[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 24979]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08657]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0069]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; REL 
Pacific Efficacy and Implementation Evaluation of the Secondary Writing 
Toolkit

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

ACTION: Notice.

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

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 
June 26, 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-0069. 
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: REL Pacific Efficacy and Implementation 
Evaluation of the Secondary Writing Toolkit.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: New ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,705.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 416.
    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.
    Literacy, including writing, is closely tied to student success 
throughout K-12 education, which impacts high school graduation 
(National Institute for Literacy, 2008; NCES, 2020) and ultimately, 
income beyond graduation (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). Despite 
the importance of writing to life and learning, teachers report that 
the training they receive on teaching writing, both prior to entering 
the field and while teaching, is minimal or insufficient (Graham, 
2019). To address this problem, the REL Pacific toolkit development 
team is developing a Secondary Writing Toolkit to support teachers in 
implementing Hawai`i evidence-based instructional strategies to improve 
writing among students in grades 6-8. The toolkit is based on the 
Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively WWC Practice Guide and 
is being developed in collaboration with district and school partners 
in Hawai`i.
    REL Pacific will design the Toolkit to help teachers improve their 
writing instruction so that students in Hawai`i become stronger, more 
effective writers. The Toolkit uses Professional Learning Communities 
(PLCs) facilitated by one of the teachers in the school (peer 
facilitator) to help teachers learn new instructional skills. Teachers 
also have access to instructional resources as part of the Toolkit to 
support their use of evidence-based strategies in their classrooms.
    This study is designed to measure the efficacy and implementation 
of the REL Pacific-developed toolkit designed to improve writing among 
students in grades 6-8. The toolkit evaluation team plans to conduct an 
independent evaluation using a school-level, cluster randomized 
controlled trial design to assess the efficacy of the school-based 
professional learning resources included in the toolkit. 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 evaluation will take place in 40 
schools in Hawai`i and focus on all students in grades 6-8. The toolkit 
evaluation will produce a report for district and school leaders who 
are considering strategies to improve writing among secondary students. 
The report will provide guidance on using the Toolkit professional 
development and resources to help teachers implement the Practice Guide 
(PG) recommendations.

    Dated: April 19, 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. 2023-08657 Filed 4-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P