Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2018 / Notices 361 

agency or state approval agency under 

review will not be accepted at this time. 

However, members of the public may 

submit written statements regarding 

other issues within the scope of 

NACIQI’s authority for consideration by 

the Committee in the manner described 

below. No individual in attendance or 

making oral presentations may 

distribute written materials at the 

meeting. Oral comments may not exceed 

three minutes. 

Oral comments about an agency’s 

recognition after review of a compliance 

report must relate to issues identified in 

the compliance report and the criteria 

for recognition cited in the senior 

Department official’s letter that 

requested the report, or in the 

Secretary’s appeal decision, if any. Oral 

comments about an agency seeking 

expansion of scope must be directed to 

the agency’s ability to serve as a 

recognized accrediting agency with 

respect to the kinds of institutions or 

programs requested to be added. Oral 

comments about the renewal of an 

agency’s recognition based on a review 

of the agency’s petition must relate to its 

compliance with the Criteria for the 

Recognition of Accrediting Agencies, or 

the Criteria and Procedures for 

Recognition of State Agencies for 

Approval of Nurse Education, as 

appropriate, which are available at: 

http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/ 

accred/index.html. Written statements 

and oral comments, besides those 

regarding a specific accrediting agency 

under review, must be limited to the 

scope of NACIQI’s authority as outlined 

under section 114 of the HEA. 

There are two methods the public 

may use to request to make a third-party 

oral comment of three minutes at the 

February 7–9, 2018 meeting. To submit 

a written statement to NACIQI in 

accordance with the parameters stated 

above, please follow Method One. 

Method One: Submit a request by 

email to the ThirdPartyComments@

ed.gov mailbox. Please do not send 

material directly to NACIQI members. 

Requests must be received by January 

26, 2018, and include the subject line 

‘‘Oral Comment Request: (agency 

name),’’ ‘‘Oral Comment Request: 

(subject)’’ or ‘‘Written Statement: 

(subject).’’ The email must include the 

name(s), title, organization/affiliation, 

mailing address, email address, 

telephone number, of the person(s) 

submitting a written statement or 

requesting to speak, and a brief 

summary (not to exceed one page) of the 

principal points to be made during the 

oral presentation, if applicable. All 

individuals submitting a request in 

accordance with the deadlines and 

instructions contained in this notice 

will be afforded an opportunity to 

speak. 

Method Two: Register at the meeting 

location on February 7, 2018, from 7:30 

a.m.–8:30 a.m., to make an oral 

comment during NACIQI’s 

deliberations. The requestor must 

provide the subject on which he or she 

wishes to comment, in addition to his 

or her name, title, organization/ 

affiliation, mailing address, email 

address, and telephone number. A total 

of up to fifteen minutes for each agenda 

item will be allotted for oral 

commenters who register on February 7, 

2018 by 8:30 a.m. Individuals will be 

selected on a first-come, first-served 

basis. If selected, each commenter may 

not exceed three minutes. 

Access to Records of the Meeting: The 

Department will post the official report 

of the meeting on the NACIQI website 

within 90 days after the meeting. 

Pursuant to the FACA, the public may 

also inspect the materials at 400 

Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 

by emailing aslrecordsmanager@ed.gov 

or by calling (202) 453–7110 to schedule 

an appointment. 

Reasonable Accommodations: The 

meeting site is accessible to individuals 

with disabilities. If you will need an 

auxiliary aid or service to participate in 

the meeting (e.g., interpreting service, 

assistive listening device, or materials in 

an alternate format), notify the contact 

person listed in this notice at least two 

weeks before the scheduled meeting 

date. Although we will attempt to meet 

a request received after that date, we 

may not be able to make available the 

requested auxiliary aid or service 

because of insufficient time to arrange 

it. 

Electronic Access to this Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys . At this site 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). To use PDF, you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. You may also 

access documents of the Department 

published in the Federal Register by 

using the article search feature at: 

www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, 

through the advanced search feature at 

this site, you can limit your search to 

documents published by the 

Department. 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c. 

Kathleen A. Smith, 

Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, 

Delegated Authority of Assistant Secretary, 

Office of Postsecondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2017–28406 Filed 1–2–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Authorities; 

Innovative Assessment Demonstration 

Authority 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

is issuing a notice inviting applications 

for new authorities for fiscal year (FY) 

2018 under the Innovative Assessment 

Demonstration Authority. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: January 3, 

2018. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

February 2, 2018. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 2, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 3E124, Washington, DC 20202– 

6132. Telephone: (202) 453–7982 or by 

email: Donald.Peasley@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The Secretary 

provides State educational agencies 

(SEAs), including consortia of SEAs, 

with the authority to establish and 

operate an innovative assessment 

system in their public schools under the 

Innovative Assessment Demonstration 

Authority in section 1204 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended by the Every 

Student Succeeds Act (ESEA or the 

Act). During the initial demonstration 

period—i.e., the first three years that the 

Secretary provides innovative 

assessment demonstration authority— 

no more than seven SEAs may 

participate, including those 

participating in consortia, which may 

include no more than four SEAs. 

Requirements: The following 

requirements are from 34 CFR 200.105. 


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An eligible application must include 

the following: 

(a) Consultation. Evidence that the 

SEA or consortium has developed an 

innovative assessment system in 

collaboration with— 

(1) Experts in the planning, 

development, implementation, and 

evaluation of innovative assessment 

systems, which may include external 

partners; and 

(2) Affected stakeholders in the State, 

or in each State in the consortium, 

including— 

(i) Those representing the interests of 

children with disabilities, English 

learners, and other subgroups of 

students described in section 1111(c)(2) 

of the Act; 

(ii) Teachers, principals, and other 

school leaders; 

(iii) Local educational agencies 

(LEAs); 

(iv) Representatives of Indian tribes 

located in the State; 

(v) Students and parents, including 

parents of children described in 

paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section; and 

(vi) Civil rights organizations. 

