OMb Cover Memo

United States Department of Education

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

The Assistant Secretary

MEMORANDUM

DATE: April 9, 2010

TO: Bridget Dooling

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH: Katrina Ingalls

Regulatory Information Management Services

U.S. Department of Education

FROM: Alex Goniprow

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education

SUBJECT: Title II, Part D (Ed Tech) Request for New Information Collection

This submission requests approval for a new information collection that would require States to submit an annual program report on the evaluation of activities funded under Title II, Part D Subpart 1, Enhancing Education Through Technology (Ed Tech), of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) and the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

This request is for an annual written report due on September 30 of each year beginning on September 30, 2010. A three-year approval is requested for States to report on Ed Tech-funded activities each year until the expiration of fiscal year (FY) 2010 funds. ¹

Background

Sections 2402(a)(7) and 2413(b)(4) of ESEA require States and local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive Ed Tech grant funds to conduct rigorous evaluations of the effectiveness of Ed Tech formula and competitive grant-funded projects, activities and strategies in integrating technology into curricula and instruction and improving student achievement. The purpose of the requested reporting requirement is to identify from the results of those evaluations innovative projects, activities and strategies that effectively infuse technology with curriculum and instruction, show evidence of positive impacts for student learning, and can be widely replicated by State educational agencies and local educational agencies in the State and in other States.

The State Evaluation Report will cover Ed Tech activities² funded with FY 2009 regular allocations and FY 2009 allocations awarded under the ARRA. The report will cover evaluation of Ed Tech-funded activities that were initiated during school year (SY) 2009-2010 using FY 2009 funds and activities that were continued from prior awards using FY 2009 funding. ³ In general, the evaluation report will:

• Detail the activities being evaluated,

• Explain the process and measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of the funded activities,

• Present findings and conclusions supported by evidence about the effectiveness of the activities, and

• Propose concrete and usable recommendations for disseminating, replicating and scaling of effective projects, activities and practices, as appropriate, based on the evidence and lessons learned.

The Department will disseminate State-reported evaluation results highlighting technology-infused practice that shows positive outcomes for students.

Review Process

The attached information collection was published in the Federal Register Notice October 7, 2009 page 51571 for a 60-day comment period. The Department received a total of ten (10) discrete comments from two sources. Those comments are addressed in the attached summary of comments and incorporated, where appropriate, into the revised collection instrument. After reviewing the comments and extensive consultation with States as a part of ongoing monitoring and technical assistance, the Department has revised this information collection to require each State to submit only one report instead of the previously proposed two reports. This change will reduce the overall burden to states from what was originally proposed while still providing to the Department essential information on each State’s evaluation processes and measures.

Contact Information

Thank you for your consideration of this request. If you have questions, please contact Enid Marshall of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s School Support and Technology Programs office at 202-708-9499 or at enid.marshall@ed.gov.

1 Includes the 15-month extension of the period of funds availability under the Tydings Amendment.

2 The term “activities” refers to the projects, programs, activities, services, strategies, hardware, software, etc. for which LEAs received Ed Tech formula and competitive grant funds. States need only report on those funded activities that are of a sufficient size and scope to evaluate their effectiveness consistent with the purposes of this part.

3 Subsequent reports will include the evaluation of activities funded with FY 2010 funds.

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