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Sun Prairie board hears report on Early College Credit and Start College Now programs
Summary
District director Dr. Sarah Chaddagh Clardy told the Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education that dual-enrollment participation has risen and district costs for college tuition payments have grown from under $30,000 to nearly $75,000 over five years; she outlined eligibility, deadlines and who pays incidental costs.
Dr. Sarah Chaddagh Clardy, director of secondary for teaching, learning and equity for the Sun Prairie Area School District, presented the board with a biannual report on the Early College Credit Program (ECCP) and the Start College Now (SCN) program, outlining eligibility rules, application deadlines and recent cost trends.
Clardy said the ECCP allows any ninth- through 12th-grade student in a public or private Wisconsin high school to enroll in an institution within the University of Wisconsin system, in tribally controlled colleges, or in private or nonprofit Wisconsin colleges to earn high school credit, college credit or both, up to 18 college credits.
The timeline for ECCP applications requires students planning to enroll in the upcoming summer or fall semester to submit intent by March 1; students planning spring enrollment must submit by Oct. 1. The board reviews the applications and provides written notice of approvals for summer and fall by May 15 and for spring by Nov. 15. Clardy said counselors, college and career life readiness coordinators, the administrative associate to the director of secondary, and the high school registrar process applications and paperwork.
Clardy described how the district is billed: the school district is invoiced for tuition after a student registers and begins the course. She said that incidental costs — for example, tools, supplies that become the student’s property, parking permits and other course-related fees — are the family’s responsibility. If a student receives a failing grade or withdraws, the student or family must reimburse the district for tuition the district paid on the student’s behalf.
Start College Now is offered through Wisconsin technical colleges and is limited to juniors and seniors; Clardy said most local students take Madison College courses under SCN. She said SCN tuition is paid fully by the district. Clardy told the board that increased marketing and outreach by counselors and college and career life readiness staff appear to be driving higher enrollment in both ECCP and SCN.
District expenditures for ECCP and SCN have risen substantially, Clardy said: “over the past 5 years, we have really gone from, you know, just under the $30,000 mark to up words now of almost $75,000.” She said part of the increase is higher per-credit prices at Madison College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and part is increased student participation.
Clardy said the district monitors enrollments across Sun Prairie East, Sun Prairie West and Prairie Phoenix Academy and reviews demographic information for students who enroll to check whether participation matches high school populations. She praised counselors, coordinators and registrars for supporting students’ selection and enrollment. “Kudos to our students who are pursuing academic challenges and opportunities in college in the high school years. It's an incredible feat,” Clardy said.
Clardy told the board she looks forward to answering questions at the upcoming board meeting on April 28.
