Alternative Certification Intern Funding Program Basics

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Alternative Certification/ InternFunding Program
Basics

• Spring Intern Meeting
• March 5-7, 2008

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
ProgramsProgram Component

• Dr. McKibbin has discussed the program component
  that requires all intern programs, whether state
  funded or not, must meet in the accreditation
  process. Only an accredited program can present
  documents to the CTC to allow issuance of an
  intern credential.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Pre-service Requirement

• Beginning July 1, 2008 anyone who has not
  received pre-service well not be issued an intern
  credential. In programs must file a pre-service
  report with the CTC describing the 120 hours of
  pre-service offered in their program. This must
  be done whether operating as a state funded
  program or regular intern program. State funded
  programs will be required to include their
  Pre-service Report in their Program Improvement
  Plan (PIP).

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Funding Cycle

• It is important to note that the funding cycle
  can be delayed because of incomplete data in the
  consent database. ALL PROGRAMS MUST BE CLEAN FOR
  PAYMENTS TO BE MADE. If you are a program
  director you may assign the consent database work
  to someone else to assure accuracy and
  timeliness. This person can be identified as
  your coordinator in the program database on
  line.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
New Programs

• A Competitive Grant Process (CGP) for new
  programs is posted on the website about March of
  each year. New programs are evaluated and
  approved when they meet the criteria. If you are
  interested in a new program, you should contact
  CTC for more information.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP)

• Annually, approved programs must submit a PIP for
  continued funding. The report is due May 15th.
  Questions on the PIP may vary from year to year
  and address the quality and the fiscal
  responsibility of the program.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• The plan includes
• a. A narrative posted on the website

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• b. A Continuing Intern Report that identifies
  your graduates, and gives the estimates for the
  coming year. The estimates are VERY IMPORTANT as
  they are used to complete the budget request for
  the next year. You should be realistic in your
  estimates you can go over with approval from
  CTC, but it is important to be as accurate as you
  can on these during tight budget times.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• c. New Co-Sponsor Sheets for the year. This
  year the CTC will be focusing on updating CTC
  files to be sure that you have a co-sponsor sheet
  for each district/school you have an intern
  assigned to in the Consent Database. You do not
  need to include MOUs that you have negotiated
  they should be retained in your files.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• d. A Budget Narrative Form. This is the first
  year that we have provided a budget narrative
  form that identifies the sources of the funds in
  each category of your Proposed Budget. Reporting
  areas may not match your agency reporting areas
  and analysis may be required to create the
  report. PIPs will be evaluated on the clarity of
  the report.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• A Budget Narrative Form continued. The UCR
  report criticized the budget reporting process as
  many were not taking the in-kind reporting
  seriously --- it is not appropriate to put the
  salaries of all of the teachers in a district as
  in-kind only those who support the program.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Program Improvement Plan (PIP) continued

• e. Proposed Budget Report. Your narrative
  should reflect your proposed budget report, which
  must be signed by your fiscal agent. Remember
  that indirect costs are limited to the percentage
  established for the LEA by the Department of
  Education. Indirect costs can only be charged
  once.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Budgets

• The budget is a reflection of the costs of the
  program and should represent the fiscal records
  for the program. There are several types of
  state funded program fiscal models, some easier
  than others to do fiscal reporting. Since the
  source of the funds is Proposition 98 money, the
  fiscal agent for all programs must be a LEA.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Budgets continued

• The first model is a LEA acting as a fiscal agent
  and Program director. They may buy the services
  needed outside of their program (like from an
  accredited IHE if they are not an accredited
  district intern program). This is probably the
  easiest model as the fiscal agent is working
  directly with the program director in the same
  fiscal system.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Budgets continued

• The second model is a variant of first model as
  it is the LEA who hires the program director and
  works with a variety of LEAs and IHEs to provide
  the required program components. Thus, they may
  purchase or use in-kind services from a variety
  of LEAs as well a purchasing services or in-kind
  services from IHEs. Only one program can claim
  the participant for funding services. The budget
  narrative should reflect the agreements.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Budgets continued

