19980 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13, (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). Copies of 

this ICR, with applicable supporting 

documentation, may be obtained by 

calling the Corporation for National and 

Community Service, Ms. Amy 

Borgstrom at (202) 606–6930. 

Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TTY–TDD) may call (202) 565–2799 

between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. eastern 

time, Monday through Friday. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted, identified by the title of the 

information collection activity, to the 

Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Attn: Ms. Sharon Mar, OMB 

Desk Officer for the Corporation for 

National and Community Service, by 

any of the following two methods 

within 30 days from the date of 

publication in this Federal Register: 

(1) By fax to: (202) 395–6974, 

Attention: Ms. Sharon Mar, OMB Desk 

Officer for the Corporation for National 

and Community Service; and 

(2) Electronically by e-mail to: 

smar@omb.eop.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OMB 

is particularly interested in comments 

which: 

• Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the Corporation, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; 

• Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

• Propose ways to enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and 

• Propose ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology, e.g., permitting electronic 

submissions of responses. 

Comments 

A 60-day public comment Notice was 

published in the Federal Register on 

February 4, 2011. This comment period 

ended April 5, 2011. No public 

comments were received from this 

Notice. 

Description: The Corporation seeks to 

renew and revise the current 

AmeriCorps State and National 

Application Instructions. The 

Application Instructions are being 

revised for increased clarity and to 

comply with new requirements 

regarding performance measurement set 

forth in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve 

America Act. The Application 

Instructions will be used in the same 

manner as the existing Application 

Instructions. The Corporation also seeks 

to continue using the current 

Application Instructions until the 

revised Application Instructions are 

approved by OMB. The current form is 

due to expire on May 31, 2012. 

Type of Review: Renewal. 

Agency: Corporation for National and 

Community Service. 

Title: AmeriCorps State and National 

Application Instructions. 

OMB Number: 3045–0047. 

Agency Number: None. 

Affected Public: Nonprofit 

organizations, State, Local and Tribal. 

Total Respondents: 654 applicants. 

Frequency: Annually. 

Average Time per Response: 24 hours 

to apply. 

Estimated Total Burden Hours: 15,696 

hours. 

Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): 

None. 

Total Burden Cost (operating/ 

maintenance): None. 

Dated: April 5, 2011. 

Lois Nembhard, 

Deputy Director, AmeriCorps State and 

National. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8554 Filed 4–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6050–$$–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[CFDA Number: 84.184Y] 

Funding Priorities, Requirements, and 

Definitions 

AGENCY: Office of Safe and Drug-Free 

Schools, Department of Education. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities, 

requirements, and definitions. 

SUMMARY: The Assistant Deputy 

Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free 

Schools proposes priorities, 

requirements, and definitions under the 

Safe and Supportive Schools program. 

The Assistant Deputy Secretary may use 

one or more of these priorities, 

requirements, and definitions for 

competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2011 

and later years. The Assistant Deputy 

Secretary intends to use the priorities, 

requirements, and definitions to awards 

grants to State educational agencies 

(SEAs) to support statewide 

measurement of, and targeted 

programmatic interventions to improve, 

conditions for learning in order to help 

schools improve student safety and 

health. 

DATES: We must receive your comments 

on or before May 11, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments about 

this notice to Bryan Williams, U.S. 

Department of Education, 400 Maryland 

Avenue, SW., Potomac Center Plaza, 

Room 10120, Washington, DC 20202– 

6450. 

If you prefer to send your comments 

by e-mail, use the following address: 

bryan.williams@ed.gov. Please include 

the term ‘‘Safe and Supportive 

Schools—Comments on FY 2011 

Proposed Priorities’’ in the subject line 

of your message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bryan Williams (202) 245–7883 or by email: bryan.williams@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD), call the 

Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1– 

800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Invitation to Comment: We invite you 

to submit comments regarding this 

notice. To ensure that your comments 

have maximum effect in developing the 

notice of final priorities, requirements, 

and definitions, we urge you to identify 

clearly the specific proposed priority, 

requirement, or definition that each 

comment addresses. 

