The eligibility requirements for Missouri's Bright Flight scholarship are changing for graduates in 2023.
The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development will now recognize "superscores" in addition to the traditional composite scores that were used in previous years to determine if a student qualified. A superscore is the average of the four best subject scores in English, math, reading and science across all ACTs taken by a student. Each student taking the ACT multiple times will now generate a superscore from all of their tests, which can qualify him or her for a Bright Flight Scholarship.
Jessica Duren, assistant commissioner for communications and outreach at MDHEWD, said the two types of scores will be recognized in the same capacity, meaning that a student who has taken the test once can still qualify with a traditional composite score alongside a student who has taken it multiple times and received a superscore.
Superscores are considered "composite" scores by the statutory definition of a qualifying score.
Since 2008, the required score to receive the maximum award for the scholarship, $3,000, has been 31 or above. For students graduating in 2023, that requirement will be raised to a 32. This group is the top 3 percent of test takers.
Students who score in the fourth and fifth percentiles are eligible for up to $1,000. Both award amounts vary based on the funds allocated for the program during the legislative session. Last year, the top group received the full $3,000, but the second group with a score of 30 did not receive any money.
The percentage of graduates who have taken the ACT has fallen over the last five years from about 92 percent in 2017 to about 59 percent in 2021, according to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.
MDHEWD had not yet received information from the College Board to determine the qualifying SAT scores for students graduating in 2023 but announced in a December news release that changes in qualifying scores were not expected because of the small number of students who take the SAT.