Office of Postsecondary Education; Solicitation of Third-Party Comments Concerning the Performance of Accrediting Agencies; Correction, 8660-8661 [2018-04192]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 40 / Wednesday, February 28, 2018 / Notices
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Navy. Respondents enter their
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inputs the information on their behalf.
Dated: February 23, 2018.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register, Liaison
Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2018–04091 Filed 2–27–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education;
Solicitation of Third-Party Comments
Concerning the Performance of
Accrediting Agencies; Correction
Office of Postsecondary
Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Call for written third-party
comments; extension of comment
period; correction.
AGENCY:
On January 24, 2018 we
published a notice in the Federal
Register soliciting comments in
connection with, inter alia, the
Department’s review of the application
of the Accrediting Council for
Independent Colleges and Schools
(ACICS) for initial recognition and the
compliance report submitted by the
American Bar Association (ABA), both
of which are currently undergoing
review for purposes of recognition by
the U.S. Secretary of Education. The
deadline for comments set forth in that
notice was February 16, 2018. On
February 22, 2018, we published a
notice in the Federal Register extending
the public comment period until March
1, 2018 for the submission of comments
relating to those two agencies. This
notice corrects our earlier statements in
those two Federal Register notices
about the scope of the public comments.
DATES: Applicable February 28, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation
Group, Office of Postsecondary
Education, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
room 270–01, Washington, DC 20202,
telephone: (202) 453–7615, or email:
herman.bounds@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf or a text telephone,
call the Federal Relay Service, toll free,
at 1–800–877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: On January 24, 2018 (83
FR 3335), we published in the Federal
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:25 Feb 27, 2018
Jkt 244001
Register a notice of a call for written
third-party comments. That notice
provided information to members of the
public on submitting written comments
with respect to accrediting agencies
currently undergoing review for
purposes of recognition by the Secretary
of Education. That notice established a
comment period beginning on January
24, 2018, and closing on February 16,
2018. On February 15, 2018, the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District
of New York entered an order the effect
of which was to require the Department
of Education to extend the comment
period relating to ACICS and ABA to
March 1, 2018. (See The Century
Foundation v. Betsy Devos, case number
18–cv–1128). Pursuant to that court
order, on February 22, 2018 (83 FR
7702), we published a notice in the
Federal Register extending the public
comment period until March 1, 2018,
and stated that the extension was ‘‘for
comments on the initial application for
recognition of ACICS and the
compliance report submitted by the
ABA.’’ Under the Higher Education Act,
the Department solicits ‘‘third-party
information concerning the performance
of the accrediting agency,’’ 20 U.S.C.
1099b(n)(1)(A), and accordingly, takes
comments with regard to ‘‘the agency’s
compliance with the criteria for
recognition.’’ 34 CFR 602.32(a)
(emphasis added). The comment
process established by 34 CFR 602.32
therefore solicits comments on the
accrediting agencies’ performance and
compliance with the criteria for
recognition, and not on any applications
or reports agencies may have submitted
to the Department. The process does not
require the commenters to have access
to the specific applications or
compliance reports submitted by the
accrediting agencies, and the
Department has not traditionally
provided those materials in advance of
the comment process.
This notice corrects certain language
related to the comment period in both
the January 24, 2018, and February 22,
2018, Federal Register notices. All other
language and requirements from the
prior notices, not amended by this
notice of correction, remain the same.
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain this document in
an accessible format (e.g., braille, large
print, audiotape, or compact disc) on
request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. Free internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register
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and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you
can view this document, as well as all
other documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or Portable Document Format
(PDF). To use PDF, you must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at this site.
You may also access documents of the
Department published in the Federal
Register by using the article search
feature at: www.federalregister.gov.
Specifically, through the advanced
search feature at this site, you can limit
your search to documents published by
the Department.
Corrections
1. In the Federal Register notice of
February 22, 2018, on page 7702 in the
second column under the heading
Summary, correct the last sentence in
the Summary to read as follows:
‘‘Pursuant to a recent court order, we
are extending the public comment
period until March 1, 2018 for the
submission of comments on the
compliance of Accrediting Council for
Independent Colleges and Schools
(ACICS) with the criteria for recognition
set forth in Subpart B of 34 CFR 602,
and for the submission of comments
about the compliance of the American
Bar Association with the criteria for
recognition cited in the Senior
Department Official’s September 22,
2016 letter 1 following the June 23, 2016
NACIQI meeting available at: https://
opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaff
reports.cfm. The review of the ABA’s
compliance is limited to 34 CFR
602.15(a)(1), 602.15(a)(2), 602.15(a)(3),
602.16(a)(1)(viii), and 602.17(b).’’
