Texas College Preparation Program. College Preparation Program. TCPP Voucher Distribution

Transcription

1 Texas College Preparation Program College Preparation Program TCPP Voucher Distribution

2 2010 by the Texas Education Agency Copyright Notice. The Materials are copyrighted and trademarked as the property of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of TEA, except under the following conditions: 1) Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for the districts and schools educational use without obtaining permission from TEA. 2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individual personal use only, without obtaining written permission of TEA. 3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in any way. 4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged. Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts, Texas Education Service Centers, or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non-educational, located outside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from TEA and will be required to enter into a license agreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty. For information contact: Office of Copyrights, Trademarks, License Agreements, and Royalties, Texas Education Agency, 1701 N. Congress Ave., Austin, TX ; phone ; copyrights@tea.state.tx.us. 2

3 TCPP Voucher Distribution Training Outline Overview of Grade 11 Opportunity Training Requirement District/Campus Voucher Distribution Student Voucher Distribution Key Points Responsibilities Summary and Tools Contact Information

4 Grade 11 College Entrance Exams State-funded college entrance examinations are available for current 11 th grade public and homeschooled students. Funding for the school year allows approximately 60 percent of grade 11 students the opportunity to take ONE college entrance examination in late spring or early summer 2011 at the state s expense. Students may register for ONE exam, either an ACT or an SAT, and the state will pay the full cost of their regular registration fees to the extent that funding is available.

5 Voucher Distribution Overview TEA offers training via TCPP Website District receives TCPP vouchers and completes online training District distributes vouchers to each campus Campus officials inform students of program and distribute vouchers Eligible students register for ONE exam of choice

6 TCPP Voucher Distribution Training Each district needs a TCPP District Coordinator as the responsible party for the voucher distribution. This coordinator is strongly encouraged to complete this Voucher Distribution Training in order to ensure the following: Equitable distribution of vouchers Security of vouchers Clear understanding on the part of staff and students regarding the use and limits of the vouchers

7 TCPP Voucher Distribution Training The TCPP coordinator should complete the training and provide district-level training to campus staff prior to distributing the vouchers to the individual campuses.

8 District/Campus Voucher Distribution TEA will mail the appropriate number of vouchers to the office of each district s superintendent. Each mailing will include an envelope for each high school campus with that campus s assigned vouchers. Vouchers are assigned to districts and campuses based on a pre-established ratio and available funding. TEA will determine the number of exams that can be covered by available funds and the percentage of all 11 th graders that number represents.

9 District/Campus Voucher Distribution Each campus will receive a number of vouchers that equals the pre-determined percentage of their 11 th grade enrollment funding allows vouchers for approximately 60% of all Texas grade 11 students. (Note: A number of vouchers will be held in reserve by TEA for home-schooled students.)

10 Student Voucher Distribution (slide 1 of 4) Each district or campus needs to establish a process that includes the following steps: 1. Grade 11 students and parents are informed regarding the following: a. The opportunity b. The eligible exams and administrations c. The limit of ONE exam per student d. The limited number of vouchers (60% of grade 11 students) e. The steps they must follow to register for a voucher f. The steps they must follow to register for an exam

11 Student Voucher Distribution (slide 2 of 4) Note: When establishing the process required in step 1, districts should carefully consider the goals of the TCPP: To expand student access to college readiness assessments and college entrance examinations To expand a college-going culture among all students To provide data on college readiness to schools and districts to help inform instructional decisions

12 Student Voucher Distribution (slide 3 of 4) 2. Voucher numbers assigned to each student are recorded. 3. Student signatures are collected with the voucher number record. The student s signature indicates his/her agreement to use the voucher as intended. Note: Sample rosters and student/parent correspondence are provided for your convenience at Feel free to modify these tools as needed for use in your district.

13 Student Voucher Distribution (slide 4 of 4) 4. In addition to the voucher, students are provided two informational flyers, one from each exam vendor. The flyers contain important information about each exam including how to register for the ONE exam of choice. Note: The flyers are being mailed directly to each campus by the approved vendors. Each campus should receive an appropriate number from each vendor. 5. Voucher registration information is maintained by campus/district to verify appropriate distribution of vouchers.

14 Student Voucher Use Students are strongly encouraged to follow the online registration instructions on the vouchers rather than using mail-in registration forms. Online registration will improve students chances of being accepted for the test administration location and date of their choice.

15 Voucher Distribution and Use - Key Points ONE voucher per eligible student Eligible students: current 11 th graders only ONE state-funded exam per student: either ACT or SAT ONE state-funded administration per student: April, May, or June Student (not the school) has the choice of test Vouchers issued by school officials Voucher numbers recorded and secured

16 TCPP TEA Responsibilities Administer program Determine available funding and potential vouchers Provide training Distribute vouchers to districts Track registration data to ensure that students only register for ONE state-funded exam Support district personnel with timely responses to all questions

17 TCPP District Responsibilities Designate TCPP coordinator Complete training Ensure appropriate training of campus officials Distribute vouchers to eligible campuses Establish uniform registration procedures Monitor voucher distribution Maintain accurate records for audit purposes

18 TCPP Campus Responsibilities Understand state and district processes Receive vouchers from district Ensure security of vouchers at all times Inform students and parents about program, including available opportunities, test dates, choice of assessments and rules Note: sample correspondence is provided for you at to assist with this step. Issue ONE voucher per student, following district registration and distribution procedures Maintain careful records of voucher distribution to students

19 TCPP Security Alert Each voucher represents $ $51.00 of taxpayer funds. District and campus personnel responsible for voucher security and distribution are the partners of TEA in ensuring that these funds are spent appropriately and in keeping with Texas state law.

