2020-23457. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) Program Annual Performance Report

AGENCY:

Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a reinstatement with change of a previously approved collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 23, 2020.

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 particular information collection request by selecting “Department of Education” under “Currently Under Review,” then check “Only Show ICR for Public Comment” checkbox.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Kenneth Foushee, 202-453-7417.

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 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: Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) Program Annual Performance Report.

OMB Control Number: 1840-0832.

Type of Review: A reinstatement with change of a previously approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments; Private Sector.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 62.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,054.

Abstract: Veterans Upward Bound (VUB), one of the U.S. Department of Education's Upward Bound programs, is designed to motivate and assist veterans in developing academic and other requisite skills necessary for acceptance and success in a program of postsecondary education. The program provides assessment and enhancement of basic skills through counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in the core subject areas. The primary goal of the program is to increase the rate at which participants enroll in and complete postsecondary education programs.

All Veterans Upward Bound projects must provide instruction in mathematics through pre-calculus, laboratory science, foreign language, composition, and literature. Projects may also provide short-term remedial or refresher courses for veterans who are high school graduates but have delayed pursuing postsecondary education. Projects are also expected to assist veterans in securing support services from other locally available resources such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans' associations, and other state and local agencies that serve veterans.

The Department's annual performance report (APR) for VUB collects each current grantee's data at the participant level on services and performance over the course of a year. The Department uses the information conveyed in the performance report to assess a grantee's progress in meeting its approved goals and objectives and to evaluate a grantee's prior experience in accordance with the program regulations in 34 CFR 645.32. Grantees' annual performance reports also provide information on the outcomes of projects' work and of the VUB program as a whole. In addition, APR data allows the Department to respond to the reporting requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act.

Dated: October 19, 2020.

Kate Mullan,

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.