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Monday, April 23, 2007
Lifting And Dashing HOPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State officials are projecting that about a third fewer graduating seniors will earn a HOPE scholarship this year — a situation that’s worrying and angering some parents who had banked on Georgia’s popular grant program to help pay for their children’s college education.
Tougher grading standards are responsible for the decline. Previously, when calculating eligibility, officials only considered the highest grades students received in so-called core academic classes. So, if a hapless young scholar had failed Algebra II the first time he took the class, it wouldn’t count against him if he later was able to pass.
Now, all grades in math, English, science, foreign language and social studies — including failing grades — will be counted. As a result of this and other tweaks, thousands of Georgia grads may not receive a HOPE scholarship this year.
According to preliminary figures reported by my colleague, Kevin Duffy, this past weekend, the number of eligible students at Lilburn’s Berkmar High School alone could be cut in half.
State officials have defended the changes, saying they will pare the number of college students who eventually lose the scholarship because of poor grades. But will the changes actually spur more high school students to work harder or will they simply lead more teachers to inflate grades?
