Eight students from Lynn English High School received the 2017 Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery with Distinction from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Certificate is awarded in recognition of each student’s mastery of skills in knowledge demonstrated through their accomplishments in the fields of mathematics, science, arts and humanities. The Certificate entitles each student to a tuition waiver for up to eight semesters of full-time undergraduate study at any Massachusetts public college or university.
The purposes of the Certificate are to:
- Recognize high academic achievement on MCAS and other measures of academic achievement;
- Recognize high academic achievement as identified by outside forums including competitions, student publications, and awards;
- Provide an incentive for students to perform to their best abilities on MCAS and on the course of studies beyond grade 10; and
- Recognize high academic achievement in areas not included in MCAS.
To be eligible to apply for a Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery Award, a student must:
- Be currently enrolled in a Massachusetts public high school. (Students who have graduated high school are not eligible to apply)
- Be a permanent Massachusetts resident.
- Be a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen.
To initially qualify, a student must score Advanced on one Grade 10 MCAS assessment (either in Mathematics, English Language Arts, or Science) and either Advanced or Proficient on the other two. Students who have met this requirement will receive an eligibility letter from their high school during their junior year.
Then, a student must meet one of the following options:
- two Advanced Placement exams with scores of “3” or better, or
- two SAT Subject Tests (subjects and minimum required scores listed below), or
- one SAT Subject Test and one Advanced Placement exam, or
- one of the above mentioned tests/exams and one Other Academic Achievement (see below for options and next page for examples).