Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) Annual Performance Report

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report Form	Modified
Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report Form	Modified
Supporting Statement Part A EOC FINAL 9.7.23_REV 230908 CLEAN.docx Supporting Statement A	2023-09-11

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
206880	Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report Form	Modified
206879	Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report Form	Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1840-0830	ICR Reference No: 202306-1840-004
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202210-1840-009
Agency/Subagency: ED/OPE	Agency Tracking No: ED-2023-SCC-0122
Title: Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) Annual Performance Report
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 09/15/2023

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	02/28/2026
Responses	183	170
Time Burden (Hours)	1,464	1,360
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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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 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.

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Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 110 - 301 402A Name of Law: Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 43105	07/06/2023
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	88 FR 63557	09/15/2023
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 2

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report	N/A	N/A
Educational Opportunity Centers Annual Performance Report	N/A	N/A

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	183	170	0	0	13	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	1,464	1,360	0	0	104	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: Adjustment to the number of responses (13 additional responses) is due to an increase in the number of EOC grants that were awarded. Additional burden hours (104) are fully accounted for by the additional respondents. In addition, the Annual Performance Report has been revised to replace Competitive Preference Priority (CPP) questions with new CPP questions of equal response time.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $217,440

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 09/15/2023

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