Colleges may see more high schoolers -
Easton district seeks grant to help students taste
higher education
Attend college while in high school and be
reimbursed for the tuition?
That could be in store for some Easton Area
High School seniors this fall in a dual enrollment
program the school board is expected to approve
Thursday.
Susan McGinley, director of support services,
said high school students could enroll at Lehigh
Valley colleges for credit courses knowing that
all or part of their tuition would be reimbursed.
She said the district is seeking a 2007-08
grant under a state initiative to help high
school students get a jump on what they can
expect in post-secondary education and employment.
Gov. Ed Rendell put $5 million in his budget
for the program in the 2005-06 school year and
increased that to $8 million for 2006-07. The
money can be used for tuition, books, course
fees and transportation costs.
Angela DiVietro, director of secondary education,
said this is the first time Easton will apply
for the grant. About a dozen students are taking
college credits now, but they have to pay their
own way, she said. They would not be covered
by the reimbursement grant.
The program would stipulate that students who
want to take college courses this fall must
attend a college or university in the Lehigh
Valley.
DiVietro said in dual enrollment, the seniors
would go to college in the afternoon. But she
hopes eventually to have those seniors go to
college classes in the morning and to the high
school in the afternoon, which would be easier
to schedule.
"The dual enrollment will be open this
fall only to seniors," DiVietro said, "but
maybe in the second semester and in the fall,
juniors will be given that opportunity."
To qualify for reimbursement, DiVietro said,
the student must finish the college course and
get a passing grade. The tuition must be paid
by the students. Their reimbursement, in full
or a percentage of it, would depend on the size
of the grant the district receives.
The advantages for students, McGinley said,
is they can earn transferable college credits
while in high school, experience the rigor,
pace and demands of a college course, and get
a college admissions advantage.
McGinley said dual enrollment is education
of the future because "we have to think
and prepare in terms of a global world on many
levels. Dual enrollment makes that bridge from
high school to post-secondary education."
Superintendent Dennis Riker said, "This
allows for a real economic option for students
and parents. The students can pursue their studies
into a professional work force earlier, possibly
completing their degrees in 31/2 years instead
of four."
He said students must be careful while in high
school to take college courses with transferable
credits.
DiVietro said the district may file for another
program, Project 720, that provides grants up
front for students who wouldn't have the money
to pay tuition. "We are looking to offer
that option to go to college also to our alternative
students, such as those at Twilight Academy,"
she said.
Locally, Project 720 funds were granted for
the 2006-07 year to the Allentown School District,
Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, Northwestern
Lehigh School District and Palisades School
District.
On Tuesday, Lehigh Carbon Community College
announced an initiative to permit high school
students to earn college credits. LCCC this
fall will open the Pennsylvania Academy for
the Sciences, Arts and Advanced Technologies
for gifted seniors who have completed high school
graduation requirements and exhausted Advance
Placement courses.
