[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60817-60818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-25300]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (the Department), 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 opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of 
information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its 
information collection requirements and minimize the reporting burden 
on the public and helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. The Director, Information Collection Clearance 
Division, Privacy, Information and Records 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 
November 29, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be electronically mailed to [email protected] or 
mailed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., LBJ, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537. Please note that written comments received 
in response to this notice will be considered public records.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that Federal agencies provide 
interested parties an early opportunity to comment on information 
collection requests. 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. 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: September 27, 2011
Darrin King,
Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, 
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

Institute of Education Sciences

    Type of Review: New.
    Title of Collection: College Affordability and Transparency 
Explanation (CATE) Form 2011-2014.
    OMB Control Number: Pending.
    Agency Form Number(s): N/A.
    Frequency of Responses: Annually.
    Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 532.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 1,596.
    Abstract:. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is 
seeking a three-year clearance for a new survey data collection for the 
College Affordability and Transparency List Explanation (CATE) form. 
The collection of this information is necessary pursuant to the Higher 
Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) Section 111, Part C (20 U.S.C. 1015a) 
with the goal of increasing transparency of college tuition prices for 
consumers. The clearance should start with the 2011-12 collection year 
and extend through the 2012-13 and 2013-14 collections. Part C of 
Section 111 of HEOA included provisions for improved transparency in 
college tuition for consumers. In response to these provisions, the 
Department of Education created The College Affordability and 
Transparency Center (CATC) which can be accessed through College 
Navigator. The CATC includes information for students, parents, and 
policymakers about college costs at America's colleges and 
universities. The CATC also includes several lists of institutions 
based on the tuition and fees and/or net prices (the price of 
attendance after considering all grant and scholarship aid) charged to 
students, including a list of institutions that are in the five percent 
of institutions in their institutional sector that have the highest 
increases, expressed as a percentage change, over the three-year time 
period for which the most recent data are available. The clearance 
being requested is to survey the institutions on this list using the 
College Affordability and Transparency Explanation form to collect 
follow-up information. The lists appearing in CATC are generated using 
data collected by the NCES through the Integrated Postsecondary 
Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS is a mandatory data collection for 
institutions that participate in or are applicants for participation in 
any federal student financial aid program authorized by Title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1094, Section 
487(a)(17) and 34 CFR 668.14(b)(19)). The additional information to be 
collected will be used to write a summary report for Congress which 
will also be posted on the College Navigator website. The report will 
summarize the general and sector specific findings from the CATE using 
descriptive statistics. The main cost areas showing the highest 
increases will be identified using the percent change information 
provided by institutions. The most commonly reported plans to reduce 
the increases in those cost increases will also be indicated. Finally, 
the extent to which institutions participate in setting tuition and 
fees and net prices for students will be described and the agencies 
outside of the institutions that decide those student charges will be 
identified.
    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 4729. When you access 
the information collection, click on ``Download Attachments'' to view. 
Written requests for information

[[Page 60818]]

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 and OMB 
Control Number when making your request.
    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. 2011-25300 Filed 9-29-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P