• The third model is an IHE who solicits an LEA to
  act as a fiscal agent and takes the majority of
  the money and provides services to that LEA as
  well as others. The LEA should take indirect
  costs for administering the funds. This is the
  most problematic of the programs as the IHEs
  often do not involve the fiscal agent in the
  budget reporting, even though they are the
  responsible fiscal officer. Fiscal officers must
  approved the final expenditure report.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Expenditure Reports

• The final fiscal reporting is due to the CTC
  September 30th following the close of the fiscal
  year. This report has been renamed Expenditure
  Report this year and is available on the website.
  If monies are not fully expended, the CTC will
  ask for a return of the unexpended funds.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Consent Database

• In 2002 the CTC began an on-line consent database
  to identify program participants as well as some
  on-line services. With limited resources
  available at the CTC, this information system has
  served to assist in the evaluation and
  participation of the programs. Participant,
  support provider, and administrator surveys have
  been developed, but CTC has not been able to
  provide much of the information for programs to
  use in their evaluation. There is a thrust this
  year to change that practice.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Consent Database continued

• The Consent Database allows programs to identify
  participants and some required characteristics
  for funding. Through use of a password, programs
  can monitor the entries for their program and
  assure that their participants meet the funding
  requirements.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• When the PIP is presented in May, the Continuing
  Intern Form identifies to the CTC the expected
  number of participants in the program for the
  following year. To date, all programs have been
  fully funded and we expect that practice to
  continue.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• A funding letter is sent to programs along with a
  Grant Acceptance and Certificate of Agreement
  (GAC) is sent for signature by all parties. This
  is only an estimate of your program. The first
  payment is issued when 1. a signed GAC is
  returned to CTC, and
• 2. the budget passes.
• The first payment is 50 of your estimate.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• The Consent Database is opened as soon as
  possible in the summer for programs to start
  entering participants. The Consent Database will
  close for the first time in early December, and
  is the basis for the second allocation. The
  database must be cleared of all duplicates and
  individuals who are identified with no valid
  credential to issue payment.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• If your program is supporting enhanced interns,
  you must edit the individual record to indicate
  that they are enhanced. By indicating that they
  are enhanced, you are acknowledging that in an
  audit of your program, you could provide evidence
  that the three enhanced program requirements are
  met for the intern.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• The second allocation letter is sent as soon
  after the Consent Database is clean as possible.
  The letter will identify the number of cleared
  regular and enhanced participants for your
  program (from the consent database) and indicate
  your total grant to date. The payment is based
  on a calculation of your new grant total minus
  the first payment.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
The Consent Database and its Relation to the
Funding Cycle continued

• The Consent Database is then opened for one more
  time in late January until late February for the
  final entries. Once closed and cleaned, the
  final payments will be issued. This year with
  your final payment letter, you will get a listing
  of those participants we have for your program.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Valid Credentials in the Consent Database

• The Consent Database takes the name and social
  security number of the participants and compares
  it to the CTC credential database. If it cannot
  find the individual, not valid credential will
  appear on your listing. The CTC will not pay for
  participants who have a not valid credential
  next to their name.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
Valid Credentials in the Consent Database

• You can clear the credential by editing the
  record in the database, but it is the
  responsibility of the program to make sure that
  the participant has a valid credential by the end
  of the fiscal year. The credential analyst can
  help you by checking to be sure that all CTC
  requirements are met for the credential.

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Commission on Teacher Credentialing Funded
Programs
On-Line Surveys

• The Consent Database is used as the basis for the
  on-line participant, support provider, and
  administrator surveys. They cannot be put
  on-line until they are linked to the cleaned
  Consent Database. The CTC will be working this
  year to provide the data to programs for their
  use.