[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63557-63558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19934]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2023-SCC-0122]


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 revision of a currently approved 
information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 16, 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 Marie Julienne, (202) 987-1054.

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: Revision of a currently approved ICR.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; 
Private Sector.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 183.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,464.
    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

[[Page 63558]]

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 
peer reviewers' 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 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.
    The proposed revision to the APR entails replacement of Competitive 
Preference Priority (CPP) questions with new CPP questions of equal 
response time. In addition, the annual number of responses and total 
annual burden hours have been adjusted to reflect an increase in the 
size of the reporting universe.

    Dated: September 11, 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. 2023-19934 Filed 9-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P