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College in High School
College In High School
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High School students can earn college credit through YSU's College In High School program.
YSU program allows high school students to earn college credit
By Denise Dick
poland
Becca Mowad and Vince DeChellis are getting a jump on their college chemistry courses while still juniors at Poland Seminary High School.
They are two students in Bill Snyder’s College in High School chemistry class at the school. College in High School is a Youngstown State University program that allows high school students to earn college credit at the same time they complete courses in high school.
Becca, 16, wants to study biomedical engineering and Vince, 17, plans to study engineering.
“It helps you get adjusted to the amount of work you have to do in college,” Vince said.
Becca said the class of 21 students is tight-knit, studying together and helping one another with work.
The students start their school day early to take the class.
Snyder said former students return to tell him that the class enabled them to test out of college chemistry or provided them with enough knowledge to help other students in the class.
Chemistry is just one of the offerings through YSU’s program.
Courses also are available in biology, calculus, English, history and physics.
Marla Carano, College in High School coordinator, said plans for next year include offerings in statistics, math, French, astronomy and writing.
This school year, 27 school districts participate in the program compared with 12 in 2009-10, and the number climbed to 33 for next year — five in Columbiana County and 14 each in Mahoning and Trumbull.
But Carano said that number may increase.
“People are calling us every day,” she said.
The number of students enrolled has more than doubled since last school year, too.
“We have 245 students this year,” Carano said.
That’s up from 105 the previous school year.
The program grew out of a grant several years ago that solely offered calculus to students in Mahoning County.
When that grant expired, YSU wanted to continue to offer college courses to high-school students.
Unlike Senate Bill 140, which allows high-school students to enroll in classes on campus as the name implies, College in High School enables students to enroll in YSU courses from their high-school classrooms.
Sharon J. Schroeder, assistant director of YSU’s Metro Credit Outreach, said that’s one of the things that school districts find appealing about the program. Rather than a school’s high-performing students leaving for part of the day, they stay within the building.
Charles Singler, YSU interim associate provost, said that an instructor must be approved by the university to teach a College in High School course. They apply just as if they were seeking a job on campus, their credentials reviewed. If they’re approved, the teachers become adjunct YSU professors.
The course syllabus also must match with YSU.
The program offers courses to students at a lower rate than what they would pay to take a class on campus.
Carano said some school districts foot that bill while others require parents to pay it.
Snyder said that Poland’s school board and superintendent opt to cover those costs for students. The district also paid for students to take the courses under the more expensive Senate Bill 140, he said.
To participate in the program, students must be juniors or seniors, have a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and earn at least a 23 on the ACT exam as well as at least a 23 on the English portion of the test.
Snyder said the program has been successful.
“These students want to learn,” he said. “They’re here because they want to be here.”