[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 11939]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06068]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2019-ICCD-0038]


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 First Follow-Up (MS2) Tracking and Recruitment and Operational 
Field Test Second Follow-Up (OFT3) Update

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 
April 29, 2019.

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-2019-ICCD-
0038. 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. If the regulations.gov 
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily 
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID 
number and the title of the information collection request when 
requesting documents or submitting comments. 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, 550 12th Street SW, PCP, Room 9089, 
Washington, DC 20202-0023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Kashka Kubzdela, 202-245-7377 or 
email [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 First Follow-up (MS2) Tracking and Recruitment 
and Operational Field Test Second Follow-up (OFT3) Update.
    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: 20,113.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 10,891.
    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 focuses on student achievement 
in mathematics and literacy along with measures of student 
socioemotional wellbeing and other outcomes. The study includes 
students with disabilities for whom descriptive information on their 
outcomes, educational experiences, and special education services are 
being collected. In preparation for the Main Study (MS), the data 
collection instruments and procedures were field tested. An Item 
Validation Field Test (IVFT) was conducted from January through May 
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 developed for the 
Main Study. The MGLS:2017 Operational Field Test (OFT) Base Year (OFT1) 
data collection was conducted from January through May 2017 to test the 
near-final instruments and recruitment and data collection procedures 
and materials in preparation for the MGLS:2017 Main Study Base Year 
(MS1). The MS1 data collection took place from January to August 2018, 
and the OFT First Follow-up (OFT2) data collections from February to 
May 2018. OFT2 was conducted primarily to obtain information on 
recruiting, particularly for students in three focal IDEA-defined 
disability groups: specific learning disability, autism, and emotional 
disturbance; obtain a tracking sample that can be used to study 
mobility patterns in subsequent years; and test protocols, items, and 
administrative procedures. The MGLS:2017 Main Study First Follow-up 
(MS2) Tracking and Recruitment and Operational Field Test Second 
Follow-up (OFT3) were approved in September 2018 with the latest update 
approved in December 2018 (OMB# 1850-0911 v.20-22). This current 
request is to: (1) Update contact materials to reference the 
administrative records collection, (2) introduce a $10 incentive for 
panel maintenance participants, (3) update the student roster form in 
Appendix T for the fall 2019 MS2 tracking and recruitment activities, 
and (4) introduce a flyer designed to encourage the return of parent 
permission forms in explicit permission schools.

    Dated: March 26, 2019.
Stephanie Valentine,
PRA Clearance Coordinator, Information Collection Clearance Program, 
Information Management Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-06068 Filed 3-28-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P