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Waiver for Federal Work-Study Mathematics Tutoring of Children: Questions and Answers EXPLANATION OF THE WAIVER 1. What conditions must be met for a work-study position to qualify under the new waiver of the Federal Work-Study (FWS) institutional-share requirement for mathematics tutors? Effective July 1, 1999, we will authorize a Federal share of up to 100 percent of the compensation earned by an FWS student employed as a mathematics tutor for elementary through ninth grade students. The work must be performed by the FWS student for the institution itself, for a Federal, State, or local public agency, or for a private nonprofit organization. You should check with the appropriate State agency for the minimum grade level for elementary school since State laws vary in their definition. 2. Why did we decide to expand the FWS regulations to include this new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors? This new waiver for mathematics tutors is based upon international and national data that show that U.S. school children are not performing at internationally competitive levels in mathematics. Student performance in mathematics declines significantly between fourth and eighth grade, leaving too few students adequately prepared for advanced coursework in high school. 3. Do you have to make a request to us to use this new institutional-share waiver? No. You do not have to make a request to us to use the FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors. This new waiver was provided by the FWS regulations published in the Federal Register on October 1, 1998. 4. Is the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors available only for one award year? No. The new FWS waiver for mathematics tutors is available starting with the 1999-2000 award year and will also be available in subsequent award years. 5. Under the new institutional-share waiver, is there any limit on the amount of funds you can spend from your FWS allocation to pay FWS students employed as mathematics tutors? No. You may spend any portion of your FWS allocation for the 1999-2000 award year to pay FWS students employed as mathematics tutors with a Federal share of up to 100 percent. However, you must meet the community service requirement discussed in question #13. 6. May FWS mathematics tutors help elementary through ninth grade students in areas other than mathematics? No. The interaction between tutors and students must be centered on mathematics topics. However, the context in which such tutoring occurs may be broader than a classroom setting. For example, programs designed to help elementary through ninth grade students think of themselves as prospective college students often include an academic component, such as mathematics. Or, Saturday or after-school programs, based in community settings, often include the use of mathematics in problem-solving challenges. In such cases, the FWS waiver for mathematics tutors may be applied. 7. Are there any limitations on the FWS institutional-share waiver for the mathematics tutors? Yes. The waiver applies only to the non-Federal share of student wages. Employers are still responsible for the employer's share of social security, worker's compensation, retirement, any other welfare or insurance program, and any fringe benefits. 8. If you qualify for the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors, may you still provide a share? Yes. For all cases where an FWS institutional-share waiver applies, you have the option of continuing to provide a share and determining the amount of that share. 9. Do the wages of an FWS student who is performing administrative tasks (e.g., program coordination) related to supporting mathematics tutors qualify for a Federal share of up to 100 percent? No. The new FWS institutional-share waiver is only for a student employed as a mathematics tutor for elementary through ninth grade students. However, if you wish to employ FWS students as administrative support you may do so, but must pay the institutional share. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AMERICA READS AND AMERICA COUNTS 10. What is the relationship between America Reads and America Counts? The existing FWS institutional-share waiver for tutoring in reading and family literacy was expanded to provide higher education institutions with additional service-learning opportunities. America Counts mathematics tutoring programs can complement America Reads efforts. Early interest in America Counts indicates that many campuses will simply expand their existing America Reads programs and provide tutors with content-specific training in math. Others will keep the programs separate--perhaps housing the America Counts in the Mathematics Department, for example--but will use the America Reads infrastructure as a model for America Counts. 11. Must every institution with an America Reads program also institute an America Counts program? No. While we hope that many campuses will establish America Counts programs, it is entirely up to the discretion of each respective institution. Some institutions may choose to implement one or the other. Some may choose to implement both. 12. May an FWS tutor spend a percentage of his or her time tutoring in both programs? Yes. If an FWS student wishes, he or she may provide tutoring services in reading, mathematics, or both. However, since tutors will need adequate training in both disciplines, the number of tutoring contact hours will be reduced. To the extent possible, we encourage a majority of a tutor's time to be spent working with young students. COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT 13. May the employment of FWS students as mathematics tutors count towards your fulfillment of the five percent community service expenditure requirement for the 1999-2000 award year? Yes, if the service is open and accessible to the general public. Placing students in jobs as mathematics tutors is an excellent means for you to meet the five percent community service expenditure requirement for the 1999-2000 award year under the FWS Program, serve the needs of the community, and give FWS students a rewarding and enriching experience. It is important to note that beginning with the 2000-2001 award year, you must use at least seven percent of your total FWS allocation for each award year to pay the Federal share of wages to students employed in community service jobs. In meeting this new seven percent requirement, you must employ one or more of your students in a reading tutor project as a reading tutor for children or in a family literacy project doing family literacy activities. 14. Does the job of tutoring in mathematics always satisfy the community service requirement? No. Most mathematics tutoring jobs will qualify as part of the five percent community service requirement. However, some might qualify for the new FWS mathematics tutoring institutional-share waiver but not qualify as part of the five percent community service requirement. An example of this would be if you employed FWS students to tutor in a mathematics program that is open only to children of students, faculty and staff. