Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018) Recruitment and Field Test, 64146-64147 [2016-22443]

Download as PDF 64146 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 181 / Monday, September 19, 2016 / Notices by admissions and financial aid officers; and assist in improving the financial and economic literacy of program participants. An Educational Opportunity Centers project may provide the following services: (1) Public information campaigns designed to inform the community regarding opportunities for postsecondary education and training; (2) Academic advice and assistance in course selection; (3) Assistance in completing college admission and financial aid applications; (4) Assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations; (5) Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students; (6) Guidance on secondary school reentry or entry to a general educational development (GED) program or other alternative education program for secondary school dropouts; (7) Individualized personal, career, and academic counseling; (8) Tutorial services; (9) Career workshops and counseling; (10) Mentoring programs involving elementary or secondary school teachers, faculty members at institutions of higher education (IHEs), students, or any combination of these persons; and (11) Programs and activities as described in items (1) through (10) that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students. (12) Other activities designed to meet the purposes of the EOC Program. mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES Dated: September 14, 2016. Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2016–22490 Filed 9–16–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:47 Sep 16, 2016 Jkt 238001 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No.: ED–2016–ICCD–0102] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018) Recruitment and Field Test National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of Education (ED). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before October 19, 2016. ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use https://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED– 2016–ICCD–0102. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https:// www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments submitted by fax or email and those 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 Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E–347, Washington, DC 20202–4537. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact NCES Information Collections at NCES.Information.Collections@ed.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), 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. ED is SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education 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: Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018) Recruitment and Field Test. OMB Control Number: 1850–0755. Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 14,392. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,775. Abstract: We are announcing a second 30-day comment period for the Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) 2017 Field Test to include additional survey items in the field test questionnaires, as recently stipulated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) is an international assessment of 15-year-olds which focuses on assessing students’ reading, mathematics, and science literacy. PISA was first administered in 2000 and is conducted every three years. The United States has participated in all of the previous cycles, and will participate in 2018 in order to track trends and to compare the performance of U.S. students with that of students in other education systems. PISA 2018 is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the United States, PISA is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education. In each administration of PISA, one of the subject areas (reading, mathematics, or science literacy) is the major domain and has the broadest content coverage, while the other two subjects are the minor domains. PISA emphasizes functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of mandatory schooling (aged 15 years), and students’ knowledge and E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM 19SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 181 / Monday, September 19, 2016 / Notices skills gained both in and out of school environments. PISA 2018 will focus on reading literacy as the major domain. Mathematics and science literacy will also be assessed as minor domains, with additional assessments of global competence and financial literacy. In addition to the cognitive assessments described above, PISA 2018 will include questionnaires administered to assessed students, school principals, and teachers. To prepare for the main study in 2018, NCES will conduct a PISA field test from April–May 2017 to evaluate newly developed assessment and questionnaire items, to test the assessment operations, and to test school recruitment, data collection, and data management procedures. The PISA main study will be conducted in the U.S. from September–November 2018. This submission requests approval for: Recruitment and pre-assessment activities for the 2017 field test sample; administration of the field test; and recruitment of schools for the 2018 main study sample. Dated: September 14, 2016. Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2016–22443 Filed 9–16–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Western Area Power Administration Boulder Canyon Project Western Area Power Administration, DOE. ACTION: Notice of approval for Fiscal Year 2017 base charge and rates. AGENCY: In this notice, the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) establishes the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 base charge and rates for Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) electric service, as approved by the Deputy Secretary of Energy (Deputy Secretary). The base charge will provide sufficient revenue to cover all annual costs, including interest expense, and to repay investments within the allowable period. DATES: The base charge and rates will be effective the first day of the first full billing period beginning on or after October 1, 2016, and will remain in effect through September 30, 2017, or until superseded. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald E. Moulton, Regional Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 21:47 Sep 16, 2016 Jkt 238001 Phoenix, AZ 85005–6457, (602) 605– 2453, email rmoulton@wapa.gov, or Mr. Scott Lund, Rates Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005–6457, (602) 605– 2442, email slund@wapa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hoover Dam, authorized by the Boulder Canyon Project Act (45 Stat. 1057, December 21, 1928), sits on the Colorado River along the Arizona and Nevada border. The Hoover Dam power plant has 19 generating units (two for plant use) and an installed capacity of 2,078,800 kilowatts (kW) (4,800 kW for plant use). High-voltage transmission lines and substations connect BCP power to consumers in southern Nevada, Arizona, and southern California. Electric service rates are adjusted annually using an existing rate formula established on April 19, 1996. The rate formula requires BCP power customers to pay a base charge (expressed in dollars), rather than a rate, for their power. The base charge is calculated to generate sufficient revenue to cover all annual costs, including interest expense, and to repay investments within allowable time periods. The base charge is allocated to each BCP power customer in proportion to its allocation of Hoover power. The composite power rate, expressed in mills per kilowatthour (mills/kWh), is calculated by dividing the base charge by energy sales in a year. However, it is the base charge and not the power rate that is used to calculate BCP customers’ bills. Rate Schedule BCP–F9 under Rate Order No. WAPA–171 was approved on an interim basis by the Deputy Secretary for a five-year period beginning October 1, 2015, and ending September 30, 2020.1 This rate schedule, which was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on a final basis on December 11, 2015, requires the base charge be calculated annually based on current financial and hydrological data.2 This notice sets forth the calculation for the FY 2017 BCP base charge. The FY 2017 base charge for BCP electric service is $69,662,289, a 9.3 percent increase from the FY 2016 base charge of $63,735,856. The primary factors contributing to the change in the base charge are prior year carryover and total expenses. Prior year carryover, the difference between the previous year’s base charge and expense, has decreased by $9 million, or 62.7 percent. Prior year carryover offset current year expenses, thereby reducing the base charge. In FY 1 80 FR 44098 (July 24, 2015). No. EF15–7–000 (153 FERC ¶ 62,189). 2 Docket PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 64147 2014, carryover increased significantly when customers repaid certain capitalized investments. Since that time carryover has steadily decreased, contributing to the increase in the FY 2017 base charge. Total expenses, which include operation, maintenance and replacement costs, increased by $6 million, or 9.2 percent, while other expenses such as the uprating credit program and Hoover Dam Visitor Center costs decreased by $10 million, or 37 percent. Despite the overall expense decrease of $4 million, the FY 2017 base charge is increasing due to the reduction of prior year carryover. The FY 2017 composite rate of 19.63 mills/kWh increased 7.11 percent compared to the FY 2016 composite rate of 18.33 mills/kWh. The FY 2017 energy rate of 9.82 mills/kWh increased 7.11 percent compared to the FY 2016 energy rate of 9.17 mills/kWh. The FY 2017 capacity rate of $1.89/kW-month increased 9.8 percent compared to the FY 2016 capacity rate of $1.72/kWmonth. Energy sales are forecast to increase 2 percent from FY 2016 while FY 2017 capacity sales are expected to decrease 0.5 percent due to poor hydrological conditions. The increase in the FY 2017 base charge is the primary driver behind the increases in the composite, energy and capacity rates. The base charge and rates were calculated using WAPA’s FY 2016 Final Master Schedule which provides FY 2017 energy and capacity sales projections. The following summarizes the steps taken by WAPA to ensure involvement of all interested parties in determining the base charge and rates: 1. A Federal Register notice was published on April 4, 2016 (81 FR 19169), announcing the proposed rate adjustment process, initiating a public consultation and comment period, announcing public information and public comment forums, and presenting procedures for public participation. 2. Discussion of the proposal occurred at two informal BCP Contractor meetings held April 5, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona and April 12, 2016, via web conference. Representatives from WAPA and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) explained the basis for the estimates used to calculate the base charge and rates and held a question and answer session. 3. At the public information forum held on April 27, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona, WAPA and Reclamation representatives explained the proposed base charge and rates for FY 2017 and held a question and answer session at these informal meetings. E:\FR\FM\19SEN1.SGM 19SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 181 (Monday, September 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64146-64147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22443]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0102]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2018) 
Recruitment and Field Test

