Saturday, April 2, 2011

College during high school: an idea on a roll

Around the state, students have a growing number of ways to seek both high school and college credit from the same course, on the way to earning a traditional diploma while getting a jump-start on a degree.  I'm not confident I understand how different places are using the terms"early college" and "middle college," but I'm certain that the list below shows an important trend.

  • In Jefferson County, "early college at Western High School is an innovative program in partnership between JCTC and JCPS. Early college is a unique and bold step in education reform. The goal of early college is based on the principal that increased academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet challenging educational goals."
  • In Fayette County, "Opportunity Middle College is a partnership between our school district and Bluegrass Community & Technical College that gives juniors and seniors a chance to take college classes while earning their high school diplomas.... This program is open to underserved youth, including low-income and first-generation college students. It is housed on the community college's Leestown campus, where FCPS students take regular high school classes taught by district staff and take college courses, too."
  • In Madison County, "sixty current sophomores will be selected to participate in middle college as juniors during the 2011-12 school year. They will attend classes at Eastern Kentucky University, where they will take core high school classes while earning six college credits." [Richmond Register]
  • "Western Kentucky University houses the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. The mission is to offer a residential program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics... Taking courses offered by WKU, their classmates are fellow Gatton Academy students and WKU undergraduate students. At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students will have earned sixty college credit hours in addition to completing high school."  
  • In Franklin County, "starting this fall, 65 incoming freshmen at each school will have a chance to take an accelerated curriculum. If they pass national exams, they could start taking college courses by junior year... Teachers with the proper certification – a master’s degree and 18 hours in their subject area – could teach college-level classes at the high school. KSU and other universities have offered to train them, Buecker said. Students could also take classes on the KSU campus or online." [State Journal]
  • At Owensboro Community & Technical College, "Discover College is a collaborative program between regional high schools, area home school associations, and OCTC providing students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school." 
  • "The Commonwealth Middle College located on the campus of West Kentucky Community & Technical College allows students with a good attendance record, a strong work ethic, and a 2.5 GPA or higher to take core high school courses, receive their high school diploma, and earn college credit at the same time."  
  • In Crittenden County, "local 11th and 12th graders now have an opportunity to take college courses at the high school during the normal school day. Thanks to a partnership between Crittenden County High School and Madisonville Community College, CCHS will be offering a college course, Fundamentals of Learning, starting in January. The course is open to all juniors and seniors, giving them an opportunity to acquire a portion of their freshman credits before going to college." [Crittenden Press]
  • At Asbury, "Asbury Academy is an “Early Access to College” program for high school seniors. This program provides opportunities for high school seniors to take general education requirements at the college level (100- and 200-level courses), enabling them to complete their senior year of high school and earn college credit through dual enrollment."
(I'll be delighted if readers alert me to some further options I've missed.  This is the result of a quick search, and there could easily be additional possibilities up and running or getting set to launch this fall.)

1 comment:

  1. Fannie Louise MadduxApril 3, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    The Christian County Public School System works closely with Hopkinsville Community and Technical College so that students take college level coursework while in high school. The college has collaborated with the local schools in many ways including ACT preparation and providing enrichment for teachers engaged in teaching math as well. I am sure I am not thinking of everything that has been done! We have exceptional leadership both at the college in Jim Selbe,president, and in the public schools with Brady Link, superintendent.

    ReplyDelete

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