[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19757-19758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8458]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


The Federal Student Aid Programs Under Title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as Amended

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting letters of application for participation in the 
Quality Assurance Program.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education invites institutions of higher 
education that may wish to participate in the Quality Assurance 
Program, under section 487A(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA), to submit a letter of application to participate in the 
program.

DATES: Letters of application may be submitted any time after April 8, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: Institutions may apply to participate in the Quality 
Assurance Program by addressing a letter of application to Barbara 
Mroz, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, and submitting 
this letter of application electronically to the Quality Assurance 
mailbox at: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Warren Farr, Federal Student Aid, U.S. 
Department of Education, 830 First Street, NE., UCP-3, Room 43H2, 
Washington, DC 20202-5232. Telephone: (202) 377-4380, or by e-mail: 
[email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an 
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audio tape or computer 
diskette) on request by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Institutions of higher education are invited to join the Department 
in an effort to simplify regulations and administrative processes for 
the Federal Student Aid Programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). The goal of the Quality 
Assurance Program is to provide tools that help all institutions of 
higher education participating in these programs (Title IV, HEA 
programs) to promote better service to students, compliance with Title 
IV requirements, and continuous improvement in program delivery. The 
Quality Assurance Program encourages and provides tools to assist 
participating institutions to develop and implement their own 
comprehensive systems to verify student financial aid application data, 
and continually assess compliance with Federal requirements.
    Pursuant to section 487A(a)(3) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1094a(a)(3)), 
the Secretary is authorized to waive for any institution participating 
in the Quality Assurance Program any regulations dealing with reporting 
or verification requirements, thus providing participating institutions 
with regulatory flexibility for the verification of student data, and 
encouraging alternative approaches that improve award accuracy.
    The Secretary believes that the data provided to the Department by 
the institutions participating in the Quality

[[Page 19758]]

Assurance Program have influenced Federal verification policies. The 
data provided by participating institutions have addressed not only the 
accuracy of student aid awards and payments, but also the management of 
student aid offices and the delivery of services to students.

Features of the Program

    The Quality Assurance Program gives institutions tools and 
techniques to assess, measure, analyze, correct, and prevent compliance 
problems. The Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) Analysis 
Tool provides participating institutions with data for achieving 
targeted verification outcomes, as explained below. The evaluation 
tools that QA schools must complete (``FSA Assessments'') help schools 
develop policies and procedures as well as strengthen compliance.
    The Secretary encourages institutions participating in the Quality 
Assurance Program to evaluate their verification policies and 
procedures and adopt improvements to those procedures. Institutions 
measure performance and test the effectiveness of their verification 
program by using the Department's ISIR Analysis Tool. The ISIR Analysis 
Tool is a Web-based software product that provides financial aid 
administrators with an in-depth analysis of their applicant population. 
It allows them to see not only which elements on the student's Free 
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) changed when verified, but 
also what impact these changes have on the student's Expected Family 
Contribution (EFC) and aid eligibility. This analysis helps financial 
aid administrators develop a targeted institutional verification 
program, which ultimately makes the financial aid process easier for 
students, while ensuring accountability and program integrity.
    The Quality Assurance Program also helps institutions make 
improvements beyond verification. By using the FSA Assessments, school 
staff in the financial aid office can, through teamwork, set goals for 
excellence in all areas of financial aid delivery on their campus. 
Another benefit of participating in the Quality Assurance Program is 
that both parties become engaged in promoting program integrity, 
stewardship, and customer service in the administration and delivery of 
the student financial assistance programs, thereby producing a more 
positive customer experience.

Invitation for Applications

    The Secretary invites institutions of higher education that 
administer one or more Title IV, HEA programs to submit a letter of 
application to participate in the Quality Assurance Program. 
Institutions that currently participate in the program may continue to 
do so without submitting a new letter of application. The Secretary 
will review the letter of application, which should reflect the 
institution's commitment to:
     Improve the accuracy of institutional verification 
programs;
     Increase institutional flexibility in managing student aid 
funds, while maintaining accountability for the proper use of those 
funds; and
     Encourage the development of innovative management 
approaches to strengthen stewardship by using the FSA Assessments.

Review Process

    The Department will screen prospective participants to determine if 
the institution meets general Title IV, HEA eligibility requirements 
and has a demonstrated record of program compliance. The Secretary may 
also consider the institution's performance with regard to financial 
responsibility, administrative capability, program review findings, 
audit findings, etc. as outlined in the applicable regulations and in 
the Federal Student Aid Handbook.

Electronic Access to This Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this 
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable 
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at this site.

    Note:  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: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys.


    Program Authority:  20 U.S.C. 1094a(a).

    Dated: April 5, 2011.
William J. Taggart,
Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 2011-8458 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P