44194 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

RIN 1850–ZA02

National Awards Program for HighQuality Professional Development

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Eligibility

and Selection Criteria.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes

eligibility and selection criteria to

govern the National Awards Program for

Model Professional Development for

Fiscal Year 1998. Under these criteria,

the National Awards Program would

recognize a variety of schools and

school districts with model professional

development activities in the prekindergarten through twelfth grade

levels that have led to increases in

student achievement.

DATES: Comments must be received by

the Department on or before September

18, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

these proposed definitions and selection

criteria should be addressed to Sharon

Horn, Office of Educational Research

and Improvement, 555 New Jersey

Avenue, NW—Room 506E, Washington,

DC 20208 phone: 202–219–2203.

Comments also may be sent by e-mail to

sharonlhorn@ed.gov or by FAX at

(202) 219–2198.

Comments that concern information

collection requirements must be sent to

the Office of Management and Budget at

the address listed in the Paperwork

Reduction Act section of this notice. A

copy of those comments may also be

sent to the Department representative

named in the ADDRESSES section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sharon Horn, phone: (202) 219–2203.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through

this notice the Secretary proposes

definitions and criteria to govern

applications for recognition submitted

under the second National Awards

Program for Model Professional

Development. This Program began in

1996, in coordination with a wide range

of national education organizations, to

highlight and recognize schools and

school districts whose professional

development activities are aligned with

the statement of Mission and Principles

of Professional Development that the

Department developed in 1994. See

Appendix A. This second National

Awards Program, to be conducted

during Fiscal Year (FY) 1998, will be

implemented in ways similar to last

year’s program (see, for example, the

Notice Inviting Applications for Awards

published in the Federal Register on

June 14, 1996 at 61 FR 30450), but with

criteria designed to better inform

applicants of the kind of information

that successful applicants will need to

provide. Again this year, the Secretary

would recognize successful applicants

at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., and

present each successful applicant with

an award of not less than $5,000 that the

recipient could use to expand, promote

or publicize its professional

development activities.

The reasons for wanting to continue

the National Awards Program are clear.

Schools and school districts throughout

the Nation are undertaking efforts to

raise academic standards and to

improve the academic achievement of

all students. For these efforts to be

successful they must include strategies

for permitting teachers (and other

school and local educational agency

(LEA) staff) to obtain the skills and

knowledge they need to enable all

students to achieve. Indeed, whatever

the school reform initiative, teachers are

the core. However, teachers need access

to new knowledge and skills to enable

them to continue to teach to higher

standards and to respond to the

challenges facing education today.

Realizing that high-quality

professional development must be at the

core of any effort to achieve educational

excellence, the Secretary in 1994

directed a broadly representative team

within the U.S. Department of

Education to examine the best available

research and exemplary practices

related to professional development,

and work with the field to develop a set

of basic principles of high-quality

professional development. Out of this

national effort came the Department’s

Statement of Mission and Principles of

Professional Development. This

statement reflected both extensive

collaboration with a wide range of

education constituents and review of

public comment received on a draft

Statement of Mission and Principles of

Professional Development published in

the Federal Register on December 9,

1994 (59 FR 63773). The Department

issued the final Statement of Mission

and Principles (Appendix A) in 1995

after review of public comment and

reexamination of the best available

research on exemplary practices. This

statement is grounded in the practical

wisdom of leading educators across the

country about the kind of professional

development that, if implemented,

maintained, and supported, will have a

positive and lasting effect on teaching

and learning in America.

The Statement of Mission and

Principles of Professional Development

represents a framework for guiding

school and school district staff as they

design and implement their professional

development activities. Many of the

same national education organizations

that worked with the Department to

develop the Mission and Principles of

Professional Development sought the

Department’s help last year in

identifying and recognizing those

professional development efforts across

the pre-kindergarten through twelfth

grade spectrum that reflect the Mission

and Principles. Given the efforts of

schools and school districts throughout

the Nation to pursue school reform

initiatives, the Secretary agreed with

these organizations about the urgent

need to identify sites whose

professional development activities can

be models for other schools and districts

that are working to enhance their own

professional development activities.

