1840-0752 Javits FPR Supporting Statement A

EDICS Tracking and OMB Number: (XXXX) XXXX-XXXX Revised: XX/XX/XXXX

RIN Number: XXXX-XXXX (if applicable)

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

     

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a hard copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information, or you may provide a valid URL link or paste the applicable section¹. Specify the review type of the collection (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change). If revised, briefly specify the changes. If a rulemaking is involved, make note of the sections or changed sections, if applicable.

Section 703 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, authorizes the Secretary to award fellowships under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program for graduate study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The fellowships support graduate students of superior ability selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, exceptional promise and financial need. Grants are awarded to the institutions of higher education where the fellows are enrolled as graduate students, and may last for up to four years. Each fellow’s need must be assessed and reported each year, along with a continuing fellow’s academic progress as determined by the institution. The U.S. Department of Education has administered the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program since 1986.

The regulations governing the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program are in 34 CFR Part 650.

The Education Department General Administrative Regulations requires grantees to submit performance reports annually [see 34 CFR Part 74.51, 34 CFR Part 75, Section 75.118 and 75.720].

The Javits award is a four-year fellowship; renewal for each fellow is dependent on continued academic progress as determined by the institution. In addition, the stipend portion of the fellowship is determined by the individual’s financial need and must be reassessed each year. In order to make new and non-competing continuation awards for Javits fellows, institutions of higher education currently certify the academic progress of each fellow and report on the fellow’s financial need. At the end of the four-year project period, grantee institutions must complete a Final Performance Report (FPR) that addresses the current status of funded fellows and collects financial data reflecting the expenditure of funds throughout the grant period.

The current Final Performance Report Package for the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program (OMB No. 1840-0752) will expire on December 31, 2013. The FPR provides the necessary information to evaluate the effectiveness of the funded fellowships. Without such critical data on the progress and performance of Javits fellows, it is not possible to measure the success of the projects, or of the program. The data provided in the FPR also assists program staff in further developing useful technical assistance methods for grantees. The information to be requested in the FPR is in response to both congressional inquiries and the requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA).

Program staff has not made any changes to this information collection since it was previously approved in 2010. Program staff believes that the clarity of the document, the reduction of burden on respondents and the use of the most effective collection of the data necessary to evaluate the projects’ performance and accomplishments towards meeting the GPRA requirements will continue under this collection.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

Each FPR will be reviewed by program staff to ensure the projects’ compliance with the program statute and regulations, and to evaluate the projects’ overall success in meeting the goals of the program. Information provided in the report includes the amount of time needed by Javits fellows to obtain their respective degrees, and their employment status after graduation. Program staff has used this information in past years to respond to inquiries regarding program effectiveness, especially as related to GPRA and the formerly utilized Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART).

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision of adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration given to using technology to reduce burden.

The Javits program currently utilizes an electronic version of the currently approved performance data collection instrument, which is accessed online by grantees. Currently, 100% of these FPRs are completed online and submitted electronically.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

The collection and use of this FPR information is not duplicated within the U.S. Department of Education or any other government entity.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden. A small entity may be (1) a small business which is deemed to be one that is independently owned and operated and that is not dominant in its field of operation; (2) a small organization that is any not-for-profit enterprise that is independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field; or (3) a small government jurisdiction, which is a government of a city, county, town, township, school district, or special district with a population of less than 50,000.

The collection of this FPR information has no impact on small businesses or other small entities.

6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

If the data requested in this Final Performance Report is not collected, program staff will not be able to determine whether or not funded projects were completed successfully and in accordance with the program statute and regulations. In addition, evaluation of the program based on GPRA performance indicators, or on other program evaluation criteria established by Department policies, will not be possible.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

• requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

• requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

• requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

• requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

• in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results than can be generalized to the universe of study;

• requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

• that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or that unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

• requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

There are no circumstances that would cause this information collection to be conducted in this manner.

8. As applicable, state that the Department has published the 60 and 30 Federal Register notices as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instruction and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years – even if the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

The appropriate 60- and 30-day Federal Register Notices (FRN) were published to allow for public comment. A 60-day FRN published ________ in volume ___, page _______ and a 30-day FRN on ________ in volume ___, page _______ . Requests for data on Javits fellows have come from students, grantees, Javits fellows, professional associations and Members of Congress. This information collection reflects the comments and requests of these groups, as well as clarifications based on questions to program staff. Data from all of these sources of less than 9 have been used to calculate hour and cost burden to respondents.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees with meaningful justification.

