2017-22445. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Implementation of Title I/II-A Program Initiatives

AGENCY:

Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 18, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2017-ICCD-0124. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 216-32, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Erica Johnson, 202-245-7676.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: Implementation of Title I/II-A Program Initiatives.

OMB Control Number: 1850-0902.

Type of Review: A reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 770.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 821.

Abstract: The second round of data collection for the Implementation of Title I/II-A Program Initiatives study will continue to examine the implementation of policies promoted through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) at the state and district levels, in four core areas: School accountability and support for low-performing schools, improving teacher and leader effectiveness, state content standards, and assessments. The first round of data collection for this study was conducted in Spring and Summer 2014.

The purpose of this follow-up data collection is to provide policy makers with detailed information on the core policies promoted by Title I and Title II-A being implemented at the state and district levels, and the resources and supports they provide to schools and teachers. The timing of the data collection is critical to provide early information on the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in the 2017-18 school year.

This study will rely on information collected from existing sources, for which there are no respondents or burden, and on a set of revised state and district surveys based on the 2014 data collection in order to address the study's research questions. Extant data sources include (a) the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and (b) EDFacts data.

The revised surveys of states and school districts will begin in March 2018. All respondents will have the opportunity to complete an electronic (e.g., web-based) survey (or paper survey, if preferred). The survey respondents are described briefly below:

State Surveys: The state survey will be sent to the chief state school officer in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The state surveys will be administered using an electronic instrument divided into modules corresponding to the four core areas.

School District Surveys. The school district survey will be sent to school superintendents from the same nationally representative sample of 570 school districts that participated in the 2014 survey, as well as a new nationally representative sample of 149 charter school districts. The district survey will be web-based and modularized, corresponding to the four core areas, to allow for completion by one or multiple respondents.

Dated: October 12, 2017.

Stephanie Valentine,

Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.