[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81376-81377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25799]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0197]


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 (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 
December 22, 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 National Data Collection and Transfer School Recruitment.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0750.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 157,586.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 83,612.
    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

[[Page 81377]]

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. The ECLS-K:2024 will focus on children's early school experiences 
continuing through the fifth grade, and will include collection of data 
from children, parents, teachers, and school administrators.
    The request to conduct the first three national data collection 
rounds for the 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 spring kindergarten materials; an 
additional revision request will be submitted to OMB for revisions to 
the spring first-grade materials as additional discussions on design 
and operational procedures continue. 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, but they do result in a 
small reduction to respondent burden.

    Dated: November 17, 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. 2023-25799 Filed 11-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P