Section 2772.230  Awards

a)         Applications of those who comply with the provisions of Section 2772.220 shall be reviewed and scored by the Board staff on the basis of the following criteria and points.

1)         Evidence of good scholarship (grade point average (GPA)). 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.

2)         Evidence of other experience directly related to the profession of mathematics and/or science (e.g., academic awards or honors, membership in professional organizations, work experience), with 5 points possible for each item. Total possible points – 30.

3)         Applicant's postsecondary school standing, i.e.:

A)        holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics or science –  20 points;

B)        is within one academic year of completing the degree program – 15 points;

C)        is within two academic years of completing the degree program – 10 points;

D)        is within three academic years of completing the degree program –  5 points.

4)         Applicant's potential for entering the teaching profession as a teacher of mathematics and/or science as evidenced by the sum of the preceding scores – 90 points.

b)         Traineeships shall be awarded in the order of the point rankings described in subsection (a). However, after awarding traineeships based on this ranking, if additional traineeships are available because the remaining applicants have identical point scores, then such remaining applicants with the greatest financial need as determined by establishing their rank on the Student Aid Index pursuant to Section 2772.130 (b) of this Part will receive next priority consideration.

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 traineeship awards to the institution the traineeship recipient will be attending shall be made in writing 60 days following the deadline date set for submission of applications as shown on the application form.  The notification shall be accompanied by a traineeship 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 upon verification that the recipient is accepted for enrollment in the institution specified.  The award amount will be payable as soon as is 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 $1,000 per academic year and shall not exceed 25 in any academic year unless otherwise determined by legislative action.

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