Dec 14 -- The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of Education, invites comments to OMB by January 13, 2023 regarding the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS 2023) Main Study Questionnaire Revision.
The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) is a computer-based international assessment of eighth-grade students' computer and information literacy (CIL) skills. ICILS was first administered internationally in 2013 in 21 education systems and again in 2018, when the United States participated for the first time. Our participation in this study has provided data on students' skills and experience using technology to investigate, create, and communicate, and provided a comparison of U.S. student performance and technology access and use with those of the international peers.
The next administration of ICILS will be in 2023. The 2023 study will allow the U.S. to begin monitoring the progress of its students compared to that of other nations and to provide data on factors that may influence student computer and information literacy skills. The data collected through ICILS will provide valuable information with which to understand the nature and extent of the “digital divide” and has the potential to inform understanding of the relationship between technology skills and experience and student performance in other core subject areas.
ICILS is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an international collective of research organizations and government agencies that create the assessment framework, assessment, and background questionnaires. The IEA decides and agrees upon a common set of standards and procedures for collecting and reporting ICILS data, and defines the study timeline, all of which must be followed by all participating countries. As a result, ICILS is able to provide a reliable and comparable measure of student skills in participating countries.
In the U.S., the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducts this study and works with the IEA and RTI International to ensure proper implementation of the study and adoption of practices in adherence to the IEA's standards. Participation in ICILS will allow NCES to meet its mandate of acquiring and disseminating data on educational activities and student achievement in the United States compared with foreign nations [The Educational Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002) 20 U.S.C. 9543].
The U.S. ICILS main study will be conducted from March through May 2023 and will involve a nationally-representative sample of at least 3,000 eighth-grade students from a minimum of 150 schools. Because ICILS is a collaborative effort among many parties, the United States must adhere to the international schedule set forth by the IEA, including the availability of final field test and main study plans as well as draft and final questionnaires.
In order to meet the international data collection schedule and to align with recruitment for other NCES studies (e.g., TIMSS), approval for the main study sampling, recruitment, and data collection activities was approved in April 2022 (OMB# 1850-0929 v9). A 30D public comment period accompanied a set of revisions to the study timeline, study portal, main study contact materials, and the addition of COVID-related items in the questionnaires; those revisions were approved in October 2022 (OMB# 1850-0929 v10). This request is for approval of (1) updated descriptions of data collection plans; (2) updated burden estimates related to main study questionnaire changes; and (3) changes to the final adapted main study questionnaires based on review by IEA.
ICILS:
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/icils/
NCES submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202212-1850-002 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-27108
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806