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3910
Federal Register
/Vol. 70, No. 17/Thursday, January 27, 2005/Notices
personnel able to meet the highknowledge demands of interdependentjoint, interagency, and multinationaloperations; and (7) study shouldevaluate progress made towardsstreamlining and reforming DoD
’
s business processes.In accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act,Public Law 92
–
463, as amended (5U.S.C. App. 2), it has been determinedthat these Defense Science Board TaskForce meetings concern matters listed in5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and that,accordingly, these meetings will beclosed to the public.
Dated: January 18, 2005.
Jeanette Owings-Ballard,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer,Department of Defense.
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEOffice of the SecretaryDefense Science Board
AGENCY
:
Department of Defense.
ACTION
:
Notice of Advisory CommitteeMeeting.
SUMMARY
:
The Defense Science BoardTask Force on Management Oversight of Acquisition Organizations will meet inopen session on January 31
–
February 1,2005, at SAIC, 4001 N. Fairfax Drive,Arlington, VA. This Task Force shouldassess whether all major acquisitionorganizations within the Departmenthave adequate management andoversight processes, including whatchanges might be necessary toimplement such processes whereneeded.The mission of the Defense ScienceBoard is to advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology &Logistics on scientific and technicalmatters as they affect the perceivedneeds of the Department of Defense. Atthese meetings, the Defense ScienceBoard Task Force will examine theoversight function with respect to Title10 and military department regulationsto ensure that proper checks and balances exist. The Task Force willreview whether simplification of theacquisition structure could improve both efficiency and oversight.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
LTCScott Dolgoff, USA, Defense ScienceBoard, 3140 Defense Pentagon, Room3D865, Washington, DC 20301
–
3140,via e-mail at
scott.dolgoff@osd.mil,
orvia phone at (703) 695
–
4158.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
Membersof the public who wish to attend themeeting must contract LTC Dolgoff nolater than January 24, 2005, for furtherinformation about admission as seatingis limited. Additionally, those who wishto make oral comments or deliverwritten comments should also request to be scheduled, and submit a written textof the comments by January 26, 2005, toallow time for distribution to Task Forcemembers prior to the meeting.Individual oral comments will belimited to five minutes, with the totaloral comment period not exceeding 30minutes.
Dated: January 18, 2005.
Jeannette Owings-Ballard,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer,Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 05
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEOffice of the SecretaryDefense Science Board
AGENCY
:
Department of Defense.
ACTION
:
Notice of Advisory CommitteeMeeting.
SUMMARY
:
The Defense Science BoardTask Force on 2005 Summer Study onReducing Vulnerabilities to Weapons of Mass Destruction will meet in closedsession on January 31
–
February 1, 2005;March 8
–
9, 2005; April 4
–
5, 2005; May3
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4, 2005; June 1
–
2, 2005; and June 28
–
29, 2005, at Strategic Analysis Inc., 3601Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA. ThisTask Force will review a State
’
sclanedestine employment of weapons of massed destruction (WMD) or the use of such capability by a terrorist.The mission of the Defense ScienceBoard is to advise the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology &Logistics on scientific and technicalmatters as they affect the perceivedneeds of the Department of Defense. Atthese meetings, the Defense ScienceBoard Task Force should developnational enterprise architecture toreduce vulnerabilities to WMD. Thearchitecture should identify those areaswhere integration across modalitieswould pay off, as well as the issues thatare uniquely tied to a single defensewhich may arise from new intelligenceor other sources and adapt to differentgenerations of WMD defense systemswhich will probably be procured undera spiral development model. Anintegrated WMD system would be ableto assess from end-to-end the state of affairs in WMD.In accordance with Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act,Public Law 92
–
463, as amended (5U.S.C. app. 2), it has been determinedthat these Defense Science Board TaskForce meetings concern matters listed in5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and that,accordingly, these meetings will beclosed to the public.
Dated: January 18, 2005.
Jeannette Owings-Ballard,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer,Department of Defense.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONSmaller Learning CommunitiesProgram
AGENCY
:
Office of Vocational and AdultEducation, Department of Education.
ACTION
:
Notice of proposed priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria.
