Hope Program Grant Georgia - DOC

							                                                                                           BOARD OF EDUCATION
                                                                                           GAIL DEAN, PRESIDENT
                                                                                       KATIE REEVES, VICE PRESIDENT
                                                                                              JULIA C. BERNATH
                                                                                               ZENDA J. BOWIE
                                                                                              LINDA P. BRYANT
                                                                                               LIZ HAUSMANN
                                                                                               LINDA SCHULTZ

                                                                                    JAMES WILSON, SUPERINTENDENT




Dear Parents/Guardians of Middle and High School Students:

The Georgia Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 1325 in 2004. This bill made several changes to the HOPE
Scholarship/Grant Program in response to the growing number of students throughout the State of Georgia who
qualify for HOPE and the lack of corresponding growth in lottery revenue, which funds the program.

The State’s changes to the HOPE Program will impact all students who enroll in post-secondary
education programs after May 1, 2007. While some of the details regarding implementation of this law have
not yet been finalized by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC), we are sending this
correspondence to explain the changes as we currently know them and to let you know how they may affect
your student(s) in their post-secondary endeavors.

The following chart indicates current HOPE requirements, changes made as a result of HB 1325 and
the potential impact, beginning with students who entered high school (or who began taking high
school courses for credit during middle school) in the 2003-04 school year and thereafter.


 Current HOPE Provision/Regulation         Change for Students Entering College
                                                      After May 2007                       Impact for Students/Parents
Highest grades earned in core academic    Every grade earned in core academic        “Fs” will no longer be replaced for these
and some elective courses are counted     courses (English/                          purposes by a higher grade if a core
toward the “B” average for HOPE           Language Arts, Mathematics, Science,       academic course is repeated. Also, if a
eligibility.                              Social Studies and Foreign Language)       student earns more core academic
                                          will be used in calculating Grade Point    credits than required for graduation, all
                                          Average (GPA) for HOPE eligibility.        grades will be used to determine HOPE,
                                                                                     instead of only the highest grades
                                                                                     earned.

Local school district policy determines   Only grades in Advanced Placement          Honors courses will no longer be
when and how selected courses are         (AP) and International Baccalaureate       weighted for calculating HOPE
“weighted” to reflect more rigorous       (IB) programs will be weighted for         eligibility. They will, however, continue
courses.                                  HOPE purposes.                             to be weighted in Fulton County for
                                                                                     other purposes (e.g., valedictorian,
                                                                                     college admissions, etc.)




            786 Cleveland Avenue, SW  Atlanta, Georgia 30315-7299  404-768-3600  www.fulton.k12.ga.us
Parents/Guardians of Middle and High School Students
Page 2

 Current HOPE Provision/Regulation             Change for Students Entering College
                                                           After May 2007                       Impact for Students/Parents
Schools determine HOPE eligibility             All grades in core academic courses will   Local grading policies and standards
based on local policies and state              be converted by GSFC to a 4.0 grade        will be supplanted by GSFC rules and
guidelines and report summary                  point average scale and GSFC will          guidelines only for purpose of
eligibility data in this regard to the State   determine HOPE eligibility.                determining HOPE eligibility.
of Georgia.
Students enrolled in a diploma or              The number of hours a student may          Most attempted college courses will
certificate program at a state technical       attempt under the HOPE Grant may not       apply toward the maximum allowed by
college (e.g., Lanier Tech) are eligible       exceed the total number required for       the HOPE program.
for HOPE Grant funding for up to two           graduation with diploma or certificate.
diplomas or certificates, regardless of        Additionally, certain courses taken at a
their high school GPA.                         state technical college may count
                                               toward the total HOPE Scholarship
                                               hours allowed.

Depending upon the specific                    The total number of HOPE eligible          College courses taken by high school
undergraduate program in which a               credits for a student at any eligible      students will now count toward the
student is enrolled, HOPE pays for up          post-secondary institute in the State of   maximum available HOPE Scholarship
to 150 semester hours for a                    Georgia (research university, regional     limit of 127 semester hours.
baccalaureate degree, not including            university, technical college, etc.) is
college courses taken prior to high            limited to 127 semester hours.
school graduation (e.g., Dual
Enrollment)



As soon as the School District receives additional State of Georgia regulations and guidelines in this regard from
the GSFC, we will send that information to you. For further information or to provide input to appropriate
State of Georgia officials regarding implementation of HB 1325, contact the Georgia Student Finance
Commission at 770-724-9000 or go to their web site at www.gsfc.org.

Please keep these changes in mind as your child completes high school-level courses and contact the counseling
staff at the school if you have specific questions regarding your child’s course selection/schedule.

Thank you for your continued commitment to your child’s education. The teachers and staff of the Fulton
County School System fully support you and your child as we strive together to achieve educational excellence!

Sincerely,




James Wilson
Superintendent