57322 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 185 / Friday, September 22, 2000 / Notices

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Leader,

Regulatory Information Management

Group, Office of the Chief Information

Officer, publishes that notice containing

proposed information collection

requests prior to submission of these

requests to OMB. Each proposed

information collection, grouped by

office, contains the following: (1) Type

of review requested, e.g. new, revision,

extension, existing or reinstatement; (2)

Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4)

Description of the need for, and

proposed use of, the information; (5)

Respondents and frequency of

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or

Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites

public comment.

Dated: September 19, 2000.

John Tressler,

Leader, Regulatory Information Management,

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Office of Vocational and Adult

Education

Type of Review: New.

Title: Indian Vocational Education

Program Technology Survey.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal

Gov’t, SEAs or LEAs.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour

Burden:

Responses: 38

Burden Hours: 95

Abstract: This collection will assess

the technology and technical assistance

needs of current Indian Vocational

Education Program grantees. Program

staff will use the results of this

collection to promote greater and more

effective use of technology by vocational

and technical education programs that

serve Native Americans.

Requests for copies of the proposed

information collection request may be

accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, or

should be addressed to Vivian Reese,

Department of Education, 400 Maryland

Avenue, SW, Room 4050, Regional

Office Building 3, Washington, DC

20202–4651. Requests may also be

electronically mailed to the internet

address OCIO_IMG_Issues@ed.gov or

faxed to 202–708–9346. Please specify

the complete title of the information

collection when making your request.

Comments regarding burden and/or the

collection activity requirements should

be directed to Sheila Carey at (202) 708–

6287 or via her internet address

Sheila_Carey@ed.gov. Individuals who

use a telecommunications device for the

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–

800–877–8339.

[FR Doc. 00–24392 Filed 9–21–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Student Financial Assistance

Programs; Distance Education

Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

participation in the Distance Education

Demonstration Program and notice of

regional meetings to provide technical

assistance to parties interested in

participating in the Distance Education

Demonstration Program.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education

invites institutions of higher education

(institutions), systems of institutions,

and consortia of institutions to submit

applications to participate in the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program authorized under section 486

of title IV of the Higher Education Act

of 1965, as amended (HEA). Under the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program, selected institutions providing

distance education programs may

receive waivers of specific statutory and

regulatory provisions governing the

student financial assistance programs

authorized under Title IV of the HEA.

Instructions for Submitting an

Application: Elements to be included in

an application are described in this

notice. There is no application form per

se for the program. Applications should

be submitted by electronic mail or in

hard copy to the addresses below.

Applicants are urged to submit

applications only by electronic mail, to

the e-mail address below. Applications

should clearly designate a contact

person, and the telephone number and

the e-mail and street address of the

contact person.

Applications submitted by electronic

mail should be submitted in Microsoft

Word version 7 or lower or WordPerfect

version 7, 8, or 9.

To facilitate the application process,

the Secretary of Education will conduct

regional meetings in the District of

Columbia (October 18, 2000);

Albuquerque, New Mexico (November

1, 2000); Chicago, Illinois (November 9,

2000) and Seattle, Washington

(November 29, 2000) to provide advice

and technical assistance to potential

applicants for participation in the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program. Further information

concerning these meetings may be

found at the end of this Notice and at

the Distance Education Demonstration

Program web site:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/DistEd/

DATES: Applications must be

postmarked or submitted electronically

on or before February 16, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Applications submitted

electronically. Institutions must submit

applications by e-mail by 5:00 p.m.

Eastern time on February 16, 2001 to the

following address:

DistanceDemo@ed.gov

Applications submitted by mail: Hard

copy applications must be sent to

Marianne R. Phelps, U.S. Department of

Education, 1990 K Street NW., Room

7112, Washington, DC 20006.

An institution must show proof of

mailing these documents by February

16, 2001. Proof of mailing consists of

one of the following: (1) A legible mail

receipt with the date of mailing stamped

by the U.S. Postal Service, (2) a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark, (3)

a dated shipping label, invoice, or

receipt from a commercial carrier, or (4)

any other proof of mailing acceptable to

the U.S. Secretary of Education.

If these documents are sent through

the U.S. Postal Service, the Secretary

does not accept either of the following

as proof of mailing: (1) A private

metered postmark, or (2) a mail receipt

that is not dated by the U.S. Postal

Service. Institutions should note that

the U.S. Postal Service does not

uniformly provide a dated postmark.