(b) Innovative assessment system. A 

demonstration that the innovative 

assessment system does or will— 

(1) Meet the requirements of section 

1111(b)(2)(B) of the Act, except that an 

innovative assessment— 

(i) Need not be the same assessment 

administered to all public elementary 

and secondary school students in the 

State during the demonstration 

authority period described in 34 CFR 

200.104(b)(2) or extension period 

described in 34 CFR 200.108 and prior 

to statewide use consistent with 34 CFR 

200.107, if the innovative assessment 

system will be administered initially to 

all students in participating schools 

within a participating LEA, provided 

that the statewide academic assessments 

under 34 CFR 200.2(a)(1) and section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act are administered to 

all students in any non-participating 

LEA or any non-participating school 

within a participating LEA; and 

(ii) Need not be administered 

annually in each of grades 3–8 and at 

least once in grades 9–12 in the case of 

reading/language arts and mathematics 

assessments, and at least once in grades 

3–5, 6–9, and 10–12 in the case of 

science assessments, so long as the 

statewide academic assessments under 

34 CFR 200.2(a)(1) and section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act are administered in 

any required grade and subject under 34 

CFR 200.5(a)(1) in which the SEA does 

not choose to implement an innovative 

assessment; 

(2)(i) Align with the challenging State 

academic content standards under 

section 1111(b)(1) of the Act, including 

the depth and breadth of such 

standards, for the grade in which a 

student is enrolled; and 

(ii) May measure a student’s academic 

proficiency and growth using items 

above or below the student’s grade level 

so long as, for purposes of meeting the 

requirements for reporting and school 

accountability under sections 1111(c) 

and 1111(h) of the Act and paragraphs 

(b)(3) and (b)(7)–(9) of this section, the 

State measures each student’s academic 

proficiency based on the challenging 

State academic standards for the grade 

in which the student is enrolled; 

(3) Express student results or 

competencies consistent with the 

challenging State academic achievement 

standards under section 1111(b)(1) of 

the Act and identify which students are 

not making sufficient progress toward, 

and attaining, grade-level proficiency on 

such standards; 

(4)(i) Generate results, including 

annual summative determinations as 

defined in paragraph (b)(7) of this 

section, that are valid, reliable, and 

comparable for all students and for each 

subgroup of students described in 34 

CFR 200.2(b)(11)(i)(A)–(I) and sections 

1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) and 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of 

the Act, to the results generated by the 

State academic assessments described in 

34 CFR 200.2(a)(1) and section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act for such students. 

Consistent with the SEA’s or 

consortium’s evaluation plan under 34 

CFR 200.106(e), the SEA must plan to 

annually determine comparability 

during each year of its demonstration 

authority period in one of the following 

ways: 

(A) Administering full assessments 

from both the innovative and statewide 

assessment systems to all students 

enrolled in participating schools, such 

that at least once in any grade span (i.e., 

3–5, 6–8, or 9–12) and subject for which 

there is an innovative assessment, a 

statewide assessment in the same 

subject would also be administered to 

all such students. As part of this 

determination, the innovative 

assessment and statewide assessment 

need not be administered to an 

individual student in the same school 

year. 

(B) Administering full assessments 

from both the innovative and statewide 

assessment systems to a 

demographically representative sample 

of all students and subgroups of 

students described in section 1111(c)(2) 

of the Act, from among those students 

enrolled in participating schools, such 

that at least once in any grade span (i.e., 

3–5, 6–8, or 9–12) and subject for which 

there is an innovative assessment, a 

statewide assessment in the same 

subject would also be administered in 

the same school year to all students 

included in the sample. 

(C) Including, as a significant portion 

of the innovative assessment system in 

each required grade and subject in 

which both an innovative and statewide 

assessment are administered, items or 

performance tasks from the statewide 

assessment system that, at a minimum, 

have been previously pilot tested or 

field tested for use in the statewide 

assessment system. 

(D) Including, as a significant portion 

of the statewide assessment system in 

each required grade and subject in 

which both an innovative and statewide 

assessment are administered, items or 

performance tasks from the innovative 

assessment system that, at a minimum, 

have been previously pilot tested or 

field tested for use in the innovative 

assessment system. 

(E) An alternative method for 

demonstrating comparability that an 

SEA can demonstrate will provide for 

an equally rigorous and statistically 

valid comparison between student 

performance on the innovative 

assessment and the statewide 

assessment, including for each subgroup 

of students described in 34 CFR 

200.2(b)(11)(i)(A)–(I) and sections 

1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) and 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of 

the Act; and 

(ii) Generate results, including annual 

summative determinations as defined in 

paragraph (b)(7) of this section, that are 

valid, reliable, and comparable, for all 

students and for each subgroup of 

students described in 34 CFR 

200.2(b)(11)(i)(A)–(I) and sections 

1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) and 1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of 

the Act, among participating schools 

and LEAs in the innovative assessment 

demonstration authority. Consistent 

with the SEA’s or consortium’s 

evaluation plan under 34 CFR 

200.106(e), the SEA must plan to 

annually determine comparability 

during each year of its demonstration 

authority period; 

(5)(i) Provide for the participation of 

all students, including children with 

disabilities and English learners; 

(ii) Be accessible to all students by 

incorporating the principles of universal 

design for learning, to the extent 

practicable, consistent with 34 CFR 

200.2(b)(2)(ii); and 

(iii) Provide appropriate 

accommodations consistent with 34 

CFR 200.6(b) and (f)(1)(i) and section 

1111(b)(2)(B)(vii) of the Act; 

(6) For purposes of the State 

accountability system consistent with 

section 1111(c)(4)(E) of the Act, 

annually measure in each participating 


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school progress on the Academic 

Achievement indicator under section 

1111(c)(4)(B) of the Act of at least 95 

percent of all students, and 95 percent 

of students in each subgroup of students 

described in section 1111(c)(2) of the 

Act, who are required to take such 

assessments consistent with paragraph 

(b)(1)(ii) of this section; 

(7) Generate an annual summative 

determination of achievement, using the 

annual data from the innovative 

assessment, for each student in a 

participating school in the 

demonstration authority that 

describes— 

(i) The student’s mastery of the 

challenging State academic standards 

under section 1111(b)(1) of the Act for 

the grade in which the student is 

enrolled; or 

(ii) In the case of a student with the 

most significant cognitive disabilities 

assessed with an alternate assessment 

aligned with alternate academic 

achievement standards under section 

1111(b)(1)(E) of the Act, the student’s 

mastery of those standards; 

(8) Provide disaggregated results by 

each subgroup of students described in 

34 CFR 200.2(b)(11)(i)(A)–(I) and 

sections 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) and 

1111(h)(1)(C)(ii) of the Act, including 

timely data for teachers, principals and 

other school leaders, students, and 

parents consistent with 34 CFR 200.8 

and section 1111(b)(2)(B)(x) and (xii) 

and section 1111(h) of the Act, and 

provide results to parents in a manner 

consistent with paragraph (b)(4)(i) of 

this section and part 200.2(e); and 

(9) Provide an unbiased, rational, and 

consistent determination of progress 

toward the State’s long-term goals for 

academic achievement under section 

1111(c)(4)(A) of the Act for all students 

and each subgroup of students 

described in section 1111(c)(2) of the 

Act and a comparable measure of 

student performance on the Academic 

Achievement indicator under section 

1111(c)(4)(B) of the Act for participating 

schools relative to non-participating 

schools so that the SEA may validly and 

reliably aggregate data from the system 

for purposes of meeting requirements 

for— 

(i) Accountability under sections 1003 

and 1111(c) and (d) of the Act, 

including how the SEA will identify 

participating and non-participating 

schools in a consistent manner for 

comprehensive and targeted support 

and improvement under section 

1111(c)(4)(D) of the Act; and 

(ii) Reporting on State and LEA report 

cards under section 1111(h) of the Act. 

