Redesign plan includes expanding dual-credit courses

By Hank Bounds
State Superintendent of Education
July 24, 2006

The draft plan “Redesigning Education for the 21st Century Workforce in Mississippi” was developed to give students the skills they will need to be successful once they join the workforce and to give Mississippi's business and industry community the skilled workers they need to be successful. It was designed to give students the guidance and direction they need to set goals for themselves while also helping them to achieve the goals they have identified.

Gaining the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce of the 21 st century will require that students pursue post-secondary education in some cases. For some students, finding the resources to attend a community college or university is very difficult. Some students may not have considered continuing their education after high school. Offering dual-credit courses is a way to help students gain college experience and college credit early and make it less expensive to obtain a post-secondary degree.

That is why one of the goals of the draft plan is to increase articulated and dual-credit courses from community college to the university level in order to assist students in the transition from one level of education to another and in reducing the expense as students seek higher levels of education to meet increasing demands in the workplace.

The Mississippi Board of Education and the State Board of Community and Junior Colleges have a dual enrollment articulation agreement in place, with courses from Business and Computer Technology, Childcare Technology, and Drafting and Design Technology articulated during the last school year.

Courses from Automotive Technology, Tool & Die Technology, Machine Tool Technology, Welding and Cutting Technology and Marketing Management Technology are currently in the approval process for articulation agreements.

The plan also includes recognizing the position of IC3 as the first aligned certification with the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) established through the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the industry-wide support and recognition by the National Skills Standard Board (NSSB), and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). As a result of the articulation agreement, students who successfully complete the ICT program will have an option of gaining their IC3 certification, which will allow students to be eligible to gain college credit.

Licensure requirements for educators and course content of ICT, STEM Applications, and Vocational Courses will be closely examined to ensure that Mississippi Community and Junior Colleges and Institutions of Higher Learning comply with the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges requirements.

Enabling students to receive college credit in high school helps them in a number of ways. First of all, it gives them the experience of an actual college course, which will help ease the transition from high school to college. By giving them a foot in the door, it also gives students an incentive to enroll in college and complete the degree they already have a few credits toward.

Some students complete almost all of their credits for graduation before their senior year and become bored during that final year because they have filled their schedule with additional courses that do not really interest them and that they don't really need. Giving these students a chance to get a jumpstart on college helps them use their time wisely and keeps their interest high.

Finally, it helps reduce the cost of college for students. Many families in Mississippi struggle with the cost of continuing education after high school and dual-credit options help address this problem.

The redesign plan has been developed to better meet the needs of students and the business community. We can better prepare our students to join the workforce of the future by giving them additional options in obtaining their high school diploma. Students can utilize online instruction and dual-credit courses in addition to traditional high school coursework to gain the skills necessary to succeed in whatever career they pursue. Students who enter the world prepared to succeed will have a substantial impact on Mississippi's business climate and our ability to attract additional business and industry to our state.

(Contact: Caron Blanton, APR, Director of Communications, 601-359-3706 .)