The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Nearly three dozen Haxtun High School students are enrolled in college classes at Northeastern Junior College this fall through concurrent enrollment options. Of those students, 10 study college algebra, 13 students study English comp 1, three are in United States history and two students are taking public speaking.

According to information from Haxtun Schools, dual enrollment is “the array of programs which allows high school students to take college-level courses.”

Concurrent enrollment refers only to statewide programs created by Colorado’s Concurrent Law, revised in 2019, which is the “simultaneous enrollment of a qualified student in a post-secondary course and a local school.” School Districts are required to pay all tuition for qualified students while parents pay for all fees and books.

In 2019, Colorado State Legislators revised the law to include students in ninth and 10th grades, remove the limit of courses allowed and remove the requirement for families to repay tuition for failed courses. However, the law allows school districts to determine eligibility criteria and to determine which concurrent classes are available to students.

To qualify to take concurrent classes, students must complete an Individual Career & Academic Plan (ICAP) and submit a Concurrent Application within 60 days of the academic session. The application includes grade point average and attendance requirements as well as an explanation on how the courses align to the student’s postsecondary goals. Parents must also agree since they are responsible for the cost of fees and books as well as provide a letter of support for their student.

Synchronous courses are currently free to Haxtun School District students through Northeastern Junior College and Morgan Community College while asynchronous (not with a live teacher) cost $164.20 per credit hour at NJC and MCC. Small rural school districts have a disadvantage in implementing the Concurrent Law as compared to rural and urban schools because they are not within a few miles of an institution of higher education nor do they usually have junior/senior high staff qualified to teach concurrent courses.

“Through concurrent enrollment students can take high quality classes with a qualified teacher that counts for both high school credit and their beginning classes in college; it is a win – win,” said Haxtun Superintendent Marsha Cody. “It can reduce the overall cost of college for those who are able to apply those classes to their degree plan. Our goal is for Haxtun High School teachers to be able to teach college algebra, English comp 1, U.S. History and public speaking concurrent classes, so students have a direct connection to the teacher and eliminate the $164.20 per credit hour cost out of the general fund.”

The following is a breakdown of how many college level classes Haxtun High School students are taking this fall:

• 17 students are taking one class;

• Seven students are taking two classes;

• Three students are taking three classes;

• One student is taking four classes; and

• One student is taking five classes.

“It is important for students and parents to engage in conversations, so the classes are able to count towards their college degree plan. As students change degree programs and/or colleges, specific courses may not be needed. If a student spends time taking a class they do not need, it is not a good use of their time or the district's finances. It is also important for students to consider the implications and workload required by college classes. If they are unable to do well in the class, it can hurt their overall high school GPA as well as their college GPA. Concurrent can be a great thing, but we need to support students to not take on more than they can complete successfully,” Cody said.

To limit the impact on the district’s budget and to provide instruction with a teacher, the Haxtun School District is working to increase the number of synchronous concurrent classes including Haxtun High School teachers providing concurrent classes.

To be qualified to teach concurrent classes, a licensed teacher must have a masters plus an additional 18 credit hours in the area the teacher is teaching concurrent. The Haxtun School District is hoping to have additional junior and senior high teachers teaching concurrent classes by fall 2024.