49-4-930 - Dual enrollment grant for high school students.
49-4-930. Dual enrollment grant for high school students.
(a) A high school student who is also enrolled in an eligible postsecondary institution shall be eligible for a dual enrollment grant if the student:
(1) Is not ineligible for the grant under § 49-4-904;
(2) Is a Tennessee resident and has been a Tennessee resident, as defined by regulations promulgated by the board of regents under § 49-8-104, for at least one (1) year immediately preceding the date of application for a grant or for the renewal of a grant;
(3) Is admitted to an eligible postsecondary institution as a dual enrollment student; and
(4) Makes application for the dual enrollment grant.
(b) A student who receives a dual enrollment grant for one (1) semester shall reapply for a dual enrollment grant for the student's next semester of attendance at an eligible postsecondary institution. To be eligible for a dual enrollment grant for a semester beyond the first semester of receipt, the student shall continue to meet all eligibility requirements for the grant and shall achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 for all postsecondary courses attempted under a dual enrollment grant.
(c) Enrollment as a dual enrollment student shall not count toward the limitation under § 49-4-913 on the receipt of a HOPE scholarship.
(d) It is the intent of the general assembly that funding for Tennessee HOPE scholarships, Tennessee HOPE access grants and Wilder-Naifeh technical skills grants take priority over funding for dual enrollment grants. Subject to the amounts appropriated by the general assembly and any law relating to a shortfall in funds available for postsecondary financial assistance from the net proceeds of the state lottery, the award for a credit hour taken under a dual enrollment grant shall be determined by TSAC and shall not exceed the cost per credit hour of courses taken at community colleges in the state university and community college system.
(e) Grants awarded under this section shall not commence prior to the fall semester of 2005.
(f) (1) There is created a pilot project to assist students who are juniors and seniors in high school and who are eligible for dual enrollment grants under this section in enrolling in dual enrollment courses that require a computer to facilitate the offering of the course or as necessary equipment for the course. THEC shall develop and administer the pilot project in consultation with the department of education.
(2) The pilot program shall commence no later than August 1, 2008, shall be for a period of twelve (12) months and shall provide laptop computers for one hundred (100) students in each grand division of the state.
(3) The cost of the laptops to be purchased for the pilot program shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500) each.
(4) THEC shall develop and issue a request for proposal for the computers for the project that includes specifications for wireless technology in order that students in any school chosen for the pilot project, including rural schools, have the ability to access fully the dual enrollment courses as required by the course or the course content. The request for proposal shall also address insurance of the computers against theft, loss or destruction.
(5) The pilot project, including the administrative costs of THEC or the department of education, shall be funded from net lottery proceeds.
(6) The pilot project shall distribute computers in the 2008-2009 school year.
(7) THEC, in consultation with the department of education, shall evaluate the pilot project and shall issue a preliminary report to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives by February 15, 2009, and thereafter shall issue a full report detailing its findings and conclusions to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives by September 1, 2009.
[Acts 2005, ch. 481, § 21; 2008, ch. 1142, §§ 10, 26.]