The Alaska Performance Scholarship proposed by Governor Parnell and passed by the legislature has generated lots of interest. SB 221 created the Alaska Performance Scholarship program and an interim task force review of scholarship funding, higher education offerings and career readiness.

Over the past few months the task force has worked with the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor to set eligibility standards, award levels, curriculum requirements and regulations. The scholarship is available to Alaska residents who graduate from an Alaskan high school (public, private, or home school), on or after January, 2011 and plan to attend an Alaskan post secondary or vocational education school.

The scholarship is set in three award levels:

• First level is up to $4,755 per year with a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher and a score of 25 on the ACT or 1680 on the SAT,
• Second level is up to $3,566 per year with a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher and a score of 23 on the ACT or 1560 on the SAT,
• Third award level is up to $2,378 per year with a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher and a score of 21 on the ACT or 1450 on the SAT.

In addition to these qualifications, each student must complete one of the two rigorous high school curriculum pathways: four years of math, science, English and social studies, or three years of math and science, four years of English and social studies, and two years of the same foreign language or Alaska Native language.

For more information visit the following website: http://tinyurl.com/2acf9b6