MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2022 Regular Session
To: Universities and Colleges; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) DeBar
AN ACT TO CREATE THE ACCELERATE MISSISSIPPI SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL CONSIST OF THE ACCELERATE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, THE ACCELERATE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, AND THE ACCELERATE GRADUATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT DUAL CREDIT COURSES AT EACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR JUNIOR COLLEGE SHALL BE FUNDED BY THE ACCELERATE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO SET THE FUNDING REQUIREMENT OF EACH PROGRAM; TO ALLOW ALL ELIGIBLE PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND HOMESCHOOLED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE APPROVED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE ACCELERATE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND THE ACCELERATE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS TO BE DISPERSED ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE BASIS WITH EACH STUDENT RECEIVING ENOUGH FUNDS TO PAY FOR AT LEAST ONE SEMESTER COURSE PER ACADEMIC YEAR; TO PROVIDE THAT CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING COURSES AT EACH COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR JUNIOR COLLEGE SHALL BE FUNDED BY THE ACCELERATE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT AT THE END OF EACH FISCAL YEAR, ANY UNEXPENDED FUNDS APPROPRIATED BY THE LEGISLATURE FOR THE PROGRAMS SHALL NOT LAPSE INTO THE STATE GENERAL FUND BUT SHALL CARRY OVER AND BE AVAILABLE FOR EXPENDITURE IN THE SUCCEEDING FISCAL YEAR; TO ALLOW PARENTS OF PARTICIPATING STUDENTS TO ENROLL THEIR CHILD IN ANY ELIGIBLE COURSE, WITH OR WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN WHICH THE STUDENT IS ENROLLED; TO PROVIDE THAT THE ACCELERATE GRADUATION COURSES FOR MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS SHALL BE FUNDED BY THE ACCELERATE GRADUATION SCHOLARSHIP FUND; TO PROVIDE FOR THE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM; TO SET THE FUNDING REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE RULES TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-71-7 AND 37-71-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Accelerate Mississippi Scholarship Program."
SECTION 2. There is created the Accelerate Mississippi Scholarship Program. The program shall consist of the Accelerate College Scholarship Program provided for under Section 3 of this act, the Accelerate Opportunity Scholarship Program provided for under Section 4 of this act, and the Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Program provided for under Section 6 of this act.
SECTION 3. (1) A special fund, to be designated the "Accelerate College Scholarship Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Dual credit courses at each Mississippi community college or junior college shall be funded by the Accelerate College Scholarship Fund, which shall be administered by the Mississippi Community College Board. The board shall develop rules and regulations to implement the program for participating community and junior colleges that provide dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities to students in ninth through twelfth grade who meet certain qualifications. The Mississippi Community College Board shall create a platform for interested students to apply online for the scholarships and to enroll in courses. Funding from approved scholarships shall be awarded to the credit of the community or junior college providing the dual credit instruction.
(2) Subject to appropriation, for the 2022-2023 academic year, each academic dual credit student scholarship shall be funded at One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) per semester hour of credit, and for each academic year thereafter, the community and junior colleges shall adjust the per semester credit hour rate based on system-wide actual tuition costs.
(3) All eligible public, private and homeschooled high school students shall be approved for participation in the Accelerate College Scholarship Program, subject to the following criteria:
(a) All dual credit standards including, but not limited to, academic and eligibility requirements, course requirements, faculty and institutional qualifications and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation criteria as provided in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs, jointly adopted by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, or a subsequent document, shall be adhered to.
(b) Students participating in the program must reside within the State of Mississippi.
(c) Students participating in the program shall be responsible for books, supplies and transportation costs.
(e) Scholarship funds shall be dispersed on a first-come, first-served basis and the dispersed scholarship funds shall fund at least one semester course per academic year for each student.
(4) If a student fails to successfully complete a course paid for by the Accelerate College Scholarship Program, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit or complete one (1) like course before being eligible for additional course participation. Repeated and remedial courses or examinations are not eligible for funding through the program.
SECTION 4. (1) A special fund, to be designated the "Accelerate Opportunity Scholarship Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Career technical education and workforce training courses at a Mississippi community college or junior college shall be funded by the Accelerate Opportunity Scholarship Fund, which shall be administered by the Mississippi Community College Board. The board shall develop rules and regulations to implement the program for participating community and junior colleges that provide dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities to students in ninth through twelfth grade who meet certain qualifications. The Mississippi Community College Board shall create a platform for interested students to apply online for the scholarships and to enroll in courses. Funding from approved scholarships shall be awarded to the credit of the community or junior college providing the dual credit instruction.
