Many students take advantage of college credit plus programs offered at their high schools. Those who take part will have their classes turned into college credit so their time and money in college will be less than an average student.

Ashland University is one of many Ohio colleges that allows students to take their CCP classes on campus. To better the advancement of the students, AU took steps to make the learning much easier.

Towards the end of 2019, AU began its partnership with the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio to not only allow students to gain extra credit, but to train and certify high school teachers so that they can teach more students in the comfort of their classrooms.

A $3 million grant was given by The Ohio Department of Education and The Ohio Department of Higher Education to begin this new program.

“Ashland has been working with college credit plus students for a long time. Back then it was called dual enrollment but was originally called post-secondary education,” James Powell, the executive director for the professional development services at Ashland said.

The ability to have students take these college classes will not only go towards their degree. Students have the chance to see if they want to continue the path to their degree and to understand the work that goes into the rigorous courses compared to their other high school classes. Students as young as seventh-graders begin classes similar to a college freshman.

To make sure the students are being given the right information, teachers must be certified in teaching that course. With this new program, educators will have the chance to teach more advanced topics in their field of study.

“To be qualified, a teacher must have 18 hours of graduate credit in their field of study while also having their master’s degree,” Powell said. “For example, if I want to teach a math class at the college level and I only have my master’s, I will need to take those 18 hours of math.”

18 hours of math at AU correlates to nine classes. Once completed, they will apply to the college and become an adjunct to the university. They are assigned a mentor to guide them and assist them in their first few courses.

Along with AU, colleges such as the University of Findlay, Tiffin University, the University of Akron and Terra State Community College are working with ESC to certify high school teachers across northern Ohio.

“With the students having this access to CCP, this will not only help them but their families too as college is a big decision and will cut down on the costs too,” Powell said.

Since CCP students are enrolled in AU, they are considered a student. They have similar privileges as any other student will. Experiencing college at a young age gives them a chance to learn not from others, but themselves.

Certified CCP educators can also get involved with other groups to teach such as correctional education.

“Since they have already experienced Ashland, once they graduate [high school], they can come here and be ready to go,” Powell said.