2008-09 DUAL ENROLLMENT AWARDS SPREADSHEET.xls

All Pennsylvania students must graduate from high school prepared to enter college and the high-skills workforce.

To achieve this goal, Pennsylvania will …

• Transform our high schools. Project 720 – named for the number of days a student spends in high school from the beginning of 9th grade to the end of 12th grade – will help transform Pennsylvania’s high schools so that every student can succeed. Project 720 pilot districts are leading the way in making the curriculum more challenging and improving the learning environment.   The 2007-08 budget includes $11 million to serve 161 schools across the Commonwealth.

• Help students earn college credit before graduating from high school.  The 2007-08 state budget signed by Governor Rendell includes $10 million to fund Dual Enrollment Programs for high school students to take college-level, credit-bearing courses at local community colleges and four-year colleges and universities.  These courses will also count towards high school graduation requirements.  Pennsylvania's dual enrollment program also emphasizes early college, middle college, and gateway to college programs.  State funds will be targeted to at-risk students, academically challenged school districts, and the Project 720 sites.

• Upgrade “Vo-Tech” for the 21st century. Nearly 100,000 Pennsylvania high school students enroll in a Career & Technical Education (CTE) program during their high school career. CTE must be dramatically improved so that students are held to high academic standards and receive training for high-demand occupations.

• Create seamless Transitions from High School to Higher Education. Pennsylvania must align its high school and postsecondary education in order to better serve our students. The Commonwealth will explore using the 11th grade statewide reading and math assessments as college entrance and placement exams and will create a statewide transfer policy between two-and four-year public higher education institutions to ensure that students can move their credits from one institution to another – and that the credits count in their major field.  Governor Rendell created the Commission on College and Career Success to focus on preparing high school students for post-graduate opportunities in higher education or the workforce.