1

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

A. Justification 

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify

any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a hard 

copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing 

the collection of information, or you may provide a valid URL link or paste the 

applicable section. Please limit pasted text to no longer than 3 pages. Specify the review 

type of the collection (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement 

without change). If revised, briefly specify the changes. If a rulemaking is involved, 

make note of the sections or changed sections, if applicable.

On January 21, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) published final 

requirements and a State educational agency (SEA) application for the School 

Improvement Grants (SIG) program authorized under section 1003(g) of Title I of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, and funded 

through the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2009, and the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (FY 2009). 

The final requirements define the criteria that an SEA must use to award FY 2013 SIG 

funds to local educational agencies (LEAs). In awarding these funds, an SEA must give 

priority to the LEAs with the lowest-achieving schools that demonstrate the greatest need 

for the funds and the strongest commitment to using the funds to provide adequate 

resources to their lowest-achieving schools that are eligible to receive services provided 

through SIG funds in order to raise substantially the achievement of the students 

attending those schools. 

The final requirements also include information collection activities covered under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The activities consist of: (1) applications for an SEA 

to submit to the Department to apply for FY 2013 SIG funds; (2) the reporting of specific 

school-level data on the use of SIG funds and specific interventions implemented in 

LEAs receiving SIG funds that the Department currently collects through EDFacts; (3) 

the process for an LEA to apply to its SEA for SIG funds; and (4) the SEA’s posting its 

LEAs’ applications on the SEA’s website. 

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a 

new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received 

from the current collection.

The information has been used to assist SEAs in successfully implementing the SIG 

program and monitor for implementation compliance.
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or forms 

of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the 

basis for the decision of adopting this means of collection. Also describe any

consideration given to using technology to reduce burden.

The information collections that involve SEAs providing information to the Department 

may be submitted electronically. An SEA may also have its LEAs submit their 

applications electronically to the SEA. 

3. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information 

already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2

above.

There is no duplication in the collection. 

4. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe 

any methods used to minimize burden. A small entity may be (1) a small business which 

is deemed to be one that is independently owned and operated and that is not dominant in 

its field of operation; (2) a small organization that is any not-for-profit enterprise that is 

independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field; or (3) a small 

government jurisdiction, which is a government of a city, county, town, township, school 

district, or special district with a population of less than 50,000.

The information collections in the final notice do not disproportionately add burden to 

small LEAs.

5. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not 

conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to 

reducing burden.

If the collection were not conducted, the Department would not be able to continue to 

implement the SIG program in accordance with the President’s and Secretary of 

Education’s priorities. As a result, students attending the lowest-achieving schools would 

not receive services provided through SIG funds designed to substantially raise their 

achievement. 

6. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be 

conducted in a manner:

 requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

 requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in 

fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

 requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any 

document;

 requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government 

contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

 in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and 

reliable results than can be generalized to the universe of study;

 requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and 

approved by OMB;

 that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established 

in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies 

that are consistent with the pledge, or that unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with 

other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

 requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential 

information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to 

protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

This collection is consistent with 5 CFR 1320.5.

7. As applicable, state that the Department has published the 60 and 30 Federal Register 

notices as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information 

collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in 

response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these 

comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the 

availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instruction and record keeping, 

disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, 

disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or 

those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years – even if the 

collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be 

circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These 

circumstances should be explained.

The Department invited the public to comment on the burden in the notice of proposed 

requirements in FY 2009. In addition, the public has had the opportunity to comment 

during the 60-day and 30-day periods for this regular collection. The packet submitted 

for FY 2013 does not include any additional requested information. This will be 

published again for public comment.

8. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than 

remuneration of contractors or grantees with meaningful justification.

No payments or gifts to respondents have been or will be made.

9. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the 

assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy. If personally identifiable information 

(PII) is being collected, a Privacy Act statement should be included on the instrument. 

Please provide a citation for the Systems of Record Notice and the date a Privacy Impact 

Assessment was completed as indicated on the IC Data Form. A confidentiality statement 

with a legal citation that authorizes the pledge of confidentiality should be provided.

Requests for this information are in accordance with the following ED and OMB 
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

policies: Privacy Act of 1974, OMB Circular A-108 – Privacy Act Implementation –

Guidelines and Responsibilities, OMB Circular A-130 Appendix I – Federal Agency

Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals, OMB M-03-22 – OMB 

Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002, 

OMB M-06-15 – Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information, OM:6-104 – Privacy

Act of 1974 (Collection, Use and Protection of Personally Identifiable Information). If 

the collection is subject to the Privacy Act, the Privacy Act statement is deemed 

sufficient with respect to confidentiality. If there is no expectation of confidentiality, 

simply state that the Department makes no pledge about the confidentially of the data.

