SHERIDAN — Some high school students can’t wait for college, the chance to build their future and enter the adult world.
The “adult” part of that equation might have to wait, but dual and concurrent enrollment programs allow students a chance to jumpstart their college careers and earn valuable college credit hours more quickly.
For the 2018-19 school year, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheridan County School District 2 officials reported 332 Sheridan High School and John C. Schiffer Collaborative School students took advantage of the opportunities to start their college careers early and earned 1,817 credits through concurrent enrollment programs, while 85 dual enrolled students earned 430 credits.
“The district is passionate about providing our students multiple opportunities to get a foothold on college credits while still in high school,” said Mitch Craft, SCSD2 assistant superintendent for curriculum and assessment. “When students earn college credits in high school, with little to no cost to families, everyone wins.”
Those numbers dropped slightly during the pandemic to 95 dual enrollment students and 319 concurrent enrolled students earning a total of 2,170 credits, worth nearly $300,000 if they had enrolled as a student at Sheridan College.
“Dual and concurrent credit programs, delivered with our amazing partners at Sheridan College, have grown over the last several years in our district,” Craft said. “More and more students are taking advantage of opportunities to earn credits on both high school and Sheridan College transcripts simultaneously. In most cases, there is no cost to the families and many students are starting college with one or two full semesters under their belts.”
Coty Nikont, a counselor at Big Horn High School, part of Sheridan County School District 1, said one recent graduate used such programs to end their high school career not only with a diploma, but also with an associate’s degree.
“That’s huge when you’re graduating and already knocking off two years of college,” Nikont said, adding that students have a variety of reasons for participating in such programs.
Some want to get a head start on college. Others are seeking to save money by earning what’s basically free credit hours, with high school students able to take up to 24 credit hours through concurrent enrollment before having to pay and an unlimited number if dual enrolled.
Nikont added the programs give students nervous about what might lay ahead of them to receive a small taste of the college experience before leaving the comfortable confines of high school and home. The programs also allow students to explore potential career fields or take a course otherwise not offered at their high school. While either path allows high school students to earn college credit, they also have their differences.
“Dual enrollment courses are taken by high school students for both high school and college credit, and they are taught by college instructors,” said Virginia Collins, counselor at Tongue River High School. “Concurrent enrollment courses are taken by high school students for both high school and college credit, and they are taught by high school instructors who have satisfied the requirements of the Higher Education Commission to teach college-level classes.
“The primary difference is that dual classes are taught by college instructors and concurrent classes are taught by high school teachers,” she added.
Each also has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Nikont said it can be difficult for some students to be enrolled at a local high school, as well as Sheridan College, due to conflicting schedules.
“Obviously, our schedule at the high school and the class schedule for Sheridan College are different,” Nikont said. “So, taking on-campus classes (at the college) can be a challenge.”
According to Collins, concurrent classes might have a slight edge over dual classes for high school students simply because the teachers know the students well, adding that dual enrollment classes are often online and don’t allow students to get to know their instructors better, and vice versa.
“The advantage of dual courses at TRHS is that they are usually online, independent study classes that can fit anywhere in the schedule,” Collins said. “Another advantage is that students get a real feel for the rigor of college classes while having adults in the building to go to if they run into issues.
“The advantage of concurrent courses is that they are taught by teachers familiar to the student, and frequently the classes can be stretched out over the entire year instead of having to be completed in a semester. This slows the pace and increases retention of critical material,” she added.
It doesn’t have to be one program or the other. Collins said the number of participating students at TRHS can vary, with 44 TRHS students taking 50 dual enrollment classes and 63 students are enrolled in concurrent classes to start the 2021-22 school year.
“There is a lot of overlap,” she said.
Loyce Ellingrod, counselor at Sheridan County School District 3’s Arvada-Clearmont K-12 School, agrees, adding 40-50% of junior and senior classes take either dual or concurrent courses. Though, the SCSD3 school is only able to offer online classes through its dual enrollment program due to its distance from the college campus.
“We provide time within the student’s class schedule to work on their dual enrollment college classes with a supervisor (teacher),” Ellingrod said. “Concurrent classes are offered in the regular class schedule, so they can choose those they are interested in.”
Nikont, a school counselor for more than a decade, said he expects the number of participating students to keep rising. One reason for that is increased communication between staff members and students on the benefits of the programs.
Another reason is an increased focus on student outcomes.
“We are constantly looking to help prepare them for what comes after high school and what’s a better way to get them there,” Nikont said. “This is a great way for us to do that.”
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