[Federal Register: October 16, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 200)]
[Notices]
[Page 63904]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16oc02-62]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests.
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SUMMARY: The Leader, Regulatory Management Group, Office of the Chief
Information Officer, invites comments on the proposed information
collection requests as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: An emergency review has been requested in accordance with the
Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since public harm is reasonably
likely to result if normal clearance procedures are followed. Approval
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been requested by
October 31, 2002. A regular clearance process is also beginning.
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December
16, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the emergency review should be
addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Karen Lee, Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of
Management and Budget; 725 17th Street, NW, Room 10235, New Executive
Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or should be electronically
mailed to the internet address Karen--F.--Lee@omb.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Director of OMB
provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity
to comment on information collection requests. The Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the requirement for public
consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval
process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate
State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency's
ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Leader, Regulatory
Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes
this notice containing proposed information collection requests at the
beginning of the Departmental review of the information collection.
Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the
following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g., new, revision,
extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the
collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the
information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6)
Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. ED invites public comment. 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 respondents,
including through the use of information technology.
Dated: October 9, 2002.
John D. Tressler,
Leader, Regulatory Management Group, Office of the Chief Information
Officer.
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Type of Review: New.
Title: Reading Excellence Act (REA) Performance Report.
Abstract: This Annual Performance Report will allow the Department
of Education to collect information required by the Reading Excellence
Act.
Additional Information: Emergency clearance is necessary due to
unanticipated events related to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
The No Child Left Behind Act, enacted in January 2002, increased
Departmental expectations for State reporting, strengthened
accountability provisions and emphasized the implementation of proven
strategies, particularly those proven through scientific research, in
NCLB programs. Clearance is requested for a new performance report that
will provide accurate, timely and useful performance information from
individual States. This performance report will also enhance the
capability of the REA program office to ascertain technical assistance
needs and identify compliance concerns. The third and final round of
REA States completed their subgrant competitions in August 2002,
resulting in several hundred new schools with Reading Excellence
programs. This level of program growth necessitates performance reports
for effective monitoring of each State's activities. To align with
these unanticipated events, the Department is requesting approval to
obtain performance reports from each State with an active REA grant.
This will replace, not add to, the performance report information
collection through the State-District-School Study. This applies to 23
States reporting in November 2002 and 13 States reporting in November
2003. We seek this information each November so that REA staff can
quickly accommodate and align with the events described above, and to
enable staff to provide relevant technical assistance during the second
half of the school year. To give States adequate time to prepare the
report, we are requesting OMB approval of the performance report by
October 31, 2002.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.
Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: Responses: 18. Burden
Hours: 24.
Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 2171. When
you access the information collection, click on ``Download Attachments
`` to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to
Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room
4050, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to the
e-mail address vivan.reese@ed.gov. Requests may also be electronically
mailed to the internet address OCIO--RIMG@ed.gov or faxed to (202) 708-
9346. Please specify the complete title of the information collection
when making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity
requirements, contact Kathy Axt at her e-mail address Kathy.Axt@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
[FR Doc. 02-26248 Filed 10-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-1-P