[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 18 (Friday, January 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5322-5323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01698]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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: National Center for Education Statistics, 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 revision of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
February 27, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain to access the site. 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

[[Page 5323]]

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 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 ICR.
    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 (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: January 24, 2023.
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. 2023-01698 Filed 1-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P