At its June 2019 meeting, the Coordinating
Board for Higher Education took action to address an A+
scholarship eligibility issue for some 2019 high school
seniors. This message provides background about this
issue and information about the accommodations approved
by the CBHE.
Students must score
proficient or advanced on the Algebra I or a higher math
end-of-course exam (EOC) or meet a designated
alternative to be eligible for the A+ Scholarship. The
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
recently informed the Missouri Department of Higher
Education that the threshold scores that correspond to
proficient and advanced designations for the 2018-2019
EOCs are expected to be released in late July 2019. The
delayed score release will impact A+ Scholarship
eligibility for some 2019 seniors who have not yet
achieved a qualifying combination of ACT math subscore
and high school grade point average, and who will not
know if they have achieved a qualifying Algebra I, or
higher math, EOC score until after summer 2019
enrollment has begun.
This situation
is similar to that faced by the 2018 seniors last year
and so will be handled similarly. To reduce uncertainty
and ensure all eligible students receive timely
reimbursement, the CBHE has instituted a temporary
waiver of the Algebra I EOC requirement for spring
graduates of the senior class of 2019 who are impacted
by the delayed score release. This allows 2019 high
school seniors who took the Algebra I EOC, or a higher
level math EOC, during their senior year and are
otherwise eligible for the A+ Scholarship to receive
summer 2019 reimbursement pending release of the EOC
scores. A decision about whether to extend the waiver
to the fall 2019 term will be made later this summer
dependent upon the actual timing of the score release.
Unlike last year, the temporary waiver will not apply to
mid-year graduates who were enrolled in the spring 2019
term as that term was complete at the time of DESE’s
notification.
Under the temporary
waiver, A+ designated high schools will continue to
verify a student has met the A+ eligibility criteria,
but will delay affixing the A+ stamp to the transcript
for the affected students until DESE releases the EOC
threshold scores. In place of the A+ stamped
transcript, high schools must provide a letter with the
unstamped transcript verifying the student is included
in the waiver population and is otherwise eligible for
the A+ Scholarship. At a minimum, the verification
letter must include language that indicates the student
is included in the waiver population and is otherwise
eligible for the A+ Scholarship program. High schools
may include the sample language provided below in the
letter, and may also include other information
determined to be beneficial to their unique student
population. The letter must be on high school
letterhead and signed by the A+ coordinator or a school
administrator.
- Sample Language
I certify that <Student Name> is a 2019
high school senior who took the 2018-2019 <Algebra
I, Algebra II, Geometry> end-of-course exam, which
is pending scoring by the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. I also certify that <Student
Name> has met all of the A+ Scholarship’s high
school eligibility requirements with the exception of
the Algebra I EOC requirement or its
alternatives.
This temporary protocol only applies to
otherwise eligible 2019 seniors who took the Algebra I
EOC, or a higher level math EOC approved by DESE, in
2018-2019 and are affected by the delayed score release.
High schools should not provide letters to 2019 seniors
who did not take a qualifying EOC exam during the
2018-2019 academic year. In addition, high schools must
continue to provide an A+ stamped transcript for those
students who have met all of the A+ Scholarship
eligibility criteria, including those who have already
achieved a qualifying EOC score or met the alternative.
Once a waiver-eligible student’s EOC score is known, the
student will be required to return to the high school to
verify their eligibility and, if they are eligible,
request a copy of the A+ stamped transcript be sent to
the postsecondary institution in which they are
enrolled. High schools are encouraged to notify these
students upon receipt of the threshold scores.
Until MDHE sends notification of the score
release, A+ participating postsecondary institutions may
request reimbursement for the 2019 seniors who either
have an A+ stamped transcript, or an unstamped
transcript accompanied by a verification letter from the
high school. This issue is expected to be resolved much
earlier this year and will hopefully only affect the
summer 2019 term. MDHE anticipates DESE will release
the scores early enough to allow A+ participating
postsecondary institutions to collect an A+ stamped
transcript prior to requesting fall reimbursement.
However, if the notification occurs after the fall 2019
term begins, MDHE will provide additional information
regarding reimbursement for the impacted students at
that time.
Students found to be
eligible after DESE releases the Algebra I EOC scores
are responsible for ensuring their A+ participating
postsecondary institution has all of the information
required to request reimbursement. Students found to be
ineligible after DESE releases the Algebra I EOC scores
may retain any A+ funds received under the temporary
waiver of the requirement. However, they cannot receive
any additional A+ funds unless they achieve the combined
ACT math subscore/high school grade point average
alternative to the Algebra I EOC requirement at a later
time. If the alternative is achieved later, the student
must provide documentation of the achievement to the
high school and request an A+ stamped transcript be sent
to the A+ participating postsecondary
institution.
Thank you for your
assistance in ensuring A+ students are not adversely
affected by this circumstance that is beyond their
control. If you have any questions, please
contact:
Connie Bestgen, financial
aid specialist 800-473-6757, option 4,
573-751-1772, or connie.bestgen@dhe.mo.gov
Amy Haller, financial aid specialist
573-526-7958 or amy.haller@dhe.mo.gov
Kelli Reed, senior associate
573-751-2444 or kelli.reed@dhe.mo.gov
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