[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 212 (Tuesday, November 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67734-67737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28010]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice Inviting Postsecondary Educational Institutions To 
Participate in Experiments Under the Experimental Sites Initiative; 
Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs Under Title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary invites postsecondary institutions 
(institutions) that participate in the student financial assistance 
programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
as amended (HEA), to apply to participate in a new institution-based 
experiment under the Experimental Sites Initiative (ESI). Under the 
ESI, the Secretary has authority to grant waivers

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from certain title IV, HEA statutory or regulatory requirements to 
allow a limited number of institutions to participate in experiments to 
test alternative methods for administering the title IV, HEA programs. 
ESI experiments are designed to facilitate efforts by institutions to 
explore particular innovative practices aimed at improving student 
outcomes, the delivery of services, or both.
    Under this experiment, participating institutions will be provided 
a waiver of the specific statutory and regulatory provisions that 
prevent students who are enrolled in secondary school from receiving 
Federal Pell Grants for enrollment in title IV-eligible postsecondary 
programs. Details of the experiment are provided in the Background 
section of this notice.

DATES: Letters of interest to participate in the experiment described 
in this notice must be received by the Department no later than 
February 1, 2016 in order for the institution to ensure that it is 
considered for participation in the experiment. Institutions submitting 
letters that are received after February 1, 2016 may still be 
considered for participation, at the discretion of the Secretary.

ADDRESSES: Letters of interest must be submitted by electronic mail to 
the following email address: [email protected]. For formats and 
other required information, see ``Instructions for Submitting Letters 
of Interest'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Warren Farr, U.S. Department of 
Education, Federal Student Aid, 830 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20002. Telephone: (202) 377-4380 or by email at: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Instructions for Submitting Letters of Interest

    Interested institutions must submit a letter of interest. Letters 
of interest must be submitted as a PDF attachment to an email message 
sent to the email address provided in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The subject line of the email should read ``ESI 2015-Dual 
Enrollment.'' The text of the email should include the name and address 
of the institution. The letter of interest should be on institutional 
letterhead and be signed by the institution's financial aid 
administrator.
    The letter of interest must include the institution's official name 
and Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education 
Identification (OPEID) number, as well as a mailing address, email 
address, FAX number, and telephone number of a contact person at the 
institution.
    We are interested in information such as (1) a brief description of 
the proposed dual enrollment arrangement(s) between the institution and 
one or more public secondary schools or local educational agencies 
(LEAs) that the institution is considering for participation in the 
experiment; (2) how the arrangement would meet the requirements 
described in this notice; (3) if the institution has identified one or 
more public secondary schools that it will partner with under this 
experiment, identifying information for each public secondary school, 
and the school's LEA ; and (4) an estimate of the number of students 
who will be served under each proposed arrangement with one or a group 
of public secondary schools or LEAs.

Background

    Expanding opportunities for students to enroll and succeed in 
postsecondary education is vital to building a strong economy and 
middle class. However, there are numerous barriers preventing some 
students, particularly those from low-income families, from accessing 
and completing postsecondary education, such as cost and the lack of 
access to rigorous coursework and support services.
    Dual enrollment, in which students concurrently enroll in 
postsecondary coursework while in secondary school, has emerged as a 
promising approach to expand access to postsecondary education. A 
growing body of research suggests that participation in dual enrollment 
can lead to improved academic outcomes, especially for students from 
low-income families and first-generation college students, or those who 
are otherwise underrepresented in postsecondary education.\1\ Research 
suggests that participation in dual enrollment can lead to increased 
postsecondary education enrollment following secondary school, higher 
rates of persistence in postsecondary education, greater credit 
accumulation, higher grade point averages (GPAs), and increased rates 
of credential attainment.2 3 In addition, studies have found 
that taking postsecondary-level courses while in secondary school is 
associated with increased levels of academic preparedness for 
postsecondary-level coursework and higher rates of secondary school 
graduation.4 5
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    \1\ Karp, M, and Hughes, K. (2008). Study: Dual Enrollment Can 
Benefit a Broad Range of Students. Techniques: Connecting Education 
and Careers (J1) 83.7, 14-17.
    \2\ An, B. P. (2012). ``The Impact of Dual Enrollment on College 
Degree Attainment: Do Low-SES Students Benefit? Educational 
Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 35, 57-75.
    \3\ Karp, M. M., Calcagno, J. C., Hughes, K. L., Jeong, D. W., & 
Bailey, T. R. (2007). The Achievement of Participants in Dual 
Enrollment: An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States. Saint 
Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, National Research Center for 
Career and Technical Education.
    \4\ Speroni, C. (2011). High School Dual Enrollment Programs: 
Are We Fast-Tracking Students Too Fast? NCPR Working Paper. National 
Center for Postsecondary Research.
    \5\ American Institutes for Research & SRI. (2013). Early 
College, Early Success: Early College High School Initiative Impact 
Study. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.
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    Dual enrollment can also facilitate stronger connections between 
the secondary and postsecondary education sectors by leveraging 
existing tools that enable closer alignment between secondary schools 
and postsecondary institutions. For example, some postsecondary 
institutions have begun using college- and career-ready standards and 
assessments at the secondary school level as an indicator of academic 
preparedness for college-level coursework. Despite evidence that dual 
enrollment programs show promising results for increasing students' 
college participation and outcomes, cost can be a barrier: at nearly 
half of institutions with dual enrollment programs, most students pay 
out of pocket for tuition.\6\ States, schools, and organizations can 
all play a role in investing in dual enrollment programs and ensuring 
that costs do not pose a barrier to underserved populations.
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    \6\ Marken, Stephanie et al. (2013). Dual Enrollment Programs 
and Courses for High School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 
2010-11. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education 
Statistics. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013002.pdf.
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    The objectives of this experiment are to learn about how Federal 
Pell Grant funding can expand opportunities for students from low-
income backgrounds to participate in dual enrollment, explore how Pell 
Grant funding can expand access to rigorous coursework for high school 
students, and provide the Department with information regarding the 
number and characteristics of Pell-eligible students who would likely 
participate in dual enrollment programs.
    For this experiment, the Department is particularly interested in 
dual enrollment arrangements that are aligned with postsecondary 
degrees and credentials in high-demand fields,

