Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Experimental Sites Initiative Reporting Tool 2017, 42338-42339 [2017-18964]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES 42338 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2017 / Notices 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: Generic Application Package for Departmental Generic Grant Programs. OMB Control Number: 1894–0006. Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 9,861. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 447,089. Abstract: The Department is requesting an extension of the approval for the Generic Application Package that numerous ED discretionary grant programs use to provide to applicants the forms and information needed to apply for new grants under those grant program competitions. The Department will use this Generic Application package for discretionary grant programs that: (1) Use the standard ED or Federal-wide grant applications forms that have been cleared separately through OMB under the terms of this generic clearance as approved by OMB and (2) use selection criteria from the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR); selection criteria that reflect statutory or regulatory provisions that have been developed under 34 CFR 75.209, or a combination of EDGAR, statutory or regulatory criteria or other provisions, as authorized under 34 CFR 75.200 and 75.209. The use of the standard ED grant application forms and the use of EDGAR VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Sep 06, 2017 Jkt 241001 and/or criteria developed under §§ 75.200 and 75.209 promotes the standardization and streamlining of ED discretionary grant application packages. Dated: September 1, 2017. Stephanie Valentine, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2017–18967 Filed 9–6–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket No.: ED–2017–ICCD–0113] Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Experimental Sites Initiative Reporting Tool 2017 Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA). ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a new information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 6, 2017. 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– 2017–ICCD–0113. 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 216–32, Washington, DC 20202–4537. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Warren Farr, 202–377–4380. 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 SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 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: Experimental Sites Initiative Reporting Tool 2017. OMB Control Number: 1845–NEW. Type of Review: A new information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and Tribal Governments. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5,100. Abstract: The Secretary of the US Department of Education is authorized under Sec. 487A(b) to periodically select a limited number of institutions for voluntary participation as experimental sites under the Experimental Sites Initiatives (ESI) to provide recommendations on the impact and effectiveness of proposed regulations or new management initiatives. The Department approved nine experiments to test ways to address federal objectives and meet the needs of financial aid administrators and federal financial aid recipients. Under the experiments, institutions are given the flexibility to test alternatives to existing requirements so that the Department can analyze the data obtained from participating institutions to validate current practices or to obtain information supportive of regulatory changes or recommendations for legislative change. The collection of this data and the results of these experiments will help the Department in its continuing efforts to improve Title IV program administration. E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM 07SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 172 / Thursday, September 7, 2017 / Notices Dated: September 1, 2017. Stephanie Valentine, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2017–18964 Filed 9–6–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Tests Determined To Be Suitable for Use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Department of Education. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Secretary announces tests, test forms, and delivery formats that the Secretary determines to be suitable for use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay LeMaster, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 11–152, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202–7240. Telephone: (202) 245–6218 or by email: John.LeMaster@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 14, 2008, we published in the Federal Register final regulations for 34 CFR part 462, Measuring Educational Gain in the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS regulations) (73 FR 2306). The NRS regulations established the process the Secretary uses to determine the suitability of tests for use in the NRS by States and local eligible providers. We annually publish in the Federal Register and post on the internet at www.nrsweb.org a list of the names of tests and the educational functioning levels the tests are suitable to measure in the NRS as required by § 462.12(c)(2). On December 13, 2016, the Secretary published in the Federal Register (81 FR 89920) an annual notice of tests determined to be suitable for use in the NRS (December 2016 notice). The Secretary announced a list of tests and test forms determined to be suitable for use in the NRS, including: (1) Eight tests previously approved for a seven-year period from February 2, 2010 through February 2, 2017, and approved for an extended period through February 2, 2019; (2) three tests previously approved for an extended period through February 2, 2017, and approved mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:42 Sep 06, 2017 Jkt 241001 for an extended period through February 2, 2019; and (3) one test—a revised version of a test previously approved for an extended period through February 2, 2017—for