Programs help District 94 students earn college credit

Remember the commercial tag line "two mints are better than one?" Students at West Chicago Community High School can complete coursework that provides both high school credit and college credit, providing a two-for-one credit-earning opportunity.

A partnership with College of DuPage allows our students to earn college credit before graduating from high school. Through the dual credit program, students enroll for approved courses in high school, and also register for the course at College of DuPage.

Often, application fees and tuition at College of DuPage are waived. Courses are taught by high school faculty who have met COD's faculty hiring guidelines. The curriculum, syllabi and textbooks have met COD's curriculum guidelines.

Students must meet COD's prerequisite requirements, including grade level and test scores on the ACT, SAT or COD's college placement test.

Current dual credit course offerings are: Anatomy and Physiology, Architectural Drawing, Botany, Child Development 1 and 2, Computer Applications 1 and 2, Fashion Technology 1 and 2, Advanced Fashion, Foods 3, Multimedia Design, Technical Drawing, and Technical Mechanics.

New courses for the 2018-19 school year approved by the school board are now going through the approval process with College of DuPage. The courses are Introduction to Education, Machine Shop, and Quality Control.

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, credit is awarded both at WCCHS and College of DuPage and a COD transcript is generated. Many of the dual credit courses (like other COD courses) transfer to other colleges and universities.

Another credit opportunity for our students is the Seal of Biliteracy. Juniors and seniors who have attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation are able earn the Seal of Biliteracy from the Illinois State Board of Education.

New legislation requires each Illinois public community college and university to accept the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy; students will have the opportunity to receive college credit equivalent to two years of foreign language coursework.

The course registration process for the 2018-19 school year at WCCHS began Wednesday, Nov. 1, with Curriculum Day, when students learned about core courses and electives offered prior to working with counselors to plan their high school experience.

Both the dual credit program and the Seal of Biliteracy allow West Chicago Community High School students the chance to earn college credit in a "two mints in one" scenario, giving students a great head start for their future endeavors.

• Doug Domeracki is superintendent of Community High School District 94. During the school year, his column appears monthly in Neighbor.