Summary: CCRAA Operational Implementation Guidance (CPS, COD System, and EDESuite) - New 2008-2009 SAR Comments for TEACH Grant Program

Publication Date: February 5, 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) – New 2008-2009 SAR Comments for TEACH Grant Program

Posted on 02-05-2008

We would like to provide you with more information regarding operational implementation of the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. This program, created by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (the CCRAA), Pub.L. 110-84, is effective beginning with the 2008-2009 Award Year and provides up to $4,000 a year in grant assistance to students who plan on becoming a teacher and meet certain specified requirements. If a student who receives a TEACH Grant does not complete the required teaching, the grant must be repaid as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

Note: For policy information on all of the provisions of the CCRAA, including the TEACH Grant Program, refer to Dear Colleague Letter GEN-08-01 available on the Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP) Web site.

As we informed you in an Electronic Announcement posted to the IFAP Web site on December 21, 2007, a question relating to the TEACH Grant Program was added to the 2008-2009 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to system start up. For 2008-2009, this question is only on our FAFSA on the Web application (English and Spanish) and not on the paper FAFSA. The question, intended to assist in identifying potentially eligible TEACH Grant recipients, asks “Are you planning on completing coursework, now or in the future, necessary for you to become an elementary or secondary school teacher?”

Although 2008-2009 FAFSA on the Web filers have been presented with the new TEACH Grant Program question as of January 1, 2008, the applicant's response to the question has not been included on either the student's Student Aid Report (SAR) or the school's Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). Instead, we have stored the applicant's answer to the question in the Central Processing System (CPS).

New Comment Code 281 for FAFSA on the Web Filers Who Answered “Yes”

In mid-February 2008, we will reprocess student records for all applicants who answered "Yes" to the new TEACH Grant Program question. The resulting ISIR transactions, which will be sent to all schools listed on the applicant's FAFSA, will include new comment code number 281, indicating that the applicant answered "Yes" to the TEACH Grant question.

A SAR with the appropriate TEACH Grant comment text will also be sent to the applicant. New SAR comment 281 states:

“When you completed your FAFSA, you responded 'YES' to the question about your plans to take coursework that will enable you to become a teacher. We asked this question because there is a new federal student aid program for students who plan on becoming teachers. You should go to www.teachgrant.ed.gov to learn more and find out what steps you must take to be considered for the program. If you cannot access the website, you should call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).”

New Comment Code 282 for Filers Who Were Not Presented With TEACH Grant Question

Also in mid-February 2008, we will reprocess student records for applicants that were not given the opportunity to answer the TEACH Grant question. This includes all applicants who filed a paper FAFSA, as well as those students for whom the application was generated by a school in FAA Access to CPS Online or through the EDE process. The resulting ISIR transactions, which will be sent to all schools listed on the applicant's FAFSA, will include new comment code number 282, indicating that the applicant has not been given the opportunity to answer the TEACH Grant question.

A SAR with the appropriate TEACH Grant comment text will also be sent to the applicant. New SAR comment 282 states:

“There is a new federal student aid program for students who plan on becoming teachers. If you are interested, you should go to www.teachgrant.ed.gov to learn more and find out what steps you must take to be considered for the program. If you cannot access the website, you should call 1-800-4FEDAID (1-800-433-3243).”

New TEACH Grant Information Web Site

SAR comments 281 and 282 direct students to a new Web site, www.teachgrant.ed.gov, for information about the eligibility and academic requirements of the TEACH Grant Program. This Web site is currently available; however, we will be updating it prior to the mid-February 2008 reprocessing.

Further Information Regarding Upcoming Reprocessing

We are in the process of finalizing the details of the upcoming reprocessing. As soon as these details are finalized, we will communicate the information in an Electronic Announcement, posted on the IFAP Web site.

Contact Information
If you have questions about the new TEACH Grant question on FAFSA on the Web, contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 800/4-FED-AID (800/433-3243).

If you have questions about provisions of the CCRAA, including the TEACH Grant Program, refer to Dear Colleague Letter GEN-08-01 available on the IFAP Web site.