Written by John Benson
College Credit Plus class offerings have returned to Fairview High School.
“We have two of our faculty members teaching College Credit Plus courses -- two sections of English and one section of mathematics,” Fairview Park City Schools Teaching and Learning Director Melanie Wightman said.
“Tri-C is the institution that sets the curriculum and awards the credit. Our teachers have become adjunct professors with Tri-C.”
College Credit Plus classes -- offered to students in grades 7-12 -- are nothing new at the high school.
But prior to the pandemic, the district paused participation in the Ohio Department of Education program.
College Credit Plus allows high school students to take certain courses at a college, taught by a university professor, as well as at their high school, taught by college staff or accredited high school teachers.
The idea is to lessen student debt for higher education.
“We paused our program basically because most of our students who were choosing to do College Credit Plus were going off our Fairview campus and either taking courses at Cleveland State, Tri-C and sometimes Lorain (County) Community (College),” Wightman said.
“They were also doing the courses online.
“That was pre-COVID. And then after COVID, we saw the need to bring the courses back into the school building so that the kids did not have to travel and they could still have the advantage of the face-to-face course.”
The idea behind College Credit Plus is that students can simultaneously receive credits toward high school graduation while banking credits for subsequent enrollment in college.
“Data shows that 80 percent of students who take College Credit Plus courses persist through that challenging first year in college,” Wightman said.
“One student who graduated in 2022 had already completed her freshman year, sophomore year and part of her junior year while still in high school.”
Currently, the high school has 27 students taking first-year college composition and eight students enrolled in college algebra
Looking ahead, Wightman said the district is already planning for additional College Credit Plus classes.
Science and social studies teachers are encouraged to direct their graduate studies toward content vs. pedagogy, so they can eventually qualify to teach such classes.
“We’re excited to offer College Credit Plus classes taught by our dedicated teachers this year, empowering students to earn college credits while still in high school,” Superintendent Keith Ahearn said.
“This partnership with Tri-C strengthens the connection between our school community and higher education partners.”