EDU-39-10-00011-P New Standards for Academic Progress for the Tuition Assistance Program for the 2010-11 Academic Year

9/29/10 N.Y. St. Reg. EDU-39-10-00011-P

NEW YORK STATE REGISTER

VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 39

September 29, 2010

RULE MAKING ACTIVITIES

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROPOSED RULE MAKING

NO HEARING(S) SCHEDULED

 

I.D No. EDU-39-10-00011-P

New Standards for Academic Progress for the Tuition Assistance Program for the 2010-11 Academic Year

PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE State Administrative Procedure Act, NOTICE is hereby given of the following proposed rule:

Proposed Action:

Amendment of section 145-2.2 of Title 8 NYCRR.

Statutory authority:

Education Law, sections 207 (not subdivided), 602(2), 661(2) and 665(6); and L. 2010, ch. 53

Subject:

New standards for academic progress for the tuition assistance program for the 2010-11 academic year.

Purpose:

Implement Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 and provide clarity as to what constitutes a program of remedial study.

Text of proposed rule:

Clause (b) of subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of section 145-2.2 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education shall be amended effective September 17, 2010, to read as follows:

(b)(1) for students who receive their first State award during the 2006-2007 academic year and thereafter, and who are enrolled full-time in a two-year, four-year, or five-year undergraduate program on a semester or trimester basis, or their equivalent, the applicable required minimum number of credits accrued and minimum grade point average earned at the time of the institution's certification for each payment made on the student's award, as specified in subparagraph (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) of paragraph (c) of subdivision (6) of section 665 of the Education Law; provided that institutions operating on a trimester basis during the 2006-2007 academic year shall apply the satisfactory academic progress standard pursuant to the provisions in section 665 of the Education Law, and shall apply the particular requirements prescribed in the satisfactory academic progress charts in such section of law for the 2007-2008 academic year and thereafter.

(2)(i) notwithstanding subclause (1) of this clause, for students receiving a State award in the 2010-2011 academic year who are not enrolled in a program of remedial study, as defined in item (ii) of this subclause, and who first received aid in the 2007-2008 academic year and thereafter, and who are enrolled in a two-year, four-year or five-year undergraduate program on a semester or trimester basis, or their equivalent, shall apply the required minimum number of credits accrued and minimum grade point average earned at the time of the institution's certification for each payment made on the student's award, as applicable in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010; provided that students enrolled in a program of remedial study, as defined in item (ii) of this subclause, shall apply the particular requirements prescribed in the satisfactory academic progress charts in section 665 of the Education Law for the 2010-2011 academic year.

(ii) For purposes of this subclause only, students enrolled in a program of remedial study shall mean:

(A) students enrolled in remedial courses equivalent to at least six credits in their initial term of receipt of state financial aid and enrolled in at least nine credits in their first year of receipt of state financial aid; or

(B) students enrolled in remedial courses equivalent to at least three credits in their initial term of receipt of state financial aid and enrolled in at least nine credits in their first year of receipt of state financial aid; or

(C) students enrolled in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Education Opportunity Program (EOP), the Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program or the College Discovery (CD) program; or

(D) students who first received an award in the 2007-2008 academic year and thereafter and who in the semester, trimester or their equivalent, preceding the 2010-2011 academic year, met the requirements prescribed in the satisfactory academic progress charts in section 665 of the Education Law for the 2007-2008 academic year but do not meet applicable standards for academic progress for the 2010-2011 academic year, as set forth in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010, shall be deemed to be in an approved program of remedial study for purposes of determining which standards for academic progress apply.

(E) students who first received an award in the 2007-2008 academic year and thereafter and who in the first semester, trimester or their equivalent of the 2010-2011 academic year, met the requirements prescribed in the satisfactory academic progress charts as set forth in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 but did not meet applicable standards in Chapter 53 of the laws of 2010 for academic progress for the second semester, trimester or their equivalent in the 2010-2011 academic year, for good cause, as described in guidelines prescribed by the Commissioner, shall be deemed to be in an approved program of remedial study for purposes of determining which standards for academic progress apply.

(F) For purposes of subitems (A) and (B), remedial courses taken in a prior academic year where the student was not eligible for state financial aid or in the summer preceding the student's initial term of receipt of state financial aid may be counted towards the required credits of remedial study to be considered a program of remedial study for purposes of this subclause.

Text of proposed rule and any required statements and analyses may be obtained from:

Christine Moore, NYS Education Department, Deputy Commissioner, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234, [phone], email: [e-mail]

Data, views or arguments may be submitted to:

Peg Rivers, New York State Education Department, Education Building Annex, 89 Washington Avenue, 9th Floor, Albany, New York 12234, [phone], email: [e-mail]

Public comment will be received until:

45 days after publication of this notice.