Before relying on this method, an

institution should check with its local

post office. You are encouraged to use

certified or at least first-class mail.

Applications delivered by hand.

Hand-delivered applications must be

taken to Marianne R. Phelps, U.S.

Department of Education, 1990 K Street

NW., Room 7112, Washington, DC

20006.

Applications that are hand-delivered

will be accepted between 9:00 a.m. and

5:00 p.m. daily (Eastern time), except

Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal

holidays. Applications must be received

by 5:00 p.m. on February 16, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marianne R. Phelps at (202) 502–7713 or

at DistanceDemo@ed.gov by e-mail.

Information concerning the program can

also be found on the Distance Education

Demonstration Program web site:

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/DistEd/

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 185 / Friday, September 22, 2000 / Notices 57323

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–

8339.

Individuals with disabilities may

obtain this document in an alternate

format (e.g., Braille, large print,

audiotape, or computer diskette) on

request to the contact person listed in

the preceding paragraph.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Purpose of the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program

Over the past few years, there has

been rapid growth in the number of

institutions providing courses and

degree programs in various modes of

‘‘distance education.’’ For purposes of

the Distance Education Demonstration

Program and this notice, ‘‘distance

education’’ is defined as an educational

process that is characterized by the

separation, in time or place, between

instructor and student. This process

may include courses offered principally

through the use of television, audio, or

computer transmission, such as open

broadcast, closed circuit, cable,

microwave, or satellite transmission;

audio or computer conferencing; video

cassettes or discs; or correspondence.

This growth in distance education has

occurred in response to increasing

demand from students who are

restricted in their ability to enroll in

more traditional programs, including

working adults, parents, people who

live in rural communities, and students

with disabilities. Another reason for this

growth is the potential for cost control.

Distance education is attractive to

institutions that seek to avoid large

investments in new facilities to meet

student demand and to students who

can complete their educational

programs more economically using

distance education for all or part of their

studies. Additionally, through consortia

and other agreements among

institutions that provide distance

education, many students are able to

take advantage of a richer selection of

course offerings tailored to their

individual needs than are available at

the institutions where they are enrolled.

Distance education has been available

to postsecondary education students for

many years. More recently,

advancements in technology have

provided additional instructional

opportunities through the use of two

way video and the Internet to delivery

instruction. The richness of the

available technology has made the

delivery of high quality distance

education possible and desirable for

many more postsecondary education

programs and students.

Currently, some statutory provisions

defining institutional eligibility for the

Title IV, HEA programs may limit the

circumstances in which Title IV, HEA

program funds can be provided to

students enrolled in distance education.

For example, institutions that offer more

than 50 percent of their courses via

distance education or enroll more than

50 percent of their students in distance

education programs (hereafter referred

to as ‘‘the 50 percent rules’’) are not

eligible to participate in the Title IV,

HEA programs.

Other statutory provisions, such as

those dealing with the length of an

academic year and the minimum length

of an eligible vocational program, are

based on the patterns and structure of

‘‘traditional’’ on-campus education. As

such, they can be burdensome and

difficult to apply to distance education

programs. They may also limit

institutions from structuring programs

that may best meet the needs of distance

education students, institutions, and

systems and consortia of such

institutions. Similar problems may arise

with regard to regulatory provisions

implementing part G of Title IV of the

HEA.

Many of these requirements were put

in place to address abuses in the Title

IV, HEA programs and until recently did

not have much effect on institutions

offering distance education programs or

courses or their students’ eligibility for

aid. However, at this point in the

evolution of distance education

programs, changes to student aid

requirements may be necessary to allow

students to take full advantage of the

opportunities distance education

provides and to make it possible for

institutions to fully utilize the potential

technology now offers to enhance

distance education courses and

programs. On the other hand,

restructuring aid to fit these new

patterns presents some risks as well as

opportunities, and care in designing

alternatives to the current student aid

requirements is necessary to assure

continued integrity in the Title IV, HEA

programs.

In response to these dual concerns, in

1998 Congress enacted the Distance

Education Demonstration Program. As

described in section 486(a) of the HEA,

the purpose of the program is to—

(1) Allow demonstration programs

that are strictly monitored by the

Department of Education to test the

quality and viability of expanded

distance education programs currently

restricted under this Act;

(2) Provide for increased student

access to higher education through

distance education programs; and

(3) Help determine the—

(A) Most effective means of delivering

quality education via distance education

course offerings;

(B) Specific statutory and regulatory

requirements which should be altered to

provide greater access to high quality

distance education programs; and

(C) Appropriate level of Federal

assistance for students enrolled in

distance education programs.

