At the beginning of this school year, Fairview High School reintroduced College Credit Plus (CCP) classes, which provide students with an additional opportunity to earn college credit without leaving the school’s campus.

CCP is a statewide program in Ohio that allows middle and high school students to take college-level courses through partnerships with local universities and community colleges. The program helps students earn credits that count toward high school graduation and college degree requirements—often at no cost to families. 

This year, CCP courses are available to students in two subject areas: English and Mathematics. Both subjects are taught by FHS faculty members Rebecca Hicks (English) and Will Morrison (Math). Students can earn college credits from Cuyahoga Community College after completing each course. 

“My seniors that are in the course right now will graduate with five English credits from Fairview,” Hicks explained. “Depending on where they go to school, and a lot of them are going to Ohio University who are in that course, they know that these courses will likely wipe out their freshman English requirements. It will save them a nice chunk of change.”

CCP classes differ from Advanced Placement (AP) courses in many ways, although both pathways can earn college credit. Some of the significant differences include assessments, the content taught, and the frequency of class schedules.

“The biggest difference is just the pace of it,” Morrison said of his College Algebra classes. “We move faster in the CCP class. We meet three times a week and we have a lot of material to get through. I teach Calculus AB and Calculus BC this year, too. Even though we are at an AP pace, which is quick, it’s not CCP quick.”

“Having access to professors, especially for a writing course, really helps because they can offer clarity and feedback."

“It is a lot more intensive,” Hicks added. “In [high school] English, we’re trying to balance a lot of the literature and the writing. [CCP] can really focus on writing skills, which I think is a struggle for a lot of our students. We are still doing reading, we are still doing article responses, smaller excerpts of things, but the focus is really on developing those stronger writing skills.”  

Tri-C oversees admissions for CCP classes, requiring students to meet placement test requirements. This means students in a course may have varying backgrounds and be in different grade levels. For example, CCP math students can range from those who recently took geometry to more advanced classes like pre-calculus. 

While some students may opt to travel directly to Tri-C or other colleges for classes or take them online, many appreciate the convenience of remaining at Fairview.

“We want to keep our kids in-house and keep them engaged in things that are happening within our district and in our building,” Hicks stated. “A lot of the time, our students don’t have transportation access - they can’t get to campus. Or, if they are doing online courses, that’s not the best learning atmosphere for them. By offering it here, it’s the best of both worlds. We allow them to have the collegiate experience in an area they are familiar with and with teachers they are familiar with, and we can give them that support.”

“I’ve had students take post-secondary classes at Tri-C and Cleveland State and different campuses around here,” Morrison added. “There’s a time cost associated with these things. You have to drive there and then find the room. For some kids, that’s great, and they love being on the campus. However, some kids might have one free period in their day. These kids are college-bound kids - they have a full schedule of AP classes, advanced classes, sports, and then add all the extracurricular stuff.”

Brady Weir, a senior, has taken three CCP courses but enjoys having them offered at Fairview because students have a stronger peer connection than in online courses, which is what many high school CCP students end up enrolling in. 

“Having access to professors, especially for a writing course, really helps because they can offer clarity and feedback,” Weir stated. “One downside of CCP here at Fairview is we don't get the ‘college experience,’ but in reality, that's not what we're looking for. Most of us are just trying to get ahead of the college prerequisites.”

Students and families interested in CCP classes should attend College Credit Plus and Advanced Placement Information Night each January. The presentations from this year can be viewed here. Students should also contact their high school counselor for more information.