Waivers sought for scholarship
Students fear they’ve lost out on state’s Bright Futures award
Jacqui Gerber, accepted into UCF and wrapping up a challenging set of high school courses, had one key item left on her to-do list: Take the SAT again in June and boost her score by 10 points so she could qualify for a Bright Futures scholarship. But now that June testing session, like so much else, has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the Lake Brantley High School student feeling like the scholarship is unfairly out of reach. State rules require students seeking Florida’s Bright Futures scholarships to earn the needed ACT or SAT test scores by June 30 of their senior year.
“I’m just so close to getting the scholarship, just 10 points away,” the 18-year-old said. “It’s frustrating I can’t take now.”
Across the state, many other high school students, and their parents, face the same situation, as opportunities to take tests again, or to complete community service hours also required for Bright Futures, were shut down when much of the state closed in mid-March to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
They want the state to extend the testing deadline or to waive the test-score requirements for the class of 2020. The Florida Department of Education understands the challenges the shutdowns have imposed on high school seniors seeking Bright Futures awards, a spokeswoman said, but has not yet announced what it might do in response.
“We’re working through that issue to find the most compassionate solution possible,” said spokeswoman Cheryl Etters in an email. kind of it right
This year, the scholarships are helping more than 110,000 Florida students pay for college.
The state expected more than 118,000 would qualify in the coming academic year and had budgeted nearly $652 million for Bright Futures awards. Waiving testing requirements — usually the toughest ones for students to meet — would make more students eligible for Bright Futures and boost costs. Paying for more scholarships could be a challenge this year, however, as state leaders expect they’ll need to cut Florida’s budget because the pandemic has damaged the economy and cut into state revenues.
To win the scholarship, high school seniors must meet gradepoint average and community service requirements and post certain test scores, at least an1170 out of 1600 on the SAT or 26 out of 36 on the ACT.
The scholarship offers two
awards, one that pays 75% of tuition at state colleges and universities and one that covers full tuition, plus a book stipend, but comes with requirements for higher grades and test scores (1290 on the SAT and 29 on the ACT). The SAT is the more popular test in Florida, with essentially all of the state’s 2019 graduates taking the exam. But the College Board, which makes the test, canceled the May and June exam dates and does not plan to resume until August, at the earliest. The ACT canceled its April test but plans to hold one June 13.
Regina Sittig, whose daughter, Kylee, is a senior at University High School in Orange City, said it was “disheartening” not knowing what the state will do or if Kylee might still have a chance to earn Bright Futures.
Kylee has worked with a tutor to try to improve her SAT scores, Sittig said, and was hoping if she tested again this spring, she’d do well enough to earn the 75% award to offset costs at Valencia College.
Bright Futures was created in 1997, with the goal of rewarding high school achievement and keeping top students in state. It quickly became popular with Florida families, but it has also been controversial.