[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87862-87863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25661]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2024-SCC-0136]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/25) Full-
Scale Study

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR).

[[Page 87863]]


DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 5, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request 
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under 
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. 
Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this 
information collection request. Information collection forms and 
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information 
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting 
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting 
Statement and Other Documents'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Carrie Clarady, 202-245-6347.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department 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: 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students 
(BPS:20/25) Full-Scale Study.
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0631.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 26,947.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 10,289.
    Abstract: The 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Full-Scale 
Study (BPS:20/25) is conducted by the National Center for Education 
Statistics, part of the Institute of Education Sciences, within the 
Department of Education, and is part of the Beginning Postsecondary 
Students Longitudinal Study data collection program at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/. BPS is designed to follow a cohort of 
students who enroll in postsecondary education for the first time 
during the same academic year, irrespective of the date of high school 
completion. The study collects data on students' persistence in and 
completion of postsecondary education programs; their transition to 
employment; demographic characteristics; and changes over time in their 
goals, marital status, income, and debt, among other indicators. Data 
from BPS are used to help researchers and policymakers better 
understand how financial aid influences persistence and completion, 
what percentages of students complete various degree programs, what are 
the early employment and wage outcomes for certificate and degree 
attainers, and why students leave school.
    The BPS:20/25 field test was completed during the 2023-24 academic 
year and was designed to test items and procedures for the upcoming 
full-scale study (see Appendix D of this submission with results of the 
two experiments embedded in the field test). BPS:20/25 will be a 
nationally-representative sample of approximately 28,650 students who 
were first-time beginning students during the 2019-20 academic year. 
These students will be asked to complete a survey and administrative 
data will also be collected for them. BPS:20/25 and other NCES 
postsecondary studies include data linkages with many existing sources 
of valuable data, listed in appendix B, including the Department of 
Education's FAFSA Processing System (FPS), National Student Loan Data 
System (NSLDS), and National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). These NCES 
studies also obtain data from postsecondary institution student 
records, information on military service records from Veterans Benefits 
Administration (VBA), and admissions test scores from ACT and The 
College Board. Linkages to additional data providers, such as Experian 
and the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), may be explored for 
BPS:20/25.
    As part of the clearance process for the previously submitted and 
approved Field Test package (OMB #1850-0631 v.20), NCES published a 
notice in the Federal Register allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day 
public comment period. That submission was designed to adequately 
justify the need for and overall practical utility of the full study, 
presenting the overarching plan for all phases of the data collection 
and providing as much detail about the measures to be used as is 
available at the time of that submission. The materials for the BPS:20/
25 full-scale study are based upon the field test materials. In order 
to clear the final materials for the BPS:20/25 full-scale study, NCES 
is publishing a notice in the Federal Register allowing an additional 
30-day public comment period on the final details and materials of the 
BPS:20/25 full-scale study.

    Dated: October 31, 2024.
Stephanie Valentine,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2024-25661 Filed 11-4-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P