[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 175 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42803-42804]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19229]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2017-ICCD-0101]


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) Main 
Study Base Year (MS1), Operational Field Test First Follow-Up (OFT2), 
and Tracking and Recruitment for Main Study First Follow-Up (MS2)

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, ED is 
proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 12, 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-2017-ICCD-
0101. 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

[[Page 42804]]

addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance 
Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, 
Room 216-34, 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) Main Study Base Year (MS1), Operational Field Test First 
Follow-up (OFT2), and Tracking and Recruitment for Main Study First 
Follow-up (MS2).
    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: 119,799.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 61,253.
    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 (MS1) data for the MGLS:2017 will be collected from a 
nationally-representative sample of sixth-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 Main Study (MS), the data 
collection instruments and procedures were field tested. An Item 
Validation Field Test (IVFT) was conducted in the winter/spring of 2016 
to determine the psychometric properties of assessment and survey items 
and the predictive potential of items so that valid, reliable, and 
useful assessment and survey instruments could be composed for the Main 
Study. The MGLS:2017 Operational Field Test (OFT) Base Year (OFT1) data 
collection was conducted in the winter/spring of 2017. Tracking of 
students and associated recruitment of schools for the OFT First 
Follow-up (OFT2) data collection is scheduled to begin in August 2017. 
The primary purpose of the OFT is to: (a) Obtain information on 
recruiting, particularly for students in three focal IDEA-defined 
disability groups: Specific learning disability, autism, and emotional 
disturbance; (b) obtain a tracking sample that can be used to study 
mobility patterns in subsequent years; and (c) test protocols, items, 
and administrative procedures. The MS1 district and school recruitment 
began in February 2017. The MS1 and OFT2 data collections will begin in 
January 2018. The Main Study First Follow-up (MS2) tracking and 
recruitment will begin in September 2018. OMB approved the MGLS:2017 
OFT1 data collection, MS1 recruitment, and OFT2 tracking materials and 
procedures in December 2016 with the latest change request approved in 
June 2017 (OMB #1850-0911 v.11-15). This request is to conduct: (1) The 
MS1 data collection; (2) the OFT2 recruitment and data collection; and 
(3) the tracking of Main Study sample students and associated 
recruitment of schools in preparation for the MS2 data collection. Due 
to overlap in timing, the approved MS1 recruitment and OFT2 tracking 
activities are being carried over in this submission. Therefore, this 
submission presents the procedures, materials, and associated 
respondent burden for all activities related to MS1 and OFT2, as well 
as those related to MS2 tracking and recruitment.

    Dated: September 6, 2017.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2017-19229 Filed 9-11-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P