[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 104 (Tuesday, May 31, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32398-32399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11607]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2022-SCC-0021]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 
(PIAAC) Cycle II 2022 Main Study

AGENCY: Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), 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 a currently approved information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 30, 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

[[Page 32399]]

``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then 
check ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Reginfo.gov 
provides two links to view documents related to this information 
collection request. Information collection forms and instructions may 
be found by clicking on the ``View Information Collection (IC) List'' 
link. Supporting statements and other supporting documentation may be 
found by clicking on the ``View Supporting Statement and Other 
Documents'' link.
    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 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: Program for the International Assessment of 
Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Cycle II 2022 Main Study.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0870.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 30,857.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 9,726.
    Abstract: The Program for the International Assessment of Adult 
Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills 
and life experiences focusing on education and employment. PIAAC is an 
international study designed to assess adults in different countries 
over a broad range of abilities, from simple reading to complex 
problem-solving skills, and to collect information on individuals' 
skill use and background. The U.S. will administer the PIAAC 2022 
assessment to a nationally representative sample of adults, along with 
a background questionnaire with questions about their education 
background, work history, the skills they use on the job and at home, 
their civic engagement, and sense of their health and well-being. The 
results are used to compare the skills capacities of the workforce-aged 
adults in participating countries, and to learn more about 
relationships between educational background, employment, and other 
outcomes. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD) and developed by participating 
countries with the support of the OECD. In the United States, the 
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. 
Department of Education (ED) conducts PIAAC. NCES has contracted with 
Westat to administer the PIAAC Cycle II Field Test data collection in 
the U.S. The United States participated in the PIAAC Main Study data 
collection in 2012 and conducted national supplement data collections 
in 2014 and 2017. All three of these collections are part of PIAAC 
Cycle I, in which 39 countries participated (24 countries in 2012, 9 
new countries in 2014, and 5 more new countries in 2017) with close to 
200,000 adults assessed across the 39 countries over the three data 
collections. A new PIAAC cycle is to be conducted internationally every 
10 years, and PIAAC Cycle II Main Study data collection will be 
conducted from September 2022 through April 2023. In preparation for 
the main study collection, PIAAC Cycle II began with an Operational 
Field Test in 2021, in which 34 countries are expected to participate 
with the primary goal of testing the PIAAC 2022 planned operations. In 
recognition of the continuing global pandemic OECD shifted the timeline 
of PIAAC Cycle II Field Test and Main Study. Originally, the Field Test 
was scheduled for 2020 and the Main Study for 2021. The first shift in 
timeline was to move the Field Test to 2021 and the Main Study to 2022. 
The second shift in the PIAAC Cycle II collection affected the timing 
and nature of the field test, which was operational only and included a 
reduced field test effort both in scope and in sampling. In addition, 
the reduced Operational Field Test shifted the timeline from April 
through June 2021 to June through August 2021. This submission 
describes the final plans for the administration of the PIAAC Cycle II 
2022 Main Study. As the OECD is still working to finalize some 
materials for this study, the Appendices will be updated with final 
materials before the 30D public comment period.

    Dated: May 25, 2022.
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. 2022-11607 Filed 5-27-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P