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 19, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use https://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-
0102. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal 
mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please note that comments 
submitted by fax or email and those 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 
Director of the Information Collection Clearance Division, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 2E-347, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact NCES Information Collections at 
NCES.Information.Collections@ed.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), 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. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed 
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The 
Department of Education 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: Program for International Student Assessment 
(PISA 2018) Recruitment and Field Test.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0755.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 14,392.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,775.
    Abstract: We are announcing a second 30-day comment period for the 
Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) 2017 Field Test to 
include additional survey items in the field test questionnaires, as 
recently stipulated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD).
    The Program for International Student Assessments (PISA) is an 
international assessment of 15-year-olds which focuses on assessing 
students' reading, mathematics, and science literacy. PISA was first 
administered in 2000 and is conducted every three years. The United 
States has participated in all of the previous cycles, and will 
participate in 2018 in order to track trends and to compare the 
performance of U.S. students with that of students in other education 
systems. PISA 2018 is sponsored by the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the United States, PISA is 
conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 
within the U.S. Department of Education. In each administration of 
PISA, one of the subject areas (reading, mathematics, or science 
literacy) is the major domain and has the broadest content coverage, 
while the other two subjects are the minor domains. PISA emphasizes 
functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of 
mandatory schooling (aged 15 years), and students' knowledge and

[[Page 64147]]

skills gained both in and out of school environments. PISA 2018 will 
focus on reading literacy as the major domain. Mathematics and science 
literacy will also be assessed as minor domains, with additional 
assessments of global competence and financial literacy. In addition to 
the cognitive assessments described above, PISA 2018 will include 
questionnaires administered to assessed students, school principals, 
and teachers. To prepare for the main study in 2018, NCES will conduct 
a PISA field test from April-May 2017 to evaluate newly developed 
assessment and questionnaire items, to test the assessment operations, 
and to test school recruitment, data collection, and data management 
procedures. The PISA main study will be conducted in the U.S. from 
September-November 2018. This submission requests approval for: 
Recruitment and pre-assessment activities for the 2017 field test 
sample; administration of the field test; and recruitment of schools 
for the 2018 main study sample.

    Dated: September 14, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-22443 Filed 9-16-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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