Students can earn credits for college

Pawhuska Public Schools is offering a dual-enrollment opportunity for students to earn college credit for free. Classes will start next semester.

Representatives of TEL Library, a nonproft public library, met last Thursday with Pawhuska students and attended a public meeting that evening at Pawhuska High School for students and their parents.

Pawhuska school Superintendent David Cash said this opportunity to earn college credits is a “blended model” that includes online coursework, but also includes student and parent access to a faculty mentor. Each participating student will have a local mentor who will monitor their academic progress and assist in providing students with whatever tutoring or other support they may need.

Cash encouraged students and parents to avail themselves of the opportunity.

“You enroll in what you think you can accomplish, but take advantage of this,” he said. Cash clarified that there is no book cost, no tuition and no fees for students and their families. According to literature distributed at the meeting, students receive both high school and college credit for the courses they complete, the courses are completed on-campus in Pawhuska, and there is no minimum ACT score requirement for participation.

Courses offered are generally the type of basic, general-education college courses that students take in their initial year of university or college study.

Parents who have questions or need assistance can call Pawhuska High School at 918-287-1265 for more information about the new program.

Cash said he thinks college-bound juniors might earn as many as 45 credit hours through the program.

“We think that is very do-able,” he said.

Cat Jackson, director of Curriculum Development for TEL Library, said she was a first-generation college student who could have benefited greatly from something like the dual-enrollment program being offered in Pawhuska.

“It really gets me jazzed and excited to be able to offer this,” she said.

The Pawhuska school district will be paying fees for the classes and transcripting, Assistant Superintendent Beverly Moore said.