Session 6ACG & National SMART Grant Update:

Transfer Student, Rigorous Secondary School

Programs of Study, and Academic Major Issues

Sophia McArdle

Office of Postsecondary Education

Academic Competitiveness Grants (ACG)

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ACG Eligibility Requirements

• U.S. Citizen

• Federal Pell Grant recipient for same payment period or

award year (if choose to implement early)

• First or second year student in a two- or four-year degree

program

• Full-time enrollment

• Completed rigorous secondary school program of study

• No specific major required

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ACG Eligibility Requirements

• First-year students

– May not have been previously enrolled in a program of undergraduate education

– Have graduated from secondary school program after January 1, 2006

• Second-year students

– Have graduated from secondary school program after January 1, 2005

– Have a 3.0 GPA in an eligible program

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ACG Previous Enrollment Restriction

• Not applicable if prior enrollment was

– Not as a “regular” student

– After high school graduation

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ACG Eligibility Requirements

• Student must have completed a rigorous secondary

school program of study

• ED has outlined options to meet requirements in

the interim final regulations

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ACG Recognition of Rigorous Program

• For an award year:

– The Secretary recognizes at least one rigorous

secondary school program of study for each

State as established by an SEA or if legally

authorized by the State to establish a separate

secondary school program of study, an LEA

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ACG Recognition of Rigorous Program

• The Secretary establishes a deadline for SEAs and

LEAs to submit proposals for recognition of

rigorous secondary school programs of study

• An LEA must submit documentation that the LEA is

legally authorized by the State to establish a

separate secondary school program of study

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ACG Recognition of Rigorous Program

For 2007-2008:

• Deadline for new submissions was November 1, 2006

• If State did not submit new or revised programs, remove current programs, or clarify State Scholars Initiative program requirements, State’s currently recognized secondary school programs of study will carry over

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ACG Recognition of Rigorous Program

• In identifying a rigorous program, the SEA or LEA must consider separate identifiable secondary programs that:

– Are offered by secondary schools in the State

– Are considered by the SEA or LEA to prepare a student to pursue postsecondary education successfully

– Are not GED programs

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ACG Recognition of Rigorous Program

• In addition to the State submitted programs that

the Secretary recognizes, the Secretary also

recognizes several other options as rigorous

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ACG Options for Rigorous Program

• An advanced or honors secondary school program established by a State and in existence for the 04-05 or 05-06 school year as identified by the Secretary

• A secondary school program identified by a State-level partnership recognized by State Scholars Initiative of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

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ACG Options for Rigorous Program

• Completion of at least:

– 2 Advanced Placement courses with a test score

of at least 3; OR

– 2 International Baccalaureate courses with a

test score of at least 4

• A set of courses as outlined in regulations

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ACGOptions for Rigorous Program

• 4 years of English

• 3 years of math (include Algebra 1 and one other

higher-level math )

• 3 years of science (at least two are one year each

in Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

• 3 years of social studies

• 1 year of a foreign language

Courses as Outlined in Regulations

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ACGOptions for Rigorous Program

• The Secretary publishes a list of rigorous secondary school

programs of study that the Secretary recognizes for each

award year

• For 2006-7: Web site address:

http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/about/acsmart/state-programs06.html

For 2007-8, submission deadline was November 1, 2006

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ACGOptions for Rigorous Program

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ACGApplicant Self-identification Process

• Department notifies potentially eligible students of

how to provide additional eligibility information

• Student provides additional information on

website or calls toll-free number

• Department sends student responses to schools

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ACGDocumenting Rigorous Program

• Student not required to “apply”

• Institutions are responsible for determining the eligibility of students who ED reported as having self-identified eligibility

– On at least the standard(s) selected by the student

• Institutions are also able to identify eligible students based on records they have (e.g. high school transcripts, test scores)

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ACGDocumenting Rigorous Program

• Documentation from “cognizant authority” can be

provided by:

– The student

– Directly from “cognizant authority”

• If reason to believe documentation from student is

inaccurate, must obtain directly from cognizant

authority

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ACGDocumenting Rigorous Program

