[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 88 (Monday, May 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29658-29659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09717]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0078]


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 Fall 2023 Materials 
Revision

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 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 
June 7, 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 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 Fall 2023 Materials Revision.
    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: 87,154.
    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 request to conduct the first three national data collection 
rounds for the

[[Page 29659]]

ECLS-K:2024 was approved on April 7, 2023 (OMB# 1850-0750 v.26). The 
ECLS-K:2024 fall kindergarten data collection will be conducted from 
August until December 2023, followed by the spring (March-July 2024) 
kindergarten round, and the spring (March-July 2025) first-grade round. 
Each of these rounds of data collection will involve advance school 
contacts, for example to conduct student sampling activities, collect 
teacher and school information, and locate families whose children may 
have moved schools. Future OMB packages will be submitted for the 
third-and fifth-grade field test (to be conducted in March-July 2026), 
as well as for the national spring (March-July 2027) third-grade round 
and the spring (March-July 2029) fifth-grade round.
    This current revision request (accompanied by 30 days of public 
comment) is to update study respondent materials, web and paper 
surveys, and website designs that will be used in the kindergarten and 
first-grade data collection activities. Many of the revisions in this 
package were made based on analyses of the fall 2022 field test data 
(OMB #1850-0750 v.25), which informed changes to the design of the 
surveys and child assessment. Other changes occurred after further 
discussion on operational procedures. Revisions to the study 
instruments (and to some extent, the respondent materials and websites) 
are largely limited to changes to the fall kindergarten materials; 
additional revision requests will be submitted to OMB for revisions to 
the spring kindergarten and spring first-grade materials once 
additional analyses of the fall 2022 field test data are complete. 
National data collection work completed to date will also inform these 
future revisions. The requested changes do not affect the approved 
total cost to the federal government for conducting this study.

    Dated: May 3, 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. 2023-09717 Filed 5-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P