Central's A+ program earns average grade

Cape Girardeau Central High School's A+ program rates a C, according to an administrator.

At Monday's Cape Girardeau School Board meeting, principal Mike Cowan offered his evaluation of the program, aimed at spurring academic achievement, good citizenship and student tutoring. Students who complete the program for three years earn free tuition and related expenses at a Missouri two-year college or technical college.

"It's an attractive incentive" for students to be successful in high school, Cowan said.

The class of 2010 had 25 confirmed A+ graduates, with nearly 100 students signed up this school year.

Cowan said the program, administered through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, doesn't allow scholarship money to be used at out-of-state or four-year colleges, and budget cuts eliminated funding for a half-time program coordinator.

So Cowan grades the program as average, with an eye on improvement. The idea, Cowan said, is to use A+ to help the district realize its 2012-2013 goal of 90 percent of students enrolling in postsecondary education.