[Federal Register: May 6, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 87)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 30461-30462]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06my02-17]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Part 200
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as Amended (ESEA);
Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of meetings to solicit public comment on proposed
regulations.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
(Assistant Secretary) of the Department of Education (Department) will
convene five regional meetings to solicit additional public comment on
the Department's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published
elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. The NPRM would
implement recent changes made by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB Act) to the standards and assessment requirements under Title I
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended
(ESEA). The proposed regulations were subjected to a negotiated
rulemaking process, and we invited the public to submit comments on
them. The Assistant Secretary is convening these regional meetings to
provide the public additional opportunities to comment on the proposed
regulations.
DATES: We will hold five regional meetings as listed in the Schedule of
Regional Meetings under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
ADDRESSES: We will hold the five regional meetings at the locations
listed in the Schedule of Regional Meetings under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Wilhelm, Compensatory Education
Programs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 3W202, Washington, DC
20202-6132. Telephone (202) 260-0826.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) 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.
The meeting sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
If you need an auxiliary aid or service to participate in the meetings
(e.g., interpreting service, assistive listening device, or materials
in alternative format), notify the contact person listed in this notice
in advance of the scheduled meeting date. We will make every effort to
meet any request we receive.
The regional meetings are open to the public.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Schedule of Regional Meetings
We will hold five regional meetings to solicit public comment on
the NPRM on the following dates at the following locations:
1. May 6, 2002, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Holiday Inn Cincinnati
Airport, 1717 Airport Exchange Boulevard, Erlanger, Kentucky.
2. May 7, 2002, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Sheraton Atlanta, 165
Courtland Street, Atlanta, Georgia.
3. May 13, 2002, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., The Westgate Hotel, 1055
Second Avenue, San Diego, California.
4. May 16, 2002, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Doubletree Hotel Little Rock,
424 West Markham, Little Rock, Arkansas.
5. May 30, 2002, 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., LaGuardia Marriott, 102-05
Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst, New York.
Background
On January 8, 2002, President George W. Bush signed the NCLB Act,
amending the ESEA. The NCLB Act incorporated major education reforms
proposed by the President in his No Child Left Behind initiative,
particularly in the areas of assessment, accountability, and school
improvement. Among other things, the NCLB Act reauthorizes--for a six-
year period--the programs under Title I of the ESEA (Title I programs),
which are designed to help disadvantaged children reach high academic
standards.
Section 1901 of Title I of the ESEA contains procedures that the
Department must follow in developing and issuing regulations to govern
the Title I programs. Consistent with those requirements, the Secretary
obtained the advice and recommendations of representatives of Federal,
State, and local administrators; parents; teachers; paraprofessionals;
members of local boards of education; and other organizations involved
with the implementation and operation of the Title I programs. After
obtaining this advice, the Secretary conducted a negotiated rulemaking
process on issues relating to Title I standards and assessment
requirements. The negotiated rulemaking process produced proposed
regulations on these issues that the Secretary is publishing without
change in the NPRM. The preamble to the NPRM describes in more thorough
detail this regulatory process.
Regional Meetings
In addition to the invitation to comment contained in the NPRM, the
Assistant Secretary is offering an opportunity for the public to
provide
[[Page 30462]]
input regarding the proposed regulations at the scheduled regional
meetings.
During the morning of each meeting, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon,
representatives of the Department will provide background information
on the statutory context for the NPRM, the negotiated rulemaking
process, and the major issues that the proposed regulations are
designed to address. Expert educators will also present their findings
and experiences in the field of standards and assessments. During the
afternoon of each meeting, from 1 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., the public will
have the opportunity to offer oral or written comments, or both, on the
NPRM.
Public Comments
The Department will consider all comments obtained during these
regional meetings, along with all other comments submitted to the
Department in response to the NPRM. During and after the comment
period, you may inspect all public comments about these proposed
regulations in room 3W204, FB-6, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 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.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, in Text or Adobe Portable Document
Format (PDF), on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/
legislation/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 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 84.010, Improving
Programs Operated by Local Educational Agencies)
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6301-6578.
Dated: May 1, 2002.
Susan B. Neuman,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 02-11127 Filed 5-1-02; 2:00 pm]
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