Dual enrollment proposals may change future of college admission

On Feb. 28, Governor Bob McDonnell’s “Opportunity to Learn” agenda was signed into legislation and will affect Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC).

Each school in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) must submit an agreement to the Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the VCCS, and to Patricia I. Wright, superintendent of public instruction.

These contracts will outline the opportunity for high school students to complete an associate’s degree or one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies concurrently with his or her high school diploma.

“Someone looked at dual enrollment and saw the need to expand it dramatically,” said PVCC Dual Enrollment Coordinator Andrew Renshaw. “Dual enrollment is important, and it is only growing.”

Renshaw sees dual enrollment as a creative solution. By choosing to take a dual enrollment class, high school students are “getting more with less.”

The current dual enrollment program allows high school juniors and seniors to take college courses at his or her high school for free.

Many students benefit by saving money and having the opportunity to take more classes in college.

“My son took English 111 and 112 his senior year of high school, and while his friends were taking freshman English in college, he was able to take an elective that interested him instead,” said parent Renee Smith.

Smith is hopeful that the new legislation will stay true to this ideal.

The details outlining specifics of how each VCCS college will draft its proposal have not been released yet and are leaving room for speculation.

According to Renshaw, one of the challenges the bill does not address is how high school students will complete all of their required high school classes while also taking courses needed for a general education certificate.

With the need to complete both high school and college classes before graduation, students may need to begin this program as early as freshman year.

It is also unclear if every high school in Virginia will offer this program to its students or if it will be accessible to a select few. As the number of college courses offered at a high school increases, Renshaw says that instructors certified to teach a college level class must be hired.

Another potential question is how this new legislation will affect admission to a four-year university.

“Universities might rethink their admissions process if they have high school students applying with an associate’s degree,” Renshaw says. “Colleges might start to think about what impact it has on them, and it might be expected that students graduate high school with an associate’s degree.”

The deadline for each VCCS college to submit its proposal is April 15, 2013.

As the deadline approaches, more details outlining specifics of the program will be released.