by Doc_Smith on March 18, 2010
Are you interested in becoming a teacher? Are you willing to teach in a high-need subject area in a low-income school? If so, you may be eligible for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant. The TEACH program was created in 2007 to help provide highly qualified teachers to low-income schools for the most needed subjects. The grant is anon-need based program(meaning you can qualify no matter what your income), provides up to$4,000 each yearand can be renewed each year for a total of $16,000 for undergraduate students and up to $8,000 for masters students.
The grant is provided to students who intend to teach in either a public or private elementary or secondary school thatserves low-income students. Low-income, for the TEACH grant, is defined as any school receiving Title I funding or on an Indian reservation. You can search for which schools are identified as low-income in your area by visiting:www.tcli.ed.gov.
Recipients of the TEACH grant must also work in a high-need or teacher shortage field. These fields are defined as subject shortage areas, not geographic areas (unlike some other programs). The TEACH program defines national high-need fields as: Bilingual Education or English Language Acquisition, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Reading Specialist, Science and Special Education. However, recipients can also work in state-wide or local high-need subject areas, which often provide a much broader list of subjects. You can see a complete list of state-by-state subject need areas here:www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.doc.
TEACH grant applicants must work as a highly qualified teacher in a high-need subject at a low-income school as defined above for at least 4 years within the first 8 years after finishing college or grad school. Here are the other eligibility requirements to receive a TEACH grant:
Must complete a FAFSA (though you do not have to demonstrate financial need)
Must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen
Must be enrolled in a school that participate in the TEACH program (which is most of them)
Must be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to becoming a teach or building your knowledge in the field you want to teach
Much sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve (which just says that you understand the conditions of the program)
Must meet certain academic achievement requirements,which usually means maintaining a minimum 3.25 GPA in High School or in your first year of college OR scoring above the 75thpercentile on a college admissions test
Its important to be sure that you want to be a teacher before taking the TEACH grant, becauseif you do not fulfill the service requirements of the grant or you decide you do not want to be a teacher, the TEACH grant will be converted into an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan- meaning you will have to repay the cost of the grant with interest. But if you are sure you want to teach and you are willing to spend a few years as a teacher in a high-need subject at a low-income school, the TEACH grant can be a great way get money for college without having financial need or extremely high test scores and grades. You can find out more about the TEACH grant by visiting:https://teach-ats.ed.gov/ats/index.action.
James Maroney, the author of this article, is an educational consultant from Milford, Connecticut. He has been helping students with all aspects of the college search since he founded First Choice College Placement in 1999. He is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association, Education Industry Association, National Association of College Admissions Counselors, and National College Advocacy Group. He is also the publisher of www.collegetreasure.com, www.admissionhook.com, andwww.firstchoicecollege.com.
by Doc_Smith on March 18, 2010
Academic advisors play an integral role in each college students success. Academic advisors can help college students determine which classes they need to take, and in what order to take those classes, in order to meet the requirements of their specific degree. Most students meet with their academic advisors one to two times per semester for guidance and direction in selecting their college courses. Many college students have seen firsthand how a quick meeting with their personal academic advisor can save time, money, and effort as they work toward their desired degree. At certain colleges and universities, students have the option of meeting degree course requirements in ways other than attending traditional courses. For instance, CLEP, College Level Examination Program, is a program that allows students to demonstrate college-level proficiency on an exam in a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, history, and English, in order to gain credits. CLEP exams cover material taught in courses that students typically take in the first two years of college. CLEP tests, which are primarily multiple choice, computerized, and each cost less than $100 to take, can provide the student with substantial time and money savings when compared with taking traditional courses.
Any college student interested in taking CLEP tests in order to meet their degree requirements should first speak with the academic advisor to better understand the college or universities CLEP test policies. The academic advisor can provide the student direction on preparation methods, help the student determine which CLEP exams best fit their degree requirements, and assist with setting realistic goals based on the scores required by that particular learning institution.
Students interested in taking CLEP exams should know that there are many different CLEP test preparation methods available. Some of the available methods include the following: college textbooks, CLEP preparation books, CLEP preparation software, practice CLEP exams, and online study resources that prepare college students for CLEP exams. Since an academic advisor is familiar with a students particular situation, he or she can often offer assistance with the best method for a student to prepare for a CLEP test. Because each student has unique learning needs and learning style and has different background knowledge of a subject, no one method of preparation will work best for every student.
In addition to wondering how to best prepare for an exam, many students are interested to learn how their college will award credits based on their CLEP test score. Most learning institutions in the USA follow the guideline set by the American Council of Education (ACE) for determining if a student will receive credit for the CLEP test. Academic advisors can thoroughly review CLEP test score requirements with students and give insight into how a certain score might affect the college students grade point average (GPA). In addition, academic advisors can often help the student schedule the CLEP test. Since most learning institutions do not charge currently enrolled students a testing fee, scheduling CLEP exams with the college or university a student attends can save money. Also, having a CLEP test scheduled for a specific date often motivates college students to study more diligently and allocate adequate time to study for their CLEP.
Passing CLEP tests can help many college students to save time and money, lighten semester course loads, move on to exciting upper level courses, and even graduate sooner! Meetings with an academic advisor can help college students to work toward their desired degree in the most time and cost effective manners. Remember, academic advisors are a free resource available to almost all college students and enjoy helping students achieve their academic goals!
CLEP Study guides are an essential tool to prepare for CLEP tests. There are many different types of CLEP test preparation aids. Students can use the simple step by step CLEP study guide, or the specific CLEP test study guide to practice past tests and match and compare their answers with ideal CLEP tests answers.
