[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 213 (Friday, November 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66685-66686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24001]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2022-SCC-0137]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 
2023) Main Study International Questionnaire

AGENCY: Institute of Educational Science (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 revision of a currently approved information collection 
request.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 5, 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 (ICR) by selecting ``Department of 
Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check the ``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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department, 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 ICR that 
is described below. The Department is especially interested in public 
comments 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 record.
    Title of Collection: Trends in International Mathematics and 
Science Study (TIMSS 2023) Main Study International Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0695.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 50,996.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,336.
    Abstract: The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 
(TIMSS), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics 
(NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education (ED), is an 
international assessment of fourth and eighth grade students' 
achievement in mathematics and science. Since its inception in 1995, 
TIMSS has continued to assess students every 4 years (1995, 1999, 2003, 
2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019), with the next TIMSS assessment, TIMSS 
2023, being the eighth iteration of the study. In TIMSS 2023, 
approximately 65 countries or education systems will participate. The 
United States will

[[Page 66686]]

participate in TIMSS 2023 to continue to monitor the progress of its 
students compared to that of other nations and to provide data on 
factors that may influence student achievement.
    TIMSS is led by the International Association for the Evaluation of 
Educational Achievement (IEA), an international collective of research 
organizations and government agencies that create the frameworks used 
to develop the assessment, the survey instruments, and the study 
timeline. IEA decides and agrees upon a common set of standards, 
procedures, and timelines for collecting and reporting data, all of 
which must be followed by all participating countries. As a result, 
TIMSS is able to provide a reliable and comparable measure of student 
skills in participating countries. In the U.S., NCES conducts this 
study in collaboration with the IEA and a number of contractors to 
ensure proper implementation of the study and adoption of practices in 
adherence to the IEA's standards. Participation in TIMSS is consistent 
with NCES's 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)].
    Previous requests associated with the TIMSS 2023 field test, which 
was conducted in March and April 2022, were approved by OMB between May 
2021 and February 2022 (OMB# 1850-0695 v.16-19). Because TIMSS is a 
collaborative effort among many parties, the United States must adhere 
to the international schedule set forth by the IEA, including the 
availability of final field test and main study plans as well as draft 
and final questionnaires. In order to meet the international data 
collection schedule, to align with recruitment for other NCES studies 
(e.g., the National Assessment of Education Progress, NAEP), and for 
schools to put the TIMSS 2023 field test assessment on their Spring 
2022 calendars, recruitment activities for the field test began in June 
of 2021. Recruitment activities for the main study began in January 
2022, with the data collection activities currently scheduled to begin 
in March 2023.
    This package solicits 30 days of public comment and requests OMB 
approval for the final international version of the main study 
questionnaires. Adaptation activities to fit the questionnaire text 
into the U.S. education context are currently underway. The U.S. 
questionnaires for the main study will be submitted via non-substantive 
change request in January 2023.

    Dated: October 31, 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. 2022-24001 Filed 11-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P