Sec. 405A. Early awareness of college financing options
1,807 words·~8 min read·
/bill/113/s/2954/is/section-405a·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Subpart 2 of part A of title IV ( 20 U.S.C. 1070a–11 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The purpose of this section is to establish a demonstration program that explores the effectiveness of early notification of postsecondary financial aid options and the cost of postsecondary education. From amounts appropriated under subsection
(l)and not reserved under paragraph (3), and beginning after the first postsecondary education information form described in subsection
(h)has been developed, the Secretary is authorized to award grants to 15 State educational agencies to enable such agencies to pay the expenses, including the expenses of local educational agencies in the State, for providing information in a cost-effective way to students in grades 8 through 12 in order to— increase student awareness of, and access to, postsecondary education; and increase the likelihood that those students will apply for postsecondary financial aid and attend an institution of higher education. A grant awarded under this section shall be awarded for a 3-year period. From amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve not more than 1 percent to award a grant to the Bureau of Indian Education, to enable the Bureau to carry out the purposes of this section with respect to schools operated or funded by the Bureau. Each State educational agency desiring to participate in the demonstration program under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. Each application described in paragraph
(1)shall include— a commitment to utilize the postsecondary education information form described in subsection
(h)(referred to in this section as the information form ), including the provision of State-specific grant aid information, as described in subsection (h)(1)(G); a description of how the State educational agency plans to disseminate the information form to every school serving grades 8 through 12 in the State; an assurance that the State educational agency will fully cooperate with the ongoing evaluation of the demonstration program; and such other information as the Secretary may require. In selecting State educational agencies to participate in the demonstration program under this section, the Secretary shall consider— the number and quality of State educational agency applications received; the geographic diversity of applicants; and a State educational agency’s— financial responsibility; administrative capability; and ability to ensure that the activities carried out under the demonstration program serve all students in grades 8 through 12 in the State. In selecting State educational agencies to participate in the demonstration program under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to those States that have a high percentage of students who are eligible for free and reduced priced lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or who are, or come from families that are, eligible for benefits under another means-tested Federal benefit program as defined in section 479(d)(2). Each State educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall carry out the following activities: Make the information form available to every school in the State that serves students in grades 8 through 12 so that such schools can distribute the form to each student in grades 8 through 12, not less than once each school year, utilizing the most useful, effective, and relevant modes of communication, including through technology. Develop a statewide public awareness campaign, using a variety of media, to inform students about the cost of postsecondary education and the availability of financial aid. Ensure that local educational agencies serving students who receive the information form will participate in the evaluation of the demonstration program, and that data from such local educational agencies will be made available in accordance with the requirements of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1232g ) (commonly known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 ). Conduct annual surveys of a representative sample of students who receive the information form, both before the receipt of such form and after the receipt of such form, to determine the short-term and long-term effects of the information form, including— such students' knowledge about the cost of postsecondary education and financial aid options; the likelihood of such students applying for financial aid, attending an institution of higher education, and enrolling in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, or early college high school programs; and any other information the State educational agency determines relevant. Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Higher Education Affordability Act , the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies and representatives of higher education mentors, admissions staff from institutions of higher education, financial aid staff, student and parent focus groups (including students and parents from low-income families), consumer advocates, and secondary school guidance counselors, shall complete the development of an initial model form of postsecondary education information (referred to in this subsection as the initial form ). The Secretary shall— submit the initial form for consumer testing that is in accordance with section 483C and includes the representatives described in paragraph (1); and not later than 60 days after the conclusion of the consumer testing under subparagraph (A), use the results of the consumer testing of the initial form in the development of a final information form described in subsection (h). The Secretary shall develop, using the best available evidence and research, an information form that the Secretary shall update annually and distribute to all State educational agencies that receive a grant under this section. The information form shall contain, at a minimum, the following information: Information about Federal Pell Grants, including— the maximum amount of a Federal Pell Grant for the award year in which the form will be disbursed to students, as determined under clauses
(i)and
(ii)of section 401(b)(2)(A), which shall be the most visually prominent figure on the information form; and information about when, and how, a student may apply for a Federal Pell Grant. Information on— Federal student financial aid options, including a description of all available Federal grants (including Federal supplemental educational opportunity grants under subpart 3), loans (including loans under parts D and E), work study assistance under part C, and scholarships for postsecondary education; and the application processes for such grants, loans, assistance, and scholarships. Information about Federal tax credits available for higher education expenses. Links to the application for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483 and Federal student aid websites. A link to the Department’s College Affordability and Transparency Center website, including a link to a webpage providing information about net price calculators, or a successor website with similar information. Information about fee waivers for applications for institutions of higher education that may be available to qualified students. A State-specific section, in which each State educational agency shall include information on State grants for postsecondary education. The Secretary shall make the final information form described in this subsection available to all State educational agencies that receive a grant under this section. Each State educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall use results from the surveys described in subsection (f)(4), and other pertinent information, to submit an annual report to the Secretary that includes the following: A description of the delivery method by which the information form was given to students, and a measurement of the reach of such delivery method. The number of students who report being encouraged to pursue higher education by the activities carried out under the grant program. A description of the barriers to the effectiveness of the grant program. An assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the grant program in improving access to higher education. An identification of outcomes related to postsecondary education attendance, including whether a student who received the information form reported being more likely, as compared to before having received such form— to enroll in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, or early college high school programs; in the case of a student in grade 12, to submit an application to an institution of higher education; to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), SAT, or ACT; and in the case of a student in grade 12, to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483. The number of students who received the information form and were in grade 12 in the previous year, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, status as an English language learner, status as an economically disadvantaged individual, and status as an individual with a disability (except that such disaggregation shall not be required in a case in which the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student), who— enrolled in an institution of higher education; applied for Federal student financial aid; and received Federal student financial aid. A description of the impact of the grant program on the parents of students who received the information form. The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall— develop performance measures, taking into account the elements that are included in the State report described in subsection (i), for grantees to ascertain outcomes and progress related to the grant program; evaluate the demonstration program, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, to examine the effectiveness of delivery methods used in disseminating the information form to students; and identify best practices and disseminate research on best practices— to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, elementary school and secondary school guidance counselors, and other interested stakeholders; and by making such research publicly available on the website of the Institute of Education Sciences. The Secretary shall— upon completion of the grant period, use the results of the evaluation described in subsection
(j)to work with all State educational agencies and with local educational agencies to use the results of the evaluation described in subsection
(j)to disseminate the information form described in subsection
(h)to every State educational agency; and in cooperation with States, institutions of higher education, organizations involved in college access and student financial aid, employers, and workforce investment boards, make special efforts to provide the information form to individuals who may qualify as independent students, as defined in section 480(d). Not later than 1 year after receiving the first information form from the Secretary under paragraph (1), each State educational agency that receives assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq. ) shall ensure that the information form is distributed to all students in grades 8 through 12 in the State. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015 and each of the 2 succeeding fiscal years. .
Connectionstraces to 3
Traces to 3 documents
1 reference not yet in our index
- 20 USC 1070a–11
Citation graph
cites case law
Sec. 405A
Early awareness of college financing options
Cite20 USC 1070a–11
Cites 4Cited by 0 across 0 sources