ISAC Teacher Programs

Illinois Student Assistance CommissionMarch 23, 2011

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ISAC’s Teacher Education Programs

Illinois Future Teachers Corps (IFTC) Program

Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program

Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition

Waiver (SETTW) Program Illinois Teachers and Child Care Providers

Loan Repayment Program2

Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program

Intended for academically talented students who are pursuing a teaching career in Illinois Priority given to those in teacher shortage

disciplines or willing to teach at hard-to-staff schools

Formerly known as ITEACH and DeBolt Requires five-year teaching commitment

ISAC Administrative Rules – Part 2764

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IFTC Eligibility Criteria

Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above the junior level

Must be enrolled at least half-time Must be pursuing a postsecondary

course of study leading to initial teacher certification or taking additional courses needed to gain ISBE approval to teach, including alternative certification.

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IFTC Eligibility Criteria

Must apply for federal financial aid by completing the FAFSA

Must maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution

As a renewal applicant, must maintain GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale

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IFTC Awarding

Timely renewal applicants receive priority consideration

Then a combination of the following selection criteria is applied:

Cumulative Grade Point Average Financial need (based on Expected Family

Contribution) Status as a minority status

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IFTC Benefits

Award amount depends upon teaching commitment made Up to $5,000 if agree to teach in a shortage

discipline or hard-to-staff school Up to $10,000 if agree to teach in both Award can be used for tuition, fees, room

and board or commuter charges (cannot exceed COA)

A recipient can receive the award for up to four semesters or six quarters

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Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program

For minority students enrolled in a teacher education program Undergraduate or graduate student

includes freshmen may give preference to juniors and above

Must be enrolled at least half-time Requires a one-year teaching

commitment for each year of scholarship received Converts to a loan if commitment is not met

ISAC Administrative Rules – Part 2763 8

MTI Eligibility Criteria

To qualify, a student must: be a minority student be an Illinois resident be enrolled at least half-time as an

undergraduate or graduate student be pursuing a teaching degree maintain a cumulative grade point average of

2.5 on a 4.0 scale meet satisfactory academic progress as

determined by the institution9

MTI Eligibility Criteria Definitions for minority students

African American/Black a person having origins in any of the black

racial groups in Africa Asian American

a person with origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, and the Pacific Islands, including among others, Hawaii, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia 10

MTI Eligibility Criteria Definitions for minority students

Hispanic American a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with

origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race

Native American a person who is a member of a federally or

state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or grandparents have such membership, including the native people of Alaska

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MTI Awarding

All timely, certified applicants are considered in initial awarding If funding is insufficient for all timely

qualified applicants, awarding is based on date-received order of applications as follows:

Qualified renewal applicants Qualified applicants at or above the junior

level Other qualified applicants

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MTI Awarding

Priority for male applicants 30% of allocated funds are reserved

for qualified male minority students until January 1 of each fiscal year

Reserved funds remaining after January 1 may be awarded to qualified female students

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MTI Benefits

Award amount is up to $5,000 per year Can receive for a maximum of 8 semesters

or 12 quarters Can be used for tuition, fees, room and

board or commuter charges (cannot exceed COA)

Award is made in multiple disbursements Can request full award in one semester if

eligibility isn’t determine until final term of the award year or if the student will be enrolled for less than a full award year (e.g. a student graduating in December)

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Applying for IFTC and MTI

IFTC and MTI = Teacher Education Scholarship Programs or TESP

Same application is used for both programs: Teacher Education Scholarship Programs Application Interactive online application

Requires State of Illinois digital ID Must be submitted each year

Students can apply for both programs, but cannot receive both in the same academic year Student must indicate on the application which

program he/she will accept if qualified for both

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Applying for IFTC and MTI

New application is made available in December

Priority application filing date is March 1 (prior to the start of the academic year)

Application also serves as a promissory note

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Golden Apple Scholars (GAS) of Illinois

Focuses on recruiting bright, talented high school students into teaching careers

Eligibility, application process and awarding is handled by Golden Apple Foundation Not-for-profit organization based in Chicago

www.goldenapple.org Promotes excellence in Pre K-12 education Recruits, prepares and mentors outstanding prospective

teachers

Requires a five-year teaching commitment At an Illinois school of need

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Golden Apple Scholars (GAS) of Illinois

Students are nominated by teachers, counselors, principals or other non-family adults Students may also nominate themselves Nomination period: April 1 – November 30

Application for Class of 2012 will be available in April 2011

Up to 100 scholars are selected each year Scholars receive $2,500 scholarship for first

two years and at least $5,000 for third and fourth years IFTC is awarded in third and fourth years 18

