Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; National Science Foundation's Evaluation of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, 87428-87430 [2024-25439]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
87428
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
section.
Copies of the submission may be
obtained by calling 703–292–7556. NSF
may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information unless the collection of
information displays a currently valid
OMB control number, and the agency
informs potential persons who are to
respond to the collection of information
that such persons are not required to
respond to the collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: The Evaluation of
the National Science Foundation’s
(NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program.
OMB Number: 3145–NEW.
Abstract: The National Science
Foundation (NSF) has been committed
to broadening participation of
underrepresented groups and diverse
institutions in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM) through
an array of means. One way that NSF
supports this is through its Robert
Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
(Noyce Program; https://
www.nsfnoyce.org/), which was
authorized in 2002 under the National
Science Foundation Authorization Act
of 2002 (Pub. L. 107–368) and
reauthorized in 2007 under the
American COMPETES Act (Pub. L. 110–
69; https://www.govinfo.gov/content/
pkg/PLAW-110publ69/pdf/PLAW110publ69.pdf). The program provides
funding to higher education institutions
via (a) scholarships, (b) stipends, and (c)
other means of programmatic support to
recruit and prepare science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
majors and other professionals to
become K–12 STEM teachers.
The overall goal of the Noyce Program
is to ‘‘increase the number of K–12
teachers with strong STEM content
knowledge who teach in high-need
school districts’’ (The Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program
[nsfnoyce.org]). Specifically, the Noyce
Program’s goals include aiding in
establishing and facilitating the
awarding of scholarships, fellowships,
funding, and programming that help to
recruit, train, and retain K–12 STEM
teachers for high-need school districts.
Additional Noyce Program goals include
supporting research on K–12 STEM
teachers in high-need school districts to
understand patterns of teacher retention
and effectiveness in these settings.
Program objectives for the Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program include
increasing the (a) number and (b)
diversity of students from groups
CONTACT
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Comment Request; National
Science Foundation’s Evaluation of the
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
Program
AGENCY:
National Science Foundation
(NSF).
Submission for OMB review;
comment request.
ACTION:
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection
requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. This is the
second notice for public comment; the
first was published in the Federal
Register, and no comments were
received. NSF is forwarding the
proposed submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
clearance simultaneously with the
publication of this second notice.
DATES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAmain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently Under 30-Day Review—
Open for Public Comments’’ or by using
the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation,
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria,
Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292–
7556; or send email to splimpto@
nsf.gov. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–
8339, which is accessible 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
(including Federal holidays).
Comments: Comments regarding (a)
whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
NSF, including whether the information
shall have practical utility; (b) the
accuracy of the NSF’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, use, and clarity of the
information on respondents; and (d)
ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including through the
use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology
should be addressed to the points of
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:47 Oct 31, 2024
Jkt 265001
PO 00000
Frm 00105
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
underrepresented in STEM fields who
pursue careers in K–12 STEM teaching,
especially in high-need school districts.
The NSF STEM Education (EDU)
Directorate requests the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
approval of this clearance to initiate
new data collections to be conducted as
part of an external evaluation of the
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
Program. These collections, to be
conducted by the evaluation contractor,
include:
Demographic Questionnaire. A onetime, web-based survey of selected
individuals who have been involved in
various aspects of NSF’s Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program from
FY2014 to FY2024 (i.e., PIs, program
coordinators, faculty, current and
former scholars/fellows, K–12 school
leaders, external evaluators) as well as
representative individuals who are
eligible for Noyce funding but have not
received it. The purpose of this
questionnaire is to (a) ensure that the
participants recruited are diverse, and
(b) support the qualitative data analytic
approaches. Information about the
respondents that will be captured
within the questionnaire will include
demographic data (e.g., race/ethnicity,
gender identity), length of time with the
institution, and experience with the
Noyce Program (as applicable). The
survey data will enable NSF to
supplement the information gleaned
from the interviews and focus groups,
encouraging further understanding of
what is working well and growth
opportunities for the Noyce Program.
