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Along Life’s Way
A “Jump Start”
to College—CCP
By Lois E. Wilson
In the summer of 1964, in my 30’s, I returned to college to finish my
bachelor’s degree. In my English Composition course were two students
who had just finished their junior year of high school. We were all
intimidated by the instructor’s nickname, “Flunkin’ Duncan.” However,
those young students had goals for the future and succeeded in the
course. This was when I first learned that college credits could be
earned while still in high school.
A few years ago, I tutored a young student, Hannah McCartney, in
drawing. She went to Franklin Monroe and graduated from there. While in
high school, Hannah took college courses at Edison State Community
College. She was very motivated and went to the Piqua campus for many
of her classes. By the time she graduated from high school, Hannah had
accumulated 27 college credits. All her credits transferred. She
received a scholarship and is now a student at Wittenberg University,
class of 2018. She is a history major with minors in archaeology,
pre-modern studies, and studio art.
The students mentioned above accomplished earning their advanced
credits before Ohio’s more formalized College Credit Plus (CCP)
program. The Ohio Department of Higher Education reports that in the
program’s first full year 2015-16, more than 52,000 Ohio H.S. students
saved more than $120 million on college tuition.
How does CCP work? Students in grades 7-12 who attend schools in the
state of Ohio may be eligible to earn high school and college credits
concurrently and get a “jump start” on their career and higher
education objectives at no cost or little cost. Nonpublic and
homeschooled students are also able to enroll in the CCP program. Last
year, 15% of Ohio’s juniors and seniors took advantage of the program
with 90% receiving the passing grade required to earn college credit.
Some students have earned a college associate degree before they
received their high school diploma. A wide variety of courses are
guaranteed to transfer to any Ohio public institution.
To learn more about entering the program, students should first talk to
their high school counselors. They will help guide them through the
steps needed to see if they qualify, how to apply, and when the
application deadlines are.
Pertinent information is on each college’s website. Application forms
are also usually there. Some courses are available on line. Here is a
link to the Edison State CCP program website:
https://www.edisonohio.edu/College-Credit-Plus/
CCP is a wonderful opportunity for young students who want to start
their college experience early and reduce the overall cost of higher
education—a worthy program to fulfill worthy goals.
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