LOUISIANA
STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
|
|
TOPS BULLETIN NUMBER: |
T2000-20 |
DATE ISSUED: |
July 20, 2000 |
EFFECTIVE DATE: |
As Indicated |
DISTRIBUTION: | Louisiana High School Principals and Counselors, City and Parish School Board Presidents, School Board Superintendents, College and University, Technical College and LAICU Chancellors, Financial Aid Offices, Business Offices, and Auditors, System Governance, Board of Regents, Department of Education, Louisiana Officials, Louisiana Legislators, and Commission Members |
TOPIC: | TOPS Core Curriculum, TOPS-Tech, and Technical Changes |
To assure that your Scholarship and Grant Policy and Procedure Manual remains current, please record this document on your TOPS Bulletin index and retain it with your manual.
The Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission has revised TOPS rules (Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 28, Part IV) to:
The full compilation of TOPS rules with all changes incorporated to date may be viewed on our website at http://www.osfa.state.la.us The revisions follow*:
Part IV. Student Financial Assistance—Higher
Education Scholarship and Grant Programs
...
Chapter 3. Definitions
§301. Definitions
...
First-Time Freshman —
a student who is awarded TOPS Opportunity, Performance, or Honors and
enrolls for the first-time as a full-time freshman in an academic program in
a postsecondary school subsequent to high school graduation, and continues to be
enrolled full-time on the fourteenth class day (ninth class day for Louisiana
Tech) or enrolls for the first time, full-time in a Louisiana public
community or technical college that offers a vocational or technical education
certificate or diploma program or a non-academic undergraduate degree to pursue
a skill, occupational training, or technical training subsequent to high school
graduation. A student who is awarded TOPS Opportunity, Performance, or
Honors and begins in an academic program in a postsecondary college
or university attendance in a summer session will be considered
a first-time enrollee First-Time Freshman for the
immediately succeeding fall term. A student who is awarded TOPS Opportunity,
Performance, or Honors and begins in a non-academic program in a postsecondary
school in a summer term will be considered a First-Time Freshman at the time of
such enrollment. The fact that a student enrolls in a postsecondary school
prior to graduation from high school and/or enrolls less than full time in a
postsecondary school prior to the required date for full time enrollment shall
not preclude the student from being a First-Time Freshman.
First-Time Student —
a student who is awarded TOPS-TECH and enrolls for the first time, full-time in
a Louisiana public community or technical college that offers a vocational or
technical education certificate or diploma program or a non-academic
undergraduate degree to pursue a skill, occupational training, or technical
training subsequent to high school graduation,
and continues to be enrolled full-time. The fact that a student who is awarded
TOPS-TECH enrolls in an academic program at a postsecondary school prior or
subsequent to graduation from high school, but prior to the required date for
full time enrollment in a Louisiana public community or technical college that
offers a vocational or technical education certificate or diploma program or a
non-academic undergraduate degree, shall not preclude the student from being a
First-Time Student.
...
Chapter 7. Tuition Opportunity Program
for Students (TOPS) Opportunity; Performance and Honors Awards
...
§703. Establishing Eligibility
A. -
A.4.g.(2) ...
5.
a. graduate from a BESE-approved, provisionally-approved, or
probationally-approved public or nonpublic Louisiana
high school or eligible non-Louisiana high school as defined in §1703.A.3; and
i.
at the time of high school graduation, an applicant must have successfully
completed 16.5 units of high school course work constituting a core curriculum
as follows:
Units |
Course |
1 |
English I |
1 |
English II |
1 |
English III |
1 |
English IV |
1 |
Algebra I (one unit) or Applied Algebra 1A and 1B (two units) |
1 |
Algebra II |
1 |
Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus or comparable Advanced Mathematics |
1 |
Biology |
1 |
Chemistry |
1 |
Earth Science, Environmental Science, Physical Science, Biology II, Chemistry II, Physics, Physics II, or Physics for Technology |
1 |
American History |
1 |
World History, Western Civilization or World Geography |
1 |
Civics and Free Enterprise (one unit combined) or Civics (one unit, nonpublic) |
1 |
Fine Arts Survey; (or substitute two units performance courses in music, dance, or theater; or two units of studio art or visual art; or one elective from among the other subjects listed in this core curriculum) |
2 |
In a single Foreign Language (one unit or credit for three or more hours of college foreign language for students graduating from high school during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years). |
½ |
Computer
Science, Computer Literacy or Business Computer Applications (or
substitute at least one-half unit of an elective course related to
computers that is approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education (BESE); or substitute at least one-half unit of an
elective from among the other subjects listed in this core curriculum);
BESE has approved the following courses as computer related for purposes
of satisfying the ½ unit computer science requirement for all schools
(courses approved by BESE for individual schools are not included): |
ii. for purposes of satisfying the requirements of §703.A.5.a.i., above, the following courses shall be considered equivalent to the identified core courses and may be substituted to satisfy corresponding core courses:
Core Curriculum Course |
Equivalent (Substitute) Course |
Physical Science |
General Science |
Algebra I |
Algebra I, Parts 1 and 2 |
Applied Algebra IA and IB |
Applied Mathematics I and II |
Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry |
Integrated Mathematics I, II and III |
Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, or Comparable Advanced Mathematics |
Pre-Calculus, Algebra III, Probability and Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, Applied Mathematics III* |
Chemistry |
Chemistry Com |
Fine Arts Survey |
Speech Debate (2 units) |
Western Civilization |
European History |
*Applied Mathematics III was formerly referred to as Applied Geometry |
iii. for purposes of satisfying the requirements of §703.A.5.a.i., above, in addition to the courses identified in §703.A.5.a.ii. the following courses shall be considered equivalent to the identified core courses and may be substituted to satisfy corresponding core courses for students of the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts:
Core Curriculum Course |
Equivalent (Substitute) Course |
English III |
EN 210 Composition/Major Themes in Literature (1 unit) |
English IV |
any two of the following ½ unit courses EN 311Readings in Literature
(at least one 311 course is a requirement) EN 302 Studies in the English
Language |
Algebra I (one unit) |
Any combination of advanced math courses which equal one unit of course credit that are certified by the school to be equivalent of Algebra I |
Algebra II (one unit) |
Any combination of advanced math courses which equal one unit of course credit that are certified by the school to be equivalent of Algebra II MA 120 College Algebra (1
unit), or |
Physics |
PH 110L Conceptual Physics (1
unit), or |
Biology II |
BI 210L Advanced Placement
Biology (1 unit), or |
Civics (½ unit) and Free Enterprise (½ unit) |
AH 243 American Government and
Politics (½ unit), and |
Western Civilization |
EH 121 Ancient and Medieval
History (½ unit) and |
or
A.5.b.-G.2. ...
...
Chapter 8. TOPS-TECH Award
...
§803. Establishing Eligibility
A. - A.3. ...
4.
initially apply and enroll in a technical program as a First-Time Freshman
Student, as defined in §301, in a public community or Louisiana
Technical College, unless granted an exception for cause by LASFAC, not later
than the term or semester excluding the summer semesters or
sessions term, immediately following the first anniversary of
the date that the student graduated from high school or, if the student joins
the United States Armed Forces within one year after graduating from high
school, has enrolled in such eligible institution as a first-time
freshman First-Time Student not later than the term or
semester, excluding the summer semesters or sessions term,
immediately following the fifth anniversary of the date that the student
graduated from high school or within one year from the date of discharge,
whichever is earlier; and
*Words in struck through
type are deletions from the existing rules; words underscored are
additions.