Under the Distance Demonstration

Program, participants may offer Title IV,

HEA program funds to students enrolled

in educational programs utilizing

distance education delivery methods for

all or a portion of their classes without

being subject to certain statutory and

regulatory provisions, which the

Secretary may waive, upon their

request. The purpose of these waivers is

to test new ways of administering the

Federal student assistance programs and

to consider how the law and regulations

might be altered to allow for expansion

of aid to distance students and still

ensure program integrity.

The legislation creating the program

authorized the Secretary to select, from

among eligible applicants, up to a total

of 15 institutions, systems of

institutions, or consortia of institutions

to begin participation in the first year of

the program. (For these purposes, a

system of institutions could be a group

of institutions with a common

governing board. An example would be

a community college system or a group

of private institutions owned by the

same corporation. A consortium of

institutions could be two or more

institutions that have agreed to

collaborate on a common effort such as

sharing distance education courses or a

two-year and four-year institution

cooperating to offer a bachelor’s degree

completion program.) The 15

participants for the first year of the

program were selected in May of 1999

and began participation on July 1, 1999.

The Secretary is authorized to select,

from among eligible applicants, up to a

total of 35 additional institutions,

systems of institutions, or consortia of

institutions to begin participation in the

third year of the program, which will

commence on July 1, 2001. The

Secretary anticipates that these

additional institutions, systems or

consortia selected will continue to

participate for three years. Participation,

of course, will be conditioned upon

their meeting the requirements of the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program and continued participation in

Title IV, HEA programs. Institutions

desiring to withdraw from the Distance

Education Demonstration Program may

do so without jeopardy to their

57324 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 185 / Friday, September 22, 2000 / Notices

participation in Title IV HEA programs.

Also, the scope of the participation,

such as the specific distance education

programs included and waivers

provided, may be modified as agreed

upon by the Secretary and the

participant, to allow for changes in the

programs offered, the modes of delivery

used, the size of participants’ distance

programs, or other changes desired by

the Secretary or the participant as

experience is gained in the program.

The Department administers this

program through an implementation

team consisting of staff from various

offices within the Department. The

Department recognizes the importance

of identifying and addressing any

problems that arise during the course of

the demonstrations. It facilitates

communication among participants and

works with institutions to provide

technical assistance throughout the

demonstrations, beginning with the

application process. Departmental staff

with responsibility for monitoring

compliance with Title IV program

requirements are represented on the

implementation team and monitor

compliance with the requirements of the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program.

The Department also works closely

with accrediting agencies and States to

determine how their respective roles

contribute to assuring quality and

integrity. Accrediting agencies play an

important role in monitoring the

demonstration programs, consistent

with their responsibilities. Where State

requirements are relevant to distance

education programs, the Department

works with States to determine how

their monitoring role assists in insuring

program integrity.

The participants must agree to

provide data and information that will

assist the Secretary in evaluating the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program and in reporting to Congress as

required by the statute. The data and

information provided by participants

will assist the Secretary in determining

whether statutory and regulatory

changes might be needed to support the

growth of quality distance education

courses and programs and the

appropriate level of Federal assistance

for students enrolled in distance

education programs, two of the

purposes of the program that are

specified in the statute. A copy of the

form containing the data collection

requirements can be found on the

program Web site.

The program is also designed to

examine ways to assure the integrity of

Title IV, HEA programs in the context

of distance education. This examination

is accomplished principally through the

close monitoring of participants’

administration of Title IV, HEA

programs.

Eligible Applicants

The following institutions are eligible

to apply to participate in the Distance

Education Demonstration Program:

(1) Institutions located in the United

States that participate in the Title IV,

HEA programs; and

(2) Institutions located in the United

States that provide a two-year program

that leads to an associate degree or a

four-year program that leads to a

baccalaureate or higher degree and

would be eligible to participate in the

Title IV, HEA programs but for the fact

that they do not meet one or both of the

50 percent rules.

In addition, systems and consortia of

these institutions are eligible to

participate in the program.