Interviews with Principal
Investigators. Interviews with a
purposive sample of up to 50 PIs or CoPIs who had NSF’s Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program funded
between FY2014 and FY2024. The
interviews will be conducted either inperson during the annual Noyce
Summit (2025), in-person during
regional Noyce conferences (Fall 2024–
Summer 2025), or using a virtual
meeting platform at a time convenient
for the respondents. The interviews will
elicit information about how the Noyce
Program can support the STEM teacher
preparation field, the impact of the
award, barriers and facilitators to
applying for Noyce funding, and how
changes to the solicitation over the past
10 years have impacted the perception
of the Noyce award, as well as
perceptions of the merit review process.
This information will be triangulated
with the other data collected as well as
with information from the review of
documents to provide a holistic
understanding of the context of the
E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM
01NON1
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices
Noyce Program, what is working well,
and growth opportunities.
Interviews with Eligible Individuals
Who Have Not Received NSF’s Robert
Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
Funding. Interviews with a purposive
sample of up to 20 representatives who
are eligible for Noyce funding but have
not received it. This sample includes
individuals who have never applied for
Noyce funding and those who have
applied for but not received Noyce
funding. The interviews will be
conducted either in-person during the
annual Noyce Summit (2025), in-person
during regional Noyce conferences (Fall
2024–Summer 2025), or using a virtual
meeting platform at a time convenient
for the respondents. These interviews
will elicit information about how the
Noyce Program can support the STEM
teacher preparation field, the impact of
the award, barriers and facilitators to
applying for Noyce funding, and how
changes to the solicitation over the past
10 years have impacted the perception
of the Noyce award (as applicable to the
representatives’ roles).
Focus groups. A series of up to 115
focus groups are also planned, including
program coordinators/program staff,
faculty, current scholars/fellows, former
scholars/fellows, high-need K–12 school
and district leaders, external evaluators,
American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) staff,
and current and former NSF staff. This
may include a total of up to 469
respondents. The focus groups will be
conducted either in-person during the
annual Noyce Summit (in 2025), inperson during regional Noyce events
(Fall 2024–Summer 2025), or using a
virtual meeting platform at a time
convenient for the respondents, and will
elicit information about how the Noyce
Program can support the STEM teacher
preparation field, the impact of the
award, barriers and facilitators to
applying for Noyce funding, and how
changes to the solicitation over the past
10 years has impacted the perception of
the Noyce award, as well as perceptions
of the merit review process as
applicable to the representatives’ roles.
This data collection is necessary to
provide NSF with actionable
information about the overall context of
the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
Program, as well as to (a) understand
overall perceptions of the Program from
both Noyce and non-Noyce recipients,
and (b) identify what is working well
and opportunities for growth. This
information will help support the
overall goal of increasing the number
and diversity of qualified teachers
within the STEM education field.
Further, the need is grounded in the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:47 Oct 31, 2024
Jkt 265001
importance and value of producing a
diverse pool of STEM professionals who
choose to pursue a career as a K–12
STEM teacher in a high-need school/
school district.
Use of the Information: Aggregate
results from the demographic
questionnaire, interviews, and focus
groups will be synthesized and
summarized in reports developed by the
evaluation contractor that will be
provided to NSF. Although
questionnaire, interview, and focus
group responses will be identifiable to
the contractor, the reports provided to
NSF will only include overall findings.
No individual-level responses will be
attributable to an individual respondent.
Additionally, no information about
individuals participating in the data
collection activities will be released to
anyone outside the contractor’s
organization. The data collected and
reported on will be used for planning,
management, and evaluation purposes
only. These data are needed for effective
administration, program monitoring,
evaluation, and for strategic reviews and
measuring attainment of NSF’s program
and strategic goals, as identified by the
President’s Accountable Government
Initiative, the Government Performance
and Results Act Modernization Act of
2010, Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
of 2018, and NSF’s Strategic Plan.
Expected Respondents: The
respondents are Principal Investigators
(PIs), representatives who are eligible
for NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program funding but have
not received it (Potential PIs), program
coordinators/program staff, faculty,
current and former scholars/fellows,
high-need K–12 school and district
leaders, external evaluators, American
Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS) staff, and current and
former NSF staff.
