Arkansas law lessens costs of concurrent classes for some

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Annette Roller reviews Thursday the week's schedule and problems that will be on an upcoming quiz in her plane trigonometry class at Rogers High School. A new state law allows low-income students (eligible for free or reduced-price lunches) to take up to six credit hours of endorsed concurrent enrollment courses taught on the grounds of the student's public school district and by a teacher employed by that district.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Annette Roller reviews Thursday the week's schedule and problems that will be on an upcoming quiz in her plane trigonometry class at Rogers High School. A new state law allows low-income students (eligible for free or reduced-price lunches) to take up to six credit hours of endorsed concurrent enrollment courses taught on the grounds of the student's public school district and by a teacher employed by that district.

Arkansas high school students from low-income families may take certain college-level courses for free under a law that took effect this school year.

Act 1118 of 2017 states any student who qualifies for a free or reduced-price lunch shall not be required to pay for up to six hours of endorsed concurrent enrollment courses taught at the student's high school by a teacher employed by that school.

Concurrent enrollment

The number of students in Northwest Arkansas Community College’s high-school based concurrent classes and the number of credit hours they take increases each fall semester. Here are enrollment and credit hours in that program for the past four fall semesters.

SemesterHigh school studentsCredit hours*Percent change in credit hours

Fall 20148734,124*33%

Fall 20151,0074,447*8%

Fall 20161,2136,062*36%

Fall 20171,2836,616*9%

Source: Northwest Arkansas Community College

Act 1118 impact

Each of Northwest Arkansas’ four largest school districts have paid for students to take concurrent classes as required under Act 1118 of 2017.

Bentonville School District has had 13 students take 18 courses at a cost to the district of about $1,800, according to Jennifer Morrow, the district’s director of secondary education.

Fayetteville School District has had seven students take courses at a cost to the district of $1,050, according to Mark Oesterle, director of secondary education.

Rogers School District has had 35 students take 70 classes at a cost to the district of $5,170, according to Virginia Abernathy, an assistant superintendent.

Springdale School District has paid for about 72 courses, according to Megan Slocum, associate superintendent. The district did not provide a cost.

Source: Staff report

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SOURCE: Arkansas Department of Education

Free and reduced-price lunch rates

A concurrent course means a college-level course, offered by an institution of higher education in Arkansas, that upon completion would qualify for academic credit in both the institution of higher education and a public high school. An endorsed course covers one of the four core subject matters: math, English, science and social studies.

Act 1118 does not make money available to pay for the courses. Richard Abernathy, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, said the association dislikes unfunded mandates, and Act 1118 is one of them.

As Abernathy pointed out, however, the law doesn't stipulate whether the college or the high school should pay the bill. It could be either or both that pay.

Abernathy also acknowledged the benefits of the law to students.

"We already had several schools helping poverty kids to take concurrent classes, but this helps level the field for poverty kids across the state," Abernathy said. "We certainly feel that giving poverty kids an opportunity to take concurrent courses is really good for those kids."

Northwest Arkansas Community College handles concurrent enrollment for Benton and Washington counties through its Early College Experience program.

The college's high school-based concurrent enrollment increased by 5.8 percent for the fall 2017 semester compared to the previous year, though that was modest compared to the 20 percent increase in fall 2016.

The college regularly charges $75 per credit hour to in-district students -- those living in Bentonville and Rogers school districts -- and $122.50 to out-of-district students, but grants a 60 percent discount on tuition and waives most fees for high school students.

In the Rogers School District, 35 low-income students have taken 70 concurrent courses for free under Act 1118 this school year. The district paid $5,170 for those courses. That money came from the district's National School Lunch Act fund, according to Virginia Abernathy, an assistant superintendent for the district.

She said the law provides students an "excellent opportunity" to get a taste of college, an experience she hopes inspires them to pursue -- and figure out a way to pay for -- a college degree after high school.

Early College Experience

The Early College Experience is a partnership between the community college and area high schools that helps students accelerate their progress toward a college degree or certificate. Students who select this option can take transferable general education or career and technical courses while still in high school.

The program started in 1995 with roughly 250 students from five high schools. Last fall semester, 1,283 students from 20 public and four private high schools participated in the high school-based classes -- an enrollment increase of 95 percent from fall 2012, according to the college's Fact Book data.

Diana Johnson, the college's director of high school relations, said high schools are becoming more focused on offering college credit to their students and preparing them for their next step after graduation, a main reason for the surge in the college's concurrent enrollment.

The college discounted tuition and waived fees for high school students before Act 1118, Johnson said.

"We've had a lot of conversations with the superintendents about how we would cover the cost" of Act 1118, Johnson said. "Basically, the college felt we were already giving a significant discount and we couldn't afford to increase our scholarship anymore because the funding formula has no funding for concurrent credit."

Johnson is exploring grants that would help cover the costs for high school students, she said.

Mary Hadley Williams, a senior at Rogers High School, is taking Marsha Hudson's English composition II class this semester. It's the third concurrent class she has taken, along with English composition I and college algebra.

"I liked the idea that once I graduated from high school I wouldn't have to worry about these classes in college, that I could go ahead and move up a level," Williams said. "And it's cheaper this way."

Williams will attend the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville this fall with plans to major in social work. She believes the classes have helped prepare her.

"Those professors in college aren't going to be telling you, 'Remember to turn this in, remember this is due then.' It's kind of pushed me into the deep end a little bit, but not as bad as it would have been at the university level," Williams said.

Hudson has taught concurrent classes for five years. A sign inside her classroom states "Earn college credit here" along with the Northwest Arkansas Community College logo.

Hudson said she's more rigid on things like deadlines in her concurrent classes than she is in her other classes.

Addressing inequity

State Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, said she worked closely with Bill Stovall, director of Arkansas Community Colleges, to write the bill that became Act 1118. It passed without a single vote against it.

Irvin has four children who have attended public schools and taken concurrent courses offered by their local two-year college. The college and high school provided the courses at a discounted tuition rate, but it still cost the family hundreds of dollars.

Irvin realized two other school districts in that college's service area allowed their students to take concurrent courses for free. That was a concern to her.

"Given our court-mandated threshold of 'adequacy,' I was very troubled by the fact that there are students receiving college courses during their K-12 public school education at no cost, and other students who had to pay for this same benefit," Irvin wrote in an email. "There was really no standard process or policy in place across the state on this issue."

Irvin supports concurrent courses because they can help students to transition from high school to college, but in the case of her kids' school, only those students who could afford it received the college credit, she said.

"That completely defeats the purpose in my opinion of the program because it didn't help the very students that need that 'foot in the door,'" Irvin wrote.

She also couldn't understand the cost associated with the tuition because the course was taught by a school district employee, paid by a district already receiving money from the state. That's why Irvin's bill addresses only those core, endorsed concurrent courses.

Some Northwest Arkansas high schools were offering free tuition for concurrent classes before Act 1118.

Pea Ridge High School pays for concurrent credit courses taught on campus, but not for online concurrent courses, said Charley Clark, principal.

Rogers' New Technology High School started a program in 2014, paid through a Walton Family Foundation grant, that allowed students to attend one college class per semester their junior year and two classes per semester senior year, all for free.

That program inspired Rogers administrators to launch its associate degree program last school year. Juniors and seniors split their time between their high school and Northwest Arkansas Community College, where they take five courses per semester. Students pay for textbooks, but the district picks up tuition and fees.

The goal is for participating students to have an associate degree by the end of high school. There are 71 students from Rogers' three high schools in the associate degree program; of those, 29 seniors are on track to graduate with an associate degree this spring, according to Virginia Abernathy.

NW News on 03/11/2018

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