FY 2010 Student Support Services Program Competition Technical Assistance Update Webinar August 2009 Good morning and welcome to the Student Support Services, Technical   Assistance Workshop, sponsored by U. S. Department of Education, Fiscal  Year 2009. The purpose of the workshop this morning is to familiarize you  with the legislation, regulations, and application procedures for the Student  Support Services program, commonly referred to as SSS. We expect to announce those successful applicants approximately June, 2009. The project start date for new grants will be September 1, 2009. U.S. Department of Education Federal TRIO Programs

CHANGES AS A RESULT OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ACT (HEOA) OF 2008 Five–year Grants Minimum Grant Award Different Campuses Different Populations Required/Permissible Services

Clarification of Grant Aid ADDITIONAL CHANGES Clarification of Grant Aid Use of E-grants Formatting *We encourage coordination with other programs for disadvantage students operated by the institution. *This is one of ten workshops we are conducting throughout the country. For a listing of all where all of the technical assistance workshops will be held, please go to our website. The website address can be found on page 4 of the DAB. *For the low-income documentation, it can be found on page 42 of the DAB. For the low income table, please go to our website.  

FIVE-YEAR GRANTS All new Student Support Services grants will be for 5-years Award cycle: September 1, 2010 to August 30, 2015 Self explanatory

AWARD INFORMATION FY 2010 Projected Funding $828 Million TRIO Allotment (Est.) $294 Million -- Student Support Services 975 Grants (Est.)

DIFFERENT CAMPUS DIFFERENT CAMPUS.—The term “different campus” means a site of an institution of higher education that— (A) is geographically apart from the main campus of the institution; (B) is permanent in nature: and (C) offers courses in educational programs leading to a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credential.

DIFFERENT POPULATION DIFFERENT POPULATION.—The term “different population” means a group of individuals that an eligible entity desires to serve through an application for a grant under this chapter, and that— (A) is separate and distinct from any other population that the entity has applied for a grant under this chapter to serve; or

DIFFERENT POPULATION (CON’T) (B) while sharing some of the same needs as another population that the eligible entity has applied for a grant under this chapter to serve, has distinct needs for specialized services

SSS Different Populations Six Different Populations Regular Disabled English as a Second Language (ESL) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Teacher Preparation K-12 Health Sciences

SSS Different Populations Regular Maximum Grant - $220,000 for new applicants to serve a minimum of 140 students. Disabled Maximum Grant - $220,000 for new applicants to serve a minimum of 100 students.

SSS Different Populations English as a Second Language (ESL) Maximum grant - $220,000 for new applicants to to serve a minimum of 140 students Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Maximum Grant - $200,000 for new applicants to to serve a minimum of 120 students

SSS Different Populations Health Sciences Maximum Grant - $200,000 for new applicants to serve 120 students Teacher Preparation Maximum Grant - $200,000 for new applicants to serve 140 student s (No combinations of populations allowed)

New SSS Grants Proposing Less Than Minimum Student Numbers Maximum Grant - $200,000 or an amount equal to $1,500 per student, whichever is greater, may be requested for a project that will serve less than 140 students.

Currently Funded SSS Projects Maximum Award – Equal to the greater of (a) $220,000 or (b) an amount equal to 103 percent of the grant award amount for FY 2009.

HEOA REQUIRED SERVICES ALL SSS PROJECTS MUST PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED SERVICES: (1) Academic tutoring, directly or through other services provided by the institution, to enable students to complete postsecondary courses; (2) Advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection;  

HEOA REQUIRED SERVICES (CON’T) (3) Information on both the full range of Federal student financial aid programs and benefits and Assistance in completing financial aid applications, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The grant award period for SSS projects are now five years.

HEOA REQUIRED SERVICES (CON’T) (4) Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students, including financial planning for postsecondary education;

HEOA REQUIRED SERVICES (CON’T) 4-YEAR INSTITUTIONS ONLY Activities designed to assist students participating in the project in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, graduate and professional programs.

HEOA REQUIRED SERVICES (CON’T) 2-YEAR INSTITUTIONS ONLY Activities designed to assist students enrolled in two-year institutions of higher education in applying for admission to, and obtaining financial assistance for enrollment in, a four-year program of postsecondary education.