(c) Selection Criteria. Information that 

addresses each of the selection criteria 

under 34 CFR 200.106. 

(d) Assurances. Assurances that the 

SEA, or each SEA in a consortium, 

will— 

(1) Continue use of the statewide 

academic assessments in reading/ 

language arts, mathematics, and science 

required under 34 CFR 200.2(a)(1) and 

section 1111(b)(2) of the Act— 

(i) In all non-participating schools; 

and 

(ii) In all participating schools for 

which such assessments will be used in 

addition to innovative assessments for 

accountability purposes under section 

1111(c) of the Act consistent with 

paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section or for 

evaluation purposes consistent with 34 

CFR 200.106(e) during the 

demonstration authority period; 

(2) Ensure that all students and each 

subgroup of students described in 

section 1111(c)(2) of the Act in 

participating schools are held to the 

same challenging State academic 

standards under section 1111(b)(1) of 

the Act as all other students, except that 

students with the most significant 

cognitive disabilities may be assessed 

with alternate assessments aligned with 

alternate academic achievement 

standards consistent with 34 CFR 200.6 

and section 1111(b)(1)(E) and (b)(2)(D) 

of the Act, and receive the instructional 

support needed to meet such standards; 

(3) Report the following annually to 

the Secretary, at such time and in such 

manner as the Secretary may reasonably 

require: 

(i) An update on implementation of 

the innovative assessment 

demonstration authority, including— 

(A) The SEA’s progress against its 

timeline under 34 CFR 200.106(c) and 

any outcomes or results from its 

evaluation and continuous 

improvement process under 34 CFR 

200.106(e); and 

(B) If the innovative assessment 

system is not yet implemented 

statewide consistent with 34 CFR 

200.104(a)(2), a description of the SEA’s 

progress in scaling up the system to 

additional LEAs or schools consistent 

with its strategies under 34 CFR 

200.106(a)(3)(i), including updated 

assurances from participating LEAs 

consistent with paragraph (e)(2) of this 

section. 

(ii) The performance of students in 

participating schools at the State, LEA, 

and school level, for all students and 

disaggregated for each subgroup of 

students described in section 1111(c)(2) 

of the Act, on the innovative 

assessment, including academic 

achievement and participation data 

required to be reported consistent with 

section 1111(h) of the Act, except that 

such data may not reveal any personally 

identifiable information. 

(iii) If the innovative assessment 

system is not yet implemented 

statewide, school demographic 

information, including enrollment and 

student achievement information, for 

the subgroups of students described in 

section 1111(c)(2) of the Act, among 

participating schools and LEAs and for 

any schools or LEAs that will 

participate for the first time in the 

following year, and a description of how 

the participation of any additional 

schools or LEAs in that year contributed 

to progress toward achieving highquality and consistent implementation 

across demographically diverse LEAs in 

the State consistent with the SEA’s 

benchmarks described in 34 CFR 

200.106(a)(3)(iii). 

(iv) Feedback from teachers, 

principals and other school leaders, and 

other stakeholders consulted under 

paragraph (a)(2) of this section, 

including parents and students, from 

participating schools and LEAs about 

their satisfaction with the innovative 

assessment system; 

(4) Ensure that each participating LEA 

informs parents of all students in 

participating schools about the 

innovative assessment, including the 

grades and subjects in which the 

innovative assessment will be 

administered, and, consistent with 

section 1112(e)(2)(B) of the Act, at the 

beginning of each school year during 

which an innovative assessment will be 

implemented. Such information must 

be— 

(i) In an understandable and uniform 

format; 

(ii) To the extent practicable, written 

in a language that parents can 

understand or, if it is not practicable to 

provide written translations to a parent 

with limited English proficiency, be 

orally translated for such parent; and 

(iii) Upon request by a parent who is 

an individual with a disability as 

defined by the Americans with 

Disabilities Act, provided in an 

alternative format accessible to that 

parent; and 

(5) Coordinate with and provide 

information to, as applicable, the 

Institute of Education Sciences for 

purposes of the progress report 

described in section 1204(c) of the Act 

and ongoing dissemination of 

information under section 1204(m) of 

the Act. 

(e) Initial implementation in a subset 

of LEAs or schools. If the innovative 

assessment system will initially be 


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364 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2018 / Notices 

administered in a subset of LEAs or 

schools in a State— 

(1) A description of each LEA, and 

each of its participating schools, that 

will initially participate, including 

demographic information and its most 

recent LEA report card under section 

1111(h)(2) of the Act; and 

(2) An assurance from each 

participating LEA, for each year that the 

LEA is participating, that the LEA will 

comply with all requirements of this 

section. 

(f) Application from a consortium of 

SEAs. If an application for the 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority is submitted by a consortium 

of SEAs— 

(1) A description of the governance 

structure of the consortium, including— 

(i) The roles and responsibilities of 

each member SEA, which may include 

a description of affiliate members, if 

applicable, and must include a 

description of financial responsibilities 

of member SEAs; 

(ii) How the member SEAs will 

manage and, at their discretion, share 

intellectual property developed by the 

consortium as a group; and 

(iii) How the member SEAs will 

consider requests from SEAs to join or 

leave the consortium and ensure that 

changes in membership do not affect the 

consortium’s ability to implement the 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority consistent with the 

requirements and selection criteria in 

this section and 34 CFR 200.106. 

(2) While the terms of the association 

with affiliate members are defined by 

each consortium, consistent with 34 

CFR 200.104(b)(1) and paragraph (f)(1)(i) 

of this section, for an affiliate member 

to become a full member of the 

consortium and to use the consortium’s 

innovative assessment system under the 

demonstration authority, the consortium 

must submit a revised application to the 

Secretary for approval, consistent with 

the requirements of this section and 34 

CFR 200.106 and subject to the 

limitation under 34 CFR 200.104(d). 

Definitions: The following definitions 

are from 34 CFR 200.104(b). 

(1) Affiliate member of a consortium 

means an SEA that is formally 

associated with a consortium of SEAs 

that is implementing the innovative 

assessment demonstration authority, but 

is not yet a full member of the 

consortium because it is not proposing 

to use the consortium’s innovative 

assessment system under the 

demonstration authority, instead of, or 

in addition to, its statewide assessment 

under section 1111(b)(2) of the Act for 

purposes of accountability and reporting 

under sections 1111(c) and 1111(h) of 

the Act. 

