TEACH Grant Policy and Operations

Session 17 TEACH Grant Policy and Operations Sophia McArdle and Isaac Greene| Nov-Dec. 2016 U.S. Department of Education 2016 FSA Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals

Agenda • TEACH Grant Program Overview & Eligibility • Counseling Requirements • Service Obligation • TEACH Grant Program and the Teacher Preparation Issues Notice of Final Regulations (NFR) • TEACH Grant Program and the Borrower Defense NFR • TEACH Grant Servicing

TEACH Grant Program Summary • Non-need based program that provides up to $4,000 per year to students enrolled in a TEACH Grant-eligible program who agree to teach as a highly-qualified teacher, in a high-need field, at a low-income elementary or secondary school for four years within eight years of completing the program • Failure to complete the required teaching service results in conversion of the TEACH Grant to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan with interest accruing from the date the grant was disbursed

TEACH Grant Amounts • Grants of up to: • $4,000 per year for 1st undergraduate degree or post-baccalaureate credential (up to an aggregate amount of $16,000) • $4,000 per year for master’s degree (up to an aggregate amount of $8,000) • Grants are prorated for less than full-time • Amount of TEACH Grant, in combination with other assistance, may not exceed COA

TEACH Grant Student Eligibility • Applicants can be: • Undergraduate students • Graduate students pursuing a master’s degree (but not a doctorate) • Students enrolled in a post-baccalaureate teacher credential program • Current or former teachers • Retirees

TEACH Grant Student Eligibility • All applicants must: • Meet requirements of 34 CFR 668, Subpart C – General Provisions of Student Eligibility • Submit a completed FAFSA • Sign an Agreement to Serve • Enroll in a TEACH Grant-eligible program • Be completing, or intend to complete, coursework necessary to begin a career in teaching • Not have already earned a first BA or post-baccalaureate (post-bacc)

Required Academic Achievement* Undergraduate, Post-bacc and Graduate Student • Cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 from: • High school for first year undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student, or first semester of college • College or post-bacc coursework for undergraduate and post-bacc students beyond the first year • College for first year graduate student, or first semester of graduate program • Graduate coursework beyond first year • Or score above the 75th percentile on one of the batteries of a nationally-normed admissions test (e.g. SAT, ACT, GRE) *Some exceptions apply

TEACH Institutional Eligibility • Must be financially responsible in accordance with 34 CFR 668, subpart L, or meet an alternative standard • Must apply to participate in the TEACH Grant program and be approved by the Secretary • Application is via E-App. See DCL GEN-08-07 https://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/attachments/GEN0807Attach.pdf • May establish eligibility in any of four ways

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility • Provide a high-quality teacher preparation program at the baccalaureate or master’s degree level that is: • Accredited by an agency specializing in professional teacher education programs (NCATE, TEAC); or • Approved by a State and includes at least 10 weeks of full-time pre-service clinical experience and provides/assists in providing pedagogical coursework

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility High-quality teacher preparation program (cont.) • Must provide or assist in providing supervision and support services to teachers such as: • Information on effective teaching strategies • Information on effective practices in supervision and coaching of novice teachers • Mentoring focused on effective teaching skills

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility September 23, 2016 Letter to Presidents • TEAC and NCATE lost Departmental recognition, so it is not currently possible for an institution to establish or maintain eligibility for the TEACH Grant Program on the basis of accreditation of its teacher preparation program • Additional information requested by ED to determine impact of TEAC and NCATE’s loss of recognition on an institution’s continued participation in the TEACH Grant Program

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility Option 1 – State Approval: The institution provides a teacher preparation program(s) at the baccalaureate or master’s degree level that is (1) approved by a State, (2) includes a minimum of 10 weeks of full-time pre-service clinical experience, or its equivalent, and (3) provides either pedagogical coursework or assistance in the provision of such coursework.

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility Option 2 – Provisional Certification and 18-Month Extension: The institution requests that its TEACH Grant eligibility be maintained for 18 months following its accrediting agency’s loss of recognition while it seeks to meet all applicable TEACH Grant Program eligibility requirements as discussed in Dear Colleague Letter GEN 08-07. The institution would be placed on provisional certification under 34 CFR 668.13(c)(2).

1st Way to Establish Institutional Eligibility Option 3 – Withdrawal from the TEACH Grant Program: The institution ceases to participate in the TEACH Grant Program. Institutions had 30 days to respond with a choice. If Option 1 or 2 was not selected, the institution is considered to have lost eligibility for the TEACH Grant Program effective September 22, 2016.

