YSU college in high school program expanding

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University is expanding a program that allows high school students to earn college credit, but there are some changes to the requirements for those teaching the courses.

YSU’s College in High School is changing to College Credit Plus, aligning with the state initiative.

Mahoning and Shenango principals and superintendents gathered Thursday morning in the McKay Auditorium in YSU’s Beeghly Hall to learn about the changes.

The program expands to allow seventh- and eighth-graders to earn both high school and college credit by taking college-level courses at their schools, online or on the YSU campus. Previously, only high school students were eligible.

“We’re not just looking to get students college credit,” said YSU President Jim Tressel. “We’re looking to raise their level of excellence.”

The program also helps students earn college credit at no charge to them before they graduate. That helps reduce their student loan debt upon graduation, he said.

The change, however, also means more stringent requirements for those teaching the courses.

The state requires those teaching a College Credit Plus course to have completed at least 18 hours of graduate course work in the content area they’ll teach.

Read more about the program and the changes in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.