[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66644-66645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23341]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No. ED-2016-ICCD-0086]
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
AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of
Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: 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
October 28, 2016.
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-
0086. 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
[[Page 66645]]
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: Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18
(MGLS:2017) Operational Field Test (OFT) and Recruitment for Main Study
Base-year.
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 Base-year data for the MGLS:2017 will be collected from a
nationally-representative 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 preparation for the national data collection,
referred to as the Main Study, the data collection instruments and
procedures must be field tested. This request is to conduct three
components of the study: (1) The MGLS:2017 Operational Field Test (OFT)
data collection from January to June 2017; (2) the recruitment of
schools for the Main Study Base-year beginning in January 2017; and (3)
the tracking of OFT students and associated recruitment of schools
beginning in summer 2017 in preparation for the first follow-up OFT
data collection. An Item Validation Field Test (IVFT) was conducted in
the winter/spring of 2016 to determine the psychometric properties of
assessment and survey items and the predictive potential of items so
that valid, reliable, and useful assessment and survey instruments can
be composed for the Main Study. The primary purpose of the OFT is to:
Obtain information on recruiting, particularly for students in three
focal IDEA-defined disability groups; obtain a tracking sample that can
be used to study mobility patterns in subsequent years; and test
protocols and administrative procedures. The OFT will inform the
materials and procedures for the main study base year and follow-up
data collections. Because the OFT recruitment will still be ongoing at
the time this request is approved, the burden and materials from the
MGLS:2017 Recruitment for the 2017 OFT request (OMB# 1850-0911 v.
6,9,10) are being carried over in this submission.
Dated: September 23, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-23341 Filed 9-27-16; 8:45 am]
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