Ear ning College Credit. Learn how your student can get a head start on college while still in high school

School Acceleration Your Guide to High School Acceleration

High school students have great opportunities to obtain free college credits even before graduating high school! Today, Florida provides many opportunities for students to accelerate their learning through various high school programming. Earning college credit in high school is beneficial for multiple reasons. In Florida, it was found that less than 67 percent of Florida college students graduate in six years, according to the Florida Board of Governor’s Accountability Rate. While not widely discussed, college is taking longer to get through as students change their degrees, have trouble meeting prerequisites, or enter programs that change their requirements. Having a student be able to focus on the generalized core courses or electives to determine their major, these credits can save students a substantial amount of time and stress. The college course work allows students to see how they might enjoy specific career fields. Advanced lab reports, research, hands-on projects, and indepth teaching provides more opportunities for exploration into various career fields. DualEnrollment often offers industry certifications that can be directly employable after high school or with additional semester or two. Career Focus Rigor & Independence School districts often pick up the tab for tuition and books. Sometimes there are some small fees, but at a fraction of the cost what a student would pay after graduating high school, including room and board, tuition, fees, books, and other expenses. Cost Savings Time Savings

Acceleration courses allow students to be treated as college-students. Students learn to better navigate the academic skills, such as time management, study skills, test preparation, and note taking, to be a more successful student. Having both rigor and independence can be highly motivating for students to excel. Smaller Classes Taking these courses in high school or on a state college's campus guarantees small numbers and more personalized attention.

Amanda Sterk, Ed.D., is the director of Accelerated Programs at Florida Southwestern State College, where she works with students, parents, school counselors, and school districts to understand and participate in accelerated learning programs in SW Florida. She is the founder of Unmaze.me, an online resource for colleges admissions, scholarships, and financial planning, and is the author of College UnMazed: Your Guide to the Florida College and University System, from which the information on pages 32-33 is taken. The book is available both on Unmaze.me and Amazon.com.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

AICE CAMBRIDGE & INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Advanced Placement- implemented by the College Board, are standard curriculum courses taught by high school teachers. Students are given an end-of-the-year test, that provides them a score from 1-5. Based on this score, colleges and universities determine if college credit can be earned.. Over 2.7 million students worldwide are expected to take up to 5 million exams this year.

a. Strengths- AP is one the largest and oldest acceleration methods. It gives opportunities for all types of students to take singleton courses for potential college credits. College credits are often given for certain scores, but not all universities accept AP credits. Students can take courses they are stronger in rather than a whole program.

b. Weaknesses- While the student may do well in the classroom environment, some students struggle on the extensive standardized test. As well, colleges have differing scores needed to obtain college credit. For more information about AP options- visit CollegeBoard

Cambridge AICE and International Baccalaureate- The AICE and IB programs are similar in curriculum structure with an emphasis on intellectual rigor, high academic standards, and strong emphasis on citizenship. Students often apply in 8th grade with standardized test scores, application, and possible interview.

a. Strengths- Courses taught in the high school setting, but becomes a “schoolwithin-a-school” setting as only a select number of students may enter the program. Students may earn up to 45 credits through passage of the final, standardized test. The programs are internationally recognized. Currently students who earn the AICE or IB diploma are eligible for the Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholars full-tuition scholarship.

b. Weaknesses- AICE and IB are extremely rigorous, structured, writing intensive programs. Some students do not thrive academically in this type of environment, some do.

DUAL ENROLLMENT

DE courses are college courses that can be utilized in three ways; on a high school campus with a credentialed professor, online through the college, or at the college campus. Unlike the other programs, dual enrollment students have to meet state requirements of a 3.0 unweighted grade point average and specific test scores on standardized tests like the PERT, ACT, or SAT (https://www.fsw.edu/dualenrollment).

a. Strengths- Florida statute requires all credits with passing grades to transfer to a four-year university or college. Coupled with the same course number system throughout Florida, transferability is simple. College courses are also by semester, so students can earn credits at a faster rate than other acceleration methods that are yearlong, such as AP, AICE, and IB. DE students have full access to the college’s resources, such as the library, academic resource centers, tutoring, activities, and Honor’s Program.

b. Weaknesses-Students are treated as a college student and are expected to have academic independence. Student’s are creating their college official transcript.