2012-21866. Notice Inviting Publishers To Submit Tests for a Determination of Suitability for Use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education

AGENCY:

Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Department of Education.

ACTION:

Notice.

DATES:

Deadline for transmittal of applications: October 1, 2012.

SUMMARY:

The Secretary of Education (1) invites publishers to submit tests for review and approval for use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS); and (2) announces the date by which publishers must submit these tests.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

John LeMaster, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 11159, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-7240. Telephone: [phone] or by email: [e-mail].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department's regulations for Measuring Educational Gain in the National Reporting System for Adult Education, 34 CFR part 462 (NRS regulations), include the procedures for determining the suitability of tests for use in the NRS.

Criteria the Secretary uses: In order for the Secretary to consider a test suitable for use in the NRS, the test must meet the criteria and requirements established in § 462.13.

Submission Requirements:

(a) In preparing your application, you must comply with the requirements in § 462.11.

(b) In accordance with § 462.10, the deadline for transmittal of applications is October 1.

(c) Whether you submit your application by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) or deliver your application by hand or by courier service, you must mail or deliver three copies of your application, on or before the deadline date, to the following address: NRS Assessment Review, c/o American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW., Washington, DC 20007.

(d) If you submit your application by mail or commercial carrier, you must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:

(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.

(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.

(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the Department of Education.

(e) If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:

(1) A private metered postmark.

(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.

(f) If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your

Note:

The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office.

(g) If you submit your application by hand delivery, you (or a courier service) must deliver three copies of the application by hand, on or before 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.

Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed in this notice.

Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/​fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.

You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9212

Dated: August 30, 2012.

Brenda Dann-Messier,

Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education.