Therefore, the Secretary last year

announced the first National Awards

Program for Model Professional

Development. The public expressed

great interest in the program, and the

Department received over 100

applications. In February of this year,

the Department recognized five schools

and school districts in Massachusetts,

Connecticut, Kansas and California for

the high quality of their professional

development activities and the link

between those activities and improved

student learning. But the importance of

high-quality professional development

to successful strategies to increase

student achievement demands that this

Awards Program be continued, and

more schools and school districts have

the opportunity for national recognition.

Therefore, the Secretary is pleased to

propose definitions and criteria to

govern the second National Awards

Program.

The Secretary will announce the final

eligibility and selection criteria in a

notice in the Federal Register. The final

eligibility and selection criteria will be

determined by responses to this notice

and other considerations of the

Department.

Note: This notice does not solicit

applications. A notice inviting applications

under this competition will be published in

the Federal Register concurrent with or

following publication of the notice of final

eligibility and selection criteria.

Proposed Eligibility Criteria

As with last year’s program, eligible

applicants would be schools and school

districts in the States (including schools
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / Notices 44195

located on Indian reservations, and in

the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,

and the outlying areas) that provide

educational programs in the prekindergarten through twelfth grade

levels.

The Secretary also proposes to retain

application selection criteria that are

built on two key elements: (1) A

demonstration that the professional

development activities are fully aligned

with the Mission and Principles of

Professional Development, and (2) a

demonstration of how, consistent with

the Mission and Principles, the

professional development activities

benefit all affected students, and have

led to improved student achievement

and improved teacher effectiveness. As

noted above, the statement of Mission

and Principles of Professional

Development reflects broad agreement

of what is ‘‘best practice.’’ It was

prepared in collaboration with a great

many national educational associations

and upon review of public comment.

The Secretary believes that professional

development activities can only be

considered exemplary if they, in fact,

are linked to increased student

achievement.

Again, this year, the format of

applications would remain fairly

simple. However, the application

material would be revised to better

identify topics applicants would need to

address to demonstrate alignment with

the Mission and Principles of

Professional Development and a link to

increased student achievement. In

addition, to promote fairness among

those seeking recognition under the

National Awards Program, all

applications would need to be prepared

in accordance with formatting

instructions included in the application

packet.

Proposed Selection Criteria

Applicants would be free to develop

their applications in any way they

choose as long as they comply with the

requirements set out in the application

packet. The degree to which applicants

demonstrate alignment with the Mission

and Principles of Professional

Development and a link to increased

student achievement would be

evaluated using the following criteria:

Guiding Principles: In evaluating

applications for the National Awards

Program, reviewers will look to see

whether the application, taken as a

whole, demonstrates that the school’s or

school district’s professional

development activities is

comprehensive and leads to improved

teacher effectiveness and increased

student achievement. In doing so,

reviewers would be guided by the extent

to which and how well applicants

respond to the following criteria, the

most important of which would concern

objective evidence of success. Each

proposed criterion includes one or more

questions that are designed to help

applicants formulate their responses. It

would not be necessary for applicants to

answer each question individually. But,

taken as a whole, the description of

their professional development

activities should respond to the topic of

each criterion with enough information

so that reviewers can determine whether

the school or district’s professional

development is comprehensive and

leads to improved teacher effectiveness

and increased student achievement.

A. Background and Overview of

Professional Development

In this section applicants would

provide a brief explanation of why they

consider professional development in

their schools or districts exemplary by

describing its key components and

relating those to the U.S. Department of

Education’s Principles of Professional

Development. This description would

provide evidence that the professional

development activities are not narrowly

focused on one subgroup of students or

staff within the school or district.

In responding to this criterion,

applicants should consider the

following questions:

1. What are the infrastructure,

content, and process components of

professional development in the school

or district?

2. How does professional

development in the applicant’s school

or district reflect the U.S. Department of

Education’s Mission and Professional

Development Principles?

3. Why does the applicant consider

professional development in the school

or district to be exemplary?

B. Goals and Outcomes

In this section, applicants would

describe their professional development

goals, how they were developed, how

they relate to school improvement, and

how they are based on needs assessment

and address the achievement of all

students (regardless of gender; socioeconomic level; disadvantaged status;

racial, ethnic or cultural background;

exceptional abilities or disabilities; or

limited English proficiency), not just a

subgroup. Applicants also would

address the changes in teaching and

student learning that are expected to

result from professional development.

In doing so, they would include how

professional development goals and

outcomes promote teaching and

learning to high standards.

In responding to this criterion,

applicants should consider the

following questions:

1. What are the applicant’s broad

goals of professional development in its

school or district?

