This page contains the text of a regulation adopted by the Missouri State Board of Education. An official copy of the full text of this regulation is contained in the Code of State Regulations, published by the Office of Secretary of State. |
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Title 5-DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION |
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5 CSR 80-850.010 Administrative Procedures for the Teacher Education Scholarship Program PURPOSE: The Excellence in Education Act of 1985 (sections 160.276, 160.278, 160.281 and 160.283, RSMo) establishes a program to be administered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that makes scholarships in the amount of two thousand dollars ($2,000) per recipient (one-half this amount to be provided by the state and one-half to be provided by participating colleges or universities) available for students who make a commitment to a teaching career and who enroll in a college program leading to certification to teach in the public schools of Missouri. This rule sets forth the qualifications required of applicants for the scholarships, the criteria to be used in selecting scholarship recipients, the conditions that participating colleges or universities must meet, procedures for matching recipients with participating colleges or universities, terms to which a scholarship recipient must agree and repayment procedures to be followed by recipients who fail to fulfill their commitment to become certificated to teach or to teach in the public schools of Missouri. (1) Eligible applicants are defined as residents of Missouri who: (A) Are high school seniors, students in a four (4)-year college or university located in Missouri, or students enrolled in a junior or community college located in Missouri; (B) Make a commitment to pursue an approved teacher education program and enroll as full-time students in a four (4)-year college or university located in Missouri; (C) Have achieved scores on an accepted nationally-normed test of academic ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the American College Test (ACT) or the School-College Ability Test (SCAT), which place them at or above the eighty-fifth percentile; or have achieved a high school grade point average which ranks them in the upper fifteen percent (15%) of their high school graduating class or as calculated at the end of the sixth semester; and (D) Meet the requirements for entry into an approved teacher education program in Missouri. (2) Each student wishing to apply for a scholarship shall submit an application to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in a form required by DESE by February 15 in order to be considered for the award of a scholarship for the fall term. (3) Each application shall contain information as may be required to enable DESE to select recipients under the provisions of this rule. (4) Each applicant will be notified by April 1 whether the applicant has or has not been selected as a recipient. (5) Recipients will be selected from the group of eligible applicants on the basis of each applicant's level of performance in the following areas: (A) Participation in school and community activities; (B) Demonstrated leadership abilities; (C) Effective interpersonal skills; (D) Wide range of interest; (E) Career interest in teaching; and (F) Effective communication skills. (6) Annually, DESE shall appoint a selection committee whose assignment shall be to rank the eligible applicants on the basis of the criteria listed above in accordance with rating scales developed by DESE. The list of ranked applicants shall be used in assigning each recipient to the college or university of the applicant’s choice. (7) In the event that there are more eligible applicants than can be granted scholarships because insufficient funds have been appropriated, scholarships shall be awarded in sequence according to the rank order of the eligible applicants. (8) In the event that a designated recipient declines to accept a scholarship, the scholarship shall be offered to the next highest ranked eligible applicant, if any. (9) After recipients have been selected in accordance with the criteria listed in this rule, each recipient will be matched, in rank order, with the applicant’s first choice of college or university until all openings at a college or university have been filled; after that, recipients who have designated that college or university as first choice will be matched in rank order with openings at colleges and universities that they indicated as second or third choice, respectively. (10) DESE shall notify each participating college or university of the names and addresses of scholarship recipients who have been matched with that institution. (11) Following notification that the applicant has been selected to receive a scholarship, the applicant shall respond to DESE to accept or decline the scholarship no later than April 15. (12) After a recipient has completed admission and registration procedures at the matched college or university and is ready to attend class at the beginning of the fall semester of the program year (fiscal year), the financial aid officer or scholarship awards officer shall give the recipient a check from the state in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500) and a check from the college or university in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500), both checks made payable to the recipient (or the recipient and parent or guardian, if the recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age). At the beginning of the spring semester of the program year (fiscal year), a similar procedure shall occur. (13) On the two (2) occasions, at the beginning of the first and second semesters after the recipient has completed all enrollment requirements and is ready to attend class and when the checks from the state and the college or university are delivered to the student, the recipient (and parents or guardians, if the recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age) shall sign a promissory note which obligates the student to fulfill the commitment to be made by recipients and included in this rule, with the provision that funds received under the terms of this rule shall be repaid according to the terms of this rule if the student defaults on the commitments. (14) Participating colleges or universities must: (A) Be located in Missouri; (B) Offer a teacher education program approved by DESE; (C) Provide matching funds of one thousand dollars ($1,000) per scholarship recipient to match, dollar for dollar, funds made available by the state; (D) Not use state funds for the matching funds; (E) Indicate prior to each year of participation, upon the request of DESE, the number of scholarships that will be matched; (F) Report annually on October 1, in the form requested by DESE, the status of all scholarship recipients who attended the college or university during preceding years until such time as they graduate or leave the college or university; (G) Confirm annually on October 1, in the form requested by DESE, the status of recipients who are currently enrolled as first-time students; (H) Report immediately to DESE the name of any enrolled recipient who ceases study leading to teacher certification; (I) Agree to pay matching funds to recipients on terms no more restrictive than those established by DESE with regard to the state funds provided to recipients and if they elect to seek repayment, the terms of the repayment schedule shall be no more restrictive than the repayment terms established by the state for students who default; and (J) Agree to serve as agent for the state in obtaining notarized signatures of recipients (or of recipients and parents or guardians, if the recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age) on promissory notes which will be sent by DESE to the designated college official along with the payment checks sent for recipients. The college or university agrees to return the signed and notarized promissory notes to DESE. (15) Before receiving any funds from the state or from a college or university under terms of the Teacher Education Scholarship Program, each designated recipient must agree to the following terms and conditions: (A) To enroll in and complete a college program designed to qualify the recipient for a Missouri teaching certificate within five (5) years from the date of receiving funds under the scholarship program (three (3) years in the case of students transferring from a junior or community college); (B) To teach on a full-time basis for a period of five (5) years in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school after receiving a teaching certificate; (C) To notify DESE annually on October 1, in the form and on the schedule prescribed by DESE, of the applicant’s current status as a student during years of college attendance and as a teacher following receipt of teacher certification; (D) To repay the scholarship funds received from the state in accordance with terms set forth in this rule if any one (1) of the following events occurs: 1. The recipient ceases study leading to teacher certification for any reason, including, but not limited to:
2. The recipient fails to be hired for or to accept a full-time teaching position in a Missouri public school within ten (10) months of receiving certification to teach in Missouri public schools; or 3. The recipient fails to teach on a full-time basis for a period of five (5) years in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school. (16) If a recipient does not complete requirements for certification to teach in public elementary and secondary schools in Missouri in accordance with the terms of this rule, the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9 1/2%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the state from the date the recipient ceased study leading to teacher certification until the amount received has been paid back to the state. (17) If a recipient fails to be hired for or to accept a full-time teaching position in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school within ten (10) months after receiving certification to teach in Missouri public elementary or secondary schools, the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9 1/2%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the state from the date ten (10) months after receiving certification until the amount has been paid back to the state. (18) If a recipient does not continue to teach on a full-time basis in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school for a period of five (5) years after receiving a degree, the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9 1/2%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the date the recipient ceases to teach until the amount received has been paid back to the state. For each year, up to five (5) years, that the recipient teaches in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school, one-fifth (1/5) of the amount received under the scholarship program shall be applied against the total amount received and shall not be subject to repayment. (19) The amount received (plus interest) shall be repaid to the state within two (2) years of the date of default; except that repayment shall not be triggered for a period of not more than: (A) One (1) year by a recipient's returning to full-time study after two (2) years of teaching in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school; or (B) One (1) semester by a recipient's requesting and receiving maternity leave from a Missouri public school district if the recipient returns to a teaching position in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school following this interruption of employment. (20) The obligation to teach on a full-time basis in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school for a period of five (5) years following certification shall not be altered by any such moratorium on the requirement to repay the scholarship funds. (21) The state board may set aside fifteen percent (15%) of the scholarships for awards to qualified minority recipients. (22) Exceptions. A recipient who wishes to request an exception to any of the terms of this rule must submit their request in writing to DESE. DESE shall respond to each such request within thirty (30) days following receipt of the request and may schedule a hearing not more than forty-five (45) days following receipt of the request to receive testimony. A ruling on each request shall be rendered not more than fifteen (15) days following the hearing. AUTHORITY: sections 160.276, 160.278, 160.281 and 160.283, RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed Dec. 2, 1985, effective Feb. 24, 1986. Amended: Filed Aug. 1, 1989, effective Nov. 27, 1989. Rescinded and readopted: Filed March 29, 2002, effective Oct. 30, 2002. *Original authority: 160.276, RSMo 1985; 160.278, RSMo 1985; 160.281, RSMo 1985, amended 1990; and 160.283, RSMo 1985, amended 1990. |
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