[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62155-62156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24430]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2021-SCC-0157]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS 2023) Main 
Study Sampling, Recruitment, and Data Collection

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

[[Page 62156]]

proposing a reinstatement with change of a previously approved 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 10, 2022.

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-2021-SCC-0157. 
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 6W208B, Washington, DC 20202-8240.

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: International Computer and Information 
Literacy Study (ICILS 2023) Main Study Sampling, Recruitment, and Data 
Collection.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0929.
    Type of Review: Reinstatement with change of a previously approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 9,860.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,817.
    Abstract: The International Computer and Information Literacy Study 
(ICILS) is a computer-based international assessment of eighth-grade 
students' computer and information literacy (CIL) skills. ICILS was 
first administered internationally in 2013 in 21 education systems and 
again in 2018, when the United States participated for the first time. 
Our participation in this study has provided data on students' skills 
and experience using technology to investigate, create, and 
communicate, and provided a comparison of U.S. student performance and 
technology access and use with those of the international peers. The 
next administration of ICILS will be in 2023. The 2023 study will allow 
the U.S. to begin monitoring the progress of its students compared to 
that of other nations and to provide data on factors that may influence 
student computer and information literacy skills. The data collected 
through ICILS will provide valuable information with which to 
understand the nature and extent of the ``digital divide'' and has the 
potential to inform understanding of the relationship between 
technology skills and experience and student performance in other core 
subject areas.
    ICILS is conducted by the International Association for the 
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an international 
collective of research organizations and government agencies that 
create the assessment framework, assessment, and background 
questionnaires. The IEA decides and agrees upon a common set of 
standards and procedures for collecting and reporting ICILS data, and 
defines the study timeline, all of which must be followed by all 
participating countries. As a result, ICILS is able to provide a 
reliable and comparable measure of student skills in participating 
countries. In the U.S., the National Center for Education Statistics 
(NCES) conducts this study and works with the IEA and RTI International 
to ensure proper implementation of the study and adoption of practices 
in adherence to the IEA's standards. Participation in ICILS will allow 
NCES to meet its mandate of acquiring and disseminating data on 
educational activities and student achievement in the United States 
compared with foreign nations [The Educational Sciences Reform Act of 
2002 (ESRA 2002) 20 U.S.C. 9543].
    In preparation for the ICILS 2023 main study, all countries are 
asked to implement a field test between March 1 and April 15, 2022. The 
purpose of the ICILS field test is to evaluate new assessment items and 
background questions, to ensure practices that promote low exclusion 
rates, and to ensure that classroom and student sampling procedures 
proposed for the main study are successful. In October 2021 NCES 
submitted and OMB approved a separate package for the ICILS 2023 Pilot 
Field Test (OMB# 1850-0803 v.304). The U.S. ICILS main study will be 
conducted from March through May 2023 and will involve a nationally-
representative sample of at least 3,000 eighth-grade students from a 
minimum of 150 schools. This request is to conduct the ICILS 2023 main 
study data recruitment and collection. The materials to be used in the 
main study are based upon those that were proposed most recently in 
October 2021. This submission describes the overarching plan for all 
phases of the data collection for the 2023 main study.

    Dated: November 3, 2021.
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. 2021-24430 Filed 11-8-21; 8:45 am]
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