81 FR 83823 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) National Benchmark Study 2017 Partial Cancellation Change Request

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 225 (November 22, 2016)

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

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83823-83824]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28023]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2016-ICCD-0130]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) National Benchmark Study 
2017 Partial Cancellation Change Request

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

ACTION: Notice.

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

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 22, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information

[[Page 83824]]

collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov 
by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-0130. 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. 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 
[email protected].

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: ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) National 
Benchmark Study 2017 Partial Cancellation Change Request.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0923.
    Type of Review: No material or non-substantive change to a 
currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 15,593.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 10,967.
    Abstract: The ED School Climate Surveys (EDSCLS) are a suite of 
survey instruments being developed for schools, districts, and states 
by the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) National Center for 
Education Statistics (NCES). This national effort extends current 
activities that measure school climate, including the state-level 
efforts of the Safe and Supportive Schools (S3) grantees, which were 
awarded funds in 2010 by the ED's Office of Safe and Healthy Students 
(OSHS) to improve school climate. Through the EDSCLS, schools 
nationwide will have access to survey instruments and a survey platform 
that will allow for the collection and reporting of school climate data 
across stakeholders at the local level. The surveys can be used to 
produce school-, district-, and state-level scores on various 
indicators of school climate from the perspectives of students, 
teachers, noninstructional school staff and principals, and parents and 
guardians. The 2017 national EDSCLS benchmark study data collection 
from a nationally representative sample of schools across the United 
States to create a national comparison point for users of EDSCLS was 
last approved in May 2016 (OMB# 1850-0923 v.4) with revisions to scope 
and timeline approved in July and September 2016 (OMB# 1850-0923 v.5-
6). Data were to be collected from a nationally representative sample 
of 500 schools serving students in grades 5-12 to produce national 
school climate scores on the various topics covered by EDSCLS. The 
national statistics were to be released in the updated EDSCLS platform 
to provide a basis for comparison between data collected by schools and 
school systems and the national school climate. Because, to date the 
study's projected overall unweighted participation rate is far below 
the 50% response rate recommended by NCES Statistical Standards, NCES 
is requesting to cancel any further recruitment and the EDSCLS National 
Benchmark Study 2017 as soon as possible. NCES will still offer to 
conduct the EDSCLS survey in the schools that opted to participate in a 
universe sample of all of their school's eligible respondents.

    Dated: November 16, 2016.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-28023 Filed 11-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P