Scott City High School, Mineral Area College work toward dual credits

Scott City High School is working toward an agreement with Mineral Area College to offer a variety of dual credit courses. If all goes well, classes could be available in January, principal Mike Johnson said.

Dual credit classes allow students to earn college credit while in high school. Classes are taught by high school teachers qualified to teach college courses, said Julie Downs, dual-credit coordinator at Mineral Area College.

Johnson said courses being considered are career explorations, computer applications 1 and 2, introduction to business 1 and 2, keyboarding, graphic arts, accounting, Photoshop and personal finance.

Johnson said the high school has to see whether its curriculum matches with Mineral Area College's course descriptions.

"Right now, we mainly work through Three Rivers [College]," Johnson said. "They've worked with us really well."

Downs said she spoke at a meeting earlier this month in Cape Girardeau attended by several business teachers. Johnson said several of his teachers went.

"They were talking about dual credit [classes] they were offering, and our teachers saw that as a good opportunity for our students," Johnson said.

The Cape Girardeau Partnership for Higher Education at the Career and Technology Center includes Southeast Missouri State University, Three Rivers College and Mineral Area College. Downs said Southeast and Three Rivers usually are selected for arts and sciences classes, and Mineral Area College offers career and technology courses.

"CTE is kind of ignored. I don't think people see that it has just as much value as arts and science," Downs said, "but a lot of people prefer those type of degrees. They want to get trained in those areas and get back out into the work force. This gives these high school students a jump-start."

Credit hours earned mean less of an expense if students later pursue a four-year degree.

"It's a safe environment for students to get their feet wet in a college class, opens doors of interest for careers they can tap into and interests they didn't even know they had [and] gives them confidence in their academic abilities before they get to college," Johnson wrote in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

To qualify for the dual-credit courses, Johnson said students would have to be a junior or senior and have a grade-point average of 6.0 or more on an 11-point scale. A 6.0 would be the equivalent of a C-plus average, Johnson said in the email.

Downs told Scott City High School officials in a meeting last week there are no extra fees for students or the school for courses that may be offered. "It is all covered by MAC," Johnson said in the email.

The latest incarnation of the Missouri School Improvement Program, called MSIP 5, requires high schools to focus on college and career readiness, among other things, according to a news release from Mineral Area College. This includes expanded offerings in dual credit and dual-enrollment opportunities, the release said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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