The demographic questionnaire
respondents will include up to 78 PIs
with Noyce awards between FY2014 to
FY2024, up to 56 representatives who
are eligible for NSF’s Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program funding
but have not received it, up to 94
program coordinators/program staff, up
to 188 faculty, up to 125 current
scholars/fellows, up to 100 former
scholars/fellows, up to 125 high-need
K–12 school and district leaders, and up
to 63 external evaluators (approximately
827 total respondents).
The interviews will include up to 50
PIs with NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program awards between
FY2014 to FY2024 and up to 20
representatives who are eligible for
funding but have not received it
(Potential PIs), all of whom will also
PO 00000
Frm 00106
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
87429
have completed the questionnaire
(approximately 70 total). The focus
groups will include up to 60 program
coordinators/program staff, up to 120
faculty, up to 80 current scholars/
fellows, up to 64 former scholars/
fellows, up to 80 high-need K–12 school
and district leaders, and up to 40
external evaluators, all of whom will
have also completed the questionnaire.
Additionally, up to 3 AAAS staff, up to
6 current NSF staff, and up to 16 former
NSF staff are expected to participate in
focus groups (approximately 469 total
respondents).
Estimate of Burden
Estimates of Annualized Cost to
Respondents for the Hour Burdens
The overall annualized cost to the
respondents is estimated to be
$50,455.69. The hourly wage estimates
for completing the interviews
mentioned in the burden hours table are
based on information from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics website (https://
www.bls.gov) and average GS-15-Step 5
for the current POs (https://
www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/
pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/
24Tables/html/GS_h.aspx). Specifically,
the ‘‘May 2023 National Occupational
Employment and Wage Estimates’’ were
used. For Principal Investigators,
faculty, external evaluators, and former
NSF staff, 25–1000 ‘‘Postsecondary
Teachers’’ was used; for this, the
average hourly rate was calculated for a
9-month contract because an hourly rate
was unavailable. For program
coordinators, 25–9031 ‘‘Instructional
Coordinators’’ was used; for
representatives who are eligible for
NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program funding but have
not received it, 11–9033 ‘‘Education
Administrators, Postsecondary’’ was
used; for Current and Former Scholars/
Fellows, 25–2000 ‘‘Preschool,
Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and
Special Education Teachers’’ was used
(for this, the average hourly rate was
calculated for a 9-month contract
because an hourly rate was unavailable);
for K–12 School Leaders, 11–9032
‘‘Education Administrators,
Kindergarten through Secondary’’ was
used (for this, the average hourly rate
was calculated for a 9-month contract
because an hourly rate was unavailable);
and for AAAS staff, 19–0000 ‘‘Life,
Physical and Social Science
Occupations’’ was used.
E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM
01NON1
87430
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2024 / Notices
Respondent type
Pretest:
PIs ............................................
Potential PIs .............................
External Evaluators ..................
PIs ............................................
Potential PIs .............................
Current Scholars/Fellows .........
Program Coordinators ..............
External Evaluators ..................
Demographic Questionnaire:
PIs ............................................
Potential PIs .............................
Program Coordinators ..............
Faculty ......................................
External Evaluators ..................
Current Scholars/Fellows .........
Former Scholars/Fellows ..........
High Need K–12 School Leaders.
Interviews:
PIs ............................................
Potential PIs .............................
Focus Groups:
Program Coordinators ..............
Faculty ......................................
External Evaluators ..................
Current Scholars/Fellows .........
Former Scholars/Fellows ..........
High Need K–12 School Leaders.
AAAS Staff ...............................
Current NSF Staff .....................
Former NSF Staff .....................
Total ..................................
Pretest Demographic Questionnaire
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Average
hourly rate
estimate
Total hours
burden
Estimated
annual
cost
0.33
0.33
0.33
1
0.33
0.33
0.33
5
70.66
58.66
70.66
70.66
23.32
19.36
23.32
353.30
3
1
3
58.66
175.98
4
1
4
47.84
191.36
1
1
1
37.12
37.12
1
1
1
70.66
70.66
Demographic Questionnaire ...........
