Journal of Adventist Education Distance Education Column - March 2004 Sponsored by AVLN Adventist Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Programs An Idea Whose Time Has Come By Shelley Bacon Steve* attended an Adventist school in his local town from 5th grade through 10th grade. Because his parents didn’t want him to go away to academy, instead of entering the 11th grade at the local high school, he took the test for entry into his local community college"s Arunning start” program, which allowed him to take college-level classes that also satisfied the requirements for his junior and senior years of high school. A year later, Steve completed the running start program, graduating from his local high school and receiving an Associate of Science (A.S.) degree from the community college at the same time. Steve then enrolled at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, which accepted some, but not all of his community college credits. Samantha* was home-schooled from 1st grade through 10th grade, and then enrolled in her state’s accelerated program. A diligent student, she completed her last two years of high school and her A.S. degree at the same time. Samantha knew she wanted to go into medicine, so enrolling at the state college made the most sense, since all of her community college credits were accepted and she could enroll as a junior. She graduated from the state college in two years and is currently enrolled at a state medical school. Samantha has never attended an Adventist school. . Sabrina*, an academy sophomore, scored well on her state's college entrance test and has been accepted into their Adual enrollment” program for the 2004-2005 school year. She can enroll next fall at her local community college and, in two years, earn both a high school diploma and an A.S. degree. However, she has attended Adventist schools since kindergarten, and her visit to the community college convinced her that the environment there was not ideal for a Christian. She would greatly prefer to stay in the Adventist system, but her mother is a single parent and cannot help with her tuition, so Sabrina needs to enroll in higher education as soon as possible. These young people have two things in common: (1) They are bright, motivated students who know where they are going academically and want to complete their education quickly, and (2) They cannot complete this goal in the way they desire in the Adventist educational system. Educators are debating the pros and cons of AP (Advanced Placement, in the U.S.) and IB (the European counterpart, International Baccalaureate) courses, as well as the "double-dipping" programs described above, based upon their fundamental purpose of education: "to stretch young minds.” [1] Adventists have an even greater reason to encourage our brightest and most motivated young people to challenge their minds academically while keeping them within the Adventist educational system: "The primary aim of Seventh-day Adventist education is to provide opportunity for students to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their lives, and to fulfill the commission of preaching the gospel to all the world within the context of academic excellence,” we boldly proclaim on the North American Division Education Web site (http://nadeducation.adventist.org/). We can confidently say that Adventist education fulfills the first two aims, but can we do a better job in reaching the third goal, "within the context of academic excellence”? AVLN would like to propose that Adventist academies and colleges can collaborate, using distance learning as the medium, to integrate faith and learning within the context of academic excellence and thereby meet the needs of motivated young people who desire a Christ-centered education. What would an Adventist dual enrollment program look like? Adventist dual enrollment programs are at present only a concept, a vision. How would they work? Academies in the North American Division would accept credits from Adventist colleges that would also fulfill the requirements for an academy student’s senior or junior and senior year. Academically superior students could obtain credit for high school and college classes at the same time, as described in the stories of Steve, Samantha, and Sabrina. Why do we need Adventist dual enrollment programs? These programs would meet the needs of our academically gifted students, especially those who are currently enrolling in their state’s accelerated programs instead of attending an Adventist academy. It is estimated that in 2001, two million U.S. students were enrolled in dual enrollment programs. [2] It is likely that many bright, motivated academy students would enroll in Adventist dual enrollment programs if they had this option. These are our church’s potential future leaders--the professionals and business people. How would an Adventist dual enrollment program work? Dual enrollment would be easy to organize and manage. Some basic elements of the plan would include the following: Students would be required to pass a standardized college placement test prior to their junior or senior year of high school, earn a pre-determined GPA (3.5 is currently being discussed as a possible benchmark), and possibly fulfill other requirements set forth by the local academy and college. Students would enroll at both their local Adventist day or boarding academy and at the participating NAD college of their choice. Colleges would assign an advisor to help them with course choices.[3] Students would choose classes from the college Web site or the ADEC site (http://www.sdaedu.org/) that would fulfill the requirements for their junior and senior years of high school, working with their local academy’s registrar [4] and using local AP classes where possible. (Dual enrollment would encourage high school-age students to remain at the academy to complete their coursework.) Upon completing a dual enrollment program, the student would graduate from his or her local academy, ready to enter an Adventist higher education institution at the sophomore or junior level. (If the student did not fully complete the dual enrollment program requirements, he or she would still receive some college credits that could be transferred to any college, Adventist or otherwise.) What might the future hold for Adventist dual enrollment? As students prove they can succeed in this unique Adventist accelerated program, and as Adventist distance learning becomes recognized as an excellent form of education due to its high academic standards, significant integration of faith and learning, inherent problem-solving opportunities, and increased availability, we hope that Adventist dual enrollment programs will be accepted across the U.S. Ideally, all of our NAD colleges will want to offer credit to qualified students and allow them to interact with their on-campus students at various times throughout the year. In addition, dual enrollment students would participate with their local academy either through on-campus enrollment or interaction with students and faculty at events such as weeks of prayer, senior outdoor orienteering, talent shows, and graduation. Adventist dual enrollment programs would encourage our brightest studentsCthe ones we often lose to public educationCto continue attending Adventist schools while achieving their academic goals. When can we start? Shelley Bacon, AE21 teacher, is spearheading an initiative that Walla Walla College is in the early stages of considering. AVLN is supporting the concept of Adventist dual enrollment programs. Its TDEC (Technology and Distance Education Committee) has asked the North Pacific Union Conference to implement a pilot program. To talk to the people who are organizing this, log on to the discussion board at http://www.andrews.edu/dlit/bb/, click on AVLN’s “Open Forum,” and ask questions, give suggestions, and discover more about Adventist Dual Enrollment. __________________________________________________________________________ For additional information about dual enrollment/dual credit programs, visit the following Web sites: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/hs/bailey.doc http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~iee/ccrc/PAPERS/Briefs/brief17.pdf http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0HCZ/3_29/83315685/p3/article.jhtml?term= http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/abstracts/JC020339.htm For further information, please contact Shelley Bacon, 556 Hotchkiss Road, Colville, WA 99114; Phone: (509) 684-1005, E-mail: bacon.home@juno.com. * Names and some facts have been changed   NOTES AND REFERENCES 1. Jay Matthews, "The 100 Best High Schools in America," Newsweek CXLI:22 (June 2, 2003), p. 50. 2. See http://www.tc.columbia.edu/ccrc/PAPERS/OAVEmemo dualcredit.pdf. 3. Students would be asked to choose the Adventist institution of higher education closest to their home, or the college or university they will most likely attend upon completion of the Dual Enrollment Program. This college would assign an advisor who could help the student fulfill academic requirements and resources while nurturing a relationship between the student and the college or university, thereby functioning as a recruiter. 3. Each academy would issue high school credits for college classes that match its graduation requirements. __________________________________________________________________________ Shelley Bacon is an AVLN Board member and is a teacher for AE21. JAE Distance Education Index

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