Wisconsin Excellence Scholarships

WISCONSIN EXCELLENCE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Academic Excellence Scholarships (AES) and the Technical Excellence Scholarship (TES) are state-supported scholarships outlined in state legislation Wisconsin 39:41 and ACT 60, respectfully. In accordance with these laws, the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District annually nominates recipients and alternates for both scholarships. The number of recipients will be statutorily determined based on high school enrollment. In the event a student qualifies for both the Academic Excellence and Technical Excellence scholarships, the student shall have to identify which award they intend to accept. Recipients must plan on attending a Wisconsin college or university in order to receive the AES or a Wisconsin technical college within WTCS to receive the TES.

WISCONSIN EXCELLENCE INITIAL CRITERIA

  • The recipient must be a resident of Wisconsin and the United States who is either a citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent resident by the USCIS.

  • This student must have been attending Oak Creek High School by the start of the second semester of his/her sophomore year as a full-time student.

  • The student must have senior status, which is defined as having completed seven consecutive full-time semesters of high school, not including summer school.

  • The student is eligible to compete for the AES or TES after he/she has completed at least four consecutive semesters at Oak Creek High School and has attained senior status.

WISCONSIN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SPECIFIC CRITERIA

  • Students with the highest GPAs who meet the criteria listed above will be identified as the AES recipients for our district. Oak Creek High School uses a traditional 4-point scale. All courses are worth 4 points, except for those that are indicated as “weighted,” which receive an additional 1-point grade weight. Pass/fail grades are not incorporated into the GPA. For clarification please refer to “Grades & Eligibility” in this guide.

  • In the case of a tie, the following tie-breaking steps will be used (in the order listed):

      • Highest ACT composite score based on an individual test date.

      • Greatest number of weighted course credits earned in seven semesters of high school.

      • Greatest total number of earned credits in seven semesters of high school.

      • Vote by committee.

WISCONSIN TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE SPECIFIC CRITERIA

  • An eligible candidate must meet at least one of the following eligibility items.

      • Be a CTE (Career and Technical Education) Concentrator, defined as completing at least three (3) high school CTE courses in program area(s) in the student’s chosen pathway. The candidate can be enrolled in their third course at the time of their nomination.

      • Participated in a Youth Apprenticeship Program under the supervision of the WI DWD.

      • Participated in a Technical High School Diploma program as certified by the WI DPI.

      • Participated in a Career and Technical Training pathway as defined by the WI DPI.

      • Participated in a Skills Standards Program offered by the WI DPI.

      • Completed or be on track to complete an industry-recognized certification program approved under Wis. Stats. 115.367 (2).

      • Participated in a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) in Wisconsin: DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, or Skills USA.

      • Completed a technical training program for high school students if the program is offered by a UW System school, a Wisconsin Technical College System school, a tribal college in Wisconsin, or a private nonprofit college or university located in Wisconsin. One point is given to a student for each credit earned in high school in CTE courses.

  • Candidates will be ranked based on the following point system reflective of coursework and technical education experience. For the purpose of assigning a ranking among eligible candidates, credit hours in process at the time of nomination should be counted toward the number of credits the student has earned.

      • One point is given to a student for each credit earned in high school in CTE courses.

      • One point is given to a student for each year of activity in a Career and Technical Student Organization in Wisconsin (For activity in multiple CTSOs, one point is to be given for each year of participation in each of the six CTSOs.)

  • If students are tied on points, students with equal points will be ranked by:

      1. Highest grade point average in CTE courses. This will be the first tie-breaker.

      2. Highest cumulative grade point average based on 7th semester transcripted grades.

      3. Highest composite score on the ACT.

      4. Vote by committee.