2. What are the applicant’s goals for

ALL students’ achievement through

professional development?

3. What are the ways that the

professional development goals are

connected to the school or district’s

long-term school improvement plans?

4. What process was used to create the

professional development goals and

plan, and who is involved in the

development?

5. What are the ways in which

teachers’ professional development

needs are assessed and incorporated in

the plan for professional development?

6. How do the professional

development goals and outcomes focus

on increasing teachers’ expertise in

teaching to high standards?

7. What changes in teaching and

student learning result from

participation in professional

development in the school or district?

What was the rationale for believing

these changes would result in improved

teaching and learning?

C. Professional Development Design and

Implementation

Overall, the applicant’s response to

this section would show how the

context, content and processes of its

professional development activities are

consistent with the Department’s

Mission and Principles of Professional

Development. The description would

provide evidence that professional

development reflects research and best

practice; includes comprehensive

evaluation; includes organizational

structures (e.g., roles and policy) and

resources (e.g., use of time, expertise,

funds) that support it; promotes

continuous inquiry and improvement;

and, ensures that the larger school

community understands its importance

to school improvement.

The applicant would describe the

data-based processes that are used for

checking that professional development

is connected to the school or district

improvement plan and that the

professional development design

supports the attainment of expected

changes in teaching practice and

student learning. The description would

include any formal and informal

processes used to routinely collect

information for monitoring how the

school or district is progressing toward

their goals; for assessing the links
44196 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / Notices

between the plan, professional

development activities and teacher and

student outcomes; and, for adjusting

what isn’t working.

Applicants with resources to procure

and use technology in the classroom

also would include a discussion of how

the needs of teachers to more effectively

use technology are met and how the

impact on student achievement is

addressed and assessed.

In responding to this criterion,

applicants should consider the

following questions:

1. How is professional development a

part of what ALL teachers do? What role

do administrators and other members of

the school community play in

professional development?

2. How do the applicant’s professional

development design and activities

reflect research and best practice?

3. Why were the specific content,

instructional strategies, and learning

activities selected for professional

development?

4. What are the processes for

documenting and monitoring the

alignment of the improvement plans,

professional development activities, and

teacher and student outcomes?

5. How do organizational structures

support the implementation of

professional development at individual,

collegial and organizational levels?

6. What resources and types of

sustained support (financial and other)

are available for professional

development for individuals, groups,

and the whole school or district? How

are current resources obtained?

7. How does the applicant’s design of

its overall professional development

activities reflect comprehensive

evaluation? What data are routinely

collected to assess the alignment? How

are collected data used to refine

professional development?

8. How does the applicant ensure that

the school community understands how

the professional development

components fit together and connect to

the overall school plan?

D. Objective Evidence of Success

This portion of the application would

be fundamental to the characterization

of the applicant’s professional

development, and would be the most

important selection criterion that

reviewers would use. Applicants would

need to demonstrate clearly that teacher

effectiveness and student achievement

have increased as a direct result of the

implemented professional development.

Data that indicate this connection

should be described. The focus here is

on evidence. In doing so, applicants

would make a compelling argument for

how professional development

positively affects outcomes for all

teachers and all students, emphasizing

areas where any achievement gaps

between groups (e.g., gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity) have been

closed.

In responding to this criterion,

applicants should consider the

following questions:

1. What evidence from data-gathering

processes demonstrate that professional

development in the school or district

has improved all teachers’ effectiveness?

2. What evidence is there that

professional development in the school

or district has improved students’

achievement across all grade levels and

all subject areas?

3. What evidence is there that

professional development in the school

or district leads to a narrowing of

existing achievement gaps between

groups of students?

E. Implications for the Field

In this section of the application,

applicants would describe the lessons

learned as the applicant’s professional

development has matured. Applicants

also would describe ways in which

others would benefit from learning

about their professional development

activities, indicating what knowledge

and practical advice (e.g., tools,

strategies, or processes) the applicants

would be able to offer.

In responding to this criterion,

applicants should consider the

following question:

1. What lessons about providing

quality professional development has

the applicant learned that other schools

and districts could use?

Proposed Selection Procedures

The Secretary intends to evaluate

applications using unweighted selection

criteria. The Secretary believes that the

use of unweighted criteria is most

appropriate because they will allow the

reviewers maximum flexibility to apply

their professional judgements in

identifying the particular strengths and

weaknesses in individual applications.

