Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 130 / Monday, July 12, 2021 / Notices 36533 

and including the professional doctoral 

degree, including those institutions that 

are specifically certified by the agency 

as accredited for Title IV purposes. 

7. Middle States Commission on 

Secondary Schools. Scope of 

recognition: The accreditation of 

postsecondary, non-degree granting 

institutions that offer all or part of their 

educational programs via distance 

education modalities in the United 

States. 

8. Southern Association of Colleges 

and Schools, Commission on Colleges 

(‘‘SACSCOC’’). Scope of recognition: 

The accreditation and pre-accreditation 

(‘‘Candidate for Accreditation’’) of 

degree-granting institutions of higher 

education in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 

Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North 

Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, 

Texas, and Virginia, including the 

accreditation of programs offered via 

distance and correspondence education 

within these institutions. This 

recognition extends to the SACSCOC 

Board of Trustees and the Appeals 

Committee of the College Delegate 

Assembly on cases of initial candidacy 

or initial accreditation and for 

continued accreditation or candidacy. 

Compliance Reports 

1. New York State Board of Regents, 

State Education Department, Office of 

the Professions (Public Postsecondary 

Vocational Education, Practical 

Nursing). Scope of Recognition: State 

agency for the approval of public 

postsecondary vocational education in 

the field of practical nursing offered by 

a Board of Cooperative Educational 

Services, an Educational Opportunity 

Center, City School Districts, and 

County Boards of Supervisors to prepare 

persons for licensed practical nursing 

careers in the State of New York. The 

compliance report includes findings of 

noncompliance with Criteria in 34 CFR 

603 as referenced in the SDO decision 

letter dated May 27, 2020 available 

under NACIQI meeting date 02/27/2020 

at https://surveys.ope.ed.gov/ 

erecognition/PublicDocuments. 

Submission of Written Comments 

Regarding a Specific Accrediting 

Agency Under Review 

Written comments about the 

recognition of any of the accrediting 

agencies listed above must be received 

by August 15, 2021, in the 

ThirdPartyComments@ed.gov mailbox. 

Please include in the subject line 

‘‘Written Comments: (agency name).’’ 

The electronic mail (email) must 

include the name(s), title, organization/ 

affiliation, mailing address, email 

address, and telephone number of the 

person(s) making the comment. 

Comments should be submitted as a 

Microsoft Word document or in a 

medium compatible with Microsoft 

Word (not a PDF file) that is attached to 

an email or provided in the body of an 

email message. Comments about an 

agency that has submitted a compliance 

report scheduled for review by the 

Department must relate to the criteria 

for recognition cited in the senior 

Department official’s letter that 

requested the report, or in the 

Secretary’s appeal decision, if any. 

Comments about an agency that has 

submitted a petition for initial 

recognition, renewal of recognition, or 

an expansion of scope must relate to the 

agency’s compliance with the Criteria 

for the Recognition of Accrediting 

Agencies, which are available at http:// 

www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/ 

index.html. 

Only written materials submitted by 

the deadline to the email address listed 

in this notice, and in accordance with 

these instructions, become part of the 

official record concerning agencies 

scheduled for review and are considered 

by the Department and NACIQI in their 

deliberations. 

Electronic Access to This Document: 

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 via the Federal Digital System 

at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you 

can view this document, as well as all 

other documents of the Department 

published in the Federal Register, in 

text or Adobe Portable Document 

Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must 

have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 

available free at the site. You may also 

access documents of the Department 

published in the Federal Register by 

using the article search feature at: 

www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, 

through the advanced search feature at 

this site, you can limit your search to 

documents published by the 

Department. 

Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1011c; 20 U.S.C. 

1099b. 

Annmarie Weisman, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, 

Planning and Innovation, Office of 

Postsecondary Education. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14741 Filed 7–9–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

[Docket No. ED–2021–SCC–0034] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Comment Request; 

Assurance of Compliance—Civil 

Rights Certificate 

AGENCY: Office of Civil Rights (OCR), 

Department of Education (ED). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 

proposing an extension of a currently 

approved collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before August 

11, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for proposed 

information collection requests should 

be sent within 30 days of publication of 

this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/ 

do/PRAMain. Find this information 

collection request by selecting 

‘‘Department of Education’’ under 

‘‘Currently Under Review,’’ then check 

‘‘Only Show ICR for Public Comment’’ 

checkbox. Comments may also be sent 

to ICDocketmgr@ed.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

specific questions related to collection 

activities, please contact Elizabeth 

Wiegman, 202–453–6039. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Department of Education (ED), in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 

3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general 

public and Federal agencies with an 

opportunity to comment on proposed, 

revised, and continuing collections of 

information. This helps the Department 

assess the impact of its information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. It also 

helps the public understand the 

Department’s information collection 

requirements and provide the requested 

data in the desired format. ED is 

soliciting comments on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. The Department of 

Education is especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) Is this collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

Department; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the Department enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the Department minimize the 

burden of this collection on the 


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36534 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 130 / Monday, July 12, 2021 / Notices 

respondents, including through the use 

of information technology. Please note 

that written comments received in 

response to this notice will be 

considered public records. 

Title of Collection: Assurance of 

Compliance—Civil Rights Certificate. 

