[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 189 (Thursday, October 1, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50788-50789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23688]


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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 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: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the 
Act

[[Page 50789]]

(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 November 1, 
2009.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be 
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Attention: Education Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget; 725 
17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New Executive Office Building, 
Washington, DC 20503 or e-mailed to [email protected] or 
faxed to (202) 395-5806.

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 Director, Information 
Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management 
Services, Office of Management, 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: September 28, 2009.
Angela C. Arrington,
Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory 
Information Management Services, Office of Management.

Institute of Education Sciences

    Type of Review: Emergency.
    Title: Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 
(TIMSS:11) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 
(PIRLS:11).
    Abstract: NCES seeks OMB approval for Trends in International 
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2011 and the Progress in 
International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011, both coordinated by 
the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational 
Achievement (IEA). TIMSS is administered every four years in more than 
60 countries and provides data for internationally benchmarking U.S. 
performance in mathematics and science at the fourth- and eighth-grade 
levels against other countries around the world. PIRLS is administered 
every five years in more than 50 countries and provides assessment data 
for internationally benchmarking U.S. performance in fourth-grade 
reading. The international field test for the two studies will begin on 
March 1, 2010, and the full scale collection in April-May 2011. The 
Department is seeking emergency processing for the recruitment and 
field test activities for this collection. The collection for the full-
scale study will be submitted at the later date under the normal 
clearance process.
    Additional Information: NCES is requesting that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approve on an emergency basis the PIRLS/
TIMSS March-April 2010 field test, including recruitment of selected 
schools, school districts, and State education agencies for the field 
test starting in November 2009. In order to have a reasonable chance to 
meet the minimum number of schools for the PIRLS and TIMSS field test 
and to conduct a valid field test including of the response rates under 
the proposed joint sampling plan, NCES must initiate contact with 
states and school districts as soon as possible after it receives the 
list of sample schools chosen by the IEA, in early November.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household; State, Local, or Tribal 
Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 6,739.
Burden Hours: 5,783.

    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 4148. 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 the Internet address [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. E9-23688 Filed 9-30-09; 8:45 am]
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