WELCOME TO
SMITHVILLE HIGH SCHOOL’S
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
PRESENTATION
Robin L. Stimac
Student Financial Aid Manager
Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods
816-604-3068
THE A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
• The A+ Schools Program was established as part of the Missouri
Outstanding Schools Act of 1993 in order to provide incentives for
local high schools to raise academic expectations, reduce their
dropout rate, establish relationships with the business community, and
provide better pathways for students to post-secondary education.
• Students who commit to the rigorous program requirements for A+
eligibility and who graduate from an A+ designated high school (such
as Smithville) may qualify for state-paid financial incentives to assist
them with the costs of attending any public community college or
vocational/technical school or certain private two-year
vocational/technical schools in the State of Missouri.
THE A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM (CONT.)
You should know that:
• financial need is not a factor in determining an A+ student’s eligibility
for benefits. However, all A+ students are required to complete a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to determine
eligibility for non-payback financial aid (i.e., Federal Pell Grant or
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant) each year that
the student plans to utilize their A+ benefits.
• receipt of institutional and private scholarships will not affect an A+
student’s eligibility for benefits.
• some four year colleges and universities may also offer financial
incentives for students who meet A+ eligibility criteria. However, those
incentives are funded by the institutions themselves and not by the A+
Schools Program. Please refer to your Handout!
THE A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM (CONT.)
• As an A+ student, you are under no obligation to use your A+ Schools
Program financial incentives (but if you’ve earned them, you really
should take advantage of the benefits that have been afforded to you)!
• Financial incentives for the A+ Schools Program will be provided as
long as state funds are appropriated by the Missouri legislature.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC STUDENT
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR A+?
Students must:
•
be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents (effective October 16, 2015)
•
be registered with the Selective Service (male students aged 18-25)
•
enter into a written agreement with their high school prior to graduation
•
attend a designated A+ high school for three consecutive years immediately prior to graduation
Exceptions from three year requirement –
* Active military dependents
* Dependents of retired military who relocate to Missouri within one year of
retirement
Exceptions must attend an A+ high school and meet all other requirements
during the year immediately preceding graduation.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC STUDENT
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS? (CONT.)
•
graduate with an overall 2.5 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 or
higher scale. (A cumulative GPA of 2.49 will not be rounded.)
•
have at least a 95% attendance record overall for grades 9 – 12. (An attendance
rate of 94.9% will not be rounded.)
•
perform at least 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring to younger students, of
which up to 25% may include job shadowing.
•
maintain a record of good citizenship and avoid the unlawful use of drugs and/or
alcohol.
•
make a documented good faith effort to apply for non-payback financial aid by
completing and submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
preferably prior to the end of the second semester of the senior year.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC STUDENT
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS? (CONT.)
•
Students graduating in the Class of 2016 must score proficient or advanced on the
state level Algebra 1 End of Course Exam or by achieving a qualifying score on the
mathematics component of the ACT test. The following table displays the qualifying
scores for 2016 high school seniors:
Exam
Minimum Score
ACT Math Sub Score
17
COMPASS Pre-Algebra
43
COMPASS Algebra
1
WHAT ARE THE BASIC STUDENT
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS? (CONT.)
• NOTE: A student who graduates at the end of the first semester of their
senior year is eligible to receive their A+ financial incentives for the semester
immediately following their graduation, as long as the student has met all
program eligibility requirements, including filing a FAFSA for the appropriate
semester, and making sure that their official A+ high school transcript
indicates their mid-year graduation date. These students will be required to
complete and submit a separate FAFSA for the current academic year prior
to completion of the end of the first semester of their senior year in order to
be able to utilize their A+ financial incentives during the next semester.
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
•
A+ Schools Program financial incentives PAY FOR in-district or out-of-district
tuition (capped at $159.75 per credit hour for the 2015-2016 academic year) plus
general fees that are assessed to all students each semester
•
Your eligibility for A+ benefits expires when the earliest of the following events
occurs −
* 48 months after the graduation date documented on your high school
transcript
* Receipt of a post-secondary certificate or associate’s degree
* Completion of 105% of the required hours for the program of study in
which you are enrolled.
