Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Search:
Agenda
Reg Review
ICR
This script is used to control the display of information in this page.
Display additional information by clicking on the following:
All
Brief and OIRA conclusion
Abstract/Justification
Legal Statutes
Rulemaking
FR Notices/Comments
IC List
Burden
Misc.
Common Form Info.
Certification
View Information Collection (IC) List
View Supporting Statement and Other Documents
Please note that the OMB number and expiration date may not have been determined when this Information Collection Request and associated Information Collection forms were submitted to OMB. The approved OMB number and expiration date may be found by clicking on the Notice of Action link below.
View ICR - OIRA Conclusion
OMB Control No:
1850-0870
ICR Reference No:
202103-1850-003
Status:
Historical Active
Previous ICR Reference No:
202007-1850-009
Agency/Subagency:
ED/IES
Agency Tracking No:
Title:
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Cycle II 2022 Operational Field Test
Type of Information Collection:
Revision of a currently approved collection
Common Form ICR:
No
Type of Review Request:
Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action:
Approved with change
Conclusion Date:
05/19/2021
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)
Date Received in OIRA:
03/17/2021
Terms of Clearance:
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
Expiration Date
05/31/2024
36 Months From Approved
12/31/2022
Responses
1,250
0
5,611
Time Burden (Hours)
293
0
1,258
Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
Abstract:
The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills and life experiences focusing on education and employment. PIAAC is an international study designed to assess adults in different countries over a broad range of abilities, from simple reading to complex problem-solving skills, and to collect information on individuals’ skill use and background. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and developed by participating countries with the support of the OECD. In the United States, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) conducts PIAAC. The U.S. participated in the PIAAC Main Study data collection in 2012 and conducted national supplement data collections in 2014 and 2017. All three of these collections are part of PIAAC Cycle I. A new PIAAC cycle is to be conducted every 10 years, and PIAAC Cycle II Main Study data collection will be conducted from August 2022 through March 2023. In preparation for the main study collection, PIAAC Cycle II begins with a Field Test in Spring of 2021 in which 33 countries will participate with the goal of evaluating newly developed assessment and questionnaire items and to test the operations for the PIAAC 2023 Main Study (2022-2023). PIAAC 2022 defines four core competency domains of adult cognitive skills deemed key to facilitating the social and economic participation of adults in advanced economies: (1) literacy, (2) numeracy, (3) reading and numeracy components, and (4) adaptive problem solving. The U.S. will administer all four domains of the PIAAC 2022 assessment to a nationally representative sample of adults, along with a background questionnaire with questions about their education background, work history, the skills they use on the job and at home, their civic engagement, financial literacy and sense of their health and well-being. The results are used to compare the skills capacities of the workforce-aged adults in participating countries, and to learn more about relationships between educational background, employment, and other outcomes. The request to conduct the PIAAC Cycle II Field Test in April-June 2020 was approved by OMB in December 2019 (OMB# 1850-0870 v.7-8). As described in the previously approved amendment in September 2020 (OMB# 1850-0870 v.9), the 2020 PIAAC Cycle II Field Test, scheduled to begin in April 2020, was postponed due to the 2020 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. The OECD has delayed both the Field Test and Main Study by 12 months, meaning that the Field Test was due to be carried out in respondent homes beginning in April 2021. In recognition of the continued constraints that countries face in meeting the current Field Test goals and timeline during the continuing global pandemic, the OECD has relaxed the current field test standards to allow for a smaller Operational Field Test of survey implementation. Currently, none of the 13 areas of the US in the PIAAC field test sample has low enough rates of new daily cases of COVID-19 for safe and productive field interviews. After several months of careful monitoring of new daily case rates and considering OECD guidance, NCES has elected to conduct an Operational Field Test. Therefore, this request updates the package to reflect the change to an Operational Field Test. Additionally, NCES has imposed new requirements on study nomenclature that require changes to the U.S. outreach and recruitment materials and program nomenclature in the instruments. The revisions made do include changes to respondent burden and the cost to the federal government.
Authorizing Statute(s):
US Code:
20 USC 9543
Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act
Citations for New Statutory Requirements:
None
Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:
Stage of Rulemaking:
Federal Register Citation:
Date:
Not associated with rulemaking
Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
86 FR 14615
03/17/2021
30-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
86 FR 14615
03/17/2021
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR?
No
Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR:
1
IC Title
Form No.
Form Name
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Cycle II 2022 Operational Field Test
ICR Summary of Burden
Total Approved
Previously Approved
Change Due to New Statute
Change Due to Agency Discretion
Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses
1,250
5,611
0
-4,361
0
0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)
293
1,258
0
-965
0
0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
0
0
0
Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
No
Burden Increase Due to:
Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
Yes
Burden Reduction Due to:
Miscellaneous Actions
Short Statement:
Since PIAAC is a cyclical study, the PIAAC Cycle II Field Test and Main Study data collections are building on the Cycle I content and procedures. The most significant changes or adjustments result from the timing and design changes resulting from the inability to safely conduct in-home face-to-face interviewing during the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The original 2020 approved Cycle II Field Test featured a stratified purposive subsample of 20 PSUs selected from the PIAAC Cycle I 2017 sample of 80 PSUs. The target sample yield of 1500 was required to estimate item parameters for all newly developed assessment items and to test the stability of the trend item parameters for each tested language in a participating country. Achieving the target sample yield required a three month field period, April through June. This was true for both the original 2020 Field Test and the modified 2021 Field Test. This field period allowed for data processing and tabulation in time for inclusion in the International Consortium required deadline of August 15th. The current Operational Field Test, reduced in both scope and number of respondents, in consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will run June through early-August 2021. The current Operational Field Test approach tests survey implementation as well as tests the functionalities of the tablet device and the ease of use of the device and interface for adults with low levels of familiarity with tablet devices. As presented in more detail within Part B, a convenience sample of volunteers in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area will be recruited to achieve a total of 250 completed cases. Volunteers will be screened on relevant demographic characteristics: age, gender, level of education, English language proficiency and computer/tablet familiarity. Recruitment quotas will be set within each of these characteristics’ categories. Additional changes to the program from PIAAC Cycle I to PIAAC Cycle II, beyond the changes in the Field Test, include the use of a tablet computer to administer the study instruments, modules added to the background questionnaire, and the elimination of paper booklets during the Field Test (to be included in the Main Study).
Annual Cost to Federal Government:
$2,648,499
Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods?
Yes
Part B of Supporting Statement
Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see
OMB Circular No. A-130
for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.
No
Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see
5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3)
)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.
No
Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]?
No
Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]?
No
Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)?
No
Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response?
No
Agency Contact:
Carrie Clarady 202 245-6347
Common Form ICR:
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;
(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;
(c) It reduces burden on small entities;
(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;
(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;
(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;
(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.
(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and
(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Certification Date:
03/17/2021
An official website of the United States government
The .gov means it's official.
The site is secure.