(2) Demonstration authority period 

refers to the period of time over which 

an SEA, or consortium of SEAs, is 

authorized to implement the innovative 

assessment demonstration authority, 

which may not exceed five years and 

does not include the extension or 

waiver period under 34 CFR 200.108. 

An SEA must use its innovative 

assessment system in all participating 

schools instead of, or in addition to, the 

statewide assessment under section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act for purposes of 

accountability and reporting under 

section 1111(c) and 1111(h) of the Act 

in each year of the demonstration 

authority period. 

(3) Innovative assessment system 

means a system of assessments, which 

may include any combination of general 

assessments or alternate assessments 

aligned with alternate academic 

achievement standards, in reading/ 

language arts, mathematics, or science 

administered in at least one required 

grade under 34 CFR 200.5(a)(1) and 

section 1111(b)(2)(B)(v) of the Act that— 

(i) Produces— 

(A) An annual summative 

determination of each student’s mastery 

of grade-level content standards aligned 

to the challenging State academic 

standards under section 1111(b)(1) of 

the Act; or 

(B) In the case of a student with the 

most significant cognitive disabilities 

assessed with an alternate assessment 

aligned with alternate academic 

achievement standards under section 

1111(b)(1)(E) of the Act and aligned 

with the State’s academic content 

standards for the grade in which the 

student is enrolled, an annual 

summative determination relative to 

such alternate academic achievement 

standards for each such student; and 

(ii) May, in any required grade or 

subject, include one or more of the 

following types of assessments: 

(A) Cumulative year-end assessments. 

(B) Competency-based assessments. 

(C) Instructionally embedded 

assessments. 

(D) Interim assessments. 

(E) Performance-based assessments. 

(F) Another innovative assessment 

design that meets the requirements 

under 34 CFR 200.105(b). 

(4) Participating LEA means a LEA in 

the State with at least one school 

participating in the innovative 

assessment demonstration authority. 

(5) Participating school means a 

public school in the State in which the 

innovative assessment system is 

administered under the innovative 

assessment demonstration authority 

instead of, or in addition to, the 

statewide assessment under section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act and where the 

results of the school’s students on the 

innovative assessment system are used 

by its State and LEA for purposes of 

accountability and reporting under 

section 1111(c) and 1111(h) of the Act. 

Program Authority: Section 1204 of 

the ESEA (Pub. L. 114–95); 34 CFR 

200.104 through 200.108. 

II. Award Information 

Type of Award: Innovation authority. 

Estimated Available Funds: No funds 

are authorized to be appropriated for the 

Innovative Assessment Demonstration 

Authority. However, an SEA may use 

funds it receives under Grants for State 

Assessments and Related Activities to 

implement its innovative assessment 

system. 

Estimated Number of Awards: For the 

initial demonstration period, no more 

than seven States, including States that 

are part of a consortium (which may 

include no more than four States). 

Project Period: Up to 60 months. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: SEAs (as 

defined in section 8101(49) of the ESEA) 

and consortia of SEAs that include no 

more than four SEAs. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This 

program does not require cost sharing or 

matching. 

3. Other: An application from a 

consortium of SEAs must designate one 

SEA as the lead State for project 

management. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Donald Peasley, Office of 

Elementary and Secondary Education, 

U.S. Department of Education, 400 

Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E124, 

Washington, DC 20202–6132. 

Telephone: (202) 453–7982 or by email: 

Donald.Peasley@ed.gov. 

To obtain a copy via the internet, use 

the following address: https://

www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/ 

saa.html#Related_Programs_and_

Initiatives. 

If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the 

FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339. 

Individuals with disabilities can 

obtain a copy of the application package 

in an accessible format (e.g., Braille, 

large print, audiotape, or compact disc) 

by contacting the program contact 

person listed in this section. 

2. a. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: Requirements concerning 

the content and form of an application, 

together with the forms you must 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2018 / Notices 365 

submit, are in the application package 

for this program, which can be found at 

https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/ 

account/saa.html#Related_Programs_

and_Initiatives. 

Notice of Intent To Apply: We will be 

able to develop a more efficient process 

for reviewing applications if we have a 

better understanding of the number of 

applicants that intend to apply for 

selection under this program. Therefore, 

we strongly encourage each potential 

applicant to notify us of the applicant’s 

intent to submit an application. This 

notification should be brief, and identify 

the SEA applicant and, if part of a 

consortium, the SEA that is the fiscal 

agent for the consortium. Submit this 

notification by email to 

Donald.Peasley@ed.gov with ‘‘Intent to 

Apply’’ in the email subject line or mail 

to Donald Peasley, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 3E124, Washington, DC 20202– 

6132. Applicants that do not provide 

this notification may still apply for the 

authority. 

b. Submission of Proprietary 

Information: Given the types of projects 

that may be proposed in applications for 

the Innovative Assessment 

Demonstration Authority, your 

application may include business 

information that you consider 

proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define 

‘‘business information’’ and describe the 

process we use in determining whether 

any of that information is proprietary 

and, thus, protected from disclosure 

under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as 

amended). Because we plan to make 

successful applications available to the 

public, you may wish to request 

confidentiality of business information. 

Consistent with Executive Order 

12600, please designate in your 

application any information that you 

believe is exempt from disclosure under 

Exemption 4. In the appropriate 

Appendix section of your application, 

under ‘‘Other Attachments Form,’’ 

please list the page number or numbers 

on which we can find this information. 

For additional information, please see 

34 CFR 5.11(c). 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

Applications Available: January 3, 

2018. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

February 2, 2018. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: April 2, 2018. 

Applications under this program must 

be submitted electronically using the 

Department’s application portal at 

www.Max.gov. For directions on how to 

access and use the application portal, 

please contact Donald Peasley at 

Donald.Peasley@ed.gov. For information 

(including dates and times) about how 

to submit your application 

electronically, please refer to Other 

Submission Requirements in section IV 

of this notice. 

We do not consider an application 

that does not comply with the deadline 

requirements. 

Individuals with disabilities who 

need an accommodation or auxiliary aid 

in connection with the application 

process should contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. If the Department provides an 

accommodation or auxiliary aid to an 

individual with a disability in 

connection with the application 

process, the individual’s application 

remains subject to all other 

requirements and limitations in this 

notice. 

4. Other Submission Requirements: 

a. Electronic Submission of 

Applications. 