[[Page 67736]]

including Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer 
Science, and those aligned with career pathways and other career 
preparation programs. These types of dual enrollment arrangements have 
been shown to produce strong positive outcomes for 
students.7 8
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    \7\ Hughes, K., et al. (2012). Broadening the Benefits of Dual 
Enrollment: Reaching Underachieving and Underrepresented Students 
with Career-Focused Programs. Insight. James Irvine Foundation.
    \8\ Rodr[iacute]guez, O., Hughes, K. L., & Belfield, C. (2012). 
Bridging College and Careers: Using Dual Enrollment to Enhance 
Career and Technical Education Pathways. Available at: http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/bridging-college-careers-dual-enrollment.html.
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Reporting and Evaluation

    To evaluate the experiment, participating institutions will be 
required to collect, maintain, and report information about students 
receiving Federal Pell Grants under the experiment. This information 
may include: The number and characteristics of students enrolled in 
dual enrollment, the number of postsecondary credits the students have 
attempted and earned, the amount of Federal Pell Grant funding provided 
to each student, and indicators of academic progression and completion. 
In addition, participating institutions may be required to report 
information about the number and characteristics of low-income students 
who participated in dual enrollment prior to the experiment.
    Participating institutions will be required to participate in 
annual surveys that collect information about the institution's dual 
enrollment arrangement(s) and any unforeseen challenges. This 
information may include the characteristics of the institution's dual 
enrollment arrangement (e.g., tuition and fees, caps on credits earned, 
support services provided, instructional delivery methods, and faculty 
characteristics). The Department will finalize the specific evaluation 
and reporting requirements prior to the start of the experiment.
    The Department's evaluation will also include information reported 
by postsecondary institutions through the Department's systems 
regarding the enrollment, completion, and withdrawal of students who 
receive Pell Grant funds under the experiment.

Application and Selection

    From the institutions that submit letters of interest, the 
Secretary will select a limited number of institutions to participate 
in this experiment. When selecting institutions for participation in 
this experiment, the Secretary will consider evidence that demonstrates 
a strong record on student outcomes and in the administration of the 
title IV, HEA programs. The Secretary will also consider all 
information available about an institution including, but not limited 
to, information provided in an institution's letters of interest, 
evidence of programmatic compliance, completion rates, repayment rates, 
cohort default rates, financial responsibility ratios, evidence of 
credit transferability, and with regard to for-profit institutions, 
``90/10'' ratios. The Department encourages applications from 
institutions of various types and controls, geographic locations, 
enrollment sizes, and title IV, HEA program participation levels, among 
other characteristics.
    Participating institutions will have their Program Participation 
Agreement with the Secretary amended to reflect the specific statutory 
and regulatory provisions that the Secretary has waived for the 
experiment. Administration of the experiment is the responsibility of 
the entire institution. The institution will be required to acknowledge 
its commitment to properly administer the experiment.

