2013-06798. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math Science Annual Performance Report

AGENCY:

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), 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 new information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 28, 2013.

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-2013-ICCD-0037 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 2E103, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Electronically mail [e-mail]. Please do not send comments here.

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: Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math Science Annual Performance Report.

OMB Control Number: 1840-NEW.

Type of Review: New information collection.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 992.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 16,864.

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Education is requesting a new Annual Performance Report (APR) for grants under the regular Upward Bound (UB) and Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) Programs. The Department is requesting a new APR because of the implementation of the Higher Education Opportunity Act revisions to the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the authorizing statute for the programs. The APRs are used to evaluate the performance of grantees prior to awarding continuation funding and to assess a grantee's prior experience at the end of each budget period. The Department will also aggregate the data to provide descriptive information on the programs and to analyze the impact of the program on the academic progress of participating students.

Dated: March 20, 2013.

Kate Mullan,

Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.