We invite you to assist us in 

complying with the specific 

requirements of Executive Order 12866 

and its overall requirement of reducing 

regulatory burden that might result from 

these proposed priorities, requirements, 

and definitions. Please let us know of 

any further opportunities we should 

take to reduce potential costs or increase 

potential benefits while preserving the 

effective and efficient administration of 

the program. 

During and after the comment period, 

you may inspect all public comments 

about this notice in room 10120, 550 

12th Street, SW., Washington, DC, 

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 

p.m., Washington, DC time, Monday 

through Friday of each week except 

Federal holidays. 

Assistance to Individuals with 

Disabilities in Reviewing the 

Rulemaking Record: On request we will 

provide an appropriate accommodation 

or auxiliary aid to an individual with a 

disability who needs assistance to 

review the comments or other 

documents in the public rulemaking 

record for this notice. If you want to 

schedule an appointment for this type of 

accommodation or auxiliary aid, please 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices 19981 

1U.S. Department of Education. National Center 

for Education Statistics. Indicators of School Crime 

and Safety: 2010. 

2 Dinkes, R., Kemp, J., Baum, K. and Snyder, T.D. 

(2009). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 

(NCES 2011–012/NCJ 230812) National Center for 

Education Statistics, Institute for Education 

Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and 

Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice 

Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, 

DC: US Government Printing Office. 

3U.S. Department of Education. National Center 

for Education Statistics. Indicators of School Crime 

and Safety: 2010. 

4Bowen, N.K. & Bowen, G.L. (1999). Effects of 

crime and violence in neighborhoods and schools 

on the school behaviors and performance of 

adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 

319–342. 

5Flannery, D.J., Wester, K.L. & Singer, M.I. 

(2004). Impact of exposures to violence in school 

on child and adolescent mental health and 

behavior. Journal of Community Psychology. 32, 

559–573. 

6Smith, P.K. & Sharp, S. (1994). The problem of 

school bullying. In P.K. Smith & S. Sharp (Eds.) 

School Bullying: Insights and Perspectives. New 

York, NY: Routledge, pp. 1–19. 

7 Glew, G., Fan, F., Katon, W., Rivara, F., Kernic, 

M. (2005). Bullying, psychosocial adjustment, and 

academic performance in elementary school. Arch 

Pediatr Adolesc Med, 159, 1026–1031. 

8Leary, M.R., Kowalski, R.M., Smith, L., & 

Phillips, S. (2003). Teasing, rejection, and violence: 

Case studies of the school shootings. Aggressive 

Behavior, 29, 202–214. 

9U.S. Department of Education. National Center 

for Education Statistics. 2007–2008 Survey on 

Crime and Safety (SSOCS), 2008. 

10Blum, R.W & Libbey, H.P. (2004). School 

Connectedness—Strengthening Health and 

Education Outcomes for Teenagers. Journal of 

School Health. 74, 231–232. 

contact the person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Purpose of Program: Through the Safe 

and Supportive Schools program, the 

Department awards grants to SEAs to 

support statewide measurement of, and 

targeted programmatic interventions to 

improve, conditions for learning in 

order to help schools improve student 

safety and health. Program Authority: 20 

U.S.C. 7131. Applicable Regulations: (a) 

The Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 

34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 

85, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations 

in 34 CFR part 299. 

Proposed Priorities 

This notice contains three proposed 

priorities. Background: Our Nation’s 

schools should be safe and secure 

settings where children can learn and 

grow to their full potential. 

