[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 179 (Monday, September 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53207-53208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-21418]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

[Docket ID: DoD-2008-OS-0111]


Office of the Secretary; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and 
Readiness), DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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    In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel 
and Readiness) announces the following proposed public information 
collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments 
are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden of the proposed information 
collection; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the information collection on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by November 
14, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 1160 
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1160.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The 
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the 
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without 
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and 
associated collection instruments, please write to the Department of 
Defense Education Activity, ATTN: Dr. Sandra D. Embler, 4040 North 
Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1635, or call at (703) 588-3175.
    Title and OMB Control Number: Department of Defense Education 
Activity (DoDEA) School Accreditation Parent and Student Surveys; OMB 
Control Number 0704-TBD.
    Needs and Uses: The Department of Defense Education Activity 
(DoDEA) regulation 2010.1 (Accreditation Program) requires 
accreditation of all DoDEA schools in order to provide the activity, 
the military community served by the activity, and the public at large 
with an external review of the quality of the educational program 
provided to DoDEA students. DoDEA's accreditation process is based on 
the processes and standards of the North Central Association Commission 
on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)/AdvancED. As part of 
the accreditation process, the interview team uses a worldwide 
standardized set of questions to gather data from students and parents 
to assess accreditation standards in the following areas: Vision and 
Purpose, Governance and Leadership, Teaching and Learning, Documenting 
and Using Results, Resources and Support Systems, Stakeholder 
Communications and Relationships, and Commitment to Continuous 
Improvement.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.

[[Page 53208]]

    Annual Burden Hours: 24.
    Number of Respondents: 32.
    Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 45 minutes.
    Frequency: Annually.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary of Information Collection

    NCA CASI/AdvancED is the largest accreditation organization in the 
United States, covering 30 states and 65 countries. As part of the 
accreditation process, NCA CASI/AdvancED conducts Quality Assurance 
Review (QAR) visits to DoDEA schools in February and April of each year 
on a rotating schedule that ensures that each school is evaluated 
within a 5-year cycle. The visits are two days in length in order to 
gather data, information, and evidence to accomplish the following:
    <bullet> Evaluate adherence to the AdvancED standards;
    <bullet> Provide high quality feedback in the form of commendations 
and recommendations; and
    <bullet> Determine an accreditation status recommendation.
    The Quality Assurance Review team's interview process includes 
students and parents/guardians. The purpose of the interview session is 
to help the Quality Assurance Review team gain a deeper understanding 
of the school improvement process at the school. The review team uses 
the information to review how well each school is progressing, provide 
commendations on areas in which each school is excelling, and 
recommendations that will help each school continuously improve. The 
review team also uses the information gathered to make an accreditation 
status recommendation at the end of the visit.

    Dated: September 5, 2008.
Patricia L. Toppings,
OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. E8-21418 Filed 9-12-08; 8:45 am]
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