Officials worry education incentives confusing

State education leaders are dangling yet another carrot in front of Utah's high schoolers in the push to get them better prepared for college.

A new math and science scholarship approved by the State Board of Regents on Friday is the latest in a string of incentives to lure students toward a more rigorous high school curriculum.

The latest move, however, prompted some concern from higher education officials that the smorgasbord of recent incentives may become too confusing for high school students to navigate.

"We've got a lot of incentives going. I worry that we may get them a little muddled," said Rich Kendell, commissioner of higher education in Utah.

Friday's addition of a stringent math and science curriculum to gain college scholarship dollars comes after a proposed Board of Regents award granting automatic entry into any state institution to high school students who take an increased core curriculum of math, English and science.

The Utah System of Higher Education also recently got $300,000 in federal grants to implement a state scholars initiative, which rewards students for taking additional science and social studies credits, as well as a foreign language.

At the same time, the State School Board is pushing ahead with an increased set of core requirements for graduation.

"We hope to have all of these threads brought together," Kendell said. "It's all headed in the right direction, but not quite on the same train."

Although the board approved the math and science incentive, board members tacked on a caveat that the plethora of incentives for high schoolers be sorted out at their next meeting in July.

Part of the New Century Scholarship program created by the Utah Legislature in 1999, the new math and science program will give students a 75 percent tuition scholarship if they complete a college-level set of math and science courses along with several general education college classes while in high school.

Students also have to achieve a B average in the class requirements to be eligible.

Previously, the scholarship was only available to students who completed a full associate degree by the September after their high school graduation.

The new program opens that door a little, Kendell said, allowing more students to get college credit and rigorous math and science training without having to finish a full degree in high school.