FR Doc 05-6745
[Federal Register: April 6, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 65)]
[Notices]
[Page 17421-17422]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06ap05-57]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
The Federal Student Aid Programs Under Title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as Amended
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice inviting letters of application for participation in the
Quality Assurance Program.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education invites institutions of higher
education that may wish to participate in the Quality Assurance
Program, under section 487A(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA), to submit a letter of application to participate in the
program.
DATES: Letters of application may be submitted any time after April 6,
2005.
ADDRESSES: Institutions wishing to apply to participate in the Quality
Assurance Program may do so by mailing a letter of application to
Barbara Mroz, Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education, 830
First Street, NE., room 84F1, Washington, DC 20202-5232 or by
submitting a letter of application electronically to Barbara Mroz at:
Barbara.Mroz@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharyn Hutson, Federal Student Aid,
U.S. Department of Education, 830 First Street, NE., room 83G3,
Washington, DC 20202-5232. Telephone: (202) 377-4379, or via e-mail:
Sharyn.Hutson@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape or computer
diskette) on request by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Institutions of higher education are invited to join the Department
in an effort to simplify regulations and administrative processes for
the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Programs authorized by Title IV of the
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). The vision of the
Quality Assurance Program, with 145 institutions currently
participating, is to provide tools that help all Title IV institutions
promote better service to students, compliance, and continuous
improvement in program delivery. The program encourages participating
institutions to develop and implement their own comprehensive systems
to verify student financial aid application data, and continually
assess compliance to Federal requirements.
The Secretary is authorized to provide participating institutions
with regulatory flexibility for the verification of student data, and
to encourage alternative approaches that improve award accuracy.
The Secretary believes that the process of continuous improvement
fostered by the institutions already participating in the Quality
Assurance Program has enhanced not only the accuracy of student aid
awards and payments, but also the management of student aid offices and
the delivery of services to students.
Features of the Program
The mission of the Quality Assurance Program is to help schools
attain, sustain, and advance exceptional student aid delivery and
service excellence. For the past 19 years, the program has done that by
providing participating institutions with the flexibility to design an
institutional verification program that more directly focuses on their
own population segments. It has also helped them target areas of
administration that affect award accuracy or that may leave the
institution vulnerable to potential liabilities.
The Quality Assurance Program has given institutions the tools and
techniques to assess, measure, analyze, correct and prevent problems,
and has provided them with data on which to base their decisions for
solving problems and addressing verification issues.
The Secretary encourages institutions participating in the Quality
Assurance Program to evaluate their student aid or verification
policies and procedures and adopt improvements in those procedures.
Institutions measure performance and test the effectiveness of their
verification program by using the Department's ISIR Analysis Tool. The
ISIR Analysis Tool is a web-based software product that provides
Financial Aid Administrators with an in-depth analysis of their
applicant population. It allows them to see not only which FAFSA
elements changed when verified, but also what impact these changes have
upon the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and aid eligibility. This
analysis helps Financial
[[Page 17422]]
Aid Administrators develop a targeted institutional verification
program, which ultimately makes the financial aid process easier for
students, while ensuring accountability and integrity.
The Quality Assurance Program also helps institutions make
improvements beyond verification and basic compliance. By using the FSA
Assessments, schools can set goals for continuous improvement in all
areas of financial aid delivery. One key benefit of the program is the
partnership between the Department and the participating institutions.
Both parties become engaged in promoting continuous improvement in
the administration and delivery of the student financial assistance
programs, thereby enhancing service to students.
Invitation for Applications
The Secretary invites institutions of higher education that
administer one or more Title IV programs to submit a letter of
application to participate in the Quality Assurance Program.
Institutions that currently participate in the program may continue to
do so without submitting a new letter of application. The Secretary
will review the letter of application, which should reflect the
institution's commitment to the goals of the Quality Assurance Program,
as determined by the Secretary. The letter of application should
address the following goals in detail:
Attain and sustain compliance and continuous improvement
in program delivery, and better service to students;
Improve the accuracy of institutional verification
programs;
Increase institutional flexibility in managing student aid
funds, while maintaining accountability for the proper use of those
funds; and
Encourage the development of innovative management
approaches that advance quality.
Review Process
The Department will screen prospective participants to determine if
the institution meets general Title IV eligibility requirements and has
a demonstrated record of program compliance. The Secretary may also
consider the institution's performance with regard to financial
responsibility, administrative capability, program review findings,
audit findings, etc. as outlined in the regulations and in the Federal
Student Aid Handbook.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Dated: March 31, 2005.
Theresa S. Shaw,
Chief Operating Officer Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 05-6745 Filed 4-5-05; 8:45 am]
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