Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development seeking to change A+ eligibility requirements
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) will be filing for a waiver for 2022 senior class A+ Scholarship recipients.
MDHEWD has adjusted some student eligibility requirements for the A+ Scholarship for both the 2020 and 2021 high school seniors in response to the state and national testing disruption caused by the pandemic. Those changes were authorized under the emergency declaration issued by Governor Parson in March of 2020 but the declaration expired at the end of 2021.
In February, officials will seek approval from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to file an emergency rule change that will waive the provision that requires students to score proficient or advanced on a math-related end-of-course exam, including its alternative, for students graduating in 2022. If approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and the Secretary of State, the emergency rule will be effective 10 days after it is filed and will remain in effect for 180 days.
The purpose of an emergency rule is to expedite a policy that will later be made permanent through the regular rulemaking process.
Since changes made through the emergency rulemaking process are intended to become permanent, MDHEWD will not seek approval for an emergency waiver of any of the other A+ eligibility requirements, including a reduction in the number of tutoring/mentoring hours required. If the emergency rule waiving the Algebra I EOC requirement for the 2022 seniors is approved, those students will still be required to meet all of the other A+ requirements that were in place prior to the 2019-2020 academic year, including the completion of 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring.
