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2019-2020 School Year

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For the most up to date information on the A+ program, please visit the Missouri

Department of Higher Education website

https://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php

Eligibility

To be eligible for the financial incentives of the A+ Schools Program, a student must be certified as an

A+ student by the high school. To qualify, the student must meet the following criteria:

Enroll in and attend an A+ designated school for at least THREE (3) years prior to high school

graduation and graduate from an A+ high school.

Enter into a written agreement with Raymore-Peculiar High School during the registration

process prior to 9th grade year.

Graduate from an A+ designated high school with at least a cumulative non-weighted grade

point average of 2.5 based on a 4.0 scale.

Graduate from high school with at least 95% cumulative attendance average.

Perform and document a minimum of fifty (50) hours of unpaid, academic-based tutoring within

the School District and supervised by a School District employee.

Maintain a record of good citizenship that includes the avoidance of drugs and alcohol. The signatures on the letter of intent give the R-P school district permission to examine and evaluate the cumulative disciplinary record of the student.

Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Register for the selective service (male U.S. citizen over the age of 18).

Must score proficient or advanced on a DESE approved End of Course Exam in mathematics

or a qualifying score on the math portion of the ACT.

Student Enrollment in A+

Students are encouraged to enroll in the program at registration prior to their freshman year.

There will be a presentation in advisory during the month of October with A+ information.

If a student transfers to the Raymore-Peculiar Academy, he/she will be considered eligible for the

A+ Program.

An A+ Letter of Intent is included during registration prior to 9th grade year. Parents can opt out if

they choose.

Anyone requesting A+ Incentives after the beginning of his/her sophomore year must meet all

criteria dating back to the beginning of his/her freshman year.

Seniors must complete ALL requirements prior to the date of the graduation ceremony. Early

senior graduates must complete requirements by the date set for early graduation.

A student may transfer from one A+ designated school to another and maintain eligibility.

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Post-Secondary Student Incentives

Qualified A+ graduates will be eligible to receive:

Tuition and fees to attend any Missouri public community college, vocational or technical

school for up to 105% of the program in which they are enrolled.

Funding each year is dependent on appropriations from the state legislature.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be on file with the college by

deadlines set by the college. To meet those deadlines, parents should have FAFSA filed by Feb.

1. FAFSA is on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

The FAFSA must be filed every year.

A+ tuition incentive will only be made available to reimburse the unpaid balance of the cost of

tuition and fees after available federal/state financial aid funds have been applied to those costs.

Private scholarships will not affect eligibility for A+, nor will they reduce the state’s responsibility to

a college or tech school.

Students must successfully complete 12 college credit hours per semester (6 hours during the

summer) and maintain a 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale while enrolled in postsecondary

education/training to be eligible to keep receiving A+ funds.

Graduates have 48 months from the date of graduation to use their A+ eligibility to complete their

associate degree at a community college or a public vocational/technical school.

Students must adhere to each college’s deadlines. Failure to do so may result in A+ incentives not

being available for a student.

Financial need is not a factor in determining A+ eligibility.

Grade Point Requirement The A+ student must graduate from high school with a minimum cumulative non-weighted grade point

average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. The cumulative non-weighted GPA is applicable to all four years of a

student’s enrollment in high school. The official transcript at the time of graduation will document and

certify that the GPA requirement has been met.

Monitoring of A+ Status At the end of each semester, parents of students who are participating in the A+ Program will receive

a letter or email reporting their progress in each of the required areas. Any questions or concerns

about the information reported should be directed to the A+ Coordinator at 892-1426.

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Certification of A+ Status The A+ Coordinator will review all records of A+ students. Names and other required information of

eligible students will be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)

and the community college that the student is attending upon graduation.

Career Clusters Each student will be encouraged to declare a career cluster. Career clusters are designed to give

a student direction to take courses that will be relevant to his/her chosen field of study after high

school. A career cluster may be changed at any time. Students will study Career Clusters in Advisory

and with the counselors. Students may choose from the following career clusters:

Arts, Audio-Visual Technology and Communication Business, Management and Administration

Finance Information and Technology

Marketing, Sales, and Service Health Science

Education and Training Government and Public Administration

Hospitality and Tourism Human Services

Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and

Security

Architecture and Construction

Manufacturing Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics

Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

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Student’s Responsibility

The student is required to make a good faith effort to secure all available federal/state postsecondary

student financial aid funds that do not require repayment (i.e.: Pell grants, Access grants).

