[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2347-2348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00614]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No. ED-2022-SCC-0124]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) Annual 
Performance Report

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
the Department is proposing a reinstatement without change of a 
previously approved information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
February 13, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of 
publication of this notice. Click on this link www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain to access the site. Find this information collection request 
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under 
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. 
Reginfo.gov provides two links to view documents related to this 
information collection request. Information collection forms and 
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information 
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting 
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting 
Statement and Other Documents'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Emory Morrison, 202-453-6963.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department 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 Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) 
Annual Performance Report
    OMB Control Number: 1840-0830
    Type of Review: A reinstatement without change of a previously 
approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 170
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1360
    Abstract: The Department of Education (ED) collects Annual 
Performance Reports (APRs) from Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) 
grantees under the authority of Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Division 
1, Sections 402A and 402B of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended, the program regulations in 34 CFR 644, and the Education 
Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), in 34 CFR 74.51, 
75.720, and 75.732. The information that grantees submit in their APRs 
allows ED to annually assess each grantee's progress in meeting their 
project's approved goals and objectives. The APR data that grantees 
submit are compared with the projects' approved objectives to determine 
the projects' accomplishments, to make decisions regarding whether 
funding should be continued, and to award ``prior experience'' points. 
The regulations for this program provide for awarding up to 15 points 
for prior experience (34 CR 644.22). During a competition for new grant 
awards, the prior experience points are added to the average of the 
field reader scores to arrive at a total score for each application. 
Funding recommendations and decisions are primarily based on the rank 
order of applications on the slate; therefore, assessment of prior 
experience points, based on data in the annual performance report, is a 
crucial part of the overall application process.
    Further, this performance report form is the main source of data 
for the Department's response to the requirements of the Government 
Performance and Results Act (GPRA) for this program. In addition, the 
Department uses the annual performance reports to produce program level 
data for annual reporting, budget

[[Page 2348]]

submissions to OMB, Congressional hearings and inquiries, and 
responding to inquiries from higher education interest groups and the 
general public.
    EOC APRs are prepared and submitted by EOC grant projects. For each 
EOC grant project, the grant project director of record completes, or 
supervises the completion of the data submission process. The grant 
project director supervises the administration of an EOC grant. An EOC 
grant provides counseling and information on college admissions to 
qualified adults who want to enter or continue a program of 
postsecondary education. The program also provides services to improve 
the financial and economic literacy of participants. An important 
objective of the program is to counsel participants on financial aid 
options, including basic financial planning skills, and to assist in 
the application process. The goal of the EOC program is to increase the 
number of adult participants who enroll in postsecondary education 
institutions.

    Dated: January 10, 2023.
Kun Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2023-00614 Filed 1-12-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P