[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 211 (Thursday, October 31, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65303-65304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26008]


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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; notice to reopen the public comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: On September 5, 2013, we published in the Federal Register an 
RFI that established a September 25, 2013, deadline for the submission 
of written comments. We are reopening the public comment period to give 
interested parties additional time to submit written comments.

DATES: Written submissions must be received by the Department on or 
before November 12, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
or via U.S. mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not 
accept comments submitted by fax or by email or those submitted after 
the comment period. 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 the site.''
     U.S. Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: If you 
mail or deliver your comments about this RFI, address them to Melissa 
Escalante, U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language 
Acquisition, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 5C148, Washington, DC 20202-
6132.
     Privacy Note: The Department's policy is to make all 
comments received from members of the public 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.
    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 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:

Background

    On September 5, 2013, we published an RFI in the Federal Register 
(78 FR 54638) to collect 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. The September fifth publication provided some helpful 
questions that could assist commenters in preparing their comments. See 
78 FR 54638. The deadline for written submissions during the initial 
comment period was September 25, 2013. We are reopening the comment 
period for written submissions in response to the RFI notice through 
November 12, 2013. We are reopening the comment period to maximize 
opportunities for the public to provide input on the National 
Clearinghouse and our technical assistance agenda for English learners 
and those who support them.
    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 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 this 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search

[[Page 65304]]

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced 
search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents 
published by the Department.

    Dated: October 28, 2013.
Libia Socorro Gil,
Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director for English Language 
Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited 
English Proficient Students.
[FR Doc. 2013-26008 Filed 10-30-13; 8:45 am]
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