20 TCPP Vendor Responsibilities Communicate with schools and students Provide TEA-approved one-page flyer to districts for distribution with vouchers Provide access to and instructions for registration Monitor registration data for duplicate registrations Provide professional development to schools Provide district and state-level data

21 Texas College Preparation Program Summary Benefits to students Diagnose academic strengths and weaknesses in order to better prepare for college and the workplace Gain experience on college entrance examinations Benefits to districts Gain valuable data on college readiness Make informed instructional decisions to better prepare students for college and the workforce

22 Texas College Preparation Program Summary Tools for Districts Sample student rosters to obtain students signatures and to identify voucher numbers Sample correspondence to communicate about the program to students/parents

23 Voucher Questions Does the voucher indicate whether students can take ACT with/without writing and/or SAT subject tests? Yes, the voucher includes the following: ACT (with or without writing section) SAT (does not include subject tests)

24 Voucher Questions When should we expect to receive the vouchers? Your district should receive the vouchers by around January 15, but start watching for them as soon as you return from winter break. Assuming all necessary steps have been taken to train campus staff regarding security and distribution, they should be disseminated to campuses as quickly as possible to provide students with the most flexible test options.

25 Voucher Questions Can we share vouchers within our district if some campuses run out? Yes, after ensuring that students at all campuses have an opportunity to be part of the 60% who receive a voucher, vouchers can be redistributed as needed within the district. You may also share vouchers among districts as needed; some regional education service centers may be able to assist you with this. Please record the voucher numbers of any vouchers that are redistributed to another school or district.

26 Voucher Questions How long do we have to keep records? Records related to state funds should be kept for five fiscal years.

27 Voucher Questions What do we do with unused vouchers after June administrations? The vouchers have an expiration date (June 11, 2011) so they are worthless after that date. Unused vouchers should be shredded after that date.

28 Voucher Questions What does the voucher look like?

29 Voucher Questions Should we provide vouchers to our free and reduced lunch students first? This is a local district decision which should be made while keeping the goals of the program in mind: To expand student access to college readiness assessments and college entrance examinations To expand a college-going culture among all students To provide data on college readiness to schools and districts to help inform instructional decisions

30 Voucher Questions Who is the shipping vendor? The United States Postal Service will be shipping the vouchers. (The shipper of the vendors flyers will be chosen by the vendor.)

31 Voucher Questions Last year we had trouble with invalid voucher numbers/possible pirating. Will that be corrected this year? TEA hopes that by directly managing the creation and distribution of the vouchers, we will eliminate that problem.

32 Voucher Questions Do districts need to designate to TEA who the TCPP district coordinator is? That is not necessary but may be helpful. You can do so, if you wish, by ing

33 Voucher Questions How do students use a voucher to get a refunds for an eligible administration? Instructions regarding refund requests are included on the voucher. Students must follow those instruction no later than March 15, 2011 in order to have a refund request honored.

34 Voucher Questions Does the flyer reference test preparation materials/products? Yes, both provide links to their own web pages that provide tips and resources for test preparation.

35 Voucher Questions Are the flyers sent separately? When are they scheduled to arrive? The flyers are mailed by the vendors directly to campuses. They should arrive at approximately the same time as the vouchers. The flyers boxes will contain a letter from TEA so that you will recognize them and save them for distribution with your vouchers.

36 Voucher Questions Where do we direct home-schooled students who come to us for vouchers? Tell them to request a voucher directly from TEA by ing CollegePrepProgram@tea.state.tx.us using Home School Voucher Request as the subject line.

37 Voucher Questions Will the vendors offer an expanded number of test sites, especially in crowded urban areas? Both vendors have indicated that they are planning to offer more test sites than they have in the past. Both are eager to meet the demand for exam access.

38 Voucher Questions What should we do if a student loses his or her voucher? The process that a school or district has in place should include accurate record-keeping. Should a student lose a voucher, the counselor who issued the voucher should be able to retrieve the student s voucher number.

39 Texas College Preparation Program Summary Thank you for partnering with TEA to make this opportunity available to your students. For more information or questions about TCPP, please contact the TCPP team.

40 Texas College Preparation Program Contact Information Contact the TCPP team: Phone (512) Webpage Join the College Preparation Program LISTSERV for program updates and alerts: Contact the TCPP vendors: ACT, Inc. Contacts Karen Pennell or Lorna Lowke Phone (512) Webpage The College Board (SAT) Phone (866) Web