2. In the Federal Register notice of
February 22, 2018, on page 7702 in the
second column under the heading
ADDRESSES, correct the section to read as
follows:
‘‘ADDRESSES: Written comments about
ACICS’s compliance with the criteria for
recognition or the ABA’s compliance
with the criteria for recognition cited in
the Senior Department Official’s
September 22, 2016 letter must be
received by March 1, 2018, in the
ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov mailbox
and include the subject line ‘Written
Comments: (agency name).’ ’’
3. In the Federal Register notice of
January 24, 2018, on page 3336 in the
1 The January 24, 2018 (83 FR 3335), Federal
Register notice solicitation for written third-party
comments relating to the ABA incorrectly identified
the letter from the Senior Department Official as
being dated ‘‘October 28, 2016.’’ As noted herein,
the correct date is ‘‘September 22, 2016.’’
E:\FR\FM\28FEN1.SGM
28FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 40 / Wednesday, February 28, 2018 / Notices
first column, correct the first full
paragraph to read as follows:
‘‘2. American Bar Association
Compliance report includes the
following: (1) Findings identified in the
September 22, 2016 letter from the
senior Department official following the
June 23, 2016 NACIQI meeting available
at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/
finalstaffreports.cfm, (2) Review under
34 CFR 602.15(a)(1), § 602.15(a)(2),
§ 602.15(a)(3), § 602.16(a)(1)(viii), and
§ 602.17(b).’’
4. In the Federal Register notice of
January 24, 2018, on page 3336 in the
second column under the heading
Submission of Written Comments
Regarding a Specific Accrediting
Agency or State Approval Agency Under
Review, correct the fourth sentence to
read as follows:
‘‘Comments about an agency’s
recognition after review of a compliance
report must relate to issues identified in
the senior Department official’s letter
that requested the report, or in the
Secretary’s appeal decision, if any.’’
Dated: February 26, 2018.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy,
Planning, and Innovation, Office of
Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018–04192 Filed 2–26–18; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED–2017–ICCD–0158]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
Annual Report on Appeals Process
RSA–722
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS),
Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is
proposing an extension of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before March
30, 2018.
ADDRESSES: To access and review all the
documents related to the information
collection listed in this notice, please
use https://www.regulations.gov by
searching the Docket ID number ED–
2017–ICCD–0158. Comments submitted
in response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov by selecting the
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SUMMARY:
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Docket ID number or via postal mail,
commercial delivery, or hand delivery.
Please note that comments submitted by
fax or email and those submitted after
the comment period will not be
accepted. Written requests for
information or comments submitted by
postal mail or delivery should be
addressed to the Director of the
Information Collection Clearance
Division, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW, LBJ, Room
216–44, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
specific questions related to collection
activities, please contact Edward West,
202–245–6145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Department of Education (ED), in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general
public and Federal agencies with an
opportunity to comment on proposed,
revised, and continuing collections of
information. This helps the Department
assess the impact of its information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand the
Department’s information collection
requirements and provide the requested
data in the desired format. ED is
soliciting comments on the proposed
information collection request (ICR) that
is described below. The Department of
Education is especially interested in
public comment addressing the
following issues: (1) Is this collection
necessary to the proper functions of the
Department; (2) will this information be
processed and used in a timely manner;
(3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might the Department enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how
might the Department minimize the
burden of this collection on the
respondents, including through the use
of information technology. Please note
that written comments received in
response to this notice will be
considered public records.
Title of Collection: Annual Report on
Appeals Process RSA–722.
OMB Control Number: 1820–0563.
Type of Review: An extension of an
existing information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: State,
Local, and Tribal Governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 79.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 158.
Abstract: Pursuant to Subsection
102(c)(8)(A) and (B) of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended
by the Workforce Innovation and
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8661
Opportunity Act the RSA–722 is needed
to meet specific data collection
requirements on the number of requests
for mediations, hearings, administrative
reviews and other methods of dispute
resolution requested and the manner in
which they were resolved. The
information collected is used to evaluate
the types of complaints made by
applicants and eligible individuals of
the vocational rehabilitation program
and the final resolution of appeals filed.
Respondents are State agencies that
administer the Federal/State Program
for Vocational Rehabilition.
Dated: February 22, 2018.
Tomakie Washington,
Acting Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy
Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2018–04008 Filed 2–27–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Savannah
River Site
Department of Energy.
Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
This notice announces a
meeting of the Environmental
Management Site-Specific Advisory
Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act
requires that public notice of this
meeting be announced in the Federal
Register.
SUMMARY:
DATES:
Monday, March 19, 2018—1:00 p.m.–
4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018—9:00 a.m.–
5:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: North Augusta Municipal
Building, 100 Georgia Avenue, North
Augusta, SC 29841.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susan Clizbe, Office of External Affairs,
Department of Energy, Savannah River
Operations Office, P.O. Box A, Aiken,
SC 29802; Phone: (803) 952–8281.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose of the Board: The purpose of
the Board is to make recommendations
to DOE–EM and site management in the
areas of environmental restoration,
waste management, and related
activities.
