by Elliott Walker
Last semester, Rockbridge County High School students completed just over 14 years of college. How? They participated in dual enrollment, a program that allows high school students to get an early start on their college careers.
Under the program, students work toward
their high school diplomas by taking college-level courses during their
junior and senior years. Students receive college credit for the class
if they receive a "C" or better.
RCHS senior Kaitlin Kitchen sits in class. Photo by Elliott Walker.
This time of year, as college-bound sophomores and juniors plan their courses for next year, the rapid growth of dual enrollment in Virginia is catching parents' attention. At RCHS, the percentage of students in dual enrollment courses is more than twice the state average.
Michael Scott, director of the dual enrollment program at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, says this is a great deal for qualified students. "It gives them an opportunity to experience college requirements in a non-threatening environment," he added.
Kaitlin Kitchen, a senior at RCHS, agrees with Scott. She thinks "it's cool" that her statistics class at RCHS is taught by a DSLCC professor. "I get to experience a little bit of what it'll be like next year," she said.
Last semester, RCHS students could choose from 13 courses at DSLCC, including psychology, sociology and U.S. History. They could also choose from occupational and technical classes such as Machine Blueprint Reading and Advanced Technical Drafting.
One-hundred-thirty-eight RCHS students logged a combined 431 hours towards their future degrees last semester, several of them taking more than one dual enrollment class.
Getting ahead in high school can have huge benefits in college. "[Dual enrollment] gives [students] an easier first semester…because they can take fewer credits while they are adjusting to all aspects of college life," said Scott.
Dual enrollment programs are similar to Advanced Placement classes that are also offered at RCHS. Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses but credit is based on passing a nationally given test. Credit from AP classes is accepted nationwide, while dual enrollment credit may not be accepted out of state.
A study by researchers at the University of Arizona found that students involved in dual enrollment or AP programs in high school didn't experience as much of a drop in GPA their freshman year of college as those who didn't participate.
Kitchen says it will be nice to have some requirements out of the way when she gets to college. "I'll be able to study things I'm actually interested in."
Nationally, dual enrollment started in Minnesota in 1985. It has spread to all but three states in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Nearly three-fourths of all public high schools offer dual enrollment programs, and dual enrollment classes can count more than a million students, according to the latest report, from 2003.
Marshall Jarrett, a senior at RCHS, said he likes dual enrollment because he doesn't have to pay as much to take the class as he would in college. Jarrett said he also liked the courses because he didn't have to take an AP test to get college credit.
Virginia's dual enrollment program has grown substantially since it started in 1988. Enrollment jumped from 2,000 students in 1991 to 25,000 students in 2005-2006. The Virginia Community College System predicts that 45,000 students will be involved by 2009.
Locally, the program has also expanded. Dual enrollment headcounts accounted for roughly 25 percent of DSLCC' s total student enrollment in 2005-2006, compared to only about 12 percent in 1999-2000.
Last school year, more than 12 percent of RCHS students were involved in dual enrollment. Only five percent of the state's students were in dual enrollment classes.
"I kind of wish I had taken more [dual enrollment classes]," said Kitchen. "But I guess I won't really know until I get to college next year."
DSLCC will continue to expand its dual enrollment program, said Scott. "We are continually looking for new opportunities for students at RCHS and all of our area high schools," he said.
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd