2015-10514. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX)

AGENCY:

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 6, 2015.

ADDRESSES:

Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD-0059 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at [e-mail]. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period will not be accepted; ED will ONLY accept comments during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site is not available. 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, Mailstop L-OM-2-2E319, Room 2E115, Washington, DC 20202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Patricia Meyertholen, [phone].

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: Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX).

OMB Control Number: 1810-0683.

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: 17,520.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 360,491.

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is proposing new regulations to implement the Migrant Student Information Exchange (MSIX), a nationwide, electronic records exchange mechanism mandated under Title I, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act. As a condition of receiving a grant of funds under the Migrant Education Program (MEP), each State educational agency (SEA) would be required to collect, maintain, and submit minimum health and education-related data to MSIX within established timeframes. The proposed regulations would facilitate timely school enrollment, placement, and accrual of secondary course credits for migratory children and help us determine accurate migratory child counts and meet other MEP reporting requirements. The MEP is authorized under sections 1301-1309 in Title I, Part C of the ESEA. MSIX and the minimum data elements (MDEs) are authorized specifically under section 1308(b) of the ESEA.

This collection replaces the current collection for the MSIX MDEs under OMB No. 1810-0683. The burden hours and costs associated with this data collection are required to ensure that States implement and utilize MSIX for interstate migrant student records exchange, which will then enable the Department to meet the statutory mandate in section 1308(b) of the ESEA to facilitate the electronic exchange of MDEs by SEAs to address the educational and related needs of migratory children. The information collection addresses the following statutory requirements in the ESEA: Section 1304(b)(3), which requires SEAs to promote interstate and intrastate coordination of services for migratory children, including providing educational continuity through the timely transfer of pertinent school records (including health information) when children move from one school to another, whether or not the move occurs during the regular school year. Section 1308(b)(1), which requires ED to assist SEAs in providing for the electronic transfer of migrant student records. Section 1308(b)(2), which requires ED, in consultation with SEAs, to ensure the linkage of migrant student record systems for the purpose of electronically exchanging health and educational information regarding migrant children among States and determine the MDEs that each SEA shall collect and maintain for electronic exchange. Section 1309(2), which provides the statutory definition of a migratory child.

Dated: April 30, 2015.

Tomakie Washington,

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