{"id":9357,"date":"2018-11-16T19:02:36","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T19:02:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=9357"},"modified":"2018-11-16T19:02:36","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T19:02:36","slug":"utrgv-notes-growth-in-its-number-of-dual-enrollment-high-school-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=9357","title":{"rendered":"UTRGV Notes Growth in its Number of Dual Enrollment High School Students"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UTRGV helps high school students get a jump on college credits by allowing them to enroll, free of charge, in its Dual Enrollment Program. During the fall 2017 semester, 576 students were enrolled in the program; but that number jumped to 722 for the fall 2018 semester. A study by The UT System looked at dual credit programs and found a student\u2019s exposure to one dual credit course can have a significant impact on his or her academic success. Pictured are former UTRGV dual enrollment students, from left: Elias Frias (Brownsville Early College High School, now a senior at UTRGV), Emma Medellin (Early College High School in Harlingen, now a UTRGV graduate), Mayra Tovar (Brownsville Early College High School, now a UTRGV graduate), Jaime Fonseca (Brownsville Early College High School, now a senior at UTRGV), Magdalena McKula (Brownsville Early College High School, now a UTRGV graduate), Enrique Granados (Trinidad Garza Early College High School in Dallas, now a senior at UTRGV) and Nallely Flores (Brownsville Early College High School, now a senior at UTRGV). Photo: David Pike\/UTRGV<\/p><\/div>\n

by Amanda Alaniz<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley\u00a0Dual Enrollment Program<\/a>\u00a0is reporting a bump in the number of students earning college credit.<\/p>\n

Statistics show that during UTRGV\u2019s fall 2017 semester, 576 students were enrolled in the program; at the start of the fall 2018 semester, 722 students were enrolled, an increase of about 25 percent.<\/p>\n

In dual credit programs, high school juniors and seniors can enroll in college courses and receive both high school and college credits. UTRGV currently partners with 26 Valley districts to help students receive college credit.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0University of Texas System\u00a0recently researched the impacts of dual credit programs, such as graduation rates and student debt, and the pros and cons of dual credit from student and faculty perspectives, and found that a student\u2019s exposure to one dual credit course can have a significant impact on academic success.<\/p>\n

Michael Aldape, UTRGV director of Special Programs overseeing the\u00a0Dual Enrollment Program<\/a>, said qualifying high school students are able to take courses in the UTRGV\u00a0core curriculum<\/a>,\u00a0such as English 1301, College Algebra, and Political Science 2305.<\/p>\n

UTRGV does not charge high school students to take dual enrollment courses.<\/p>\n

To get students involved with the program, UTRGV representatives consult with school counselors and district administrators about establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to review the program\u2019s workings and assisting the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a student is cleared for admissions \u2013 after filling out the application and filing the proper documentation \u2013 they\u2019re invited to an on-campus advisement session, where they learn more about how they can be successful in the program,\u201d Aldape said. \u201cWe give them tools, tips and strategies for making the most of their time in their courses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cindy Valdez, UTRGV associate vice president for\u00a0Student Educational Outreach<\/a>, said her department works to distribute vital information about the program to high schools, parents and students. They also address any misunderstandings, as the classes students can take are applicable to most degree plans but there can be some confusion, at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents want their children to get as much credit as possible, but it\u2019s really not about how many hours you can get. It\u2019s knowing those courses that you\u2019re taking are actually going to be applied to your degree once you get into a university,\u201d Valdez said. \u201cSometimes, parents and students come in asking about how some career and technical courses will apply to the degree at UTRGV, and, well, they won\u2019t. But if the student is working toward an associate degree at a community college, they may apply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Valdez and Aldape said they\u2019re in the process of redefining how they communicate with parents and students about the program, to reassure that they are clear on how dual credit works. They\u2019re working to revamp their website and regularly visit campuses to talk with families about the program\u2019s benefits.<\/p>\n

One of the common associations with dual credit is that it can save students money once they get to a university. Students graduate, on average, within three years of entering the university with about 60 hours completed, Aldape said. It does depend on the degree plan and the actual student, especially if they choose to grow their college experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen students themselves self-identify: \u2018I don\u2019t want to graduate now. I want to take my time. I actually want to explore. I want to be involved with extracurricular activities.\u2019 We work with them to make those intentional choices. That way, they get the full experience they want,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Dual Enrollment Department works with students individually, helping them seek a variety of opportunities to make the most of their college career.<\/p>\n

\u2018ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I\u2019VE MADE\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Magdalena McKula, a recent UTRGV psychology graduate and former\u00a0Greater Texas Foundation Scholar<\/a>, attended Brownsville Early College High School and participated in the Dual Enrollment Program.<\/p>\n

She was able to take more than a dozen college courses \u2013 all free of charge \u2013 while she was still in high school.<\/p>\n

Taking part in the program helped her prepare for college, she said, provided opportunities for scholarships, and challenged her academically.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of the best decisions I made,\u201d McKula said.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, I struggled as I transitioned from high school to college courses, as I was a student who didn\u2019t have to study to do well in high school. But, college was a wakeup call, and I did poorly academically my first two semesters. I had to learn study strategies in order to succeed academically. After that, I was on the Dean\u2019s List and President\u2019s List for the rest of my college career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

McKula said students interested in participating in Dual Enrollment should be prepared to work hard, ask questions, take notes, and not procrastinate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t give up,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is one of the greatest investments you can make for your future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone interested learning more about the Dual Enrollment Program or the Greater Texas Foundation Scholars Program at UTRGV can contact Aldape at (956) 882-7732 or\u00a0michael.aldape@utrgv.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Amanda Alaniz RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley\u00a0Dual Enrollment Program\u00a0is reporting a bump in the number of students earning college credit. Statistics show that during UTRGV\u2019s fall 2017 semester, 576 students were enrolled in the program; at the start of the fall 2018 semester, 722 students were enrolled, an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9359,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9357\/revisions\/9359"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}