However, to receive recognition under

the National Awards Program, reviewers

would need to find that the applicant’s

professional development activities

reflect model practices as evidenced by

exemplary responses to each of the

criteria identified under the

‘‘PROPOSED SELECTION CRITERIA’’

section of this Notice. A key element in

review of any application will be the

extent to which the applicant

demonstrates clear links between

professional development activities and

increases in student achievement. See

Selection Criteria at D, Objective

Evidence of Success. In analyzing the

response to Selection Criterion E,

Implications for the Field, reviewers

will not expect the same level of

specificity from applications as will be

expected in response to the other

Selection Criteria. Reviewers, in

examining the response to Selection

Criterion E, will be primarily interested

in seeing that applicants have

considered the issues raised by that

Criterion.

After an initial screening, the

Department would use outside panels of

experts to evaluate the quality of the

applications against these basic criteria.

This stage in the process may include

telephone interviews with project

contacts to discuss and clarify

information, and will lead to the

selection of up to twenty semifinalists.

The Department then would use outside

experts to conduct site visits, which

may involve the collection of additional

information, of these semifinalists, and

through recommendations of the sitereviewers (and possibly through a final

panel of outside experts) present final

recommendations to the Secretary on

which schools or school districts merit

national recognition. The Secretary

would select for recognition those

applications of highest quality based on

the results of the review process. Again

this year the Secretary intends to

recognize those schools and school

districts with the very best professional

development practices at a national

ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Successful applicants also would

receive other forms of recognition

including a monetary award that the

Department anticipates would be in the

range of $5,000 to $10,000 per recipient.

Recipients would be able to use these

funds to support their professional

development activities and make them

known to others.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

This notice and the proposed

application packet contains information

collection requirements. As required by

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(44 U.S.C. 3507(d)), the Department of

Education has submitted a copy of this

notice and the application packet to the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for its review.

Collection of Information: National

Awards Program.

Schools and school districts that

operate programs for children in the

pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade

levels are eligible to apply for national

recognition of the quality of their

professional development activities.

Information in the application would
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / Notices 44197

include (1) a description of the

applicant’s professional development

activities in terms of specific criteria

designed to clarify the kinds of activities

that would align with the Department’s

statement of the Mission and Principles

of Professional Development, and (2)

basic identifying and demographic

information about the applicant school

or school district. Applications also

would be limited in page number and

have to meet basic formatting

requirements. The Department would

use this information to select the

highest-quality applicants through a

review of responses to the criteria and

site visits that can confirm the accuracy

of information contained in the

applications.

All information is to be collected once

only from each applicant. Annual

reporting and record keeping burden for

this collection of information is

estimated to average 30 hours for each

response for 200 respondents, including

the time for reviewing instructions,

searching existing data sources,

gathering and maintaining the data

needed, and completing and reviewing

the collection of information. For the 20

applicants selected for site reviews,

there will be an additional annual

reporting and record keeping burden

that is estimated to average 20 hours for

each response. Thus, the total annual

reporting and record keeping burden for

this collection is estimated to be 6,400

hours.

Organizations and individuals

desiring to submit comments on the

information collection requirements

should direct them to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

OMB, room 10235, New Executive

Office Building, Washington, DC 20503;

Attention: Desk Officer for U.S.

Department of Education.

The Department considers comments

by the public on this proposed

collection of information in—

• Evaluating whether the proposed

collection of information is necessary

for the proper performance of the

functions of the Department, including

whether the information will have

practical utility;

• Evaluating the accuracy of the

Department’s estimate of the burden of

the proposed collection of information,

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used;

• Enhancing the quality, usefulness,

and clarity of the information to be

collected; and

• Minimizing 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 submission of

responses.

OMB is required to make a decision

concerning the collection of information

contained in this notice of proposed

eligibility and selection criteria between

30 and 60 days after publication of this

document in the Federal Register.

Therefore, a comment to OMB is best

assured of having its full effect if OMB

receives it within 30 days of

publication. This does not affect the

deadline for the public to comment to

the Department on the proposed notice.

Executive Order 12866

Potential Costs and Benefits

This notice of proposed eligibility and

selection criteria has been reviewed in

accordance with Executive Order 12866.

Under the terms of the order the

Secretary has assessed the potential

costs and benefits of this regulatory

action.

