[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 63904]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-26248]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests.

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SUMMARY: The Leader, Regulatory Management Group, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information 
collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the 
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since public harm is reasonably 
likely to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by 
October 31, 2002. A regular clearance process is also beginning. 
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 
16, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be 
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Karen Lee, Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of 
Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW, Room 10235, New Executive 
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be electronically 
mailed to the internet address [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB 
provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity 
to comment on information collection requests. The Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public 
consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval 
process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate 
State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's 
ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Leader, Regulatory 
Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes 
this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the 
beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection. 
Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the 
following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., new, revision, 
extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the 
collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the 
information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) 
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites public comment. 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 respondents, 
including through the use of information technology.

    Dated: October 9, 2002.
John D. Tressler,
Leader, Regulatory Management Group, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: Reading Excellence Act (REA) Performance Report.
    Abstract: This Annual Performance Report will allow the Department 
of Education to collect information required by the Reading Excellence 
Act.
    Additional Information: Emergency clearance is necessary due to 
unanticipated events related to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). 
The No Child Left Behind Act, enacted in January 2002, increased 
Departmental expectations for State reporting, strengthened 
accountability provisions and emphasized the implementation of proven 
strategies, particularly those proven through scientific research, in 
NCLB programs. Clearance is requested for a new performance report that 
will provide accurate, timely and useful performance information from 
individual States. This performance report will also enhance the 
capability of the REA program office to ascertain technical assistance 
needs and identify compliance concerns. The third and final round of 
REA States completed their subgrant competitions in August 2002, 
resulting in several hundred new schools with Reading Excellence 
programs. This level of program growth necessitates performance reports 
for effective monitoring of each State's activities. To align with 
these unanticipated events, the Department is requesting approval to 
obtain performance reports from each State with an active REA grant. 
This will replace, not add to, the performance report information 
collection through the State-District-School Study. This applies to 23 
States reporting in November 2002 and 13 States reporting in November 
2003. We seek this information each November so that REA staff can 
quickly accommodate and align with the events described above, and to 
enable staff to provide relevant technical assistance during the second 
half of the school year. To give States adequate time to prepare the 
report, we are requesting OMB approval of the performance report by 
October 31, 2002.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: Responses: 18. Burden 
Hours: 24.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 2171. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download Attachments 
`` to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to 
Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 
4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to the 
e-mail address [email protected]. Requests may also be electronically 
mailed to the internet address [email protected] or faxed to (202) 708-
9346. Please specify the complete title of the information collection 
when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements, contact Kathy Axt at her e-mail address [email protected]. 
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

[FR Doc. 02-26248 Filed 10-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-1-P