Unfortunately, data suggests that 

significant levels of violence, bullying, 

and other problems in schools create 

conditions that negatively affect 

learning. The most recent data on school 

crime and safety indicate that while the 

incidence of violent crimes in schools 

decreased from 1992 to 2008, students 

are now more likely to experience nonfatal crimes (including theft, simple 

assault, aggravated assault, rape, and 

sexual assault) in school than outside of 

school.1 During the 2007–2008 school 

year, 85 percent of public schools in the 

United States reported that at least one 

crime occurred at their school.2 In 

addition, based on more recently 

reported data, 25 percent of public 

schools reported that bullying occurred 

among students on a daily or weekly 

basis, and 34 percent of teachers agreed 

or strongly agreed that student 

misbehavior interfered with their 

teaching.3

Disruptive aggressive behaviors such 

as bullying and violence create a hostile 

school environment that can interfere 

with the academic performance and 

mental health of students who are 

victims of or witnesses to such 

aggressive behaviors. Students who are 

exposed to high levels of aggressive 

behavior and violence at school are 

more likely to disengage from school 4

and to experience clinical levels of 

mental and emotional disorders than are 

students who experience either no or 

low levels of violence at school.5

Students who are bullied are also more 

likely to become truant from school 6

and have lower academic performance.7

Research also indicates that the majority 

of school shooters had been previously 

bullied.8 Disruptive and aggressive 

behaviors in the classroom, and the 

resulting suspensions and expulsions, 

also diminish teachers’ instructional 

time and students’ learning time. Of the 

271,800 serious disciplinary actions that 

were taken during the 2007–2008 school 

year for physical attacks or fights, 79 

percent were out-of-school suspensions 

lasting five days or more.9

Preparing students for success 

requires learning environments that 

help all students to be engaged in their 

classrooms, schools, and communities. 

Students learn best when they are in a 

school environment with, among other 

things, positive relationships between 

adults and students; the absence of 

violence, bullying, harassment, and 

substance abuse; and readily available 

physical and mental health supports 

and services. Research has shown that 

students who report high levels of 

school connectedness also report lower 

levels of emotional distress, violence, 

suicide attempts, and drug use.10

Safe and supportive school 

environments also provide greater 

opportunities for family and community 

engagement in students’ learning and 

strengthening the role of schools as 

centers of communities. 

To ensure that schools are safe places 

for students to learn and to formulate 

intervention and prevention strategies, 

schools should understand the issues 

they face and the conditions that may 

influence student risk behaviors. As 

such, comprehensive needs assessments 

of conditions for learning—including 

assessments of school engagement, 

school safety, and the school 

environment—can provide educators 

with the data needed to design and 

target interventions to improve 

conditions in schools. 

Safe and Supportive Schools grants 

were first implemented in FY 2010, 

using priorities similar to the priorities 

proposed in this notice. Our experience 

with grantees from this cohort is that 

developing a comprehensive approach 

to improving conditions for learning is 

critical to helping all students be safe, 

healthy, and supported in their 

classrooms, schools, and communities. 

We propose the following priorities to 

increase the capacity of States, local 

educational agencies (LEAs), and 

schools to create safe, healthy, and 

supportive learning environments. 

Proposed Priority 1—Grants to States To 

Improve Conditions for Learning 

Under this proposed priority the 

Department supports grants to SEAs for 

projects that take a systematic approach 

to improving conditions for learning in 

eligible schools (as defined in this 

notice) through (a) an improved 

measurement system that assesses 

conditions for learning, which must 

include school safety, and (b) the 

implementation of programmatic 

interventions that address problems 

identified by data. 

Proposed Priority 2—Inclusion of 

School Engagement and School 

Environment in Needs Assessments 

Measuring Conditions for Learning 

To meet this proposed priority, the 

applicant must propose to implement a 

measurement system that uses valid and 

reliable instruments to gather 

comprehensive data on school 

engagement and the school environment 

from students in order to assess 

conditions for learning. 

Proposed Priority 3—Family and Staff 

Inclusion in Needs Assessments 

Measuring School Engagement 

To meet this proposed priority, the 

applicant must propose to implement a 

measurement system that uses valid and 

reliable instruments to gather 

comprehensive data from school staff 

and from students’ families or guardians 

that can be used to assess school 

engagement. 

Types of Priorities: 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
19982 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices 

When inviting applications for a 

competition using one or more 

priorities, we designate the type of each 

priority as absolute, competitive 

preference, or invitational through a 

notice in the Federal Register. The 

effect of each type of priority follows: 

Absolute priority: Under an absolute 

priority, we consider only applications 

that meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(3)). 

Competitive preference priority: 

Under a competitive preference priority, 

we give competitive preference to an 

application by (1) awarding additional 

points, depending on the extent to 

which the application meets the priority 

(34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i)); or (2) selecting 

an application that meets the priority 

over an application of comparable merit 

that does not meet the priority (34 CFR 

75.105(c)(2)(ii)). 

Invitational priority: Under an 

invitational priority, we are particularly 

interested in applications that meet the 

priority. However, we do not give an 

application that meets the priority a 

preference over other applications (34 

CFR 75.105(c)(1)). 

