Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is expanding access to high school college classes. Some oppose this measure. Are dual credit classes a bad thing?

Dual credit classes are very popular in Iowa high schools.

How It Works

Students take one class and receive both high school credit toward graduation and also earn college credit hours. Students are allowed to take up to thirty college credits while in high school. Not only do the students have a head start in college, but also the classes are free to the students. For some students, this is a 25% cut in college expenses. Who would oppose this?

The Opposition

Some community college professors have serious doubts about the dual credit classes. They are not sure the rigor is the same as it would be in college giving students a false sense of security about their capability to do well in college.

Supporters

Iowa Senator Nancy Boettger of Harlan states, "As a parent, I want my kids to get as many college credits as possible while they are in high school that challenge them, as well as help them graduate in four years from a university." [Lisa Rossi, desmoinesregister.com, March 4, 2008]

How Prevalent Are These Classes?

In 2006, 25,578 Iowa high school students were taking a dual credit class. This is 25% of Iowa’s community college population. Nationally, 71% of public high schools offer dual credit classes. [Lisa Rossi, desmoinesregister.com, March 4, 2008]

More Accountability

Some would like to see a "test" administered to see if students were ready to take a college credit class. Many oppose a test format stating that a test is not a magic pill. There are more effective methods to show student readiness.

Self-Serving Rationale?

Some have suggested that college professors could be opposed to dual credit classes to preserve their own jobs on a college campus. If students begin college with up to 30 hours of credits, many instructors teaching freshman classes could be cut or assigned to higher level classes.

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, IA is the home of Iowa Central Community College, which has the highest percentage of high school students taking dual classes in the state of Iowa. 39.1% of ICCC students are still in high school. Other Iowa community colleges have only 7% of students still in high school. ICCC has been assertive in promoting dual credit classes, which often results in students attending ICCC to finish an Associate’s Degree. ICCC is also the community college linked to Iowa’s first charter school. This charter school, located in Storm Lake, IA, allows students to graduate with two-year degrees at no expense to the students or parents. Many of the college credits are earned while still in high school allowing students to graduate sooner and get into the workforce.

Education Is Changing

Society is changing quickly. The needs are expanding for different and more effective programs to teach students skills needed in today’s marketplace. We need welders, mechanics, electricians and carpenters in addition to engineers, lawyers, and teachers. Giving tests may not be the best method to see who is qualified for all of the careers needed in the next 5-10 years. In order to fill the needs, we may need to think out of the box.

Read previous articles on Educational Issues.

Copyright article 2008 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.