[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12323-12324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6453]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, 
Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, 
invites comments on the proposed information collection requests as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 26, 2009.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an 
early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. 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 Director, Regulatory Information 
Management Services, Office of Management, publishes that notice 
containing proposed information collection requests prior to submission 
of these requests to OMB. 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. OMB 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 
the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

    Dated: March 18, 2009.
Angela C. Arrington,
Director, Information Collections Clearance Division, Regulatory 
Information Management Services, Office of Management.

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

    Type of Review: New.
    Title: Evaluation of State and Local Implementation of Title III 
Standards, Assessments, and Accountability Systems.
    Frequency: One time.
    Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 1,940.
Burden Hours: 1,600.

    Abstract: This data collection will serve to update State-level 
information about Title III implementation and will also provide an 
important opportunity to go beyond the mechanics of

[[Page 12324]]

implementation at the State level to understand: Whether and how States 
and districts are making the necessary connections between English 
language proficiency (ELP) and academic learning; how the law's 
standards, assessment, and accountability mechanisms are being 
translated at the local level into instructional decisions and 
improvement strategies for limited English proficient (LEP) students; 
whether Title III implementation takes into account the many layers of 
diversity in the LEP population; and how LEP students are faring in 
both ELP and subject matter learning. The mixed-methods data collection 
and analyses will enable the study to answer a series of key evaluation 
questions and to deepen understanding of the extent to which Title III 
is achieving its underlying goals. The study has four interrelated 
objectives: (1) To describe the progress in implementation of Title III 
provisions, and variation in implementation across States; (2) To 
examine how localities are implementing their programs for LEP students 
and how these relate to State policies and contexts; (3) To determine 
how LEP students are faring in the development of their ELP and mastery 
of academic content; and (4) To maintain a focus, in all project data 
collection and analysis activities, on the diversity among LEP 
students--for example, in their concentrations, languages, ages, length 
of residence in the U.S.--and the educational implications of this 
diversity. The study will produce several policy-relevant reports and 
presentations including: In-person briefings for ED staff each year of 
the contract (three briefings total); a user-friendly policy brief and 
fact sheet in both Years 2 and 3 of the study, targeting policymakers, 
educators, media, and the public; dissemination of the fact sheet and 
non technical executive summary for each report completed to the study 
participants; dissemination of the reports, non technical executive 
summaries, policy briefs, and fact sheets to a number of audiences 
through organizations that focus on the instructional needs of LEP 
students; and submission of proposals for several staff members to 
conduct presentations at two professional and/or practitioner 
conferences during Years 2 and 3 of the study. The proposed study will 
include: A thorough review of standards and assessments; a complete set 
of interviews of State Title III and assessment directors; a nationally 
representative survey of districts receiving Title III funds; in depth 
case studies in five States, including two districts within each State; 
an analysis of longitudinal student achievement data; and an analysis 
of trends in State achievement. Respondents will include 51 State Title 
III directors, 1,300 District Title III administrators, 96 other 
district administrators, 192 Elementary and Secondary school principals 
and resource staff, 192 Elementary and Secondary teachers, and 96 
parent liaisons.
    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 3992. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
Attachments'' to view. Written requests for information should be 
addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
LBJ, Washington, DC 20202-4537.
    Requests may also be electronically mailed to [email protected] or 
faxed to 202-401-0920. Please specify the complete title of the 
information collection when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be electronically mailed to [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. E9-6453 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P