This action was not under consideration at the time this agency's regulatory agenda was submitted.

Regulatory Impact Statement

1. STATUTORY AUTHORITY:

Section 207 of the Education Law grants general rule-making authority to the Board of Regents to carry into effect the laws and policies of the State relating to education.

Subdivision (2) of section 602 of the Education Law empowers the Commissioner of Education to promulgate regulations establishing requirements for the president to follow in determining student eligibility for State student aid relating to full-time study, part-time study, accelerated study, matriculation, loss of good academic standing, and permissible use of general and academic performance awards and loans. Subdivision (1) of section 602 of the Education Law empowers the Commissioner of Education to select qualified recipients of academic performance awards.

Subdivision (2) of section 661 of the Education Law grants the Board of Regents the power to establish times for which a student must provide certain information, as required by the Board of Regents, to his or her institution through the submission of a form provided by the Board of Regents.

Subdivision (6) of section 665 empowers the Commissioner of Education to establish standards for a student's good academic standing and loss thereof.

Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 establishes new standards of academic progress for TAP awards for students not enrolled in a program of remedial study approved by the commissioner and who first received aid in 2007-2008, and thereafter.

2. LEGISLATIVE OBJECTIVES:

The proposed amendment implements Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 by establishing new standards of academic progress for the 2010-2011 academic year for students not enrolled in a program of remedial study. The proposed amendment also defines programs of remedial study for purposes of determining which standards of academic progress apply.

3. NEEDS AND BENEFITS:

The enacted 2010-11 New York State budget includes new provisions for TAP which are set forth in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010. In particular, Chapter 53 establishes new standards of academic progress (SAP) for non-remedial students first receiving State aid in 2007-08 and thereafter. These standards take effect for students enrolled in the 2010-11 academic year. These standards, however, do not apply to "students enrolled in a program of remedial study approved by the Commissioner."

The intent of the new law is to ensure that students receiving TAP funds and not needing remedial instruction or needing only a small amount of such remedial instruction demonstrate sufficient academic progress to complete their academic program in a timely manner. The intent is not to deny TAP to students who need remedial instruction.

However, a problem arises for some students who entered college on or after 2007-08 and were meeting the standards of academic progress established in 2006-07. Now they are faced with new standards which may preclude them from being eligible for TAP for the 2010 fall term. For example, for students in a baccalaureate program based on semesters, under the 2006 SAP requirements, students must have completed at least 21 credits by the end of the fourth term in order to be eligible for TAP in the fifth term. However, under the new 2010 SAP students now must have completed 30 credits by the end of the fourth term to be eligible for TAP in the fifth term. Some students are therefore put into a situation where they were not aware of the new requirements and could not possibly have time to take additional credit hours to meet the new standards in the 2010 SAP. A similar situation is also true for students pursuing an associate degree.

To remedy this situation, in the proposed emergency regulation, these returning students that "fall in the gap" between the 2006 and 2010 SAP, will be deemed to be remedial students for the 2010-11 academic year only and therefore can continue to be eligible for TAP under the 2006 SAP. The rationale is that these "gap" students are not progressing along their academic programs at a rate of success that the State finds acceptable for participation in the TAP program. They therefore are being given an academic year to achieve the level of academic performance necessary for participation in TAP.

For purposes of the new standards of academic progress established in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010, a student shall be deemed to be in a program approved by the Commissioner for remedial study if he/she: (1) is enrolled in the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Education Opportunity Program (EOP), The Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program or the College Discovery (CD) program; (2) takes six credit hours of remedial instruction the first semester and at least nine credit hours of remedial instruction in the first year; or (3) takes three credit hours of remedial instruction in the first semester and six credit hours of remedial instruction in the second semester. Remedial courses taken in the summer session preceding the first academic year may count towards the required nine or more credits of remedial instruction for the purpose of program approval by the Commissioner for remedial study. In addition, for students first becoming eligible for TAP in the 2010-2011 academic year due to a change in their financial circumstances, remedial courses taken in a previous academic year may also be counted. For the 2010-11 academic year only, a student who first received an award prior to the 2010-2011 academic year and does not meet the eligibility requirements to be certified for TAP under the 2010-2011 SAP shall be deemed to be in an approved program of remedial study for the 2010-11 academic year solely for the purpose of defining which standards of academic progress apply for the 2010-11 academic year. This includes students who become ineligible for TAP in the Spring 2010 term because they have insufficient time to adjust their schedule in the Fall term to carry the required number of credits under the new standards of academic progress due to courses becoming unavailable, full or because the add/drop period has ended. The Department will issue guidance on this issue to the colleges.