The Experiment

Description
    Section 484(a)(1) of the HEA and 34 CFR 668.32(b) specifically 
prohibit a student from receiving title IV assistance, including 
Federal Pell Grants, if the student is, in addition to being enrolled 
in an eligible postsecondary educational program, also enrolled in 
secondary school. Under this experiment, the Secretary will waive the 
statutory and regulatory provisions that prevent a student who is 
enrolled in secondary school from receiving Federal Pell Grants for 
enrollment in a postsecondary educational program. The Secretary will 
also waive, for the students included in the dual enrollment 
experiment, the requirement that a student must have a high school 
diploma or its recognized equivalent in order to receive title IV aid.
    The Secretary does not waive any dual enrollment participation 
requirements that participating institutions, public secondary schools, 
State Educational Agencies, or LEAs may already have.
    Consistent with the waiver authority granted to the Secretary under 
section 487A(b) of the HEA, this experiment will examine the extent to 
which waiving the restrictions on providing Federal Pell Grants to 
secondary school students increases low-income student participation in 
dual enrollment. Under the experiment, the student and the 
postsecondary program in which the student enrolls must meet all other 
title IV eligibility requirements in order for the student to receive a 
Federal Pell Grant.
Institutional Eligibility
    To participate in the experiment, the institution must have an 
arrangement with one or more LEAs or public secondary schools, as 
defined by the State in which the public secondary school is located, 
to permit public secondary school students to enroll in a title IV-
eligible postsecondary program.
    Under this experiment, the arrangement between the postsecondary 
educational institution and an LEA or public secondary school must:
     Require dually enrolled students to enroll in a title IV 
eligible postsecondary program as regular students, as defined by 34 
CFR 600.2.
     Provide that students will receive Federal Pell Grants 
only for coursework that applies towards completion of a postsecondary 
credential at the participating institution. Such coursework may, but 
is not required to, apply towards a secondary school diploma. 
Participating institutions should ensure that dual enrollment 
arrangements do not impede participating students' academic progress 
and persistence in secondary school.
     Offer students the opportunity to earn the equivalent of 
at least 12 postsecondary credit hours while also enrolled in a public 
secondary school.
     Ensure that students are adequately prepared academically 
for postsecondary-level coursework. This may include ensuring that 
students meet any relevant requirements that may apply for enrollment, 
such as grade point average, placement tests, and course prerequisite 
requirements.
     Prohibit the use of Federal Pell Grant funds for remedial 
coursework taken by students who are enrolled in a public secondary 
school.
     Provide appropriate student support services, such as 
academic tutoring, high school to college transition support, guidance 
counseling, or other comparable services designed to increase student 
preparation for and success in postsecondary education. These services 
may be provided by the public secondary school, the institution, the 
LEA, or by another entity.
     Provide assistance completing the Free Application for 
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This assistance may be provided by the 
public secondary

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school, the institution, the LEA, or by another entity.
    To the extent that the institution has information about potential 
restrictions on the transferability of the credits that secondary 
students may receive under the institution's dual enrollment 
arrangement, the institution must disclose this information to students 
and their families prior to the student's participation in the dual 
enrollment experiment.
    Participating institutions must ensure that after all Federal Pell 
Grants, State, local, institutional aid, or other resources have been 
applied to student charges, students are not responsible for any 
remaining institutional charges as a result of enrolling in the 
postsecondary program as part of the institution's dual enrollment 
arrangement under the experiment.
Use of Funds
    Federal Pell Grants made available to students to enroll in 
participating institutions through this experiment must not supplant 
public and institutional sources of funding for an institution's dual 
enrollment arrangement(s). To verify and monitor this requirement, 
participating institutions will be required to annually submit to the 
Department information about the total cost of operating the dual 
enrollment arrangement and the sources of funding for the arrangement. 
The Secretary may remove an institution from the experiment if the 
Secretary determines that Federal Pell Grant funds have been used to 
supplant existing funding sources.
Waivers
    Institutions selected for this experiment will be exempt from the 
following statutory and regulatory provisions:
     Section 484(a)(1) of the HEA and 34 CFR 668.32(b), to the 
extent that the statute and regulations prohibit a student who is 
enrolled in a public secondary school from receiving funds under the 
Federal Pell Grant program;
     Section 484(d) of the HEA and 34 CFR 668.32(e), to the 
extent that the statute and regulations require that a student have a 
high school diploma, or its recognized equivalent, to be eligible for 
Federal Pell Grant funds.
    All other provisions and regulations of the title IV, HEA programs 
will apply to institutions participating in this experiment.
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    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 this 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.
    Delegation of Authority: The Secretary of Education has delegated 
authority to Jamienne S. Studley, Deputy Under Secretary, to perform 
the functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary 
Education.

    Program Authority:  20 U.S.C. 1094a(b).

    Dated: October 29, 2015.
Jamienne S. Studley,
Deputy Under Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-28010 Filed 11-2-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P