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January 10, 2010
An Emphasis on A.P. Is Changing
By WINNIE HU
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/education/10bdualnj.html
New Jersey’s suburban high schools have traditionally emphasized AP courses, but that is changing as more schools add college-credit courses through partnerships with Bergen Community College, Fairleigh Dickinson University and other colleges in the state.
Ridgewood High School has offered college classes in English and chemistry through Bergen Community, and art history through Fairleigh Dickinson, since 2007. Next year, it plans to expand its Bergen Community courses to include physics and environmental science. Debra Anderson, a district spokeswoman, said the college courses offered middle-level students another option to advanced placement and honors classes.
Fairleigh Dickinson, which has campuses in Bergen and Morris Counties, runs one of the oldest and best-known dual-enrollment programs in New Jersey. Called Middle College, it started in 1984 and has expanded to 83 high schools across the state, including 12 since 2007.
Today, there are 2,500 juniors and seniors taking more than 150 courses for college credit through the program. Students pay Fairleigh Dickinson a fee of $200 for a three-credit course and have access to its campus libraries, laboratories and computer centers. University professors also visit the high schools to offer support and professional development.
“We want to be a resource,” said Kenneth T. Vehrkens, a dean who oversees the program. “The name — Middle College — is the idea of being a bridge between high school and college.” WINNIE HU
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/education/10bdualnj.html
