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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 131 / Tuesday, July 13, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
bias in identification of reading disabilities with male students being identified more often than female students. The commenter recommended additional language be added to the notice to ensure that females receive adequate testing, attention, and resources.
Discussion: The Department thanks the commenter for the comment and recognizes that gender differences and referral bias in identification of disabilities have been documented in the research literature. While the Center will not be evaluating or identifying students as having a disability, the priority requires the Center to ensure equal access and treatment for members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.
The grantee will ensure that products and services meet the needs of these recipients.
Changes: None.
Comment: Two commenters observed that the priority specifically named dyslexia and did not address other disability categories. One commenter asked if other disability categories would be included or excluded from Center activities. The second commenter recommended expanding the focus of the Center to address the literacy needs of students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The commenter noted that children with these disabilities also struggle with attaining full literacy skills and, therefore, need to receive evidencebased literacy practices.
Discussion: The Department agrees that students from a variety of disability groups do not attain full literacy skills due to their disabilities and require evidence-based instructional and assessment practices. Section 2244 of the ESEA 20 U.S.C. 6674 requires that the Center address the needs of students at risk of not attaining full literacy skills due to a disability, including dyslexia impacting reading or writing, or developmental delay impacting reading, writing, language processing, comprehension, or executive functioning. In meeting this requirement, an applicant could include students with Attention-Deficit/
Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or other disabilities.
Changes: None.
Comment: One commenter recommended defining the term dyslexia using the definition in the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act First Step Act. The commenter noted that the definition in
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the First Step Act is the most up-to-date definition of dyslexia and the only definition of dyslexia in Federal statute.
Discussion: The Department thanks the commenter for the comment.
Neither ESEA nor the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA
includes a definition of dyslexia.
Dyslexia is identified as an example of a condition that could enable a student to be eligible under IDEAs specific learning disability category. In addition, States have developed their own definitions of dyslexia.
Changes: None.
Comment: One commenter recommended adopting the definition of dyslexia screening program from the First Step Act noting that the Center should provide TA and disseminate information on screeners that are evidence-based, psychometrically valid, affordable to schools, efficient to scale, and readily available to use as soon as possible.
Discussion: The Department agrees that screening assessments for dyslexia and other literacy-related disabilities should have the features that the reviewer described. Instead of adopting the definition from the First Step Act, the Department has added a requirement in the Quality of Project Services section of the priority. The requirement states that applicants should address the current research on screening assessments for dyslexia and other literacy-related disabilities that are evidence-based, psychometrically valid, free or low-cost, efficient to scale, and readily available for use.
Changes: The Department has added a requirement related to the features of screening assessments in paragraph b4ii of the Quality of Project Services section.
Comment: One commenter recommended that the Center have a greater focus on meeting the needs of teachers and students who are participating in remote learning environments due to the current novel coronavirus 2019 COVID19
pandemic.
Discussion: The Department thanks the commenter for the comment and recognizes the unique challenges that students, teachers, and schools are experiencing due to COVID19 as well as the critical role that remote learning plays when regular classroom instruction is disrupted. The priority is for improving the implementation of evidence-based literacy practices in teacher classroom and remote learning environments. The grantee will ensure that products and services meet the needs of teachers and students in both types of environments.

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Changes: None.
Comment: One commenter was concerned that the Center may not meet the needs of charter schools noting that charter schools may differ from traditional public schools and districts.
The commenter recommended requiring descriptions of plans to reach charter schools and evaluating proposals for the quality of their charter school plan.
Discussion: The Department thanks the commenter for the comment and agrees that appropriately serving students with disabilities is often an issue for charter schools. The Center should address the needs of all schools serving students with disabilities. As such, applicants should propose to develop TA products and services that address the needs of students in charter schools. Applicants could include a plan in Appendix A of their application.
However, we do not believe it is necessary to require a plan to reach charter schools or evaluate proposals based on the quality of this plan.
Changes: None.
Implementing Project Services Comment: One commenter noted that institutions of higher education preservice training programs are not specified as recipients of intensive, sustained TA. The commenter pointed out that pre-service teachers need training in the science of reading and that State governments are examining college preparation programs in this area. The commenter noted that this Center could be a major catalyst in supporting this work.
Discussion: Section 2244b5 of ESEA requires the Center to disseminate its products to regionally diverse SEAs, REAs, LEAs, and schools, including, as appropriate, through partnerships with other comprehensive centers established under section 203 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 20
U.S.C. 9602, and regional educational laboratories established under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 20 U.S.C. 9564. The products developed by the Center could be disseminated to and used in preservice training programs.
Changes: None.
Comment: Three commenters noted the importance of collaboration and outreach to other federally funded Centers as well as professional organizations and associations with literacy expertise, who represent disability groups, or who represent educators and service providers for students with disabilities. One commenter recognized that in special education, there is often a lack of collaboration between special education
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