Proposed Requirements 

Background: The purpose of the Safe 

and Supportive Schools program is to 

support SEAs in the statewide 

measurement of, and targeted 

programmatic interventions to improve, 

conditions for learning in order to help 

schools improve student safety and 

health. Schools need complete and 

accurate data to determine where 

resources are most needed and to design 

effective programs. For example, while 

incident data can be used to determine 

the frequency of safety incidents, they 

cannot fully measure perceptions or 

attitudes, and those data are usually 

limited to those incidents that come to 

the attention of school personnel. In 

addition, these data rarely include 

students, staff, and parent perceptions 

of school safety, student engagement, 

and the learning environment. 

We believe that supplementing 

incident data with survey or other data 

is critical to informing and guiding 

efforts to improve conditions for 

learning. Many States and LEAs already 

use a variety of surveys to track Statelevel or LEA-level trends; however, 

improvements are needed to ensure that 

the survey measures are valid and 

reliable and that the surveys provide 

schools with sufficient data to inform 

decision making. 

In order to improve conditions for 

learning, we believe that sufficient highquality data are required to identify 

need, allocate resources, and implement 

and expand effective programs that meet 

the needs of students. 

Proposed Requirements: 

The Assistant Deputy Secretary for 

Safe and Drug-Free Schools proposes 

the following program, application, 

administrative, and eligibility 

requirements for this program. We may 

apply one or more of these requirements 

in any year in which this program is in 

effect. 

Program Requirements: 

1. Measurement System. 

(a) Each grantee must implement a 

measurement system that— 

(1) Collects survey data and incident 

data (as defined in this notice) from 

participating LEAs that have a 

combined student enrollment of no less 

than 20 percent of the State’s total 

student enrollment; 

(2) Collects student survey data from 

eligible schools (as defined in this 

notice) to assess conditions for learning, 

which include, at a minimum, data on 

school safety; 

(3) Uses survey sampling procedures 

that collect data from a representative 

sample of the students in grades 9 and 

above within the eligible schools 

surveyed; 

(4) Uses valid and reliable survey 

instruments (as defined in this notice); 

(5) Collects the required survey data 

from all eligible schools in participating 

LEAs within the first 12 months of the 

project period and again during the final 

12 months of the project period; 

(6) Collects the required survey data 

from each eligible school selected to 

implement programmatic interventions 

(as defined in this notice) in each year 

of the project period; 

(7) Collects incident data (as defined 

in this notice) from all eligible schools 

in participating LEAs in each year of the 

project period; and 

(8) Provides data that can be 

summarized in ways that will engage 

school staff and families or guardians in 

discussions of the results. 

2. School Safety Scores. 

(a) Each grantee must generate a 

school safety score (as defined in this 

notice) for each eligible school in its 

participating LEAs, using student 

survey data and incident data (as 

defined in this notice) both of which are 

disaggregated by school, within the first 

12 months of the project period and 

again during the final 12 months of the 

project period; 

(b) Additionally, each grantee must 

generate a school safety score for each 

eligible school selected to implement 

programmatic interventions (as defined 

in this notice), using student survey 

data and incident data (as defined in 

this notice) both of which are 

disaggregated at the school level, in 

each year of the project period; and 

(c) Each grantee must publicly report 

school safety scores for each eligible 

school in its participating LEAs after the 

initial year and after the final year of the 

project period, and for each year of the 

project period, for eligible schools 

selected to implement programmatic 

interventions. To satisfy this 

requirement, each grantee must— 

(i) Prior to the start of each school 

year, post school safety scores, 

generated from current data, on the 

Internet in a manner that is easily 

accessible to the general public; and 

(ii) Within the first 12 months of the 

project period, post the formula used to 

generate school safety scores on the 

Internet in a manner that is easily 

accessible to the general public. 

