Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; High School Equivalency Program (HEP) Annual Performance Report

AGENCY:

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before September 20, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for proposed information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this information collection request by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox. Comments may also be sent to ICDocketmgr@ed.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Christopher Hill, 202-453-6061.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department of Education (ED), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. 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. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

Title of Collection: High School Equivalency Program (HEP) Annual Performance Report.

OMB Control Number: 1810-0684.

Type of Review: An extension without change of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 51.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,173.

Abstract: This is a request for an extension without change for the 1810-0684 High School Equivalency Program (HEP) Annual Performance Report collection. The Office of Migrant Education (OME) is collecting information for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) which is authorized under Title IV, Section 418A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Section 408 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)(20 U.S.C. 1070d-2) (special programs for students whose families are engaged in migrant and seasonal farmwork) and 2 CFR 200.328 which requires that recipients of discretionary grants submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) to best inform improvements in program outcomes and productivity.

Although the Education Department continues to use the generic 524B, OME is requesting to continue the use of a customized APR that goes beyond the generic 524B APR to facilitate the collection of more standardized and comprehensive data to inform Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) indicators, to improve the overall quality of data collected, and to increase the quality of data that can be used to inform policy decisions.