JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development has received a number of inquiries and concerns about the ability of some students in the 2022 senior class to meet all of the existing A+ eligibility criteria. This message provides information about the steps MDHEWD is taking to respond.
As most of you know, MDHEWD has adjusted some student eligibility requirements for the A+ Scholarship for both the 2020 and 2021 high school seniors in response to the state and national testing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those changes were authorized under the emergency declaration issued by Governor Parson in March of 2020. With the expiration of that declaration on Dec. 31, 2021, the authority to waive those regulatory requirements through that process no longer exists.
Although there were multiple accommodations, the provision that requires students to score proficient or advanced on a math-related end of course exam (commonly known as the Algebra I EOC requirement) received the most attention. The decision to implement that waiver was based on the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s decision not to offer end-of-course exams in 2020. Although the department could have required students to use their ACT scores to meet the Algebra I EOC alternative, there has been substantial disruption to that system as well.
Because of the fact that there are multiple cohorts of students that either were not required to take an EOC test or experienced issues with sitting for the tests, MDHEWD staff believe it is appropriate to continue this waiver for the 2022 seniors. In February, we will seek approval from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to file an emergency rule change that will waive the end-of-course requirement, including its alternative, for students graduating in 2022. If approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules and the Secretary of State, the emergency rule will be effective 10 days after it is filed and will remain in effect for 180 days.
The purpose of an emergency rule is to expedite a policy that will later be made permanent through the regular rulemaking process. With that in mind, the department believes that completely eliminating the EOC requirement and its alternative is the appropriate next step for two reasons. First, since the 2024 high school seniors are probably the students that were most impacted by this disruption as they were the students for which the testing requirement was completely waived, another two years of waivers not covered by the emergency rule is appropriate. Second, this requirement has historically created a barrier to accessing postsecondary education for a range of students. Current plans are to, following the emergency rule filing referenced above, take a proposal to permanently eliminate the requirement to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education at their March 9, 2022 meeting. Assuming that is approved, it would eliminate the Algebra I EOC requirement and its alternative for seniors graduating in 2023 and beyond.
Since changes made through the emergency rulemaking process are intended to become permanent, MDHEWD will not seek approval for an emergency waiver of any of the other A+ eligibility requirements, including a reduction in the number of tutoring/mentoring hours required. If the emergency rule waiving the Algebra I EOC requirement for the 2022 seniors is approved, those students will still be required to meet all of the other A+ requirements that were in place prior to the 2019-2020 academic year, including the completion of 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring.
If you have questions, comments or suggestions about this two-step plan to eliminate the Algebra I end-of-course exam and its alternative requirements, please send them to leroy.wade@dhewd.mo.gov by close of business on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. We will do our best to keep you informed as this process unfolds.
About the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development: The department works to empower Missourians with the skills and education needed for success. More information about MDHEWD can be found at https://dhewd.mo.gov or on Facebook and Twitter @MoDHEWD.