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| Date: From: Subject: | 6/29/2007 3:57:25 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Louisiana--TOPS Bill Passes Legislature! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== June 29, 2007 Louisiana--TOPS Bill Passes Legislature! Dear HSLDA members and friends: Thank you for all of your hard work and prayers. The TOPS bill, House Bill 634, passed the Senate earlier this week. Because there were a few minor amendments in the Senate, the bill went back to the House for concurrence. The House agreed to the amendments on Tuesday, just two days before the Louisiana Legislature adjourned for the year. Only one Senator opposed the bill, and the House voted unanimously for House Bill 634. Praise God! The bill now goes to Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco for her signature. We don't anticipate any difficulties. The passage of House Bill 634 really has been a joint effort. With HSLDA helping mobilize support, your phone calls, and CHEF of Louisiana's work in the Legislature, TOPS awards are now going to be more accessible for homeschool graduates. A number of homeschool parents and students testified in favor of the bill, which also contributed greatly to its passage. Once House Bill 634 is signed into law, it will be easier for a homeschool student to be eligible for a TOPS award. Under the bill, a homeschool student will have to score 2 points higher than public or approved nonpublic school students on the ACT for a TOPS-Tech or Opportunity Award but only 1 point higher on the ACT for a Performance or Honors Award. Currently the minimum ACT scores a public or approved nonpublic school student is required to receive to be eligible for TOPS are: (1) For a TOPS-Tech Award- 17, (2) For an Opportunity Award- 20, (3) For a Performance Award- 23, (4) For an Honors Award- 27. Thus, a homeschool student would be eligible for a TOPS-Tech Award with a 19, an Opportunity Award with a 22, a Performance Award with a 24, and an Honors Award with a 28 on the ACT. The passage of House Bill 634 is a victory for several reasons. If the bill had not passed, homeschoolers would have gone back to having to score 3 points higher on the ACT for all TOPS Awards. Additionally, while homeschoolers still have to score higher than their public or approved nonpublic school counterparts, homeschool students are not required to meet the core curriculum requirements established by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Thank you for your part in fighting for greater freedom in Louisiana! Sincerely, Thomas J. Schmidt HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Remember the last time you wrote a term paper? Research can be grueling-digging through archives, wading through articles, conducting interviews. But if it's related to homeschooling, you can relax a little. There's a good chance that you'll find what you're looking for in HSLDA's bimonthly Home School Court Report. Providing in-depth, insightful articles on much of what affects the world of homeschoolers, the Court Report is a must-read for the serious homeschooler. This publication is provided free to each HSLDA member. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1933 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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