Section 2772.130  Awards

a)         Applications of those who comply with the provisions of Section 2772.120 shall be reviewed and scored by State Board staff on the basis of the following criteria and points.

1)         Evidence of good scholarship (grade point average (GPA) and academic awards). Total points possible for GPA-40 (A average). After GPA has been verified by an official transcript, score will be assigned by moving decimal point one place to the right. For example, a GPA of 4.0 will be equal to 40 points; a GPA of 3.75 will be equal to 37.5 points; a GPA of 2.7 will be equal to 27 points. One point each will be given for academic awards (including academic honors or professional affiliation) up to a maximum of 5 points. Total possible points for scholarship – 45.

2)         Ability to express in writing the applicant's personal and professional purposes for seeking a fellowship. Writing will be judged on the quality of syntax, grammar, and overall organization in relationship to the task. Total possible points for writing ability – 30, with 30 points awarded for excellent ability, 25 points awarded for good ability, 15 points awarded for average ability, 10 points awarded for fair ability, 0 points awarded for poor ability.

3)         Abilities and strengths of the applicant as indicated in each character reference (5 points possible for each letter, with 5 points indicating a very strong candidate, 3 points indicating a strong candidate, 1 point indicating an average candidate, 0 points indicating a very weak candidate). Total possible – 10.

4)         Applicant's potential for contributing to the further development of educational programs for gifted and talented children in Illinois as evidenced by the sum of the preceding scores – 85 points.

b)         Fellowships shall be awarded in the order of the point rankings described in subsection (a). However, after awarding fellowships based on this ranking, if additional fellowships are available because the remaining applicants have identical point scores, then such remaining applicants will be evaluated again on the basis of financial need by using the Student Aid Index calculated by the enrolling institution pursuant to 34 CFR 690 (1984; no later amendments are incorporated by this rule), which shall be provided at the request of the State Superintendent of Education by the institutions enrolling the applicants.

c)         Applications will be reviewed by staff of the State Board of Education with recommendations made to the State Superintendent of Education.  Final determination, in accordance with the above criteria, rests with the State Superintendent of Education.

d)         Notification of fellowship awards to the institution the fellowship recipient will be attending shall be made in writing within 60 days following the deadline date set for submission of applications as shown on the application form.  The notification  shall be accompanied by a fellowship certificate which shall be endorsed by the institution of higher learning and transmitted to the person designated on the certificate.

e)         The entire award amount will be payable to the recipient upon verification by the institution that the recipient is accepted for enrollment in the institution specified.  The award amount will be payable as soon as practicable after the application deadline date and in no event later than ninety days afterward.  When the academic term includes a summer session, the entire amount may be awarded upon verification of enrollment.  In order to receive the full amount in a given year, the recipient must complete the equivalent of a full academic year (e.g., generally thirty semester hours or as defined for most students by the institution to be attended).  Lesser amounts of awards will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of a full academic year to be completed.

f)         Grants shall be in amounts of $2,000 per academic year and shall not exceed 50 in any academic year unless otherwise determined by legislative action.

(Source:  Amended at 11 Ill. Reg. 3054, effective February 2, 1987.)