A Plus Graduates
Financial Benefits Await
May 13, 2010
As the Class of 2010 files into the gym Sunday to receive their diplomas, thirty-six hard-working seniors will receive another achievement: A+ Eligibility.
The A+ program rewards graduating seniors who have shown above average academic performance, attendance, citizenship and service. To achieve A+ eligibility, each senior must graduate with 95% attendance, a minimum 2.5 grade point average, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring, and a good citizenship record, including avoidance of the illegal use of alcohol and drugs. These standards pertain to their entire high school career.
Financial benefits available to the 36 A+ eligible graduates are quite significant. Tuition and fees at a Missouri public community college or technical school will be paid by the State of Missouri for a period of two years or until the college student has completed a program. The only stipulation is that the college student take a full course load and maintain a 2.5 grade point average. It is estimated the average A+ college student will receive over $6,000 in paid tuition and fees for the 2010-11 academic year. The Missouri legislature each year appropriates the money necessary to fund the A+ program.
Students attending a four-year college are not eligible for the A+ tuition benefits, but several four-year colleges offer scholarships to A+ graduates.
To complete the tutoring requirement, students are able to enroll in the A+ Tutoring course and are placed in a classroom as a teacher’s helper. Most students tutor in the lower elementary grades and can be seen in the hallway listening to first graders read, working on math facts with flashcards, or helping preschoolers learn to write their names. Several A+ tutors have realized they are good with children and decide to become educators.
Not all high schools in the state of Missouri are A+ schools. Putnam County R-I was named an A+ school in 1999 after a three-year transformation process. A+ is unique to the state of Missouri and requires high schools to maintain high expectations of its teachers and students.