78
56
94
188
63
125
100
125
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.33
0.33
25.74
18.48
31.02
62.04
20.79
41.25
33
41.25
70.66
58.66
37.12
70.66
70.66
47.84
47.84
77.10
1,818.79
1,084.01
1,151.46
4,383.75
1,469.02
1,973.40
1,578.72
3,180.38
Principal Investigator Interview Protocol.
Potential Principal Investigator
Interview Protocol.
50
1
50
70.66
3,532.99
20
1
20
58.66
1,173.20
Program Coordinator Focus Group
Protocol.
Faculty Focus Group Protocol ........
External Evaluators Focus Group
Protocol.
Current Scholars/Fellows Focus
Group Protocol.
Former Scholars/Fellows Focus
Group Protocol.
High Need K–12 School/District
Leaders Focus Group Protocol.
AAAS Staff Focus Group Protocol
Current and Former NSF Staff
Focus Group Protocol.
Current and Former NSF Staff
Focus Group Protocol.
60
1
60
37.12
2,227.20
120
40
1
1
120
40
70.66
70.66
8,479.17
2,826.39
80
1
80
47.84
3,827.22
64
1
64
47.84
3,061.78
80
1
80
77.10
6,167.78
3
6
1
1
3
6
42.24
66.82
126.72
400.92
16
1
16
70.66
1,130.56
556
............................
827.04
........................
50,455.69
Pretest Principal Investigator Interview Protocol.
Pretest Potential Principal Investigator Interview Protocol.
Pretest Scholars and Fellows
Focus Group Protocol.
Pretest Program Coordinator Focus
Group Protocol.
Pretest External Evaluators Focus
Group Protocol.
.........................................................
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
It is estimated that there will be up to
1,366 responses (which does not
include the 17 pretest responses). Up to
827 of these responses will be from the
demographic questionnaire (excluding
the 3 from the pretest), up to 70 from the
interviews (excluding the 8 from the
pretest), and up to 469 for the focus
groups from those directly or indirectly
affiliated with institutions eligible to
receive Noyce funding (excluding the 6
from the pretest).
Dated: October 28, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024–25439 Filed 10–31–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
16:47 Oct 31, 2024
Burden hours
per respondent
1
1
1
5
Estimated Number of Responses per
Report
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Total number
of respondents
in category
Collection title
Jkt 265001
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Comment Request; National
Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation
Corps (I-CorpsTM) Program PreSubmission Executive Summary Form
AGENCY:
National Science Foundation.
Submission for OMB review;
comment request.
ACTION:
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection
requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. This is the
second notice for public comment; the
first was published in the Federal
Register, and no comments were
received. NSF is forwarding the
proposed submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00107
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
clearance simultaneously with the
publication of this second notice.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAmain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
DATES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation,
2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria,
Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292–
7556; or send email to splimpto@
nsf.gov. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–
8339, which is accessible 24 hours a
E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM
01NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87428-87430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25439]
[[Page 87428]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request;
National Science Foundation's Evaluation of the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program
AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF).
ACTION: Submission for OMB review; comment request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has submitted the
following information collection requirement to OMB for review and
clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This is the second
notice for public comment; the first was published in the Federal
Register, and no comments were received. NSF is forwarding the proposed
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance
simultaneously with the publication of this second notice.
DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting ``Currently Under 30-Day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send email to
[email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365
days a year (including Federal holidays).
Comments: Comments regarding (a) whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the NSF, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the NSF's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
use, and clarity of the information on respondents; and (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology should be addressed to the points
of contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
Copies of the submission may be obtained by calling 703-292-7556.
NSF may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control
number, and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to
the collection of information that such persons are not required to
respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: The Evaluation of the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
Abstract: The National Science Foundation (NSF) has been committed
to broadening participation of underrepresented groups and diverse
institutions in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
through an array of means. One way that NSF supports this is through
its Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce Program; https://www.nsfnoyce.org/), which was authorized in 2002 under the National
Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-368) and
reauthorized in 2007 under the American COMPETES Act (Pub. L. 110-69;
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-110publ69/pdf/PLAW-110publ69.pdf). The program provides funding to higher education
institutions via (a) scholarships, (b) stipends, and (c) other means of
programmatic support to recruit and prepare science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and other professionals to
become K-12 STEM teachers.
