30 day Federal Register notice

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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 7, 2016 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED–2016–ICCD–0137]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of
2017–18 (MGLS: 2017) Operational
Field Test (OFT) and Recruitment for
Main Study Base-Year Study
National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), Department of
Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is
proposing a revision of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before January
6, 2017.
ADDRESSES: To access and review all the
documents related to the information
collection listed in this notice, please
use http://www.regulations.gov by
searching the Docket ID number ED–
2016–ICCD–0137. Comments submitted
in response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://
www.regulations.gov by selecting the
Docket ID number 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
2E–347, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
specific questions related to collection
activities, please contact NCES
Information Collections at
[email protected].
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

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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: Middle Grades
Longitudinal Study of 2017–18 (MGLS:
2017) Operational Field Test (OFT) and
Recruitment for Main Study Base-year
Study.
OMB Control Number: 1850–0911.
Type of Review: A revision of an
existing information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals or Households.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 34,952.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 17,391.
Abstract: The Middle Grades
Longitudinal Study of 2017–18
(MGLS:2017) is the first study
conducted by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) to follow a
nationally-representative sample of
students as they enter and move through
the middle grades (grades 6–8). The data
collected through repeated measures of
key constructs will provide a rich
descriptive picture of the academic
experiences and development of
students during these critical years and
will allow researchers to examine
associations between contextual factors
and student outcomes. The study will
focus on student achievement in
mathematics and literacy along with
measures of student socioemotional
wellbeing and other outcomes. The
study will also include a special sample
of students with different types of
disabilities that will provide descriptive
information on their outcomes,
educational experiences, and special
education services. Main Study Baseyear data for the MGLS:2017 will be
collected from a nationallyrepresentative sample of 6th grade
students beginning in January 2018,
with annual follow-ups beginning in
January 2019 and in January 2020 when
most of the students in the sample will
be in grades 7 and 8, respectively. In

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preparation for the national data
collection, referred to as the Main
Study, the data collection instruments
and procedures must be field tested. An
Item Validation Field Test (IVFT) was
conducted in the winter/spring 2016 to
determine the psychometric properties
of items and the predictive potential of
assessment and survey items so that
valid, reliable, and useful assessment
and survey instruments can be
composed for the Main Study. An
Operational Field Test (OFT) will begin
in January 2017 to test the near final
instruments and the recruitment and
data collection processes and
procedures in preparation for the Main
Study. OMB approved the recruitment
of schools, school districts, and parents
to participate in the OFT in December
2015 with the latest change request
approved in March 2016 (OMB# 1850–
0911 v.6,9,10). The request to conduct
the OFT data collection, Main Study
recruitment, and tracking of OFT
students is currently under review at
OMB (OMB# 1850–0911 v.11), with
expected approval in early December
2016. This request is to modify language
in the parent contacting materials, the
video introductory script for the student
session, and the study questionnaires
(student, parent, math teacher, special
education teacher, school administrator,
and facilities observation checklist).
These changes are driven by the
recently completed analyses of IVFT
results. The data collection for the OFT
will begin January 23, 2017. Main Study
recruitment will also commence in
January 2017.
Dated: December 2, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy
Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016–29327 Filed 12–6–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Applications for New Awards;
Personnel Development To Improve
Services and Results for Children With
Disabilities—Preparation of Special
Education, Early Intervention, and
Related Services Leadership
Personnel
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

Overview Information: Personnel
Development to Improve Services and
Results for Children with Disabilities—
Preparation of Special Education, Early

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