Schools

UMHS Students May Get Head Start with College Experience

Upper Moreland High School may partner with Montgomery County Community College.

A potential partnership with Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) may mean Upper Moreland High School (UMHS) students can one day graduate with an Associate’s degree from the college - while still in high school.

“This is a big deal,” Dr. Robert Milrod, superintendent said.

Milrod described the potential partnership in a presentation to the Feb. 7 Programs and Services Committee of the Upper Moreland School Board.

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Milrod said, he, along with the school district’s director of education and an administrative team from the high school, met with administrative members of MCCC last month.

During that meeting, it was discussed how UMHS students could opt for dual enrollment at the college. Students would have the option of travelling to MCCC for classes or have MCCC-certified UMHS teachers provide instruction at the high school. 

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Milrod said that the partnership would be available for all qualified UMHS students from 10th – 12th-grade.

As part of the qualification process, Milrod suggested that all UMHS ninth-grade students take the college’s readiness exam. Not only could students be identified for participation in the potential MCCC partnership, but the school district would also have another tool in which to measure academic needs of the students.

During his presentation, Milrod gave several reasons for entering a partnership with MCCC.

His first reason was to have the students be better prepared for the academics of college life. Demonstrating this, Milrod presented an MCCC data chart, which showed that a majority of incoming freshmen had lower scores in certain areas of the college’s readiness exam, which might lead some students to take remedial courses.

Milrod also said that the partnership would allow a continuum of opportunities for the students, from taking remedial MCCC courses while still at UMHS, to substantially enhancing their junior and senior years of high school with MCCC courses; which may result in the students’ graduation with an Associate’s degree from the college.

In addition, MCCC course credits transfer to several local colleges, including, but not limited to:

  • Albright
  • Chestnut Hill College
  • Gwynedd Mercy College
  • Eastern
  • LaSalle
  • Penn State, Abington
  • Pierce,
  • Kutztown
  • Delaware Valley

Milrod also showed that students selecting enough of certain courses, could mean that students enter MCCC with a declared major.

Another reason the superintendent gave for the partnership would help UMHS students better make the transition from high school to college life itself.

“It is as different a world as you can imagine,” Milrod said. “How can we help students have college success, while they are still in the safety net of Upper Moreland?”

Should the partnership be implemented, the high school would offer certain college-prep courses, such as a note-taking class, according to Milrod.

He added that the partnership would change the way education was given at the high school, in that teachers would be encouraged to increase their professional development and be able to teach college courses.

Milrod also added that should a majority of students do take the MCCC courses outside UMHS, the district would save money on the need for teachers.

Typically, for dual enrollment, courses taken at the college are cheaper than courses instructed at the high school. But, the partnership would not cost the school district itself anything.

According to Milrod, parents may also save money on college tuition from MCCC, likely due to a poetntial tuition agreement between the high school and the college.

Initial reactions from the audience were positive.

“I love this idea, I can still be a part-time lunch lady and send my kids to college,” a parent, addressing the committee, said.

The parent, who has a daughter that is a UMHS sophomore, asked when the partnership could be implemented.

According to Milrod, with board approval, the partnership could begin as early as next year.

More discussion at future committee meetings is expected.


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