[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79170-79171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27013]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2020-SCC-0182]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Higher 
Education Act (HEA) Title II Report Cards on State Teacher 
Credentialing and Preparation

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), 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 a currently approved collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
February 8, 2021.

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-2020-SCC-0182. 
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 PRA 
Coordinator of the Strategic Collections and Clearance Governance and 
Strategy Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, 
LBJ, Room 6W208D, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Freddie Cross, (202) 453-7224.

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: Higher Education Act (HEA) Title II Report 
Cards on State Teacher Credentialing and Preparation.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-0744.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,794.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 267,588.
    Abstract: This request is a revision that includes COVID-19 
guidance and to approve the state report card and institution and 
program report cards required by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended in 2008 by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). States 
must report annually on criteria and assessments required for initial 
teacher credentials using a State Report Card (SRC), and institutions 
of higher education (IHEs) with teacher preparation programs (TPP), and 
TPPs outside of IHEs, must report on key program elements on an 
Institution and Program Report Card (IPRC). IHEs and TPPs outside of 
IHEs report annually to their states on program elements, including 
program numbers, type, enrollment figures, demographics, completion 
rates, goals and assurances to the state. States, in turn, must report 
on TPP elements to the Secretary of Education in addition to 
information on assessment pass rates, state standards, initial 
credential types and requirements, numbers of credentials issued, TPP 
classification as at-risk or low-performing. The information from 
states, institutions, and programs is published annually in The 
Secretary's Report to Congress on Teacher Quality.

[[Page 79171]]

The Department plans to use the SRC and IPRC current instruments, 
unchanged, for the FY21 through FY23 data collections, in order to 
maintain continuity in the information available. There is no change in 
burden due to the addition of Institutions with Teacher Preparation 
Programs. The Department has included additional instruction to aid 
institutions in reporting data that may differ from usual data due to 
COVID restrictions.

    Dated: December 4, 2020.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2020-27013 Filed 12-8-20; 8:45 am]
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