[Oasfaa] FW: Immediate Action – Institutional Eligibility for TEACH Grant Update Required

Tue Sep 27 11:03:04 CDT 2016

Hello everyone!

If your school participates in the TEACH Grant Program, chances are your President received the 2nd attachment above (TEACH Letter.pdf) late last week.  I know how these letters don’t always get to the right person, so I thought I would share!

Also attached is a letter from OEDQ  (USDEletter.pdf) that the following schools should be able to use to fulfill this requirement.  It is “hot off the press” so I thought I would get it in the right hands.  We have 30 days from Sept 23  to get this in or risk not being eligible to participate in TEACH.  Looks like we have to respond to the letter and also update our PPA – both within 30 days.  Yes!  We need something else to do right now, right?   Heck, I just hit submit on the FISAP 30 minutes ago, I don’t have anything else going on, right?   ;-)

If anyone else has more information or if I’m off-base, please let the group know!

[cid:image003.png at 01D218AE.B3FC7AD0]

Thanks guys!

Caryn

Caryn Pacheco | University of Oklahoma
Financial Aid Services | Director

Phone: 405-325-9627| 1000 Asp Ave, Buchanan Hall Room 216 | Norman, OK  73019|www.financialaid.ou.edu

From: Renee Launey-Rodolf [mailto:Renee.Launey-Rodolf at oeqa.ok.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2016 10:42 AM
To: Cox, Sherry J. <scox at ou.edu>
Cc: DeBacker, Teresa K. <debacker at ou.edu>; Pacheco, Caryn L. <cpacheco at ou.edu>
Subject: RE: Immediate Action – Institutional Eligibility for TEACH Grant Update Required

Sherry – this is what I sent earlier.

From: FSA PEPS [mailto:FSA_PEPS at ed.gov]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2016 3:24 PM
Subject: Immediate Action – Institutional Eligibility for TEACH Grant Update Required

On September 22, 2016, the Department issued a determination to end its recognition of both Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).  Because these two accrediting agencies were the only ones recognized by the Department for accreditation of teacher preparation programs, it is not currently possible for an institution to maintain eligibility for the TEACH Grant Program on the basis of accreditation of its teacher preparation program.  Therefore, we need additional information from you in order to determine whether TEAC and NCATE’s loss of recognition will impact your institution’s continued participation in the TEACH Grant Program.

Please carefully review the attached document and respond within 30 days.
If you have questions regarding the participation request process, please contact the School Participation Division for your state. Contact phone numbers are on the E-App homepage (eligcert.ed.gov<http://eligcert.ed.gov/>).

Ron Bennett, Director, PMP
School Eligibility Service Group

Program Compliance

Federal Student Aid

>From NASFAA:
Institutional Participation in the TEACH Grant Program Is in Immediate Jeopardy
By Joan Berkes, Policy & Federal Relations Staff<mailto:news at nasfaa.org>
Do you participate in the TEACH Grant Program? You may be prohibited from making further TEACH Grant disbursements after this current payment period unless you have taken one of two possible actions to continue your participation. You are in this situation if your teacher preparation programs are eligible for the TEACH Grant Program based on specialized accreditation by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) or National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The Department of Education (ED) no longer recognizes these agencies as accreditors, effective September 22, 2016.
As a result of this loss of accreditation, an affected school may not make additional disbursements of TEACH Grants to students in its teacher preparation program after the current payment period has ended, without taking one of two specified actions. ED sent letters to the presidents of affected institutions on September 23. If you believe your institution may be affected, check with your president’s office to see that letter.
This action does not affect student eligibility for other Title IV programs (such as Pell Grant or Direct Loans) as long as the student’s academic program is included in other institution-wide accreditation.
TEAC and NCATE are, as has been planned, merging into the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). However, ED has not yet recognized CAEP as an accreditor, and there is currently no projected date by which that action might be taken. There are currently no other specialized accreditors of teacher preparation programs that are recognized by ED.
Schools may continue to disburse TEACH Grant funds after the end of the current payment period to students enrolled in affected teacher preparation programs if the school notifies ED that it either:

  *   Documents that it meets the other requirement for TEACH Grant eligibility currently allowed by regulation, which is state approval together with two other requirements related to program content; or
  *   Accepts provisional certification in hopes of CAEP becoming recognized within the next 18 months.
Both of these options are further described in ED’s letter to presidents of affected schools. The requirements of institutional eligibility specific to the TEACH Grant Program based on state approval are in the program regulations at 686.2(d), definition of TEACH Grant-eligible institution. If provisional certification is chosen, one impact is that the school may not add any new programs or additional locations for Title IV purposes without approval from ED.
An affected school has 30 days from the date of the letter sent to its president to notify ED of its choice, or that it will withdraw from the TEACH Grant Program instead. An institution that changes the basis for its TEACH Grant eligibility must amend its e-App as well as notify ED using the form included with the letter to the school’s president.
Additional information may be obtained from your School Participation Division<https://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/helpContactInformationList.jsp?group=3>, or by sending an email to CaseTeams at ed.gov<mailto:CaseTeams at ed.gov>. NASFAA is seeking additional information about impacted programs from ED and is working with other groups regarding this issue.

Publication Date: 9/27/2016

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