Partnership gives students head start on college

Thursday, March 23, 2006

A unique partnership between Frederick County Public Schools and Frederick Community College aims to make continuing education a more realistic option for some students.

Beginning next year, students at Frederick and Gov. Thomas Johnson high schools will be selected to participate in the Early College Academy, allowing them to earn high school and college credits at the same time.

The goal is to get students to think about college early in their school careers so after graduation, they can access a college education a little easier, said Dan Cunningham, deputy superintendent for Frederick County Public Schools.

‘‘We want to open doors for students who might not necessarily look at these options,” he said. ‘‘That’s not to say they have to go to college, but we want to provide them with that option.”

Cunningham said the program would be geared toward students who would be the first in their family to go to college and who might not be considering furthering their education for numerous reasons, including finances.

He said the school system is currently applying for grant funds to help students pay for college after completion of the academy and will seek other avenues for needs-based scholarships to help students pay tuition.

Students will have to pay tuition if they do not qualify for aid or available scholarships; that is the only cost of the program, Cunningham said.

The academy has been in the works for two years, he said, with representatives from both sides approving curriculum and looking at similar programs as models.

Currently, students in county high schools can earn college credit through dual enrollment at community colleges and high schools or pay tuition costs on their own for coursework.

Sharon Boettinger, supervisor of counseling and student support for county schools, said students who are high academic achievers will be chosen as early as this fall to be introduced to the Early College Academy.

During their first two years of high school, students will proceed with their studies like any other classmate, taking courses that are prerequisites for college.

Beginning in their junior year, however, students will begin to take a course at their home school that counts for high school and college credit. This course will be a core college class, such as computer science or composition.

In the fall of their senior year, Boettinger said, the students will take a college study skills course as well as another joint-credit class at the community college campus.

‘‘They can take additional courses, perhaps in the spring of their senior year, and could end up with nine to 12 college credits at the end of high school,” she said. ‘‘They are then more likely to go on and finish [a college education].”

During the entire process, Cunningham said, students will have support from both guidance counselors and staff from Frederick Community College who will be on hand for meetings with students as they progress through high school.

While Early College Academy seems an ideal recruiting mechanism for the community college, officials recognize that while a student earns college credits at their campus, they may not necessarily enroll there.

‘‘We are a ‘community’ college and we serve the educational interests of this community and the county,” said Elizabeth Zoltan, vice president for learning at the college. ‘‘This is another way to achieve our mission and see that individuals in Frederick County are well-served and ready for the future.”

Zoltan is excited about the possibility of exposing higher education to those who otherwise might never consider it.

‘‘We want to ensure students who might not have a support system or expectations or encouragement ...and motivate them,” she said. ‘‘We want to raise their expectations of themselves and provide a supportive environment for them to give back to their community upon completing their education.”