Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program offers four award levels
When students enter the ninth grade they learn about the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, which includes some new additions including volunteer or work hours to meet requirements.
School Counseling and Mental Health Director Lori Brooks said the Bright Futures Scholarship is a lottery-funded scholarship for high school graduates for high academic achievements.
To qualify, a student must be a Florida resident and a U.S. citizen, or eligible noncitizen; complete the Florida Financial Aid Application during their senior year; earn a standard Florida high school diploma from a Florida public high school; not have been found guilty to a felony charge; accepted by and enrolled as a degree, or certificate, seeking student at an eligible Florida public, or independent postsecondary institution within five years of high school graduation and enroll in at least six non-remedial semester hours per term.
There are four award levels under the Bright Futures Scholarship, which includes Florida Academic Scholars Award at 100 percent tuition; Florida Medallion Scholars Award at 75 percent of tuition at a four-year university or 100 percent tuition at a two-year college; Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars is determined annually per credit hour and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars is also determined annually per credit hour.
FAS and FMS both require 16 high school course credits, which breaks down to four English credits with three including substantial writing; four mathematics at or above the Algebra 1 level; three natural science credits with two must have substantial laboratory; three social science credits and two world language credits. For FAS students must have a high school weighted Bright Futures GPA of 3.5 and 3.0 for FMS.
In addition, the FAS looks at both ACT and SAT. For 2022-23 graduates must earn a 29 on ACT and 1330 on SAT for FAS and 29 for 2023-2024 graduates for ACT and 1340 on SAT.
FMS has a 25 for ACT for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 graduates and 1210 for SAT for both graduating classes as well.
Brooks said this year students can submit 100 paid work hours in place of the 100 volunteer service hours. It must be one or the other and cannot be combined service hours or volunteer hours.
The GPA scores are from the best attempts of the 16 courses, as some students take additional math, or science courses.
“They take the best performance measures from each semester and recalculate that among the 16 to obtain the appropriate GPA,” she said, adding that they will also super score multiple attempts on ACT and SAT scores.
The award requirements for GSC is earning a minimum of five postsecondary credit hours through CAPE industry certifications and completing 30 service hours.
GSV award requirements include achieving a required weighted minimum 3.0 grade point average in the non-elective high school course; take at least three full credits in a single career and technical education program; achieve the minimum 3.5 unweighted GPA in the career education courses; achieve the required minimum score on SAT, ACT, or the Florida Postsecondary Education Readiness TEST exams and complete 30 service hours.
Teaching and Learning Director Candace Allevato said the merit-based program requires students to apply and work their way through the program. She said counselors and college and career specialists are key to the process of sharing information about the Bright Futures scholarship program.
Allevato said there are also curriculum expansion opportunities, advanced diploma opportunities through earning AICE, or IB diplomas, which waive the SAT and ACT scores as long as the student meets the volunteer hours.
“We can now say all 15 high schools have an advanced diploma pathway,” she said.
Students are also given expanded national assessment options through taking the ACT and SAT test on the district’s campuses.
The district also hosts a Financial Aid Night, which is in partnership with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools. The night focuses on guiding the student and parents through the documentation needed to ensure they complete the application process.
Every year training is also provided to ensure the counselors and career specialist to make sure they know the requirements.
New this year, the district implemented the National Development Program, which takes a look at 10th grade students and allows them to work with highly certified teachers on their PSAT scores. Allevato said they started with mathematics and how to build their scores on both SAT and ACT.
“We will be expanding this spring,” she said, adding that they will be opening it to other grade levels.
Another support comes through Naviance, which is a one-stop shop for students and families on such things as how to qualify and move forward with scholarships and colleges.
Accountability, Research & Assessment Director Dr. Matthew Kaye said among 15 high schools for the 2022 school district seniors, 14.6 percent achieved one of the four award levels of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. Just under 10 percent received the 100 percent scholars recognition program.
Brooks said as students enter ninth grade they start advising and students are coached with the end in mind. That comes in the form of classroom meetings and counselors going into scheduled classrooms and sharing information about Bright Futures.
“If you meet the criteria you are funding your way through college,” she said. “Junior and senior year we tend to turn up the heat a lot more in individual conversations.”
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