There is no assurance of confidentiality.

10. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual 

behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered 

private. The justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the 

questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be 

given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to 

obtain their consent.

There are no questions of a sensitive nature.

11. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement 

should:

 Indicate the number of respondents by affected public type (federal government, 

individuals or households, private sector – businesses or other for-profit, private 

sector – not-for-profit institutions, farms, state, local or tribal governments), 

frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden 

was estimated, including identification of burden type: recordkeeping, reporting or 

third party disclosure. All narrative should be included in item 12. Unless directed to 

do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to 

base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential 

respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary

widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of 

estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates 

should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

 If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden 

estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in the ROCIS IC Burden 

Analysis Table. (The table should at minimum include Respondent types, IC activity, 

Respondent and Responses, Hours/Response, and Total Hours)

 Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents of the hour burdens for 

collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. 

The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection 

activities should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be included in Item 

14.

The final requirements include information collection activities for SEAs and LEAs. We 

provide a description of each activity and accompanying burden estimate in the following 
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

tables. The first table presents the estimate for SEAs and the second table presents the 

estimate for LEAs. Burden is not included in the SEA table for “Collect and report data 

to the Department” or in the LEA table for “Report data to SEA.” The Department 

collects this information through EDFacts. We take this approach because we believe 

that EDFacts is the most appropriate tool to collect this information from States and 

because public comments from the States themselves were supportive. 

State Educational Agency Estimate

SIG Activity Number of 

SEAs Hours/Activity Hours Cost/Hour Cost

Complete SEA 

application

(including 

requests for 

waivers) 52 100 5,200 $30 $156,000

Review and post 

LEA 

applications 52 800 41,600 $30 $1,248,000

Collect and 

report data to 

the 

Department *

Total 46,800 $30 $1,404,000

*See the previous paragraph.

Local Educational Agency Estimate

SIG Activity Number of 

LEAs Hours/Activity Hours Cost/Hour Cost

Complete LEA 

application 3,050 60 183,000 $25 $4,575,000

Report data to 

SEA*

Total 183,000 $25 $4,575,000

* See the previous paragraph.
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

12. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers 

resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden 

shown in Items 11 and 13.)

 The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up 

cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total operation 

and maintenance and purchase of services component. The estimates should take into 

account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the 

information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors 

including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital 

equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. 

Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting 

information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, 

drilling and testing equipment; and acquiring and maintaining record storage 

facilities.

 If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost 

burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of contracting out 

information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In 

developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents 

(fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process and 

use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking 

containing the information collection, as appropriate.

 Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or 

portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory

compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for 

reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government or (4) as 

part of customary and usual business or private practices. Also, these estimates should 

not include the hourly costs (i.e., the monetization of the hours) captured above in 

Item 12

Total Annualized Capital/Startup Cost:

Total Annual Costs (O&M): 

Total Annualized Costs Requested:

There are no costs that (a) meet the criteria for inclusion under this item and (b) have not 

been addressed in either item #11 or #13.

13. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a 

description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of 

hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), 

and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of 

information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 in a 

single table.

The Federal costs related to the collections will primarily involve reviewing the SEA 

applications. We estimate a cost of $109,341.44 as detailed in the table below. 
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EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: 1810-0682

Revised: 05/29/2013

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

Revised September 2010 Based on FY 2009 application process

Hours/application

GS13 GS14 GS15

Number of apps. = 52 24 16 8

52

total hours 1,248 832 416

hourly salary $38.92 $45.99 $54.10

cost $48,572.16 $38,263.68 $22,505.60 $109,341.44

total cost $109,341.44

14. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments. Generally, adjustments in 

burden result from re-estimating burden and/or from economic phenomenon outside of an 

agency’s control (e.g., correcting a burden estimate or an organic increase in the size of 

the reporting universe). Program changes result from a deliberate action that materially 

changes a collection of information and generally are result of new statute or an agency

action (e.g., changing a form, revising regulations, redefining the respondent universe, 

etc.). Burden changes should be disaggregated by type of change (i.e., adjustment, 

program change due to new statute, and/or program change due to agency discretion), 

type of collection (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement 

without change) and include totals for changes in burden hours, responses and costs (if 

applicable).

There is no change for this collection.

15. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for 

tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. 

Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of 

the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

There are no plans to publish the results of this data collection.

16. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the 

information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

No request is being made to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the 

information collection.

17. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the Certification of 

Paperwork Reduction Act.

There are no exceptions to the referenced certification statement.