A+ Information

1. Be a US citizen or a permanent resident.
2. 2. Attend an A+ designated school for at least two years prior to graduation (A+ schools are state of Missouri only).
3. Complete the Participation Agreement form to join Park Hill A+.
4. Attain an attendance rate of at least 95% by graduation.
5. Earn at least a 2.5 cumulative, unweighted grade point average by graduation (4-year colleges/universities may have a higher minimum GPA requirement)
6. Complete at least fifty (50) hours of unpaid tutoring and/or mentoring. Students may earn up to 12.5 hours of the 50 in a pre-approved job shadow.
7. Maintain a record of good citizenship and avoidance of unlawful use of drugs and alcohol. Students may not accumulate 10 days OSS for any reason.
8. Score proficient or advanced on the Algebra I end-of-course exam (or ACT math sub score equivalent).
9. Apply for federal financial assistance (Free Application for Federal Student Aid- FAFSA).
10. Register for Selective Service (All males who turn 18 prior to high school graduation).

1. Sign and turn in the A+ Participation Agreement (PDF) to the A+ office
2. Complete the one-time virtual A+ Workshop. The virtual workshop is emailed to students after they turn in the A+ Participation Agreement.
3. Complete 50 mentoring and/or tutoring hours through Park Hill
4. Maintain 2.5 GPA, 95% attendance, and good citizenship; score proficient or advanced on the Algebra I EOC (or ACT equivalent)
5. Senior Year 
   • Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application by the federal deadline 
   • Request a copy of your final transcript be sent to the school of your choice through Naviance 

 

All sign-ups and MAT opportunities are posted in the A+ Schoology Course. 

If you are having difficulty logging in and accessing Schoology over the summer, contact Park Hill Technology at 816-359-5000. 

Job Shadow 

Students may earn up to 12.5 hours by participating in a pre-approved, unpaid, job shadow. See the Job Shadow Requirements for details.

COURSES OFFERED THAT EARN A+ MAT HOURS

Students that enroll in and pass the courses below will earn a set amount of A+ hours.

• Child Growth & Development = 20 A+ hours (when a preschool class is hosted)
• Aspiring Educators and NCC Teaching Professions = 50 A+ hours
• NCAPS/Aspiring Professionals = 12.5 A+ hours, (can only earn one time for one semester, this counts as the job shadow)

How to sign up for mentoring/tutoring hours:

1. Log in to Schoology
2. Go to the course "PHHS A+ Scholarship Program"
3. Click on “Materials” on the left side of the page.
4. Click on the folder "Mentoring & Tutoring Sign-ups"
5. Click on the link for the school and event you want to volunteer for
6. Fill in your first and last name and hit submit

How to remove your name from a sign-up:

1. Go back to the sign-up through Schoology
2. In the upper right hand corner click on “Log in”
3. If you do not have an account you will need to create one by clicking on “New account”
4. Create the new account by using your school e-mail address and create a password
5. Next, the screen will tell you that your account needs to be verified and to check your e-mail and click on the link sent to verify your account.
6. Now that you have verified your account, you may login and remove your name from the signup.

• A+ Eligible Career/Technical Schools
• A+ Eligible Community Colleges
• 4 Year Universities Offering A+ Scholarships/Incentives

Current Students

1. Go to the portal and select Naviance OR go to https://id.naviance.com/naviance-student-profiles
2. Log in with Single Sign On and then enter district log-in credentials. 
3. Click on "Colleges" at the top of the page.
4. Click on "Colleges I'm Applying To".
5. Click on RED + sign on the right side of the page.
6. Type the name of the college you are applying to.
7. If you have already applied to the college, please select the box beside "I've submitted my application."
8. Select "Add and Request Transcript."
9. On the next page, you will select "Initial" transcript. You will not select FINAL until the end of the school year.
10. Select "Request and Finish."

