2020/22 Beginning
Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/22) Field Test
Reinstatement with change of a previously approved collection
No
Regular
12/01/2020
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
7,568
0
1,226
0
0
0
The 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary
Students Field Test (BPS:20/22) is conducted by the National Center
for Education Statistics, part of the Institute of Education
Sciences, within the Department of Education, and is part of the
Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study data collection
program at https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/bps/. The Sample Collection
will begin 03/01/21 and end 06/30/21. BPS is designed to follow a
cohort of students who enroll in postsecondary education for the
first time during the same academic year, irrespective of the date
of high school completion. The study collects data on students'
persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs;
their transition to employment; demographic characteristics; and
changes over time in their goals, marital status, income, and debt,
among other indicators. Data from BPS are used to help researchers
and policymakers better understand how financial aid influences
persistence and completion, what percentages of students complete
various degree programs, what are the early employment and wage
outcomes for certificate and degree attainers, and why students
leave school. BPS:20/22 will be a nationally-representative sample
of approximately 37,000 students who were first-time beginning
students during the 2019-20 academic year. The BPS:20/22 field test
will include approximately 3,700 students who first began in the
2018-19 academic year. These students will be asked to complete a
survey and administrative data will also be collected for them.
Administrative data matching will be conducted with sources
including the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), containing
federal loan and grant files; the Central Processing System (CPS),
which houses and processes data contained in the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms; the National Student
Clearinghouse (NSC) which provides enrollment and degree
verification; vendors of national undergraduate, graduate, and
professional student admission tests; and possible other
administrative data sources such as the Veterans Benefits
Administration (VBA). These data will be obtained through file
matching/downloading. This submission covers BPS:20/22 field test
materials and procedures required for conducting the student survey
and for matching data to administrative records. Following the
field test study in 2021, NCES will provide the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) with a memorandum summarizing any
changes planned for the full-scale data collection, and a revised
OMB package. The materials that will be used in the BPS:20/22
full-scale study will be based upon the field test materials
included in this submission. Additionally, this submission is
designed to adequately justify the need for and overall practical
utility of the full study, presenting the overarching plan for all
of the phases of the data collection and providing as much detail
about the measures to be used as is available at the time of this
submission. As part of this submission, NCES is publishing a notice
in the Federal Register allowing first a 60- and then a 30-day
public comment period. Field test materials, procedures, and
results will inform the full-scale study. After completion of the
field test, NCES will publish a notice in the Federal Register
allowing additional 30-day public comment period on the final
details of the BPS:20/22 full-scale study.
US Code:
20
USC 9573 Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
The total estimated burden
requested in this package is 1,226 hours. This is a reinstatement
with change of a previously existing information collection. This
results in a program change increase of 1,226 hours and 7,568
responses.
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:
(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;
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.