With all the test-bashing that's going around in the media today, it's nice to see a story about a program that uses test scores to identify kids who are not doing well in high school, but should be. Those kids are then enrolled in college classes so that they can earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree simultaneously. The program's doing very well, which suggest that kids who test high are at risk of being bored in today's K-12 system, and can use the extra stimulation:
Two years ago, Bobby Laumea was a struggling freshman at Arroyo Valley High School with mediocre grades and an attitude to match. Now the 16-year-old junior will not only have his diploma within the next two years but will be close to getting a college degree.
Through a partnership between San Bernardino City Unified School District and San Bernardino Valley College, high school students can concurrently enroll in college classes so they can earn their diploma and an associate's degree at the same time.
The program, called Middle College High School, started three years ago with about 75 students who district officials feared were at risk of dropping out. About 50 of those students are expected to graduate this year, and as many as 20 will get their associate's degrees as well...
Students in the program's Class of 2004 had a cumulative grade-point average of 2.48 when they started. By the end of the 2002-03 school year, the average had increased to 3.20...
Middle College High School is aimed at students who should be doing well in school but, for some reason, just aren't. Such programs are not uncommon and are gaining interest around the country. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with the Carnegie Corp. of New York, the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, recently invested more than $50 million to support 100 new schools over the next five years.
Laumea...said he just didn't enjoy the high school environment, which he believes attributed to his performance. He didn't like people telling him what he had to do and when to do it. At Valley College, there's freedom, Laumea said, and "it's a whole lot better."
"They treat you like you're responsible, like we're adults" he said.
...[The] students determined to get an associate's degree by the time they graduate must work diligently. To achieve the goal, they must earn 60 units within three years. But the experience is worth it...and the students seem to adapt quickly.
Wowza. Away from the spoon-feeding and zero-tolerance mindset, these bright kids are blooming. What a great program.
Posted by kswygert at October 14, 2003 11:44 AM