HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2107        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1172

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to the John and Abigail Adams scholarship program..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 31.   Section 16 of chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the ninth paragraph the following paragraph:-          There shall be a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program, administered by the Board of Higher Education, providing for four years of tuition at the University of Massachusetts or at any of the nine state and 15 community colleges to students who scored in the Advanced category of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) on one test and the Proficient or Advanced category on the other test and who scored in the highest 25 percent in their district or in the highest 25 percent of all students taking the test by the end of their junior year; and, in addition, those students in the top 10 per cent in their district or in the highest 10 percent of all students taking the test by the end of the junior year shall receive a waiver for $2,000 to offset the cost of campus fees. Those students awarded tuition must complete their college studies in four years or less and maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average. Those students awarded tuition plus the $2,000 fee waiver must complete their college studies in four years or less and maintain at least a 3.3 grade point average. The Board of Higher Education shall establish guidelines relating to the program, including an audit procedure to ensure that institutions are in compliance with such guidelines. The Board of Higher Education shall verify the amount of tuition and fee revenue, as applicable, that should be reimbursed to campuses for students participating in the program. Said amount for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program shall be subject to appropriation.