[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 28, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81486-81487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33263]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Submission for OMB Review

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Comment Request.

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SUMMARY: The Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, 
Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of 
Management, invites comments on the submission for OMB review as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 28, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Written comments 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, be faxed to (202) 395-
5806 or emailed to [email protected] with a cc: to 
[email protected]. 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 the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an 
early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. The 
OMB is particularly interested in comments which: (1) Evaluate whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) Evaluate the accuracy of 
the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: December 22, 2011.
Darrin King,
Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, 
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

    Type of Review: New.
    Title of Collection: Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Online 
Learning Courses for Secondary Students.
    OMB Control Number: Pending.
    Agency Form Number(s): N/A.
    Frequency of Responses: Once.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 888.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 462
    Abstract: Given the considerable scale at which online learning is 
being used in schools today, it is particularly important that 
policymakers have research-based guidance available about how best to 
deploy online learning activities. However, few rigorous studies have 
been completed that compare K-12 student achievement in online learning 
to traditional, classroom-based education. Similarly, while many 
articles provide advice regarding the ``best'' ways to implement online 
learning, few report an empirical basis for recommended practices. To 
fill this critical gap in knowledge, this research will provide 
rigorous empirical data on the effectiveness of online learning for 
secondary students. A set of empirical studies will be conducted under 
this research. This Office of Management and Budget package pertains 
only to a study of courses offered by North Carolina Virtual Public 
School (NCVPS), a large-scale, statewide online learning provider. In 
this study, the impact of online learning for secondary students 
enrolled in five different courses offered by NCVPS will be compared 
with peers enrolled in similar courses in face-to-face instruction. The 
study will use a quasi-experimental design using propensity score 
matching. State end-of-course exams for each course and the scores on 
the Advanced Placement U.S. History exam will be used as the primary 
outcome measures. In addition to the surveys of online teachers and 
students, a sample of North Carolina teachers teaching similar courses 
in face-to-face instruction will be administered a survey to collect 
information on instructional practices in the comparison face-to-face 
courses.
    Copies of the information collection submission for OMB review may 
be accessed from the RegInfo.gov Web site at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain or from the Department's Web site at http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse Pending Collections'' link 
and by clicking on link number 4629. 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 and OMB Control Number 
when making your request.
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information

[[Page 81487]]

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-(800) 877-8339.
[FR Doc. 2011-33263 Filed 12-27-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P