College & Workforce Readiness

College-Credit Plan for High-Schoolers a Hot Iowa Debate

By Scott J. Cech — April 08, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Dual-enrollment programs are no longer unusual. The U.S. Department of Education says that more than half of all colleges enroll high school students in courses for college credit. What is unusual is the kind of pushback a proposed expansion of dual enrollment in Iowa has provoked.

To many, Gov. Chet Culver’s “Senior Year Plus” proposal to let dual-enrollment students take up to 30 hours of college credit might have seemed an uncontroversial way to give them a free head start in college.

But the bill, introduced last February at the behest of the Democratic governor, rankled some members of the higher education community, including Lee Skeens, a psychology professor at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in Iowa. See data on Iowa’s public school system.

“We’re already getting students who are … not academically prepared for college courses,” said Mr. Skeens, who also chairs a higher education committee in the National Education Association-affiliated Iowa State Education Association. “If we start reaching down for more students, I don’t see that as a good thing.”

The association hasn’t taken a formal position, he said, but he and about 50 other representatives from higher education groups, including the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, met with legislators on dual enrollment and other topics in March.

Democratic state Rep. Cindy Winckler, the bill’s floor manager and a former teacher, said lawmakers amended the legislation after hearing concerns about training gaps among some high school teachers who were leading college courses.

“Fifty to 70 percent of those [dual-enrollment] courses are taught by a high school teacher that is then hired in their own building to teach a college-equivalent course,” she said.

The bill, which has also been introduced in the Iowa Senate, now calls for students to meet colleges’ normal enrollment requirements and to show proficiency on state achievement tests or alternative assessments.

Further, it provides for a committee of postsecondary and other educators to conduct random audits of classes to ensure they’re up to college standards.

A version of this article appeared in the April 09, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness These High School Graduates Earned a Diploma—and a $74,000 Teaching Contract
This district's 'grow-your-own' program includes an extra incentive: a generous starting salary for graduates who come back to teach.
6 min read
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025.
Leonellys Rodriguez, a graduate of University High School in Newark, N.J., and recipient of a conditional teaching job offer from the Newark Public School District, poses with Principal Genique Flournoy-Hamilton on June 24, 2025. The district's grow-your-own, dual-enrollment partnership will bring high-achieving students back to the district as teachers.
Courtesy of Newark Public School District
College & Workforce Readiness AP Students Rate Their Favorite—and Least Favorite—Courses of 2025
Students taking AP exams for college credit can review their scores in July.
3 min read
Illustration of diverse students sitting on a stack of huge textbooks with one holding a pencil and smiling. There is a blue background with ghosted math equations swirling around.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Summer Jobs for Teens Are Now Scarce. Some Schools Are Trying to Change That
From on-campus job fairs to partnerships with local programs, these high schools are finding teens summer work.
5 min read
Hannah Waring, left, a student at Loudoun Valley High School, and Abby McDonough, a student at Liberty University, work in the strawberry stand at Wegmeyer Farms in Hamilton, Va., on May 23, 2017. Waring and McDonough worked at Wegmeyer Farms for the summer. Summer jobs are vanishing as U.S. teens spend more time in school and doing extra curricular activities, and face competition from older workers.
Hannah Waring, left, a student at Loudoun Valley High School, and Abby McDonough, a student at Liberty University, work in the strawberry stand at Wegmeyer Farms in Hamilton, Va., on May 23, 2017. The teen summer employment rate is down this year, but some schools are trying to create opportunities for their students.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
College & Workforce Readiness College for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Faces an Uncertain Future
Inclusive higher education programs benefit students with intellectual disabilities. But funding challenges are threatening their growth.
8 min read
Students in the TerpsEXCEED program celebrate in their caps and gowns with a photo on McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Students in the TerpsEXCEED program celebrate in their caps and gowns with a photo on McKeldin Mall at the University of Maryland in College Park. Inclusive postsecondary programs offer education and opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities, but uncertainties around federal funding threaten their growth.
Photo Credit: Feldy Suwito, Image of Life Photography