SUMMARY
:
The Assistant Secretary forVocational and Adult Educationproposes priorities, requirements,definitions, and selection criteria for aspecial competition under the SmallerLearning Communities (SLC) program.The Assistant Secretary may use thesepriorities, requirements, definitions andselection criteria for a specialcompetition using a portion of fiscalyear (FY) 2004 funds and also in futureyears. The priorities, requirements,definitions and selection criteriaproposed in this notice will not be usedfor all FY SLC 2004 competitions.Projects funded using these priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria would create and/or expand SLCactivities as well as participate in anational research evaluation of supplemental reading programs.Another SLC competition will beconducted later this year, awardingadditional FY 2004 funds, for projectsthat do not require participation in thenational research evaluation.Requirements, priorities, definitions,and selection criteria for thatcompetition will be proposed in a noticein the
Federal Register
at a later date.We propose these priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria to focus federal financialassistance on an identified nationalneed for scientifically based data onsupplemental reading programs foradolescents.
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Federal Register
/Vol. 70, No. 17/Thursday, January 27, 2005/Notices
DATES
:
We must receive your commentson or before February 28, 2005.
ADDRESSES
:
Address all comments aboutthese proposed priorities, requirements,definitions, and selection criteria toMatthew Fitzpatrick, 400 MarylandAvenue, SW., room 11120, PotomacCenter Plaza, Washington, DC 20202
–
7120. If you prefer to send yourcomments through the Internet, use thefollowing address:
matthew.fitzpatrick@ed.gov 
.You must include the term
‘‘
SLCPublic Comment
’’
in the subject line of your electronic message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
 Matthew Fitzpatrick. Telephone: (202)245
–
7809.If you use a telecommunicationsdevice for the deaf (TDD), you may callthe Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1
–
800
–
877
–
8339.Individuals with disabilities mayobtain this document in an alternativeformat (
e.g.
, Braille, large print,audiotape, or computer diskette) onrequest to the contact person listedunder
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
 
CONTACT
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
:
Invitation To Comment
We invite you to submit commentsregarding these proposed priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria. To ensure that your commentshave maximum effect in developing thenotice of final priorities, requirements,definitions, and selection criteria, weurge you to identify clearly the specificproposed priority, requirement,definition, or selection criterion thateach comment addresses.We invite you to assist us incomplying with the specificrequirements of Executive Order 12866and its overall requirement of reducingregulatory burden that might result fromthese proposed priorities, requirements,definitions, and selection criteria. Pleaselet us know of any further opportunitieswe should take to reduce potential costsor increase potential benefits whilepreserving the effective and efficientadministration of the program.During and after the comment period,you may inspect all public commentsabout these proposed priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria at the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational andAdult Education, room 11122, 550 12thStreet, SW., Washington, DC, betweenthe hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.,eastern time, Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals WithDisabilities in Reviewing theRulemaking Record
On request, we will supply anappropriate aid, such as a reader orprint magnifier, to an individual with adisability who needs assistance toreview the comments or otherdocuments in the public rulemakingrecord for these proposed priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria. If you want to schedule anappointment for this type of aid, pleasecontact the person listed under
FOR
 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
.
Background
Improving adolescent literacy is oneof the major challenges facing highschools today. High school studentsmust have strong literacy skills in orderto acquire the knowledge and skills inEnglish/language arts, mathematics,science, social studies, and othercourses that they need in order toprepare for further learning, for careers,and for active participation in ourdemocracy. Too many young people arenow entering high school without theseessential skills. At a time when theywill soon enter high school, one-quarterof all eighth-grade students and morethan 40 percent of those in urbanschools scored below the basic level onthe National Assessment of EducationProgress (NAEP) in 2003. According toone estimate, at least one-third of entering ninth graders are at least twoyears behind grade level in their readingskills (Balfanz,
et al.
