[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2601-2602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00685]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2024-SCC-0010]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Data 
Collection for the Evaluation of the REL Appalachia Teaching Math to 
Young Children 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 
March 18, 2024.

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-2024-SCC-0010. 
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 Amy Johnson, 202-453-7439.

[[Page 2602]]


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: Data Collection for the Evaluation of the REL 
Appalachia Teaching Math to Young Children Toolkit.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 6,720.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 697.
    Abstract: Mathematics knowledge acquired in early childhood 
provides a critical foundation for long-term student success in math as 
well as reading (Duncan et al., 2007; Watts et al., 2014), but the 
professional development (PD) and curricular support for preschool 
teachers often lack specific content and training on high-quality math 
instruction delivered by math content experts. To address this problem, 
the REL Appalachia toolkit development team is developing a toolkit to 
provide preschool teachers with support in implementing core teaching 
practices essential to promoting early math skills and knowledge in 
children. The toolkit is based on the Teaching Math to Young Children 
IES practice guide (Frye et al., 2013) and is being developed in 
collaboration with state and district partners in Virginia.
    IES requests clearance for data collection instruments and the 
collection of district administrative data for an efficacy study of the 
toolkit as part of the REL Appalachia (REL AP) contract.
    The study will assess the efficacy of the professional development 
resources included in the toolkit. The evaluation will also assess how 
teachers 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 50 schools across approximately 10 school 
divisions in Virginia and focus on mathematics teaching practices and 
student mathematics knowledge and skills in preschool classrooms. The 
purpose of this study will be to measure the efficacy and 
implementation of the REL AP developed toolkit designed to improve 
teacher practice and preschool students' math learning outcomes. The 
toolkit evaluation will produce a report for district and school 
leaders who are considering strategies to improve math learning in 
preschool. The report will be designed to help them decide whether and 
how to use the toolkit to help them implement the practice guide 
recommendations.

    Dated: January 10, 2024.
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. 2024-00685 Filed 1-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P