80 FR 34624 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Understanding the Impact of Providing Information to Parents About the Role of Algebra II: An Opportunistic Study

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 116 (June 17, 2015)

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

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 116 (Wednesday, June 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34624-34625]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14864]


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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0044]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Understanding the Impact of Providing Information to Parents 
About the Role of Algebra II: An Opportunistic Study

AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), 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 new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
July 17, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be 
submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD-
0044 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the 
regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED 
will temporarily accept comments at [email protected]. Please note 
that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the 
comment period will not be accepted; ED will ONLY accept comments 
during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site 
is not available. 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, Mailstop L-OM-2-
2E319, Room 2E105, Washington, DC 20202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Christopher Boccanfuso, 202-219-
1674.

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,

[[Page 34625]]

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: Understanding the Impact of Providing 
Information to Parents about the Role of Algebra II: An Opportunistic 
Study.
    OMB Control Number: 1850--NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,468.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 133.
    Abstract: In June 2013, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed House Bill 
(HB) 5 into law, which changed high school graduation requirements for 
public school students in Texas. Prior to this, most students were 
required to complete algebra II in order to graduate from high school. 
After the enactment of HB 5, completing algebra II is optional-students 
may elect to complete algebra II as part of two of the graduation plans 
offered under HB 5. REL Southwest is working with the Texas Education 
Agency (TEA) to carry out an opportunistic experiment to determine if 
directly providing parents/guardians, prior to students' selection of 
their courses, with information on the importance of completing algebra 
II for college access and success has an impact on the percentage of 
students who enroll in and complete algebra II by the end of their 
junior year. REL Southwest will investigate the impact of providing 
parents/guardians with information about the role of algebra II in 
college access and success in a randomized controlled trial in which 
the treatment schools provide parents/guardians of students with 
information about the role of algebra II in college access and success, 
while control schools continue business-as-usual.

    Dated: June 12, 2015.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-14864 Filed 6-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P