Applications under this program must 

be submitted electronically using the 

Department’s application portal at 

www.Max.gov by 5:00:00 p.m. EDT on 

April 2, 2018. For directions on how to 

access and use the application portal, 

please contact Donald Peasley at 

Donald.Peasley@ed.gov. 

You may access the electronic 

application for this program at https:// 

www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/ 

saa.html#Related_Programs_and_

Initiatives. You must submit all 

documents electronically. 

• You must upload any narrative 

sections and all other attachments to 

your application as files in a read-only, 

flattened Portable Document Format 

(PDF), meaning any fillable PDF 

documents must be saved as flattened 

non-fillable files. Do not upload an 

interactive or fillable PDF file. If you 

upload a file type other than a readonly, flattened PDF (e.g., Word, Excel, 

WordPerfect, etc.) or submit a passwordprotected file, we will not review that 

material. Please note that this could 

result in your application not being 

considered because the material in 

question—for example, the project 

narrative—is critical to a meaningful 

review of your proposal. For that reason 

it is important to allow yourself 

adequate time to upload all material as 

PDF files. The Department will not 

convert material from other formats to 

PDF. 

• Your application must also meet the 

Department’s application requirements 

as specified in this notice and in the 

application instructions. Disqualifying 

errors could include, for instance, 

failure to upload attachments in a readonly, flattened PDF; failure to submit a 

required part of the application; or 

failure to meet applicant eligibility 

requirements. It is your responsibility to 

ensure that your submitted application 

has met all of the Department’s 

requirements. 

• We may request that you provide us 

original signatures on forms at a later 

date. 

b. Submission of Application in Case 

of Technical Issues. 

If you are prevented from 

electronically submitting your 

application on the application deadline 

date because of technical problems with 

the Max.gov system, you may email 

your application to the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT and provide an explanation of 

the technical problem you experienced. 

We will contact you after we determine 

whether your application will be 

accepted. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Selection Criteria: The selection 

criteria for this program are from 34 CFR 

200.106. We will award up to 110 points 

to an application under the selection 

criteria; the total possible points for 

addressing each selection criterion are 

noted in parentheses. 

(a) Project narrative. (Up to 40 points) 

The quality of the SEA’s or 

consortium’s plan for implementing the 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority. In determining the quality of 

the plan, the Secretary considers— 

(1) The rationale for developing or 

selecting the particular innovative 

assessment system to be implemented 

under the demonstration authority, 

including— 

(i) The distinct purpose of each 

assessment that is part of the innovative 

assessment system and how the system 

will advance the design and delivery of 

large-scale, statewide academic 

assessments in innovative ways; and 

(ii) The extent to which the 

innovative assessment system as a 

whole will promote high-quality 

instruction, mastery of challenging State 

academic standards, and improved 

student outcomes, including for each 

subgroup of students described in 

section 1111(c)(2) of the Act; (5 points 

if factor (3) is applicable; 10 points if 

factor (3) is inapplicable) 

(2) The plan the SEA or consortium, 

in consultation with any external 

partners, if applicable, has to— 

(i) Develop and use standardized and 

calibrated tools, rubrics, methods, or 

other strategies for scoring innovative 

assessments throughout the 

demonstration authority period, 

consistent with relevant nationally 

recognized professional and technical 


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standards, to ensure inter-rater 

reliability and comparability of 

innovative assessment results consistent 

with 34 CFR 200.105(b)(4)(ii), which 

may include evidence of inter-rater 

reliability; and 

(ii) Train evaluators to use such 

strategies, if applicable; (25 points if 

factor (3) is applicable; 30 points if 

factor (3) is inapplicable) and 

(3) If the system will initially be 

administered in a subset of schools or 

LEAs in a State— 

(i) The strategies the SEA, including 

each SEA in a consortium, will use to 

scale the innovative assessment to all 

schools statewide, with a rationale for 

selecting those strategies; 

(ii) The strength of the SEA’s or 

consortium’s criteria that will be used to 

determine LEAs and schools that will 

initially participate and when to 

approve additional LEAs and schools, if 

applicable, to participate during the 

requested demonstration authority 

period; and 

(iii) The SEA’s plan, including each 

SEA in a consortium, for how it will 

ensure that, during the demonstration 

authority period, the inclusion of 

additional LEAs and schools continues 

to reflect high-quality and consistent 

implementation across demographically 

diverse LEAs and schools, or 

contributes to progress toward achieving 

such implementation across 

demographically diverse LEAs and 

schools, including diversity based on 

enrollment of subgroups of students 

described in section 1111(c)(2) of the 

Act and student achievement. The plan 

must also include annual benchmarks 

toward achieving high-quality and 

consistent implementation across 

participating schools that are, as a 

group, demographically similar to the 

State as a whole during the 

demonstration authority period, using 

the demographics of initially 

participating schools as a baseline. (10 

points, if applicable) 

(b) Prior experience, capacity, and 

stakeholder support. (Up to 15 points) 

(1) The extent and depth of prior 

experience that the SEA, including each 

SEA in a consortium, and its LEAs have 

in developing and implementing the 

components of the innovative 

assessment system. An SEA may also 

describe the prior experience of any 

external partners that will be 

participating in or supporting its 

demonstration authority in 

implementing those components. In 

evaluating the extent and depth of prior 

experience, the Secretary considers— 

(i) The success and track record of 

efforts to implement innovative 

assessments or innovative assessment 

items aligned to the challenging State 

academic standards under section 

1111(b)(1) of the Act in LEAs planning 

to participate; and 

(ii) The SEA’s or LEA’s development 

or use of— 

(A) Effective supports and appropriate 

accommodations consistent with 34 

CFR 200.6(b) and (f)(1)(i) and section 

1111(b)(2)(B)(vii) of the Act for 

administering innovative assessments to 

all students, including English learners 

and children with disabilities, which 

must include professional development 

for school staff on providing such 

accommodations; 

(B) Effective and high-quality 

supports for school staff to implement 

innovative assessments and innovative 

assessment items, including 

professional development; and 

(C) Standardized and calibrated tools, 

rubrics, methods, or other strategies for 

scoring innovative assessments, with 

documented evidence of the validity, 

reliability, and comparability of annual 

summative determinations of 

achievement, consistent with 34 CFR 

200.105(b)(4) and (7). (5 points) 

(2) The extent and depth of SEA, 

including each SEA in a consortium, 

and LEA capacity to implement the 

innovative assessment system 

considering the availability of 

technological infrastructure; State and 

local laws; dedicated and sufficient 

staff, expertise, and resources; and other 

relevant factors. An SEA or consortium 

may also describe how it plans to 

enhance its capacity by collaborating 

with external partners that will be 

participating in or supporting its 

demonstration authority. In evaluating 

the extent and depth of capacity, the 

Secretary considers— 

(i) The SEA’s analysis of how capacity 

influenced the success of prior efforts to 

develop and implement innovative 

assessments or innovative assessment 

items; and 

(ii) The strategies the SEA is using, or 

will use, to mitigate risks, including 

those identified in its analysis, and 

support successful implementation of 

the innovative assessment. (5 points) 

(3) The extent and depth of State and 

local support for the application for 

demonstration authority in each SEA, 

including each SEA in a consortium, as 

demonstrated by signatures from the 

following: 

(i) Superintendents (or equivalent) of 

LEAs, including participating LEAs in 

the first year of the demonstration 

authority period. 

