[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 241 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 74714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29390]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2014-ICCD-0143]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) 
Field Test Student Data Collection

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences/National Center for Education 
Statistics (IES), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 15, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be 
submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED-2014-ICCD-
0143 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the 
regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED 
will temporarily accept comments at [email protected]. Please note 
that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the 
comment period will not be accepted; ED will only accept comments 
during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site 
is not available. Written requests for information or comments 
submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the 
Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Mailstop L-OM-2-
2E319, Room 2E105, Washington, DC 20202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Kashka Kubzdela, (202) 502-7411.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), 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, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid 
Study (NPSAS:16) Field Test Student Data Collection.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0666.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,818.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,422.
    Abstract: The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), a 
nationally representative study of how students and their families 
finance postsecondary education, was first implemented by the National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1987 and has been fielded 
every 3 to 4 years since. The next major data collection will occur in 
2016, with a field test collection in 2015. This submission is for the 
ninth cycle in the series, NPSAS:16, which will also serve as the base 
year study for the 2016 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study 
(B&B) which provides data on the various paths of recent college 
graduates into employment and additional education. The NPSAS:16 field 
test sample will include about 300 institutions (full-scale sample 
about 1,680) and about 4,500 students (126,000 full-scale). Institution 
contacting for the field test began in September 2014 and student data 
collection (interviews and institution record data) will be conducted 
from March through June 2015 (full-scale institution contacting will 
begin in October 2015 and student data will be collected January 
through October 2016). Packages to request clearance for the full-scale 
data collection effort (institution list collection, cognitive testing, 
student interview, and institution record collection) will be submitted 
beginning in 2015. This submission for the 2015 field test includes 
facsimiles of the student interview and student records abstraction 
instruments as well as student and institution contacting materials.

    Dated: December 11, 2014.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, 
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-29390 Filed 12-15-14; 8:45 am]
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