[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 88218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-29327]



[[Page 88218]]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0137]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 (MGLS: 2017) 
Operational Field Test (OFT) and Recruitment for Main Study Base-Year 
Study

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 revision of an existing 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 6, 2017.

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-
0137. 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: Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 
(MGLS: 2017) Operational Field Test (OFT) and Recruitment for Main 
Study Base-year Study.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0911.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 34,952.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 17,391.
    Abstract: The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2017-18 
(MGLS:2017) is the first study conducted by the National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES) to follow a nationally-representative 
sample of students as they enter and move through the middle grades 
(grades 6-8). The data collected through repeated measures of key 
constructs will provide a rich descriptive picture of the academic 
experiences and development of students during these critical years and 
will allow researchers to examine associations between contextual 
factors and student outcomes. The study will focus on student 
achievement in mathematics and literacy along with measures of student 
socioemotional wellbeing and other outcomes. The study will also 
include a special sample of students with different types of 
disabilities that will provide descriptive information on their 
outcomes, educational experiences, and special education services. Main 
Study Base-year data for the MGLS:2017 will be collected from a 
nationally-representative sample of 6th grade students beginning in 
January 2018, with annual follow-ups beginning in January 2019 and in 
January 2020 when most of the students in the sample will be in grades 
7 and 8, respectively. In preparation for the national data collection, 
referred to as the Main Study, the data collection instruments and 
procedures must be field tested. An Item Validation Field Test (IVFT) 
was conducted in the winter/spring 2016 to determine the psychometric 
properties of items and the predictive potential of assessment and 
survey items so that valid, reliable, and useful assessment and survey 
instruments can be composed for the Main Study. An Operational Field 
Test (OFT) will begin in January 2017 to test the near final 
instruments and the recruitment and data collection processes and 
procedures in preparation for the Main Study. OMB approved the 
recruitment of schools, school districts, and parents to participate in 
the OFT in December 2015 with the latest change request approved in 
March 2016 (OMB# 1850-0911 v.6,9,10). The request to conduct the OFT 
data collection, Main Study recruitment, and tracking of OFT students 
is currently under review at OMB (OMB# 1850-0911 v.11), with expected 
approval in early December 2016. This request is to modify language in 
the parent contacting materials, the video introductory script for the 
student session, and the study questionnaires (student, parent, math 
teacher, special education teacher, school administrator, and 
facilities observation checklist). These changes are driven by the 
recently completed analyses of IVFT results. The data collection for 
the OFT will begin January 23, 2017. Main Study recruitment will also 
commence in January 2017.

    Dated: December 2, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-29327 Filed 12-6-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P