63690 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 1995 / Notices

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires

that the Department of Education (ED)

provide interested Federal agencies and

the public an early opportunity to

comment on information collection

requests. The Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) may amend or waive the

requirement for public consultation to

the extent that public participation in

the approval process would defeat the

purpose of the information collection,

violate State or Federal law, or

substantially interfere with any agency’s

ability to perform its statutory

obligations. The Director of the

Information Resources Group, publishes

this notice containing proposed

information collection requests at the

beginning of the Departmental review of

the information collection. Each

proposed information collection,

grouped by office, contains the

following: (1) Type of review requested,

e.g., new, revision, extension, existing

or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary

of the collection; (4) Description of the

need for, the proposed use of, the

information; (5) Respondents and

frequency of collection; and (6)

Reporting and/or Recordkeeping

burden. ED invites public comment at

the address specified above. Copies of

the requests are available from Patrick J.

Sherrill at the address specified above.

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.

Dated: December 7, 1995.

Gloria Parker,

Director, Information Resources Group.

Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services

Type of Review: Revision.

Title: Title I State Plan for State

Vocational Rehabilitation Service

Program and the Title VI.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households; Not-for-profit

institutions; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Reporting Burden and Recordkeeping:

Responses: 82.

Burden Hours: 1,658,139.

Abstract: The Rehabilitation Act of

1973, as amended, and its proposed

implementing regulations, require

each of the 82 State vocational

rehabilitation agencies to submit a

State plan for vocational

rehabilitation services and a

supplement for supported

employment services. Program

funding is contingent upon the

department’s approval of these state

plans.

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement

Type of Review: Revision.

Title: 1996 National Postsecondary

Student Aid Study.

Frequency: On Occasion.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households; Business or other forprofit; Not for Profit institutions.

Reporting Burden and Recordkeeping:

Responses: 1

Burden Hours: 36,191.

Abstract: This study collects data from

a sample of students in postsecondary

institutions, including institutional

financial aid data on sample students,

and a sample of students’ parents. It

collects data to determine how

students and their families finance

postsecondary education, and to

describe characteristics of enrolled

postsecondary students, addressing

important issues in this area. This

collection is for institutional student,

and parent data.

[FR Doc. 95–30164 Filed 12–11–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–M

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information

collection request.

SUMMARY: The Director, Information

Resources Group, invites comments on

the proposed information collection

requests as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before January

11, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Wendy Taylor, Desk Officer,

Department of Education, Office of

Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Room 10235, New

Executive Office Building, Washington,

DC 20503. Request for copies of the

proposed information collection

requests should be addressed to Patrick

J. Sherrill, Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, SW., Room

5624, Regional Office Building 3,

Washington, DC 20202–4651.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708–8196.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires

that the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) provide interested

Federal agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Director of the

Information Resources Group publishes

this notice containing proposed

information collection requests prior to

submission of these requests to OMB.

Each proposed information collection,

grouped by office, contains the

following: (1) Type of review requested,

e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or

reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of

the collection; (4) Description of the

need for, and proposed use of, the

information; (5) Respondents and

frequency of collection; and (6)

Reporting and/or Recordkeeping

burden. OMB invites public comment at

the address specified above. Copies of

the requests are available from Patrick J.

Sherrill at the address specified above.

Dated: December 6, 1995.

Gloria Parker,

Director, Information Resources Group.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Reporting and Recordkeeping

Requirement for Douglas School &

Stafford/Plus Loans.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Individual or

households; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:

Responses: 4308

Burden Hours: 1077.
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 238 / Tuesday, December 12, 1995 / Notices 63691

Abstract: Collection of state proposals

for Targeted Teacher Deferment/

Teacher Shortage Areas, of the Higher

Education Act of 1965, as amended by

the Higher Education Amendments of

1986.

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement

Type of Review: New.

Title: Development of Measures of

Elementary School Organization and

Educational Processes: School Survey.

Frequency: One Time.

Affected Public: Not for Profit

institutions.

Reporting Burden:

Responses: 300

Burden Hours: 75.

Recordkeeping Burden:

Recordkeepers: 0

Burden Hours: 0

Abstract: This Study is the full-scale

pilot test of the proposed data

collection procedures and instrument

for an effort to develop better

measures of elementary school

characteristics and processes that will

be comparable with those of other

countries. The survey was developed

by the Indicators of Educational

Systems Project in cooperation with

the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development

(OECD) with support of the National

Center for Education Statistics. Data

will be collected on such topics as the

stability of the school’s staff, aspects

of school leadership, cooperation

among teachers, student evaluation

practices, achievement orientation,

and parent involvement.

