The Institute of Education Sciences
(IES) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting a
rigorous study of the FAFSA Completion Project. The project will
provide 80 Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) or school districts
with access to data on whether specific students have completed the
Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA); this information is
intended to help schools implement targeted outreach to seniors and
their families who have not yet submitted a FAFSA, or who submitted
a FAFSA that may be incomplete. The evaluation of the project is
being conducted by IES staff in the National Center for Education
Evaluation. The study will use a delayed-treatment control group
design, and will examine whether there is an impact from access to
the data on students' application for and receipt of federal
student aid and a proxy for college enrollment. The data collection
to address these research questions will create minimal burden on
respondents and have limited cost to the government. IES is
requesting permission to obtain lists of high schools and student
rosters from the participating districts or their high schools.
Other data for the study -- completion of a FAFSA, receipt of Spell
Grant, and a proxy for college enrollment (whether an institution
of higher education has drawn down the Spell Grant funds for
individual students) -- will come from existing ED administrative
data that will not generate any new burden because they are already
collected for other purposes. The analyses will be conducted
internally by IES staff on data that is stripped of personally
identifiable information. The results will be summarized in an
internal memo.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.