Wisconsin wants to make it easier for high school students to earn college credit. The state Department of Public Instruction and the University of Wisconsin Colleges announced the dual enrollment program Tuesday and said it will start no later than the 2013 school year. “Too many times, the different structures prevent us from being not only efficient, but giving kids different opportunities, and this is a real step forward, to kind of take away those barriers,” said Tony Evers, DPI Superintendent.
The program will help students get a college degree faster and prepare them for the workforce. The classes will be taught in high schools by high school teachers who are certified to teach college-level courses. “We will be able to guarantee students University of Wisconsin credit for taking these courses, and they can go to any UW System school and have those courses accepted,” Evers explained. Dual enrollment classes will be taught by trained high school teachers who are approved to teach college-level courses. An on-line option will let students take classes that are not offered at their school.
Evers said the dual enrollment program is different than other programs that help high school students earn college credit. “It’s much more broadly based, and we’re going to be able to really support the high school teachers offering these classes. I think it’s different in its scope and also its depth.”
Matt Lehman, WSAU