[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 244 (Monday, December 21, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 79317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31944]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0123]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Educational Quality Through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) 
Experimental Sites Initiative

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 20, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD-
0123. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the 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 2E103, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018.

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: Educational Quality through Innovative 
Partnerships (EQUIP) Experimental Sites Initiative.
    OMB Control Number: 1845--NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector, State, Local and 
Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 20.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,500.
    Abstract: The Department of Education (the Department) is 
requesting this new information collection package to provide for a 
series of questions that are components of the selection process for a 
new Federal Student Aid experimental site project. The Educational 
Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) project is being 
undertaken in order to advance the Department's understanding of how to 
best increase access to high quality innovative programs in higher 
education. An invitation to participate and an explanation of this 
proposed experimental site was published separately in the Federal 
Register. This experimental site project is designed to explore ways to 
increase access for low-income students to high-quality innovate 
programs in higher education through the engagement of institutions of 
higher education (IHEs) with non-IHE providers and quality assurance 
entities that can develop new quality assurance processes for student 
and taxpayer protection. The data and information collected can provide 
valuable guidance for the Department in determining future policy in 
these areas.

    Dated: December 16, 2015.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-31944 Filed 12-18-15; 8:45 am]
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