03-30673. Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

SUMMARY:

The Acting Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 12, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Melanie Kadlic, Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be electronically mailed to the Internet address [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. OMB may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Acting Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes that notice containing proposed information collection requests prior to submission of these requests to OMB. Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites public comment.

Dated: December 5, 2003.

Joseph Schubart,

Acting Leader Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Biennial Performance Report.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: State, local, or tribal gov't; SEAs or LEAs; Federal Government.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

 Responses: 60.

 Burden Hours: 12,000.

Abstract: State educational agencies are required to establish goals for the performance of children with disabilities in that State that promote the purposes of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Part B). States must also establish performance indicators that the State will use to assess its progress in achieving these goals. Section 612(a)(16) of Part B requires States to report to the Secretary on the progress that the State has made toward meeting its goals. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is implementing an integrated, four-part accountability strategy: (1) Verifying the effectiveness and accuracy of States' monitoring, assessment, and data collection systems; (2) attending to States at high risk for compliance, financial, and/or management failure; (3) supporting States in assessing their performance and compliance, and in planning, implementing, and evaluating improvement strategies; and (4) focusing OSEP's intervention on States with low ranking reporting requirements for States' Self-Assessments, Improvement Plans, and Biennial Performance Reports are being combined in this Part B Annual Performance Report.

Requests for copies of the submission for OMB review; comment request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the “Browse Pending Collections” link and by clicking on link number 2355. When you access the information collection, click on “Download Attachments “ to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to the e-mail address [e-mail]. Requests may also be electronically mailed to the Internet address [e-mail] or faxed to 202-708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the information collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be directed to Sheila Carey at her e-mail address [e-mail]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.