Office of  K-16 Initiatives and Access Programs

The Scholarships For Academic Excellence

A completed Nomination Summary Form and completed Application Form(s) must be returned by the high school to the New York State Education Department no later than DECEMBER 14, 2007. 

1.         GENERAL INFORMATION

This bulletin provides information about the Scholarships for Academic Excellence (SAE) to be awarded in 2008 for the 2008-2009 academic year. Pending the appropriation of State funds during the 2008 session of the New York State Legislature, 8,000 scholarships will be awarded.  Of the 8,000, 2,000 scholarships will have a value of $1,500 each and 6,000 scholarships will have a value of $500 each.  Winners of this scholarship may concurrently receive any other New York State academic or general award for which he or she may be eligible.  However, winners cannot be awarded a Scholarship for Academic Excellence in any amount when the combination of all awards would exceed their cost of attendance.  Scholarship winners must attend a college or university (SAE’s cannot be used for trade schools) in New York State.  Those who do not attend a college or university in New York State forfeit the award.  Cost of attendance includes tuition, required fees, laboratory and other institution-related expenses, books, transportation, and room and board.

Awards are renewable for up to four academic years of undergraduate study or five academic years, if the program of study normally requires five years as defined by the Commissioner of Education.  In the event that a scholarship is declined by the student or revoked by the Commissioner of Education, its benefits will lapse and no re-awards will be made.

2.         DEADLINE DATE

The Scholarships for Academic Excellence Nomination Summary Form, listing the nominee(s), and the individual application forms must be postmarked no later than December 14, 2007.  This information, including the individual application forms, must be completed by the appropriate school administrator, and not by individual students.

3.         ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

A.        Each scholarship winner must graduate from a New York State high school by the end of the 2007-2008 school year.

B.        Each scholarship winner must be a legal resident of New York State for at least one year prior to September 30, 2007.  To qualify as a legal resident of New York State, an individual must:

• be a citizen of the United States, or
• be an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States, or
• be an individual of a class of refugee paroled by the attorney general of the United States under the parole authority pertaining to the admission of aliens to the United States.

(A person who holds a nonimmigrant visa, such as a student visa or a diplomatic visa, does not qualify as a legal resident of New York State.)

The legal residence of a dependent child is generally the legal residence of the parents.  If the parents maintain a legal and voting residence in a state other than New York State and are residing in New York State on a temporary basis for business purposes, the student is not considered a legal resident of New York State.  Also, the student is not considered a legal resident of New York if his/her parents maintain a legal residence in another state and he/she is residing in New York State primarily for the purpose of attending school.  However, the New York State residency requirement may be waived for dependents of military personnel on full-time active duty who are stationed in New York State. If an eligible student is a dependent of a member of the military, documentation on official letterhead confirming the parent’s active duty status, his/her New York State duty station and dependent status must be attached to the Nomination Summary Form.

• In order to use the benefits of this scholarship, the winner must be in attendance as a full-time, matriculated student at an approved New York State postsecondary institution by the Fall 2008 semester.  Winners who enroll in an out-of-state institution in Fall 2008 are not eligible and forfeit the award.  If a winner is not accepted as a full-time, matriculated student at an approved postsecondary institution in New York State by the Fall 2008 semester, the scholarship may be accepted and enrollment postponed for a period of one year.  To avoid forfeiture, a written request for a leave of absence must be submitted to the Higher Education Services Corporation, Division of Grants and Scholarships, Room 1430A, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12255-0001. 

4.         ALLOCATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE HIGH SCHOOLS

A.        Each registered high school in the State, as defined in the Regulations of the Commissioner, will be allocated a single scholarship of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.)

B.        The remaining $1,500 scholarships will be allocated to the high schools in the same ratio that the number of students enrolled in the twelfth grade at each high school in the prior school year (2006-2007) bears to the total number of students who were enrolled in the twelfth grade in the State during that year.  The ratio will be multiplied by the number of scholarships available, and the result, rounded to the nearest whole number, will be the number of scholarships allocated to the school.

Six thousand scholarships valued at $500 each will be allocated in the same manner as described above.
           
C.        If the number of scholarships allocated to a high school is larger than the number of students who meet the requirements for selection as scholarship nominees, the excess number of scholarships will lapse.

5.         SELECTION CRITERIA FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

The selection criteria for nominees for the Scholarships for Academic Excellence must be published and made available to students by the high school at the beginning of each school year.  For the 2008 competition, the selection criteria must be published and made available to students on or before September 28, 2007.

A high school shall use uniform criteria for the selection of scholarship nominees, applicable to all competing students, such criteria to be in accordance with the requirements of this section.

Method A: Regents test scores
A high school, which, prior to its students’ senior year, has offered to all such students seeking Regents credit at the school either a Regents examination or a single approved alternative assessment (see http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/sar), but not both, in each of the following subjects: comprehensive English, global studies, United States history/government, mathematics B, and in two or more of the following four sciences: earth science, living environment/biology, chemistry, and physics, shall select scholarship nominees of the basis of the following criteria:
           
The high school shall select their winner(s) by computing a weighted average of the scores on the Regents examinations and/or approved alternative assessments taken by its students prior to their senior year, in all of the following subjects:

The weighing of the scores shall be:

                        Comprehensive English    -           weight of three
                        Mathematics B                    -           weight of three
                        Global studies                      -           weight of one
                        U.S. history/government     -           weight of one
                        Science:
                           At least two, but up to four
   courses may be included            -           weight of one for each course

Individual schools must decide, in the science area, how many sciences to use in the calculation.  They must use the same number of science courses for all students in the competition though they do not need to use the same courses.

