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TOPS-Teacher Merit Ranking Formula Revised Additional Clarification About Continuous Enrollment Change

LOUISIANA STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE COMMISSION
OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Bulletin
TOPS BULLETIN NUMBER:
T99-9
DATE ISSUED:
March 17, 1999
EFFECTIVE DATE:
As Indicated
DISTRIBUTION: Louisiana High Schools, Colleges and Universities, Technical Colleges, Board of Regents, Department of Education and Louisiana Officials
TOPIC: TOPS-Teacher Merit Ranking Formula Revised Additional Clarification About Continuous Enrollment Change

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.

TOPS—Teacher Merit Ranking Formula Revised

The Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission (LASFAC) advertises its intention to revise the provisions of the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS)—Teacher merit ranking formula, effective March 15, 1999. Interested persons may submit written comments on the proposed changes until 4:30 p.m. May 20, 1999, to Jack L. Guinn, Executive Director, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Box 91202, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9202. To assist in your review the revised formula has been underlined.

 

Title 28

EDUCATION
Part IV. Student Financial Assistance—Higher Education Scholarship and Grant Programs

Chapter 3. Definitions

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ยง301. Definitions

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                                Merit Ranking Formula—a mathematical equation incorporating selected merit factors which is used to rank eligible applicants in the priority by which competitive scholarships are to be awarded. As of July 1, 1997, the TOPS Teacher Award and Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship are the only programs in which applicants are competitively ranked. The following formulas for the merit ranking of scholarship applicants provide for the equating of scores for high school graduating seniors and college students.

                                a. Formula I—applies to applicants for the Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship with less than 24 hours of graded college credit and to applicants for the TOPS—Teacher Award with less than 48 hours of graded college credit:

Merit Score = ( ( ( HSGPA )   x  60 ) + ( ( ACT )  x  40 ) )
                 4.00                               36

                                b. Formula II—applies to applicants for the Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship with 24 or more hours of graded college credit and to applicants for the TOPS—Teacher Award with 48 or more hours of graded college credit:

 Merit Score = ( ( ( College GPA ) x 90 ) + ( ( College Level ) x 10 ) )
                                            4.00                                  4  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                c. Formula III—applies to applicants for the TOPS Teacher Award. For those applicants majoring in math or chemistry, an additional 10 points are added to the merit score determined by Formula I or II, resulting in an adjusted merit score.

                                d. Applicants' merit scores are ranked in descending order with the applicant with the highest merit score ranked first. The number of applicants selected for award is dependent upon the amount of award funds available.

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Additional Clarification About Continuous Enrollment Change

                TOPS Bulletin T99-8 dated March 8, 1999, included a revision of the rules which clarified "continuous enrollment". These changes to the rules in sections 705, 805, and 907 will apply for the first time to students who withdraw from school during the spring semester or term, 1999. Students who withdraw after the 14th class day of the Spring Semester, 1999, do not meet the continuous enrollment requirements and will not be eligible to receive the TOPS award in the Fall of 1999 unless granted a waiver under the rules.