Dual enrollment gives students a jump on college -- while still in high school

WEST COLUMBIA, SC -- What if you could earn college credit -- free -- and do it during your regular school day?

That’s exactly what nearly 70 high school students in Lexington Two did last year during a dual enrollment program, which allows participants to earn both Carnegie units required for a state high school diploma and college credit. Courses taken through dual enrollment are included in the student’s GPA/rank and weighted as Dual Credit/Advanced Placement (AP) in accordance with the South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale.

The group of students -- in 10th, 11th and 12th grades -- qualified for the dual enrollment program through testing. Testing for participants in the 2019-20 school year is taking place over the next several weeks for students at Airport High and Brookland-Cayce High.

The program attracts a diverse group of students. Among participants in the 2017-18 school year, 53.6 percent were white, 24.6 percent African-American, with nearly 35 percent qualifying for free or reduced lunch. Not all of the students necessarily planned to go on to college after graduation, though 95 percent earned a C or better in their coursework.

Dual enrollment is just one program that Lexington Two offers for college and career readiness.

The General College Studies Certificate program, launched last year as a partnership with the Midlands Tech Early College Program, allows dually enrolled high school students to take two college courses each semester, during the school day. Students must complete at least 18 college credits to earn the certificate. The program can be completed in three semesters -- and best of all, course credits in the program are approved by all SC four-year colleges as transferable in most majors.