Sophomores will be offered a new course next year designed to prepare students for college and life after high school while earning college credit at the same time.
Principal Josh Nichols said that this new course is to ensure that students meet the College, Career and Military Readiness standard that is required by the Texas Education Agency.
“Starting next year, freshmen will get a full four-level pathway, and at the end of the progression, they will take a certification test, and then their sophomore year they will start the course,” Nichols said.
Freshman Liam Shewmake said he is interested in the new course.
“This new opportunity sounds great, and I’m very excited to be a part of it next year,” Shewmake said.
This new course is called “Strategies for Success.”
“Every sophomore will take this college prep class,” Nichols said. “The first semester will give students the opportunity to gain three hours of dual credit, and the second semester is going to be a Texas Student Initiative Assessment prep course.”
Adding this course into the curriculum provides students the opportunity to earn more college credits because they will be able to start taking the classes earlier.
“We are going from offering 18 to 33 dual credit hours by adding this course,” Nichols said. “So not only are we providing the chance for our students to get more college hours, but this new class also helps the school certify that students are college ready.”
Sophomore McKenzie Bradshaw said she thinks this new course will be extremely helpful.
“I’m glad this class is being added because it is a good chance to get in more college hours,” Bradshaw said.
Shewmake said he plans to take all available dual credit classes to get as many hours as he can.
“I want to take as many dual credit classes as possible, so it is nice that we are getting more,” Shewmake said.
The TSI part of the course will not take a full semester, so students will also participate in a tax preparation program.
“The tax prep program at the end of the course will give students a certification, which they could use to get a job right out of high school without going to college,” Nichols said. “So basically this gives them an extra certification that they can use if they want to.”
Bradshaw said she thinks this class is going to help students to be better prepared for the future.
“I think with the tax prep lessons and the extra dual credit hours, it will help students to be more prepared for college and their life after high school in general,” Bradshaw said.
Nichols said that “Strategies for Success” not only helps students with college and career readiness, but it also helps the school financially.
“With this course, all the kids that go through and pass it gives the school a $2,000 outcome bonus,” Nichols said. “The course is going to cost us an additional $8,000, but we can recoup that through the outcome bonus while helping our students prepare for their futures.”
