50 shades of the
Missouri
a+ Program
Presented by: JoLynne Reppond, M.S.
Nixa High School A+ Coordinator
Original Goals of the A+
Program
1. All students graduate from high school
2. All students complete a selection of high school studies
that is challenging and for which there are identified
learning expectations; and
3. All students proceed from high school graduation to a
college, or post secondary career-technical school or
high-wage job with work place skill development
opportunities.
A+ History
The A+ Schools Program was created in 1993 by state law as an incentive for
improving Missouri’s high schools. The primary goal of the A+ Schools Program
was to ensure that all students who graduate from Missouri public schools were
well prepared to pursue advanced education and/or employment. Missouri high
schools that wished to write and implement the A+ grant went through a 3-year
process and then became officially “designated” upon review The program
provided incentives for local high schools to:
• to increase student achievement
• increase attendance and graduation rates
• offer at-risk intervention
• provide technology enhancement in the curriculum
• promote rigorous coursework and preparation for success after graduation,
and
• offer career guidance and interaction with business partners in the community
A+ Eligible students would have the opportunity to take advantage of up to two
years of tuition and general fee reimbursement if they attended a Missouri
eligible Vocational/Technical School or Community College.
A+ History
The A+ Schools Program was transferred by Executive Order 10-16 – Effective
August 28, 2010 from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
to the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE). When this change
took place, the A+ Program immediately shifted from a Missouri school
improvement program through the department of quality schools to a
financial aid/scholarship program administered by the MDHE.
High Schools that participated in the grant program had been held accountable
for an annual review of the program, which entailed providing documentation
and data to support the A+ designation checklist of goals established by DESE.
Once the program shifted, the name changed from “Missouri A+ Schools
Program” to “A+ Scholarship Program”. The student eligibility requirements
remained the same, but the program activities and yearly review were no longer
required.
Since 2010, the MDHE has administered the program and provides information
on their website for students and parents. This information can be located at:
http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php
A+ Student Eligibility Requirements
All eligible students, regardless of income, who meet all the criteria below have the
opportunity to receive funding for the unpaid balance of the cost of tuition and general
fees, subject to legislative appropriation, for a period of 48 months after high school
graduation, to any participating Missouri public community college, vocational or
technical school after federal post-secondary financial assistance funds have been applied.
Students must:
• Attend an A+ designated high school for at least three consecutive years immediately
prior to graduation
• Graduate from high school with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a
4.0 scale
• Have at least a 95% average attendance record during high school
• Perform 50 hours of unpaid school-based tutoring or mentoring for other students (A
job shadowing component can be allowed which contributes up to 25% to the
completion of 50 hours of tutoring)
• Maintain a record of good citizenship and avoid the unlawful use of drugs or alcohol
• Achieve a score of proficient or advanced on the Algebra I EOC or a higher level
DESE approved EOC in the field of mathematics. (beginning with the class of 2015)
• Secure all available federal post-secondary student financial aid assistance funds that
do not require repayment
• Male students over the age of 18 are required to register for the selective service
What will the A+ Scholarship Pay for?
•
The amount of tuition and general fees remaining after any federal sources of funding
have been applied (maximum rate for 15-16 year is: $159.75 per credit hour or
$4.30/clock hour)
– Pell must always be applied to tuition and fees before it can be applied to any
other component of the cost of attendance.
•
A+ will not pay for repeated, withdrawn or dropped courses
•
Awards limited to 105% of program hours
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105 % includes the following:
All hours, including developmental/remedial hours, taken at your current school
All known hours, including developmental/remedial hours, taken at any other A+ eligible school
Hours taken at any non-eligible A+ school, including out-of-state schools, that your current school accepts in
transfer
105 % excludes the following:
Hours earned for work performed before high school graduation, including (but not limited to): dual credit, dual
enrollment, technical education articulation, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate
Hours from a non-eligible school not accepted in transfer by your current school
•
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A+ does not equal two years of free tuition
A+ Eligibility Updates-Alg I EOC
• Algebra I EOC alternative UPDATE: The current scores will remain
in effect for the next school year (2016 graduates)
ACT SCORE:
17
COMPASS SCORE: Pre-Algebra 43
Algebra 1
• ACT announced earlier this year that they are phasing out all of the
ACT Compass products by December 31, 2016, so this test will no
longer be an option for A+ students after the current school year
• No new assessment has been established to date to replace the
Compass test for A+ eligibility
• The Compass test may be used for the current year seniors (2016)
• Students have the option of qualifying for A+ reimbursement AFTER
graduation!