Tentative Agenda
Monday, March 19, 2018
Opening, Chair Update, and Agenda
Review
Agency Updates
E:\FR\FM\28FEN1.SGM
28FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 40 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8660-8661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04192]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Postsecondary Education; Solicitation of Third-Party
Comments Concerning the Performance of Accrediting Agencies; Correction
AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
ACTION: Call for written third-party comments; extension of comment
period; correction.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On January 24, 2018 we published a notice in the Federal
Register soliciting comments in connection with, inter alia, the
Department's review of the application of the Accrediting Council for
Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) for initial recognition and
the compliance report submitted by the American Bar Association (ABA),
both of which are currently undergoing review for purposes of
recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The deadline for
comments set forth in that notice was February 16, 2018. On February
22, 2018, we published a notice in the Federal Register extending the
public comment period until March 1, 2018 for the submission of
comments relating to those two agencies. This notice corrects our
earlier statements in those two Federal Register notices about the
scope of the public comments.
DATES: Applicable February 28, 2018.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Herman Bounds, Director, Accreditation
Group, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW., room 270-01, Washington, DC 20202, telephone:
(202) 453-7615, or email: [email protected].
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background: On January 24, 2018 (83 FR
3335), we published in the Federal Register a notice of a call for
written third-party comments. That notice provided information to
members of the public on submitting written comments with respect to
accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for purposes of
recognition by the Secretary of Education. That notice established a
comment period beginning on January 24, 2018, and closing on February
16, 2018. On February 15, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York entered an order the effect of which was
to require the Department of Education to extend the comment period
relating to ACICS and ABA to March 1, 2018. (See The Century Foundation
v. Betsy Devos, case number 18-cv-1128). Pursuant to that court order,
on February 22, 2018 (83 FR 7702), we published a notice in the Federal
Register extending the public comment period until March 1, 2018, and
stated that the extension was ``for comments on the initial application
for recognition of ACICS and the compliance report submitted by the
ABA.'' Under the Higher Education Act, the Department solicits ``third-
party information concerning the performance of the accrediting
agency,'' 20 U.S.C. 1099b(n)(1)(A), and accordingly, takes comments
with regard to ``the agency's compliance with the criteria for
recognition.'' 34 CFR 602.32(a) (emphasis added). The comment process
established by 34 CFR 602.32 therefore solicits comments on the
accrediting agencies' performance and compliance with the criteria for
recognition, and not on any applications or reports agencies may have
submitted to the Department. The process does not require the
commenters to have access to the specific applications or compliance
reports submitted by the accrediting agencies, and the Department has
not traditionally provided those materials in advance of the comment
process.
This notice corrects certain language related to the comment period
in both the January 24, 2018, and February 22, 2018, Federal Register
notices. All other language and requirements from the prior notices,
not amended by this notice of correction, remain the same.
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you
must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Corrections
1. In the Federal Register notice of February 22, 2018, on page
7702 in the second column under the heading Summary, correct the last
sentence in the Summary to read as follows:
``Pursuant to a recent court order, we are extending the public
comment period until March 1, 2018 for the submission of comments on
the compliance of Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and
Schools (ACICS) with the criteria for recognition set forth in Subpart
B of 34 CFR 602, and for the submission of comments about the
compliance of the American Bar Association with the criteria for
recognition cited in the Senior Department Official's September 22,
2016 letter \1\ following the June 23, 2016 NACIQI meeting available
at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm. The review of
the ABA's compliance is limited to 34 CFR 602.15(a)(1), 602.15(a)(2),
602.15(a)(3), 602.16(a)(1)(viii), and 602.17(b).''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The January 24, 2018 (83 FR 3335), Federal Register notice
solicitation for written third-party comments relating to the ABA
incorrectly identified the letter from the Senior Department
Official as being dated ``October 28, 2016.'' As noted herein, the
correct date is ``September 22, 2016.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. In the Federal Register notice of February 22, 2018, on page
7702 in the second column under the heading ADDRESSES, correct the
section to read as follows:
``ADDRESSES: Written comments about ACICS's compliance with the
criteria for recognition or the ABA's compliance with the criteria for
recognition cited in the Senior Department Official's September 22,
2016 letter must be received by March 1, 2018, in the
[email protected] mailbox and include the subject line `Written
Comments: (agency name).' ''
3. In the Federal Register notice of January 24, 2018, on page 3336
in the
[[Page 8661]]
first column, correct the first full paragraph to read as follows:
``2. American Bar Association Compliance report includes the
following: (1) Findings identified in the September 22, 2016 letter
from the senior Department official following the June 23, 2016 NACIQI
meeting available at: https://opeweb.ed.gov/aslweb/finalstaffreports.cfm, (2) Review under 34 CFR 602.15(a)(1), Sec.
602.15(a)(2), Sec. 602.15(a)(3), Sec. 602.16(a)(1)(viii), and Sec.
602.17(b).''
4. In the Federal Register notice of January 24, 2018, on page 3336
in the second column under the heading Submission of Written Comments
Regarding a Specific Accrediting Agency or State Approval Agency Under
Review, correct the fourth sentence to read as follows:
``Comments about an agency's recognition after review of a
compliance report must relate to issues identified in the senior
Department official's letter that requested the report, or in the
Secretary's appeal decision, if any.''
Dated: February 26, 2018.
Lynn B. Mahaffie,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Innovation, Office
of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2018-04192 Filed 2-26-18; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
