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Federal TEACH grant information | FACTsheet

Effective Dates | The first TEACH Grants will be awarded to eligible students for the 2008-09 school year

TEACH grant entrance counseling | Begin Counseling Now

TEACH grant agreement to serve | Begin Agreement Now

You must be awarded a federal TEACH grant for 08/09 before you can complete your Agreement to Serve.

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides up to $4,000 per year in grants for graduate and undergraduate students who intend to teach full-time in high-need subject areas for at least four years at schools that serve students from low-income families. Graduate students are eligible for $ 4,000 per year ($ 8,000 total). Undergraduate students may receive up to $16,000 for undergraduate study and up to $ 8,000 for graduate study. Part-time students are eligible, but the maximum grant will be reduced.

NOTICE: IF A STUDENT FAILS TO COMPLETE THE FOUR-YEAR TEACHING OBLIGATION, THEY MUST REPAY THE GRANT WITH INTEREST.

Student Eligibility Requirements | To receive a TEACH Grant you must:

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) although you do not have to demonstrate financial need.
• Meet the eligibility requirements for federal student aid (listed at www.pdx.edu/finaid).
• Be enrolled in a program of study designated as TEACH Grant-eligible. Eligible programs are those that prepare a student to teach in a high-need area. Eligible programs of study at PSU are:

Department
Licensure Program
Coordinator
CI
Added Elementary Endorsement Program
Christine Chaille
CI
Bilingual Teacher Pathways Program (BTP)
Julie Esparza-Brown
CI
Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP)
Emily de la Cruz
CI
English as a Second Language Program (ESL)
Greta Krahn
CI
International Teacher Education Program (ITEP)
Jaqueline Temple
CI
Library Media Endorsement Program
Dave Bullock
CI
Reading Endorsement Program
Susan Lenski
CI/SPED
Secondary Dual Endorsement Program Sue Bert / Barb Ruben
SPED Added Special Educator Program Leslie Munson
SPED
Early Intervention / Early Childhood Special Education Dave Allen
SPED
Inclusive Elementary Educator Program (IE2P) Paula Stanovich
SPED
Special Educator Endorsement Sue Bert
SPED
Visually Impaired Learner Program Jim Bickford

• Meet the following academic achievement requirements:
o Score above the 75th percentile on a college admissions test (e.g. SAT/ACT/GRE) -or-
o Graduate from high school with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) to receive a grant as a freshman, -and-
o Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 (on a 4.0 scale) on your college coursework to receive a grant for each subsequent term -and-
o Be formally admitted into a TEACH grant eligible Graduate Program with PSU’s Graduate School of Education, -or-
o Declare a minor in Pre-education as an Undergraduate student

• Complete TEACH Grant counseling
• Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and respond to requests by the U.S. Department of Education confirming your continuing intention to meet the teaching obligation

TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay | Begin Agreement Now

Each year you receive a TEACH Grant, you must sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve and Promise to Pay (service agreement) that is available electronically on a Department of Education Web site. The TEACH Grant service agreement specifies the conditions under which the grant will be awarded, the teaching service requirements, and includes an acknowledgment by you that you understand that if you do not meet the teaching service requirements you must repay the grant as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan, with interest accrued from the date the grant funds were first disbursed.

Teaching Obligation

To avoid repaying the TEACH Grant with interest you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students. You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant. You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Specific definitions of these terms are included below.

Highly-Qualified Teacher | You must perform the teaching service as a highly-qualified teacher, which is defined in federal law. The U.S. Department of Education provides definitions here.

Full-Time Teacher | You must meet the state’s definition of a full time teacher and spend the majority (at least 51 percent) of your time teaching one of the high-need subject areas. Elementary teachers who teach many subjects would not be able to fulfill their service agreement.

High-Need Subject Areas | • Bilingual Education and English Language Acquisition • Foreign Language • Mathematics • Reading Specialist • Science • Special Education • Other teacher shortage areas are listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Teacher Shortage Area Nationwide Listing

Schools Serving Low-Income Students | Schools serving low-income students include any elementary or secondary school that is listed in the Department of Education’s Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits .

Documentation

You must respond promptly to any requests for information or documentation from the U.S. Department of Education, even if they seem repetitive. These requests will be sent to you while you are still in school as well as once you are out of school. You will be asked regularly to confirm that you either still intend to teach or that you are teaching as required. You must provide documentation to the U.S. Department of Education at the end of each year of teaching.

If you temporarily cease enrollment in your program of study or if you encounter situations that affect your ability to begin or continue teaching, you will need to stay in touch with the U.S. Department of Education to avoid your grants being converted to loans before you are able to complete your teaching obligation.

IMPORTANT REMINDER | Failure to complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to a loan with interest. Once a grant is converted to a loan it can’t be converted back to a grant.

For more information about the Federal TEACH grant, visit the Federal Student Aid website.