[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 230 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76547-76548]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26268]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2020-SCC-0142]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and approval; Comment 
Request; 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/22) Field 
Test

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education 
(ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a reinstatement with change of a previously approved 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 30, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this particular information collection request by selecting 
``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then 
check ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Carrie Clarady, 202-245-6347.

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: 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students 
(BPS:20/22) Field Test.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0631.
    Type of Review: A reinstatement with change of a previously 
approved information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households Total 
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 7,568.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,226.
    Abstract: The 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Field Test 
(BPS:20/22) is conducted by the National Center for Education 
Statistics, part of the Institute of Education Sciences, within the 
Department of Education, and is part of the Beginning Postsecondary 
Students Longitudinal Study data collection program at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/. The Sample Collection will begin 03/01/21 and 
end 06/30/21.
    BPS is designed to follow a cohort of students who enroll in 
postsecondary education for the first time during the same academic 
year, irrespective of the date of high school completion. The study 
collects data on students' persistence in and completion of 
postsecondary education programs; their transition to employment; 
demographic characteristics; and changes over time in their goals, 
marital status, income, and debt, among other indicators. Data from BPS 
are used to help researchers and policymakers better understand how 
financial aid influences persistence and completion, what percentages 
of students complete various degree programs, what are the early 
employment and wage outcomes for certificate and degree attainers, and 
why students leave school.
    BPS:20/22 will be a nationally-representative sample of 
approximately 37,000 students who were first-time beginning students 
during the 2019-20 academic year. The BPS:20/22 field test will include 
approximately 3,700 students who first began in the 2018-19 academic 
year. These students will be asked to complete a survey and 
administrative data will also be collected for them. Administrative 
data matching will be conducted with sources including the National 
Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), containing federal loan and grant 
files; the Central Processing System (CPS), which houses and processes 
data contained in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 
forms; the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) which provides 
enrollment and degree verification; vendors of national undergraduate, 
graduate, and professional student admission tests; and possible other 
administrative data sources such as the Veterans Benefits 
Administration (VBA). These data will be obtained through file 
matching/downloading.
    This submission covers BPS:20/22 field test materials and 
procedures required for conducting the student survey and for matching 
data to administrative records. Following the field test study in 2021, 
NCES will provide the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with a 
memorandum summarizing any changes planned for the full-scale data 
collection, and a revised OMB package. The materials that will be used 
in the BPS:20/22 full-scale study will be based upon the field test 
materials included in this submission. Additionally, this submission is 
designed to adequately justify the need for and overall practical

[[Page 76548]]

utility of the full study, presenting the overarching plan for all of 
the phases of the data collection and providing as much detail about 
the measures to be used as is available at the time of this submission. 
As part of this submission, NCES is publishing a notice in the Federal 
Register allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day public comment period. 
Field test materials, procedures, and results will inform the full-
scale study. After completion of the field test, NCES will publish a 
notice in the Federal Register allowing additional 30-day public 
comment period on the final details of the BPS:20/22 full-scale study.

    Dated: November 23, 2020.
Stephanie Valentine,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-26268 Filed 11-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P