HB 745 Summary

• Establishes section 160.520 requiring the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide guidance to school districts on allowing students to retake Missouri assessment instruments and include best practices for achieving required proficiency levels for scholarship eligibility.

• Modifies the A+ Schools Program to require students to achieve proficient or advanced scores on Algebra I and English I end-of-course assessments (or equivalent higher-level assessments or qualifying scores on ACT/COMPASS exams) to be eligible for tuition reimbursement at community colleges or vocational-technical schools.

• Updates the Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program (Bright Flight) to require eligible students to achieve proficient or advanced scores on Algebra I and English I end-of-course assessments (or equivalent higher-level assessments or qualifying scores on ACT/COMPASS exams).

• Adds provisions allowing students with medical needs, military service, or service to nonprofits or government agencies to defer scholarship eligibility and return within specified timeframes (six months for military service, twenty-seven months for others) while maintaining eligibility.

• Modifies the Access Missouri Program to establish minimum credit hour completion requirements for renewal: 24 hours for first renewal, 48 for second, 72 for third, and 96 for fourth renewal, beginning with the 2014-15 academic year.