Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

State Grant Programs - National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program

AwardYear: 1997-1998
EnterChapterNo: 9
EnterChapterTitle: State Grant Programs
SectionNumber: 4
SectionTitle: National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership Program
PageNumbers: 27-33


[[HEA '92]]
The Higher Education Amendments of 1992 authorized funds for the
creation of the National Early Intervention Scholarship and
Partnership (NEISP) Program. Under this program, states carry out
the activities of both an early intervention component and a
scholarship component.

Under the NEISP Program, the Secretary provides states with
grants to

- encourage the states to provide or maintain a guaranteed amount
of financial assistance necessary to permit eligible low-income
students who obtain high school diplomas or the equivalent to
attend institutions of higher education; and

[[Grants provide financial incentives for states]]
- provide financial incentives to enable states--in cooperation with
local educational agencies, institutions of higher education,
community organizations, and businesses--to provide a variety of
early intervention services.

These services include

- providing additional counseling, mentoring, academic support,
outreach, and support services to preschool, elementary, middle,
and secondary school students who are at risk of dropping out of
school; and

- providing students and their parents with information on the
advantages of postsecondary education and on their postsecondary
financial options.

[[Program appreciation for 1997-98]]
When program appropriations are less than $50 million (as they will
be for 1997-98), states must apply for funds through a discretionary
grant competition. For the 1997-98 award year, funding has been
approved for both the early intervention component and the
scholarship component. (Currently, nine states are receiving funds.)
Also for the 1997-98 award year, those current nine state grantees
are expected to be funded and will use all available federal funds.
No new state applications will be considered. (The nine states
currently receiving funds are California, Indiana, Maryland,
Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and
Wisconsin.)

When enough federal funds are available to provide for a new state
applicant grant competition, the program will be run as a
discretionary grant program and funds will be allotted to states on a
competitive basis. The Secretary will evaluate each state's application
on how well each state fulfills its responsibilities in

- submitting to the Secretary an initial plan and application for
carrying out the activities under the NEISP Program,

- fulfilling the NEISP Program's early intervention component, and

- fulfilling the NEISP Program's scholarship component.

[[Evaluation of new state applications]]
The new state applications are evaluated using selection criteria,
which take into consideration the state's

- need for the program,

- plan of operation,

- quality and qualification of the personnel who will be running the
program in the state,

- budget and cost effectiveness,

- adequacy of resources,

- likelihood of success,

- public and private support,

- coordination with other early intervention activities,

- willingness to contribute more than half the program costs and the
extent to which the state will overmatch its federal allotment, and

- evaluation report plan.

STATE ELIGIBILITY

A state must submit to the Secretary a state plan and an annual
application describing in detail how the state will carry out the
activities of both the early intervention component and the
scholarship component. The state must also describe how it will
provide matching funds for the program.

[[State agency designated by governor]]
The agency responsible for administering the NEISP Program in
each participating state is designated by the state's governor. That
agency may be either the state's SSIG agency, the State Education
Agency (SEA), or another agency approved by the Secretary. (The
SEA is the agency responsible for supervising the state's public
elementary and secondary schools.)

MATCHING REQUIREMENTS

In its plan, a state must demonstrate to the Secretary that it will
provide from state, local, or private funds at least half of the program
costs and describe how those funds will be paid. All funds expended
under this program must supplement, and not supplant, funds
expended for existing state and local programs. A state may match
the federal funds by means of

- scholarships or grants paid to students under the program from
state, local, or private funds;

- tuition, fees, room or board waived or reduced for recipients under
this program; and

- funds expended on documented, targeted, long-term mentoring
and counseling provided by volunteers or paid staff of nonschool
organizations.

EARLY INTERVENTION COMPONENT

Early intervention activities include comprehensive mentoring,
counseling, outreach, and support services (including postsecondary
financial aid counseling) to students in preschool through grade 12.

[[Permissible activities allowed under this component]]
States may provide eligible students in certain grade levels
(preschool through grade 12) with a continuing system of mentoring
and advising that is coordinated with the federal and state community
service initiatives. Permissible activities under this component may
include

- after-school and summer-school tutoring,

- assistance in obtaining summer jobs,

- career mentoring, and

- academic counseling.

[[Participating students must agree to achieve certain academic
milestones]]
Participating eligible students may enter an agreement under which
they agree to achieve certain academic milestones (for a time period
established by each state) in exchange for receiving tuition
assistance. Such milestones would include completing a prescribed
set of courses and maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

Activities must be designed to ensure high school completion and
college enrollment of at-risk children.

