FR Doc E7-10919
[Federal Register: June 6, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 108)]
[Notices]
[Page 31300-31302]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jn07-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
A Framework for Developing High-Quality English Language
Proficiency Standards and Assessments
AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Secretary, Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings and request for recommendations on a
framework for developing high-quality English language proficiency
standards and assessments (Framework).
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) seeks recommendations
on developing a Framework for States to consider in examining the
quality of their standards and assessments for English language
proficiency (ELP) under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Framework, once developed, will be provided to
States for their use in evaluating their ELP standards and assessments.
The Framework also will help States identify their technical assistance
needs related to ELP standards and assessments and, therefore, help the
U.S. Department of Education (Department) provide States with the
assistance they need to implement the Title III standards and
assessment requirements effectively.
DATES: We must receive your recommendations on or before 5 p.m.,
Eastern time, on August 1, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Address all recommendations to the Office of the Deputy
Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room
7W308, Washington, DC 20202-6132.
If you prefer to send your recommendations through the Internet,
use the following e-mail address: LEP.Partnership@ed.gov.
You must use the term ``Framework for Title III'' in the subject
line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hanna Skandera. Telephone: (202) 401-
0831.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Addressing the needs of the Nation's more than 4.6 million (and
growing) population of limited English proficient (LEP) students is
central to meeting the goals of NCLB. Improving instruction and closing
the achievement gap for LEP students start with high-quality standards
and assessments. We must be able to measure what LEP students know and
do not know, in terms of core subject matter and the acquisition of
English language skills, in order to address their academic needs. The
focus on both core subject matter (e.g., reading/language arts, math,
and science) and the acquisition of English language skills requires
coordination and collaboration between the Title I and Title III
programs. Therefore, we invite and encourage recommendations from not
only technical experts in standards, assessment, and language
development, but also parents, teachers, administrators, researchers,
and others with experience and expertise in Title I or Title III
programs.
Section 3113 of the ESEA requires each State educational agency
(SEA) to submit a plan to the Secretary describing how the agency will
establish standards and objectives for raising the level of English
proficiency that are derived from the four recognized
[[Page 31301]]
domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, and that are
aligned with the achievement of the challenging academic content and
student academic achievement standards for all students that States
have adopted pursuant to section 1111(b)(1) of Title I of the ESEA.
Further, under section 1111(b)(7) of Title I, each State plan must
demonstrate that local educational agencies (LEAs) in the State provide
an annual assessment of the English proficiency (measuring students'
oral language, reading, and writing skills in English) of all LEP
students in their schools. Finally, section 3122(a)(3)(A)(ii) of Title
III requires that increases in the number or percentage of children
attaining English proficiency be determined using a valid and reliable
assessment of English proficiency.
The Department expects the Framework to be informed by States'
experiences in developing standards and assessments in the academic
content areas, as well as their work related to English language
acquisition. In addition, the Department recognizes that there are
professional standards for the technical quality of assessments, as
well as accepted methodologies for developing standards and evaluating
the alignment of standards with assessments. Such experiences and
knowledge can, and should, inform the development of ELP standards and
assessments under Title III. However, in developing their ELP standards
and assessments, States have raised additional questions, such as on
the level of English proficiency that is necessary to learn academic
content; the differences between the skills necessary for speaking
English and the skills necessary for reading and writing English; and
the relationship of ELP standards and assessments to the standards and
assessments developed under Title I. To address these issues and to
support the States in their work to improve English language
proficiency and the academic achievement of LEP students, the
Department initiated the LEP Partnership. The LEP Partnership includes
States, the National Council of La Raza, the Mexican American Legal
Defense and Educational Fund, the Council of Chief State School
Officers, the Comprehensive Center on Assessment and Accountability,
and the National Clearinghouse on English Language Acquisition. For
more information about the LEP Partnership, please see
http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/lep-partnership.
Through the LEP Partnership, the Department has pledged to provide
technical assistance and support to States on various strategies for
appropriately assessing LEP students. At the second meeting of the LEP
Partnership in Washington, DC in October 2006, Department officials
asked States to identify areas in which they needed technical
assistance. States agreed that they needed assistance from the
Department on how they should evaluate their ELP standards and the
technical quality of their ELP assessments, as well as how they should
demonstrate the alignment of their ELP standards with their ELP
assessments. Many States also asked about the statutory language in
Title III that requires States to demonstrate that their ELP standards
and assessments are aligned with achievement of their State's
challenging academic content and achievement standards under Title I,
and how they should demonstrate this alignment. Some States
specifically asked whether a single assessment could be used to assess
a student's English language proficiency and achievement of content in
reading/language arts.
