Local high schoolers lead state in getting college credit, but those who need it most lag

The program is advertised as a way for students to graduate from high school with guaranteed, free college credits, up to an associate’s degree. Unlike an Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) course, the students don’t have to take an end-of-course exam to get college credit. For students who know they need to work to pay for their degree or want to add a major or minor, the extra college credit makes sense.

But some critics say CCP was advertised as a faster way to graduate from college, and students with college credit are still often taking four years or longer to graduate. And a recent report from the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office says some students who could most benefit from CCP have barriers to access the classes, such as a lack of technology.

For some students, like Dayton Regional STEM School junior Logan Gillis, the CCP credits are a way to stand out on a college application.

“I think it looks better to apply to colleges. You get the credits for it,” Gillis said, adding that since he is getting credit for Chinese — a foreign language — he thinks colleges will be more likely to notice it.

Who uses CCP?

A recent report from the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office noted more than 76,000 Ohio students took more than 650,000 credit hours during the 2020-2021 school year. The report also says that the average CCP student saves more than $4,400 in college tuition, fees and textbooks.

The students who are most likely to take advantage of the program are the wealthy, white students whose families have a higher income according to the same audit. The report says that leaves out many students who could benefit from CCP classes, but don’t have the same access, whether that be to technology or teachers certified to teach CCP.

CCP is separate from programs like AP or IB classes, which many public schools also offer. Any student in Ohio can access CCP. That includes homeschool students, private school students and public school students.

Eve Campo, another Dayton Regional STEM School student, said she hopes the CCP classes she’s taking at her high school will help her get a minor in Chinese. She’s interested in a career in cybersecurity or programming, so Chinese would help.

“If you see any CCP courses that you’re really interested in, I really recommend trying them out,” Campo said, adding she’s enjoying her CCP English literature class as well.

Black and Hispanic students enrolled in higher education at lower rates than white and Asian students between 2000 and 2018, according to a report from the National Center for Education Statistics.

CCP is not available equally across the state, according to the auditor’s report. CCP access depends not just on what’s available from the state or a local college or university, but also how much the individual districts promote CCP classes.

Many of the classes are online college classes taught by university or community college professors. According to the auditor’s report, Sinclair Community College was the second largest provider of CCP classes in the state in school year 2020-2021, providing nearly 50,000 hours of coursework.

The largest higher education provider of CCP courses was Columbus State Community College, which provided more than 60,000 hours of CCP coursework.

Traditional schools are required by Ohio state law to begin providing information about CCP courses in sixth grade. However, most of the schools said high school students, especially juniors and seniors, are the ones taking these classes.

Northeastern leads Clark County

In Clark County, Northeastern Local School District has the highest total number of CCP hours taken by students at 2,558, with 1,345 eligible.

The district has several credentialed teachers to teach CCP courses at the high school, as well as students who attend local colleges and university where they can enroll in more general education courses, said assistant superintendent Shawn Blazer.

“Providing CCP courses can financially benefit our students and their families in the long run. Since many of our students take their general education courses while in high school, they often start their post-secondary education with enough credits to be considered sophomores in some cases,” he said.

Blazer said it is important to ensure students are ready for college-level courses, “since they are more rigorous and are structured as college courses.”

“A failing grade requires the families to pay for the course, versus a passing grade where the district covers the cost,” Blazer added.

Following Northeastern, Clark-Shawnee Local School District has the county’s second-highest total number of CCP hours taken by students at 1,534.

How is CCP used?

Some of the school districts that have the highest number of CCP hours compared to the number of eligible students are in west central and northwestern Ohio, particularly in Shelby and Darke counties, according to the auditor’s report.

Russia school district in Shelby County is ranked No. 1 in the state and region for the number of CCP hours per eligible students. Two other Shelby County schools — Fort Loramie and Anna Local — rank fourth and tenth in the state, out of more than 600 districts, respectively.

Springboro schools had more than 4,553 attempted CCP hours in the 2020-2021 school year, the second highest number of hours in the Miami Valley, and ranked 121st in the report. Andrea Cook, assistant superintendent of instruction at Springboro Schools, said CCP is one choice that students can make for their academic success.

“It is our goal to have as many opportunities for all of our students as possible,” Cook said. “CCP is just one of many avenues for our students’ academic choices.”

Not everyone does well in CCP classes, Cook said, and the district encourages other paths as well.

Cedar Cliff schools also ranked highly in the report, sitting at number 17 in the state for CCP participation. The district had nearly 900 CCP hours in the 2020-2021 school year.

Chad Mason, superintendent of Cedar Cliff schools, said he sees many benefits to the program, including being able to take classes that aren’t offered in the regular high school and having flexibility in a schedule. He cited high parent expectations and the nearby Cedarville University as some reasons why many of his students are enrolled in CCP classes.

But he said he thinks CCP is also being oversold as a path to an associate’s degree before graduating high school. Many of his former students tell him they aren’t graduating in fewer than four years, even if they come in with enough credits to qualify them to be a second or third year at a four-year university.

“The sales pitch is, you’re going to get out of college in two years,” Mason said. “I don’t believe that’s happening.”

He said some colleges still require students to take specific courses in order, which means that a student can’t finish in a shorter amount of time.

Instead, he said it does help students who need to work during college and allows them to take a smaller load of classes.

It’s uncommon for high school students to graduate with an associate degree. Sinclair Community College said 69 students graduated with both their associate degree and their high school diploma last year. The college works with 145 school districts in 11 counties, homeschooled students and private schools.

Reporter Brooke Spurlock contributed to this story