A new program that will give high school students a head start on college may come to Florida.
Organized by the National Center on Education and the Economy, the program will give high school students the option of graduating two years early.
The high schools implementing the program will offer students a variety of tests at the end of their sophomore year. Subjects range from English to mathematics.
If they pass, they will be able to receive a high school diploma and enroll directly into a community college.
Students who pass the exams but want to stay in high school to prepare for a selective college, such as UF, may continue in one of five college-preparatory programs that will be offered for students in their junior or senior year.
“We are trying to bring the type of education that’s typically only available to the highest-achieving students to everyone,” said Betsy Brown Ruzzi, deputy director of the center.
But Linda Lanza-Kaduce, director of the High School Dual Enrollment program at Santa Fe College, said she doesn’t think giving high school students the opportunity to graduate when they are 16 or 17 years old is a good idea.
About 500 Alachua County students participate in SFC’s dual enrollment program each year, and Lanza-Kaduce said only about one-third of those students are ready to take college-level classes. The rest take courses on SFC’s campus with high school-level instructors.
“I don’t like the idea of abandoning them after two years,” she said. “It’s like throwing them to the wolves. I’d rather see them be able to earn college credit while still under that high school umbrella.”
The UF Office of Admissions was unavailable for comment on the issue despite repeated phone calls and visits to the office.