No payment or gifts are provided to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy. If personally identifiable information (PII) is being collected, a Privacy Act statement should be included on the instrument. Please provide a citation for the Systems of Record Notice and the date a Privacy Impact Assessment was completed as indicated on the IC Data Form. A confidentiality statement with a legal citation that authorizes the pledge of confidentiality should be provided.² If the collection is subject to the Privacy Act, the Privacy Act statement is deemed sufficient with respect to confidentiality. If there is no expectation of confidentiality, simply state that the Department makes no pledge about the confidentially of the data.

The proposed data to be collected in the FPR will be subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act, as the reports will contain information regarding individual Javits fellows. Any collected data made public would only be presented in aggregate, and would not include personal information.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. The justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

No questions of a sensitive nature are asked in this report.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:

• Indicate the number of respondents by affected public type (federal government, individuals or households, private sector – businesses or other for-profit, private sector – not-for-profit institutions, farms, state, local or tribal governments), frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated, including identification of burden type: recordkeeping, reporting or third party disclosure. All narrative should be included in item 12. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

• If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in the ROCIS IC Burden Analysis Table. (The table should at minimum include Respondent types, IC activity, Respondent and Responses, Hours/Response, and Total Hours)

• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents of the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here. Instead, this cost should be included in Item 14.

The burden of individual respondents is estimated at an average of 6 hours for each IHE. These estimates are based on input from respondents during previous funding cycles. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 6 hours per response, this includes time to review, search existing data source, gather the data needed, complete and review the performance report. There are a total of 20 respondents taking 6 hours each to complete the FPR for a total burden of 120 hours.

Respondent Type	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Hours	Total Burden Hours
IHE	20	Annual	6	120
Totals	20		6	120

Estimated total annual cost burden to respondents:

Respondent Type	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Hours	Total Burden Hours	Wage	Total Cost
IHE	20	Annual	6	120	$22 /hour	$2,640
Totals	20		6	120		$2,640

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)

• The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component. The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information. Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and acquiring and maintaining record storage facilities.

• If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.

• Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices. Also, these estimates should not include the hourly costs (i.e., the monetization of the hours) captured above in Item 12

Total Annualized Capital/Startup Cost :      

Total Annual Costs (O&M) :      

____________________

Total Annualized Costs Requested :      

The only costs would be for customary and usual business practices.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 12, 13, and 14 in a single table.

Estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government:

Task	Cost	Hours	Number	Hours Total	Total Cost to USG
Securing OMB approval (every 3 years)	$42/hr	55		55	$2,310
Reports Design (every 3 years)	$42/hr	16		16	$672
Review Of Forms by Staff	$42/hr	2 each	20	40	$1,680
Totals					$4,662

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments. Generally, adjustments in burden result from re-estimating burden and/or from economic phenomenon outside of an agency’s control (e.g., correcting a burden estimate or an organic increase in the size of the reporting universe). Program changes result from a deliberate action that materially changes a collection of information and generally are result of new statute or an agency action (e.g., changing a form, revising regulations, redefining the respondent universe, etc.). Burden changes should be disaggregated by type of change (i.e., adjustment, program change due to new statute, and/or program change due to agency discretion), type of collection (new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change) and include totals for changes in burden hours, responses and costs (if applicable).

There are no program changes or adjustments to the FPR. The information reflected in this information collection is still based upon the number of grantee institutions submitting this report annually.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

The U.S. Department of Education does not plan to publish any information from this collection.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

The U.S. Department of Education will display the expiration date for the OMB approval for this data collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the Certification of Paperwork Reduction Act.

No exceptions are being requested for this information collection.

1 Please limit pasted text to no longer than 3 paragraphs.

2 Requests for this information are in accordance with the following ED and OMB policies: Privacy Act of 1974, OMB Circular A-108 – Privacy Act Implementation – Guidelines and Responsibilities, OMB Circular A-130 Appendix I – Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals, OMB M-03-22 – OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 2002, OMB M-06-15 – Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information, OM:6-104 – Privacy Act of 1974 (Collection, Use and Protection of Personally Identifiable Information)

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