Madison school district officials who spoke with the Cap Times said the district wants to expand dual enrollment options to increase students’ access to college credit, with a focus on increasing on-site classes. The expansion would offer more alternatives to off-campus programs that pull students out of their schools and AP classes that require students to pass one high-stakes test to earn college credit.
“Students and their families are recognizing that the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school is really important,” said Meg Filkins, the district’s director of career and technical education. “I think a lot of the work that we are still engaging in is helping students determine what are the courses that will get them the most bang for their buck.”
College credit trade-offs
Among the Madison school district’s class of 2025, about 65% of students left with some kind of college credit — the district’s highest percentage in five years. But how students earned that credit greatly varied.
The district has three main pathways to earn college credit: AP courses, which students take at their high school; dual credit courses, also taken at their school; and state-mandated dual enrollment programs and the district’s early college academies, which largely take place at either Madison College or the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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The report noted that while many teachers have higher degrees in education-related fields, not many have higher degrees in other subjects. For example, virtually any math teacher can be eligible to lead an AP Calculus class, but they would need a master’s or Ph.D in math to teach a calculus class for UW-Madison or Madison College.
“That’s often the hurdle for schools to offer dual enrollment,” Cramer said.
Still, the state Legislature has recognized on-site dual enrollment classes as the best avenue to expand college credit options to students.
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Deja vu: Credit for non Madison School District Courses …