Eighth graders across the state can choose to plan their futures starting Thursday if they pledge Gov. Jim Doyle’s Wisconsin Covenant program for admission to a Wisconsin college in exchange for maintaining adequate grades and behavior.

“Right now we have too many young people with tremendous potential who are discovering too late in high school that they haven’t done what they need to do to prepare themselves for success in college,” said David Giroux, a UW System spokesperson.

While the program is not UW System-specific, Giroux said he understood the goal of the Wisconsin Covenant as centering on “aspiration and perspiration.”

“It’s getting kids to set their hopes and goals high and to work very hard over their four years of high school to achieve those goals,” Giroux said.

Under the Wisconsin Covenant, eighth graders can voluntarily pledge to maintain a “B” average in high school, participate in extracurricular or volunteer activities and “stay out of trouble.”

Students who qualify as Wisconsin Covenant Scholars will earn a spot in a Wisconsin post-secondary school and are eligible for scholarship money.

Giroux pointed to the success of similar programs in Indiana and Michigan.

“I think those states have had great success with some of those programs ,and if we can bring that same benefit to Wisconsin, I think that would be tremendous,” Giroux said.

However, some lawmakers have criticized Doyle for not specifying the exact costs of the program.

“I do think Governor Doyle has not been as forthcoming as he needs to be about the cost,” said state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison.

“When you include an item in the budget, you have to know how much you’re going to spend, and the governor hasn’t indicated that,” Black said. “I think legislators of both parties are eager to see the governor say how much he wants to spend on it.”

Black said the state Legislature would not finish action on the state budget until June.