Statutory and Regulatory Provisions

That May Be Waived

The Secretary may waive statutory

and regulatory provisions. To obtain a

waiver, an institution must request the

waiver in its application to participate

in the program and must provide

reasons for the waiver. Where possible,

the applicant should suggest an

alternative that is designed to meet the

same objectives as those achieved by the

waived statutory or regulatory

provision. For example, if an applicant

seeks to waive the requirement that

students must achieve satisfactory

academic progress as defined in the

regulations, the applicant should

suggest an alternative means to ensure

that Federal student aid funds are

provided only to students who are

making progress towards a degree or

certificate. An applicant need not

include an alternative approach with

regard to a request to waive one or both

of the 50 percent rules.

Statutory Provisions

The Secretary may waive the

following HEA statutory provisions:

• Section 102(a)(3)(A). This section

makes an otherwise eligible institution

ineligible if more than 50 percent of its

courses are offered by correspondence

and telecommunication.

• Section 102(a)(3)(B). This section

makes an otherwise eligible institution

ineligible if 50 percent or more of its

students are enrolled in correspondence

or telecommunications courses.

• Section 484(l)(1). This section

defines a telecommunications student at

an institution as a correspondence

student if 50 percent or more of the

institution’s courses are offered by

correspondence or telecommunication.

• The required minimum number of

weeks of instruction contained in

section 481(a). This section provides

that an academic year must require at

least 30 weeks of instructional time.

• The required minimum number of

weeks of instruction contained in

section 481(b). This section provides

that an eligible vocational program must

be provided during a minimum of 15

weeks, or in limited circumstances, 10

weeks.

Regulatory Provisions

In addition to the aforementioned

statutory provisions, the Secretary may

waive the regulatory provisions

implementing part G of the HEA which

inhibit the operation of quality distance

education programs. Part G consists of

sections 481 through 493B of the HEA.

These sections contain numerous

provisions dealing with the Title IV,

HEA programs. In general, the

regulations implementing these

provisions are contained in 34 CFR part

668. (Under the Distance Education

Demonstration Program, the Secretary is

authorized to waive any regulations

governing part F of Title IV, which deals

with need analysis and costs of

attendance. However, the Secretary is

not authorized to issue regulations

implementing part F; therefore, there are

no regulations to waive.)

Application Requirements

Each application to participate in this

program shall include—

1. The name, address, and Web site

address, if any, of the institution,

system, or members of the consortium

seeking to participate, and the name,

title, mailing and e-mail addresses, and

telephone number of a contact person

for the institution, system, or

consortium;

2. A description of the distance

education programs offered or to be

offered for which the institution is

seeking a waiver or waivers. An

institution may request a waiver or

waivers for one, several, or all of its

distance education courses or programs.

The description should include the

types of programs, degrees or certificates

offered, program goals, and the methods

used or proposed to be used to deliver

distance education;

3. A description of the applicant’s

consultation with a recognized

accrediting agency or agencies with

respect to quality assurances for the

distance education programs to be

offered;

4. A description of the types of

students that the distance education

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 185 / Friday, September 22, 2000 / Notices 57325

programs are intended to serve, (e.g.,

adult learners, rural populations,

individuals with disabilities);

5. The Title IV, HEA programs under

which distance education students will

receive funds;

6. The specific statutory and

regulatory provisions to be waived, the

scope of each waiver, and the reason for

each waiver. The applicant should

propose an alternative to the provision

or explain why no alternative is

necessary;

7. An assurance that the institution,

system, or a consortium will fully

cooperate with the ongoing evaluations

of the program; and

8. A statement of the goals of the

institution, system, or consortium for

participation along with the method the

institution will use to evaluate

achievement of the goals.

In addition to the information

described above, systems and consortia

must provide the following additional

information—

1. A description of the system or

consortium and the relationship among

the members of the system or

consortium, a copy of any agreement

governing the relationship of

institutions that are members of the

system or consortium, and a list of the

institutions which are members;

2. A description of the manner in

which the distance education programs

are or will be conducted among the

system and consortium members

particularly as that manner is related to

the waiver request; and

3. The manner in which Title IV, HEA

program funds will be administered for

the students in the distance education

programs. (This would include such

matters as the disbursement procedures

that would be followed, the definition of

an academic year that would be used,

how attendance would be monitored,

and the satisfactory academic progress

rules that would be followed.)

Selection of Participants

In selecting applicants to participate

in the program, the Secretary will take

into account the—

1. Number and quality of applications

received;

2. Department of Education’s capacity

to oversee and monitor the applicant’s

participation;

3. Applicant’s financial responsibility,

administrative capability, and the

program or programs being offered via

distance education; and

4. Necessity of including a diverse

group of participating institutions vis-avis size, mission, and geographic

distribution.

