Publication Date: April 2006 FRPart: |
Page Numbers: 17421-17422
Notice inviting letters of application for participation in the Quality Assurance Program.
Posted on 04-06-2005
[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 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:
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.
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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