Students take advanatage of dual credit opportunities

Hayley Peryer wanted to get a jump on her college career while attending Sparta High School.

So, when she learned of OTC’s Dual Credit program, she jumped at the chance and is taking a college math and English composition classes online this semester.

“It’s a great way to get your general education classes taken care of before coming to college full-time,” the Sparta senior said.” I was looking for higher math classes and we didn’t have any at the high school but I found what I wanted at OTC.”

Dual credit is OTC’s program offering college coursework to high school students who are nearing completion of high school curriculum. All of the classes are offered at the high schools in either a seated or online format.

By completing college credit in high school, it saves the student time and money once they transition to college.

But there are other important benefits from the program.

“Research tells us that students who have taken advantage of dual-credit learning opportunities are more likely to enroll in college, complete a college degree, and have higher college GPAs,” said Tracy McGrady, dean of academic and student affairs.

“They also experience a smoother transition to college, which can be pretty tough for some students.”

The program also enjoyed an increase in enrollment this semester when tuition for the courses was cut from $70 per hour to $35. Enrollment increased to 431 students this fall, up from 140 last fall.

“We know that students who complete dual credit class are more likely to complete their freshmen year in,” said Kim Greene, coordinator of dual credit and high school admissions. “They are also more likely to succeed in their second year in college as well.”

In addition to offering the program to local high schools, homeschooled students were eligible to take the classes as well.

“I have been meeting with the homeschool networks promoting the program,” Greene said.

Said McGrady: “OTC is fortunate to have many wonderful partnerships with area high schools, and we continue to see more and more students take advantage of it. Our mission is high quality, affordable, and accessible education. We want to provide that to as many as we can.”