Former Students

All former students (2021 grads and beyond) can print this form (PDF), fill it out and turn it into the counseling office OR complete this Google Form (preferred):

Links

• DHE A+ website
• FAFSA website

DOCUMENTS

• Transcript request form (PDF)
• A+ Participation Agreement (PDF)
• Job Shadow Requirements (PDF)
• A+ Brochure (PDF)
• A+ Time Log Sheet (PDF) 

No, A+ will not pay for dual credit courses taken during high school. A+ benefits can only be accessed after students are high school graduates. However, dual credit grades are figured in the student's GPA for continued A+ eligibility.

A+ hours are not general "community service" hours-- state law places restrictions on what type of activities are eligible for A+ credit. All A+ assignments must have prior approval from the A+ Coordinator

Basic qualifications for A+ hours

• Activity must be sponsored by the Park Hill School District
  • Harvesters, Hillcrest, Synergy, local hospitals, Scouts, YMCA, Church/Civic organizations are not eligible for A+ hours
• Activity must take place on PHSD property
• Activity must be supervised by PHSD staff or patrons
• Activity must be mentoring or tutoring of younger or lower ability student 

The student must request the tutor for themselves in the A+ Office, a parent, teacher or counselor cannot request the A+ tutor. It must be the student. In the past, students that had tutors requested for them were resistant to tutoring-- resulting in difficulty for the A+ tutors.

• Tutoring can be up to 5 days a week during Homeroom and Trojan Tutoring. 
• A+ tutoring must take place at our building site, supervised by PHHS staff-- tutoring in private homes cannot be eligible for A+ hours
• Few, if any tutors are available for AP courses due to the challenging nature of the course content-Encourage your student to visit the classroom teacher before or after school and during homerooms.
• The homeroom schedule is disrupted for state-mandated testing in December & May 
• Encourage your student to visit the classroom teacher before or after school for assistance-- homerooms are few-and-far-between in December & May 

A+ benefits will only pay the summer before Freshmen year at a university. Student must enroll full-time as degree-related credit courses each semester. Full time is 6 hours in summer; 12 hours in fall and 12 hours in the spring.

A+ will not pay while student is still enrolled at a 4-year university (summer after Freshmen year). Student must be degree-seeking in order to receive A+ funds and they must complete proper FAFSA to receive A+ funds.

• For Spring or Summer 2020: must fill out 2019-2020 FAFSA using 2017 tax return
• For Fall 2020: Must fill out 2020-2021 FAFSA using 2018 tax return

Yes, it is possible to use A+ funds in the Spring semester following mid-year graduation. Students must meet all A+ requirements (GPA, attendance, hours, EOC, citizenship) by the last day of school in December.

Contact Admissions and Financial Aid of the college or university you have chosen to attend, arrange for final transcript to be sent through Naviance to your college or university of choice and complete the FAFSA,

A+ eligibility will be from December 2021- December 2025 for December 2021 graduates (MYGs); May 2021- May 2025 for May 2021 graduates. 

A+ student must achieve a cumulative unweighted GPA of 2.50 or higher. There is no rounding of GPA (i.e. a 2.49 is not a 2.50).

Student's official transcript will serve as evidence of GPA for admission to a technical school, community college, or university.

Students must maintain at least a 95% cumulative attendance. Attendance is cumulative-- 95% allows a student to miss 8 days per school year (32 days cumulative) and still be above the 95% A+ minimum.

• Only excused absences are those designated as school-sponsored field trips, or homebound.    
• All non-school activity absences from clubs (robotics, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, cheer, etc) count against A+ attendance and are not eligible for appeal. 

An appeal process is available to those who wish to have an attendance record reviewed

Student must maintain a record of good citizenship and avoidance of unlawful use of drugs or alcohol. Disqualification results when a student accumulates 10 days out-of-school suspension (OSS) for one offense or multiple offenses. ISS has no bearing on A+ eligibility

An appeals process is available for those that wish to have a discipline record reviewed.

Student must score Proficient or Advanced on the Algebra I end-of-course exam (EOC). Substitutions are available to meet the Algebra I EOC requirement:

• Score Proficient or Advanced on the Geometry EOC
• Score Proficient or Advanced on the Algebra II EOC
• Meet a qualifying score on the Math section of the ACT
  • ACT Math 15 and 3.0 GPA
  • ACT Math 16 and 2.8 GPA
  • ACT Math 17 and 2.5 GPA