3. Implementing Programmatic 

Interventions and Technical Assistance 

Strategies. Each grantee must— 

(a) In consultation with its 

participating LEAs, and using criteria 

that incorporate student survey data and 

incident data from the measurement 

system, the list of persistently lowestachieving schools (as defined in this 

notice), or both, select eligible schools 

in need of programmatic interventions 

(as defined in this notice); 

(b) In consultation with its 

participating LEAs, implement 

programmatic interventions (as defined 

in this notice) in a number of eligible 

schools, located in participating LEAs, 

totaling no more than 20 percent of the 

total number of eligible schools in the 

State, to ensure that programmatic 

interventions are of sufficient size and 

scope; 

(c) Provide its participating LEAs and 

eligible schools with technical 

assistance in using survey data to drive 

school improvement, including on using 

data to assess areas in need of 

improvement, and on identifying 

programmatic interventions to address 

these areas; and 

(d) Use at least 80 percent of the grant 

funds awarded in project years two, 

three, and four to carry out 

programmatic interventions (as defined 

in this notice) and related technical 

assistance. 

Note: For the purposes of these proposed 

program requirements, grantees may 

implement programmatic interventions that 

serve any student within an eligible school, 

including students in grades 8 and below. 

Grantees are not required to survey students 

in grades 8 and below. 

Application Requirements: 

In its application, an applicant must— 

(a) Identify the LEAs that will 

participate in the proposed project. If 

the LEAs that will participate have not 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices 19983 

been identified by the time the 

application is submitted, the applicant 

must provide a description of the 

process it will use to select LEAs to 

participate; 

(b) Describe the process it will use to 

consult with participating LEAs in 

developing a formula to be used in 

generating school safety scores required 

under the program; 

(c) Describe its plan to maintain, 

improve, or build State-level capacity to 

conduct the following activities: 

(1) Developing, adapting, or adopting 

valid and reliable survey instruments. 

(2) Administering surveys using 

established sampling and 

administration methodologies that 

ensure adequate school-level 

representation and high response rates. 

(3) Tracking costs by major 

component (e.g., student survey data 

collection). 

(4) Safeguarding the privacy and 

confidentiality of the survey 

respondents and complying with the 

requirements of the Protection of Pupil 

Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C. 1232h; 34 

CFR part 98 in collecting survey data 

and with the requirements of the Family 

Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 

U.S.C. 1232g; and 34 CFR part 99 in 

collecting any survey or incident data 

containing personally identifiable 

information; 

(d) Provide a brief description of the 

specific constructs to be included on 

any survey instruments; 

(e) Explain the strategies it will use to 

identify and address any anticipated 

challenges (including statutory or 

regulatory requirements) involved in 

collecting the required data in the 

participating LEAs. At a minimum, each 

applicant must identify and address 

anticipated barriers to obtaining high 

response rates for surveys; 

(f) Describe how it will use the 

summaries of the data collected from 

the measurement system and the school 

safety scores to engage families and 

guardians in a discussion of the 

findings; to examine how a school’s 

setting, policies, and practices promote 

or inhibit student safety from physical 

violence; and to examine how a school’s 

setting, policies, and practices might 

reduce disruptive behaviors and 

suspensions and expulsions; 

(g) Describe how it will provide 

technical assistance to participating 

LEAs and their schools on the use, 

meaning, and application of required 

survey data and incident data (as 

defined in this notice); 

(h) Describe the strategies it will use 

to consult with participating LEAs in 

order to identify and implement 

programmatic interventions (as defined 

in this notice) in identified schools that 

respond to needs identified through the 

analysis of data collected through the 

measurement system; and 

(i) Comply with the requirements of 

any evaluation of the program 

conducted by the Department, including 

by sharing all data collected through the 

measurement system with the 

Department or an evaluator selected by 

the Department. 

Administrative Requirement: 

Although programmatic interventions 

will be delivered at the LEA level, the 

SEA must retain administrative 

direction and fiscal control for the 

project. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

Eligible applicants under this program 

are SEAs, as defined by section 9101(41) 

of the ESEA. 

Proposed Definitions: 

The Assistant Deputy Secretary for 

Safe and Drug-Free Schools proposes 

the following definitions for this 

program. We may apply one or more of 

these definitions in any year in which 

this program is in effect. 

Conditions for learning means the 

school setting, which includes, at a 

minimum, school safety, and which 

may include school environment and 

school engagement. 

Eligible school means any school that 

includes 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th 

grade, or 12th grade. 

