U.S. Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Susan B. Neuman today announced the 21 members of the negotiating committee that will help develop new rules related to standards and assessments under Title I (Part A) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Comprised of education practitioners including state and local education administrators, teachers, school board members and also parents, the committee will come to Washington, D.C. in mid-March to negotiate the substance of draft regulations.

Title I is designed to help disadvantaged children meet high academic standards. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, signed into law on January 8, 2002, amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and provides support for federal education programs including Title I programs operated by school districts.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) asked for advice and recommendations on Title I regulatory issues ??? from state and local education administrators, parents, teachers and paraprofessionals, school board members and others, in a Jan. 18 Federal Register notice. The law requires that ED select participants from among those who submitted comments, a total of more than 100 individuals and organizations.

The law requires that ED use a negotiated rulemaking process to develop draft rules on standards and assessments, to commence after the comment period closed (Feb. 19) and before proposed regulations are issued for public comment in the Federal Register.

To assemble a diverse negotiating group representing a wide range of interests, all geographic regions, and the views of parents and students as well as educators and education officials, ED asked more than 70 organizations to submit nominations along with their comments on regulatory issues. ED also received nominations from individuals and organizations that participated in five focus groups held to solicit advice. A list of the negotiators and the interests they are to represent follows the press release.

The group will meet five times, on March 11-13 and March 19-20, 2002, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at a location in Washington, D.C., to be announced. The meetings are open to individuals who wish to observe the process. The negotiating committee will review and revise draft regulations already developed by the Department. The final proposed rules they prepare will be available for public comment when published in the Federal Register by May 1, 2002.

ED also considered but decided against including in the negotiations issues pertaining to adequate yearly progress (AYP). AYP and other Title I issues will be addressed through the regular rulemaking process, including input already received during focus groups and four planned regional meetings. ED will announce the dates and locations for the upcoming regional meetings. Neuman has stated that the department will use nonregulatory guidance to address most issues and will issue regulations only if necessary.

Department officials developed this process and scheduled negotiated rulemaking promptly, and officials hope to issue the regulations as quickly as possible. The Federal Register notice and the draft regulation can be viewed now at: www.ed.gov/nclb/rulemaking/. The Federal Register notice will also be available later this week at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

Negotiators for Negotiated Rulemaking Sessions NCLB, Standards and Assessments under Title I, Part A

State administrators and state boards of education:

• Judy Catchpole, superintendent of public instruction, Wyoming Department of Education (DOE)
• Jim Horne, secretary of education, Florida DOE
• Dr. Bob Harmon, assistant state superintendent for special programs, Washington Department of Public Instruction
• Rodney Watson, assistant superintendent, Office of Student and School Standards, Louisiana DOE
• Lou Fabrizio, director, Division of Accountability Services, North Carolina DOE
• Rae Belisle, chief counsel, California State Board of Education

Local administrators and local school boards:

• Charlotte Harris, senior director of program development, Boston Public Schools
• J. Alvin Wilbanks, superintendent, Gwinnett County (GA) Public Schools
• Beverly Carroll, Alachua County, Fla. School Board
• Nelson Smith, managing director for new school services, New American Schools; formerly executive director of the DC Public Charter School Board

Principals and teachers:

• Avis Cotton, principal, Dardanelle Middle School, Dardanelle, Ark
• Enedelia Schofield, principal, W.L. Henry Elementary School, Hillsboro, Ore
• Patricia Fischer, Title I teacher, Hooker Public Schools, Okla
• David Sherman, vice president, United Federation of Teachers, New York City

Representing students (including at-risk students, migrant students, limited English proficient students, students with disabilities, and private school students):

• Minnie Pearce, parent, Detroit.
• Arturo Abarca, teacher, Helitrope Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District
• Maria Seidner, director, bilingual education, Texas Education Agency
• Dr. Alexa Pochowski, associate commissioner, Kansas DOE
• Myrna Toney, director of migrant education, Wis. DOE
• John R. Clark, assistant superintendent, DOE, Diocese of Allentown, Penn
• Tasha Tillman, parent, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Business interests:

• John Stevens, director, Texas Business and Education Coalition

U.S. Department of Education:

• Susan B. Neuman, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education
• Joseph F. Johnson, director, Compensatory Education Programs

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