4. COSTS:

a. Costs to the State government. The proposed amendment will not impose any additional costs upon State government, including the State Education Department beyond those imposed by Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010.

b. Costs to local government. None.

c. Costs to private regulated parties. The proposed amendment will not impose any additional costs upon public or nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, or other postsecondary institutions beyond the minimal costs to such institutions to update information materials concerning the number of credits and minimum grade point average a student must have completed before the school's certification for payment on the student's award, and to update information materials concerning the number of credits a student must have completed to qualify for payment on an award for accelerated study.

d. Costs to the regulatory agency for implementation and continued administration of this amendment. None. The proposed amendment simply conforms the Commissioner's Regulations to Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010, and will not impose any new duties or responsibilities upon the State Education Department. The Commissioner of Education is already required to approve each institutions standard of satisfactory academic progress prior to the institution's implementation of such standard.

5. LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANDATES:

The proposed amendment will not impose any new mandates, and accordingly, will not impose any additional duties or responsibilities on local governments.

6. PAPERWORK:

The proposed amendment does not impose any additional reporting requirements on any regulated party. The paperwork requirements for public and nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, and other postsecondary institutions will be minimal. In addition, the amendment will not increase the paperwork requirements for students.

7. DUPLICATION:

The proposed amendment does not duplicate any other existing State or Federal requirements.

8. ALTERNATIVES:

There are no viable alternatives to the proposed amendment, and none were considered.

9. FEDERAL STANDARDS:

The proposed amendment concerns eligibility requirements for students receiving State student aid through the tuition assistance program (TAP), and therefore, there are no applicable federal standards.

10. COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE:

The proposed amendment conforms the Commissioner's Regulations to Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010, which becomes effective for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

The proposed amendment relates to the standards for academic progress for the tuition assistance program for the 2010-2011 academic year. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to implement Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 and provide clarity as to what constitutes a program of remedial study to determine whether the 2006 or 2010 standards of academic progress apply for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The amendment will not impose any adverse economic impact, recordkeeping, reporting, or other compliance requirements on small businesses or local governments. Because it is evident from the nature of the regulation that it does not affect small businesses or local governments, no further steps were needed to ascertain that fact and none were taken.

Rural Area Flexibility Analysis

1. TYPES AND ESTIMATED NUMBER OF RURAL AREAS:

The proposed amendment applies to all public and nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, and other postsecondary institutions that are eligible, where applicable, to participate in the tuition assistance program (TAP) in New York State, including those located in the 44 rural counties having less than 200,000 inhabitants and the 71 towns in urban counties having a population density of 150 per square mile or less.

2. REPORTING, RECORDKEEPING, AND OTHER COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS, AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES:

The enacted 2010-11 New York State budget includes new provisions for TAP which are set forth in Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010. In particular, Chapter 53 establishes new standards of academic progress (SAP) for non-remedial students first receiving State aid in 2007-08 and thereafter. These standards take effect for students enrolled in the 2010-11 academic year. These standards, however, do not apply to "students enrolled in a program of remedial study approved by the Commissioner." The purpose of the proposed amendment is to implement Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 and define what constitutes a program of remedial study.

The amendment does not add or alter reporting or recordkeeping requirements for public and nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, or other postsecondary institutions, including those located in rural areas, or impose reporting or recordkeeping requirements for students that participate in such programs. In addition, the amendment will not require regulated parties to acquire professional services.

3. COSTS:

The proposed amendment will not impose any additional costs on public and nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, or other postsecondary institutions located in rural areas beyond minimal costs to update information materials concerning the number of credits and the grade point average a student must have before being certified for the next payment on his or her TAP award.

4. MIMINIZING ADVERSE IMPACT:

The proposed amendment establishes the minimum number of credits earned and the minimum grade point average a student must achieve before being certified for the next payment on his or her TAP award for the 2010-2011 academic year. It also defines a program of remedial study so that colleges, universities and other postsecondary institutions can determine which standards of academic progress apply. Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 does not make any differentiation in eligibility based upon the geographic location of the student. In the interests of equity, uniform criteria are established for all students across the State.

5. RURAL AREA PARTICIPATION:

A copy of the proposed amendment was shared with public and nonpublic colleges and universities, education opportunity centers, and other postsecondary institutions that are eligible to participate in the tuition assistance program (TAP) in New York State. These institutions are located in all areas of the State, including rural areas.

Job Impact Statement

The proposed amendment relates to the new standards for academic progress for the tuition assistance program for the 2010-2011 academic year. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to implement Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2010 and provide clarity as to what constitutes a program of remedial study to determine whether the 2006 or 2010 standards of academic progress apply for the 2010-2011 academic year.

Because it is evident from the nature of the proposed regulation that it will have no impact on jobs or employment opportunities, no further steps were needed to ascertain that fact and none were taken. Accordingly, a job impact statement is not required and one has not been prepared.