Section 14.43.820 - Alaska merit scholarship program; eligibility(a) Subject to appropriation, the commission shall award an Alaska performance scholarship to an applicant who (1) is a resident of the state as defined in AS 01.10.055;(2) graduated or will graduate within 18 months from a high school in the state; and(3) except as provided in (c) of this section, has completed, is enrolled in, or plans to enroll in a core academic curriculum of high school level coursework that includes (A) four years of mathematics, four years of language arts, four years of science, and four years of social studies, one year of which may include a foreign language, an Alaska Native language, fine arts, cultural heritage, or career and technical education; (B) three years of mathematics, four years of language arts, three years of science, four years of social studies, and two years of (i) a foreign language, an Alaska Native language, fine arts, or cultural heritage; or(ii) career and technical education, one year of which includes two semesters of sequentially more rigorous content within a career cluster; or(C) three years of mathematics, four years of language arts, three years of science, four years of social studies, one year of which may be career and technical education, and two years of a foreign language, an Alaska Native language, fine arts, or cultural heritage .
(4) has a minimum grade-point average in high school of 2.5 or higher; the department shall set by regulation minimum requirements based on a substantially similar standard for districts that do not assign grades;(5) has achieved a minimum score on a(A) college entrance examination; or(B) standardized examination designed to measure a student's level of preparedness to make the transition to work, as selected by the department; and(6) is enrolled in good standing in a course of study at a qualified postsecondary institution in this state that is intended to result in the award of a certificate or degree.(b) The commission shall establish in regulation standards for continuing and regaining eligibility for a scholarship.(c) The commissioner shall waive a portion of the core academic requirements specified under (a)(3) of this section for not more than 24 additional months after a student graduates from a high school in the state to provide an eligible applicant the opportunity to complete the academic requirements at a qualified postsecondary institution using a scholarship awarded under AS 14.43.825(a) or at a public high school in the state with a district sponsorship under (f) of this section if the applicant submits a timely application on a form approved by the commissioner and provides satisfactory proof that the applicant was unable to complete the academic requirements under (a)(3) of this section as a result of circumstances beyond the applicant's control, including (1) illness or disability;(2) a lack of reasonable access to the required coursework at a small or remote high school attended by the applicant in the state; and(3) other circumstances prescribed by regulation adopted by the board.(d) The commissioner shall approve or deny an application for a waiver submitted under (c) of this section within 30 days after receiving the application.(e) An applicant who receives a waiver under (c) of this section, shall, within the time granted for the waiver, provide satisfactory proof to the commissioner of completion of the core academic requirements specified under (a)(3) of this section.(f) Notwithstanding a contrary provision in this title, a school district that agrees to sponsor a student for a waiver under (c) of this section may include a student who has been approved for a waiver under (c) of this section in the student count conducted under AS 14.17.600 as a full-time or part-time student if the student attends a school in the district for the purpose of completing the core academic requirements under (a)(3) of this section.(g) In this section,(1) "career cluster" means a group of jobs and industries that are related by skills or products;(2) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990.(h) Not later than January 15 of each year, a district shall provide to each student in the district who is enrolled in grade nine or grade 10 information about the Alaska performance scholarship.(i) Not later than December 31 of each year, a district shall notify each student in the district who is enrolled in grade 11 of the remaining academic requirements the student must meet to be awarded an Alaska performance scholarship at each level described in AS 14.43.825(a).(j) Not later than August 15 of each year, the commission shall notify each applicant awarded a scholarship under (a) of this section that the applicant has been awarded an Alaska performance scholarship. The notice must (1) identify the Alaska performance scholarship level awarded as described in AS 14.43.825(a); and(2) inform the applicant that(A) the commission may disburse the award only if the applicant meets the requirements described in (m) of this section; and(B) the commission will adjust the applicant's award under the circumstances described in (l) of this section.(k) If a district provides information to or otherwise communicates with a student regarding the Alaska performance scholarship, the district shall also provide information about the requirements to increase an award level under AS 14.43.825(h) - (j).(l) If, at the time an applicant awarded an Alaska performance scholarship graduates from high school, the applicant's grade-point average differs from the grade-point average on which the commission based the applicant's award, the commission shall adjust the applicant's award in accordance with the applicable Alaska performance scholarship level described in AS 14.43.825(a).(m) Notwithstanding (a) of this section, and except as provided in (c) of this section, the commission may disburse an Alaska performance scholarship awarded to an applicant under this section only if the applicant (1) has, at the time of the applicant's graduation from high school, (A) completed the core academic curriculum of high school level coursework described in (a)(3) of this section; and(B) met the minimum(i) grade-point average in high school described in AS 14.43.825(a); or(ii) score on a college entrance examination described in AS 14.43.825(a); and(2) is enrolled in good standing in a course of study at a qualified postsecondary institution in this state that is intended to result in the award of a certificate or degree.Amended by SLA 2024, ch. 4,sec. 5, eff. 6/27/2024.Amended by SLA 2024, ch. 4,sec. 4, eff. 6/27/2024.Amended by SLA 2024, ch. 4,sec. 3, eff. 6/27/2024.Amended by SLA 2012, ch. 74,sec.4, sec.5 eff. 4/1/2013.