FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING SMARRT SCHOLARSHIP OBLIGATION
What is my service obligation in return for the scholarship?
As stated in the Scholarship Terms and Conditions outlined in the U.S. Department of Education contract signed by each student:
“To determine that the recipient has met the service obligation, the Department must receive information to confirm that the recipient (1) within six months of graduation from the teacher training program, is teaching in a high-need school of a high-need school district; and (2) continues teaching in a high-need school of a high-need school district for a period of time that is equivalent to the period of time for which the recipient receives this scholarship assistance.”
Source: Teacher Quality Enhancement Programs, Title II, Higher Education Act (HEA), Scholarship Terms and Conditions
What paperwork will I be required to complete in order to confirm my service obligation?
You will need to complete the Verification of Teaching Obligation form, which must be signed by the principal of your school and submitted to the U.S. Department of Education to verify your service obligation. The Verification of Teaching Obligation form is provided to you by the SMARRT Project upon completion of your teacher education program.
As per the instructions on the form, for Parts I and II, you must furnish this information by October 1 if you begin teaching at the beginning of the school year and within seven days if you begin teaching at other times. For Section III, you must submit the information within seven days of the end of the school year, along with a copy of Parts I and II. Please mail this completed form to:
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
Teacher Quality Enhancement Program
1990 K Street N.W., 7th floor
Washington, DC 20006-8526
Remember that it is your responsibility as a scholarship recipient to ensure that the Department of Education has a current home address, telephone number, and a work address and telephone number until you have fulfilled your scholarship obligation.
What is the definition of a “high-need” school?
A “high-need” school is one in which 40% or more of the enrolled students are eligible for free and reduced lunch subsidies. For additional information, please see page 3 of the Verification of Teaching Obligation form.
How do I locate “high-need” schools?
Two sources are listed below that may serve as a start (but not guaranteed) for verifying whether a school meets the “high-need” school criteria for your scholarship for a particular school year.
(1) Texas Education Agency Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports, which pull together a wide range of information on the performance of students in each school and district in Texas every year. These reports also provide extensive information on staff, finances, programs, and demographics for each school and district. Here is the link to the 2006-2007 AEIS Reports. (Note: The AEIS Reports for 2007-08 will be available in late November 2008).
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/2007/campus.srch.html
You may search for the AEIS report for a particular school by Campus Name. When the campus report comes up, it will first show the TAKS assessment data. Scroll down to “Campus Profile,” and look for the percent of students in the category of Economically Disadvantaged, which is defined in the AEIS Glossary as the “percent of students coded as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch or eligible for other public assistance.” If this percent is 40% or greater, then the school should meet the “high-need” school criteria for that school year.
(2) Teacher Cancellation Low Income (TCLI) Directory of schools, designated by the U.S. Department of Education as having a high concentration of students from low-income families. The schools qualify teachers for cancellation under the Federal Perkins/National Direct Student Loan, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), and William D. Ford Feral Director Loan (DL) programs.
https://www.tcli.ed.gov/CBSWebApp/tcli/TCLIPubSchoolSearch.jsp
You can download the TCLI Directory to view all the schools in Texas (or other state) and the percentage of low-income families whose children attend the school. Note that the schools listed are designated as “low-income” if the percentage of low-income families whose children attend the school is greater than 30%. For your scholarship obligation, only schools that have 40% or greater may meet the criteria of “high-need.” You can download the directory of schools by state, in Excel format, and then sort by county, by school district, and/or by school.
NOTE: These two links are just resources and do not guarantee that the school will necessarily meet the “high-need” school definition for the following school year. Your best resource to confirm this information is the principal of the school, because the principal is the person who will sign your Verification of Teaching Obligation form to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education.
What are the consequences for failure to meet the service obligation?
As stated in your scholarship contract:
“If the recipient does not teach in a high-need school of a high-need school district within six (6) months of his or her graduation from the teacher preparation program, the recipient becomes obligated to repay the scholarship six (6) months after the date of completion of the teacher training program.”
“If the scholarship recipient withdraws from the teacher preparation program prior to graduating, the recipient becomes obligated to repay the scholarship six (6) months after his or her withdrawal from the program.”
If I need to request a deferment of my service obligation, what should I do?
As stated in your scholarship contract, the Department of Education may defer the scholarship recipient’s responsibility to teach in a high-need school of a high-need school district if the recipient provides satisfactory information to confirm that he or she –
- Suffers from a serious physical or mental disability that temporarily prevents or impairs the scholarship recipient from working as a teacher;
- Is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty;
- Is conscientiously seeking but is unable to secure employment (for reasons that may include the failure to pass a required teacher certification or licensure examination) as a teacher in a high-need school of a high-need school district; or
- Is affected by other extraordinary circumstances that prevent the scholarship recipient from securing such employment.
The recipient must apply to the Department for a deferment of the service obligation. The recipient must do so within six (6) months of his or her graduation (or withdrawal) from the teacher training program or, if the recipient has already begun teaching in a high-need school of a high-need school district, within six (6) months of the date he or she no longer teaches in this school.
The obligation to repay the scholarship is not deferred until the Department determines that a deferment is appropriate.
Who do I contact at the University of the Incarnate Word if I have questions regarding my scholarship obligation?
During your exit conference, conducted with each scholarship recipient who completes or leaves the program, the SMARRT Project Director/Coordinator will review your scholarship obligation and answer any questions you may have. At any other time, you are welcome to contact the SMARRT Project staff, listed on the SMARRT website.
How do I contact the U.S. Department of Education if I have questions regarding my scholarship obligation?
For questions regarding your SMARRT scholarship obligation, you may direct your inquiries to the following staff member at the U.S. Department of Education, Teacher Quality Enhancement (TQE) Programs:
Karen Wilson, TQE Programs
U.S. Department of Education
1990 K St., NW, Suite 7100
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 502-7663
(202) 502-7699 (fax)
Karen.Wilson@ed.gov