•
Federal Pell Grant funds will be applied to your student account balance first; if
any eligible costs remain, they will be billed to A+. In other words, you cannot
receive A+ financial incentives in addition to a Pell Grant if the Pell Grant pays
for all A+ eligible tuition and fees.
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
• How A+ is applied:
If you are receiving full tuition
through Federal/State grants,
which includes:
• Full tuition
• Standard Fees
• Individual Course Fees
No A+ benefits will be utilized
to pay for your tuition and
general fees
If you are receiving partial
tuition through Federal/State
grants, this includes:
• Partial Tuition and
Standard Fees with the
remaining balance covered
by A+ benefits
If you are not eligible for
Federal/State grants,
• A+ pays for your tuition
(capped at $159.75 per
credit hour)
• Standard Fees
You will be responsible for
paying for your books and
supplies (unless you qualify
for enough money in
Federal/State grants to cover
theses costs as well)
You will be responsible for
paying for your individual
course fees plus books and
supplies
You will be responsible for
paying for your individual
course fees plus books and
supplies
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
• A+ Schools Program financial incentives DO NOT PAY FOR:
 Courses taken as a visiting student except for the summer
semester immediately following the student’s high school
graduation. NOTE: These students must be enrolled full-time
(minimum 6 credit hours), have their official A+ transcript and all
college transcripts for dual credit coursework completed while in
high school sent to the A+ eligible school they plan to attend
immediately following graduation, and complete and submit a
separate FAFSA for the 2015-2016 academic year using
information from 2014 taxes as well as a FAFSA for the 2016-2017
academic year using information from 2015 taxes
 Books, supplies, miscellaneous fees, lab fees or online course
fees
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
 Repeated coursework
 Coursework taken beyond 105% of your certificate or degree
requirements
* Includes all hours completed at any institution, including
developmental/remedial coursework
 Dropped coursework or for coursework for which you are no longer
enrolled
A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
If you drop a course, you immediately become
responsible for paying the school for the cost of the
dropped course.
NOTE: You should always check with the financial aid
office first before attempting to drop any class!
USING YOUR
A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
1. Apply for Admission to any public community college or vocational/technical school
or certain private two-year vocational/technical schools in the State of Missouri.
2. Prepare to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by first applying for
a Federal Student Aid ID Number (FSA ID). In order to be able to electronically sign
the FAFSA, the first thing that a student (and a parent, if applicable) should do is
apply for a Federal Student Aid ID Number (FSA ID). You may apply for a FSA ID
Number at: www.fafsa.gov
USING YOUR
A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
By entering your FSA ID Number to electronically sign the FAFSA, the student
(and parent, if applicable) will be able to certify that all information provided is
true and accurate as of the date the FAFSA is completed and that you agree
that proof of the information reported will be submitted to the Financial Aid
Office at your school, if it is required (i.e., IRS Data Retrieval, Tax Return
Transcripts, Verification Worksheets, W-2 Forms, etc.)
3. Complete & submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at:
www.fafsa.gov
• Be sure to include the school where you plan to use your A+ benefits (or where
you may want to use your A+ benefits)
• If you are planning to use your A+ financial incentives during the Summer
immediately following graduation, you must complete two FAFSAs – one for
2015-2016 and one for 2016-2017
USING YOUR
A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
• Review the Student Aid Report Acknowledgment that you will receive either by
e-mail or by regular mail as a result of filing the FAFSA
• Check to see if your application was selected for verification or if there are any
other unresolved issues that need to be addressed
• Contact the Financial Aid Office at the school you plan to attend to identify
yourself as an A+ student and to see what documentation (if any) is needed in
order for you to complete the verification process prior to high school
graduation. NOTE: A+ will not pay any financial incentives to the school on
your behalf until the verification process has been completed. For timely
processing and payment of A+ financial incentives, you are required to submit
all requested documentation as soon as possible but no later than 2 weeks after
the start of classes.
• Remember to complete the FAFSA each year that you plan to use your A+
benefits!
