SECTION 1. Section 16 of Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2006 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the eleventh paragraph the following paragraph:-

There shall be a John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Program to provide up to a four year waiver of tuition at the University of Massachusetts or at any of the nine state and fifteen community colleges to students who scored in the Advanced category in the English Language Arts or Math section on the grade 10 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)  and in the Advanced or Proficient category on the other section; those students awarded tuition must graduate from a Massachusetts public high school and must be a Massachusetts resident; provided further that eligible students must be enrolled full-time during qualifying years of said waiver and must complete their college studies within six years of the date from which they graduate from high school; provided further that eligible students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; The Council shall adopt regulations governing said program which shall include but not be limited to eligibility requirements referenced above and selection criteria.