[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1370-1371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00294]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2023-SCC-0001]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Evaluation of the REL West Supporting Early Reading Comprehension 
Through Teacher Study Groups Toolkit

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education 
(ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
March 13, 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-2023-SCC-0001. 
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, the Department 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 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 Manager of the Strategic 
Collections and Clearance Governance and Strategy Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 6W203, 
Washington, DC 20202-8240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Elizabeth Nolan, 312-730-1532.

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. The Department 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: Evaluation of the REL West Supporting Early 
Reading Comprehension through Teacher Study Groups Toolkit.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 6,012.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,255.
    Abstract: The current authorization for the Regional Educational 
Laboratories (REL) program is under the Education Sciences Reform Act 
of 2002, Part D, Section 174, (20 U.S.C. 9564), administered by the 
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), 
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance 
(NCEE). The central mission and primary function of the RELs is to 
support applied research and provide technical assistance to state and 
local education agencies within their region (ESRA, Part D, section 
174[f]). The REL program's goal is to partner with educators and 
policymakers to conduct work that is change-oriented and supports 
meaningful local, regional, or state decisions about education 
policies, programs, and practices to improve outcomes for students.

[[Page 1371]]

    Elementary-grade students in U.S. public schools continue to 
struggle with reading comprehension, with only 35 percent of 4th-grade 
students performing at or above proficient on the National Assessment 
of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores in reading (Hussar et al., 2020). 
To address this problem in earlier grades, when schools begin reading 
comprehension instruction, REL West is developing a toolkit to support 
teachers in implementing evidence-based instructional strategies to 
improve reading comprehension among students in grades K-3. The toolkit 
is based on the Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 
3rd Grade IES practice guide (Shanahan et al., 2010) and is being 
developed in collaboration with state and district partners in Arizona. 
The toolkit contains the following three parts: (1) Initial Diagnostic 
and On-going Monitoring Instruments, (2) Professional Development 
Resources, and (3) Steps for Institutionalizing Supports for Evidence-
Based Practice.
    This study is designed to measure the efficacy and implementation 
of the REL West-developed toolkit designed to improve reading 
comprehension among students in grades K-3. The toolkit evaluation team 
plans to conduct an independent evaluation using a school-level, 
cluster randomized controlled trial design to assess the efficacy and 
cost-effectiveness of the school-based professional development 
resources included in the toolkit. The evaluation will take place in 70 
schools across six districts in Arizona and focus on K-3 reading 
comprehension for all students. The evaluation will also assess how 
teachers and facilitators implement the toolkit to provide context for 
the efficacy findings and guidance to improve the toolkit and its 
future use. The toolkit evaluation will produce a report for district 
and school leaders who are considering strategies to improve reading 
comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade. The report will be 
designed to help district and school leaders decide whether and how to 
use the toolkit to help them implement the practice guide 
recommendations.

    Dated: January 5, 2023.
Juliana Pearson,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-00294 Filed 1-9-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P