• New state requirement as of 2015: ALL juniors will take the ACT
A+ Eligibility Updates-Citizenship
September 16, 2015, the Missouri General Assembly voted to override Governor Nixon’s veto
of Senate Bill 224. In light of yesterday’s action, eligibility criteria for the A+ Scholarship will
change on October 16, 2015 when SB 224 officially becomes law. After that date, an
individual must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in order to receive reimbursement
under the A+ Scholarship Program.
Students that are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents will no longer be eligible
after October 16. This includes students with deferred action on childhood arrivals
(DACA) status and eligible non-citizens that have a lawful immigration status but are
not permanent residents.
Since permanent residents are included in the broader eligible non-citizen category on the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid, after October 16 institutions must determine whether
a student reported as an eligible non-citizen on the FAFSA meets the permanent resident
requirement. Acceptable documentation to aid in this determination can be found in the
Eligible noncitizens and documentation section in Volume 1, Chapter 2 of the Federal Student
Aid Handbook. Institutions must collect the documentation necessary to validate the student
has been granted the status of a lawful permanent resident. A student with a pending
application for lawful permanent residency will not be eligible until the application is approved.
*Per MDHE Communication
A+ Eligibility-Military
• Students who have a parent who is a member of the military on active
duty or has retired from the military and relocated to Missouri within
one year of retirement are exempt from the “3 consecutive year”
requirement. Students must attend an A+ designated school in the
year immediately preceding graduation and meet all other high school
eligibility requirements
• If students who have graduated with A+ eligibility are unable to attend
school due to active duty to any branch of the armed forces of the
U.S., they may qualify for a deferment of A+ scholarship eligibility.
The deferment will ensure that students receive the 48 months of
eligibility that all other students do. Students must return to full-time
status within 12 months of the end of the military service and provide
a copy of the DD214 form to verify the length of service.
A+ Funding Status
FY 2016 Requests: (FY is from July 1-June 30)
• $33.1M MDHE core request (additional $6M increase not
approved)
• $35.1M Governor recommended-the extra $2M was
approved by the legislature
• MDHE projections for potential shortfall in the budget
based on the best information to date:
Between $500,000 and $1.5M
A+ Funding Status-Shortfall Plans
The first option to address the anticipated shortfall is a two-pronged plan. This plan outlines temporary
measures to address the FY 2016 shortfall. If approved by CBHE, these measures will be effective
beginning with the fall 2015 term, with the first impact on students occurring at the transition from the
fall 2015 term to the spring 2016 term:
•
Require students to complete 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 is ineligible for the following semester
of full-time enrollment. A course is considered completed if the student earns a standard grade for
the course, including a failing grade but excluding a grade at withdrawal prior to completion.
•
Require students whose first A+ eligible enrollment is either a summer or fall term to achieve at
least a 2.0 semester grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the end of each term. Students must still
achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or the equivalent by the end of
their first academic year in order to maintain eligibility for the following academic year.
The second option is to reduce the number of reimbursable hours for the spring 2016 term. This
option would be implemented in the same way the FY 2015 credit hour reduction was implemented.
Current estimates indicate this approach would require at least a one-credit-hour reimbursement
reduction during the spring 2016 term.
A+ Program Information-FYI
• NEW A+ STAMP: The MDHE has provided a new template for stamping
transcripts. Due to the fact that DESE no longer administers the program, it
was determined that we needed a stamp that was up to date. Contact the
MDHE if your district has not received the new stamp template! There is no
deadline for this transition, so you may continue to use the old stamp until a
new one is acquired.
• MSSU TUTOR DAY: Missouri Southern offers a ½ day event in September
each year for A+ tutors. There are presentations, a point of interest tour on
campus. This has been a very successful event in the past!
• MoCAPT: Missouri Congress of A+ Tutors
*Hoenny Center-Established to focus on how
children and youth help each other learn. The
goal of the center is to understand, improve and
encourage teaching by elementary and secondary students,
and, in turn, to help strengthen the teaching profession.
A+ Resources
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Missouri Designated A+ High Schools: http://dese.mo.gov/quality-schools/designated-schools
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MDHE: http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php
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MDHE Contacts:
Connie Bestgen
Program Specialist
(800) 473-6757, option 4
(573) 751-1772
connie.bestgen@dhe.mo.gov
Amy Haller
Program Specialist
(573) 526-7958
amy.haller@dhe.mo.gov
Kelli Reed
Student Assistance Associate
(573) 751-2444
kelli.reed@dhe.mo.gov
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MoCAPT: https://www.hoennycenter.org/
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MSSU Contact: Stephanie Hopkins; hopkins-s@mssu.edu 417-625-9670
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Nixa High School A+: http://www.nixahs.net/pages/Nixa_High/About_NHS/A__Program
JoLynne Reppond: jolynnereppond@nixaschools.net 417-724-3526