USING YOUR
A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
4. Have all of your academic transcripts sent to the school you plan to attend
• Request that your official A+ high school transcript which contains the A+
Certification Seal be sent to your school as soon as you graduate
• Request that all official dual credit transcripts from any colleges or universities
be sent to your school once you have completed their coursework
5. Complete your initial Placement Testing (if applicable)
6. Schedule an appointment to participate in a Student Advising and Registration Time
(StART) group session where you will review your degree plan and enroll as a
regular full-time student
• 12 or more credit hours during the fall/spring semesters
• 6 or more credit hours if you plan to take classes during the summer term
USING YOUR
A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES (CONT.)
7. Make arrangements to pay for the difference due for your tuition charges, your
books, supplies, miscellaneous fees, lab fees and online course fees that A+ will not
cover
8.
Plan to participate in New Student Welcome Activities
MAINTAINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY
FOR A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
 Only enroll in courses required for your declared certificate or degree plan
 Visit with an Academic Advisor each semester for assistance in selecting certificate
or degree related courses. Enroll full-time each semester.
for 2015-2016. In addition to enrolling full-time each semester, A+ students
are now required to complete* a minimum of 12 semester credit hours or the
equivalent (6 hours during the summer term) in order to maintain eligibility for the
next semester. A student that does not complete the required number of credit hours
during a term would be ineligible for the following term of enrollment. For the 20152016 academic year this means that a student that does not complete 12 credit
hours for the Fall 2015 term will be ineligible for a Spring 2016 award. During the
Spring 2016 semester of ineligibility, the student would need to complete at least
enough credit hours to total 12 credit hours when combined with the Fall 2015 term
in order to regain eligibility for the next period of enrollment AND meet the school’s
Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (minimum 67% completion rate) by the
end of their first academic year in order to maintain eligibility for the following
academic year.
MAINTAINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY
FOR A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
EXAMPLE: A student that completed 9 credit hours in the Fall 2015 term would
have to complete a minimum of 3 credit hours “at their own expense” in the Spring
2016 term to regain eligibility for their next period of enrollment.
 All that being said it is very important for A+ students to check with an Academic
Advisor as well as the Financial Aid Office before dropping any classes.
* A course is considered complete if the student earns a standard grade for the course,
including a failing grade but excluding a grade at withdrawal prior to completion.
MAINTAINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY
FOR A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
For 2015-2016. All “initial” students whose first A+ eligible enrollment is
either a summer or fall term are now required to achieve at least a 2.0 semester
grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the end of the Fall term. Students that do not
achieve at least a 2.0 grade point average during their “initial terms” of enrollment
will be ineligible to receive an A+ award until their cumulative grade point average is
at least a 2.5. All “initial” students must still achieve a cumulative grade point
average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or the equivalent AND meet the school’s Satisfactory
Academic Progress requirements (minimum 67% completion rate) by the end of their
first academic year in order to maintain eligibility for the following academic year.
 As a renewal student, remember that you must have achieved a 2.5 cumulative
grade point average by the end of your initial year AND must meet the school’s
Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements throughout the completion of your
certificate or degree.
MAINTAINING YOUR ELIGIBILITY
FOR A+ FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
 If you should lose your A+ eligibility, you can get it back within your 48-month
eligibility period by re-establishing your 2.5 cumulative grade point average and/or
improving your completion rate at your own expense. (A+ will not pay for coursework
taken while you are working to re-establish your eligibility.)
 Remember that you will be required to complete a “Renewal” FAFSA and submit
any additional forms requested by the Financial Aid Office each year that you plan to
use your A+ benefits.
 Finally, when enrolling in your final semester (either when your certificate or degree
will be completed or your A+ eligibility expires), you must visit with an Academic
Advisor to assist you with your Completion of A+ Eligibility Form.
ANY QUESTIONS???
Please feel free to contact me:
Robin L. Stimac
Student Financial Aid Manager
MCC-Maple Woods
robin.stimac@mcckc.edu
Phone: 816.604.3068
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to visit with you this evening!