Invitation To Submit Recommendations
We invite you to submit recommendations on a Framework for States
to use in examining their ELP standards and assessments under Title III
to ensure that they are of high quality and promote effective
instruction to raise the level of English proficiency and academic
achievement of LEP students. Specifically, we invite you to submit
recommendations in response to the following four questions that are
based on the statutory language in Title III. The Department
anticipates that, within each of these questions, there will be
numerous specific and technical issues you will want to address.
1. What are the critical elements that States should examine to
ensure that their ELP standards promote effective instruction to raise
LEP students' level of English proficiency? (Section 3113(b)(2))
2. What are the critical elements that States should examine to
ensure that their ELP assessments provide a valid and reliable
assessment of English language proficiency? (Section 3122(a)(3)(A)(ii))
3. What are the critical elements that States should examine to
ensure that their ELP standards are aligned with their ELP assessments?
(Sections 3113(b)(2) and (3)(D) and 3122(a)(3)(A)(ii)).
4. What are strategies that States can use to ensure that their ELP
standards are aligned with the achievement of challenging State
academic content standards and student academic achievement standards
they have adopted under Title I? (Section 3113(b)(2)).
To ensure that your recommendations are considered in the
development of the Framework, we urge you to identify clearly the
specific question that each recommendation addresses and to arrange
your recommendations in the order listed above.
We encourage you to make your recommendations as specific as
possible. Please also include, with your recommendations, a description
of your involvement in LEP issues.
During and after the period for submitting recommendations, you may
inspect all recommendations about the Framework at the U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 7W308, Washington, DC,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through
Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the
Recommendations
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the recommendations. If you want to schedule an
appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Announcement of Public Meetings
We also will be holding a series of meetings to seek
recommendations for developing the Framework. The meetings will occur
on the following dates at the times and locations indicated:
Wednesday, June 20, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord
Opryland Resort and Convention Center, 2800 Opryland Drive, Nashville,
TN, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007, in Washington, DC at the Wyndham Hotel,
1400 M Street, NW., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 26, 2007, in Washington, DC at the Capitol Hilton,
1001 16th Street, NW., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Each meeting will begin with a roundtable discussion, with experts
who have been invited by the Department to participate in a discussion,
focused on the four questions listed above. These experts will be from
State Departments of Education, LEAs, universities, and non-
governmental organizations and have knowledge and expertise in the
following areas: Assessment development (both content assessments
[[Page 31302]]
under Title I and language acquisition assessments under Title III);
standards development; assessment and instruction of LEP students;
Title III requirements; Title I requirements; and English language
development. Staff from the Department's comprehensive technical
assistance centers will facilitate the roundtable discussions.
During the final 90 minutes of each meeting, we will provide the
public with an opportunity to comment on the discussion or to provide
additional recommendations.
Individuals interested in giving testimony during the public
session of the meetings to address one or more of the four questions
will be allowed three to five minutes to make their statements. We
request that you submit three written copies and an electronic file (CD
or diskette) of your statement at the meeting. Please include your name
and contact information on the written and electronic files.
If you are interested in giving testimony during the public session
of a meeting, please register at the LEP Partnership Web site,
LEP.Partnership@ed.gov, at least one week before the public meeting. We
will process registrations on a first-come, first-served basis. Persons
who are unable to register to present testimony during the meeting are
encouraged to submit written recommendations. Written recommendations
will be accepted at the meeting site or via e-mail at the addresses
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Public Meetings
The meeting sites will be accessible to individuals with
disabilities and sign language interpreters will be available. If you
need an auxiliary aid or service other than a sign language interpreter
to participate in the meeting (e.g., interpreting service such as oral,
cued speech, or tactile interpreter; assisted listening device; or
materials in alternate format), notify the contact person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT at least two weeks before the scheduled
meeting date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive
after this date, we may not be able to make available the requested
auxiliary aid or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may review this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: 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 on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: June 1, 2007.
Raymond Simon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-10919 Filed 6-5-07; 8:45 am]
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