LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County Public Schools is partnering with Jefferson Community and Technical College to offer more dual credit opportunities to high school students.
JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said the expansion of technology and virtual options mean they can help more students across the district. Students can take courses online that were not previously been available at their school.
"It's very difficult to offer the same kind of dual credit classes from school to school," Pollio said. "If you look at the list of schools in JCPS, we know this is an equity issue that some of our students have access to many college credit bearing course and some may not have hat same access."
A high school junior or senior with a 2.8 GPA or higher can earn up to six hours of college credit through dual credit programs paid for with state dollars. Educators said the credit system leads to more kids furthering their education after high school.
"National data shows that students who participate in dual-credit classes persist and succeed in college at a much higher rate than those students who don't," JCTC President Ty Handy said.
Anyone who wants to sign up for dual-credit courses is asked to contact their school counselor before the deadline for the fall semester Aug. 4.
Starting this school year, JCPS high school students can also take Advanced Placement or Career and Technical Education courses that might not be offered at their school virtually through new online hubs set up at each high school.
"If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we can use technology to break down barriers and be truly innovative about how we provide learning experiences to our students," Pollio said.
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