**Application to Participate in the Leveraging Educational Assistance
Partnership (LEAP) and Special Leveraging Educational Assistance
Partnership (SLEAP) Programs for the 2008-2009 Award Year**

[Attachments to OMB 83-I]{.underline}

1.  Supporting Statement

2.  OMB 83-I

3.  The LEAP and SLEAP Programs Performance Report Form (ED FORM 1288-1)

4.  Instructions for completing the form

5.  Program Statute, Title IV-A-4, Higher Education Act of 1965, as
    amended

6.  Program Regulations, 34 CFR 692

**Supporting Statement**

Performance Report for the

Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) and Special
Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) Programs

2008-2009 Award Year

(ED FORM 1288-1)

A. JUSTIFICATION

1.  The Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) and Special
    Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP) Programs are
    authorized under Title IV, Part A, Subpart 4 of the Higher Education
    Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1070c), and administered under 34
    CFR Part 692. This is the same form that has been previously
    approved which has been reformatted utilizing Adobe LiveCycle Forms
    software. The new formatted form is an electronic interactive form,
    which allows our respondents to navigate, complete and submit more
    easily while improving data accuracy. The current LEAP and SLEAP
    performance report form expires October 31, 2008 (OMB 1845-0044). We
    are requesting an extension of the LEAP and SLEAP programs
    performance report.

> The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
> require the states to submit annual performance reports to the
> Secretary that are necessary to carry out the Secretary\'s functions.
> EDGAR (34 CFR 80.40(b)) provides that \" \... grantees shall submit
> annual performance reports\.... Annual reports shall be due 90 days
> after the grant year\.... \". (Copies of the appropriate sections of
> EDGAR are attached.)

2.  Each of the participating state agencies provides information on the
    annual performance report about its use of program funds in order to
    demonstrate compliance with the program\'s statutory and regulatory
    requirements. Federal program officials use the performance report
    data for monitoring program funds distribution, for performing
    program evaluation, and for recommending policy decisions by Federal
    officials.

> State agencies are held accountable for evidence that eligible
> students meet all statutory and regulatory requirements. The
> designated state agency is accountable to the Federal Government for
> the adequacy of student eligibility evidence. State-maintained fiscal
> and program records must demonstrate that funds go only to qualified
> recipients in appropriate amounts, in accordance with all the
> applicable statutes and regulations.
>
> The performance report is the only vehicle by which Federal program
> officials may annually monitor the compliance of the State agencies.
> If this information collection were not conducted, the Federal program
> officials would have no means by which to monitor and ensure state
> agency compliance with the program statute and regulations.

3.  Upon submission of the form, states certify that all information
    given is accurate and that they are in compliance with the program
    statute and regulations. Utilizing this new Adobe format, States are
    able to submit the data electronically via the Internet. The
    Department makes the form available on our web site and also
    forwards the form to all necessary respondents.

4.  The LEAP and SLEAP programs are operated by a single agency in each
    state. Each state provides annual data on its performance report
    that applies only to that state, which must be updated each year,
    and is not collected on any other form. Therefore, there is no
    duplication collection of this data. In the development of this
    form, we only require the bare minimum of items needed to ensure
    compliance with the programs.

5.  The collection of information does not involve other businesses or
    small entities.

6.  Similar information for each state is not available from any other
    source that can meet these specific statutory requirements. States
    are required to apply annually for their LEAP and SLEAP program
    allotments and must annually report the expenditures of each
    allotment. LEAP and SLEAP program operations are continuous by year,
    and totally separate from one year to the next. Therefore,
    information collection and recordkeeping must be kept on a yearly
    basis, at a minimum, in order to be accurate. Any lapse in the
    keeping of required information makes it impossible for the
    Department to determine accountability for use of federal funds in
    compliance with the statute and regulations. Failure to receive
    these reports would put the program in violation of the program
    statute.

7.  There are no special circumstances in this information collection.

8.  The states were given an opportunity to test and provide comments
    and suggestions concerning the development of this form.
    Additionally, members of the National Association of State Student
    Grant Aid Programs (NASSGAP) and other state agency officials have
    been invited to provide the Department with comments and suggestions
    concerning the development of forms, both application and
    performance reporting, at numerous NASSGAP national conferences, the
    latest held in Park City, Utah on October 23, 2007.

-   

9.  ED does not provide any payment or gifts to respondents.

10. No assurance of confidentiality is provided to respondents. The
    information collected on the performance report is part of the state
    and federal public record.

11. There are no questions of a sensitive nature.

12. The 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four
    island jurisdictions are eligible to participate in the LEAP
    Program. States must first be found eligible to participate in the
    LEAP Program before they can apply to participate in the SLEAP
    Program. The cost for responding state agencies to gather and record
    the appropriate information and to complete the performance report
    is estimated at \$9,408.

# RESPONDENT COSTS

> Program Specialist 8.0 hrs x \$24 x 56 respondents = \$ 10,752
>
> There may be as many as 56 respondents to this annual information
> collection depending on the total number of entities that applied for
> and received program funds for any given award year. As indicated in
> item 12 above, the reporting burden estimated for this information
> collection is 8.0 hours per respondent. Therefore the annual reporting
> burden is calculated as follows:
>
> 56 respondents x 1 submission x 8 hours=448 annual burden hours
>
> The hourly estimate includes the identification and collection of
> relevant information, pulling state data and preparation.

13. There are no capital or start-up costs for this information
    collection. All states have access to Internet, and any
    compatibility software that would be needed would be sent to states
    at no charge.

14. The annual cost to the Federal Government for the processing of the
    performance reports is estimated to be \$9,200; this cost includes
    staff time in reviewing and analyzing data for funding decisions;
    and ensuring State compliance with program statute and regulations.

> [FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COSTS:]{.underline}
>
> Program Specialist 400 hrs. x \$34.22 = \$13,688
>
> Overhead costs and Miscellaneous = \$ 4,800
>
> Total = \$18,488

15. The annual reporting and recordkeeping hour burden changed from 560
    to 448 hours because the form is now electronic and can easily be
    submitted electronically and no longer requires a wet signature. We
    also took into consideration an increase in respondent and Education
    staff pay.

16. Results are not scheduled for statistical use publication.

17. We are not seeking approval to exclude the display of the expiration
    date for OMB approval of the information collection.

18. No exceptions to the certification statement identified in item 19
    of OMB Form 83-I.

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B.  COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

> This collection of information does not employ statistical methods.