[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71252-71253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27084]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2021-SCC-0167]


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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
January 14, 2022.

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 information collection request by selecting ``Department of 
Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check ``Only Show 
ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Comments may also be sent to 
[email protected].

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

[[Page 71253]]

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: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individual or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 25,610.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 12,544.
    Abstract: The 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Full-Scale 
(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 BPS:20/22 Full-scale Data Collection will 
begin 03/01/22 and end 11/11/22. 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 included 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. In addition, this request includes 
conducting panel maintenance activities for the BPS:20/25 field test 
sample. BPS:20/25 is anticipated but has not yet been authorized. This 
submission covers BPS:20/22 full-scale materials and procedures 
required for conducting the student survey and for matching data to 
administrative records. Along with this full-scale package NCES will 
provide the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with a memorandum 
summarizing changes from the field test for the full-scale data 
collection. The materials for the BPS:20/22 full-scale study are based 
upon the field test materials. This submission is designed to 
adequately justify the need for and overall practical 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 the 
completed field test, NCES published a notice in the Federal Register 
allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day public comment period. Field 
test materials, procedures, and results have informed this request for 
clearance for the full-scale study. For this full-scale study NCES will 
publish a notice in the Federal Register allowing an additional 30-day 
public comment period on the final details of the BPS:20/22 full-scale 
study.

    Dated: December 9, 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. 2021-27084 Filed 12-14-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P