[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61673-61674]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21378]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0081]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 
(PIAAC) 2017 National Supplement

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
October 7, 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-
0081. 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-347, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact NCES Information Collections 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 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: Program for the International Assessment of 
Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2017 National Supplement.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0870.
    Type of Review: A reinstatement of a previously approved 
information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 12,626.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 3,960.
    Abstract: The Program for the International Assessment of Adult 
Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills 
and life experiences focusing on education and employment, designed 
internationally to assess adults in different countries over a broad 
range of abilities, from simple reading to complex problem-solving 
skills, and to collect information on individuals' skill use and 
background. In the United States, PIAAC is conducted by the National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES). PIAAC defines four core 
competency domains of adult cognitive skills seen as key to 
facilitating the social and economic participation of adults in 
advanced economies: Literacy, reading components, numeracy, and problem 
solving in technology-rich environments. PIAAC also surveys adults on 
their education background, work history, the skills they use on the 
job and at home, their civic engagement, and sense of their health and 
well-being. The results are used to compare participating countries on 
the skills capacities of their workforce-aged adults and to learn more 
about relationships between educational background, employment, and 
other outcomes. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation

[[Page 61674]]

and Development (OECD) and developed by participating countries with 
the support of the OECD. U.S. participated in the PIAAC Main Study data 
collection in 2012, conducted a national supplement in 2014, and in 
this submission requests to conduct the PIAAC 2017 National Supplement 
data collection from February to September 2017 with a nationally 
representative sample of 3,800 adults ages 16-74, in a new sample of 80 
primary sampling units (PSUs).

    Dated: August 31, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-21378 Filed 9-6-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P