Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2005/03/21/05-5547/higher-education-programs
Timestamp: 2018-07-23 18:20:31
Document Index: 146919358

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 663', 'art 664', 'art 669', 'arts 606', 'art 611', 'arts 606', '§\u2009606', '§\u2009611', '§\u2009611', 'art\n21', '§\u2009658']

A Rule by the Education Department on 03/21/2005
These regulations are effective April 20, 2005.
70 FR 13371
13371-13377 (7 pages)
05-5547
2. Summary of Potential Costs and Benefits
34 CFR Part 663
34 CFR Part 664
34 CFR Part 669
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/05-5547 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/05-5547
These final regulations remove all references to points in the selection criteria the Department of Education (Department) uses to evaluate applications submitted under the higher education discretionary grant programs. We are taking this action because the current point assignments are outdated and do not permit sufficient flexibility to establish important program objectives. Taking this action allows us that flexibility and ensures that grant awards are made to high quality applicants.
The final regulations also remove the requirement that in competitions for grants under the Partnership and Teacher-Recruitment components of the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants Program, the Secretary hold a two-stage competition in which applicants must submit a pre-application and a full application. The current structure did not prove effective in producing high quality applications for this program. Removing the requirement for a pre-application reduces burden on applicants and the Department and allows both to target their resources on the full application stage.
There are some amendments in these final regulations that are purely technical corrections to the regulations.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to either contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
On December 22, 2004, the Secretary Start Printed Page 13372published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for 34 CFR parts 606, 607, 611, 637, 648, 656, 657, 658, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, and 669 in the Federal Register (69 FR 76636). In the preamble of the NPRM, the Secretary discussed on pages 76636 and 76637 the major changes proposed to the current regulations. These are as follows:
The Secretary proposed removing the mandatory point values from the selection criteria in the regulations associated with the application process for discretionary grant programs. These amendments provide the Secretary with the flexibility to select specific point values from year to year to address current priorities for the programs.
The Secretary also proposed amending 34 CFR part 611, which governs the Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants (TQE) program. This amendment makes discretionary the existing requirement that in competitions for grants under the program's Partnership and Teacher-Recruitment components, the Secretary conduct a two-stage process for selecting applicants involving the submission and review of pre-applications and full applications.
There were no differences between the NPRM and these final regulations.
In response to the Secretary's invitation in the NPRM, the Department did not receive any comments on the changes to the TQE program. Several parties submitted comments on the proposed regulations regarding removal of mandatory point values. An analysis of the comments follows.
Generally, we do not address technical and other minor changes—and suggested changes the law does not authorize the Secretary to make.
Comments: Several commenters believed that the elimination of points will result in some institutions being denied the opportunity to compete for grants because they will not have enough time to prepare because of the change.
Discussion: The Secretary does not agree that eliminating specific point values from the regulations will reduce the opportunity for potential grantees to compete for grants. The regulations continue to specify the criteria used in making the grants in each program. Moreover, the points to be awarded for each criteria will be specified in a Federal Register notice or in the application package, which will be available in enough time for potential applicants to prepare their applications.
Comment: Several commenters wrote that eliminating points from the criteria will result in a reduced focus on institutions that serve disadvantaged students or programs that serve a particular group.
Discussion: The Secretary understands the concerns of the commenters. We do not believe that the proposed change will lead to reduced focus on institutions that serve disadvantaged students or particular groups of students. Removing point values from the regulations does not change the selection criteria or otherwise change the focus of the programs.
Comment: Several commenters stated that the elimination of points would result in a preference for four-year institutions over two-year institutions.
Discussion: We have no reason to believe that the removal of points from the regulations will result in a preference for four-year institutions over two-year institutions in grant awards. The selection criteria will remain the same, so the removal of points will not effect the selection of applicants.
In assessing the potential costs and benefits—both quantitative and qualitative—of these final regulations, we have determined that the benefits regulations justify the costs.
We discussed the potential costs and benefits of these final regulations in the preamble to the NPRM in the section titled Supplementary Information.
The Secretary certifies that these final regulations will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. Small entities affected by these regulations are small institutions of higher education. The changes will not have a significant economic impact on the institutions affected.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 does not require you to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. We display the valid OMB control numbers assigned to collections of information in these final regulations at the end of the affected sections of the regulations.
For the reasons discussed in the preamble, the Secretary amends parts 606, 607, 611, 637, 648, 656, 657, 658, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, and 669 of title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations as follows:
(b) If funds are available to fund only one additional development grant and each of the next fundable applications has received the same number of points under § 606.20 or 606.22, the Secretary awards additional points, as provided in the application package or in a notice published in the Federal Register, to any of those applicants that—
(2) In the case of an application for a cooperative arrangement grant, demonstrates that the grant will enable each eligible participant to meet the goals and objectives of its comprehensive development plan better Start Printed Page 13374and at a lower cost than if each eligible participant were funded individually.
12. Section 611.2 is amended by, in paragraph (a), removing the words “paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2)(iii), or (a)(3)(iii) of § 611.3” and adding, in their place, the words “paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2)(i)(B), (a)(2)(ii), (a)(3)(i)(B), or (a)(3)(ii) of § 611.3”.
E. In paragraph (d)(1), removing the parenthetical “(See EDGAR 34 CFR 75.590—Evaluation by the grantee; where applicable)” and adding, in its place, the parenthetical “(See 34 CFR 75.590)”;
End Authority Start Printed Page 13375 Start Amendment Part
21. Section 656.20 is amended by revising paragraph (b) to read as follows:
A. In paragraph (a), adding the word “institutional” before the word “application”; and
In addition to the criteria referred to in § 658.31, the Secretary evaluates an application submitted by an organization or association on the basis of the criterion in this section.
Start Printed Page 13376
A. Removing all of the parentheticals that end in “points)”;
B. In paragraph (e), adding the punctuation “.” after the word “resources”; and
B. In paragraph (c)(2), removing the word “a”; and
A. Removing all of the parentheticals that end in “points)” and removing the parentheticals “(10)”, “(15)”, and “(5)” wherever they appear; and
A. Removing all of the parentheticals that end in “points).” and removing the parenthetical that ends in “points)”; and
Start Printed Page 13377
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1123)
B. In paragraph (c), removing the symbol “§”; and
[FR Doc. 05-5547 Filed 3-18-05; 8:45 am]