The overall goal of the Noyce Program is to ``increase the number
of K-12 teachers with strong STEM content knowledge who teach in high-
need school districts'' (The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
[nsfnoyce.org]). Specifically, the Noyce Program's goals include aiding
in establishing and facilitating the awarding of scholarships,
fellowships, funding, and programming that help to recruit, train, and
retain K-12 STEM teachers for high-need school districts. Additional
Noyce Program goals include supporting research on K-12 STEM teachers
in high-need school districts to understand patterns of teacher
retention and effectiveness in these settings. Program objectives for
the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program include increasing the (a) number
and (b) diversity of students from groups underrepresented in STEM
fields who pursue careers in K-12 STEM teaching, especially in high-
need school districts.
The NSF STEM Education (EDU) Directorate requests the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approval of this clearance to initiate new
data collections to be conducted as part of an external evaluation of
the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. These collections, to be
conducted by the evaluation contractor, include:
Demographic Questionnaire. A one-time, web-based survey of selected
individuals who have been involved in various aspects of NSF's Robert
Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program from FY2014 to FY2024 (i.e., PIs,
program coordinators, faculty, current and former scholars/fellows, K-
12 school leaders, external evaluators) as well as representative
individuals who are eligible for Noyce funding but have not received
it. The purpose of this questionnaire is to (a) ensure that the
participants recruited are diverse, and (b) support the qualitative
data analytic approaches. Information about the respondents that will
be captured within the questionnaire will include demographic data
(e.g., race/ethnicity, gender identity), length of time with the
institution, and experience with the Noyce Program (as applicable). The
survey data will enable NSF to supplement the information gleaned from
the interviews and focus groups, encouraging further understanding of
what is working well and growth opportunities for the Noyce Program.
Interviews with Principal Investigators. Interviews with a
purposive sample of up to 50 PIs or Co-PIs who had NSF's Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program funded between FY2014 and FY2024. The
interviews will be conducted either in-person during the annual Noyce
Summit (2025), in-person during regional Noyce conferences (Fall 2024-
Summer 2025), or using a virtual meeting platform at a time convenient
for the respondents. The interviews will elicit information about how
the Noyce Program can support the STEM teacher preparation field, the
impact of the award, barriers and facilitators to applying for Noyce
funding, and how changes to the solicitation over the past 10 years
have impacted the perception of the Noyce award, as well as perceptions
of the merit review process. This information will be triangulated with
the other data collected as well as with information from the review of
documents to provide a holistic understanding of the context of the
[[Page 87429]]
Noyce Program, what is working well, and growth opportunities.
Interviews with Eligible Individuals Who Have Not Received NSF's
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Funding. Interviews with a
purposive sample of up to 20 representatives who are eligible for Noyce
funding but have not received it. This sample includes individuals who
have never applied for Noyce funding and those who have applied for but
not received Noyce funding. The interviews will be conducted either in-
person during the annual Noyce Summit (2025), in-person during regional
Noyce conferences (Fall 2024-Summer 2025), or using a virtual meeting
platform at a time convenient for the respondents. These interviews
will elicit information about how the Noyce Program can support the
STEM teacher preparation field, the impact of the award, barriers and
facilitators to applying for Noyce funding, and how changes to the
solicitation over the past 10 years have impacted the perception of the
Noyce award (as applicable to the representatives' roles).
Focus groups. A series of up to 115 focus groups are also planned,
including program coordinators/program staff, faculty, current
scholars/fellows, former scholars/fellows, high-need K-12 school and
district leaders, external evaluators, American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) staff, and current and former NSF staff.
