Communities

The Accelerate ASU initiative team partners with high schools across the nation to create early and accelerated college pathways to increase the opportunities for social and economic mobility. Through the use of Universal Learner Courses (ULCs), this initiative empowers students while they receive vital support in a high school environment. ULCs are a risk-free way for high school learners to explore the college experience and earn college credit. ULCs are offered online at ASU and open to everyone, with the  [ Read More… ]

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The Arizona design team, is working to create and scale pathways with clear articulation to a 13th year associate's degree throughout the state. Using advanced manufacturing as a model industry, the design team is working to scale Westwood High School’s advanced manufacturing program to other sites throughout the state and apply the model to other high-wage, high-demand industries.

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Over the next year, the team will be creating integrated pathway models that deliver rigorous academics and meaningful college credit within the context of high-wage, high-growth local careers for implementation beginning Fall 2024. Careful design work is needed to ensure early college credit earning opportunities are provided equitably and as part of a regular course of study as opposed to a system which offers dual enrollment only as a reward for high-achieving students. The team is focused on the redesign of  [ Read More… ]

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Building on a variety of current dual enrollment strategies across three participating communities (e.g., early college high school, credit by exam, dual enrollment at the high school, concurrent enrollment on college campus), the California design team is mapping a set of pathways that meet California’s A-G 4-year institution entrance policies, connect to community-specific industry fields, incorporate work-based learning for credit in a package that leads to the attainment of an associate degree by the end of students’ 13th  [ Read More… ]

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Colorado hopes to secure commitments to skills-based hiring from employers, and alignment to a statewide stackable pathways process with education partners by the start of the 2025-26 school year. The team will explore innovative partnerships, programs, and policy solutions for creating and scaling statewide stackable pathways to economic mobility, specifically in key state industries such as construction, healthcare, IT, and education, through scalable pilots in both urban and rural settings. The team will have diverse representation across K-12, higher education,  [ Read More… ]

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The Illinois design team is working to engage three leading Illinois school districts and their postsecondary partners to design and launch an accelerated version of the existing IT Model Programs of Study. The process will accelerate and deepen aspects of various pathway designs to further opportunities for high school students to earn up to 30 hours of early college credit that seamlessly stacks into college certificate, associate, and bachelor's degree programs. Through AMP-IT, the school district and postsecondary partners will then  [ Read More… ]

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The Indianapolis team is working to design a comprehensive pathway in Information Technology Operations / Cybersecurity that blurs the line between secondary and postsecondary. Students will earn an associate degree at the end of Year 13 will have expanded opportunities through existing delivery models such as the dual credit program, Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP), and/or Modern Apprenticeship (MAP).

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The Kentucky design team is working to serve as a rural education accelerator proof point, ultimately providing more than 12,200 rural students across 35 schools in 12 districts access to flexible, credit-bearing general education coursework. This will be achieved through strengthening existing local dual credit and enrollment partnerships, as well as leveraging online programs. All students in the EKYSSP will have the opportunity to obtain an associate degree and stackable workforce credential by the end of their 13th year in healthcare, cybersecurity, or  [ Read More… ]

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The New Orleans design team has supported three training providers (NOCC, Operation Spark, and Next Level NOLA) in expanding their pathways from 11th grade through postsecondary credentials (an associate degree or equivalent industry-based credential), using 13th year bridge programming that is closely aligned to the needs of regional employers.

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The Massachusetts design team worked to deepen and expand the Early College Promise (ECP), or 13th year, pilot currently in place in seven communities in Massachusetts. The ECP’s purpose is to reduce college success equity gaps by extending the traditional Early College program by one year, allowing students underrepresented at college to attain an associate degree or 60 credits towards a four-year degree.

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A cross-sector team is coming together to create a Blueprint to transition more students into postsecondary programs starting in high school that lead to credentials of value. While programs such as dual credit, high school advantage, career tech, AP/IB and early college programs have helped expand access to postsecondary opportunities while in high school, the team is looking to create a plan to reach more targeted student populations and scale success for students across our tri-county region. Over the  [ Read More… ]

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The team is committed to expanding these opportunities to all Michigan students with the goal to not just increase high school graduation, but to provide multiple choices and pathways for postsecondary success. This work directly aligns to the State of Michigan’s goal of 60% of working-age adults with a skills certificate or college degree by 2030 to fuel economic growth, lift incomes, and close equity gaps leading to a better Michigan for all residents.

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The New Mexico design team is working to build out the Four Corners College and Career Pathways Partnership, through which students in the rural Four Corners region can earn 12 – 30 hours of early college credit while in high school as part of a 13th year pathways program and seamlessly transition to a certificate as well as an aligned associate or bachelor's degree program or to a union apprenticeship or to employment.

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The New York City design team is designing a strategy for NYC to build an infrastructure that enables equitable and effective early college programming for all students, including year 13 models. The team's work addresses institutional and regulatory barriers to the scaling and effectiveness of early college/career pathways programming.

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The Ohio design team is working to scale existing, in-demand, integrated industry sector pathways using dual enrollment (College Credit Plus or CCP) so students earn 30 hours of postsecondary credit by 12th grade. This gives students an automatic acceptance into a 13th year to complete an associate degree and guaranteed acceptance to a four-year university to complete a bachelor's degree.

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Through a 27-month, year-round accelerated program in information science, computer science, and cybersecurity, including paid work-based learning experiences, students earn a bachelor’s degree with the ultimate goal of job placements with BCBST and a $50,000 starting salary. BlueSky focuses recruitment efforts at priority schools in Hamilton County that previously received investments and support from the Gates Foundation because of poor college persistence rates. At present, nearly 50% of BlueSky students come from these high priority schools. BlueSky has finished its first  [ Read More… ]

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Over the last eight years, Tennessee has taken positive steps to increase student access to early postsecondary opportunities (EPSOs), which provide students with the chance to earn postsecondary credit while in high school. In addition to expanding funding and access to dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses, the state has also strengthened alignment of K-12 programming to higher education and the workforce. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain. According to ACT data, the majority of Tennessee high school students are  [ Read More… ]

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The team is coming together as a community to create a Blueprint to transition more students into postsecondary programs starting in high school that lead to credentials of value. While programs such as dual credit, P-Tech, and Early College High School have helped expand access to postsecondary opportunities while in high school, the team is looking to create a strategic plan to reach more targeted student populations and scale success for students in these programs. Over the next year, they  [ Read More… ]

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Building on its existing P-TECH model, the Texas design team is developing a blueprint for how all P-TECH high schools across the state can offer a sustainable and fully funded 13th year associate's degree, identifying key policy and funding conditions to enable greater scale within the region and statewide.

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The Utah Design Team is working within a single pilot high school (East High School) to create intentional pathways designed for students to earn 30 college credits by senior year with an additional year resulting in an associate degree.

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Accelerated pathways combines the state’s longtime Early College program for high school seniors with the McClure Foundation’s recent 13th-year promise of a free associate degree to Early College completers statewide. CCV credentials focus on pathways that lead to the high-pay, high-demand jobs identified by the Vermont’s Most Promising Jobs campaign, a longtime public-private partnership between the McClure Foundation and the Vermont Department of Labor. Initiative partners are assessing success based on statewide community college continuation and attainment  [ Read More… ]

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