[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4144-4145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-675]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request 
Proposed Projects

    Title: National Implementation of Head Start, National Reporting 
System on Child Outcomes.
    OMB No.: 0970-0249.
    Description: The Administration on Children, Youth and Families 
(ACYF), within Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is requesting comments 
on plans to implement the Head Start National Reporting System on Child 
Outcomes. This implementation has been conducted to collect child-
outcomes information that will be used to enhance Head Start program 
quality and accountability.
    The Head Start National Reporting System (HSNRS) was designed to 
meet Presidentially mandated reforms and Congressionally mandated 
requirements for information on specific child outcomes and to provide 
Head Start program managers and teachers with useful information to 
support program-improvement strategies.
    HSNRS has three major goals. First, HSNRS is intended to provide 
local Head Start programs with additional information regarding the 
progress of groups of children by capturing baseline information on how 
children are doing at the beginning and at the end of the program, in a 
limited number of areas. Second, HSNRS is intended to capture the same 
set of information across the nation in a consistent manner. This 
information can be used to plan for targeted training and technical 
assistance. Third, the child-outcomes information captured in HSNRS is 
intended to be used within the current program monitoring effort, which 
involves an onsite, systematic review of programs. HSNRS can create and 
compile information that the Head Start Bureau can utilize as part of 
the process for ensuring the effectiveness of services. These results 
also will be used to provide for program improvement and accountability 
of Head Start.
    The first three rounds of the HSNRS national implementation (2003-
04, 2004-05, and 2005-06 program years) have been successful. In each 
round of the data collection, over 400,000 assessments were completed, 
making this the largest assessment of preschool children ever 
conducted. Also, over 99 percent cooperation was obtained from local 
Head Start programs and Head Start parents and children. HSNRS data 
show good internal reliability, both in terms of I----R----T---- (IRT) 
reliability and Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha, at the individual child-
level, for both English-language and Spanish-language assessments. IRT 
estimates of the internal reliability of the program-level, English-
language assessment scores were excellent, with most IRT-reliability 
coefficients greater than .90.
    Participating local Head Start programs have received HSNRS Program 
Reports at the aggregated program-level for the fall assessment 
(baseline) and the spring assessment (fall-spring growth), in each 
program year. These reports provided local Head Start programs with the 
progress of their children in all assessed domains, and showed how the 
reports compared to all other Head Start children (national-level 
reference tables) as well as children in similar programs (sub-group 
reference tables).
    HSNRS will continue to collect child-outcomes information from 
children who are 4 years-old or older and who will enter Kindergarten 
next year. As in the previous three years, all eligible Head Start 
children will be assessed twice a year using a standardized direct 
child-assessment battery. The assessment battery will include a

[[Page 4145]]

limited set of early literacy, language, and numeracy skills.
    Social-emotional development of Head Start children reported by 
classroom teachers will be collected in HSNRS twice a year using a 
standardized rating scale developed for HSNRS. The social-emotional 
development scales will be field-tested in spring 2006 prior to 
national implementation in fall 2006. Head Start teachers will rate 
children in their classrooms on the aspects of cooperative classroom 
behaviors, preschool learning behaviors, and problem behaviors.
    HSNRS will also collect health and safety information on children 
and programs, including children's height and weight, immunization 
status, receipt of dental care, and occurrences of injuries requiring 
medical attention.
    Respondents: Head Start children and Head Start staff.

                                             Annual Burden Estimates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     Number of        Average
           Respondents and activities                Number of     responses per   burden hours    Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent     per response        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Fall Implementation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Start Children: Participate in Child                425,000               1           \1/4\         106,250
 Assessments....................................
Head Start Staff (Assessors): Participate in              25,000               1               4         100,000
 Training-on-Child Assessments..................
Head Start Staff (Local NRS Trainers):                     1,800               1               4           7,200
 Participate in Training-on-Child Assessments...
Head Start Staff (Assessors): Administer Child            25,000              17           \1/4\         106,250
 Assessments....................................
Head Start Teachers: Participate in Training on           38,500               1               1          38,500
 Social-Emotional Development Ratings...........
Head Start Teachers: Complete Social-Emotional            38,500              11           \1/6\          70,583
 Development Ratings............................
Head Start Teachers: Complete Child Health                38,500              11          \1/12\          35,292
 Questions......................................
Head Start Staff: Complete Health and Safety of            1,800               1          \1/12\             150
 Program Questions..............................
Head Start Staff: Enter Information on CBRS.....           1,800               1               3           5,400
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                                              Spring Implementation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Start Children: Participate in Child                425,000               1           \1/4\         106,250
 Assessments....................................
Head Start Staff (Assessors): Participate in              25,000               1               4         100,000
 Refresher Training-on-Child Assessments........
Head Start Staff (Local NRS Trainers):                     1,800               1               4           7,200
 Participate in Training-on-Child Assessments...
Head Start Staff (Assessors): Administer Child            25,000              17           \1/4\         106,250
 Assessments....................................
Head Start Teachers: Participate in Refresher             38,500               1           \1/4\          19,250
 Training on Social-Emotional Development
 Ratings........................................
Head Start Teachers: Complete Social-Emotional            38,500              11           \1/6\          70,583
 Development Ratings............................
Head Start Teachers: Complete Child Health                38,500              11          \1/12\          35,292
 Questions......................................
Head Start Staff: Complete Health and Safety of            1,800               1          \1/12\             150
 Program Questions..............................
Head Start Staff: Enter Information on CBRS.....           1,800               1           \3/2\           2,700
    Total Annual Burden Estimates...............  ..............  ..............  ..............         917,300
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     In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Administration for Children 
and Families is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of 
the information collection described above. Copies of the proposed 
collection of information can be obtained and comments may be forwarded 
by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of 
Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 
20447, Attn: ACF Reports Clearance Officer. All requests should be 
identified by the title of the information collection: E-mail: 
[email protected].
     The Department specifically requests comments on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection 
of information on respondents, including through the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. 
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions submitted 
within 60 days of this publication.

    Dated: January 18, 2006.
Robert Sargis,
Reports Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-675 Filed 1-24-06; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M