The potential costs associated with

the notice of proposed eligibility and

selection criteria are those resulting

from statutory requirements and those

determined by the Secretary as

necessary for administering this

program effectively and efficiently.

Burdens specifically associated with

information collection requirements are

identified and explained elsewhere in

this preamble under the heading

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. In

assessing the potential costs and

benefits—both quantitative and

qualitative—of this notice of proposed

eligibility and selection criteria, the

Secretary has determined that the

benefits of the proposed eligibility and

selection criteria justify the costs.

The Secretary has also determined

that this regulatory action does not

unduly interfere with local governments

in the exercise of their governmental

functions.

Summary of Potential Costs and

Benefits

The benefit from the proposed

eligibility and selection criteria will be

to recognize a variety of schools and

school districts with model professional

development activities in the prekindergarten through twelfth grade

levels that have led to increases in

student achievement.

The potential costs of these proposed

eligibility and selection criteria are

discussed elsewhere in this notice

under the section on the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995.

Invitation To Comment

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments and recommendations

regarding these proposed eligibility and

selection criteria. All comments

submitted in response to these proposed

eligibility and selection criteria will be

available for public inspection, during

and after the comment period, in Room

506E, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC, between the hours of

8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday of each week

except Federal holidays.

To assist the Department in

complying with the specific

requirements of Executive Order 12866

and its overall requirement of reducing

regulatory burden, the Secretary invites

comments on whether there may be

further opportunities to reduce any

regulatory burdens found in this notice.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is subject to the

requirements of Executive Order 12372

and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79.

The objective of the Executive order is

to foster an intergovernmental

partnership and a strengthened

federalism by relying on processes

developed by State and local

governments for coordination and

review of proposed Federal financial

assistance.

In accordance with the order, this

document is intended to provide early

notification of the Department’s specific

plans and actions for this program.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8001.

Dated: August 14, 1997.

Ramon Cortines,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Educational

Research and Improvement.

Appendix A—

Mission And Principles Of Professional

Development U.S. Department Of

Education—Professional Development

Team, July 5, 1995

Professional development plays an

essential role in successful education reform.

Professional development serves as the

bridge between where prospective and

experienced educators are now and where

they will need to be to meet the new

challenges of guiding all students in

achieving to higher standards of learning and

development.

High-quality professional development as

envisioned here refers to rigorous and

relevant content, strategies, and

organizational supports that ensure the

preparation and career-long development of

teachers and others whose competence,

expectations and actions influence the

teaching and learning environment. Both preand in-service professional development

require partnerships among schools, higher
44198 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 160 / Tuesday, August 19, 1997 / Notices

education institutions and other appropriate

entities to promote inclusive learning

communities of everyone who impacts

students and their learning. Those within

and outside schools need to work together to

bring to bear the ideas, commitment and

other resources that will be necessary to

address important and complex educational

issues in a variety of settings and for a

diverse student body.

Equitable access for all educators to such

professional development opportunities is

imperative. Moreover, professional

development works best when it is part of a

systemwide effort to improve and integrate

the recruitment, selection, preparation, initial

licensing, induction, ongoing development

and support, and advanced certification of

educators.

High-quality professional development

should incorporate all of the principles stated

below. Adequately addressing each of these

principles is necessary for a full realization

of the potential of individuals, school

communities and institutions to improve and

excel.

The mission of professional development is

to prepare and support educators to help all

students achieve to high standards of

learning and development.

Professional Development—

• Focuses on teachers as central to student

learning, yet includes all other members of

the school community;

• Focuses on individual, collegial, and

organizational improvement;

• Respects and nurtures the intellectual

and leadership capacity of teachers,

principals, and others in the school

community;

• Reflects best available research and

practice in teaching, learning, and

leadership;

• Enables teachers to develop further

expertise in subject content, teaching

strategies, uses of technologies, and other

essential elements in teaching to high

standards;

• Promotes continuous inquiry and

improvement embedded in the daily life of

schools;

• Is planned collaboratively by those who

will participate in and facilitate that

development;

• Requires substantial time and other

resources;

• Is driven by a coherent long-term plan;

• Is evaluated ultimately on the basis of its

impact on teacher effectiveness and student

learning; and this assessment guides

subsequent professional development efforts.

[FR Doc. 97–21897 Filed 8–18–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P