Certification for Golden Apple Scholars

Initial Certification Overview

Initial Certification data for the Golden Apple Scholarship (GAS) can be entered and submitted to ISAC via My Zone and viewed online on the Student Certification: List screen. Schools can also request a Complete and Incomplete Certifications report that can be generated by program and exported as an MS Excel file or a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

The Student Certification: List includes all applicants, in the three categories listed below, for whom ISAC received a complete application. The March 1 date is used for priority consideration in making awards. A student who submits the application after March 1 may still receive a scholarship in later awarding cycles, providing funds remain after timely applicants are considered.

• Renewal Timely Applicants (postmarked on or before March 1) 
• New Timely Applicants (postmarked on or before
  March 1); and 
• All Untimely Applicants (postmarked on or after
  March 2)

All Initial Certifications available in My Zone must be completed regardless of whether the school certifies a student as eligible or ineligible. 

Student Certification Entry Instructions

Refer to the Student Certification Entry Instructions for detailed instructions for completing and submitting the Certification record in My Zone. 

Reminders

• An overview of the online Certification process, instructions to enter and submit certifications to ISAC and how to request a report can be found in the TESP My Zone Program area of My Zone.  
• A certification record is available at My Zone the day after ISAC receives a completed application.  
• A certification record must be submitted for applicants who are eligible and ineligible. 
• Only applicants with a complete and eligible certification record will be considered for an award. 
• Corrections to a certification record can be made online until the Qualification process runs. After the Qualification process runs, a status of T, Q or D displays in the Status column on the Student Certification: List screen. If a status displays, corrections must be made by ISAC.
  
  Correction requests can be submitted to ISAC by e-mail, FAX or telephone at:
  
  School Services Department – D2A
  Illinois Student Assistance Commission
  1755 Lake Cook Road
  Deerfield, IL 60015
  FAX: 847.831.8549
  School Services: 866.247.2172
  e-mail: isac.schoolservices@isac.illinois.gov

Qualification

After an Initial Certification is entered via My Zone, a qualification process determines an applicant’s award eligibility and which notification should be sent. The qualification process runs on a nightly basis throughout the award year. The results of entering a Golden Apple certification record is returned in real-time, as soon as the record is entered.

• If the college certified a student as ineligible for a Golden Apple Scholars Program, the Complete column will be checked and a status code of "U" will display in the Status column on the Student Certifications: List in My Zone. If a student subsequently meets the eligibility criteria (i.e., files a FAFSA, etc.), the Certification can be corrected online and resubmitted via My Zone.
• If the college certified a student as eligible for a TESP award, the Complete column will be checked and a status code of "Q" will display in the Status column on the Student Certifications: List in My Zone. Corrections cannot be made online at My Zone after an eligible record has been qualified. Requests to correct qualified records must be submitted to ISAC.  Communication to the student regarding their eligibility status is done by the Golden Apple Foundation.

Determining Awards Amount

The Initial Certification is used in the awarding process. If the applicant meets all eligibility criteria, the award amount is based on whether the student is pursuing teacher education in a Teacher Shortage Discipline (TSD) and agrees to teach in a Hard-to-Staff School (HTSS).

Printable version