HEA: SFA Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity

Grants
FY 2008 Program Performance Plan
Strategic Goal 3
Other
HEA, Title IV, Part A-3
CFDA 84.007: Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants

Program Goal: To help ensure access to high-quality postsecondary education by

providing financial aid in the form of grants in an efficient,
financially sound and customer-responsive manner.
Objective 1 of 2: Ensure that persistence rates will increase for low- and middle-income
students.
Measure 1.1 of 1: Student persistence rate for SEOG recipients. (Desired direction: increase)
Actual
Year Target Status
(or date expected)
2007 Set a Baseline (June 2008) Pending
2008 Maintain a Baseline (June 2009) Pending
Source. U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Explanation. Providing program-specific data for this program will become feasible when individual
student enrollment information is collected. The collection of student data at the individual unit record
level will provide the information needed to calculate retention and completion rates for the individual FSA
programs. OPE management has been actively involved in the technical review panel for the IPEDS
Student Unit Record Feasibility Study. The study is being conducted to review the feasibility of
redesigning the IPEDS collection of student-related data to incorporate individual student unit records.
Although it is premature to anticipate when, and if, unit record data will become available, 2008 would
likely be the earliest possible date for reporting since field testing is anticipated in FY 2006 and
implementation would probably not occur until FY 2007. Given that the unit record project study outcome
is not yet known, OPE also is exploring the feasibility of obtaining program data on persistence and
completion by drawing an alternative sample from the merged applicant/recipient file and conducting a
survey of this group.

Objective 2 of 2:
Measure 2.1 of 1: SEOG funds will continue to be targeted to those students with the greatest
financial need. At least 75 percent of SEOG funds will go to students below 150 percent of the
poverty line. (Desired direction: increase)
Actual
Year Target Status
(or date expected)
2005 71 Measure not in place
2007 73 Undefined Pending
2008 74 Undefined Pending
2009 75 Undefined Pending
2010 75 Undefined Pending
2011 75 Undefined Pending
2012 75 Undefined Pending

U.S. Department of Education 1 02/05/2007

Source. Program Data
Frequency of Data Collection. Annual
Target Context.

About three-quarters of Pell Grant funds (76% in 2004 and 77% in 2005) have been awarded to students
falling within 150% of the pverty line. The target has been set to have the SEOG program (currently at
71%) approximate the results of the Pell Grants.

Explanation. Increases in the maximum award without other changes in the formulas used to
award SEOG grants will tend to lower the percentage of funds going to the neediest students.

U.S. Department of Education 2 02/05/2007