Ferguson Achievement Award Recipients Announced
---250 students receive a minimum of $1000 each for higher education pursuits ---
(Dover, DE.) Delaware’s Department of Education (DDOE) and the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) are pleased to announce the awarding of 279 Michael C. Ferguson scholarships of $1,000 each to 250 students statewide who have attained high scores in reading and mathematics on the March 2010 Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) in grades eight and ten.
The scholarship program, named in memory of Michael C. Ferguson, former Deputy Superintendent and Acting Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction and former state Budget Director, was included in the Educational Accountability Act of 1998 and is funded by Delaware’s General Assembly. The program is authorized a maximum of 300 scholarships annually ($1,000 each) to be awarded to eighth and tenth graders who attained the highest scores on the DSTP in the content areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. Students were only tested in reading and mathematics last year.
Since this program began eleven years ago, nearly 4,900 public school students have been awarded more than $5.8 million in scholarships.
This year, 14 eighth grade students earned two scholarships and 115 earned one scholarship. In the tenth grade, 15 students earned two scholarships and 106 students earned one scholarship.
The law states that up to 150 of the Ferguson scholarships will be awarded to students who participate in the free and reduced lunch (FRL) program. Of the maximum 150 scholarships awarded in both the FRL program and the 150 not in FRL, up to 75 scholarships will be awarded to eighth graders and 75 awarded to tenth graders.
Students can use their scholarship once they begin their postsecondary education; however, they must enroll at an institution within five calendar years of high school graduation or the scholarship will be forfeited. The award can only be used at regionally or nationally accredited postsecondary institutions or at Delaware or other state-approved private business and trade schools in the United States. The award cannot exceed direct educational costs.
DHEO will contact each recipient with instructions for setting up an online account where they can keep track of their scholarship funds, update contact information as needed, and identify what college they plan to attend. Recipients can use the same account to access other DHEO-administered financial aid programs online.
A complete list of this year’s Michael C. Ferguson Achievement Award recipients can be found on the Delaware Higher Education Office’s website at www.doe.k12.de.us/dheo.
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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education
for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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