Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes students to graduate from high school in three years, receive tuition assistance, and guaranteed admission into any state public college or university, if they meet specific criteria related to their GPA, ACT scores, and completed courses beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

Highlights:

-Requires students to have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale (Sec. 1). -Requires students to score at or above the ACT benchmarks in mathematics and English (Sec. 1). -Requires students to have successfully completed the following courses (Sec. 1): -English I, II, III, and IV; -Algebra I and II; -Geometry; -U.S. History; -Two years of the same foreign language; -Physical Education; -Health; -Biology; -Chemistry; -One Arts course; -One course pertaining to economics, government, world civilization or world geography; and -At least two AP courses, two IB courses, or one of each. -Requires each school district to ensure that all middle school students have access to English I and Algebra I courses for high school credit (Sec. 1). -Authorizes students who completes the early graduation program to receive an Early Graduation Scholarship Certificate to be used for tuition, and requires it to be equal to the average statewide portion of the statewide guaranteed per-pupil base funding level, as provided by existing law (Sec. 1). -Specifies that the certificate is only valid for the academic year following early graduation (Sec. 1). -Authorizes students who complete the early graduation program to receive one additional year of the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) award, the amount of which is required to be determined by a calculation that considers the earned benefit of each of the three years of high school and the supplemental award for the student's ACT scores and AP or IB examinations (Sec. 2). -This is a substitute bill sponsored by the Senate Education Committee.

Full Bill Text