46232 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 157 / Wednesday, August 18, 2021 / Notices 

should specifically address: (a) Whether 

the 2019 NAEP Science Framework 

needs to be updated; (b) if the 

framework needs to be updated, why a 

revision is needed; and (c) what should 

a revision to the framework include? 

This notice sets forth the review 

schedule and provides information for 

accessing additional materials that will 

be informative and useful for this 

review. 

Assessment and Item Specifications 

elaborate on the framework as guidance 

for item development conducted by the 

National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES) and the NAEP assessment 

development contractor(s). The 

framework development and update 

process also produces recommendations 

for contextual variables, which supports 

NCES’ development of the 

questionnaires administered to students, 

teachers, and schools to help the public 

understand the achievement results in 

each subject. By engaging NAEP’s 

audiences, partners, and stakeholders in 

the panels that provide 

recommendations for NAEP frameworks 

and by seeking public comment, NAEP 

frameworks reflect content valued by 

the public as important to measure. 

Additional information on the 

Governing Board’s work in developing 

NAEP Frameworks and Specifications 

can be found at https://www.nagb.gov/ 

naep-frameworks/frameworksoverview.html. 

All responses will be taken into 

consideration before finalizing the 

recommendations for updating the 

NAEP Science Assessment Framework. 

Once finalized, recommendations will 

be used to guide a framework update 

process, if an update is needed for the 

2028 NAEP Science Assessment. 

Comments shall be submitted via 

email to nagb@ed.gov with the email 

subject header NAEP Science 

Framework no later than 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time on Thursday, September 

30. It is anticipated that public 

comments will be shared and discussed 

publicly in upcoming Governing Board 

meetings and materials. When providing 

comment, please indicate if you are not 

comfortable with your name and 

affiliation being included with the 

comments that will be shared publicly 

by the Governing Board in its 

deliberations. 

Additional information (including the 

materials referenced below) can be 

found on the project website at https:// 

www.nagb.gov/naep-frameworks/ 

science/science-frameworkfeedback.html. 

Existing Science Framework for the 

NAEP 

The existing framework (adopted in 

2005) can be downloaded from the 

Governing Board website at https://

www.nagb.gov/naep-frameworks/ 

science.html. 

Governing Board’s Periodic Review and 

Updating of NAEP Frameworks 

Governing Board policy articulates 

the Board’s commitment to a 

comprehensive, inclusive, and 

deliberative process to determine and 

update the content and format of all 

NAEP assessments. For each NAEP 

assessment, this process results in a 

NAEP framework, outlining what is to 

be measured and how it will be 

measured. Periodically, the Governing 

Board reviews existing NAEP 

frameworks to determine if changes are 

warranted. Each NAEP framework 

development and update process 

considers a wide set of factors, 

including but not limited to reviews of 

recent research on teaching and 

learning, changes in state and local 

standards and assessments, and the 

latest perspectives on the nation’s future 

needs and desirable levels of 

achievement. 

In 2021, the Board is initiating a 

preliminary review of the NAEP Science 

Framework. The Governing Board’s 

NAEP Science Framework review will 

use general public comment collected 

through this notice as well as expert 

commentary to determine whether a 

framework update is required and the 

type of updates that may be needed. 

Learn more about framework update 

processes at https://www.nagb.gov/ 

content/dam/nagb/en/documents/naep/ 

NAEP-Frameworks-FAQ_FINAL.pdf. 

Electronic Access to this Document: 

The official version of this document is 

the document published in the Federal 

Register. 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 Adobe website. 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. 

Authority: Pub. L. 107–279, Title III— 

National Assessment of Educational 

Progress § 301. 

Lesley Muldoon, 

Executive Director, National Assessment 

Governing Board (NAGB), U. S. Department 

of Education. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17676 Filed 8–17–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: National Mail Voter 

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AGENCY: U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice of emergency 

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort 

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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 157 / Wednesday, August 18, 2021 / Notices 46233 

States covered by the NVRA process the 

information from the form to register an 

applicant to vote. Neither EAC nor any 

other Federal agency processes or 

collects any information from the 

Federal form that a registration 

applicant submits to a state. Rather, 

EAC prescribes the Federal form, and 

states collect and record the information 

applicants submit. The Federal form is 

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and Application Instructions), and 

State-specific instructions that identify 

each state’s particular requirements. A 

copy of the current form in English and 

14 additional translated languages is 

available on EAC’s website, at https://

www.eac.gov/voters/national-mailvoter-registration-form. 

Nichelle Williams, 

Director of Research, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17733 Filed 8–17–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–KF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Assessing the National and 

International Standing of BER Basic 

Research 

AGENCY: Office of Science, Biological 

and Environmental Research Program, 

Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Request for information. 

