57258 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 

through grade 12 schools). Second, we 

want to make it clear that under this 

priority, grantees must implement both 

school-level strategies to enhance 

reading achievement and intensive, 

targeted interventions, and these 

strategies and interventions must be 

directed at students in grades 6 and 

above only. Finally, we want to clarify 

when grantees must begin to provide 

these services. 

The school-level strategies must focus 

on improving literacy for the entire 

grade span/student population in the 

grades 6 through 12 that are included in 

the school and be implemented in each 

of these grades no later than the start of 

the 2006–2007 school year. In a 

kindergarten through grade 12 school, 

for example, the school-level strategies 

must be designed to enhance the 

literacy skills of all students in grades 

6 through 12. In a high school with 

grades 9 through 12, the school-level 

strategies must encompass all of the 

grades in the school. Further, the 

school-level strategies must be provided 

in all of the covered grade levels (i.e., 

grades 6 through 12) during each year of 

the project, beginning no later than the 

start of the 2006–2007 school year. 

The targeted interventions must be for 

some or all students in grades 6 through 

12 who are reading at least two years 

below grade level. In schools that 

include grades kindergarten through 8, 

for example, the targeted intervention 

must be targeted at struggling readers in 

one or more grades 6 through 8. 

However, the grantee would not have to 

provide targeted interventions to all 

struggling readers in grades 6 through 8. 

In this example, the targeted 

intervention must focus on all or some 

struggling readers either in a given grade 

level or in more than one grade in 

grades 6 through 8. Furthermore, the 

grantee must provide intensive, targeted 

intervention strategies during each year 

of the project beginning no later than 

the start of the 2006–2007 school year. 

Statement of Priority Two— 

Comprehensive Reading Initiative 

Components 

The applicant, if awarded a grant 

under this program, will use the funds 

to support a comprehensive reading 

initiative that includes the following 

components: 

1. School-level strategies designed to 

increase reading achievement for 

students by integrating enhanced 

literacy instruction throughout the 

curriculum and the entire school. These 

strategies must include, at a minimum, 

a needs assessment, professional 

development, and a process for 

monitoring student performance. The 

school-level strategies must focus on 

improving literacy for the entire grade 

span/student population in the grades 6 

through 12 that are included in the 

school and be implemented in each of 

these grades during each year of the 

project period beginning no later than 

the start of the 2006–2007 school year. 

2. An intensive, targeted intervention 

for struggling readers (i.e., students who 

read at least two years below grade 

level, including limited English 

proficient students and students with 

disabilities). The intervention must 

include, at a minimum, assessments to 

identify struggling readers, a 

supplementary literacy intervention 

designed to accelerate the development 

of literacy skills for these readers, 

professional development for their 

teachers, and a process for monitoring 

student progress that includes the 

administration of student assessments. 

The intensive, targeted interventions 

must be for some or all struggling 

readers in one or more grades 6 through 

12. The grantee must provide intensive, 

targeted intervention strategies during 

each year of the project period 

beginning no later than the start of the 

2006–2007 school year. 

3. A project evaluation that 

includes—

(a) A rigorous experimental research 

evaluation of the intensive, targeted 

intervention for struggling readers. The 

evaluation of the intensive, targeted 

intervention must be conducted by an 

independent evaluator and must 

include a randomized control trial; and 

(b) A rigorous evaluation of the 

school-level strategies designed to 

increase reading achievement for 

students by integrating enhanced 

literacy instruction throughout the 

curriculum and the school. The 

evaluation of the school-level strategies 

must be conducted by an independent 

evaluator and may, but need not, 

include a randomized control trial. 

To meet this priority, applicants must 

demonstrate that they have allocated 

sufficient program and other funds to 

carry out a high-quality evaluation of 

the proposed Striving Readers project. 

Applicants also will need to include a 

sufficient number of schools and 

students to support an experimental 

evaluation design of the targeted 

intervention in one or more grades in 

grades 6 through 12. 

Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: 

Under the Administrative Procedure Act 

(APA) (5 U.S.C. 553), the Department 

generally offers interested parties the 

opportunity to comment on eligibility 

requirements and priorities. Section 

437(d)(1) of the General Education 

Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1)), 

however, allows the Secretary to exempt 

from rulemaking requirements, 

regulations governing the first grant 

competition under a new or 

substantially revised program authority. 

