### 76120 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 241 / Monday, December 16, 2013 / Notices

facilitate the ability of Airmen to move from any component into another at multiple points in their career path without prejudice; Enhancing the total force through

equalized opportunities across the components for professional and technical education and shared experiences. Recognizing in promotion and

selection processes differing but equivalent ends, ways, and means of professional development; Fundamental shift in policy goals for

‘‘Deploy-to-Dwell,’’ ‘‘Mobilizationto-Dwell,’’ and associated metrics for the post-Afghanistan period, as well as how deployment credit will be accounted; Reconsider the nation’s needs for

Overseas Basing and the capacity of continental United States’ infrastructure afforded by investments in Reserve and Guard basing capacities available to the Total Force. Meeting Accessibility: In accordance with section 10(d) of the FACA, 5 U.S.C. 552b, and 41 CFR 102–3.155, the DoD determined that the Tuesday, December 10, 2013 meeting will be closed to the public in its entirety. Specifically, the Director of Administration and Management, with the coordination of the DoD FACA Attorney, has determined in writing that this meeting will be closed to the public because it discussed classified information and matters covered by 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1).

Written Comments: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.105(j) and 102–3.140 and section 10(a)(3) of the FACA, the public or interested organizations may submit written comments to the Commission in response to the stated agenda of the closed meeting or the Commission’s mission. The Designated Federal Officer (DFO) will review all submitted written statements before forwarding to the Commission. Written comments should be submitted to Mrs. Marcia Moore, DFO, via facsimile or electronic mail, the preferred modes of submission. Each page of the comment must include the author’s name, title or affiliation, address, and daytime phone number. All contact information may be found in the **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT** section. While written comments are forwarded to the Commissioners upon receipt, note that all written comments on the Commission’s charge, as described in the Background section, must be received by 5:00 p.m. on December 13, 2013 to be considered by the Commissioners for the final report. This deadline for emailed and faxed comments has been extended from November 29, 2013. The postmark deadline to mail comments was November 8, 2013.

Due to difficulties finalizing the meeting agenda for the scheduled meeting of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force for Tuesday, December 10, 2013, the requirements of 41 CFR 102–3.150(a) were not met. Accordingly, the Advisory Committee Management Officer for the Department of Defense, pursuant to 41 CFR 102–3.150(b), waives the 15-calendar day notification requirement. Background

The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub. L. 112–239). The Department of Defense sponsor for the Commission is the Director of Administration and Management, Mr. Michael L. Rhodes. The Commission is tasked to submit a report, containing a comprehensive study and recommendations, by February 1, 2014 to the President of the United States and the Congressional defense committees. The report will contain a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, together with its recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions it may consider appropriate in light of the results of the study. The comprehensive study of the structure of the U.S. Air Force will determine whether, and how, the structure should be modified to best fulfill current and anticipated mission requirements for the U.S. Air Force in a manner consistent with available

resources.

The evaluation factors under consideration by the Commission are for a U.S. Air Force structure that—(a) meets current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; (b) achieves an appropriate balance between the regular and reserve components of the Air Force, taking advantage of the unique strengths and capabilities of each; (c) ensures that the regular and reserve components of the Air Force have the capacity needed to support current and anticipated homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; (d) provides for sufficient numbers of regular members of the Air Force to provide a base of trained personnel from which the personnel of the reserve components of the Air Force could be recruited; (e) maintains a peacetime rotation force to support operational tempo goals of 1:2 for regular members of the Air Forces and 1:5 for members of the reserve components of the Air Force; and (f) maximizes and appropriately balances affordability, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and readiness.

Dated: December 11, 2013. Aaron Siegel, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

[FR Doc. 2013–29793 Filed 12–13–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 5001–06–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**[Docket No.: ED–2013–ICCD–0126]**

**Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of**  **Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request;**  **Alternative Student Outcomes for Growth Measures Case Studies** 

**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 new information collection.

**DATES :**  Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 15, 2014.

**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–2013–ICCD–0126 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 2E103, Washington, DC 20202–4537.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For questions related to collection activities or burden, please call Kathy Axt, 540– 776–7742 or electronically mail ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please do not send comments here. We will ONLY accept comments in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason.