Incident data means data from 

incident reports by school officials 

including, but not limited to, truancy 

rates; the frequency, seriousness, and 

incidence of violence and drug-related 

offenses resulting in suspensions and 

expulsions; and the incidence and 

prevalence of drug use and violence by 

students in schools. 

Moderate evidence means evidence 

from previous studies whose designs 

can support causal conclusions (i.e., 

studies with high internal validity) but 

have limited generalizability (i.e., 

moderate external validity), or studies 

with high external validity but moderate 

internal validity. 

Persistently lowest-achieving schools 

means, as determined by the State, (a)(1) 

any Title I school in improvement, 

corrective action, or restructuring that 

(i) is among the lowest-achieving five 

percent of Title I schools in 

improvement, corrective action, or 

restructuring or the lowest-achieving 

five Title I schools in improvement, 

corrective action, or restructuring in the 

State, whichever number of schools is 

greater; or (ii) is a high school that has 

had a graduation rate as defined in 34 

CFR 200.19(b) that is less than 60 

percent over a number of years; and (2) 

any secondary school that is eligible for, 

but does not receive, Title I funds that 

(i) is among the lowest-achieving five 

percent of secondary schools or the 

lowest-achieving five secondary schools 

in the State that are eligible for, but do 

not receive, Title I funds, whichever 

number of schools is greater; or (ii) is a 

high school that has had a graduation 

rate as defined in 34 CFR 200.19(b) that 

is less than 60 percent over a number of 

years. 

To identify the persistently lowestachieving schools, a State must take into 

account both: (i) The academic 

achievement of the ‘‘all students’’ group 

in a school in terms of proficiency on 

the State’s assessments under section 

1111(b)(3) of the ESEA in reading/ 

language arts and mathematics 

combined; and (ii) the school’s lack of 

progress on those assessments over a 

number of years for the ‘‘all students’’ 

group. 

Programmatic intervention means any 

program, strategy, activity, service, or 

policy for school or community settings 

that prevents and reduces youth crime, 

violence, harassment, bullying, and the 

illegal use of drugs, alcohol, and 

tobacco; creates positive relationships 

between students and adults; promotes 

parent and community engagement; 

promotes the character, social, and 

emotional development of students; 

provides or improves access to social 

services; enables school communities to 

manage student behaviors effectively 

while lowering suspensions and 

expulsions; promotes readiness and 

emergency management for schools; or 

provides other needed social and 

emotional supports for students. 

Programmatic interventions should be 

based on the best available evidence, 

including, where available, strong 

evidence (as defined in this notice) or 

moderate evidence (as defined in this 

notice). 

School engagement means 

participation in school-related activities, 

and the quality of school relationships, 

which may include relationships 

between and among administrators, 

teachers, parents, and students. 

School environment means the school 

setting relating to the physical plant, the 

fairness and adequacy of disciplinary 

procedures, the academic environment, 

and student health, including the 

available physical and mental health 

supports and services, as supported by 

relevant research and an assessment of 

validity. 

School safety means the safety of 

school settings, such as the incidence of 

harassment, bullying, violence, and 

substance use, as supported by relevant 

research and an assessment of validity. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
19984 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 69 / Monday, April 11, 2011 / Notices 

School safety score means a number 

calculated with a formula, developed by 

the State in consultation with LEAs and 

applied uniformly to all eligible schools 

in participating LEAs within the State, 

that uses survey data and incident data 

(as defined in this notice) collected by 

a measurement system and that can be 

used to make school comparisons. 

Strong evidence means evidence from 

previous studies whose designs can 

support causal conclusions (i.e., studies 

with high internal validity), and studies 

that in total include enough of the range 

of participants and settings to support 

scaling up to the State, regional, or 

national level (i.e., studies with high 

external validity). 

Valid and reliable survey instruments 

mean intact sets of survey questions that 

have been demonstrated statistically to 

produce results that are both 

consistently and accurately measuring 

appropriate concepts of interest for the 

age groups surveyed. 

Final Priorities, Requirements, and 

Definitions: 

We will announce the final priorities, 

requirements, and definitions in a 

notice in the Federal Register. We will 

determine the final priorities, 

requirements, and definitions after 

considering responses to this notice and 

other information available to the 

Department. This notice does not 

preclude us from proposing additional 

priorities, requirements, and definitions 

subject to meeting applicable 

rulemaking requirements. 

