Students and college officials tell Senate Education Committee how early college fits students' needs

Students and college officials told the Vermont Senate Education Committee on April 2, 2025, that the state's early college programs give some high school seniors an option to take a full year of college courses while completing their high school diplomas.

Committee members heard testimony about how the program operates under the Flexible Pathways policy (Act 77) and about who uses it, with students describing direct classroom and work experiences and college staff describing supports and transfer arrangements.

The hearing began with an overview from Drake's Duty, identified in the hearing record as president of the Community College of Beaumont, who said early college is one of several Flexible Pathways created by Act 77. Duty told senators that CCV currently enrolls about 250 students in early college and that roughly 6% of Vermont high school seniors participate in early college programs statewide. Duty also said more than half of CCDs early college students are from low-income families and more than half are first-generation college students; 18% of the current cohort identify as BIPOC.

Two students who are enrolled in early college spoke about their experiences. Natalie Wells, a second-year CCD student from Waterbury, said she had "one English class left" in high school and chose to take 30 college credits during her senior year because she had "checked out" of the traditional high school experience and wanted more meaningful coursework. "Within the first semester it opened my eyes to a whole new world of education and myself," Wells said.

Marley Musker, an early college student who said she is majoring in behavioral science, said she works about 30 hours a week, takes two in-person and two online classes, and that the program helped her clarify a career path: "Its one of the best things that's probably happened to me in life ever."

Representatives of colleges described how the programs are run and the student supports available. Kimberly Jessup, president of the Association of Online Independent Colleges, and Karen Watts, associate director for the Center for Academic Success and Achievement at Norwich University, described participating institutions and supports such as tutoring and success coaches. "We spend a lot of time teaching explicit skills like note taking, time management, extensive writing," Watts said, adding that those skills help close attainment gaps for lower-income students.

Committee members asked about how credits count toward both high school diplomas and college transcripts. Hearing witnesses said two different Flexible Pathways options exist: course-level dual enrollment for juniors and seniors (up to two courses under the pathway described) and full-year early college in which a student completes a senior year on a college campus and transfers those credits back to the high school for diploma requirements. The colleges said students leave with a college transcript they can use at other institutions. Drake's Duty and a Norwich representative both emphasized that students in early college are enrolled in full college courses and are treated as college students; Norwich's testimony added that college instructors do not know which students are early college students.

Committee members also raised outreach and equity concerns. Witnesses said school counselors and relationships with K-12 staff are key to identifying candidates, but both community college and private-college witnesses said outreach remains a work in progress to ensure all students are aware of the option. Duty and Watts noted that institutions rely on school counselors and direct outreach; Watts pointed to the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) network as an important outreach partner.

Panelists and students described academic and nonacademic benefits, including: the ability to finish general requirements earlier, exposure to a broader set of courses (for example, criminal justice, cybersecurity, psychology, arts and architecture, health sciences at Norwich), experience with college expectations and faculty communication, and increased competitiveness for scholarships. College representatives reiterated that early college can reduce time and cost to degree when students continue in higher education but made clear that the credits and transfer decisions are subject to receiving institutions' policies.

The committee did not take any formal actions during the hearing; senators thanked the witnesses after testimony concluded. The session was recorded as informational testimony rather than a decision-making item.