Scholarship may boost MAP scores

A new Southeast Missouri State University scholarship could encourage students to score well on Missouri Assessment Program tests, a move that public school officials applaud as a way to get students to take the tests seriously.

Southeast officials announced the scholarship program Tuesday. Twin Rivers School District superintendent Andy Arbeitman, who proposed the scholarship, was on hand for the announcement at the University Center. The Twin Rivers district is south of Poplar Bluff.

At Arbeitman's urging, Three Rivers Community College at Poplar Bluff is offering a similar scholarship, which pays the cost of textbooks for eligible students. That scholarship will be awarded for the first time to 2005 high school graduates enrolled in community college classes for the fall semester. Three Rivers announced its scholarship in February.

Southeast's scholarship will be awarded for the first time next spring to public high school students enrolled in fall semester 2006 classes.

University president Dr. Ken Dobbins said some 250 students may qualify for the scholarship the first year.

Dobbins said the scholarship also should help student recruitment and boost enrollment at the Cape Girardeau university.

Arbeitman said the efforts of Southeast and Three Rivers may lead other two-year and four-year colleges in Missouri to offer scholarships tied to the MAP scores.

Such scholarships, he said, could motivate high school students taking the state-mandated tests. Students try harder on tests tied to scholarships, Arbeitman said.

Making test 'meaningful'

Rita Fisher, assistant superintendent of the Jackson School District, didn't attend the ceremony at the University Center but welcomed the new scholarship.

"I think any incentive for students that would make this test meaningful is a good thing because right now it has no impact on their grade, it has no impact on their ability to get into a college or technical school," she said. "It is not a high-stakes test for the student."

But she said it's a high-stakes test for the school districts because funding and accreditation are tied to how well students perform.

The test results also are used to determine whether individual schools are meeting performance goals required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

MAP achievement tests, taken by public high school students in their sophomore and junior years, are required by state law. But school districts have struggled to find ways to encourage students to do well on the tests, Arbeitman said.

Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Mark Bowles said Southeast's scholarship should help. "I think a lot of people have internal motivation to do well, but certainly not everybody," he said.

Bowles said the key is to make sure students and their parents are aware of the scholarship. "Parents can bring a lot of pressure on their kids to do well," he said.

Academically gifted students don't always score well on MAP tests because they don't have any motivation to do so, a situation that might change with the promise of a scholarship, he said.

Three Rivers officials said in February that their scholarship could mean a savings of more than $240 per recipient over two years of classes. Three Rivers students spend an average of $60 per semester on rental textbooks.

Southeast estimates its scholarship amounts to a $181.40 savings for students per academic year. Southeast's scholarship will cover a student's textbook rental costs for up to five courses per semester and may be combined with other scholarships.

The scholarship may be renewed for up to four consecutive years, provided the student maintains a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and a completes at least 30 credit hours of classes each academic year.

Dobbins said that amounts to about a $700 scholarship for a student over the course of four years at Southeast.

To be eligible for the new scholarship, high school graduates in Missouri must achieve high proficiency scores on the math MAP test taken in 10th grade or the communication arts exam taken in 11th grade, Southeast officials said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123