This is the first grant competition for 

this program under section 1502 of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965, as amended, and therefore 

qualifies for this exemption. In order to 

ensure timely grant awards, the 

Secretary has decided to forgo public 

comment on the modified eligibility 

requirements and priority in this notice 

under section 437(d)(1). These modified 

eligibility requirements and priority will 

apply to the FY 2005 grant competition 

and any subsequent awards we make 

based on the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

You may view this document, as well as 

all other documents of this Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF) on the Internet at the 

following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/ 

fedregister. 

To use PDF you must have Adobe 

Acrobat Reader, which is available free 

at this site. If you have questions about 

using PDF, call the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1–

888–293–6498; or in the Washington, 

DC, area at (202) 512–1530. 

Note: The official version of this document 

is the document published in the Federal 

Register. Free Internet access to the official 

edition of the Federal Register and the Code 

of Federal Regulations is available on GPO 

Access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/ 

index.html. 

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6492. 

Dated: September 27, 2005. 

Henry Johnson, 

Assistant Secretary for Elementary and 

Secondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 05–19618 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

Publication of State Plans Pursuant to 

the Help America Vote Act 

AGENCY: Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to sections 

254(a)(11)(A) and 255(b) of the Help 

America Vote Act (HAVA), Public Law 

107–252, the U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission (EAC) hereby causes to be 

published in the Federal Register 

material changes to the HAVA State 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57259 

plans previously submitted by 

Pennsylvania. 

DATES: This notice is effective upon 

September 30, 2005. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bryan Whitener, Telephone 202–566–

3100 or 1–866–747–1471 (toll-free). 

Submit Comments: Any comments 

regarding the plans published herewith 

should be made in writing to the chief 

election official of the individual States 

at the address listed below. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

On March 24, 2004, the U.S. Election 

Assistance Commission published in 

the Federal Register the original HAVA 

State plans filed by the fifty States, the 

District of Columbia and the Territories 

of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, 

and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 69 FR 

14002. HAVA anticipated that States, 

Territories and the District of Columbia 

would change or update their plans 

from time to time pursuant to HAVA 

section 254 (a)(11) through (13). HAVA 

sections 254(a)(11)(A) and 255 require 

EAC to publish such updates. EAC 

published Pennsylvania’s first update to 

its State plan in the Federal Register on 

September 30, 2004. 69 FR 58630. 

The current submission from 

Pennsylvania addresses three material 

changes to the administration of their 

previously submitted State plans. The 

document updates information on the 

State’s approach to voter verified paper 

ballots and voter verified paper audit 

trails, accounts for the distribution of 

interest earned on federal funds, and 

clarifies funding available to counties 

that must replace their voting systems. 

The document also provides 

information on how the State succeeded 

in carrying out the previous State plan, 

in accordance with HAVA section 

254(a)(12). 

Upon the expiration of thirty days 

from September 30, 2005, Pennsylvania 

will be eligible to implement the 

material changes addressed in the plan 

that is published herein, in accordance 

with HAVA section 254(a)(11)(C). 

EAC notes that the plan published 

herein has already met the notice and 

comment requirements of HAVA section 

256, as required by HAVA section 

254(a)(11)(B). EAC wishes to 

acknowledge the effort that went into 

the revising the State plans and 

encourages further public comment, in 

writing, to the State election official of 

the individual States listed below. 

Chief State Election Officials 

Pennsylvania 

The Honorable Pedro A. Corte ́s, 

Secretary of the Commonwealth, 

Department of State, 302 North Office 

Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120, Phone: 

717–787–6458, Fax: 717–787–1734, Email: patriwili@state.pa.us. 

Thank you for your interest in 

improving the voting process in 

America. 

Dated: September 23, 2005. 

Gracia M. Hillman, 

Chair, U.S. Election Assistance Commission. 

BILLING CODE 6820–KF–P 

57260 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.016</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57261 


EN30SE05.017</GPH>
57262 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.018</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57263 


EN30SE05.019</GPH>
57264 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.020</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57265 


EN30SE05.021</GPH>
57266 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.022</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57267 


EN30SE05.023</GPH>
57268 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.024</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57269 


EN30SE05.025</GPH>
57270 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.026</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57271 


EN30SE05.027</GPH>
57272 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 


EN30SE05.028</GPH>
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 189 / Friday, September 30, 2005 / Notices 57273 

[FR Doc. 05–19440 Filed 9–29–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–KF–C 


EN30SE05.029</GPH>