**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


### 76121 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 241 / Monday, December 16, 2013 / Notices

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: Alternative Student Outcomes for Growth Measures Case Studies.

OMB Control Number: 1850–NEW. Type of Review: New collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 182.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 364.

Abstract: This submission is a request for approval of data collection activitiesthat will be used to support the MidAtlantic Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Alternative Student Outcomes for Growth Measures Case Studies. The study is being funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) U.S. Department of Education and is being implemented by ICF International and its subcontractor, Mathematica Policy Research. This submission requests approval to recruit districts for the study and conduct in person and telephone interviews with staff in participating districts.

This study aims to fill the gap in information available to districts and policymakers on measures of student growth that do not use state standardized tests via qualitative case studies of up to nine districts that are using alternative measures of student achievement growth in teacher performance ratings. The studies will address what alternative measures of student achievement growth in teacher performance ratings. The case studies will address what alternative outcome measures are used, how the alternative growth measures are implemented, challenges and obstacles in implementation, how the measures are being used. Where possible, the Department will examine the extent of differentiation produced by the measures—specifically, the distribution of teacher performance on the measures, as compared with the distribution of teacher performance on conventional value added measures that are based on state assessments. The Department will conduct semi-structured interviews with district administrators leading teacher evaluation or effectiveness efforts, teacher representatives (such as union leaders), teachers (including both classroom teachers and instructional coaches), and principals. The data collected will be summarized and analyzed using a case study approach.

Kate Mullan, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.

[FR Doc. 2013–29768 Filed 12–13–13; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 4000–01–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION**

**Applications for New Awards; National Institute on Disability and**  **Rehabilitation Research—Small Business Innovation Research**  **Program—Phase I**

**AGENCY :**  Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Department of Education.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

Overview Information: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)—Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)—Phase I Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.133S–1.

**DATES :**  Applications Available: December 16, 2013.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: February 14, 2014.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purpose of the SBIR program is four-fold:

• Stimulate technological innovation in the private sector.

• Encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by socially and economically disadvantaged persons.

• Strengthen the role of small business in meeting Federal research and development (R&D) needs.

• Increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from U.S. Department of Education (Department) R&D funding.
Background

The Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 (Act), Pub. L. 97–219, established the SBIR program. The Act requires certain agencies, including the Department, to reserve a statutory percentage of their extramuralR&D budgets for two phases of the threephase SBIR program (see http://sbir.gov/ about/about-sbir for more information on the program).

Phase I awards are to determine, insofar as possible, the scientific or technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of R&D projects submitted under the SBIR program. Phase I awards are for amounts up to $75,000 and for a period of up to six months. Phase II projects continue the development of Phase I projects. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the proposed Phase II project. Only Phase I grantees are eligible to apply for Phase II funding. Phase II awards are for amounts up to $575,000 over a period of two years.

In Phase III, the small business grantee pursues commercial applications of the Phase I and II R&D. The SBIR program does not fund Phase
III.

All SBIR projects funded by NIDRR must address the needs of individuals with disabilities. (See 29 U.S.C. 760.) Project activities may include:

• Conducting manufacturing-related R&D that encompasses improvements in existing methods or processes, or wholly new processes, machines, or systems, that benefit individuals with disabilities;

• Exploring the uses of technology to ensure equal access to education, employment, community environments, and information for individuals with disabilities; and

• Improving the quality and utility of disability and rehabilitation research.

Executive Order 13329 states that continued technological innovation is critical to a strong manufacturing sector in the United States economy and seeks to ensure that Federal agencies assist the private sector in its manufacturing innovation efforts. The Department’s SBIR program encourages innovativeR&D projects that are manufacturingVerDate Mar<15>2010 13:51 Dec 13, 2013 Jkt 232001 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES