McAllen school district and STC give high school students a head start on college

McALLEN - For several years high school students have been able to get ahead by taking college-level courses and other advanced classes at their schools.

Now, starting in the fall, 100 McAllen high school freshmen will be able to take all of their classes at a college campus.

The McAllen school district and South Texas College unveiled their plans Tuesday to start an early college high school program in the fall at the college's main campus to prepare students for college.

Students will take all their classes at the campus and by their junior and senior year will be taking college-level courses. Seniors will graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree.

The Progreso school district started its own version of the program this year and the Mercedes district plans to roll out its early college high school program in the fall. Unlike McAllen's program, students in Progreso and Mercedes attend classes at their high schools.

South Texas College also is in talks with the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district to start a program there.

The Progreso and Mercedes school districts received grants to run their programs, said Wallace Johnson, STC's assistant director of college readiness and early college high school programs. McAllen's program is self-funded; however, the college is waiving its tuition for the McAllen students.

McAllen's program is open to all rising ninth-grade students, but the district is targeting students who come from low-income families, are English language learners or would be the first in their families to go to college.

STC President Shirley Reed said more than half of the students who come to the college are ill-prepared for the coursework and end up having to take remedial-level classes to catch up. On the other side of the coin, the college has seen considerable success with its dual enrollment programs for high school juniors and seniors.

STC believes that if it can start working with students earlier, those students will have better chances of succeeding in post-secondary education, Reed said.

"We know it can be done," she said.
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Jennifer L. Berghom covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.