Att_BRSSupportingStatement

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND-BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS PROGRAM

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR APPROVAL

UNDER THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT AND 5CFR 1320

A. Justification

1. In 1982, the Secretary of Education established the Blue Ribbon Schools Program to recognize and honor successful schools. In 2002, the program was renewed to bring it in line with the No Child Left Behind Act or 2001 and the name changed to the No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The program recognizes and presents as models public and private elementary and secondary schools that meet either of two assessment criteria. First, it recognizes schools that have at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance. Second, it recognizes schools whose students, whether from disadvantaged or privileged backgrounds, achieve in the top 10 percent on State tests. Since they generally do not take state assessments, private schools must perform in the top 10 percent of the nation.

In 2002, the program was simplified to make it easier for schools to apply and the application form was reduced from 37 to 19 pages. The application itself was reduced approximately 30 pages, from an average of 50 pages to fewer than 20.

This program rewards excellence in schools by giving a non-monetary award. The schools receive a plaque and flag to signify this recognition.

Attached is the authorizing statute for the Fund for the Improvement of Education. The reference to Blue Ribbon Schools can be found in Public Law 107-110, Part D, SEC. 5401, Subpart 1(b) (5). http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html

2. The Department as well as State Departments of Education will use the information gathered through this application package to recognize successful schools and present them as models for other schools. The Secretary of Education presents the awards to the recipients.

3. The use of improved information technology would have minimal impact on the submission of the information. The Department requests only one paper copy of the cover sheet of the application that contains the signatures of the principal, superintendent, and school board chairperson. The other copy is included in the online application.

4. The instructions are designed to seek only information necessary to identify those schools that will receive the award.

On page 8 of the application (cover sheet), the request for information is not duplicative. Since the Department’s available data are at least one year old, it is important for the program to know the names, phone and fax numbers, e-mail address, and WEB page URL of the applicants. It is also important for the program to know the district telephone number. This information is necessary for communicating with the schools and for answering questions from the Congress and the press about the awardees. The Department does not collect the fax number, e-mail address, WEB page URL for school districts.

On page 9, numbers 1 through 10 allow the Chief State School Officers (CSSO) and school to know the eligibility requirements before working on the application package. From the beginning, it is important for the states and schools to know what schools the CSSO may nominate to the Secretary.

On pages 10 to 13, the questions have been designed to make the smallest demands possible on the schools preparing an application. If these schools will serve as models, it is important for people in other schools to know their demographics.

Number 1 places the school in the context of the district. Number 2 is important because it gives a picture of the financial situation at the school.

Number 3 presents basic data on the demographic composition of the area in which the school is located. Congress routinely requests such data. Number 4 gives insights into the continuity of leadership within the school. Number 5 gives the enrollment for each grade.

Number 6 provides insights into the difficulties or opportunities a school may have because of the numbers of students from different ethnic backgrounds. Numbers 7 through 10 serves the same basic purpose concerning student turnover, limited English proficient students, the socioeconomic background of the school’s students, and the numbers of students receiving special education services.

Numbers 11 and 12 ask for numbers that allow for a determination of the ratios of administrators and support personnel to teachers and teachers to students. Number 13 supplies information about attendance and dropout rates and allows for studies concerning the relationship of these data to student outcomes. Number 14 asks for information on post-graduation activities for high schools that allow for comparisons of these data to student outcomes.

5. The collection of information does not involve small business or other small entities.

6. If information is not collected, the NCLB-BRS program cannot be conducted.

7. This collection will be conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

8. The current NCLB-BRS application was modified and simplified from a previously approved application from the Blue Ribbon Schools Program. The Department consults extensively each year with the states, with the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) and with the schools that receive the award concerning the program and application.

9. The winners will receive the NCLB-BRS award, a symbol of no economic value.

10. No assurance of confidentiality is provided.

11. No information of a sensitive nature is collected.

12. Because a specific number of schools are assigned to the states and private schools based on school age population and numbers of schools, there will be a maximum of 413 respondents, including up to 50 from private schools. It should take the respondents approximately 39.75 hours to complete the application, including the information section, the test results, and the narrative section. The table below shows the number of nominations allowed for each state.

Alabama 5

Alaska 3

Arizona 5

Arkansas 4

California 35

Colorado 5

Connecticut 4

Delaware 3

District of Columbia 3

Florida 13

Georgia 8

Hawaii 3

Idaho 3

Illinois 16

Indiana 8

Iowa 5

Kansas 5

Kentucky 5

Louisiana 6

Maine 3

Maryland 6

Massachusetts 7

Michigan 13

Minnesota 8

Mississippi 4

Missouri 8

Montana 3

Nebraska 4

Nevada 3

New Hampshire 3

New Jersey 9

New Mexico 3

New York 19

North Carolina 9

North Dakota 3

Ohio 14

Oklahoma 6

Oregon 4

Pennsylvania 13

Rhode Island 3

South Carolina 5

South Dakota 3

Tennessee 6

Texas 26

Utah 3

Vermont 3

Virginia 7

Washington 7

West Virginia 3

Wisconsin 8

Wyoming 3

Puerto Rico 3

DoDEA 1

Bureau of Indian Affairs 1

The cost to the respondents is approximately $1609.08, an estimated hourly wage of $40.48 times 39.75 hours per respondent.

13. There are no costs to the respondents other than the cost of completing the application package.

14. The annualized cost to the Federal government, based on the FY 2008 budget of similar programs, is $915,235.29. Almost all costs for the program are contained in the technical support contract. Other costs to the government, including mailings and printing will be less than $2,000.

15. There is no change in burden.

16. The names of the award winning schools and their applications are posted on the U.S. Department of Education’s website at http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html immediately after the awards ceremony. The general schedule for the 2008-2009 cycle of the program is:

Timelines for 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools

November 2008: The Secretary sends a letter of invitation to the Chief State School Officers (CSSO), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) requesting the submission of information for nominated schools.

December 3: Public School nominations from the CSSO, BIE and DoDEA due to the Department.

December 5: The Department invites schools recommended by the CSSO, BIE and DoDEA to apply for recognition as Blue Ribbon Schools.

January 2009: CAPE selects its nominations.

February 18: Completed public and private school (from CAPE) applications are due to the Department.

March: An internal team reviews the completeness and accuracy of the applications.

April: An Assessment Panel, an invited team with expertise in state assessments, reviews the applications and verifies the eligibility of the schools according to the state test data.

August: States certify that nominated public schools have met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

September: The Secretary announces the 2009 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools.

Fall 2009: Two people from each school, the principal and a teacher, are invited to a ceremony in Washington, DC, where the schools will receive a plaque and a flag signifying their status.

17. The expiration date for OMB approval will be displayed.

18. No exceptions are sought.

B. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This program will not employ statistical methods.

Supporting Statement for the NCLB-BRS Award Page 6