Application Procedures for SETTW

All applicants must complete the Illinois Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver application. It must be received by ISAC postmarked on or before March 1 immediately preceding the academic year for which the waiver will be used, in order to receive priority consideration for an award.

All applicants must complete Section A of the application and indicate whether they will graduate from high school during or prior to the 2008-09 academic year by checking the approriate box. The student is signing and dating the Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note by completing and signing the application. The Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note shall include the following stipulations:

1. the recipient pledges to begin teaching, on a full-time basis, in the field of special education within one year following graduation from or termination of enrollment in a teacher education program, at a nonprofit public, private or parochial preschool, elementary or secondary school in Illinois and to continue teaching for at least 2 of the 5 years immediately following.
2. if the teaching requirement is not fulfilled, the tuition waiver converts to a loan and the recipient must repay the entire amount of the tuition waiver (prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation not completed), plus interest at a rate equal to 5% per annum; and
3. the recipient agrees to provide ISAC with evidence of compliance with program requirements (e.g., responses to annual follow-up questionnaires, etc.).

If the student section of the application is incomplete, ISAC will notify the applicant. The applicant will then have an opportunity to furnish the missing information; however the application will be considered for processing as of the date when the student section (Section A – Applicant Information) is complete and received at ISAC.

A certified teacher for purposes of this program is defined as any person holding a valid teaching certificate that is not in the discipline of Special Education. A certified teacher must be seeking initial certification in a special education discipline to be eligible for the Illinois SETTW.

Certified teachers must sign and date Section B of the application. The application and a copy of their teaching certificate(s) must be submitted to ISAC postmarked on or before March 1 preceding the academic year for which the waiver will be used for priority consideration.

Section C – High School Information for Applicants who are Graduating from High School in the 2008-09 Academic year

Only applicants who will graduate from high school in the
2008-09 academic year must have Section C of the application completed and certified by the appropriate authorized official of the high school.

Once Section C is completed and signed for any high school applicants, the SETTW application should be sent to ISAC (postmarked on or before March 1 preceding the academic year for which the waiver will be used for priority consideration).