To assure that your Scholarship and Grant Program Rules remain current, please record this document on your TOPS Bulletin index and retain it with your manual.

The Louisiana Student Financial Assistance Commission has revised the Scholarship and Grant Program Rules at its October 28, 2002 meeting to extend the foreign language deadline for certain military members, to establish a minimum grade point average for graduate students applying for a Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship, to revise the high school TOPS notification of certified students, and to revise the criteria used to determine whether a student qualifies for an exception to the initial and continuous enrollment requirement.

The full compilation of the TOPS rules with all changes incorporated to date may be viewed on our web site at www.osfa.state.la.us. The revisions, with inserted language underlined and stricken language struck out, follow:

Title 28

EDUCATION

Part VI. Student Financial Assistance—Higher

Education Scholarship and Grant Programs

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Chapter 3. Definitions

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§301.Definitions

Cumulative College/University Grade Point Average - the calculation of grade point average by a Reporting Institution for all courses taken at postsecondary institutions to determine whether a student has maintained Steady Academic Progress and whether a student has met the minimum grade point average required to maintain eligibility for continuation of a TOPS Award. The cumulative grade point average must be calculated on a 4.00 scale and must include all courses from all postsecondary institutions attended for which a student has been awarded a grade. Courses taken at a college or university other than the Reporting Institution while the student was still in high school and at postsecondary institutions other than the Reporting Institution must be included in the calculation, even if the Reporting Institution does not recognize the course(s) for graduation purposes. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis are not considered in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average.

Cumulative High School Grade Point Average - the final cumulative high school grade point average calculated on a 4.00 scale for all courses attempted, including each course that is repeated. Effective for high school graduates beginning with the Academic Year (High School) 2002-2003, the Cumulative High School Grade Point Average shall be calculated by using only the course grades achieved for those courses included in the core curriculum. In the event a student has received credit for more than 16.5 hours of courses that are included in the core curriculum, the Cumulative High School Grade Point Average shall be calculated by using the course in each core curriculum category for which the student received the highest grade. For example, if a student has taken more than one Advanced Mathematics course, the Cumulative Grade Point Average shall be determined by using only the course in which the student has received the highest grade. In the event a student takes the same core course more than one time, the Cumulative High School Grade Point Average shall be calculated using the average of the grades earned in each repeated course. For example, a student who earns an "F" in Algebra I and who earns a "B" by repeating the course would add "0" for the "F" to "3" for the "B" and divide by two, resulting in a "1.5" grade for calculating the Cumulative Grade Point Average.

For those high schools that utilize other than a 4.00 scale, all grade values must be converted to a 4.00 scale utilizing the following formula:

            Quality Points Awarded for the Course       =  X (Converted Quality Points)
Maximum Points Possible for the Course       4.00 (Maximum Scale)

For schools awarding a maximum of 5 points for honor’s courses, the formula would be used to convert the honors course grade of "C" as shown in the following example.

                                                                                  3.00    =  X 
                                                                                  5.00        4.00
By cross multiplying,

5X = 12;  X = 2.40

Quality points = Credit for course multiplied by the value assigned to the letter grade.

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TOPS Cumulative Grade Point Average (Academic) - the grade point average calculated by LOSFA on all academic courses taken by a student at postsecondary institutions to determine whether the student has maintained Steady Academic Progress and whether the student has met the minimum grade point average required to maintain eligibility for continuation of a TOPS Award. The cumulative grade point average shall be calculated on a 4.00 scale and must include all academic courses from all postsecondary institutions attended for which the student has been awarded a grade. Academic courses taken at a college or university while the student was still in high school and at postsecondary institutions other than the institution at which the student is currently enrolled must be included in the calculation. Grades earned in non-academic courses and courses taken on a pass/fail basis are not considered in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average.

TOPS Cumulative Grade Point Average (Non-Academic) - the grade point average calculated by LOSFA on all non-academic courses taken by a student at postsecondary institutions to determine whether the student has maintained Steady Academic Progress and whether the student has met the minimum grade point average required to maintain eligibility for continuation of a TOPS Award. The cumulative grade point average shall be calculated on a 4.00 scale and must include all non-academic courses from all postsecondary institutions attended for which the student has been awarded a grade. Non-academic courses taken at a college or university while the student was still in high school and at postsecondary institutions other than the institution at which the student is currently enrolled must be included in the calculation. Grades earned in academic courses and courses taken on a pass/fail basis are not considered in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average.

TOPS Cumulative High School Grade Point Average - Effective for high school graduates beginning with Academic Year (High School) 2002-2003, the grade point average calculated by LOSFA including only the grades achieved in those courses that were used to satisfy core curriculum requirements. In the event a student has received credit for more than 16.5 hours of courses that are included in the core curriculum, the TOPS Cumulative High School Grade Point Average shall be calculated by using the course in each core curriculum category for which the student received the highest grade. For example, if a student has taken more than one Advanced Mathematics course, the Cumulative Grade Point Average shall be determined by using only the course in which the student has received the highest grade.

For those high schools that utilize other than a 4.00 scale, all grade values must be converted to a 4.00 scale utilizing the following formula:

            Quality Points Awarded for the Course       =  X (Converted Quality Points)
Maximum Points Possible for the Course       4.00 (Maximum Scale)

For schools awarding a maximum of 5 points for honors courses, the formula would be used to convert the honors course grade of "C" as shown in the following example.

                                                                                  3.00    =  X 
                                                                                  5.00        4.00
By cross multiplying,

5X = 12;  X = 2.40

Quality points = Credit for course multiplied by the value assigned to the letter grade.