such as State 
education agencies (SEA's), local education agencies (LEA's), 
institutions of higher education, professional associations, private 
schools, and other public and private agencies, organizations and 
institutions may apply for funding to support a project in one or both, 
separately, of the disciplines cited in the proposed priorities. In 
developing model content standards, projects must draw on relevant work 
of national and international efforts, educational associations and 
organizations, and State and local educational agencies. Projects must 
be designed to reflect the best available knowledge about how students 
learn and how content can best be taught. Projects also must be 
designed to reach broad consensus through the participation of all 
interested parties: Classroom teachers, university and school-based 
content specialists; State and local school administrators; 
representatives of private schools; specialists in teacher education; 
representatives of State legislators, Governor's offices, 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 Secretary proposes these priorities under the Fund for 
Innovation in Education (FIE) program. FIE is currently authorized by 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. It is 
anticipated that Congress will reauthorize the ESEA in the near future. 
The Secretary does not expect the FIE program as reauthorized to differ 
in any substantive way that would preclude the Secretary from 
establishing these proposed priorities under the newly authorized 
program.
    The Secretary will announce final priorities in a notice in the 
Federal Register. Final priorities will be determined after public 
comments on this notice are reviewed. Funding of particular projects 
depends on the availability of funds, the nature of the final 
priorities, and the quality of the applications received. The 
publication of these proposed priorities does not preclude the 
Secretary from proposing additional priorities or funding projects to 
support these priorities, subject to meeting applicable rule-making 
requirements.

    Note: This notice of proposed priorities does not solicit 
applications. A notice inviting applications under these priorities 
will be published concurrent with or following publication of the 
notice of final priority.

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--Model Content Standards for English

Absolute Priority 2--Model Content Standards for Economics

    To meet either one of these two priorities, an application must be 
for a project in which the applicant, working alone or in collaboration 
with other entities of its own choice, develops challenging model 
content standards, kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12), to facilitate 
State and local construction of content standards and related programs 
for teacher education, certification, professional development and 
assessment of student achievement. Each project must carry out all of 
the following activities:
    (a) Design model content standards to serve as the foundation for 
coherent curricula carefully designed to ensure that all children study 
challenging subject material in every grade, K-12. The standards must 
be set forth in a written document that indicates what children should 
know at certain benchmarks, such as at grades 4, 8, and 12.
    (b) Develop and implement a strategy for building a broad consensus 
by involving classroom teachers, university and school-based content 
specialists in English or Economics, experts in the education of 
children with disabilities and other special needs; 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, as appropriate.
    (c) Demonstrate that the standards will be grounded in current 
research and relevant prior work including efforts of educational 
associations and organizations, extant State and local content 
standards, and others.
    (d) Establish an advisory council composed of members that 
represent the broad constituencies associated with the given subject 
matter competence.
    (e) Produce a series of draft documents for review and approval by 
the advisory council.
    (f) Conduct public hearings to critique draft documents.
    (g) Provide the Secretary with a copy of the project performance 
report conducted under 34 CFR 75.590.

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.

Invitation To Comment

    Interested persons are invited to submit comments and 
recommendations regarding these proposed priorities.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available 
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 
610d, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, between the hours of 
8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal 
holidays.

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

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.215K, Fund for 
Innovation in Education)

    Dated: July 8, 1994.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 94-17019 Filed 7-13-94; 8:45 am]
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