(2) Subject to appropriation, each career and technical dual credit student scholarship shall be funded at Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per semester hour of credit beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year.
(3) All eligible public, private and homeschooled high school students shall be approved for participation in the Accelerate Opportunity Scholarship Program, subject to the following criteria:
(a) All dual credit standards including, but not limited to, Career and Technical Eligibility Requirements, Course Requirements, Faculty and Institutional Qualifications and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accreditation criteria as provided in the Procedures Manual for the State of Mississippi Dual Enrollment and Accelerated Programs, jointly adopted by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board, or a subsequent document, shall be adhered to.
(b) In addition, eligible courses shall:
(i) Lead to an industry-recognized certificate, license or degree;
(ii) Be courses that are not otherwise available at the student's high school; and
(iii) Allow high school-aged students to participate.
(c) Laboratories designed for providing instruction in career and technical courses shall meet community and junior colleges' standards of quality.
(d) Students participating in the program must reside within the State of Mississippi.
(e) Students participating in the program are responsible for books, tools, supplies and transportation costs.
(f) Students participating in the program may enroll in any course for which they are academically eligible at any participating community college or junior college.
(4) Scholarship funds shall be dispersed on a first-come, first-served basis and the dispersed scholarship funds shall fund at least one semester course per academic year for each student.
(5) If a student fails to successfully complete a course paid for by the Accelerate Opportunity Scholarship Program, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit or complete one (1) like course before being eligible for additional course participation. Repeated and remedial courses or examinations are not eligible for funding through the program.
SECTION 5. (1) The Legislature may appropriate funds annually to implement, administer and make awards under the programs provided for in Sections 3 and 4 of this act. The Mississippi Community College Board may seek, accept and expend funds from any source, including private business, industry, foundations and other groups as well as any federal or other governmental funding available for this purpose.
(2) Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.
(3) Parents of participating students may enroll their child in any eligible course, with or without the permission of the public school in which the student is enrolled. Public school personnel shall assist parents in the process of enrolling students in such courses. Each participating student's high school transcript at the public school at which the student is enrolled shall include the credits earned and grades received by the student for any dual credit courses taken pursuant to this section. For an eligible course to be transcribed as meeting the requirements of a core subject as identified in administrative rule, the course must meet the approved content standards for the applicable subject and grade level.
SECTION 6. (1) A special fund, to be designated the "Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Accelerate Graduation courses for Mississippi public school students shall be funded by the Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Fund, which shall be administered by the Mississippi Board of Education. The Mississippi Board of Education shall create a platform for interested students to apply online for the scholarships and to enroll in courses. Funding from approved scholarships shall be awarded to the credit of participating educational or testing providers.
(2) All eligible public school students in seventh through twelfth grade who reside in the state of Mississippi shall be approved for participation in the Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Program. Students participating in the program are responsible for books, tools, supplies and transportation costs.
(3) Scholarship funds shall be dispersed on a first-come, first-served basis and may be used for:
(a) Overload courses;
(b) Challenge courses;
(c) Learn to Earn courses, including apprenticeships, internships, and alternative learning courses;
(d) College entrance examinations;
(e) Preliminary college entrance examinations;
(f) Career technical certificate and licensing examinations that lead to an industry-recognized certificate, license or degree;
(g) Post-secondary credit-bearing examinations, including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).
(4) Each local school board shall set forth criteria by which a student may take an overload course. A student must take and successfully be completing a full credit load within a given school year to be eligible for funding of an overload course. An overload course must be taken for high school credit to be eligible for funding. The scholarship distribution for an overload course may not exceed Two Hundred Twenty-five Dollars ($225.00) per overload course. To qualify as an eligible overload course for the program, the course must:
(a) Be offered by an accredited provider; and
(b) Be taught by an individual certified to teach the grade and subject area of the course in Mississippi.
(5) Each local school board shall set forth criteria by which a student may challenge a course. If a student successfully meets the criteria set forth by the board of the public school, then the student shall be counted as having completed all required coursework for that course. The public school shall be funded for such students based upon either actual hours of attendance or the course that the student has successfully passed, whichever is more advantageous to the public school, up to the maximum of one (1) full-time student.
(6) The Mississippi Department of Education shall maintain a list of eligible college entrance examinations and preliminary college entrance examinations and costs, provided that a student may not use funds provided under this section to take the same examination more than once. Eligible costs shall include the cost of the examination, proctor fees and administrative fees. Eligible examinations include the SAT, the PSAT, the ACT and other similar examinations identified by the department.