If the student is intending to enroll at a Missouri community college and use A+, parents and

students must complete and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) prior to

Feb. 1st. The FASFA summary report must be sent to the community college or public

vocational/technical school that the student is planning to attend. The FAFSA is optional, but

recommended, if the student enrolls at a non-A+ institution.

FASFA is available online during the student’s senior year.

A+ tuition incentive will only be awarded to reimburse the unpaid balance of the cost of tuition and

fees after available Pell Grant funds have been applied to these costs. ‘Double-Dipping’ is not

allowed with A+. Students can’t use the full or partial Pell Grant and full A+benefits at the same

time. All state funding is contingent on yearly appropriations by the state legislature.

FAFSA forms are based on a fiscal year July 1 - June 30. Any student interested in attending

summer school immediately after graduation or graduating early at semester and then attending

the following spring semester must fill out a current fiscal year FAFSA form and a future fiscal

year FAFSA form.

Scholarships earned by students may be applied to books and other fees.

Early Graduates

Students who graduate after seven semesters may access their A+ funds beginning in January.

Semester graduates must have their FAFSA on file with the community college and meet all other

requirements and deadlines (Nov. 30) set by the college financial aid office.

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Citizenship Requirement

Expectation: Raymore-Peculiar A+ participants are expected to be good citizens at school and in the

community.

1. At Raymore-Peculiar High School a good citizen:

Maximizes his/her educational opportunity.

Recognizes and accepts responsibility in and beyond the school environment.

Sets a positive example for all to follow at school and in the community.

2. Raymore-Peculiar Good Citizen Guidelines:

A. All A+ participants begin each school year with good citizen status. Good citizen status equals

zero (0) points.

B. Each disciplinary referral will negatively affect good citizen status. 1) Two points: Each Evening

School Assigned

2) Three points: Each day of In-School Suspension assigned

3) Four points: Each day of Out-of-School Suspension assigned

C. The accumulation of twenty-one (21) points during any one school year will result in the

revocation of the participant’s good citizen status and his/her removal from the program.

3. Students may, for good cause, appeal their dismissal unless it is a drug or alcohol offense.

In the Raymore-Peculiar School District, appeals may be made to the A+ Citizenship Appeals

Committee who will be the final authority.

4. The appeals Committee will be made up of one administrator, one counselor, and two to three

teachers selected by the A+ Coordinator. The A+ Coordinator will serve as a liaison to the

committee but will have no vote in the outcome.

In accordance with state A+ rules and regulations, any student disciplined for any infraction involving illegal drugs or alcohol will immediately be dismissed from the A+ program. There is no possibility of an appeal for reinstatement for any infraction involving drugs or alcohol.

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Attendance

Attendance requirements for A+ are not to be confused with general attendance requirements as stated in the RPHS Student Handbook. Please refer to the attendance policy in the handbook.

Attendance Requirement

To be eligible for the A+ School Incentive, a student must have a 95% cumulative attendance

record over 4 years Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time for

classes. Therefore, the student will acquire the habits of punctuality, self-discipline and responsibility.

A student who does not meet the 95% attendance requirement will not be eligible for the A+

Financial Incentive.

The following attendance guidelines are required of all A+ students:

All absences count against the 95% attendance calculation for A+ students. The only

exceptions are school sponsored field trips, school activities and properly documented

college visits.

You must be a full-time student at an A+ designated High School for three (3) years prior to

graduation.

Enrollment in seven (7) classes per semester at RPHS will constitute full-time enrollment.

A cumulative attendance record will be kept from the beginning of the A+ student’s freshman year

until graduation.

Attendance will be calculated on hours missed not days missed.

The official record of attendance is kept in the high school attendance office. Students attending

an offsite program will have their attendance reported to the high school attendance office.

Each semester, the A+ office will provide parents, guardians and students information that

includes the student’s attendance record.

A+ attendance guidelines differ from the regular school attendance rules. A doctor’s note for an excused absence does not qualify a student for an A+ attendance waiver. A+ attendance waivers from the appeals process are for serious, long-term absences, not the average cold or illness.

Please note that the attendance percentage that can be viewed on the parent portal is not be the actual A+ attendance percentage. The official A+ attendance will be on the letter mailed or emailed home at the end of every semester from the A+ office.