• Cognizant authority includes but is not limited to:

– An LEA

– An SEA or other State Agency

– A public or private high school

– A testing organization such as the College

Board or State Agency

– Parent if student is home-schooled

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ACGDocumenting Rigorous Program

– For transfer students, an institution may rely on

another school’s determination that student

completed a rigorous program

– NSLDS will store the data

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ACGGrade Point Average

• For second academic year ACG, student must

have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from the

first academic year

– Only determined one time, at the completion of

the first academic year

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ACGGrade Point Average

• Special Rule for transfer student:

– For student who transfers after completing the

first academic year, the new school must

calculate GPA using the grades from all

coursework accepted from prior schools for the

student’s first academic year in determining

eligibility for the second academic year

• If no credits are accepted, there is no GPA

National SMART Grants

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National SMART GrantsEligibility Requirements

• U.S. citizen

• Pell Grant recipient for same payment period or

award year (if choose to implement early)

• In 3rd or 4th year of a four-year degree program

• Full-time enrollment in an eligible major

• Cumulative 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in student’s

eligible program

• No rigorous high school program required

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National SMART Grants Major Fields of Study

• Computer Science

• Engineering

• Technology

• Life Sciences

• Mathematics

• Physical Sciences

• Designated Foreign

Languages

Identified by CIP* code in DCL GEN-06-06 and GEN-06-15*Classification of Instructional Program

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National SMART Grants Major Fields of Study

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National SMART Grants Major Fields of Study

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National SMART Grants Critical Foreign Languages

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National SMART Grants Major Fields of Study

• If a student’s eligible major is removed from the

list of eligible CIP codes in subsequent years,

student remains eligible if continues in that major

• If a student majors in a language no longer

deemed critical in subsequent years, student

remains eligible if continues to major in that

language

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National SMART Grants Monitoring Major

• Requires that a recipient:

– Declare an eligible major or

– If school policy does not allow declaring a major in time to qualify for a SMART grant, show intent to declare an eligible major as documented by the institution

• Student must formally declare an eligible major as soon as institutional policy allows

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National SMART Grants Monitoring Major

• Whether a student declares a major or indicates intent, he or she must enroll in coursework leading to completion of the program with that eligible major

• Institutions must have a process or processes in place to monitor that the student is making progress toward completion of the program in that eligible major

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National SMART Grants Monitoring Major

• If student changes to an eligible major between

payment periods:

– Eligible for new payment period

– Cannot be paid for prior payment periods

• If student changes to an ineligible major between

payment periods:

– No grant for the new payment period

– Prior disbursement need not be repaid

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National SMART Grants Monitoring Major

• If student changes to an eligible major within a payment period:

– Can be paid for the entire payment period

– Cannot be paid for prior payment periods

• If student changes to an ineligible major within a payment period:

– No additional disbursements

– Prior disbursements, including for the current payment period, need not be repaid

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National SMART Grants Grade Point Average

• For all payment periods, student must have a

cumulative GPA of at least 3.0

– Includes entire program – all courses required

for degree in approved major

– Calculated as of last completed payment period

– Reviewed prior to each disbursement

– Schools can make an “interim disbursement” at

school’s risk

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National SMART Grants Grade Point Average

• Special Rule for student who transfers after completing two or more academic years, the new school:

– For the first payment period upon transfer, must use the grades from all coursework accepted from prior schools for GPA determination

– For subsequent payment periods, comply with school academic policies

– Same policy for all students

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National SMART Grants Eligibility Determination

• No student self-identification as in ACG

• Institutions are responsible for reviewing records to

identify all eligible students:

– ISIR for Pell Eligibility, Citizenship, and other Title IV

eligibility requirements

– Academic Records for:

• Eligible Major or, if available, intent

• Third or fourth academic year of enrollment

• GPA

• Full-time Enrollment

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Contact Information

We appreciate your feedback and comments.

We can be reached at:

Sophia McArdle

• Phone: 202-219-7078

• Fax: 202-502-7874

• Email: sophia.mcardle@ed.gov