Geneva High aims to help more students get college credit while still in high school

When a Geneva High School student takes a dual-credit class, it can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree. And the district now is looking to expand such course offerings.

That now includes courses such as Modern Mass Communication, which is aligned with a College of DuPage course called Introduction to Mass Communication, and similarly Geneva’s Advanced GTV Broadcasting aligned with COD’s Introduction to Television Studio Production.

Geneva High Associate Principal Doug Drexler recently presented an update on the high school’s continuing dual-credit offerings, and efforts to expand them, at a Geneva District 304 school board meeting.

“Dual credit is more widely accepted today than it’s ever been. … These are college courses that are taught at the high school by high school faculty and they simultaneously earn college credit and high school credit,” Drexler said. “These courses exist as part of an agreement with a university.”

Other higher education institutions are also involved: Quantitative Literacy & Statistics is aligned with college prerequisites for Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, while Calculus 3 aligns with the same course at the University of Illinois.

In all, the high school either offers or plans to offer 11 math, 10 English, seven science and five social studies classes for dual credit, documents show.

While most are with community colleges, Drexler said other colleges are joining.

“There are universities all around the state that we have the potential to work with — and some even out of state,” Drexler said. “These are taught by high school faculty members that have the specific credentials to teach that course.”

High school students have to meet the same course prerequisites as on-campus students, he said, such as a minimum ACT score or grade-point average.

The benefits go beyond saving money by earning college credits while still in high school, Drexler said.

“Students become more adaptable and marketable to employers in an evolving market,” Drexler said. “It’s about getting the most value out of the four-year experience in college, not just speeding it up. Think about the job market. The more flexible you are, the more adaptable you are, the wider background you have — you are going to be much more marketable to employers.”

The other component to dual credit is having faculty credentialed to teach them.

For example, to teach a dual-credit class in history requires a master’s degree in history or in curriculum and instruction, plus 18 graduate hours in history, he said.

Universities review those credentials and designate the teacher as an adjunct instructor.

“This is honestly the most limiting factor to expansion of these opportunities,” Drexler said, adding some implementation dates are yet to be determined because they await faculty credentialing.

When the high school is fully able to get all its dual-credit classes credentialed, Drexler said 89% of students will have access to six hours of college credit hours.

John Thomas, math department chairman and a dual-credit instructor himself, said of the 45 students enrolled in Calculus 1 and 2, 40 are signed up for dual credit.

The five who didn’t either had not yet taken the ACT or SAT or another placement test, but they still can take it as an Advanced Placement course, he said.

The district must consider the financial cost of hiring teachers with credentials or training its current staff, Superintendent Andrew Barrett said.