[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 74 (Friday, April 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21228-21229]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08854]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0044]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Understanding the Impact of Providing Information to Parents About the 
Role of Algebra II: An Opportunistic Study

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 new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 16, 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-2015-ICCD-
0044 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 Christopher Boccanfuso, (202) 
219-1674.

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: Understanding the Impact of Providing 
Information to Parents about the Role of Algebra II: An Opportunistic 
Study.
    OMB Control Number: 1850--NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,468.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 132.
    Abstract: In June 2013, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed House Bill 
(HB) 5 into law, which changed high school graduation requirements for 
public school students in Texas. Prior to this, most students were 
required to complete algebra II in order to graduate from high school. 
After the enactment of HB 5, completing algebra II is optional--
students may elect to complete algebra II as part of two of the 
graduation plans offered under HB 5. REL Southwest is working with the 
Texas Education Agency (TEA) to carry out an opportunistic experiment 
to determine if directly providing parents/guardians, prior to 
students' selection of their courses, with information on the 
importance of completing algebra II for college access and success has 
an impact on the percentage of students who enroll in and complete 
algebra II by the end of their junior year. REL Southwest will 
investigate the impact of providing parents/guardians with information 
about the role of algebra II in college access and success in a 
randomized controlled trial in which the treatment schools provide 
parents/guardians of students with information about the role of 
algebra II in college access and success, while control schools 
continue business-as-usual.


[[Page 21229]]


    Dated: April 14, 2015.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, 
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-08854 Filed 4-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P