Ohio Gov’s “Seniors to sophomores” plan
I don’t know much about the governor of Ohio, but I love the man and wish he had been a governor in MY state in time to create his “seniors to sophomores” plan that would have gotten me into college one year earlier. The idea is just an extension of dual-credit classes: allowing students to take classes that meet both high school and college requirements. Where I’m at, students take these classes at their high school and the credits are applied both toward their high school graduation as well as their college degree.
Governor Strickland’s plan takes it one step further: skip the whole senior year of high school (if you meet their qualifications, which were not specified in the article I read about this) and instead head right on into your freshman year, getting credit for both your senior year of high school and your freshman year of college at the same time. Considering how much I hated high school, I would have been chomping at the bit to get outta town and head on to college. Not only would kids be saved the misery of completing one more year of high school, but it would save the state a little cash by getting kids out of school earlier. Sweet!
Of course, it’s bound to be much more complicated than that, but the idea sounds quite promising.
The “Seniors to Sophomores” program is a step backwards for highs school students in Ohio. The proposal would allow seniors to attend college tuition free if admission requirements are met. Currently, that requirement is rumored to be a 3.0 high school GPA. From what I have read, students would also have to purchase books and pay other small fees (not sure what that means) while attending college while enrolled in this program.
Why do I say this is a step backwards? Currently, students can attend college during their freshman through senior years in high school while receiving dual credit (both HS and college). A 3.0 GPA in same subject areas is required (3.0 in high school English to take English at a college) It’s called the Post-Secondary Enrollment Program (PSEOP). This program pays for ALL fees while attending college. Therefore, this would truly be a step backwards for high school students. My assumption it all boils down to the almighty dollar. The PSEO program takes tax dollars from the high school to help pay for this program. That has ALWAYS been an issue with high school administrators and staff.
I am one of the 21 students participating in the Seniors to Sophomores Program. I can’t speak for the rest of the Columbus City School students participating, but participating in this program has been one of the best oppurtunies in my 17 years of living. Not only am i getting a whole years worth of tuition for FREE (and that includes books), i also get to experience college life and high school simultaneously. I get the best of both worlds. I am enrolled at The Ohio State University and Mifflin High. Not only am i taking a full load of college courses but i still participate in activities at my high school such as basketball and national honor society. I even went to my senior homecoming. Tell me that’s not sweet!
Don’t get me wrong. S2S students recieve no special treatment. We’re high school seniors who have to survive on our own on campus. We have the same resources provided to all students on our seperate campuses. As far as admittance, each university has it’s own standards on which students it will recieve. Obviously, not every student with a 3.0 will get accepted. ACT/SAT scores were taken into consideration also. Seniors to Sophomores is simply an extreme form of the Post Secondary Enrollment Program.