which the Secretary extended approval through February 2, 2019. The Secretary took this action to extend the approved periods for all 12 of these tests through February 2, 2019, in light of the following intervening factors: (1) The Department of Education’s (Department’s) plan to implement new descriptors for the NRS educational functioning levels and implement new regulations in 34 CFR part 462 (published in the Federal Register on August 19, 2016 (81 FR 55526) and effective as of September 19, 2016) that would govern the assessment review process; (2) the Department’s desire to minimize disruption for its grantees in the transition to the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) as authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA), including with respect to measuring educational functioning level gain under the NRS; and (3) the attendant transition authority in section 503(c) of WIOA, which authorizes the Secretary of Education to ‘‘take such actions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to provide for the orderly transition’’ from AEFLA as authorized by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) to AEFLA as authorized by WIOA. The Secretary also clarified that, to provide for the transition from the performance accountability system for AEFLA under WIA to the performance accountability system for AEFLA as authorized by WIOA, the December 2016 notice remains effective until June 30, 2019. In addition to the tests identified in the December 2016 notice as determined to be suitable for use in the NRS through February 2, 2019, the Secretary now announces an additional test and test forms that have been determined to be suitable for use in the NRS, in accordance with § 462.13. This test measures the new NRS educational functioning levels for Literacy/English Language Arts and Mathematics at all Adult Basic Education (ABE) levels, as described in Appendix E of Implementation Guidelines: Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education (OMB Control Number: 1830–0027). Approved Tests, Forms, and Approved Periods Adult education programs must use only the approved forms and computerbased delivery formats for the tests published in this document. If a PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 42339 particular test form or computer delivery format is not explicitly specified for a test in the December 2016 notice or in this notice, it is not approved for use in the NRS. Test Determined To Be Suitable for Use in the NRS for a Seven-Year Period From the Date of Publication of This Notice The Secretary has determined that the following test is suitable for use in Literacy/English Language Arts and Mathematics at all ABE levels of the NRS for a period of seven years from the date of publication of this notice: Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE 11/12). Forms 11 and 12 are approved for use on paper and through a computer-based delivery format. Publisher: Data Recognition Corporation—CTB, 13490 Bass Lake Road, Maple Grove, MN 55311. Telephone: 800–538–9547. Internet: www.ctb.com/. Revocation of Tests Under certain circumstances, the Secretary may revoke the determination that a test is suitable (see § 462.12(e)). If the Secretary revokes the determination of suitability, the Secretary announces through the Federal Register and posts on the internet at www.nrsweb.org a notice of that revocation, along with the date by which States and local eligible providers must stop using the revoked test. Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format (such as Braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in this notice. Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site. You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at: www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9212. E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM 07SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 172 (Thursday, September 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42338-42339]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18964]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2017-ICCD-0113]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
Experimental Sites Initiative Reporting Tool 2017

AGENCY: Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a new information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 6, 2017.

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-2017-ICCD-
0113. 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 216-32, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Warren Farr, 202-377-4380.

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: Experimental Sites Initiative Reporting Tool 
2017.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and 
Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 300.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5,100.
    Abstract: The Secretary of the US Department of Education is 
authorized under Sec. 487A(b) to periodically select a limited number 
of institutions for voluntary participation as experimental sites under 
the Experimental Sites Initiatives (ESI) to provide recommendations on 
the impact and effectiveness of proposed regulations or new management 
initiatives. The Department approved nine experiments to test ways to 
address federal objectives and meet the needs of financial aid 
administrators and federal financial aid recipients. Under the 
experiments, institutions are given the flexibility to test 
alternatives to existing requirements so that the Department can 
analyze the data obtained from participating institutions to validate 
current practices or to obtain information supportive of regulatory 
changes or recommendations for legislative change. The collection of 
this data and the results of these experiments will help the Department 
in its continuing efforts to improve Title IV program administration.


[[Page 42339]]


    Dated: September 1, 2017.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2017-18964 Filed 9-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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