| (2) Each eligible applicant must meet all deadlines, requirements, and guidelines outlined in the RFA. (d) Notification. The TEA will notify each applicant in writing of selection or non-selection for funding under the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program. In the case of an application selected for funding, notification to the applicant will include the contractual conditions the applicant agrees to accept as a condition of grant award. (e) Conditions of pilot program operation. Each grantee operating an approved Dropout Recovery Pilot Program must operate the program in accordance with the requirements outlined in the RFA and must: (1) conduct an assessment, in accordance with specifications detailed in subsection (f)(4)(B)(ii)-(iii) of this section, for each participating student to determine services needed and create a P-16 IGP for each student based on the assessment; (2) employ as faculty and administrators persons with baccalaureate or advanced degrees; (3) meet the following requirement regarding employee criminal history checks: (A) if a grantee is a school district, the grantee must be in compliance with the TEC, §22.085(f), to remain eligible for the program; or (B) if a grantee is not a school district, the grantee must obtain criminal history record information as defined in §153.1101(2) of this title (relating to Definitions) on each employee, and an officer of the organization with signature authority must certify that no employee of the organization or person contracted with the organization who has contact with students in the program has been convicted of: (i) a felony offense under Title 5, Texas Penal Code; (ii) an offense or conviction of which a defendant is required to register as a sex offender under Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 62; and (iii) an offense under the laws of another state or federal law that is equivalent to an offense under clause (i) or (ii) of this subparagraph; and (4) ensure that the grant activities funded under the Dropout Recovery Pilot program are non-sectarian. (f) Funding. Grantees are eligible to receive the following funding. (1) Base funding. A grantee will receive a base amount of funding, to be determined during the grant application phase, in the first year of operation of the program for the purposes of planning, establishing an appropriate infrastructure to implement the program, and implementing the program for eligible students. (2) Performance funding. In addition to the base funding, a grantee is eligible to receive performance funding up to a total of $2,000 in the program year (which includes no more than $1,000 in interim benchmark payments and $1,000 in a completion payment) for each eligible student participating in the program based upon the student's academic performance. (A) Interim benchmark payments. A payment of $250 for any, not to exceed four, of the following benchmarks achieved by an eligible student participating in the program who: (i) earned the required course credits necessary to advance to the next grade level; (ii) earned high school graduation credit for a dual credit course that was established through an articulation agreement with an IHE or a private or an independent IHE, as defined in the TEC, §61.003(15); (iii) earned college credit for a course that is within an IHE's core curriculum, in accordance with §4.28 of this title (relating to Core Curriculum), or an equivalent course offered by a private or an independent IHE, as defined in the TEC, §61.003(15); (iv) earned a passing score on all subject areas of the statewide student assessment program for a grade level not including the Grade 11 exit-level statewide assessments; (v) earned a score of three or higher on a College Board advanced placement examination; (vi) earned a score on the Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or the PLAN® that predicts evidence of readiness, as determined by College Board or ACT®, for placement in College Board advanced placement, International Baccalaureate, or dual credit courses; or (vii) other benchmarks as approved by the commissioner. (B) Completion payments. A payment of $1,000 for each participating student who: (i) earns a high school diploma; or (ii) demonstrates college readiness by: (I) achieving a passing score on a TSI testing instrument or earning a TSI exemption based on the score received for an alternative test such as SAT® or ACT®; and (II) obtaining a General Educational Development (GED) credential; and (III) earning either: (-a-) college credit for a course that is within an IHE's approved core curriculum, in accordance with §4.28 of this title, or an equivalent course offered by a private or an independent IHE, as defined in the TEC, §61.003(15); or (-b-) advanced technical credit. (3) Other funding for school districts. School districts operating approved Dropout Recovery Pilot Programs may receive Foundation School Program funds for eligible participating students, in accordance with the TEC, §42.003. (4) Other funding for eligible IHEs, nonprofit organizations, county departments of education, and education service centers. Programs operated by eligible IHEs, nonprofit organizations, county departments of education, and education service centers may receive a payment in an amount not greater than $4,000 ($2,000 per semester) for each eligible student participating in the program each year. (A) Semester payments of up to $2,000 for each eligible student will be made at the end of each semester contingent upon the eligible student achieving academic progress on the same assessment instrument administered upon initial enrollment in the program and at the end of each subsequent semester. (B) Programs must adhere to the following in choosing an assessment instrument to assess academic progress as described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph: (i) the same assessment instrument must be administered to the participating student for initial testing and at the end of each semester; (ii) the assessment instrument must be a standardized test or a performance assessment with standardized scoring protocols; and (iii) the assessment instrument and the performance standards for measuring academic progress must be identified in the grant application and approved by the commissioner prior to grant award. (g) Allowable expenditures. Allowable expenditures with grant funds include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) textbooks and other instructional materials; (2) recruiting and promotional materials; (3) personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, stipends, and incentives; (4) tutoring services; (5) test fees; (6) social services; (7) transportation; (8) educational software; (9) incentive programs for students; (10) technology; (11) equipment costs; and (12) costs associated with distance learning or participation in virtual schools. (h) Disallowed expenditures. The following expenditures, including but not limited to the following, may not be made with grant funds: (1) construction; (2) purchase of buildings; (3) debt service (including lease-purchase agreements); (4) expenditures related to religious instruction; (5) expenditures related to students who are not eligible for the program; or (6) indirect costs. (i) Evaluation. Each grantee operating an approved Dropout Recovery Pilot Program must comply with evaluation procedures established by the commissioner as detailed in the RFA. (j) Subsequent funding. To receive any subsequent funding for the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, grantees must reapply for funding on an annual basis. In order to remain eligible for any subsequent funding, the grantee must have met all applicable performance standards included in the prior year's grant agreement and submit a new application annually. (k) Revocation. (1) The commissioner may revoke the grant award for the Dropout Recovery Pilot Program based on the following factors: (A) noncompliance with application assurances and/or the provisions of this section; (B) lack of program success as evidenced by progress reports and program data; (C) failure to participate in data collection and audits; (D) failure to meet performance standards specified in the application; or Cont'd... |