OMB Control Number: 1870–0503. 

Type of Review: An extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: State, 

Local, and Tribal Governments; Private 

Sector. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 25. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 8. 

Abstract: The Office for Civil Rights 

(OCR) has enforcement responsibilities 

under several civil rights laws, 

including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964, Title IX of the Education 

Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age 

Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Boy 

Scouts of America Equal Access Act. To 

meet these responsibilities, OCR collects 

assurances of compliance from 

applicants for Federal financial 

assistance from, and applicants for 

funds made available through, the 

Department of Education, as required by 

regulations. These entities include, for 

example, State educational agencies, 

local education agencies, and 

postsecondary educational institutions. 

If a recipient violates one or more of 

these civil rights laws, OCR and the 

Department of Justice can use the signed 

assurances of compliance in an 

enforcement proceeding. 

Dated: July 7, 2021. 

Juliana Pearson, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance Governance and Strategy Division 

Office of Chief Data Officer Office of Planning, 

Evaluation and Policy Development. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14742 Filed 7–9–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Applications for New Awards; 

Innovative Approaches to Literacy 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and 

Secondary Education, Department of 

Education. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Education 

(Department) is issuing a notice inviting 

applications for new awards for fiscal 

year (FY) 2021 for the Innovative 

Approaches to Literacy (IAL) Program, 

Assistance Listing Number 84.215G. 

This notice relates to the approved 

information collection under OMB 

control number 1894–0006. 

DATES: 

Applications Available: July 12, 2021. 

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: 

July 22, 2021. 

Deadline for Transmittal of 

Applications: August 11, 2021. 

Deadline for Intergovernmental 

Review: September 10, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for 

obtaining and submitting an 

application, please refer to our Common 

Instructions for Applicants to 

Department of Education Discretionary 

Grant Programs, published in the 

Federal Register on February 13, 2019 

(84 FR 3768) and available at 

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019- 

02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Simon Earle, U.S. Department of 

Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 

Room 3E254, Washington, DC 20202– 

6450. Telephone: (202) 453–7923. 

Email: Simon.Earle@ed.gov. 

If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) or a text 

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877– 

8339. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: 

The Department will hold a preapplication meeting via webinar for 

prospective applicants. For information 

about the pre-application webinar, visit 

the IAL website at: https://oese.ed.gov/ 

offices/office-of-discretionary-grantssupport-services/well-roundededucation-programs/innovativeapproaches-to-literacy/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Purpose of Program: The IAL program 

supports high-quality programs 

designed to develop and improve 

literacy skills for children and students 

from birth through 12th grade in highneed local educational agencies (LEAs) 

and schools. The Department intends to 

promote innovative literacy programs 

that support the development of literacy 

skills in low-income communities, 

including programs that (1) develop and 

enhance effective school library 

programs, which may include providing 

professional development for school 

librarians, books, and up-to-date 

materials to high-need schools; (2) 

provide early literacy services, 

including pediatric literacy programs 

through which, during well-child visits, 

medical providers trained in researchbased methods of early language and 

literacy promotion provide 

developmentally appropriate books and 

recommendations to parents to 

encourage them to read aloud to their 

children starting in infancy; and (3) 

provide high-quality books on a regular 

basis to children and adolescents from 

low-income communities to increase 

reading motivation, performance, and 

frequency. 

The Explanatory Statement for 

Division H of the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116– 

260) (2021 Appropriations Explanatory 

Statement) includes language directing 

the Department to reserve no less than 

50 percent of funds under the IAL 

program for grants to develop and 

enhance effective school library 

programs, which may include providing 

professional development to school 

librarians and books and up-to-date 

materials to high-need schools (166 

Cong. Rec. H8634, 2020). While report 

language does not create a legal 

requirement to reserve the specified 

amount of funding for school library 

programs, the number of high-quality 

applications related to school library 

programs received under IAL 

competitions generally has allowed the 

Department to meet this report language 

directive. 

Priorities: This notice contains two 

absolute priorities and three competitive 

preference priorities. Absolute Priorities 

1 and 2 were established in the notice 

of final priorities and requirement for 

IAL (NFP), published elsewhere in this 

issue of the Federal Register. 

Competitive Preference Priority 1 is 

from the Administrative Priorities for 

Discretionary Grant Programs, 

published in the Federal Register on 

March 9, 2020 (85 FR 13640) 

(Administrative Priorities). Competitive 

Preference Priorities 2 and 3 are from 

the NFP. 

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2021 and 

any subsequent year in which we make 

awards from the list of unfunded 

applications from this competition, 

these priorities are absolute priorities. 

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider 

only applications that meet at least one 

of these absolute priorities. 

These priorities are: 

Absolute Priority 1—Projects, Carried 

Out in Coordination With School 

Libraries, for Book Distribution, 

Childhood Literacy Activities, or Both. 

Projects that propose to coordinate 

with school libraries to carry out grant 

activities, such as book distributions, 

childhood literacy activities, or both, for 

the proposed project. 

Absolute Priority 2—Projects, Carried 

Out in Coordination With School 

Libraries, That Provide a Learning 

Environment That Is Racially, 

Ethnically, Culturally, Disability Status 


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