2ndWay to Establish Institutional Eligibility • Institution provides a two-year program that: • Is acceptable for full credit in an eligible baccalaureate teacher preparation program; or • Is acceptable for full credit in a high-need field offered by a TEACH Grant-eligible institution • Institutions must be able to “demonstrate” this relationship

3rdWay to Establish Institutional Eligibility • Institution offers a baccalaureate degree that, in combination with other training or experience, will prepare students to teach in a high-need field and • Has entered into an agreement with an eligible institution that offers a high-quality teacher prep program or one that offers a post-baccalaureate program

4thWay to Establish Institutional Eligibility • Institution provides a post-baccalaureate program of study that: • Does not lead to a graduate degree • Consists of courses required by a State for professional certification or license to teach in an elementary or secondary school in that State • Is an undergraduate program for Title IV student financial assistance purposes

TEACH Grant Program Eligibility • TEACH Grant-eligible institutions have wide latitude to designate the TEACH Grant-eligible programs offered by the institution • Programs must be designed to prepare an individual to teach as a highly-qualified teacher in a high-need field and lead to a baccalaureate or master’s degree, or be a post-baccalaureate program • Post-baccalaureate program is not a TEACH Grant-eligible program at institutions that offer both a post-baccalaureate program and a BA in Education

TEACH Grant Program Eligibility • High-need fields • Mathematics • Science • Foreign language • Bilingual education & English language acquisition • Special education • Reading specialist • Other high-need field documented by local, State, or Federal government

Counseling Requirements • TEACH Grant-eligible institutions must provide initial, subsequent, and exit counseling to TEACH Grant recipients that covers: • Terms and conditions of Agreement to Serve • Information on how to identify low-income schools and documented high-need fields

Counseling Requirements • Counseling must cover (cont.): • How to request a suspension of the eight-year period for completion of service • Conditions under which the Grant coverts to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan • Terms and conditions of a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan • Initial and subsequent counseling must be provided annually prior to first disbursement

Counseling Requirements • Online counseling resources are available at www.studentloans.gov or at the following websites: • Initial & subsequent Counseling – https://teach-ats.ed.gov/ats/index.action • Exit Counseling – http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/SaEcWelcome.do

Service Obligation An “Agreement to Serve” obligates the grant recipient to: • Teach full-time as a highly qualified teacher in a high-need field at an eligible low-income elementary school, secondary school, or educational service agency for at least four academic years • Complete the required four years of teaching within eight years of completing or otherwise leaving your TEACH Grant program of study • Certify within 120 days of completing or otherwise leaving your TEACH Grant program of study, and each year thereafter, that you are meeting (or intend to meet*) the requirements of your service obligation

Service Obligation • Service obligation may be “suspended” for TEACH Grant recipients who have completed or ceased enrollment • Service obligation may be “discharged” if TEACH Grant recipient dies or becomes permanently and totally disabled

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR Notice of final regulations (NFR): https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-10-31/pdf/2016-24856.pdf Correction to effective dates: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-17/pdf/C1-2016-24856.pdf

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR General: • Links the classification of teacher prep programs under HEA Title II reporting to TEACH Grant eligibility • Only teacher preparation programs determined to be “effective or better” by States would be TEACH Grant-eligible • Provisions under §612 are effective November 30, 2016 • Most provisions under §686 are effective July 1, 2017. Definitions of TEACH Grant-eligible institution and TEACH Grant-eligible program are not effective until July 1, 2021 • TEACH Grant-related consequences are effective July 1, 2021

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) §612.2 Definitions. Effective teacher preparation program: A teacher preparation program with a level of performance higher than a low-performing teacher preparation program or an at-risk teacher preparation program. Candidate accepted into the teacher preparation program: An individual who has been admitted into a teacher preparation program but who has not yet enrolled in any coursework that the institution has determined to be part of that teacher preparation program. Candidate enrolled in the teacher preparation program: An individual who has been accepted into a teacher preparation program and is in the process of completing coursework but has not yet completed the teacher preparation program.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) Other provisions under §612: Subpart C--Consequences of Withdrawal of State Approval or Financial Support

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) §612.7 What are the consequences for a low-performing teacher preparation program that loses the State’s approval or the State’s financial support? (a) Any teacher preparation program for which the State has withdrawn the State’s approval or the State has terminated the State’s financial support due to the State’s identification of the program as a low-performing teacher preparation program--

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (2) May not include any candidate accepted into the teacher preparation program or any candidate enrolled in the teacher preparation program who receives aid under Title IV, HEA programs in the institution’s teacher preparation program as of the date that the State withdrew its approval or terminated its financial support; and

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (b) Any institution administering a teacher preparation program that has lost State approval or financial support based on being identified as a low-performing teacher preparation program must-- (1) Notify the Secretary of its loss of the State’s approval or the State’s financial support due to identification as low-performing by the State within 30 days of such designation;

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (2) Immediately notify each student who is enrolled in or accepted into the low-performing teacher preparation program and who receives Title IV, HEA program funds that, commencing with the next payment period, the institution is no longer eligible to provide such funding to students enrolled in or accepted into the low-performing teacher preparation program; and

