Department of Education August 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension without change of an existing information collection.

The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (hereafter ``the Secretaries'') announce priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Race to the TopEarly Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) program. The Secretaries may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2013 and later years. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, ``the Departments'') conducted the first competition under the RTT-ELC program in FY 2011 and awarded grants to nine States. In FY 2012, the Departments funded the five next highest-rated applicants on the slate of high-scoring applications from the FY 2011 competition. In order to maintain the overall purpose and structure of the FY 2011 RTT-ELC competition in future competitions, these final priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are almost identical to the ones used in the FY 2011 competition, with the exception of small language clarifications and eight substantive changes from the prior competition.

In accordance with section 427A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid announces the interest rates for the period July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, for certain loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program prior to July 1, 2010. The Chief Operating Officer takes this action to give notice of FFEL Program loan interest rates to the public.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

This notice sets forth the agenda for the December 12-13, 2013 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI); and provides information to members of the public on submitting written comments and on requesting to make oral comments at the meeting. The notice of this meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and Section 114(d)(1)(B) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. Meeting Date and Place: The NACIQI meeting will be held on December 12-13, 2013, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at a location to be determined in the Washington DC area. The exact location will be published in the Federal Register and on the Department's Web site at https:// www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/naciqi.html#meetings by November 6, 2013. Meeting Agenda: Below is a list of agencies, including their current and requested scopes of recognition, scheduled for review during the December 12-13, 2013 meeting:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

The Secretary amends the regulations in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) to: improve the Department's ability to evaluate the performance of discretionary grant programs and grantee projects; support, where appropriate, projects supported by evidence of effectiveness; review grant applications using selection factors that promote the Secretary's policy objectives related to project evaluation, sustainability, productivity, and strategy to scale; and reduce burden on grantees in selecting implementation sites, implementation partners, or evaluation service providers for their proposed projects. These amendments will allow the Department to be more effective and efficient when selecting grantees in discretionary grant competitions, provide higher-quality data to the Congress and the public, and better focus applicants on the goals and objectives of the programs to which they apply for grants.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a new Generic information collection to an existing information collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

The Secretary amends the Student Assistance General Provisions regulations governing participation in the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title IV, HEA programs). The amended regulations implement the Office of Hearings & Appeals (OHA) Electronic Filing System, which provides a Web-based interface for the submission of documents in administrative litigation involving enforcement and compliance with requirements of Title IV, HEA programs. The OHA Electronic Filing System (OES) permits documents to be submitted electronically in an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) directly to OHA through standard Web-based screens and prompts.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

The Secretary announces priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the Race to the TopDistrict program. The Secretary may use one or more of these priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2013 and later years. The Race to the TopDistrict program builds on the experience of States and districts in implementing reforms in the four core educational assurance areas through Race to the Top and other key programs and supports applicants that demonstrate how they can personalize education for all students in their schools. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) conducted one competition under the Race to the TopDistrict program in FY 2012, and we are maintaining the overall purpose and structure of the FY 2012 Race to the TopDistrict competition. These priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are almost identical to the ones we used in the FY 2012 competition.

The Secretary proposes to waive the requirements in our regulations of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations that, respectively, generally prohibit project periods exceeding five years and project period extensions involving the obligation of additional Federal funds. The proposed waiver and extension of the project period would enable the currently funded Technical Assistance Coordination Center to receive funding from October 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014.