OMB83C Change Memo

DATE: April 12, 2017

TO: Robert Sivinski & E. Ann Carson, OMB

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela, NCES

FROM: Holly Xie, NCES

Re: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2017 National Supplement Confidentiality Pledge Change Request (OMB# 1850-0870 v.6)

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills and life experiences focusing on education and employment, designed internationally to assess adults in different countries over a broad range of abilities, from simple reading to complex problem-solving skills, and to collect information on individuals’ skill use and background. In the United States, PIAAC is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and NCES has contracted Westat to administer PIAAC 2017 in the U.S. PIAAC defines four core competency domains of adult cognitive skills seen as key to facilitating the social and economic participation of adults in advanced economies: literacy, reading components, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. PIAAC also surveys adults on their education background, work history, the skills they use on the job and at home, their civic engagement, and sense of their health and well-being. The results are used to compare participating countries on the skills capacities of their workforce-aged adults and to learn more about relationships between educational background, employment, and other outcomes. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and developed by participating countries with the support of the OECD. U.S. participated in the PIAAC Main Study data collection in 2012, conducted a national supplement in 2014, and was approved in October 2016 (OMB# 1850-0870 v.6) to conduct the PIAAC 2017 National Supplement data collection. PIAAC 2017 National Supplement data collection is being conducted from March-September 2017 with a nationally representative sample of 3,800 adults ages 16-74, in a new sample of 80 primary sampling units (PSUs).

This request is to (1) update the confidentiality pledge cited as part of PIAAC 2017 National Supplement to account for the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, (2) cite additional data security & confidentiality requirements, and (3) updated the contact information for the study.

Update to Confidentiality Pledge and Citation of Security and Confidentiality Requirements

Citation of the data security and confidentiality protection procedures has been expanded in Part A to reflect all of the laws and regulations with which PIAAC data collection contractors and agents comply. Also, the confidentiality pledge has been updated throughout the submission documents (Part A, Appendix A-D, and Appendix E) to reflect the addition of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 provision. The revised pledge reads: “All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).”

Update the Website and Contact Information for the Study

In Appendix E: PIAAC 2017-Communication Materials, the website and contact information for the study were updated, as those were not available at the time the original OMB package was submitted.

None of the revisions requested here affect the estimated burden to respondents or the total cost to the federal government for PIAAC 2017.