(ii) Presidents of local school boards 

(or equivalent, where applicable), 

including within participating LEAs in 

the first year of the demonstration 

authority. 

(iii) Local teacher organizations 

(including labor organizations, where 

applicable), including within 

participating LEAs in the first year of 

the demonstration authority. 

(iv) Other affected stakeholders, such 

as parent organizations, civil rights 

organizations, and business 

organizations. (5 points) 

(c) Timeline and budget. (Up to 15 

points) 

The quality of the SEA’s or 

consortium’s timeline and budget for 

implementing the innovative 

assessment demonstration authority. In 

determining the quality of the timeline 

and budget, the Secretary considers— 

(1) The extent to which the timeline 

reasonably demonstrates that each SEA 

will implement the system statewide by 

the end of the requested demonstration 

authority period, including a 

description of— 

(i) The activities to occur in each year 

of the requested demonstration 

authority period; 

(ii) The parties responsible for each 

activity; and 

(iii) If applicable, how a consortium’s 

member SEAs will implement activities 

at different paces and how the 

consortium will implement 

interdependent activities, so long as 

each non-affiliate member SEA begins 

using the innovative assessment in the 

same school year consistent with 34 

CFR part 200.104(b)(2); (5 points) and 

(2) The adequacy of the project budget 

for the duration of the requested 

demonstration authority period, 

including Federal, State, local, and nonpublic sources of funds to support and 

sustain, as applicable, the activities in 

the timeline under paragraph (c)(1) of 

this section, including— 

(i) How the budget will be sufficient 

to meet the expected costs at each phase 

of the SEA’s planned expansion of its 

innovative assessment system; and 

(ii) The degree to which funding in 

the project budget is contingent upon 

future appropriations at the State or 

local level or additional commitments 

from non-public sources of funds. (10 

points) 

(d) Supports for educators, students, 

and parents. (Up to 25 points) 

The quality of the SEA or 

consortium’s plan to provide supports 

that can be delivered consistently at 

scale to educators, students, and parents 

to enable successful implementation of 

the innovative assessment system and 

improve instruction and student 

outcomes. In determining the quality of 

supports, the Secretary considers— 


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(1) The extent to which the SEA or 

consortium has developed, provided, 

and will continue to provide training to 

LEA and school staff, including 

teachers, principals, and other school 

leaders, that will familiarize them with 

the innovative assessment system and 

develop teacher capacity to implement 

instruction that is informed by the 

innovative assessment system and its 

results; (5 points if factor (4) is 

applicable; 9 points if factor (4) is 

inapplicable) 

(2) The strategies the SEA or 

consortium has developed and will use 

to familiarize students and parents with 

the innovative assessment system; (5 

points if factor (4) is applicable; 8 points 

if factor (4) is inapplicable) 

(3) The strategies the SEA will use to 

ensure that all students and each 

subgroup of students under section 

1111(c)(2) of the Act in participating 

schools receive the support, including 

appropriate accommodations consistent 

with 34 CFR 200.6(b) and (f)(1)(i) and 

section 1111(b)(2)(B)(vii) of the Act, 

needed to meet the challenging State 

academic standards under section 

1111(b)(1) of the Act; (5 points if factor 

(4) is applicable; 8 points if factor (4) is 

inapplicable) and 

(4) If the system includes assessment 

items that are locally developed or 

locally scored, the strategies and 

safeguards (e.g., test blueprints, item 

and task specifications, rubrics, scoring 

tools, documentation of quality control 

procedures, inter-rater reliability 

checks, audit plans) the SEA or 

consortium has developed, or plans to 

develop, to validly and reliably score 

such items, including how the strategies 

engage and support teachers and other 

staff in designing, developing, 

implementing, and validly and reliably 

scoring high-quality assessments; how 

the safeguards are sufficient to ensure 

unbiased, objective scoring of 

assessment items; and how the SEA will 

use effective professional development 

to aid in these efforts. (10 points if 

applicable) 

(e) Evaluation and continuous 

improvement. (Up to 15 points) 

The quality of the SEA’s or 

consortium’s plan to annually evaluate 

its implementation of innovative 

assessment demonstration authority. In 

determining the quality of the 

evaluation, the Secretary considers— 

(1) The strength of the proposed 

evaluation of the innovative assessment 

system included in the application, 

including whether the evaluation will 

be conducted by an independent, 

experienced third party, and the 

likelihood that the evaluation will 

sufficiently determine the system’s 

validity, reliability, and comparability 

to the statewide assessment system 

consistent with the requirements of 34 

CFR 200.105(b)(4) and (9); (10 points) 

and 

(2) The SEA’s or consortium’s plan for 

continuous improvement of the 

innovative assessment system, 

including its process for— 

(i) Using data, feedback, evaluation 

results, and other information from 

participating LEAs and schools to make 

changes to improve the quality of the 

innovative assessment; and 

(ii) Evaluating and monitoring 

implementation of the innovative 

assessment system in participating LEAs 

and schools annually. (5 points) 

2. Risk Assessment and Special 

Conditions: Consistent with 2 CFR 

200.205(c) and 200.207, before 

approving a project under this authority, 

the Department may conduct a review of 

the risks posed by the applicant and 

impose specific conditions as needed. 

VI. Administration Information 

1. Approval Notices: If your 

application is approved, we notify your 

U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators 

and send you a letter or email approving 

your project. 

If your application is not evaluated or 

not selected, we notify you. 

2. Programmatic Requirements: Your 

application must address the 

programmatic requirements in section 

1204 of the ESEA and 34 CFR 200.104 

through 200.108. 

3. Reporting: (a) If you apply under 

this program, you must ensure that you 

have in place the necessary processes 

and systems to comply with the 

reporting requirements should your 

application be approved. 

(b) You must submit, at the end of 

each year of your project period, an 

annual update on program activity 

according to the requirements of 34 CFR 

200.105(d)(3). 