Note: This notice does not solicit 

applications. In any year in which we choose 

to use one or more of these proposed 

priorities, requirements, and definitions, we 

invite applications through a notice in the 

Federal Register. 

Executive Order 12866: This notice 

has been reviewed in accordance with 

Executive Order 12866. Under the terms 

of the order, we have assessed the 

potential costs and benefits of this 

proposed regulatory action. 

The potential costs associated with 

this proposed regulatory action are 

those resulting from statutory 

requirements and those we have 

determined as necessary for 

administering this program effectively 

and efficiently. 

In assessing the potential costs and 

benefits—both quantitative and 

qualitative—of this proposed regulatory 

action, we have determined that the 

benefits of the proposed priorities, 

requirements, and definitions justify the 

costs. 

We have determined, also, that this 

proposed regulatory action does not 

unduly interfere with State, local, and 

tribal governments in the exercise of 

their governmental functions. 

Discussion of Costs and Benefits: 

The potential costs associated with 

the proposed priorities and 

requirements are minimal while the 

potential benefits are significant. 

Grantees may anticipate costs related 

to developing and implementing a 

measurement system, including data 

collection, analysis, and reporting. 

Grantees may also anticipate costs in 

implementing programs in schools, and 

providing training and technical 

assistance to staff in participating LEAs. 

Finally, grantees will experience costs 

when traveling to mandatory training 

events sponsored by the Department. 

However, all of these costs may be 

included in the grant budget and, 

therefore, will have little or no financial 

impact on the applicant. 

The benefit of the proposed priorities, 

definitions, and requirements is that 

grantees will develop a measurement 

system that uses incident and survey 

data to support statewide measurement 

of conditions for learning. The grantee 

can use this information to identify and 

support the most at-risk schools and 

communities, thereby improving school 

safety and increasing the likelihood of 

academic success for students in these 

schools. Grantees will be able to tailor 

their approach based on the specific 

needs of each school, using data from 

the measurement system to drive 

resource and programming decisions. 

Training and technical assistance will 

be provided for staff, and will increase 

the grantee’s overall performance and 

sustainability efforts. In summary, a 

comprehensive effort to improve 

conditions for learning will help to 

promote student safety, health, and 

well-being, and increase our capacity to 

create safe, healthy, and drug-free 

learning environments. 

Intergovernmental Review: This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR 

part 79. One of the objectives of the 

Executive order is to foster an 

intergovernmental partnership and a 

strengthened federalism. The Executive 

order relies on processes developed by 

State and local governments for 

coordination and review of proposed 

Federal financial assistance. 

This document provides early 

notification of our specific plans and 

actions for this program. 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document in 

an accessible format (e.g., braille, large 

print, audiotape, or computer diskette) 

on request to the contact person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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) 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. 

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: April 5, 2011. 

Kevin Jennings, 

Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and DrugFree Schools. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8461 Filed 4–8–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Advisory Commission on Accessible 

Instructional Materials in 

Postsecondary Education for Students 

With Disabilities 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Education, 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, Advisory 

Commission on Accessible Instructional 

Materials in Postsecondary Education 

for Students with Disabilities. 

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting and 

public hearing. 

SUMMARY: The notice sets forth the 

schedule and agenda of the meeting of 

the Advisory Commission on Accessible 

Instructional Materials in Postsecondary 

Education for Students with Disabilities. 

The notice also describes the functions 

of the Commission. Notice of the 

meeting is required by section 10(a)(2) 

of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 

and is intended to notify the public of 

its opportunity to attend. 

DATES: Open Meeting: May 3–4, 2011. 

Public Hearing: May 4, 2011. 

TIME: May 3, 2011: The open meeting 

will occur from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. May 4, 

2011: The open meeting will occur from 

8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. The public hearing 

will take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The Blackwell Inn and 

Conference Center, 2110 Tuttle Park 

Place, Columbus, Ohio 43210. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elizabeth Shook, Program Specialist, 

Office of Special Education and 

Rehabilitative Services, United States 

Department of Education, 550 12th 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20202; 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES