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Students in eight states may be able to essentially skip the last two years of high school altogether and enroll in college early. According to an article by Sam Dillon in the New York Times:
Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college.
Students who pass but aspire to attend a selective college may continue with college preparatory courses in their junior and senior years, organizers of the new effort said. Students who fail the 10th grade tests, known as board exams, can try again at the end of their 11th and 12th grades. The tests would cover not only English and math but other subjects like science and history.
This new program, set up by the National Center on Education and the Economy and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will allow students at some public high schools in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont to start taking college courses in fall, 2011. The goal is to eventually offer such programs at all high schools in all states.
The NCEE college plan is based on education systems used in Denmark, England, Finland, France and Singapore. In these countries students may proceed to higher education as soon as they’ve passed examinations indicating that they’re intellectually ready. In the U.S., in contrast, students generally can attend college only after they have earned high school credits by physically attending a series of classes over many years.
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Kris on February 18, 2010 6:11 PM:
There's something similar that's been in place in Washington State for over 15 years called Running Start. Students have to be able to pass the entrance exam for community college, but they receive both HS and college credit for classes taken at the community college, and the school pays their tuition. I managed to almost get my high school diploma and A.A. degree in the same semester that way.
diana w on February 18, 2010 6:47 PM:
This is a great idea. It should be national. Even, when my kids were in high school (about 12 years ago), they were both basically finished with all state HS requirements by the middle of junior year. My son started attending college math courses as did many others in his class. Minnesota had a program that allowed for that. My daughter did a year of foreign exchange in Chile, became fluent in Spanish and came back mid-senior year to mop her gym and health requirements. Don't talk to me about how this doesn't serve disadvantaged kids. With all the issues those kids face, most are out of the system by the time they are 16. A better solution is to make the high school senior year completely optional, and spend the funds now spent chasing truants and kids who should just wait and take the GED, and put the money into an allout effort to help the Kindergarten-to-3 set. All the research shows dropouts are born in grades 1-3. Let's help them and abandon senior except as an option for kids who need it and want it.
Adam on February 18, 2010 8:31 PM:
Great! Another way for Type-A suburban parents to buy an advantage for their children.