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Offering College-Credit Bearing Opportunities

Partnering with universities to provide college credit courses in high school

Overview

To provide its students with a no-cost opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school, Meriden Public Schools became a pilot partner with the National Education Equity Lab, which allowed the district to offer college-credit bearing courses to its high school students through partnerships with higher education institutions like Harvard University.

"Another partnership that continues to grow more offerings for our students has been partnerships with universities to provide students with college credits. For example, a university has just reached out to us and said, ‘Can we form a partnership with you where your teachers are teaching your courses, our school of communication approves the syllabus, and those students can get college credit for completing those courses?’ If there is an avenue to provide more opportunities for our students, we're all in, and we'll explore any opportunity. Once you have one opportunity the other opportunities present themselves." - Mark Benigni, Superintendent

Approach

With this partnership, colleges from around the country provide Meriden teachers with training, syllabi, and coordination support to help these teachers deliver college-level courses to students while still in high school. Students are able to access these courses at no cost and also receive one-on-one college mentors to help them with college applications and financial aid processes. This initial partnership has now expanded, and Meriden is now exploring partnerships with other colleges to increase opportunities for its students.


This strategy is a part of TLA's Hop, Skip, Leapfrog release, which explores the concrete ways in which schools and systems pursued student-centered innovation during COVID-19. Explore the full guide to find additional strategies, insights, and resources.