As part of the selection process, the

Department of Education will screen the

applications to ensure that applicants

are eligible. Then, outside reviewers

will recommend the best applications

given the statutory criteria. The

Secretary will make final selections,

based on the recommendations of the

outside reviewers and the criteria listed

in statute.

Evaluations

The HEA requires the Secretary to

submit reports to Congress evaluating

the Distance Education Demonstration

Program annually and eighteen months

after the initiation of the program. As

specified in the Act, the evaluations are

to include the following:

1. The extent to which the institution,

system or consortium has met the goals

set forth in its application to the

Secretary, including the measures of

program quality assurance.

2. The number and types of students

participating in the programs offered,

including the progress of participating

students toward recognized certificates

or degrees and the extent to which

participation in such programs

increased.

3. Issues related to student financial

assistance for distance education.

4. Effective technologies for delivering

distance education course offerings.

5. The extent to which statutory or

regulatory requirements not waived

under the program present difficulties

for students or institutions.

To assist the Secretary in conducting

such evaluations, participants in the

distance education demonstration

programs will be required to provide

information to the Secretary, such as:

course level detail regarding their

offerings, the degrees or certificates

awarded for successful completion, data

on persistence and completion, data

regarding student demographics,

information regarding tuition and fees

charged by the participant, program

design and use of technology,

information regarding the educational

environment and student support, and

student satisfaction surveys.

Guidance

The guidance provided below is

intended to assist applicants in

determining what information they may

wish to include in their applications.

This guidance is non-binding and does

not constitute criteria for selection.

Applications which do not include the

information suggested in the guidance

will be considered on the same basis as

applications which include all or part of

that information.

1. Applicants should consider

describing the ways that they think their

proposals will assist the Department in

determining new ways of administering

Federal student assistance programs that

better meet the needs of distance

students.

2. It is important that the accrediting

and State authorizing agencies of the

institution, or institutions that comprise

a consortium or system, are willing to

collaborate with the Department to

determine how their complementary

roles can best be structured to assure

quality and integrity in institutions’

distance education programs. To this

end, applicants for the program should

provide documentation that their

accrediting agencies and States are

willing to work with the Department to

examine the respective roles of the

agencies as they relate to institutions’

distance education programs. In that

documentation, accrediting agencies

should certify that the individual

distance programs that the institution

includes in its application are within

the scope of the institution’s

accreditation, and that the agency will

review the program at an appropriate

time. Consortiums and systems should

also provide evidence that the agency or

agencies which accredit the schools

comprising the consortium or system

are willing to work with the Department

in evaluating issues relating to the

quality of distance education offered by

the institutions as a result of their

membership in the consortium or

system.

3. While the Department will evaluate

applications using the statutory criteria,

to the extent possible, the Department

will view those criteria in the context of

the delivery of student aid to distance

students and any changes that are

needed to facilitate that process.

Because the delivery of student aid is so

critical to improving access to distance

education, a good application would

fully describe the applicant’s ability to

fully execute its plans and specify

waivers requested and substitutions and

address fully the need for the waivers

and substitutions.

4. Applicants should consider

establishing both quantitative and

qualitative objectives for their

participation and include in the

application a description of how they

intend to measure goal attainment,

including measures of program quality.

The Department notes that quantitative

measures are essential for

understanding goal attainment.

5. A major concern of the Department

is to insure that Federal funds in the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program are used appropriately. A good

57326 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 185 / Friday, September 22, 2000 / Notices

application will address how the

applicant plans to document student

eligibility, including documentation of

attendance.

6. Another major concern of the

Department is that an applicant be

committed as an institution to the

success of its proposed activities. One

way for an institution to demonstrate its

commitment would be for the

institution to include with its

application a letter from its chief

executive officer (or comparable official)

expressing support for the application

and acknowledgement of the

responsibilities that the institution

would assume if it were approved.

Correspondingly, in the case of a

consortium applicant, the submission of

such a letter from the chief executive

officer (or comparable official) of each of

the participating institutions would

demonstrate such commitment.