, 2002). Many of these young people become discouragedand drop out before they reach thetwelfth grade. Large numbers of thosewho do persist through their senior yearleave high school nearly as unpreparedfor the future as when they entered it.Twenty-eight percent of twelfth-gradepublic school students scored below the basic level on the NAEP 2002 readingassessment. These students face a bleakfuture in an economy and society thatdemands more than ever before, higherlevels of reading, writing, and oralcommunication skills.Recognizing the importance of improving the literacy skills of America
’
s children and youth, PresidentBush established, as key priorities, theimplementation of scientifically basedapproaches to reading in the earlygrades and the development of newknowledge about how best to helpadolescents read well.One ongoing initiative, theAdolescent Literacy Research Network,created by the Department
’
s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)and the Office of Special Education andRehabilitative Services (OSERS) incollaboration with the National Instituteof Child Health and HumanDevelopment (NICHD), supports six,five-year experimental research projects.These projects are examining cognitive,perceptual, behavioral, and othermechanisms that influence thedevelopment of reading and writingabilities during adolescence, as well asthe extent to which interventions maynarrow or close literacy gaps foradolescents.While these and other long-term,scientifically based research studiespromise to provide a strongerfoundation for designing more effectiveliteracy interventions for adolescents, anumber of noteworthy supplementalreading programs for adolescents arealready available and have attractedgreat attention from high school leadersconcerned about the literacy skills of their freshman students. High schoolsthat have created freshman academySLCs to ease the transition of ninth-grade students to high school are amongthose most interested in addressing theneeds of ninth graders who have readingskills that are significantly below gradelevel. Unfortunately, however, there islittle or no scientifically based evidencethat schools can consult to inform theirdecision-making regarding the selectionand implementation of these readingprograms.In addition to this ongoing researchinitiative, to help fill this knowledgegap, the Department is now seeking topartner with local educational agencies(LEAs) in a national research evaluationthat will examine the effectiveness of two supplemental reading programs thatwill be implemented within freshmanacademy SLCs. Section 5441(c)(2)(B) of the Elementary and SecondaryEducation Act of 1965, as amended bythe No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(ESEA), authorizes SLC funds to be usedto
‘‘
research, develop, and implement*** strategies for effective andinnovative changes in curriculum andinstruction, geared to challenging Stateacademic content standards and Statestudent academic achievementstandards.
’’
The Department proposes inthis notice to provide a new opportunityfor interested LEAs that areimplementing freshman academy SLCsto partner with us to evaluate theeffectiveness of two promisingsupplemental reading programs forninth-grade students whose readingskills are two to four years below gradelevel.The Department
’
s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has awarded acontract to MDRC and the AmericanInstitutes of Research (AIR) to conduct
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Federal Register
/Vol. 70, No. 17/Thursday, January 27, 2005/Notices
this supplemental reading programevaluation. AIR has solicited proposalsfrom vendors of classroom-basedsupplemental reading programs thatwish to participate in this initiative. Thesupplemental reading programs must besuitable for implementation withinfreshman academies, must be research- based, and must address all aspects of reading, from basic alphabetic skills tohigher-level comprehension andwriting. The programs must alsoconsider issues of how to motivateadolescents to read. MDRC and AIR willconvene an independent, expert panelto evaluate the programs submitted forconsideration, assessing, particularly,the extent to which a programincorporates the features judged byexperts in the field to be indicative of a high-quality adolescent readingprogram and the extent to which thereis research-based evidence of theprogram
’
s effectiveness. Based on theexpert panel
’
s recommendations, MDRCand AIR will select the two mostpromising programs for evaluationthrough this initiative. These programswill be identified and described indetail in the final notice invitingapplications for this competition.Interested LEAs that are selected toparticipate in this initiative willimplement the supplemental readingprograms during the 2005
–
06 and 2006
–
07 school years in high schools thathave established freshman academySLCs. Each high school will implementone of the two programs, serving first-time ninth-grade students whosereading skills are two to four years below grade level. Working with MDRC,the contractor selected to conduct theevaluation, each high school will select by lottery approximately 50 studentsfrom a pool of a minimum of 125eligible students to participate in thesupplemental reading program; theremaining students will be assigned toan elective course, study hall, or otheractivity in which they would otherwiseparticipate. The evaluators will workwith each LEA and high school to assessthe effectiveness of the supplementalreading program. After the completionof the 2006