(7) Accelerate Graduation Scholarships may not be used to pay an amount that exceeds the price to the student of such courses and examinations pursuant to the limitations stated in this section. These moneys shall not supplant existing program funds. No later than December 1, 2022, and each subsequent December 1 thereafter, the Mississippi Department of Education shall report to the education committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives the details regarding the number of students benefiting from assistance with the cost of overload courses, challenge courses, Learn to Earn courses and examinations. The report shall include the number of credits awarded and amounts paid pursuant to this section during the previous school year. The report also shall be provided to the other members of the Legislature upon request and posted on the Department of Education's website for the general public to view.
(8) Public schools, shall be reimbursed, as applicable, up to the stated limits, within one hundred twenty-five (125) days of receiving the necessary data upon which reimbursements may be paid for overload courses, challenge courses and Learn to Earn courses. The submission method and timelines of reimbursement data shall be determined by the Mississippi Board of Education. Payments shall be made only for activity occurring and reported within each fiscal year.
(9) Average daily attendance shall be counted as normal for students participating in dual credit courses pursuant to this section.
(10) If a student fails to successfully complete a course paid for by the Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Program, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit or complete one (1) like course before being eligible for additional course participation. Repeated and remedial courses or examinations are not eligible for funding through the program.
(11) If a student fails to take an examination paid for by the Accelerate Graduation Scholarship Program, the student must pay for and pass the test before being eligible for additional participation in the program.
(12) Public school personnel shall assist parents in the process of enrolling students in overload, challenge and Learn to Earn courses. Each participating student's high school transcript at the public school at which the student is enrolled shall include the credits earned and grades received by the student for these courses taken pursuant to this section. For an eligible course to be transcribed as meeting the requirements of a core subject as identified in administrative rule, the course must meet the approved content standards for the applicable subject and grade level.
SECTION 7. (1) The Legislature may appropriate funds annually to implement, administer and make awards under the program provided for in Section 6 of this act. The Mississippi Board of Education may seek, accept and expend funds from any source, including private business, industry, foundations and other groups as well as any federal or other governmental funding available for this purpose.
(2) Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.
SECTION 8. The Mississippi Board of Education shall promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this chapter so as to maximize participation in the Accelerate Mississippi Scholarship Program.
SECTION 9. Public schools shall establish timelines and requirements for participation in the Accelerate Mississippi Scholarship Program, including implementing procedures for the appropriate transcription of credits, reporting of program participation and financial transaction requirements. Public schools shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that any student who considers participating in the program also considers the challenges and time necessary to succeed in the program, and schools shall make reasonable efforts to include guidance on how the student's participation in the program contributes to prospective college and career pathways. Such efforts shall be performed prior to a student participating in the program and throughout the student's involvement in the program.
SECTION 10. Section 37-71-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-71-7. * * * ( * * *1)
Each local school board * * * may shall adopt an Extended Learning Opportunities policy
to include alternative educational opportunities for course credit that
recognizes learning opportunities outside of the traditional classroom through
apprenticeships, internships or pre-apprenticeships, and grants elective credit
for those alternative learning opportunities. * * * The policy shall:
(a) Provide for an application process for entities to submit proposals for alternative educational opportunities that will qualify for elective course credit;
(b) Define which entities are eligible to submit applications for alternative educational opportunities, which such entities shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) Nonprofit organizations;
(ii) Businesses with established locations in the state;
(iii) Trade associations;
(iv) Parents of students involved in programs that may otherwise qualify for alternative educational opportunities; (v) Teachers involved in programs outside of the traditional classroom; and
(vi) School
personnel involved in programs outside of the traditional classroom * * *;
(c) Provide for the criteria used to evaluate the alternative educational opportunity;
(d) Describe any
communication and collaboration needed with local school districts to implement
alternative educational opportunities * * *;
(e) Place requirements on the entity such as background checks for key personnel and minimum accountability standards; and
(f) Provide a process for student credit transfer.
( * * *2) The local school board is authorized
to approve or deny an application for an alternative educational opportunity. * * *
( * * *3) The State Department of Education
shall have the authority to audit approved alternative educational programs at
any time. If the audit results in findings that an approved program is not
meeting the provisions of this chapter * * *,
then the local school board shall take appropriate steps to meet these provisions
or disqualify the program * * *.
SECTION 11. Section 37-71-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
37-71-9. * * *
The State Department of Education shall provide an annual report detailing the
progress that has been made in each school district in providing alternative
courses, programs and opportunities or apprenticeships. The report shall be
provided to the Chairmen of the Senate and House Education Committees no later
than December 1 of each year, beginning December 1, * * * 2022. The report also shall be provided
to the other members of the Legislature upon request and posted on the
department's website for the general public to view.
SECTION 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.