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Federal Quota Program

Preparing for the 2023 Federal Quota Census

The 2023 Federal Quota program census will begin on January 2, 2023.  Here is how you can prepare NOW:
The Federal Quota census consists of the following:
  1. (WE ARE HERE) LEAs ensure that all eligible students are registered with the RCVI with all required information updated/on file in the district.
  2. LEAs review their student data with the RCVI to verify eligibility and reported data.
  3. LEA FQ designees formally certify in the RCVI's online portal that their student data is accurate.
  4. Once all LEAs have reviewed and certified their data, the RCVI will submit census data for all TN program registrants to APH.

Important Things to Know:

EYE REPORTS
APH has WAIVED the need for eye reports current within 3 years of the count date.
 
GRADE CODE UPDATES
For 2023 the following grade codes will be used:
  • Infant program (IP)
  • Preschool (PS)
  • Kindergarten (KG)
  • Grades 01-11
  • Grade 12+
    • (Students in Grade 12 and those continuing to receive SPED services under IDEA beyond Grade 12)
  • Adults (AD)
    • (Any student aged 22 and older on 01/02/2023)
READING MEDIUM UPDATES
For 2023 the primary reading medium of Symbolic/Non-reader has been replaced by Symbolic Reader.
The following reading media codes will be used:
  • Auditory (A)
  • Braille (B)
  • Pre-reader (PRE)
  • Symbolic Reader (S)
  • Visual (V)

What is the Federal Quota program?

The Federal Quota program was set up by the 1879 Act to Promote the Education of the Blind and is an annual registration of eligible students with blindness and visual impairments that determines a per-capita amount of unique funds designated for the purchase of educational materials produced by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). These funds are credited to Federal Quota accounts which are maintained and administered by APH and its Ex-Officio Trustees across the country (source). Program eligibility information may be found HERE. 

In Tennessee, funds are allocated to three accounts depending on whether a student is registered as part of the Tennessee School for the Blind, a public school system, or a private-non-public educational agency. Dr. Allen Huang, Director of the TN Resource Center for the Visually Impaired, is the Ex-Officio Trustee for Tennessee's three Federal Quota accounts.

Prepare for the FQ Census NOW

The Federal Quota census begins on January 2, 2023, and the RCVI will immediately begin reaching out to school districts to ensure that all FQ-eligible students enrolled in the district on January 2, 2023 (the "as-of" count date) are appropriately registered for the program. 
 
As a reminder, the Federal Quota program is a census of qualifying students (generally speaking, those who are legally blind or function at a similar level) that results in Federal funds being allocated to states' accounts on a per capita basis. These "Quota funds" can then be used to order adapted materials from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)(catalog linked here), through the RCVI. In Tennessee, funds generated by public school students are pooled up so that we can essentially provide whatever a school district may wish to order for eligible students, free of charge to schools and families.
 
The Federal Quota census consists of the following:
  1. (WE ARE HERE) LEAs ensure that all eligible students are registered with the RCVI with all required information updated and on file in the district.
  2. LEAs review their student data with the RCVI to verify eligibility and reported data.
  3. LEA FQ designees formally certify in the RCVI's online portal that their student data is accurate.
  4. Once all LEAs have reviewed and certified their data, the RCVI will submit census data for all TN program registrants to APH.
***We are at step one***
Download this Guide for Preparing for the Federal Quota Census document and follow the five steps to becoming ready to review your district's student data with the RCVI.