–
07 school year,participating high schools will havegained valuable data about theeffectiveness of these supplementalreading programs in their schools. Thesedata will help them to decide whetherto expand the supplemental readingprogram to include all eligible students,or to select and implement anothersupplemental reading program.The Department proposes to award60-month grants using the priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria proposed in this notice. Inaddition to supporting the other broaderSLC activities at each participating highschool, each grant will fully fund thecosts of implementing the supplementalreading program, technical assistancefrom the program vendor, and the costof participating in the evaluation.The evaluation will provideresearchers, policy-makers, schooladministrators, teachers, and parentsthroughout the United States importantinformation about these supplementalreading programs and adolescentliteracy development, and answer threeimportant questions:(1) Do specific supplemental literacyinterventions supporting personalizedand intensive instruction for strivingninth-grade readers significantlyimprove reading proficiency?(2) What are the effects of supplemental reading programs on in-school outcomes such as attendance andcourse-taking behavior, and on longer-term outcomes such as studentperformance on State assessments in thetenth or eleventh grade?(3) Which students benefit most fromparticipation in the interventions?LEAs and participating high schoolswould benefit in a number of ways frompartnering with the Department in thisinitiative. They would make animportant contribution to improving ournow-limited knowledge of how we canhelp most effectively at-risk youngpeople who enter high school withlimited literacy skills. They wouldreceive grant funds to support theimplementation of a promisingsupplemental reading program andhigh-quality professional developmentfor the teachers who will provideinstruction. After the second year of thegrant, once the research evaluation has been completed, participating schoolswould be free to expand the program toinclude all eligible students orimplement a new program, if theychoose. Finally, they would receivefunds to support a broader SLC projectthat expands or creates new SLCstructures and strategies in participatinghigh schools. Those funds would beavailable for use throughout the 60-month grant period.We will announce the final priorities,requirements, definitions and selectioncriteria in a notice in the
FederalRegister
. We will determine the finalpriorities, requirements, definitions andselection criteria after consideringresponses to this notice and otherinformation available to the Department.This notice does not preclude us fromproposing additional priorities, subjectto meeting applicable rulemakingrequirements.
Note:
This notice does
not 
solicitapplications. In any year in which we chooseto use these proposed priorities,requirements, definitions, and selectioncriteria, we invite applications through anotice in the
Federal Register
. When invitingapplications we designate each priority asabsolute, competitive preference, orinvitational. The effect of each type of priority follows:
Absolute priority:
Under an absolutepriority we consider only applications thatmeet the priority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(3)).
Competitive preference priority:
Under acompetitive preference priority we givecompetitive preference to an application byeither (1) awarding additional points,depending on how well or the extent towhich the application meets the competitivepriority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2)selecting an application that meets thecompetitive priority over an application of comparable merit that does not meet thepriority (34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(ii)).
Invitational priority:
Under an invitationalpriority we are particularly interested inapplications that meet the invitationalpriority. However, we do not give anapplication that meets the invitationalpriority a competitive or absolute preferenceover other applications (34 CFR 75.105(c)(1)).
Priorities
Proposed Priorities
Proposed Priority 1
—
Participation in aNational Research Evaluation ThatAssesses the Effectiveness of Supplemental Reading Programs inFreshman AcademiesTo be eligible for consideration underthis priority, an applicant must:(1) Apply on behalf of two or fourlarge high schools that are currentlyimplementing freshman academies;(2) Provide documentation of theLEA
’
s and schools
’
willingness toparticipate in a large-scale, nationalevaluation that uses scientifically basedresearch methods. Each LEA mustinclude in its application a letter fromits research office or research boardagreeing to meet the requirements of theresearch design, if such approval isneeded according to local policies. If such approval is not required, each LEAmust include in its application a letterfrom its superintendent and theprincipals of the high schools named inthe application, agreeing to meet therequirements of the research design;(3) Agree to implement twodesignated supplemental readingprograms for striving ninth-gradereaders, one in each school, in two orfour eligible high schools, adheringstrictly to the design of the readingprogram, with the understanding thatthe supplemental reading program will be one of two programs announced inthe notice of final priorities and will be
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