Regional Meetings

Interested parties are invited to attend

one of four regional meetings where

information, advice, and technical

assistance will be provided about

applying to participate in the Distance

Education Demonstration Program and

providing Federal financial aid to

students enrolled in distance education

programs. The regional meetings will

begin with a brief description of

eligibility requirements for the Distance

Education Demonstration Program and

the application and selection processes

for this program. Individuals will then

be provided an opportunity to ask

questions regarding the application

process and other matters relating to the

Distance Education Demonstration

Program. Department of Education staff

with expertise on various issues relating

to the Distance Education

Demonstration Program will be

available to answer these questions.

Questions regarding eligibility and

administration of Title IV, HEA student

financial assistance programs may be

relevant to institutions’ interest in

applying for the Distance Education

Demonstration Program. Accordingly,

during the course of the meeting,

Department staff will also address

questions that relate generally to the

administration of aid in distance

education programs.

For each of the meetings the

Department of Education has reserved a

limited number of hotel rooms at a

special per diem room rate. To reserve

these rates (see the exception for the

November meeting) be certain to inform

the hotel that you are attending the

regional meetings with the Department

of Education. The meeting sites are

accessible to individuals with

disabilities. The Department will

provide a sign language interpreter at

each of the scheduled hearings. An

individual with a disability who will

need an auxiliary aid or service other

than an interpreter to participate in the

meeting (e.g., assistive listening device,

or materials in an alternative format)

should notify the contact person listed

in this notice at least two weeks before

the scheduled meeting date. Although

the Department will attempt to meet a

request received after that date, the

requested auxiliary aid or service may

not be available because of insufficient

time to arrange it.

Dates, Times, and Locations of Regional

Meetings

1. October 18, 2000, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,

Office of Postsecondary Education

Conference Center, 1990 K Street, NW.,

8th floor, Washington, DC 20006. Rooms

available for October 17 at Embassy

Square, 2000 N Street, NW.,

Washington, DC, 20036. Call (202) 659–

9000 for reservations. Sleeping room

rate $118.00 plus taxes. Reservations

must be made by October 1. Identify

yourself as a participant in the

Department of Education regional

meeting.

2. November 1, 2000, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,

Albuquerque, New Mexico prior to the

annual meeting of the Western

Cooperative for Educational

Telecommunications. Hyatt Regency

Hotel, 330 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque,

NM 87102, 800–233–1234 or reserve

online: http://www.hyatt.com/albuq/gwich/index.html Reference Western

Cooperative for Educational

Telecommunications in making

reservation. Sleeping room rates, single

$118 plus taxes; double $128 plus taxes.

Reservations must be made by

September 30.

3. November 9, 2000, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.,

Chicago, Illinois, Congress Plaza Hotel,

520 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL

60605, 800–635–1666, (312) 427–3800.

Sleeping room rate, $130 plus taxes.

Reservations must be made by October

8, 2000. Identify yourself as a

participant in the Department of

Education regional meeting.

4. November 29, 2000, 9 a.m. to 1

p.m., Seattle, Washington, Claremont

Hotel, 2000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA

98121, 877–448–8601, (206) 448–8600.

Sleeping room rate $104 plus taxes.

Reservations must be made by

November 13. Identify yourself as a

participant in the Department of

Education regional meeting.

Electronic Access to This Document

You may view this document, as well

as all other Department of Education

documents published in the Federal

Register, in text or Adobe Portable

Document Format (PDF) on the Internet

at either of the following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the PDF version you must have

Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is

available free at either of the previous

sites. If you have questions about using

the PDF version, 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.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1093.

A. Lee Fritschler,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary

Education.

[FR Doc. 00–24341 Filed 9–21–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No. 84.305T]

Office of Educational Research and

Improvement (OERI); Field-Initiated

Studies (FIS) Education Research

Grant Program; Notice of Application

Review Procedures for New Awards for

Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

SUMMARY: On July 14, 2000 we

published in the Federal Register (64

FR 43957) a notice inviting applications

for new awards for FY 2001 for the FIS

Education Research Grant Program. The

procedures governing the review of

applications are contained in 34 CFR

part 700. This notice explains

modifications to those procedures that

OERI will use to review applications for

this competition.

Application Review Procedure

OERI will use a one-tier review

process for the FIS program competition

for FY 2001. Applications will be

assigned to review panels where the

expertise of the panel matches the topic

of the application. Within each panel,

each application will be reviewed by at

least three reviewers. Three selection

criteria were included in the application

package—National Significance, Quality

of the Project Design, and Quality and

Potential Contributions of Personnel.

Reviewers will weigh the three selection

criteria equally to rate each application

as either—

(1) Exceptionally high quality,