[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5717-5718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01933]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0013]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2016-
17 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:16/17) Field Test 
Data Collection

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 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 reinstatement of a 
previously approved information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 4, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-
0013. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the comment period 
will not be accepted. 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, Room 2E-103, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Kashka Kubzdela at 
[email protected].

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

[[Page 5718]]

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: 2016-17 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal 
Study (B&B:16/17) Field Test Data Collection.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0729.
    Type of Review: A reinstatement of a previously approved 
information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 4,417.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 977.
    Abstract: This request is for the National Center for Education 
Statistics (NCES) to conduct a field test of the 2016/17 Baccalaureate 
and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:16/17). The B&B studies of the 
education, work, financial, and personal experiences of individuals who 
have completed a bachelor's degree at a given point in time are a 
series of longitudinal studies. Every 8 years, students are identified 
as bachelor's degree recipients through the National Postsecondary 
Student Aid Study (NPSAS). B&B:16/17 is the first follow-up of a panel 
of baccalaureate degree recipients identified in the 2015-16 NPSAS, and 
part of the fourth cohort (B&B:16) of the B&B series. The primary 
purposes of the B&B studies are to describe the post-baccalaureate 
paths of new college graduates, with a focus on their experiences in 
the labor market and post-baccalaureate education, and their education-
related debt. B&B also focuses on the continuing education paths of 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, as 
well as the experiences of those who have begun careers in education of 
students through the 12th grade. Since graduating from college in 2014-
15 for the field test, and 2015-16 for the full-scale study, members of 
this B&B:16 cohort will begin moving into and out of the workforce, 
enrolling in additional undergraduate and graduate education, forming 
families, and repaying undergraduate education-related debt. 
Documenting these choices and pathways, along with individual, 
institutional, and employment characteristics that may be related to 
those choices, provides critical information on the costs and benefits 
of a bachelor's degree in today's workforce. B&B studies include both 
traditional-age and non-traditional-age college graduates, whose 
education options and choices often diverge considerably, and allow 
study of the paths taken by these different graduates. The results of 
this field test will inform the B&B:16/17 full-scale data collection.

    Dated: January 28, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, 
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-01933 Filed 2-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P