4. Transition to Statewide Use: 

Pursuant to 34 CFR 200.107: 

(a)(1) After an SEA has scaled its 

innovative assessment system to operate 

statewide in all schools and LEAs in the 

State, the SEA must submit evidence for 

peer review under section 1111(a)(4) of 

the Act and 34 CFR 200.2(d) to 

determine whether the system may be 

used for purposes of both academic 

assessments and the State accountability 

system under sections 1111(b)(2), (c), 

and (d) and 1003 of the Act. 

(2) An SEA may only use the 

innovative assessment system for the 

purposes described in paragraph (a)(1) 

of this section if the Secretary 

determines that the system is of high 

quality consistent with paragraph (b) of 

this section. 

(b) Through the peer review process 

of State assessments and accountability 

systems under section 1111(a)(4) of the 

Act and 34 CFR 200.2(d), the Secretary 

determines that the innovative 

assessment system is of high quality if— 

(1) An innovative assessment 

developed in any grade or subject under 

34 CFR 200.5(a)(1) and section 

1111(b)(2)(B)(v) of the Act— 

(i) Meets all of the requirements under 

section 1111(b)(2) of the Act and 34 CFR 

200.105(b) and (c); 

(ii) Provides coherent and timely 

information about student achievement 

based on the challenging State academic 

standards under section 1111(b)(1) of 

the Act; 

(iii) Includes objective measurements 

of academic achievement, knowledge, 

and skills; and 

(iv) Is valid, reliable, and consistent 

with relevant, nationally recognized 

professional and technical standards; 

(2) The SEA provides satisfactory 

evidence that it has examined the 

statistical relationship between student 

performance on the innovative 

assessment in each subject area and 

student performance on other measures 

of success, including the measures used 

for each relevant grade-span within the 

remaining indicators (i.e., indicators 

besides Academic Achievement) in the 

statewide accountability system under 

section 1111(c)(4)(B)(ii)–(v) of the Act, 

and how the inclusion of the innovative 

assessment in its Academic 

Achievement indicator under section 

1111(c)(4)(B)(i) of the Act affects the 

annual meaningful differentiation of 

schools under section 1111(c)(4)(C) of 

the Act; 

(3) The SEA has solicited information, 

consistent with the requirements under 

34 CFR 200.105(d)(3)(iv), and taken into 

account feedback from teachers, 

principals, other school leaders, parents, 

and other stakeholders under 34 CFR 

200.105(a)(2) about their satisfaction 

with the innovative assessment system; 

and 

(4) The SEA has demonstrated that 

the same innovative assessment system 

was used to measure— 

(i) The achievement of all students 

and each subgroup of students 

described in section 1111(c)(2) of the 

Act, and that appropriate 

accommodations were provided 

consistent with 34 CFR 200.6(b) and 

(f)(1)(i) under section 1111(b)(2)(B)(vii) 

of the Act; and 

(ii) For purposes of the State 

accountability system consistent with 

section 1111(c)(4)(E) of the Act, progress 

on the Academic Achievement indicator 


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under section 1111(c)(4)(B)(i) of the Act 

of at least 95 percent of all students, and 

95 percent of students in each subgroup 

of students described in section 

1111(c)(2) of the Act. 

(c) With respect to the evidence 

submitted to the Secretary to make the 

determination described in paragraph 

(b)(2) of this section, the baseline year 

for any evaluation is the first year that 

a participating LEA in the State 

administered the innovative assessment 

system under the demonstration 

authority. 

(d) In the case of a consortium of 

SEAs, evidence may be submitted for 

the consortium as a whole so long as the 

evidence demonstrates how each 

member SEA meets each requirement of 

paragraph (b) of this section applicable 

to an SEA. 

5. Continuation of Authority: 

Pursuant to 34 CFR 200.108: 

(1) The Secretary may extend an 

SEA’s demonstration authority period 

for no more than two years if the SEA 

submits to the Secretary— 

(i) Evidence that its innovative 

assessment system continues to meet 

the requirements under 34 CFR 200.105 

and the SEA continues to implement the 

plan described in its application in 

response to the selection criteria in 34 

CFR 200.106 in all participating schools 

and LEAs; 

(ii) A high-quality plan, including 

input from stakeholders under 34 CFR 

200.105(a)(2), for transitioning to 

statewide use of the innovative 

assessment system by the end of the 

extension period; and 

(iii) A demonstration that the SEA 

and all LEAs that are not yet fully 

implementing the innovative 

assessment system have sufficient 

capacity to support use of the system 

statewide by the end of the extension 

period. 

(2) In the case of a consortium of 

SEAs, the Secretary may extend the 

demonstration authority period for the 

consortium as a whole or for an 

individual member SEA. 

(b) Withdrawal of demonstration 

authority. (1) The Secretary may 

withdraw the innovative assessment 

demonstration authority provided to an 

SEA, including an individual SEA 

member of a consortium, if at any time 

during the approved demonstration 

authority period or extension period, 

the Secretary requests, and the SEA 

does not present in a timely manner— 

(i) A high-quality plan, including 

input from stakeholders under 34 CFR 

200.105(a)(2), to transition to full 

statewide use of the innovative 

assessment system by the end of its 

approved demonstration authority 

period or extension period, as 

applicable; or 

(ii) Evidence that— 

(A) The innovative assessment system 

meets all requirements under 34 CFR 

200.105, including a demonstration that 

the innovative assessment system has 

met the requirements under 34 CFR 

200.105(b); 

(B) The SEA continues to implement 

the plan described in its application in 

response to the selection criteria in 34 

CFR 200.106; 

(C) The innovative assessment system 

includes and is used to assess all 

students attending participating schools 

in the demonstration authority, 

consistent with the requirements under 

section 1111(b)(2) of the Act to provide 

for participation in State assessments, 

including among each subgroup of 

students described in section 1111(c)(2) 

of the Act, and for appropriate 

accommodations consistent with 34 

CFR 200.6(b) and (f)(1)(i) and section 

1111(b)(2)(B)(vii) of the Act; 

(D) The innovative assessment system 

provides an unbiased, rational, and 

consistent determination of progress 

toward the State’s long-term goals and 

measurements of interim progress for 

academic achievement under section 

1111(c)(4)(A) of the Act for all students 

and subgroups of students described in 

section 1111(c)(2) of the Act and a 

comparable measure of student 

performance on the Academic 

Achievement indicator under section 

1111(c)(4)(B)(i) of the Act for 

participating schools relative to nonparticipating schools; or 

(E) The innovative assessment system 

demonstrates comparability to the 

statewide assessments under section 

1111(b)(2) of the Act in content 

coverage, difficulty, and quality. 

