FAA Message Board
The FAA Message Board is updated each week.
According to a
recent USA Today article, college students don’t attend classes for various reasons throughout their collegiate career which consequently leads to bad grades and taking longer to graduate. Core Principle Inc., an Indianapolis technology start-up, is working to curb that behavior and according to Jeff Whorley, founder and chief executive officer, he has developed the Class 120 app that allows parents, professors and administrators to monitor whether students attend class and alerts them when the students have not. The app also notifies the students they've missed a lesson and hopefully encourages them to attend every class.
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January 13 e-Message announces ISAC’s upcoming webinar schedule. Plan to join us at 2 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, February 18 for “MAP and GAP Access.” The next webinar on "ISAC's Military Programs" will take place in March.
As tax season approaches, a
January 16 electronic announcement from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reminds the financial aid community about the reporting of student loan interest payments for 2014. If borrowers have questions regarding their current federal loan servicers for 2014 1098-E or any other inquiries, they should be directed to access the
NSLDS® Student Access website for further information. A school that assists a borrower in identifying his or her current federal loan servicer can access the servicer information through the
NSLDS Professional Access website.
Find out how to take part in First Lady Michelle Obama’s
Near-Peer Mentoring College Challenge by submitting a video by February 27th that shows how your school is opening your campus to students who don’t always see themselves attending college.
The proposed omnibus rules amendments for ISAC-administered programs for the 2015-16 academic year, as published in the January 16, 2015 Illinois Register, can be accessed from the e-Library's
ISAC Administrative Rules page. In addition, a summary of the proposed omnibus rules amendments may be accessed from the same page. Note that, while the Illinois Register cover and Table of Contents list proposed changes for other agencies, only information pertaining to ISAC-administered programs is included in the e-Library posting. Details regarding the public comment period (which ends on Monday, March 2, 2015) are also included. The 2015-16 proposed omnibus rules amendments have an anticipated effective date of July 1, 2015. More information is provided in a
January 21 e-Message.
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January 20 e-Message reminds colleges that new
School DAAR Reports are posted at My Zone on the first business day on or after the 3rd and 18th of each month. Colleges are encouraged to regularly check My Zone for new reports, based on this schedule.
According to a
January 8 electronic announcement from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), final Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of the 2015-16 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may now be accessed online (available in English and Spanish).
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January 14 e-Message provides several updates regarding the 2014-15 Monetary Award Program (MAP), including the fact that ISAC is releasing MAP grants from suspense status for students whose FAFSA® receipt dates were February 28, 2014 through and including March 5, 2014. Second-term claims previously submitted and subsequently held will be released for payment with results appearing in the 2014-15 MAP system effective January 15, 2015. In addition, the first term priority claim deadline is being extended to February 27, 2015, in order to give colleges the opportunity to submit timely first-term payment requests.
Remind your students that the 2015-16 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is
available online, and should be completed as early as possible. Although some taxpayers may need to delay the filing of their tax returns, families in this situation should be encouraged to complete the FAFSA with estimated 2014 tax information so as not to delay filing for financial aid. Several resources are available to assist students with the financial aid application process, including an
Outreach Activities Calendar that lists FAFSA completion seminars and other events taking place across the State of Illinois, and
FAFSA on the Web Worksheets (in English and Spanish) that can help streamline the FAFSA process. The Central Processing System (CPS) has begun processing 2015-16 FAFSA data. Details regarding the application cycle, which may be helpful as you assist students with the financial aid process, are provided within the
2015-16 FAFSA Completion section of the
e-Library.
The
application for the 2015-16
Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program is now available for applicants to print, complete and submit. Information for financial aid professionals regarding
eligibility for this program is provided in the ISAC Gift Assistance Programs area of this website. Students can access information about this program, along with the application, via the
Illinois SETTW Program page (which is located within the
Students & Parents –
During College –
Types of Financial Aid area). In order for an application to receive priority consideration for awarding, it must be received at ISAC on or before March 1, 2015.
The
interactive application for the 2015-16
Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program is now available. Minority students who will be in college during the 2015-16 academic year and are willing to commit to teaching in Illinois after completing their degree may be eligible to apply for the MTI Scholarship. Details about this program, including specifics on how to apply, are provided for applicants at the
MTI Scholarship Program page (which is located within the
Students & Parents –
During College –
Types of Financial Aid area of this website). In order for an application to receive priority consideration for awarding, it must be received at ISAC on or before March 1, 2015.
ISAC is pleased to announce that qualified Illinois high school students have been designated as
2015-16 State Scholars. ISAC has mailed congratulatory letters directly to State Scholars, and Certificates of Achievement have been sent to each Scholar's high school. A
listing of all 2015-16 State Scholars – displayed alphabetically by high school, within each school's county – may be accessed via the "Featured" area of our home page.
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