SUMMARY: The Biological and 

Environmental Research (BER) Program, 

as DOE’s coordinating office for research 

on biological systems, bioenergy, 

environmental science, and Earth 

system science, is seeking input on 

technical and logistical pathways that 

would enhance the BER research 

portfolio in comparison to similar 

international research efforts. 

DATES: Written comments and 

information are requested on or before 

October 31, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons may 

submit comments by email only. 

Comments must be sent to BERACRFI@

science.doe.gov with the subject line 

‘‘BER research benchmarking’’. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Tristram O. West, (301) 903–5155, 

Tristram.west@science.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A charge 

was issued from the Director of Office 

of Science on October 8, 2020, to the 

BER Advisory Committee (BERAC) to 

assess BER’s standing in relation to 

related research efforts nationally and 

internationally, and to consider 

strategies that would increase BER’s 

ability to conduct world-class science in 

core BER research areas. The Director’s 

charge letter may be found here: https:// 

science.osti.gov/ber/berac/Reports/ 

Current-BERAC-Charges. 

The information collected through 

this request, in addition to other 

informational sources, may be used by 

BERAC to develop strategies to further 

strengthen BER’s research capabilities. 

The conclusions drawn from BERAC’s 

effort are expected to serve as a 

benchmark for BER’s standing in core 

research areas and provide strategies for 

improvement where appropriate. 

Request for Information 

The objective of this request for 

information is to gather information on 

BER’s standing in relation to related 

research efforts occurring nationally and 

internationally, and how BER might 

increase its stature in conducting worldclass basic science currently supported 

by BER (https://science.osti.gov/ber/ 

Research). Supported research includes 

Atmospheric Science; Earth and 

Environmental System Modeling; 

Environmental Science; Bioenergy and 

Bioproducts; Plant and Microbial 

Genomics; Data Analytics and 

Management; and Scientific Userfocused Infrastructure (i.e., DOE User 

Facilities, Computational 

Knowledgebase Platforms, Community 

Observational and Analytical 

Resources). Information is specifically 

requested on the status of current 

capabilities, partnerships, funding 

mechanisms, and workforce 

development specific to one or more of 

the aforementioned research areas. 

Answers or information related, but not 

limited, to the following questions are 

specifically requested: 

• Within the BER-supported topical 

research areas and facility capabilities, 

in which areas and capabilities, 

presently or in the foreseeable future, 

does BER lead in the international 

community, and in which areas does 

leadership require strengthening? In 

identifying these areas, please consider 

their critical mission relevance, recent 

history, the status quo, observable 

trends, and evidence-based projections. 

• Are there key international 

partnerships that could strengthen BER 

science output and increase global 

visibility of BER? 

• Is there a preferred optimization for 

organizing research, collaboration, and 

funding mechanisms among labs, 

universities, and other federal agencies 

to preserve and foster U.S. leadership 

with resource constraints? Are there 

other key efficiencies and balances that 

should be considered and modified to 

improve U.S. leadership in BER 

research areas? 

• How can BER programs and 

facilities be structured and managed to 

create incentives that will attract and 

retain talented people deciding whether 

to pursue a scientific career, as well as 

mid-career scientists considering 

whether to stay in the U.S.? 

• What are the key opportunities for 

BER in attracting and enhancing careers 

in BER-supported scientific fields? 

While the questions provided above 

can help guide thinking on this topic, 

any input is welcome which may help 

DOE assess BER’s international standing 

in the core research areas. The 

information provided through this 

request should be presented as specific 

strategies which DOE Office of Science 

could implement and track. 

Signing Authority 

This document of the Department of 

Energy was signed on August 11, 2021, 

by Dr. J. Stephen Binkley, Acting 

Director, Office of Science, pursuant to 

delegated authority from the Secretary 

of Energy. The document with the 

original signature and date is 

maintained by DOE. For administrative 

purposes only, and in compliance with 

requirements of the Office of the Federal 

Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 

Register Liaison Officer has been 

authorized to sign and submit the 

document in electronic format for 

publication, as an official document of 

the Department of Energy. This 

administrative process in no way alters 

the legal effect of this document upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on August 12, 

2021. 

Treena V. Garrett, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. 

Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17658 Filed 8–17–21; 8:45 am] 

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

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[Project No. 3562–026] 

KEI (Maine) Power Management (III) 

LLC; Notice of Application Tendered 

for Filing With the Commission and 

Soliciting Additional Study Requests 

and Establishing Procedural Schedule 

for Relicensing and a Deadline for 

Submission of Final Amendments 

Take notice that the following 

hydroelectric application has been filed 

with the Commission and is available 

for public inspection. 


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