High Scores on Mass. Tests Will Lead to Help With Tuition

Massachusetts high school students now have one more reason to study for the state’s high school exams: They’ll get free tuition at state universities if they score high enough.

The state board of higher education voted last month to create scholarships for graduates who score in the top 25 percent in their school districts on the reading and mathematics sections of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS.

Under the plan, which will benefit the class of 2005, those in their districts’ top quartiles will receive the scholarships if their scores are in the “advanced” category in at least one of those subjects and are “proficient” or above in the other. About 13,000...