1. Brusly High School Class of 2021
TOPS, Advanced Placement,
Dual Enrollment

2. Louisiana TOPS “It Pays to Make Good Grades!”
TOPS is funded through the State General Fund and the Millennium Trust Fund*
*TOPS funds must be appropriated each year by the Legislature
TOPS pays tuition only at in-state public colleges and universities
For the school year, TOPS paid 93% of tuition first semester and about 48% second semester

3. What is TOPS?
Special scholarships just for Louisiana high school students who continue school/training in Louisiana
There are two kinds of TOPS scholarships… one is for 4 year colleges (TOPS Opportunity) and the other is for community colleges and technical/trade school programs (TOPS Tech)
A 2.5 Core GPA (B/C average) is required for both TOPS & TOPS Tech

4. TOPS Requirements – c/o 2021
Aligned with TOPS University Diploma Requirements
19 Core Curriculum Units:
4 Units in English
4 Units in Mathematics
4 Units in Science
4 Units in Social Studies
2 Units of Foreign Language
1 Unit of Art
GPA: 2.5 on 19 Units
ACT Composite: 20

5. TOPS GPA
Advanced Placement and certain Dual Enrollment courses will be weighted in the TOPS GPA calculation
Ex: English III AP (A = 5 points instead of 4)
Higher GPA/ACT = Higher Award
3.0 GPA and 23 on ACT = $400/yr annual stipend
3.0 GPA and 27 on ACT = $800/yr annual stipend

6. TOPS Tech Aligned with Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma
Pays for 2 years of tuition for certain career and technical programs
Requires a 2.5 TOPS GPA and at least a 17 on ACT or Silver on WorkKeys

7. Advanced Placement Curriculum is approved by the College Board
Courses are taught at a college-level
Exam taken at end of course offers opportunity for a student to earn college credit
Research shows students who take AP courses in high school earn higher ACT scores and are more successful in college, regardless of AP exam score

8. AP and NMSI
Brusly High School is in its first year of a three year grant with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI)
The grant’s goal is to increase the number of AP offerings, number of AP enrollments, and percentage of students earning a 3 or higher on AP exams (specifically in English, Math and Science)
LOTS of teacher resources and professional development for AP teachers and other core teachers
Opportunities for students to get extra review: Saturday Study Sessions, mock AP exams
ALL Brusly High School students take the AP exam in the course enrolled

9. BHS AP Course Offerings
English:
English III AP (11th)
English IV AP (12th)
Social Studies:
AP Government (10th)
AP US History (11th)
AP European History (12th)
Mathematics:
AP Calculus AB (12th)
AP Statistics (11th and 12th)
Science:
AP Physics 1 (12th)
AP Biology (11th and 12th)

10. Dual Enrollment College course taught in high school
Students earn college credit and high school credit at the same time
Current BHS Dual Enrollment options:
Psychology and Sociology – BRCC; 3 credit hours EACH
Precalculus (College Algebra and College Trig) – LSU; 6 credit hours for the full year course
Welding – BRCC

11. What do I need to get into a 4 year college/university?
These are just the MINIMUM admission requirements, most colleges require a higher GPA and/or ACT score:
Complete the TOPS University curriculum
At least a 2.0 overall GPA (including electives)
At least a 2.0 core GPA or a 20 ACT composite
At least an 18 subscore on the English portion of the ACT and at least a 19 subscore on the Math portion of the ACT