2023-06667. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Higher Education Act (HEA) Title II Report Cards on State Teacher Credentialing and Preparation

AGENCY:

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 30, 2023.

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–2023–SCC–0055. 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. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will temporarily accept comments at [e-mail]. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments 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 Manager of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, Washington, DC 20202–8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Freddie Cross, 202–453–7224.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department, 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. The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department 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: Higher Education Act (HEA) Title II Report Cards on State Teacher Credentialing and Preparation.

OMB Control Number: 1840–0744.

Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,283.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 185,000.

Abstract: This request is for a revision of the State Report Card and Institution and Program Report Card required by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended in 2008 by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). States must report annually on criteria and assessments required for initial teacher credentials using a State Report Card (SRC), and institutions of higher education (IHEs) with teacher preparation programs (TPP), and TPPs outside of IHEs, must report on key program elements on an Institution and Program Report Card (IPRC). IHEs and TPPs outside of IHEs report annually to their states on program elements, including program numbers, type, enrollment figures, demographics, completion rates, goals and assurances to the state. States, in turn, must report on TPP elements to the Secretary of Education in addition to information on assessment pass rates, state standards, initial credential types and requirements, numbers of credentials issued, TPP classification as at-risk or low-performing. The information from states, institutions, and programs is published annually in The Secretary's Report to Congress on Teacher Quality.

The revisions to the IPRC consist of the following:

• A new sub-section about the impact of COVID–19 in Section I: Program Information. The section would have four questions in the first data collection year in which it is implemented, due to retrospective questions going back to academic year 2019–20, but only one question in subsequent data collection years.
• A new question about student completion rate in Section I: Program Information.
• Minor revisions to the gender and race/ethnicity categories in Section I: Program Information.

The revisions to the SRC consist of the following:

• Two new items showing completion rate, total and by program, pre-loaded from the IPRC for state review, in Section I: Program Information.

• Five new multiple choice questions in Section VII: Teacher Shortages and Teacher Preparation, which are replacing three open text items.
• A new “other” response option for a multiple choice item in Section IX: Improvement Efforts.
• A new multiple choice and open text item in Section IX: Improvement Efforts.
• A new section (Section X) about the impact of COVID–19. The section would have three questions in the first data collection year in which it is implemented, due to retrospective questions going back to academic year 2019–20, but only one question in subsequent data collection years.
• Minor revisions to the gender and race/ethnicity categories in Section I: Program Information.

Dated: March 27, 2023.

Kun Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.