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS 15. May you use your Administrative Cost Allowance (ACA) to help cover the costs incurred when employing students as mathematics tutors? If you are participating in the campus-based programs you are allowed to use your ACA to offset administrative costs. For example, the ACA can be used to pay for training costs, such as helping to pay a professional trainer or program coordinator, or for background checks and fingerprinting if they are required by the State or school district. Detailed information on how you may use your ACA is found in the July 1997 “Dear Colleague” letter (CB-97-12). TUTOR TRAINING AND SUPPORT 16. Must FWS students who are employed as tutors in mathematics meet certain statutory or regulatory educational standards or qualifications for purposes of the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors? No. However, it is very important that the FWS students employed as tutors in mathematics have strong mathematics skills. 17. Do the FWS students hired as mathematics tutors need training? It is strongly recommended that FWS mathematics tutors receive training in both content and pedagogy—pertinent to the age group of the children being tutored—before the contact hours begin. This training may be provided by interested higher education faculty, such as those in the College of Education or in the Department of Mathematics, or by qualified personnel affiliated with the tutoring site, such as teachers or after school program coordinators. These suggestions are not meant to be exhaustive. 18. What kinds of materials exist to support such training? With support from the National Science Foundation, the Education Development Center is currently developing a packet of materials that cover mathematics topics, grades kindergarten through ninth. Materials pertinent to topics in the fall semester will be available in September; materials pertinent to topics in the spring semester will be available in January. They will be available via our web site, www.ed.gov/inits/Math. Also on our web site, by Fall 1999, will be a list of other sources of training materials. 19. What kind of ongoing support should be provided to mathematics tutors? Experiences with similar programs show that regular meetings between tutors and adult coordinators help improve the quality of the tutoring experience. Tutors may raise questions about particular challenges they are facing with particular students. Coordinators may choose to discuss ways to evaluate progress among the young students and/or ways to communicate with parents and teachers. 20. Do the FWS student's wages qualify for a Federal-share of up to 100 percent while the student is being trained to be a mathematics tutor? Yes, as long as the time spent for this purpose is reasonable. We recognize the value-added to all concerned when high-quality training is provided. For example, we would consider a training period that begins before the actual tutoring to be reasonable if it does not exceed approximately 20 hours. Although you have flexibility in establishing training activities, we ask that the goal of optimizing tutor contact hours be kept clearly in mind. This applies as well for students who are trained off campus. 21. May an FWS mathematics tutor be paid with a Federal-share of up to 100 percent for preparation, evaluation, and ongoing support? Yes, as long as the time spent for this purpose is reasonable. We expect all work performed to meet the FWS Program requirements and that the FWS students will be paid for a reasonable amount of time to perform various activities necessary to accomplish their tutoring jobs. For example, we would consider weekly evaluation meetings approximately one hour in length to be reasonable. TUTOR PLACEMENT 22. How can you locate sites to place your FWS mathematics tutors? You can contact local schools, community-based organizations, local religious organizations and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLCs) as starting points for placing America Counts tutors. Also, you can contact America Reads and other literacy sites to discuss the possibility of expanding existing tutoring efforts to include mathematics. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. For more information on CCLCs, visit our web site at www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/21stCCLC. 23. Is there a sample contract to use with outside agencies employing FWS students in community service jobs? Yes. A model off-campus agreement appears in the Federal Student Financial Aid handbook as an appendix to Chapter 7. This agreement is a suggested model for the development of a written agreement between an institution and a Federal, State, or local public agency, or private nonprofit organization that employs students participating in the FWS Program. As stated in the model, institutions and agencies or organizations may devise additional or substitute paragraphs that are consistent with the statute and regulations and may add any pertinent information that orients the agreement towards community service. A sample contract is also available on our web site at www.ed.gov/inits/americareads. 24. May the Job Location and Development (JLD) Program be used to locate or develop jobs for FWS students to tutor in mathematics? Yes. The JLD Program may be used to locate and develop off-campus jobs for FWS and non-FWS students as tutors in mathematics. However, using JLD funds to find only jobs for FWS students would not satisfy the statutory requirement to expand off-campus employment for currently enrolled students who want jobs, regardless of their financial need. TRANSPORTATION 25. May an FWS student employed as a mathematics tutor off-campus receive pay for the time spent traveling to and from the job? Yes, if it is a community service job. Beginning with the 1999-2000 award year, you will be allowed to pay students for a reasonable amount of time spent for travel (to and from work) that is directly related to employment in community service activities. However, you will not be able to directly reimburse students for travel expenses such as gas or bus fare. The time spent for travel must be reported on the student's FWS time record and should be separated from the hours worked. Any means in which you can help minimize the length and expense of travel is consistent with our goal that the FWS funds be spent primarily in direct tutoring contact hours. For example, if a number of FWS students travel to the same location at the same time, it might be possible to provide transportation with your van or bus. REPORTING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 26. How will we know whether you use the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors? The FISAP that you will submit no later than October 1, 2000, for reporting FWS expenditures for the 1999-2000 award year will be revised to collect information regarding the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors. You will continue to report the total number of FWS students employed as reading tutors of children in combination with tutors in family literacy programs, total earned compensation paid to these students, and the Federal dollars spent for their compensation. You will report the same information for the new FWS institutional-share waiver for mathematics tutors separately on the FISAP. 27. What is the purpose of the voluntary "America Reads*America Counts" Sign-Up Sheet? The purpose of this voluntary sign-up sheet is solely to expedite communication so that we can inform you of the availability of materials that may be useful for the America Reads and America Counts tutoring programs. Completing this voluntary sign-up sheet does not commit you to either tutoring program and is not subject to a program review or audit. This sign-up sheet is attached and is also available on the America Counts web site at www.ed.gov/inits/Math. |
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