[FR Doc. 95–30165 Filed 12–11–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–M

Fund for the Improvement of

Education Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed priorities.

SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes to

establish absolute priorities to fund

projects that develop, evaluate and

field-test State assessments aligned with

challenging State content standards. The

Secretary may use these priorities in FY

1996 and subsequent years. The

Secretary proposes to provide Federal

financial assistance to assist States in

the development of assessments that can

be used to improve classroom

instruction, motivate all students to

improve educational performance, and

provide examples for students, teachers

and parents of the learning outcomes

that can be expected for all students.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before January 11, 1996.

ADDRESSES: All comments concerning

these proposed priorities should be

addressed to Dr. David Sweet, U.S.

Department of Education, Office of

Educational Research and Improvement,

555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Room

508H, Washington, D.C. 20208–5573.

Comments can be faxed to David Sweet

at (202) 219–2135. Comments may also

be sent through the Internet to David—

Sweet@ed.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David Sweet, telephone: (202) 219–

2079. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fund

for the Improvement of Education (FIE)

supports nationally significant projects

to improve the quality of education,

assist all students to meet challenging

State content and student performance

standards and contribute to the

achievement of the National Education

Goals. The FIE program is authorized

under Part A of Title X of the

Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965, as amended by the

Improving America’s Schools Act of

1994 (20 U.S.C. 8001).

The Secretary is expressly authorized

to use FIE program funds to support

systemic education reform at the State

and local levels through activities such

as the development and evaluation of

model strategies for assessment of

student learning. The Secretary believes

that the alignment of State content

standards and State assessments is an

important part of systemic educational

reform. Exemplifying the forms and

levels of educational performance that

students in a State should be able to

achieve is a critical step in the process

of ensuring that students are reaching

the State’s challenging content

standards. While many States are

developing new content standards for

the core academic subjects, some States

are using assessments that are not

aligned to their new content standards.

The Secretary believes that helping to

defray the cost of developing

assessments aligned with challenging

State content standards will advance

State reform efforts.

State educational agencies (SEAs),

local educational agencies (LEAs),

institutions of higher education, and

other public and private agencies,

organizations, and institutions are

eligible to receive funds under these

priorities. However, the Secretary

believes that SEAs and LEAs have the

resources, knowledge, and authority

necessary to lead systemic reform

efforts. Therefore, SEAs and LEAs must

participate as lead agents in the

development of State assessments to

ensure that the assessment systems are

aligned with State content standards

and the content of the curriculum. If

reform is to be systemic, State agencies

that are working on content and

curriculum must either direct the

development of assessments themselves

or provide direction to LEAs to do so.

It is imperative that State assessments

take into account the needs of all

students. Therefore, funds awarded

under the proposed priority may be

used to develop, modify, field-test and

evaluate assessments that take into

account the needs of students with

disabilities or students who have

limited English proficiency.

Awards under these proposed

priorities may be jointly funded under

three statutory authorities:

(1) The Fund for the Improvement of

Education (20 U.S.C. 8001);

(2) Section 618(c) of the Individuals

with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

regarding Evaluation and Program

Information (20 U.S.C. 1418(c));

(3) Bilingual Education Research,

Evaluation, and Dissemination Program,

authorized by Title VII, Part A, Subpart

2 of the Improving America’s Schools

Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 7451–7452).

The Secretary has determined that the

availability of this joint funding option

would enhance the Department’s ability

to support projects that integrate into a

single effort the development of

assessments for all students and the

modification of those assessments to

take into account the needs of disabled

and limited English proficient students.

Funds provided under Section 618 of

IDEA can only be used for projects that

modify, field-test, and evaluate

assessments that take into account the

needs of children and youth with

disabilities. A project funded under

Section 618 of IDEA should address

how the assessments will improve the

ability of SEAs and LEAs to provide full

educational opportunities to children

and youth with disabilities and to better

assess the progress of children and

youth with disabilities while in special

education. As part of the post-award

requirements for a project funded under

Section 618 of IDEA, a grantee must

prepare its procedures, findings, and

other relevant information in a form that

will maximize their dissemination and

use, especially through dissemination

networks and mechanisms authorized

by Section 618, and in a form for

inclusion in the annual report to