### 23790 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 82 / Wednesday, April 29, 2015 / Notices

Electronic Access to this Document: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. 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 Adobe 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.

Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated authority to Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary, to perform the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c.
Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–09978 Filed 4–28–15; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**[Docket No.: ED–2015–ICCD–0018]**

**Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of**  **Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request;**  **Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2016–2017 (MGLS: 2017) Recruitment**  **for Item Validation and Operational Field Tests** 

**AGENCY :**  Institute of Education Sciences/ National Center for Education Statistics (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 reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

**DATES :**  Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 29,
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–0018 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 ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. 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 Kashka Kubzdela, 202–502–7411.

**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: Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2016–2017 (MGLS: 2017) Recruitment for Item Validation and Operational Field Tests.

OMB Control Number: 1850–0911. Type of Review: A reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 8,128.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,794.

Abstract: The Middle Grades Longitudinal Study of 2016–2017 (MGLS:2017) is the first study sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), to follow a nationally-representative sample of students as they enter and move through the middle grades (grades 6–8). The data collected through repeated measures of key constructs will provide a rich descriptive picture of the academic experiences and development of students during these critical years and will allow researchers to examine associations between contextual factors and student outcomes. The study will focus on student achievement in mathematics and literacy along with measures of student socioemotional wellbeing and other outcomes. The study will also include a special sample of students with different types of disabilities that will provide descriptive information on their outcomes, educational experiences, and special education services. Baseline data for the MGLS:2017 will be collected from a nationally-representative sample of 6th grade students in winter of 2017 with annual follow-ups in winter 2018 and winter 2019 when most of the students in the sample will be in grades 7 and 8, respectively. This request is to contact and recruit public school districts and public and private schools to participate in the winter 2016 concurrent item validation and operational field tests for the MGLS: 2017. The primary purpose of the Item Validation Field Test is to determine the psychometric properties of items and the predictive potential of assessment and survey items so that valid, reliable, and useful assessment and survey instruments can be composed for the main study. The primary purposes of the Operational Field Test are to obtain information on recruiting, particularly for the targeted disability groups; on obtaining a tracking sample that can be used to study mobility patterns in subsequent years; and on administrative procedures.


### 23791 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 82 / Wednesday, April 29, 2015 / Notices

Dated: April 23, 2015. Stephanie Valentine, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015–09946 Filed 4–28–15; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**National Assessment Governing Board Quarterly Board Meeting** 

**AGENCY :**  National Assessment Governing Board, U.S. Department of Education.

**ACTION :**  Announcement of open and closed meetings.

**SUMMARY :**  This notice sets forth the agenda for the May 14–16, 2015 Quarterly Meeting of the National Assessment Governing Board (hereafter referred to as Governing Board). This notice provides information to members of the public who may be interested in attending the meeting or providing written comments on the meeting. The notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

**DATES :**  The Quarterly Board meeting will be held on the following dates:

• May 14, 2015 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:45

p.m.

• May 15, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00

p.m.

• May 16, 2015 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00

a.m.

**ADDRESSES :**  May 14: Assessment Development

Committee—Hotel Indigo: 400 Brown Street, Columbus, Indiana May 14: Executive Committee—

Columbus Visitor’s Center, 501 5th Street, Columbus, Indiana May 15: Full Board: The Commons, 300

Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana. Committee Meetings: May 15: Assessment Development

Committee—The Commons May 15: Committee on Standards,

Design and Methodology: Zaharakos, 329 Washington Street, Columbus, Indiana. May 15: Reporting and Dissemination

Committee—Columbus Visitors Center May 16: Nominations Committee—The

Commons May 16: Full Board—The Commons

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Munira Mwalimu, Executive Officer, 800 North Capitol Street NW., Suite 825, Washington, DC 20002, telephone: (202) 357–6938, fax: (202) 357–6945. **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Statutory Authority and Function: The National Assessment Governing Board is established under Title III—National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act, Public Law 107–279. Information on the Board and its work can be found at www.nagb.gov.

The Board is established to formulate policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The Board’s responsibilities include the following: Selecting subject areas to be assessed, developing assessment frameworks and specifications, developing appropriate student achievement levels for each grade and subject tested, developing standards and procedures for interstate and national comparisons, improving the form and use of NAEP, developing guidelines for reporting and disseminating results, and releasing initial NAEP results to the public. Detailed Meeting Agenda: May 14–16,
2015 May 14: Committee Meetings Assessment Development Committee:

Open Session: 11:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Executive Committee: Open Session:

4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.; Closed Session: 5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m. May 15: Full Board and Committee Meetings

Full Board: Open Session: 8:30 a.m.–

9:45 a.m.; Open Session 1:00 p.m.– 5:00 p.m. Committee Meetings Assessment Development Committee

(ADC): Open Session: 10:15 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Reporting and Dissemination Committee

(R&D): Open Session: 10:15 a.m.– 12:30 p.m. Committee on Standards, Design and

Methodology (COSDAM): Open Session: 10:15 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; Closed Session: 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. May 16: Full Board and Committee Meetings

Nominations Committee: Closed

Session: 7:30 a.m.–8:15 a.m. Full Board: Closed Session: 8:30 a.m.–

9:45 a.m. Open Session 10:00 a.m.–
11:00 a.m. On May 14, 2015, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Assessment Development Committee will meet in open session to review NAEP contextual variables. The Executive Committee will convene in open session on May 14, 2015 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and thereafter in closed session from 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. During the closed session, the Executive Committee will receive and discuss cost estimates on various options for implementing NAEP’s Assessment Schedule for 2014–2024 and will discuss NAEP’s budgetary needs for the President’s FY 2017 budget. The implications of the cost estimates and funds in support of the NAEP Assessment Schedule and future NAEP activities will also be discussed. This meeting must be conducted in closed session because public disclosure of this information would likely have an adverse financial effect on the NAEP program by providing confidential cost details and proprietary contract costs of current contractors to the public. Discussion of this information would be likely to significantly impede implementation of a proposed agency action if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of § 552b of Title 5 U.S.C.

On May 15, 2015, the full Board will meet in open session from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The Board will review and approve the May 15–16, 2015 Board meeting agenda and meeting minutes from the March 2015 Quarterly Board meeting. This session will be followed by the Chairman’s remarks and welcome remarks from Dale Nowlin, Governing Board member and Glenda Ritz, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Thereafter, the full Board will receive update reports from the Deputy Executive Director of the Governing Board, the Acting Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, and the Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. The Board will recess for Committee meetings from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Assessment Development Committee and the Reporting and Dissemination Committee will meet in open sessions from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Committee on Standards, Design and Methodology (COSDAM) will meet in open session from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and thereafter in closed session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During the closed session COSDAM will discuss information regarding analyses of the 2014 grade 8 Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) assessment, and discuss secure NAEP TEL data. This part of the meeting must be conducted in closed session because the analysis involves the use of secure data for the NAEP TEL assessment. Public disclosure of secure data would significantly impede implementation of the NAEP assessment program if conducted in open session. Such matters are protected by exemption 9(B) of § 552b of Title 5 U.S.C.