[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,

[[Page 54639]]

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]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P