Publication Date: June 27, 2008
Author: William Leith, Acting General Manager, Application, Operations and Delivery Services, Federal Student Aid
Summary: CCRAA Operational Implementation Guidance (CPS, COD System, and EDESuite) - Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Processing Operational for July 1, 2008
Posted on 06-27-2008
In a June
19, 2008 Electronic Announcement posted on the Information for Financial Aid
Professionals (IFAP) Web site, we provided additional and, in some cases,
updated information about the operational implementation of the Teacher Education
Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. The purpose
of this communication is to provide additional information about the student
aspects of TEACH Grant processing that will be operational for July 1, 2008.
As explained in Dear
Colleague Letter GEN-08-01 posted on the IFAP Web site, the College Cost
Reduction and Access Act (the CCRAA), Pub. L. 110-84, authorized the TEACH Grant
Program for implementation beginning with the 2008-2009 Award Year. The TEACH
Grant Program provides up to $4,000 a year in grant assistance to a student
who agrees to serve for at least four years as a full-time teacher in a high-need
field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students
from low-income families. A TEACH Grant recipient who does not complete the
required teaching within a specified timeframe, or fails to meet certain other
requirements of the TEACH Grant Program, will be required to repay the TEACH
Grant as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct
Loan (Direct Loan) Program. Final
regulations for the TEACH Grant Program were published in the Federal
Register on June 23, 2008 (73 FR 35472) and are effective July 1, 2008.
Our expectation is that schools will read this announcement and its attachments
as well as our June
19th Electronic Announcement and its attachments in their entirety. The
combination of these two announcements should provide schools with a complete
overview of our operational implementation of the TEACH Grant Program and, specifically,
the processing aspects that will be operational July 1, 2008.
We cover information in the following order:
As the TEACH Grant Program's July 1, 2008 effective date draws near, we look forward
to working together with schools to provide TEACH Grant funds to eligible students
and appreciate the extra effort, patience, and understanding that will be required
of schools. Thank you in advance for the assistance you will provide in serving
our students who will receive TEACH Grant awards.
Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Processing Operational for July 1, 2008
In our June
19th Electronic Announcement, we provided a summary of the basic components
of TEACH Grant processing. The basics components covered both school and student
processing aspects. In this announcement, we will focus on the student aspects
of TEACH Grant processing that will be operational for July 1, 2008.
All Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Program
First, we will review all student aspects of the TEACH Grant Program.
A student applies for a TEACH Grant.
For the 2008-2009 Award Year, the application for a TEACH Grant is the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We have added a question to the
2008-2009 FAFSA on the Web application
to assist in identifying potentially eligible TEACH Grant recipients. For the
2008-2009 Award Year, this question will only appear on FAFSA
on the Web and not on the paper FAFSA, or on an application generated by
a school in FAA Access
to CPS Online or through the Electronic Data Exchange (EDE) process.
An eligible school determines a student's eligibility.
A school that chooses to participate in the TEACH Grant Program will respond to
a request from a student to determine eligibility for a TEACH Grant award using
information the school has and confirmation of intent provided by the student.
A student completes an Agreement to Serve.
A student completes an Agreement to Serve (ATS) electronically via the ATS
Web site each year that he or she is scheduled to receive a TEACH Grant
award. The ATS will explain the service obligation that must be fulfilled,
the circumstances that will result in the TEACH Grant being converted to a Direct
Unsubsidized Loan, and, if the TEACH Grant is converted to a Direct Unsubsidized
Loan, the terms and conditions associated with repaying the loan.
A TEACH Grant fact sheet will be available on the ATS Web site.
Note: A student must also complete counseling before receiving
each TEACH Grant award. Counseling requirements related to the TEACH Grant Program
are outlined in the
June 23, 2008 final regulations.
A student receives a Disclosure Statement after the school reports award information.
Upon acceptance of an origination record that includes, at a minimum, anticipated
disbursement information, the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System
generates a TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement for the student.
A student receives a Notice of Disbursement(s) Made after an award is sent
to the Direct Loan Servicing System (DLSS).
Once the COD System has an accepted ATS (completed by the student via the ATS
Web site), an accepted origination record, and an accepted actual disbursement
record for the initial disbursement, the TEACH Grant award is sent to the DLSS.
