Dual enrollment classes might not count towards a student’s GPA at Old Rochester Regional High School, but they do at Wareham High School, a school choice school with a new partnership with Bridgewater State University that will give upperclassmen a head start in their secondary education.
In a March 17 press release, Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino announced the new partnership with BSU, which will offer junior- and senior-year students a reduced-tuition cost per course as well as transportation to and from BSU.
The topic of dual enrollment courses counting as high school credits and being factored into the student’s GPA came up recently at ORR when one concerned mother of an ORR student spoke out during a School Committee meeting. She said it was not fair that her son – a dual enrollment student – is ineligible to be school valedictorian and cannot speak at his graduation ceremony because his dual enrollment course credits are not applied to his high school GPA.
ORRHS Principal Michael Devoll recently made the final decision to keep the status quo and not integrate dual enrollment courses into the GPA. He stated that dual enrollment classes, of which 40 hours of class time are required, do not equate to the 120 class time hours required of a high school class.
“The outcome of participating in dual enrollment during both the junior and senior year can result in a student graduating from high school with as many credits as a sophomore in college,” says Palladino in the press release.
In a phone interview, Palladino said the BSU dual enrollment project has been in the works for about a year and a half.
If a student takes four dual enrollment courses during junior and senior year at 12 credits per year, he or she gets the equivalent of a freshman year in college upon graduation. Dual enrollment courses are offered in all aspects of general education.
If they so choose, students from ORR could opt to enroll at Wareham High, because it is a school choice school.
“I know Mr. Devoll won’t be happy, but…” said Palladino. As far as ORR students are concerned, “We’d certainly be happy to have them,” Palladino said.
For more information about school choice or the dual enrollment program with BSU, email Scott Palladino at spalladino@wareham.k12.ma.us, or call 508-291-3510 extension 718.
By Jean Perry