This may include a total of up to 469 respondents. The focus groups
will be conducted either in-person during the annual Noyce Summit (in
2025), in-person during regional Noyce events (Fall 2024-Summer 2025),
or using a virtual meeting platform at a time convenient for the
respondents, and will elicit information about how the Noyce Program
can support the STEM teacher preparation field, the impact of the
award, barriers and facilitators to applying for Noyce funding, and how
changes to the solicitation over the past 10 years has impacted the
perception of the Noyce award, as well as perceptions of the merit
review process as applicable to the representatives' roles.
This data collection is necessary to provide NSF with actionable
information about the overall context of the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program, as well as to (a) understand overall perceptions
of the Program from both Noyce and non-Noyce recipients, and (b)
identify what is working well and opportunities for growth. This
information will help support the overall goal of increasing the number
and diversity of qualified teachers within the STEM education field.
Further, the need is grounded in the importance and value of producing
a diverse pool of STEM professionals who choose to pursue a career as a
K-12 STEM teacher in a high-need school/school district.
Use of the Information: Aggregate results from the demographic
questionnaire, interviews, and focus groups will be synthesized and
summarized in reports developed by the evaluation contractor that will
be provided to NSF. Although questionnaire, interview, and focus group
responses will be identifiable to the contractor, the reports provided
to NSF will only include overall findings. No individual-level
responses will be attributable to an individual respondent.
Additionally, no information about individuals participating in the
data collection activities will be released to anyone outside the
contractor's organization. The data collected and reported on will be
used for planning, management, and evaluation purposes only. These data
are needed for effective administration, program monitoring,
evaluation, and for strategic reviews and measuring attainment of NSF's
program and strategic goals, as identified by the President's
Accountable Government Initiative, the Government Performance and
Results Act Modernization Act of 2010, Evidence-Based Policymaking Act
of 2018, and NSF's Strategic Plan.
Expected Respondents: The respondents are Principal Investigators
(PIs), representatives who are eligible for NSF's Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program funding but have not received it (Potential PIs),
program coordinators/program staff, faculty, current and former
scholars/fellows, high-need K-12 school and district leaders, external
evaluators, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
staff, and current and former NSF staff.
The demographic questionnaire respondents will include up to 78 PIs
with Noyce awards between FY2014 to FY2024, up to 56 representatives
who are eligible for NSF's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
funding but have not received it, up to 94 program coordinators/program
staff, up to 188 faculty, up to 125 current scholars/fellows, up to 100
former scholars/fellows, up to 125 high-need K-12 school and district
leaders, and up to 63 external evaluators (approximately 827 total
respondents).
The interviews will include up to 50 PIs with NSF's Robert Noyce
Teacher Scholarship Program awards between FY2014 to FY2024 and up to
20 representatives who are eligible for funding but have not received
it (Potential PIs), all of whom will also have completed the
questionnaire (approximately 70 total). The focus groups will include
up to 60 program coordinators/program staff, up to 120 faculty, up to
80 current scholars/fellows, up to 64 former scholars/fellows, up to 80
high-need K-12 school and district leaders, and up to 40 external
evaluators, all of whom will have also completed the questionnaire.
Additionally, up to 3 AAAS staff, up to 6 current NSF staff, and up to
16 former NSF staff are expected to participate in focus groups
(approximately 469 total respondents).
Estimate of Burden
Estimates of Annualized Cost to Respondents for the Hour Burdens
The overall annualized cost to the respondents is estimated to be
$50,455.69. The hourly wage estimates for completing the interviews
mentioned in the burden hours table are based on information from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics website (https://www.bls.gov) and average GS-
15-Step 5 for the current POs (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/24Tables/html/GS_h.aspx). Specifically, the ``May 2023 National Occupational
Employment and Wage Estimates'' were used. For Principal Investigators,
faculty, external evaluators, and former NSF staff, 25-1000
``Postsecondary Teachers'' was used; for this, the average hourly rate
was calculated for a 9-month contract because an hourly rate was
unavailable. For program coordinators, 25-9031 ``Instructional
Coordinators'' was used; for representatives who are eligible for NSF's
Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program funding but have not received
it, 11-9033 ``Education Administrators, Postsecondary'' was used; for
Current and Former Scholars/Fellows, 25-2000 ``Preschool, Elementary,
Middle, Secondary, and Special Education Teachers'' was used (for this,
the average hourly rate was calculated for a 9-month contract because
an hourly rate was unavailable); for K-12 School Leaders, 11-9032
``Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary'' was used
(for this, the average hourly rate was calculated for a 9-month
contract because an hourly rate was unavailable); and for AAAS staff,
19-0000 ``Life, Physical and Social Science Occupations'' was used.