IFTC and GAS

As a result of legislative changes, the first 200 IFTC awards are allocated to GAS, then the remaining fund balance is to be handled as follows: For 2010-11 - 58% will be allocated to GAS For 2011-12 - 80% will be allocated to GAS For 2012-13 - 100% will be allocated to GAS

and the IFTC program no longer exists IFTC becomes the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois

Program

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TESP Awarding Process Initial Certification

Applicant data appears in My Zone where schools must verify enrollment and certify eligibility

Generates a notification to students regarding eligibility

Rank and Awarding Initial qualification Students with a completed initial certification will

be considered for an award Notification

Letters sent to students by ISAC Schools receive information in My Zone

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Student Certification Process for TESP and GAS

Schools must complete certification online via My Zone to verify enrollment for both timely and untimely applicants regardless of whether the student is eligible or

not Students will not be considered for awarding

or notified of their eligibility (or ineligibility) status until their record is certified

Schools should complete certifications as soon as possible after they appear in My Zone so students will be considered in all rank and awarding cycles.

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TESP & GAS Certification 2010-11 TESP certifications will be

available for historical view only, effective March 28 The last day that 2010-11 TESP

certifications can be updated is Friday, March 25, 2011

2011-12 initial certifications will be available at My Zone in mid-April

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Qualification (Status) Codes

Blank - indicates a new student certification that needs to be completed by the school remains blank until qualification is done by ISAC

U – Unqualified Q – Qualified  E – Exceeds maximum eligibility units W – Withdrew application D – Disqualified DW - Disqualified due to withdrawal of the

application DE – Disqualification due to exceeding maximum

eligibility units T – Transferred 25

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111223333

SAMPLE STUDENT

Sample TSD Options:

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Totals button provides numbers of completed and outstanding certifications.

Updates in real time.28

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Filter Function

Select Filter criteria and then select View to see the filtered list.

Certification Reminders

Multiple staff at same school can work on different TESP Certifications at the same time.

Multiple changes to a Certification in one day will keep the same date and display the last set of modifications.

Totals and report results change in real time.

Refresh periodically to keep totals and reports current.

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Certification Reminders

A certification record for IFTC, GAS and MTI can be made online when the status code is blank, W, E or U.

Prior to Initial Qualification, schools can make as many changes as needed to student certifications

A new Certification Completion Date will display each time a record is updated.

Once the qualification period begins, schools must contact ISAC to make corrections for certifications that have a status code of Q, D, DW, DE or T

To make edits or updates after Status Codes appear, contact School Services:

schoolservices@isac.org or 866.247.217231

2010-11 Certifications

Effective March 28, 2011, all 2010-11 TESP certifications will only be available for historical view Last day on which 2010-11 TESP

certifications can be updated is Friday, March 25

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Award Notification IFTC & MTI

Award announcements letters are sent to students by ISAC

Award announcement information for eligible students is provided to schools via My Zone

GAS Communication to applicants regarding

award status is done by Golden Apple Foundation

Award announcement information for eligible students is provided to schools via My Zone

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Underlining indicates that the column can be sorted.

TESP & GAS Payment Process

Payment Request Rosters are completed online via My Zone and submitted to ISAC electronically. 

A cumulative list of payment request rosters is available for the entire fiscal year

Schools will receive a payment results report after ISAC processes the claim and assigns a voucher number and voucher date via the My Zone portal.

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IFTC Payment Process Options in the Requirements Not Met

Drop Down Menu1 – Citizenship2 – Residency5 – Default8 – Initial Teacher Cert/ISBE Approval9 - Conflicting Scholarship10 – SAP18 – HS Grad/GED22 - FAFSA23 – Accepts Award24 – GPA32 – Exceeds Max Units36 – Junior or Above

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IFTC Payment Process Students determined to be eligible for

both TESP programs, will only appear on the roster of the program for which they were funded.

The fall term roster includes all terms based on the terms of enrollment that were certified by the school.

Subsequent payment request rosters include only the term(s) yet to be requested.

