West-WCC partnership goal: College ready, college successful

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Updated: March 7, 2012 8:03AM

A new groundbreaking partnership between West Aurora High School and Waubonsee Community College could change the way West families see the path to college.

The program will allow West students to try their first college course to see what they can accomplish.

Starting this fall, organizers hope that as many students as possible — including those who were not sure they’d even attend college — will earn as many as two semesters of college credits before they leave high school.

In addition, the partnership will offer eligible West students a college-level mass communication certification, and offer opportunities to help others bring their studies up to college level.

“The partnership with West Aurora is unique in that it offers a broad spectrum of courses that have the potential to reach and benefit students with a range of needs,” said Jill S. Wold, assistant vice president of instruction at Waubonsee Community College.

Next fall, West will offer 31 dual-credit courses, which is the most among area high schools. In all, about 1,500 juniors and seniors could be eligible for one of the West Aurora/WCC partnership courses.

Students can earn college credit that will be accepted at any Illinois public college in the course areas of English, math, accounting, psychology, communications, music, Spanish, mass communications, nursing and criminal justice. Students won’t have to pay college tuition for these classes either.

“Dual-credit courses can ‘expand students’ horizons, making college course work more approachable and presenting higher education as a real possibility for students who may have not viewed themselves as college students,” Wold said.

When some students begin college, they get intimidated or bored because they must take required courses they find difficult or just don’t enjoy. Now they can take these courses in high school. This makes it easier for them to get help when they need it.

“We can still provide a bit of a safety net for them,” said Shawn Munos, assistant principal for teaching and learning at West Aurora High School. “If someone is struggling, a teacher can see that in a class of 30 and help them. In a lecture hall, a teacher might see 200 students twice a week and doesn’t really know all of them.”

Dual-credit courses make it possible for some students to start college at the sophomore level — after finishing most or all of the basic courses in high school. The second year of college is often more enjoyable for students, because they’re taking courses associated with their major, Munos said.

The aptitude gap is even more pronounced for students who take remedial courses in college, because they didn’t fare well in those subjects in high school. The West Aurora/WCC program will help prevent that, by offering learning enhancement classes in high school instead.

“The neat thing about the (these) classes is that they will be embedded into our junior and senior curriculum for the students who are taking courses at that level,” Munos said.

“With a high national percentage of college freshmen taking one or more remedial classes in math and/or English as a freshman, this may be one of the most exciting features we are adding to our three-prong approach to career and college readiness.”

The mass communications certification program is a notable exception to the other courses. While most of the dual-credit classes will be taught at the high school with masters-level instructors, the mass communication courses will be taught by WCC faculty at the Sugar Grove Waubonsee campus.

The program will be open to qualified seniors interested in any of the three major curricular themes of mass communications: writing, announcing and production.

“Students who are interested in broadcasting, but are unsure if they want to do a four-year program, can complete this certification in one year and then pursue higher education, if they choose, after completing high school,” Wold said.

Program administrators say this is just the beginning — there may be more offerings on the way.

“We look forward to working with West Aurora next year to evaluate the success of the program and to expand the selection of transfer courses, and career and technical education curricula,” Wold said.

Quiz

Answer to previous quiz: Schneider Elementary opened in 1964.

This week’s quiz: In which year did the current Hope D. Wall school open? A West High T-shirt will be awarded to the first reader who delivers the correct answer to me at mchapin@sd129.org or 630-301-5044. To learn more about District 129, visit www.sd129.org.

Mike Chapin is the community relations director for West Aurora School District 129.