[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 25388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08755]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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 
May 26, 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 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 Elizabeth Nolan, (312) 703-1532.

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: Evaluation of the REL West Supporting Early 
Reading Comprehension through Teacher Study Groups Toolkit.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: New ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or 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.
    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: April 20, 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. 2023-08755 Filed 4-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P