Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Department of Education.

SUMMARY:

The Acting Leader, Regulatory 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 August 25, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Carolyn Lovett, Desk Officer, Department of Education, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10235, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395-6974.

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 Acting Leader, Regulatory 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 Special Education and Rehabilitative Services

Type of Review: Revision.

Title: Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Annual Performance Report.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal Gov't, SEAs or LEAs; Federal Government.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

 Responses: 56.

 Burden Hours: 1,710.

Abstract: States are required to submit a performance report to the Secretary under Section 80.40 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations. The State Interagency Coordinating Committee is required under Section 641of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to submit an annual report to the Secretary and the State's Governor on the status of the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. This collection serves both of these functions. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is implementing an integrated, four-part accountability strategy: (1) Verifying the effectiveness and accuracy of States' monitoring, assessment, and data collection systems; (2) attending to States at high risk for compliance, financial, and/or management failure; (3) supporting States in assessing their performance and compliance, and in planning, implementing, and evaluating improvement strategies; and (4) focusing OSEPs' intervention on States with low ranking performance on critical performance indicators. Component 3 of OSEPs' accountability strategy is implemented through this Annual Performance Report. Reporting requirements for States' Self-Assessments, Improvement Plans, and Annual Performance Reports are being combined in this Part C Annual Performance Report.

Requests for copies of the submission for OMB review; comment request may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov,, by selecting the “Browse Pending Collections” link and by clicking on link number 2574. When you access the information collection, click on “Download Attachments” to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Potomac Center, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20202-4700. Requests may also be electronically mailed to the Internet address OCIO_RIMG@ed.gov or faxed to 202-245-6621. Please specify the complete title of the information collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be directed to Sheila Carey at her e-mail address Sheila.Carey@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.