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Students may be offered ‘middle’ option
High school and college officials are considering opening classes that combine both academic levels.
By Angela Hokanson
GLENDALE — Students who are in high school but could use a change of scenery may have a new option for education come fall 2009.
The Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College are looking into the creation of a “Middle College” program that would allow high school students to take a combination of high school and college classes at Glendale Community College.
Students would work toward their associate’s degree while obtaining their high school diploma, and potentially even receive both degrees in four years, said Dick Sheehan, the school district’s assistant superintendent for secondary education.
The school district is interested in creating this specialized program to serve students who score well on standardized tests but struggle academically in a traditional high school environment.
In reviewing its student data, school district staff members have noted that a core group of students fits this description.
The district is looking to create a way to help this group excel, Sheehan explained.
“Basically, a lot of these kids, for lack of a better term, are bored with high school,” he said.
The district and the college are in the planning process of the program, which they aim to open in fall 2009.
While the program model has not been fully developed, it might start with about 60 sophomores its first year, and grow to 180 students once a full group of sophomores, juniors and seniors are enrolled, Sheehan said.
The school district would look to identify students for the program after their freshman year in high school, he said.
Middle Colleges — which are also called Middle College High Schools — can serve a variety of students, including youth who aren’t plugged in to activities at their high school and aren’t finding a place for themselves in high school culture, said Dawn Lindsay, the college’s vice president of instructional services.
“Ultimately, the goal is to get a student who may not be having the best time in high school . . . to get them engaged in the opportunity to do well,” Lindsay said.
Several Middle College programs at other colleges have students take high school classes in the morning and then college classes in the afternoon, a model that Glendale might use, Lindsay said.
Students who are enrolled in the program would not have to pay tuition for the college classes they take, but the college would receive state funding based on the number of students enrolled.
In the fall, Glendale school district staff members visited the Middle College High School that is a partnership between the San Bernardino City Unified School District and San Bernardino Valley College.
That program, which was established in 2001, has been named a California Distinguished School, and is a nominee for national Blue Ribbon School status, said Bette Vest, who coordinates the San Bernardino program.
Their program has been successful in raising students’ grades, and the large majority of graduates continue on to college, Vest said. This year, out of a senior class of 52 students, about 24% will graduate with associate’s degrees as well as high school diplomas.
“I think it’s being encouraged to be caring about your future, to know that it’s OK to be smart,” Vest said about why middle colleges can be effective.
Glendale’s program would be housed at the college, but one of the biggest obstacles so far has been identifying exactly where to put it, Lindsay said.
The high school students would be integrated into regular college classrooms for their college courses, but the college doesn’t have space available to dedicate to the high-school-level classes.
“We are packed to the gills in the morning,” Lindsay said.
One option under consideration is moving some of the school district’s portable classrooms onto the college campus, but this would still require finding space for the portable buildings on the college’s hilly campus, Sheehan said.
District and college staff members plan to meet in May to discuss options to house the new program.
The Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College are looking into the creation of a “Middle College” program that would allow high school students to take a combination of high school and college classes at Glendale Community College.
Students would work toward their associate’s degree while obtaining their high school diploma, and potentially even receive both degrees in four years, said Dick Sheehan, the school district’s assistant superintendent for secondary education.
The school district is interested in creating this specialized program to serve students who score well on standardized tests but struggle academically in a traditional high school environment.
In reviewing its student data, school district staff members have noted that a core group of students fits this description.
The district is looking to create a way to help this group excel, Sheehan explained.
“Basically, a lot of these kids, for lack of a better term, are bored with high school,” he said.
The district and the college are in the planning process of the program, which they aim to open in fall 2009.
While the program model has not been fully developed, it might start with about 60 sophomores its first year, and grow to 180 students once a full group of sophomores, juniors and seniors are enrolled, Sheehan said.
The school district would look to identify students for the program after their freshman year in high school, he said.
Middle Colleges — which are also called Middle College High Schools — can serve a variety of students, including youth who aren’t plugged in to activities at their high school and aren’t finding a place for themselves in high school culture, said Dawn Lindsay, the college’s vice president of instructional services.
“Ultimately, the goal is to get a student who may not be having the best time in high school . . . to get them engaged in the opportunity to do well,” Lindsay said.
Several Middle College programs at other colleges have students take high school classes in the morning and then college classes in the afternoon, a model that Glendale might use, Lindsay said.
Students who are enrolled in the program would not have to pay tuition for the college classes they take, but the college would receive state funding based on the number of students enrolled.
In the fall, Glendale school district staff members visited the Middle College High School that is a partnership between the San Bernardino City Unified School District and San Bernardino Valley College.
That program, which was established in 2001, has been named a California Distinguished School, and is a nominee for national Blue Ribbon School status, said Bette Vest, who coordinates the San Bernardino program.
Their program has been successful in raising students’ grades, and the large majority of graduates continue on to college, Vest said. This year, out of a senior class of 52 students, about 24% will graduate with associate’s degrees as well as high school diplomas.
“I think it’s being encouraged to be caring about your future, to know that it’s OK to be smart,” Vest said about why middle colleges can be effective.
Glendale’s program would be housed at the college, but one of the biggest obstacles so far has been identifying exactly where to put it, Lindsay said.
The high school students would be integrated into regular college classrooms for their college courses, but the college doesn’t have space available to dedicate to the high-school-level classes.
“We are packed to the gills in the morning,” Lindsay said.
One option under consideration is moving some of the school district’s portable classrooms onto the college campus, but this would still require finding space for the portable buildings on the college’s hilly campus, Sheehan said.
District and college staff members plan to meet in May to discuss options to house the new program.
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