Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

SUMMARY:

The Leader, Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer invites comments on the submission for OMB review as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 22, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Danny Werfel, Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, N.W., Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503 or should be electronically mailed to the internet address DWERFEL@OMB.EOP.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Section 3506 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 Leader, Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Information Officer, publishes that 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.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Title: Reference and Reporting Guide for Preparing State and Institutional Report on Teacher Quality and Preparation (JS).

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 1.

 Burden Hours: 123305.

Abstract: The Higher Education Act of 1998 calls for annual reports from states and institutions of higher education on the quality of teacher education and related matters (P.L. 105-244, Section 207; 20 USC 1027). The purpose of the reports is to provide greater accountability in the preparation of America's teaching force and to provide information and incentives for its improvement. Most institutions of higher education that have teacher preparation programs must report annually to their states on the performance of their program completers on teacher certification tests. States, in turn, must report test performance information, institution by institution, to the Secretary of Education, along with institutional rankings. They must also report on their requirements for licensing teachers, state standards, alternative routes to certification, waivers, and related items. A planning report from the states to the Secretary of Education is due by October 7, 2000. Annual reports from institutions are due to the states, beginning April 7, 2000; reports from the states are due annually to the Secretary, beginning October 7, 2001; the Secretary's report is due annually to Congress, beginning April 7, 2002.

Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, or should be addressed to Vivian Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 5624, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, D.C. 20202-4651. Requests may also be electronically mailed to the internet address OCIO_IMG_Issues@ed.gov or faxed to 202-708-9346.

Questions regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be directed to Schubart at (202) 708-9266. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.