(2)(i) In the case of a consortium of 

SEAs, the Secretary may withdraw 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority for the consortium as a whole 

at any time during its demonstration 

authority period or extension period if 

the Secretary requests, and no member 

of the consortium provides, the 

information under paragraph (b)(1)(i) or 

(ii) of this section. 

(ii) If innovative assessment 

demonstration authority for one or more 

SEAs in a consortium is withdrawn, the 

consortium may continue to implement 

the authority if it can demonstrate, in an 

amended application to the Secretary 

that, as a group, the remaining SEAs 

continue to meet all requirements and 

selection criteria in 34 CFR 200.105 and 

200.106. 

(c) Waiver authority. (1) At the end of 

the extension period, an SEA that is not 

yet approved consistent with 34 CFR 

200.107 to implement its innovative 

assessment system statewide may 

request a waiver from the Secretary 

consistent with section 8401 of the Act 

to delay the withdrawal of authority 

under paragraph (b) of this section for 

the purpose of providing the SEA with 

the time necessary to receive approval 

to transition to use of the innovative 

assessment system statewide under 34 

CFR 200.107(b). 

(2) The Secretary may grant an SEA a 

one-year waiver to continue the 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority, if the SEA submits, in its 

request under paragraph (c)(1) of this 

section, evidence satisfactory to the 

Secretary that it— 

(i) Has met all of the requirements 

under paragraph (b)(1) of this section 

and of 34 CFR 200.105 and 200.106; and 

(ii) Has a high-quality plan, including 

input from stakeholders under 34 CFR 

200.105(a)(2), for transition to statewide 

use of the innovative assessment 

system, including peer review 

consistent with 34 CFR 200.107, in a 

reasonable period of time. 

(3) In the case of a consortium of 

SEAs, the Secretary may grant a oneyear waiver consistent with paragraph 

(c)(1) of this section for the consortium 

as a whole or for individual member 

SEAs, as necessary. 

(d) Return to the statewide assessment 

system. If the Secretary withdraws 

innovative assessment demonstration 

authority consistent with paragraph (b) 

of this section, or if an SEA voluntarily 

terminates use of its innovative 

assessment system prior to the end of its 

demonstration authority, extension, or 

waiver period under paragraph (c) of 

this section, as applicable, the SEA 

must— 

(1) Return to using, in all LEAs and 

schools in the State, a statewide 

assessment that meets the requirements 

of section 1111(b)(2) of the Act; and 

(2) Provide timely notice to all 

participating LEAs and schools of the 

withdrawal of authority and the SEA’s 

plan for transition back to use of a 

statewide assessment. 

VII. Other Information 

Accessible Format: Individuals with 

disabilities can obtain this document 

and a copy of the application package in 

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

print, audiotape, or compact disc) on 

request to the program contact person 

listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 2 / Wednesday, January 3, 2018 / Notices 369 

and the Code of Federal Regulations is 

available via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or PDF. To use PDF you must have 

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. 

You may also access documents of the 

Department published in the Federal 

Register by using the article search 

feature at: www.federalregister.gov. 

Specifically, through the advanced 

search feature at this site, you can limit 

your search to documents published by 

the Department. 

Dated: December 28, 2017. 

Jason Botel, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, 

Delegated the Authority to Perform the 

Functions and Duties of Assistant Secretary 

for Elementary and Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2017–28424 Filed 1–2–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

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Sunshine Act Notice 

AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance 

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ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting 

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2018 Federal Election. 

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, January 10, 

2018, 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.–EDT 

(Registration Opens at 9:00 a.m.). 

PLACE: The National Press Club, 

Holeman Lounge, 529 14th Street NW, 

13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045. 

(On Site Contact: 202–897–9285; 

bsoder@eac.gov). 

AGENDA: Commissioners will hold a 

public meeting (summit) to moderate 

panel discussions on the following 

topics: (1) Election Security; (2) Voting 

Accessibility; and (3) Election Data. 

Ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, 

the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC) will host an all-day 

summit to highlight a spectrum of issues 

that state and local election officials will 

face as they work to administer a secure, 

accessible and efficient 2018 Election. 

Commissioners and attendees will hear 

from keynote speakers and expert 

panelists who will address topics such 

as election security, voting accessibility, 

and how to use election data to improve 

the voter experience. 

This event is free and open to the 

public. Due to limited space, 

registration is strongly recommended. 

The summit will be recorded and 

available at a later date. There is no 

livestream scheduled. 

ATTENDANCE: Attendees should register 

via https://www.eac.gov/events/2018/ 

01/10/eac-summit-the-2018-federalelection-accessibility-criticalinfrastructure-cybersecurityemergencycontingency-planningsecurity/. 

STATUS: This meeting will be open to 

the public. 

PERSON TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION: 

Bryan Whitener, Telephone: (301) 563– 

3961. 

Signed: 

Bryan Whitener, 

Director of National Clearinghouse on 

Elections, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2017–28500 Filed 12–29–17; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4810–71–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings #2 

Take notice that the Commission 

received the following electric rate 

filings: 

Docket Numbers: ER18–518–000. 

Applicants: NorthWestern 

Corporation. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: SA 

290 9th Rev—NITSA with Oldcastle 

Materials Cement Holdings to be 

effective 3/1/2018. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5187. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–519–000. 

Applicants: ALLETE Clean Energy, 

Inc. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5204. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–520–000. 

Applicants: Entergy New Orleans, 

LLC. 

Description: Baseline eTariff Filing: 

Notice of Succession to be effective 12/ 

22/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5205. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–521–000. 

Applicants: ALLETE, Inc. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5206. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–522–000. 

Applicants: Armenia Mountain Wind, 

LLC. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5207. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–523–000. 

Applicants: Chanarambie Power 

Partners, LLC. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5211. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–524–000. 

Applicants: New York State 

Reliability Council, L.L.C. 

Description: Informational Filing of 

the Revised Installed Capacity 

Requirement for the New York Control 

Area by the New York State Reliability 

Council, L.L.C. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5213. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–525–000. 

Applicants: NorthWestern 

Corporation. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: ER 

304 11th Rev—NITSA with Barretts 

Minerals to be effective 3/1/2018. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5212. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–526–000. 

Applicants: Lake Benton Power 

Partners LLC. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5214. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–527–000. 

Applicants: Storm Lake Power 

Partners I LLC. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5215. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–528–000. 

Applicants: Storm Lake Power 

Partners II, LLC. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

Revisions to market-based rate tariff to 

be effective 12/23/2017. 

Filed Date: 12/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20171222–5216. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 1/12/18. 

Docket Numbers: ER18–529–000. 

Applicants: Condon Wind Power, 

LLC. 


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