A+ Schools Program
March 15, 2011
What is the A+ Schools Program?
The A+ Schools Program is a school improvement initiative established by the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993.
Goals of the A+ Schools Program:
- All students graduate from high school.
- All students complete a selection of high school studies that is challenging and for which there are identified learning expectations.
- All students proceed from high school graduation to a college, post secondary vocational/technical school, or high wage job with work place skill development opportunities.
Student Eligibility
- Sign an A+ Program Student Agreement.
- Attend an A+ High School for three consecutive years immediately prior to graduation.
- Graduate from Diamond High School with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above on a 4.0 grading scale (non-weighted).
- Graduate from Diamond High School with a cumulative attendance record of 95% or better.
- Perform 50 hours of unpaid tutoring.
- Maintain a record of good citizenship and avoidance of unlawful use of alcohol and drugs.
- Make a good faith effort to first secure all available federal post secondary student financial assistance (FAFSA).
- Male students need to sign up for Selective Services if 18 years old.
Benefits of the A+ Schools Program for Students
The program entitles our graduates who have met all requirements to receive reimbursement for tuition and fees to any Missouri public community college, vocational/technical school for two years (six college semesters) or the completion of one certificate program through a vocational/technical school. The tuition incentives will only be made available to reimburse the unpaid balance of the cost of tuition and fees after available federal post secondary student financial assistance funds including scholarships have been applied to those costs.
To be eligible to receive the tuition incentive**, the recipient must:
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- Be considered a full-time student by the institution;
- Be a US Citizen; and
- Complete the two years of full-time enrollment at a community college or a public vocational/technical school within four years after graduation.
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Students will be eligible to receive the above incentive for two years if they maintain a 2.5 GPA in the post secondary setting.
Other benefits to being in the A+ Schools Program:
- The A+ Seal will be placed on their high school transcript
- Students will be recognized at graduation
- Students will have the opportunity to tutor
**Regulations and reimbursement money are subject to the General Assembly of Missouri can be amended without notice. Reimbursement is not the funding responsibility of the Diamond R-IV School District.
Please contact Cynthia Sprague, A+ Coordinator, at csprague@diamondwildcats.org or 417-325-5188, ext. 306, if you have questions or would like to enroll in the program.
