For a little bit of history, the idea of “Early College” came from Governor Mike Easely when he launched “Learn & Earn” in 2004. The entire program eventually became collectively called the Career & College Promise (CCP) and was officially established on January 1, 2012. This was through an authorization by the Session Law 2011-145, the Appropriations Act of 2011 given to the State Board of Education and the State Board of Community Colleges.
The CCP is comprised of three pathways; one of which Early College is part of. They are Career & Technical Education Pathway (CTE), College Transfer Pathway (CTP), and Cooperative Innovative High School Programs (CIHSP), otherwise known as Early College.
Early College is an initiative that aims to provide Grades 9 to 12 students with tuition-free opportunities to earn either a two-year degree or two years’ worth of transferable credit within four to five years. I was talking to my aussie friend, Brad Gall, who runs a Brisbane HVAC company, and he said he did something similar in Queensland, although he wasn’t able to earn quite as much credit towards his degree.
With this, the target students gain early on the skills needed in the growing workforce demands. You can apply for this program from your local middle school and speaking to the guidance counselor is highly encouraged so you can be properly guided with everything you need to know.
Early College Program Explained
The main goal of this program (CIHSP) is to draw under-represented students to pursue college education. These include those who are considered minorities, those who came from low-income families, and those with parents who never went to college.
However, it is not to be misconstrued as exclusive to those who fall into the categories mentioned. In fact, any Grade 8 student may apply, and selecting who qualifies will be based on criteria set by the chosen local committee and the state of North Carolina.
Potential qualifiers are expected to show eagerness, enthusiasm, and determination to accept the rigorous coursework they will potentially be facing. They should also be flexible to various learning approaches, as well as be adaptable to new environments, and form productive relationships with new sets of people at school.
The Early College program is on every college campus in North Carolina unless there is a waiver that says otherwise. These campuses only accept a maximum of 100 enrollees per grade level.
Please note that CIHSP status is only valid at the school/college that is partnered with the high school where the student is enrolled and is not valid anywhere else. Also, they may NOT be enrolled in the following:
- Associate in General Education or General Occupational Technology programs
- Developmental courses
- Non-curriculum transition courses
- Audit courses
- Transition courses offered through CCR
Two Other Pathways of CCP
As mentioned, the CCP program aims to provide students with dual enrolment, that is high school and college at the same time. At the end of the program, they earn a diploma, a certificate, or a degree that the state or different industries recognize, which can land them at least an entry-level job appropriate for their skills.
The good thing is that this is tuition-free, except for certain fees like textbooks. Also, if they opt to take at least 9 credits, lab fees and other activity fees will be out-of-pocket.
The Early College or the Cooperative Innovative High School Programs (CIHSP) has already been tackled. The other two will be discussed below.
Career & Technical Education Pathway (CTE)
Career and Technical Education Pathway leads to a diploma or certificate that is aligned with a career cluster in high school. Either that or the Workforce Continuing Education Pathway (WCEP), which leads to a diploma or certificate aligned with a career cluster in high school.
To be eligible, the student must be in junior or senior high school as of the applicable academic term’s first day, must have at least an unweighted GPA of 2.8 on high school courses, and must be ready to take an approved placement or assessment test in Reading, English, and Mathematics and eventually pass it.
They should also secure a recommendation from the high school principal, together with the rationale behind the recommendation in place of the GPA requirement. They also need to secure a recommendation from either the college’s Chief Academic Officer or Chief Student Development Administrator.
Please note that these recommendations will not be honored for CTE pathways if they include the Universal General Education Transfer Component (UGETC) course. Otherwise, they must follow the CTE eligibility criteria.
College Transfer Pathway (CTP)
On the other hand, CTP requires the completion of transfer courses of around 30 semester hours, which include Mathematics and English, but excluding the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) pathway.
The credits earned through this tuition-free course go toward the following and a four-year degree:
- AFA Visual Arts
- Associate in Arts
- Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation
- Associate in Engineering
- Associate in Fine Arts
- Associate in General Education – Nursing
- Associate in Science
- Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation
To be eligible, the student must be in junior or senior high school, must have at least an unweighted GPA of 2.8 on high school courses, and must be ready to take an approved placement or assessment test and eventually pass it.