States may provide pre-freshman summer programs that

- are at institutions of higher education with programs of academic-
year supportive services for disadvantaged students;

- assure the participation of disadvantaged students;

- provide summer instruction in remedial, developmental, or
supportive courses, or summer services such as counseling,
tutoring, or orientation;

- provide grant aid to cover pre-freshman summer costs; and

- assure that participating eligible students will receive financial aid
during each academic year they are enrolled at the participating
institution after the pre-freshman summer.

[[Providers of early intervention activities]]
Early intervention activities may be provided by community-based
organizations, schools, public and private agencies, nonprofit and
philanthropic organizations, businesses, and other organizations the
Secretary deems appropriate.

The state must treat as a priority student for its early intervention
component any student in preschool through grade 12 who is eligible

- to be counted as attending a Chapter 1 school (a Chapter 1 school
serves educationally and economically deprived students),

- for the National School Lunch Program, or

- for Aid to Families with Dependent Children assistance.

SCHOLARSHIP COMPONENT

Each participating state must establish or maintain a financial
assistance program for participating students. States are encouraged
to ensure that tuition assistance under the NEISP Program is
available for use at any institution of higher education that
participates in the Federal Pell Grant Program.

[[Each state sets its own maximum award]]
Each state sets the maximum amount a participating student may
receive under the NEISP Program. The minimum amount of the
scholarship shall not be less than the lesser of

- 75% of the average cost of attendance for an in-state student
enrolled in a four-year program of instruction at a public
institution of higher education in the state or

- the maximum funded Federal Pell Grant for that fiscal year.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to receive a scholarship under this component, a
student must

- meet the relevant eligibility requirements contained in Subpart C
of the General Provisions regulations (34 CFR Parts 668.31 - 39);

- be under 22 years of age at the time of the first grant award;

- receive a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent on or
after January 1, 1993;

- be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an institution of higher
education that is located within the state (however, a state may
offer scholarship portability for recipients who attend institutions
outside the state); and

- have participated in the state early intervention component under
the NEISP Program or, at the option of the state, have successfully
participated in either an Upward Bound program or another early
intervention program comparable to the NEISP Program.

A summary of the relevant requirements from the General Provisions
regulations can be found on page 9 - 6 of this chapter.

If a state includes academic milestones in a student agreement and
requires the student to meet those milestones to be eligible for a
scholarship, then the student must have met or exceeded the
milestones to receive the scholarship. The student agreement is made
under the NEISP early intervention component. Under this
agreement, the state will provide postsecondary tuition assistance to
a student during a period of time to be established by the state if the
student agrees to achieve certain academic milestones.

[[Consideration of need and low-income status]]
Federal Pell Grant recipients with the greatest financial need receive
priority consideration in receiving aid under this component. In
determining the greatest financial need, a state may rank students
according to their Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) or rank
them according to their need as prioritized under the state's criteria
for low-income students. (If the state chooses to use its own criteria
for ranking purposes, those criteria must first be approved by the
Department.)

PACKAGING AID

Tuition assistance under this program is not to be considered for the
purpose of awarding SFA aid. However, the total of SFA aid and
scholarship aid awarded under this component must not exceed the
student's cost of attendance.

ALLOTMENT TO STATES

Under full funding, the program statute authorizes $200 million for
both components of the NEISP Program. However, in a fiscal year
when funding is less than $50 million, the Secretary allots funds to
states on a competitive basis if funds are available for new awards.
During 1997-98, there will be no federal funding available for new
states. (See page 9-28.)

A state may not use less than 25% or more than 50% of its federal
allotment for the early intervention component of the NEISP
Program. The 50% maximum may be waived for a state that can
demonstrate that it has other ways of providing students' tuition
assistance.

EVALUATION

Each participating state must evaluate its early intervention
component every two years according to standards and requirements
established by the Secretary. The report summarizes and evaluates
the state's activities and the performance of its student participants.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As stated previously, only the nine currently funded states (listed on
the bottom of page 28) are participating during 1997-98, and no new
state applications will be accepted. Therefore, there is no listing of
agencies in Section 5 of this chapter as there is for each of the other
programs covered in Chapter 9. Direct any questions about NEISP
Program procedures to the program office at 202-708-8242.