SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NCEE conducts large-scale evaluations of education programs in accordance with the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.) and other applicable laws, supports applied research studies related to questions of education policy and practice, provides technical assistance, and supports the development and use of research and evaluation findings throughout the United States. This system of records is used to fulfill NCEE's legislative mandate to conduct research and evaluation activities related to education policy, programs, and practices and to support the wide dissemination of the results of evaluation, research, and products developed to stakeholders such as policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. By law, NCEE research, evaluations, and data projects must be timely, objective, and non-ideological; free of political influence and bias; and relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.

Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT , individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other accessible format.

Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register . You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. 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 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.

For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education (Department), publishes a new system of records notice to read as follows: ( printed page 67305)

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance Evaluation Studies (18-14-49).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION(S):

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202.

A current list of contractor sites where system records are maintained is available from the System Manager and at ies.ed.gov/​about.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):

Commissioner, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20202.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

This system of records is authorized under sections 171, 173 and 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act (Pub. L. 107-279), codified at 20 U.S.C. 9561, 9563, and 9564. The collection of Social Security numbers, where necessary for a particular study, is authorized under Executive Order 9397 (November 22, 1943) as amended by Executive Order 13478 (November 18, 2008).

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:

The records in this system are used for the purpose of conducting research, evaluation, and data analytic projects commissioned by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Each project may involve: (a) the analysis of data from various sources; (b) the collection of data through assessments, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other methods; (c) the evaluation of programs and services; (d) the provision of services to populations and evaluating their outcomes; (e) the provision of technical assistance to outside entities; and (f) other research, evaluation, and data related activities within NCEE's statutory authority.

This work may be supported or accomplished by Federal staff or by contractors, vendors, grantees and other partners working on behalf of NCEE.

A current list of studies covered under this system of records notice is available from the System Manager and at ies.ed.gov/​about.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

The system will include records about the following categories of individuals: (a) individuals who are considered for inclusion or are included in an NCEE study ( e.g., State, district, and school staff and other individuals who are involved with the administration of programs and strategies under study such as staff at institutes of higher education and adult education centers; individuals and families who participate in or may benefit from programs and strategies under study); (b) individuals who provide information about those considered or selected for an NCEE study ( e.g., state officials, school or grantee staff); and (c) individuals whose information is contained within an extant dataset needed to conduct an NCEE study ( e.g., educators, students, grantee staff). This includes administrative datasets created by offices, agencies, or organizations outside of NCEE when those datasets are necessary for an NCEE study.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

The records maintained about a specific individual will depend on which NCEE study the individual was considered for or included in and the individual's role in the study. As relevant and necessary for a particular NCEE study, the system may include the individual's personally identifiable information ( i.e., name, address(es), telephone number(s), email address(es), Social Security number); date of birth; sociodemographic characteristics ( e.g., race, ethnicity, gender); language preferences and proficiencies; responses to assessments and collections ( e.g., surveys and interviews); voice and video recordings and transcripts; correspondences; identifiers specific to the applicable study or series of studies in which the individual is involved; and administrative records ( e.g., participation in courses or programs, attendance). As relevant and necessary for a particular NCEE study, it may also collect records about an individual's current and prior education; employment; current and previous addresses; mental and physical health and well-being; involvement with the criminal justice system; behaviors that increase the risk of harm to educational and other outcomes ( e.g., illicit drug use); household structure and dynamics ( e.g., marriage, relationships); disabilities; social service and benefit use; other characteristics; experiences relevant to Federal education programs or strategies related to such programs; perceptions relevant to Federal education programs and strategies.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

The sources of records in the system may include, as relevant to a particular study: the record subject; the Department; other governmental agencies ( e.g., Federal, state, tribal, and local) and their agents; NCEE contractors and subcontractors; research institutions, foundations, and similar organizations; publicly available documents and data sets; commercial sources; individuals who know the record subject ( e.g., relatives, district staff, school and postsecondary institution staff, and service providers) and other third parties such as vendors and the National Student Clearinghouse.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

The Department may disclose information contained in a record in this system of records under the routine uses listed in this system of records notice without the consent of the individual if the disclosure is compatible with the purposes for which the record was collected. The Department may make these disclosures on a case-by-case basis or, if the Department has complied with the computer matching requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, pursuant to a computer matching agreement. Any disclosure of personally identifiable information from a record in this system must also comply with the requirements of section 183 of ESRA (20 U.S.C. 9573) providing for confidentiality standards that apply to all collections, reporting, and publication of data by IES. Any disclosure of personally identifiable information from student education records that were obtained from schools, school districts, postsecondary institutions, and other sources must also comply with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1417(c); 34 CFR 300.610-300.611, 300.613-300.623, and 300.625-300.627), the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 34 CFR part 99), and, where applicable, the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (20 U.S.C. 1232h; 34 CFR part 98), which protect the privacy of student education records.

(1) Contract Disclosure. If the Department contracts with an entity for the purposes of performing any function that requires disclosure of records in this system to employees of the contractor or its subcontractors or consultants, as applicable, the Department may disclose the records to those employees. As part of such a contract, the Department will require ( printed page 67306) the contractor and any subcontractors or consultants, if applicable, to agree to maintain safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of the records in the system and to comply with applicable Privacy Act requirements under 5 U.S.C. 552a(m).