If the approved alternative assessment is not scored on a one hundred-point scale, the high school must convert the scores on the approved alternative assessment to a one hundred-point scale.  If a student elected not to take the Regents examinations listed, or an approved alternative assessment, then that student cannot compete or be selected as a scholarship winner.

High schools other than those described above shall select scholarship nominees on the following basis:

Method B:  Rank in class

For high schools that can determine class rank because of their grading system, class rank of students at the end of their junior year.

            In the case of a tie, the high school may determine rank order by lottery among
            individuals having the same class rank.

OR

Method C:  Locally developed examination of English and mathematics

For high schools that cannot determine class rank because of their grading system, a locally developed and administered assessment of academic performance which shall test the subjects of English and mathematics and shall be conducted prior to the end of the junior year.

In the case of a tie in the weighted average score that is used for the selection of a scholarship nominee, the high school shall use the students’ class rank at the end of their junior year to determine the priority ranking of tied scholarship nominees.  If the high school cannot determine class rank because of the grading system of the high school or in case of a tie in class rank, the high school shall determine priority order by lottery among tied individuals.

In the case of a tie in class rank or in the score on the locally developed and administered assessment of academic performance that is used for selection of a scholarship nominee, the high school shall determine priority order by lottery among individuals having the same class rank.

6.         DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE NOMINATION SUMMARY FORM

This form must be completed by the appropriate school administrator.  Please keep a copy of the Nomination Summary Form for your records.  This is the list of your scholarship winners.  Do not submit extra names.  If your school received 12 awards, submit only 12 winners (or less).  The number of scholarships that your high school is allocated is listed on the label on the Nomination Summary Form (for example:  2 @ $1,500, 3 @ $500).
a.         Check the method used at your school to select your nominees (A, B, or C).
b.         List the names and complete addresses of your winners, including apartment numbers.
c.         Rank order on the Nomination Summary Form should be the same as the Nomination Rank (#5) on the application form.

IMPORTANT:  If you are not nominating students, please return the
Nomination Summary Form indicating "NO NOMINEES."
           
7.         DIRECTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE STUDENT APPLICATION FORM

A scannable application form for each winner must be completed by the appropriate school official. 

This form must be completed for each winner of the 2008 series competition for the Scholarships for Academic Excellence.  This application must be signed by the high school official who is making the nomination.  The number of applications which have been sent to your high school is the maximum number it is eligible to receive.  This form will be read by machine.  Use only a number 2 pencil. Do not use a pen anywhere on the form.  Erase all errors completely and do not make any stray marks on the forms.  Fill in the appropriate circles with heavy black marks.

1.         Name: Start at the left margin with the last name first.  Print as much of the student's name as possible in the boxes provided, one letter in each box.  Do not go beyond the boxes provided, even if you cannot fit all the information in those boxes.  If there are more boxes than needed, leave them blank.  In the column below each letter that you have printed, locate the circle with that letter in it and fill it in completely with a number 2 pencil.

• Legal Residence: Start at the left margin.  Print as much of the student's address as possible in the boxes provided, one number or letter in each box.  If there is a hyphen or a space in the address, leave that box blank.  Do not go beyond the boxes provided, even if you cannot fit all the information in.  If there are more boxes than needed, leave them blank.  In the column below each number or letter you have printed, locate the circle with that number or letter in it and fill it in completely with a number 2 pencil.  If a box is blank, do not fill in any circle in the column below that box.

3.         City or Post Office of Legal Residence: Follow the same steps as for Legal Residence.  You must enter and fill in the letters "NY" in the state column.

4.         ZIP Code: Enter the digits of the student's ZIP code in the boxes provided.  In the column below each number, locate the circle with that number and darken it completely with a number 2 pencil.
           
5.         Nomination Rank: The number entered must equal the line number on the Summary Nomination Form.  For example, if two nominees were listed on the summary form, the one ranked first (or highest ranking), should be ranked "01" on the application form; the second should be ranked "02."   Please fill in the "0" with a number 2 pencil.

6.         Social Security Number:  THIS INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR AWARD-PROCESSING.  FORMS RECEIVED WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL BE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL FOR COMPLETION.  Enter the student's social security number and fill in the appropriate circles with a number 2 pencil.

7.         Date of Birth:  THIS INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR AWARD-PROCESSING.  FORMS RECEIVED WITHOUT THIS INFORMATION WILL BE RETURNED TO THE SCHOOLFOR COMPLETION.   Enter
the student’s date of birth and fill in the appropriate circles with a number 2 pencil.

8.         Race/Ethnicity: Fill in the appropriate circle.

9.         District Number: You must provide the Assembly and Senatorial  District numbers for each student's legal residence.  Your local Board of Elections and/or League of Women Voters can provide this information.  This information is also available on the Internet at WWW.ELECTIONS.STATE.NY.US.

10.       High School Information: The high school's 12-digit BEDS code must be listed on the form along with the school's name and address in the spaces provided.  (Your BEDS code is listed on the label on the Nomination Summary Form.)

• School Phone Number:  Enter the telephone number of the person completing this form.
• Fill in the appropriate gender

13.       Status:  Indicate here the correct monetary award.  The number of $1500 and $500 awards is indicated on the label on the Nomination Summary Form.  $1500 awards must be made to the highest ranking students.   

• Student’s Home Phone Number:  Enter the student’s telephone number.

15.       High School Principal/Guidance Counselor: This area must be completed
            and signed by the high school principal or guidance officer with a number 2 pencil.  If the affirmative statement is not completed and signed by the appropriate official, it will be returned for completion.  Please PRINT NAME after your signature.

PRINT Scholarships for Academic Exellence 2008 Bulletin and Forms (PDF)

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Office of K-16 Initiatives and Access Programs
Scholarship Unit
Room 1078 EBA
Albany, New York 12234

e-mail:  scholar@mail.nysed.gov