HEOA PERMISSIBLE SERVICES Projects may provide the following services: 1) Individualized counseling for personal, career, and academic matters provided by assigned counselors;  2) Information, activities, and instruction designed to acquaint students participating in the project with the range of career options available to the students; 

HEOA PERMISSIBLE SERVICES (CON’T) 3) Exposure to cultural events and academic programs not usually available to disadvantaged students; 4) Mentoring programs involving faculty or upper class students, or a combination thereof; This section of the regulations provides the criteria that will be used to evaluate the degree to which currently funded projects met approved goals and objectives. During the discussion of the selection criteria, staff will review these criteria as they relate to addressing objectives for the proposed project.   (FY 2009 competition – 2005-2006, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008)

HEOA PERMISSIBLE SERVICES (CON’T) 5) Securing temporary housing during breaks in the academic year for— students who are homeless or were formerly homeless children and youths; and  (B) Students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system; and 

HEOA PERMISSIBLE SERVICES (CON’T) 6) Programs and activities as described earlier that are specially designed for students who are limited English proficient, students from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, students with disabilities, students who are homeless children and youths, students who are in foster care or are aging out of the foster care system, or other disconnected students.

Completing Your SSS Application New Submission Requirements: Application submission through the Department’s E-Grants Application Portal: http://e-grants.ed.gov New Formatting Allowance: Text in charts, tables and graphs may be single spaced We are requiring that applications for FY 2009 competition under the SSS Program be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. Read slide…

Grant Aid Eligible recipients (1st and 2nd year students, then high-risk students who have completed 2nd year) Matching Required (if not eligible for waiver) Up to 20% of total Federal funds can be used to provide grant aid to students Federal grant funds designated for grant aid cannot be moved to any other line/budget item Procedures for grant aid distribution must be specified in Plan of Operation

SSS Program Objectives Reminder

Objectives The Department has developed standardized objectives for the SSS Program. All standardized objectives must be discussed in the program narrative Each objective must contain the achievement rate proposed for the project as indicated on the SSS Profile Sheet The standardized objectives MAY NOT be changed or rewritten in any way.

SSS Standardized Objectives ALL APPLICANTS PERSISTENCE RATE: ______ % of all participants served by the SSS project will persist from one academic year to the beginning of the next academic year or graduate and/or transfer from a 2-year to a 4-year institution during the academic year. (slide no.34) SLIDES CHANGED THIS IS 33   Please be mindful of the wording of these objectives when proposing your percentages. (Persistence Rate): ____% of all participants served by the SSS project will persist from one academic year to the beginning of the next academic year or graduate and/or transfer from a 2-year to a 4-year institution during the academic year.

SSS Standardized Objectives ALL APPLICANTS GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING RATE: ______ % of all enrolled participants served by the SSS project will meet the performance level required to stay in good academic standing at the grantee institution. (slide no.35) SLIDES CHANGED THIS IS 34   (Good Academic Standing Rate): When proposing your percentages, you should be mindful of the students who are participating in transitions activities such as the bridge programs who are not yet enrolled but who have been accepted for enrollment at the institution.

SSS Standardized Objectives SELECT ONLY ONE (As appropriate to sector designation) GRADUATION AND TRANSFER RATE (2-year institutions): A) ___% of new participants served each year will graduate with an associate’s degree or certificate within four (4) years B) ___% of new participants served each year will transfer to institutions of higher education, that offer baccalaureate degrees, with an associate’s degree or certificate within four (4) years When proposing your percentages, you should be clear that we are talking about new participants to the SSS project and NOT new students to the institution.  (Graduation/Transfer Rate (2-year institutions only)):   ____% of new participants served each year will graduate with an associate’s degree and/or transfer to a four-year institution within four (4) years.   (Graduation Rate (4-year institutions only)):  ____% of new participants served each year will graduate within six (6) years. (Graduation objectives measure student outcomes by cohorts) Objectives should parallel the needs discussed in the NEED section. If you are funded, these objectives will become the basis for assessing your prior experience at the end of the grant award cycle. All objectives should be addressed on an annual basis.

(4-year institutions only): SSS Standardized Objectives SELECT ONLY ONE (As appropriate to sector designation) 4. GRADUATION RATE (4-year institutions only): ______ % of new participants served each year will graduate within six (6) years.

Objectives Points will be awarded for each standardized objective based on whether the objective is ambitious based on data provided in the “Need” section AND attainable based on the need and the project’s plan of operation, budget and other resources. Applicants must provide comparative data to show why the percentage that is proposed for each standardized objective is ambitious AND attainable. Please note that all 8 Points will be awarded based on whether the objectives are ambitious AND attainable based on the need and the resources. Applicants must provide comparative data to show why the percentage that is proposed for each standardized objective is ambitious AND attainable

Time for …. Q & A’s