(2) Research Disclosure. The Department may disclose records to a researcher if the Department determines that the individual or organization to which the disclosure would be made is qualified to carry out specific research related to the functions or purposes of this system of records. The researcher must agree to safeguards and use restrictions, consistent with section 183(c) of the ESRA (20 U.S.C. 9573(c)), to protect the security and confidentiality of the records disclosed from this system. When personally identifiable information from a student's education record will be disclosed to the researcher, under FERPA (20 U.S.C. 1232g(b) and 34 CFR 99.31), the researcher also must agree to comply with applicable FERPA requirements.

(3) Obtaining Participants' Academic, Employment, Financial, and Benefits Records. The Department may disclose information from this system of records to Federal, State and local agencies as well as other organizations ( e.g., the National Student Clearinghouse, high school equivalency test vendors) to obtain participants' academic, employment, financial, or benefits records.

(4) Participant Identification Disclosure. The Department may disclose information from this system to staff at sites participating in a study for purposes consistent with the conduct of the study. For instance, the Department may disclose information that is necessary for sites to provide education records linked to study participants or to provide services that are part of the study.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:

Electronic records are stored in databases on IES' or its contractors' or subcontractors' secure servers.

Records stored in paper copy are stored in secure areas within locked drawers or cabinets.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:

Records in this system are indexed and retrieved by a unique number, name, or other identifying particular assigned to or associated with each individual that can be cross-referenced when needed with the separately stored direct personal identifiers.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:

The Department has submitted a retention and disposition schedule that is intended to cover the records contained in this system to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for review. Pending NARA approval, the records will be treated as unscheduled records and will not be destroyed except as authorized by NARA.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:

Department and its contractors and subcontractors are required to maintain appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the records from unauthorized access. Administrative controls include training individuals who have access to the records on how to handle them appropriately, incident response plans, and limiting access to individuals who need to know the information. Technical controls include the use of antivirus software, vulnerability patching, and multi-factor authentication when required. Physical controls include storing hard copy records and computer systems used to access electronic records in physically locked locations when not in use.

Department, contractor, and subcontractor employees who collect or maintain data in this system shall comply with the requirements of the confidentiality standards in section 183 of the ESRA (20 U.S.C. 9573).

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

If you wish to gain access to a record that exists regarding you in this system, contact the system manager at the address listed above. Your request must provide necessary particulars such as the study in question, your full name, current address, the date and place of your birth, and any other identifying information requested by the Department while processing the request to distinguish between individuals with the same name. Your request must meet the requirements in 34 CFR 5b.5, including proof of identity.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

If you wish to contest the content of a record regarding you, you must contact the system manager at the address listed above. Requests must contain your full name, address, and telephone number. Your request must meet the requirements of the regulations at 34 CFR 5b.7.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:

If you wish to determine whether a record exists regarding you in this system of records, you must contact the system manager at the address listed above. Your request must provide necessary particulars such as the study in question, your full name, current address, the date and place of your birth, and any other identifying information requested by the Department, while processing the request, to distinguish between individuals with the same name. Your request must meet the requirements in 34 CFR 5b.5, including proof of identity.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:

None.

HISTORY:

None.

For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences at the Department publishes a rescindment of the following system of records notices: DC Choice Program Evaluation (18-13-07), Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs (18-13-24), National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012 (18-13-27), Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites Initiative—2012 (18-13-31), Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound (18-13-36), National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs (18-35-45), Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator Training (18-13-46), and Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading In Early Elementary School (18-13-48). The records previously covered by these notices will be maintained as part of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance Evaluation Studies system of records (18-14-49) and will be retained and disposed of in accordance with the retention schedule applicable to that system.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:

“DC Choice Program Evaluation” (18-13-07),

“Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs” (18-13-24),

“National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012” (18-13-27),

“Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites Initiative—2012” (18-13-31),

“Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound” (18-13-36),

“National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs” (18-35-45), ( printed page 67307)

“Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator Training” (18-13-46),

“Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School” (18-13-48)

HISTORY:

The “DC Choice Program Evaluation” (18-13-07) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 69 FR 22014 (April 23, 2004).

The “Evaluation of Teacher Residency Programs” (18-13-24) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 76 FR 18741 (April 5, 2011).

The “National Longitudinal Transitions Study 2012” (18-13-27) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 77 FR 25152 (April 27, 2012).

The “Evaluation of the Pell Grant Experiments Under the Experimental Sites Initiative—2012” (18-13-31) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 78 FR 1206 (January 8, 2013).

The “Study of Enhanced College Advising in Upward Bound” (18-13-36) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 79 FR 54971 (September 15, 2014).

The “National Evaluation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy and Comprehensive Literacy State Development Programs” (18-35-45) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 85 FR 45206 (July 27, 2020).

The “Connecting Adults to Success: Evaluation of Career Navigator Training” (18-13-46) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 88 FR 72446 (October 20, 2023).

The “Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School” (18-13-48) system of records notice was published in full in the Federal Register at 89 FR 82594 (October 11, 2024).

91 FR 67304