4184-88-P
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Proposed Information Collection Activity; Pre-testing
Administration for Children and Families Data Collection
Activities (Office of Management and Budget #:
AGENCY:

0970-0355)

Administration for Children and Families,

Department of Health and Human Services.
ACTION:

Request for public comments.

SUMMARY:

The Administration for Children and Families

(ACF) proposes revisions to the existing overarching
generic clearance for Pre-testing of ACF Data Collection
Activities (Previously titled Pre-testing of Evaluation
Data Collection Activities; Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) #0970-0355).

Revisions are proposed to broaden the

scope of the generic to include pretesting of data elements
used on information collections that are not specifically
for research and evaluation.

This includes updates to the

title of the request, overarching description, and burden
estimates.

We are also requesting an extension for

currently approved information collections under this
generic.
DATES:

Comments due [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF

PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

In compliance with

the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

ACF is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of
the information collection described above.
ADDRESSES:

You can obtain copies of the proposed

collection of information and submit comments by emailing
OPREinfocollection@acf.hhs.gov.

Identify all requests by

the title of the information collection.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description:

ACF intends to request approval from OMB for

an extension with revisions for a generic clearance to pretest data collections with more than nine participants to
identify and resolve any questions or problems that may
arise, and to assess potential data quality, prior to fullscale administration.
This generic is available for use by ACF program offices
but is most often used by the ACF Office of Planning,
Research, and Evaluation (OPRE).

OPRE studies ACF programs

and the populations they serve, through rigorous research
and evaluation projects.

These include evaluations of

existing programs, evaluations of innovative approaches to
helping low-income children and families, research
syntheses, and descriptive and exploratory studies.

ACF program offices could benefit from use of this
pretesting generic for similar purposes outlined above, as
well as to inform the development of data collection
activities such as grant recipient forms, forms used by

programs on ACF’s behalf, and other data collection efforts
driven by ACF.

This could be used to inform a variety of

data collection efforts in ACF to allow for consistent data
requests across program offices that are high quality and
appropriate to respondents who represent ACF program
populations.

For example, ACF envisions using this

mechanism to pre-test sexual orientation and gender
identity questions with youth.

This is an area with

minimal research and would benefit ACF program offices that
serve youth.

Program offices are also considering use of

this generic for efforts to support language access for
data collections, which a priority as detailed in Executive
Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with
Limited English Proficiency."
To improve the development of its data collection
activities, ACF will use the pre-testing generic clearance
to employ a variety of techniques including cognitive and
usability laboratory and field techniques, behavior coding,
exploratory interviews, respondent debriefing
questionnaires, split sample experiments, focus groups, and
pilot studies/pre-tests.

These activities allow ACF to

identify if and when a data collection may be simplified
for respondents, respondent burden may be reduced, data
elements could be improved, and other possible
improvements.

Following standard OMB requirements, ACF will submit
directly to OMB, a request specific to each individual
proposed data collection activity under this generic
clearance.

Each request will include the individual

instrument(s), a justification specific to the individual
information collection, and any supplementary documents.
ACF requests OMB review within 10 days of receiving an
individual request.
Results of these methodological studies may be made public
through methodological appendices or footnotes, reports on
instrument development, instrument user guides,
descriptions of respondent behavior, and other publications
or presentations describing findings of methodological
interest.

The results of these pre-testing activities may

be prepared for presentation at professional meetings or
publication in professional journals.

When necessary,

results will be labeled as exploratory in nature and any
limitations will be described.
Respondents:

Participants in ACF programs being evaluated;

participants in ACF demonstrations; recipients of ACF
grants and individuals served by ACF grant recipients;
comparison group members; and other relevant populations,
such as individuals at risk of needing ACF services.
Annual Burden Estimates
Burden estimates have been updated to reflect the broadened
scope from primarily used by OPRE for research and

evaluation to include ACF program office pretesting of data
elements used on information collections that are not
specifically for research and evaluation.

Estimates have

been informed by program office input and are consistent
with estimates for other ACF-wide umbrella generics (for
example, OMB #s 0970-0531 and 0970-0630).

Instrument or Activity
Type

Interviews/Focus
Groups/Cognitive
Testing/Debriefings
Questionnaires/Surveys
Iterative Testing
Usability Tests
Totals

No. of
Respondents
(total over
request
period)

No. of
Responses
per
Respondent
(total
over
request
period)

Avg.
Burden per
Response
(in hours)

Total
Burden
(in
hours)

10,000

1.5

1.5

22,500

6,500
1,500
5,000
23,000

1.5
5
.5
.75
.25

4,875
5,625
6,250
39,250

This request will also include a request to extend approval
for the following currently approved information
collections.

For more information, see

https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAICList?ref_nbr=2024030970-019

Title of Approved Collection

Measuring Self- and Co-Regulation
in Sexual Risk Avoidance
Education Programs Phase 1
Supporting and Strengthening the
Home Visiting Workforce (SAS-HV):
Testing and Validation of a Draft
Measure of Reflective Supervision
for Home Visiting
Totals

No. of
Respondents
(total over
request period)

Total Burden
(in hours)

153

809.6

1,235

962.6

Comments:

The Department specifically requests comments on

(a) whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Consideration will be given to comments and suggestions
submitted within 60 days of this publication.
Authority:

Social Security Act, Sec. 1110 [42 U.S.C.

1310].
Mary C. Jones,
ACF/OPRE Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-13450 Filed: 6/18/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/20/2024]