[[Page 87430]]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total number of
Respondent type Collection title respondents in Burden hours per Total hours Average hourly Estimated
category respondent burden rate estimate annual cost
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretest:
PIs................................. Pretest Demographic 1 0.33 0.33 70.66 23.32
Questionnaire.
Potential PIs....................... 1 0.33 0.33 58.66 19.36
External Evaluators................. 1 0.33 0.33 70.66 23.32
PIs................................. Pretest Principal 5 1 5 70.66 353.30
Investigator Interview
Protocol.
Potential PIs....................... Pretest Potential 3 1 3 58.66 175.98
Principal Investigator
Interview Protocol.
Current Scholars/Fellows............ Pretest Scholars and 4 1 4 47.84 191.36
Fellows Focus Group
Protocol.
Program Coordinators................ Pretest Program 1 1 1 37.12 37.12
Coordinator Focus Group
Protocol.
External Evaluators................. Pretest External 1 1 1 70.66 70.66
Evaluators Focus Group
Protocol.
Demographic Questionnaire:
PIs................................. Demographic Questionnaire. 78 0.33 25.74 70.66 1,818.79
Potential PIs....................... 56 0.33 18.48 58.66 1,084.01
Program Coordinators................ 94 0.33 31.02 37.12 1,151.46
Faculty............................. 188 0.33 62.04 70.66 4,383.75
External Evaluators................. 63 0.33 20.79 70.66 1,469.02
Current Scholars/Fellows............ 125 0.33 41.25 47.84 1,973.40
Former Scholars/Fellows............. 100 0.33 33 47.84 1,578.72
High Need K-12 School Leaders....... 125 0.33 41.25 77.10 3,180.38
Interviews:
PIs................................. Principal Investigator 50 1 50 70.66 3,532.99
Interview Protocol.
Potential PIs....................... Potential Principal 20 1 20 58.66 1,173.20
Investigator Interview
Protocol.
Focus Groups:
Program Coordinators................ Program Coordinator Focus 60 1 60 37.12 2,227.20
Group Protocol.
Faculty............................. Faculty Focus Group 120 1 120 70.66 8,479.17
Protocol.
External Evaluators................. External Evaluators Focus 40 1 40 70.66 2,826.39
Group Protocol.
Current Scholars/Fellows............ Current Scholars/Fellows 80 1 80 47.84 3,827.22
Focus Group Protocol.
Former Scholars/Fellows............. Former Scholars/Fellows 64 1 64 47.84 3,061.78
Focus Group Protocol.
High Need K-12 School Leaders....... High Need K-12 School/ 80 1 80 77.10 6,167.78
District Leaders Focus
Group Protocol.
AAAS Staff.......................... AAAS Staff Focus Group 3 1 3 42.24 126.72
Protocol.
Current NSF Staff................... Current and Former NSF 6 1 6 66.82 400.92
Staff Focus Group
Protocol.
Former NSF Staff.................... Current and Former NSF 16 1 16 70.66 1,130.56
Staff Focus Group
Protocol.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total........................... .......................... 556 ................ 827.04 .............. 50,455.69
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Number of Responses per Report
It is estimated that there will be up to 1,366 responses (which
does not include the 17 pretest responses). Up to 827 of these
responses will be from the demographic questionnaire (excluding the 3
from the pretest), up to 70 from the interviews (excluding the 8 from
the pretest), and up to 469 for the focus groups from those directly or
indirectly affiliated with institutions eligible to receive Noyce
funding (excluding the 6 from the pretest).
Dated: October 28, 2024.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2024-25439 Filed 10-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
