[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 213 (Friday, November 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66684-66685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24003]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2022-SCC-0138]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Early 
Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2023-24 (ECLS-
K:2024) Kindergarten and First-Grade National Data Collection and 
Transfer School Recruitment

AGENCY: Institute of Educational 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 information collection 
request.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 3, 2023.

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-2022-SCC-0138. 
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 Claraday, 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 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department 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: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 
Kindergarten Class of 2023-24 (ECLS-K:2024) Kindergarten and First-
Grade National Data Collection and Transfer School Recruitment.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0750.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 159,964.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 110,186.
    Abstract: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) program, 
conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within 
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of 
Education (ED), draws together information from multiple sources to 
provide rich, descriptive data on child development, early learning, 
and school progress. The ECLS program studies deliver national data on 
children's status at birth and at various points thereafter; children's 
transitions to nonparental care, early care and education programs, and 
school; and children's experiences and growth through the elementary 
grades. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 
2023-24

[[Page 66685]]

(ECLS-K:2024) is the fourth cohort in the series of early childhood 
longitudinal studies. The study will advance research in child 
development and early learning by providing a detailed and 
comprehensive source of current information on children's early 
learning and development, transitions into kindergarten and beyond, and 
progress through school. The ECLS-K:2024 will provide data about the 
population of children who will be kindergartners in the 2023-24 school 
year, focusing on children's early school experiences continuing 
through the fifth grade, and will include collection of data from 
parents, teachers, and school administrators, as well as direct child 
assessments.
    The ECLS-K:2024 K-1 field test (OMB# 1850-0750 v.19-25) is 
currently ongoing. This current request is to conduct the ECLS-K:2024 
national kindergarten and first-grade data collection activities, as 
well as transfer district and school recruitment. There are two phases 
of the kindergarten data collection. The first, the fall kindergarten 
round, will occur from September through November 2023, followed by an 
additional round, the spring kindergarten round, conducted from March 
through June 2024. Data collection covered under the current clearance 
request will then occur again in the spring of 2025, when most of the 
sampled students are in first grade. Prior to each of these data 
collection rounds are advance school contact periods, during which 
schools will be contacted to complete tasks in preparation for the 
upcoming in-person school visit.
    The current submission includes survey instruments, respondent 
materials, and specifications for the MyECLS website for the two 
kindergarten rounds and the first-grade round, as well as the 
recruitment of transfer districts and schools. Some of these materials 
were previously submitted in the request to conduct the K-1 field test 
(OMB# 1850-0750 v.24 and v.25) and have been updated to reflect 
additional NCES decisions and the tasks and procedures that will be 
followed for national data collections. However, many of the survey 
instruments, respondent materials, and MyECLS website specifications 
will undergo further revision based on the results of the K-1 field 
test, available in early 2023. In addition, the spring kindergarten 
materials are expected to be revised further in response to the 
national fall kindergarten field experiences, and the spring first-
grade materials are expected to be revised further in response to 
experiences in both national kindergarten rounds. Further, the spring 
surveys submitted at this time have several known errors and issues 
(e.g., items collecting respondent and household members' genders have 
not yet been updated), with needed updates forthcoming in future 
revision requests. All revised materials, as well as the translated 
materials, will be included in future revision requests including a 30D 
public comment period. The first of these revision requests (OMB 1850-
0750 v.27) is planned for submission in April 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. 2022-24003 Filed 11-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P