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SETTW Program For students pursuing a degree in

special education Only available at the 12 public

universities in Illinois Recipient must make a commitment

to teach in Special Education at an Illinois school for at least two of the five years following graduation

ISAC Administrative Rules -- Part 276540

SETTW Eligibility

Student must be: a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen an Illinois resident Enrolled or accepted for enrollment as an

undergraduate or graduate student in an area of special education

at one of the participating institutions must be enrolled in a special education program

within 10 days after the beginning of the term for which the waiver was initially awarded

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SETTW Eligibility

Student must meet one of the following: Graduated from an approved high school in the

academic year in which the award is made and be performing in the upper half of the graduating class

Graduated from an approved high school prior to the academic year in which the award is made and do not hold a valid teaching certificate

Hold a valid teaching certificate that is not in the discipline of special education

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SETTW Eligibility Student must

Meet school’s satisfactory academic progress criteria

Remain in attendance on a continuous basis for up to four years

Student cannot Be in default on a federal student loan or owe a

refund on any state or federal grant or scholarship Be a prior recipient of this waiver or be awarded a

Minority Teachers of Illinois or an Illinois Future Teachers Corp Scholarship for the same academic year

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Applying for SETTW

Applicants must complete the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Application Download/print from College Zone

Signed original must be mailed to ISAC by priority consideration date Must be postmarked on or before March

1 (prior to start of the academic year) Faxed copies not accepted

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SETTW Application

Consists of three sections Section A – all applicants must complete Section B – required for certified teachers

only Must also attach a copy of teaching certificate

Section C – high school applicants must complete

Must be signed by a high school official Application also serves as a

promissory note45

Determining Awards

40 waivers are awarded to applicants who hold valid teaching certificates and are not in the discipline of special education

If more than 40 applicants qualify, a lottery is used to select the 40 recipients

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Determining Awards

105 waivers are awarded to applicants who have graduated from an approved high school prior to the academic year in which the award is made

If more than 105 applicants qualify, a lottery is used to select the 105 recipients

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Determining Awards 105 tuition waivers are awarded to qualified

applicants scheduled to graduate from an approved high school in the academic year in which the award is made Must perform in the upper half of their class Highest ACT or SAT test scores also a factor Any of the other 145 waivers not awarded are

added to this group If the number of applicants is greater than

the number of available waivers, a lottery is used 48

SETTW Benefits Recipient is exempt from tuition

and mandatory fees for up to four calendar years

For qualified applicants who are eligible for both SETTW and a Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant, the SETTW award must be used first

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Student Notification

A Notice of Eligibility is sent to each qualified applicant by July 1

Other notifications sent include: Notice of Application Receipt Notice of Incomplete Application Rights & Responsibilities

Accompanies Notice of Eligibility Notice of Unavailable Funds Notice of Ineligibility

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Administering SETTW

Verification Roster Verification Roster Certification Form Tuition Waiver Conversion Form Leave of Absence Form Enrollment Status Verification for

Compliance Roster Enrollment Status Verification Form

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Verification Roster Used to verify enrollment status and program

eligibility for each student applicant The institution completes and returns to ISAC by

due date indicated on accompanying cover letter

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Verification Roster Certification

Certifies that eligibility and enrollment status have been verified for each student listed on the school’s roster

Must be signed by financial aid director or person authorized to sign on their behalf

Due date will be shown at the bottom of the form

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Leave of Absence

Student must complete form and submit to institution

Approval is granted by the institution

May be granted for a maximum of two years

Unless for military service

Can only receive after student has been enrolled for the first term of the year awarded 54

Leave of Absence May be granted for the following

reasons: Earning funds to defray educational

expenses Illness of the recipient or an immediate

family member Military service

Form and supporting documentation should be retained in student’s file Does not need to be submitted to ISAC, but

dates must be listed on the TWCF55

Program Requirements Extension and Deferment Request Form

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Available on College Zone Provides

detailed extension and deferment information

IFTC, MTI & SETTW: Enrollment Status Verification for Compliance

To be completed by schools after each academic year Verifies that students previously awarded

were enrolled during that academic year In October 2010, rosters were made

available online via My Zone

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Click on pencil icon to access Tuition Waiver

Conversion Form

Tuition Waiver Conversion Form (TWCF) for SETTW

Must be completed for all SETTW recipients who are no longer enrolled in school and are not eligible to receive a tuition waiver

A TWCF is not required if enrollment status is in-school or cancelled

Must provide year, term, school name and tuition amount for each term the tuition and mandatory fees are waived each academic year

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Illinois Teachers & Child Care Providers Loan Repayment

To be eligible: Must first qualify for Federal Stafford Loan

Cancellation for Teachers Program Cancels up to $5,000 if the borrower teaches full-time for

five consecutive years in a low-income school Must complete teaching requirement at an Illinois

school Applicants must:

complete an ISAC application provide documentation of teaching service in Illinois

Note: The Federal Child Care Provider Loan Forgiveness Program is no longer available to new applicants.

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