Attendance Appeal Process

After notification from the A+ end of semester status letter, students/parents should contact the

A+ Coordinator to discuss any need for an attendance appeal and the proper procedures and

timelines to follow.

Anyone making an appeal should use the A+ Attendance Appeal Form available from the A+

Coordinator.

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The A+ Coordinator will convene the Attendance Review Committee within that month of

receiving notice of an appeal.

An Attendance Review Committee will be composed of a counselor, a principal, and two or three

teachers. The committee will rotate members regularly and meet at least twice a year or as

necessary.

The A+ coordinator will act as facilitator and a non-voting member of the Review Committee.

After the Attendance Review Committee reaches a decision, the A+ coordinator will notify the parents

by letter. The decisions of the Review Committee will be considered final.

Attendance Appeal Guidelines

Anyone submitting an appeal for an A+ waiver of days missed shall provide the A+ Coordinator

with the following official documentation:

Reason for Absence Documentation Hospitalization/Surgery Letter signed by the doctor Chronic health problems* Letter from doctor & school nurse Court dates Court letter Funerals Obituary Religious holiday Clergy letter Exchange student Documentation from agency Personal/Family calamity (fire, flood, etc.) Principal’s letter Catastrophic illness (long term) Doctor’s letter

Appeals must include all the proper documentation.

*Chronic conditions must be verified by the school nurse and physician with a signed letter from

the physician on original letterhead. Some chronic conditions do not require that a student miss

school.

“Return to school” notes are not acceptable documentation for an A+ attendance appeal.

No student will receive an appeal if absences are due to any of the

following: Truancy / Skipping classes/school

Suspension from school for any reason

Personal / family vacation

Transportation problems (unless on a late school bus)

Any time a student is absent from school, it is the parent’s responsibility to document the reason for

the absence. This documentation is retained in the attendance office. Any request for an appeal is

above and beyond that documentation, but, documentation on file may be used to further

substantiate absences.

Attendance requirements for A+ are not to be confused with general attendance requirements as stated in the RPHS Student-Teacher Handbook.

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Tutoring/Mentoring

A+ students are required to perform at least 50 hours of school-based tutoring/mentoring. The

tutoring/mentoring activities must:

Involve A+ students with lower grade students within the district

Provide, as an ultimate goal, encouragement to lower grade students to get turned on to school,

stay in school and strive for good grades

Be school-based or under the auspices of the school

The following tutoring activities are available for students. Interested students should see the A+

Coordinator to sign up for tutoring.

1. Enroll in Tutoring/ Mentoring class. Students will learn how to tutor, be placed with a teacher to

do tutoring, fulfill class requirements and receive a grade. Tutoring/ Mentoring will count a ½

elective credit.

2. Students may tutor during summer school. This must be pre-approved by the A+ and Tutoring

Coordinator.

3. Become a freshman mentor (SLT) for the advisement program.

4. Other special arrangements as approved individually by the A+ Coordinator and Tutoring

Coordinator.

Students who leave early to tutor must have a permission slip on file to leave early and are

responsible for signing out at the high school and in at the receiving school.

Students may obtain a Tutoring Log sheet from the tutoring coordinator. These sheets should

be filled out during time that student tutors. Log sheets must be turned in before the end of

the semester during which tutoring occurred to be included in the semester report to

parents. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain their log record and turn it in to the

tutoring coordinator in a timely manner.

Failure to adhere to tutoring guidelines may result in disciplinary action, and/or dismissal from

the A+ Program.

No financial remuneration may be

accepted for tutoring/mentoring

activities.

If a student needs additional time to get to the 50 hours, job shadowing may be

an option to earn some of the additional hours. Please see the A+ coordinator

for more information.

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Local community colleges/technical schools that accept A+

students

Metropolitan Community College System (MCCKC)

State Fair Community College, Sedalia

Linn State Technical College, Linn

Ozark Technical Community College, Springfield

Joe Herndon Area Vocational Technical School, Raytown

Warrensburg Area Vocational Technical School, Warrensburg

** Other eligible community colleges and career and technical schools can be found at

http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php

Other opportunities for A+ students

Several 4-year colleges and universities in Missouri offer scholarships to students who quality for A+

incentives.

All 4-year colleges that offer incentives for A+ students use dollars that are not part of the A+

appropriation from the state legislature. Sometimes, the college / university will impose additional

requirements for A+ students to receive its unique benefits.

Students should check with the college of their choice to see what benefits are offered to A+ students.