The student receives a TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s) Made (previously
referred to as "Welcome Letter") generated by the DLSS.
On a quarterly basis, the DLSS generates a statement about the TEACH Grant for
the student. The student's completion of the required teaching or conversion of
the TEACH Grant to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, as applicable, is recorded and
monitored via the DLSS.
A student views award information in the National Student Loan Data System
(NSLDS).
The DLSS sends TEACH Grant award information to the NSLDS. Both individual award
information and aggregate award information are available for view by a school
and the student.
A student provides agreement fulfillment status information.
After a student is no longer enrolled in the program for which a TEACH Grant was
awarded, he or she reports on the completion of the required teaching. The student
updates his or her agreement fulfillment status, including confirmation of each
year's qualified teaching service, in response to notifications generated by the
DLSS.
A student repays if the agreement is not fulfilled.
A student who does not complete the required teaching, or who otherwise fails
to meet the requirements of the TEACH Grant Program, must repay the award as a
Direct Unsubsidized Loan according to the terms and conditions of the ATS. Repayment
and servicing of the Direct Unsubsidized Loan is recorded and monitored via the
DLSS.
Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Processing Operational for July 1, 2008
The student aspects of TEACH Grant processing that will be operational for July
1, 2008 are as follows:
TEACH Grant Question on 2008-2009 FAFSA on the Web
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) Web Site
TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement
TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s) Made
TEACH Grant Award Information in NSLDS
As previously communicated, we implemented functionality related to adding
the TEACH Grant question to the 2008-2009 FAFSA
on the Web application during the period January - May 2008. On June 28,
2008, we will implement the TEACH Grant ATS Web site and COD System functionality
that supports TEACH Grant origination and disbursement processing functions.
This will include processing TEACH Grant origination and disbursement records
submitted by schools, generating a TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement for students,
and sending award information to the DLSS. We will also implement functionality
that results in the DLSS generating a TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s)
Made for students and sending award information to the NSLDS.
Note for EDExpress Users: On June 30, 2008, we will post an updated
version of the EDExpress software (EDExpress for Windows 2008-2009, Release
3.0) that supports TEACH Grant origination and disbursement processing functions.
The updated EDExpress software will allow a school to enter, store, and export/import
TEACH Grant origination, disbursement, and response information.
Explanation of Attachments
In four attachments to this announcement, we provide additional information about
the student aspects of TEACH Grant processing that will be available for July
1, 2008.
-
The attachment titled "Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Processing
Operational for July 1, 2008" provides additional information
about the student aspects of TEACH Grant processing that will be operational
for July 1, 2008.
-
The attachment titled "TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS)
Web Site User Guide" illustrates the four-step process a student
will follow to complete his or her first ATS. A school may provide this
user guide, in paper or electronic format, to its students.
-
The attachment titled "TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement"
is the document that will be generated by the COD System for the student.
-
The attachment titled "TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s)
Made" is the document that will be generated by the DLSS for
the student.
Contact Information
Once again, we appreciate your partnership in serving TEACH Grant recipients.
If you have questions about the TEACH Grant question on FAFSA
on the Web and its related Student Aid Report/Institutional Student Information
Record comment codes or the EDExpress software, contact CPS/SAIG Technical Support
at 800/330-5947 (TDD/TTY 800/511-5806). You may also e-mail CPSSAIG@ed.gov.
If you have questions about the COD System's TEACH Grant functionality, including
Agreement to Serve (ATS) completion or the TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement, contact
the COD School Relations Center at 800/474-7268. You may also e-mail CODSupport@acs-inc.com.
If you have questions about the DLSS' TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s) Made
or monitoring of TEACH Grant awards, contact the School Services Team at the Direct
Loan Servicing Center at 888/877-7658.
Attachments/Enclosures:
Student Aspects of TEACH Grant Processing Operational for July 1, 2008 in PDF Format, 80KB, 6 pages
TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (ATS) Web Site User Guide in PDF Format, 785KB, 12 pages
TEACH Grant Disclosure Statement in PDF Format, 42KB, 2 pages
TEACH Grant Notice of Disbursement(s) Made in PDF Format, 47KB, 2 pages
Posted 06/30/08 to www.NASFAA.org. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org