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (3) Disclose on its website and in promotional materials that it makes available to prospective students that the teacher preparation program has been identified as a low-performing teacher preparation program by a State and has lost the State’s approval or the State’s financial support, including the identity of the State or States, and that students accepted or enrolled in the low-performing teacher preparation program may not receive Title IV, HEA program funds.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) §612.8 How does a low-performing teacher preparation program regain eligibility to accept or enroll students receiving Title IV, HEA program funds after loss of the State’s approval or the State’s financial support? (a) A low-performing teacher preparation program that has lost the State’s approval or the State’s financial support may regain its ability to accept and enroll students who receive Title IV, HEA program funds upon demonstration to the Secretary under paragraph (b) of this section of--

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (1) Improved performance on the teacher preparation program performance criteria in §612.5 as determined by the State; and (2) Reinstatement of the State’s approval or the State’s financial support, or, if both were lost, the State’s approval and the State’s financial support.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§612) (b) To regain eligibility to accept or enroll students receiving Title IV, HEA funds in a teacher preparation program that was previously identified by the State as low-performing and that lost the State’s approval or the State’s financial support, the institution that offers the teacher preparation program must submit an application to the Secretary along with supporting documentation that will enable the Secretary to determine that the teacher preparation program has met the requirements under paragraph (a) of this section.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) New Definitions in Part 686: Educational service agency: A regional public multiservice agency authorized by State statute to develop, manage, and provide services or programs to LEAs, as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of l965, as amended (ESEA).

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) High-quality teacher preparation program not provided through distance education: A teacher preparation program at which less than 50 percent of the program’s required coursework is offered through distance education; and

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (i) Beginning with the 2021-2022 award year, is not classified by the State to be less than an effective teacher preparation program based on 34 CFR 612.4(b) in two of the previous three years; or (ii) Meets the exception from State reporting of teacher preparation program performance under 34 CFR 612.4(b)(3)(ii)(D) or 34 CFR 612.4(b)(5).

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) High-quality teacher preparation program provided through distance education: A teacher preparation program at which at least 50 percent of the program’s required coursework is offered through distance education; and

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (i) Beginning with the 2021-2022 award year, is not classified by the same State to be less than an effective teacher preparation program based on 34 CFR 612.4(b); in two of the previous three years; or (ii) Meets the exception from State reporting of teacher preparation program performance under 34 CFR 612.4(b)(3)(ii)(D) or (E).

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) School or educational service agency serving low-income students (low-income school): An elementary or secondary school or educational service agency that-- (i) Is located within the area served by the LEA that is eligible for assistance pursuant to Title I of the ESEA; (ii) Has been determined by the Secretary to be a school or educational service agency in which more than 30% of the school's or educational service agency’s total enrollment is made up of children who qualify for services provided under Title I of the ESEA; and

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (iii) Is listed in the Department's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. The Secretary considers all elementary and secondary schools and educational service agencies operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) in the Department of the Interior or operated on Indian reservations by Indian tribal groups under contract or grant with the BIE to qualify as schools or educational service agencies serving low-income students.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) TEACH Grant-eligible institution: An eligible institution as defined in 34 CFR part 600 that meets financial responsibility standards established in 34 CFR part 668, subpart L, or that qualifies under an alternative standard in 34 CFR 668.175 and--

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (i) Provides at least one high-quality teacher preparation program not provided through distance education or one high-quality teacher preparation program provided through distance education at the baccalaureate or master's degree level that also provides supervision and support services to teachers, or assists in the provision of services to teachers, such as--

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (A) Identifying and making available information on effective teaching skills or strategies; (B) Identifying and making available information on effective practices in the supervision and coaching of novice teachers; and (C) Mentoring focused on developing effective teaching skills and strategies.

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (ii) Provides a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit in a TEACH Grant-eligible program offered by an institution described in paragraph (i) of this definition, as demonstrated by the institution that provides the two-year program, or provides a program that is the equivalent of an associate degree, as defined in §668.8(b)(1), that is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree in a TEACH Grant-eligible program;

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (iii) Provides a high-quality teacher preparation program not provided through distance education or a high-quality teacher preparation program provided through distance education that is a post-baccalaureate program of study; or

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (iv) Provides a master’s degree program that does not meet the definition of terms “high quality teacher preparation not provided through distance education” or “high quality teacher preparation program that is provided through distance education” because it is not subject to reporting under 34 CFR part 612, but that prepares:

Teacher Preparation Issues NFR (§686) (i) A teacher or a retiree from another occupation with expertise in a field in which there is a shortage of teachers, such as mathematics, science, special education, English language acquisition, or another high-need field; or (ii) A teacher who is using high-quality alternative certification routes to become certified.

TEACH Grant Policy and Operations