MMSD reports 65% of 2025 seniors earned early college credit; district outlines expansion of dual-credit, apprenticeships and internships

Madison Metropolitan School District officials told the Board of Education Instruction Work Group on Oct. 6 that roughly 65% of the district’s class of 2025 earned early college credit, an industry credential, or both.

The presentation to Chair Kara Mulhern and the Instruction Work Group said the senior cohort numbered about 1,900 students and that district programs offering college credit included 33 Advanced Placement courses, 10 in‑high‑school dual‑credit classes, roughly 273 dual‑enrollment courses through Early College Credit and Start College Now, and college academies that enroll about 225 Madison College students full time. “MMSD will be a learning community where all students are valued, challenged and supported and inspired to reach for their journey,” Assistant Superintendent Cindy Green said while introducing the team.

Why it matters: district staff and board members said early college credit can translate into direct cost savings for families and career advantage for students. Green reminded the board that similar reporting last year estimated about $7 million in cost savings to families through district programs, and presenters said expanding on‑campus dual credit and youth apprenticeship offerings are priorities for the coming years.

Details from the presentation

- Reach and totals: Mary Jankovich, Executive Director of College, Career and Community Readiness, told the board the district recorded its highest share of seniors earning early college credit in the last five cohorts. “We had the highest percentage of earning college credit over the last 5 cohorts,” Jankovich said. The slide deck the team showed indicated about 65% of the 2025 senior cohort earned credit or credentials.

- How credits are earned: Langston Evans, Director of College, Career and Community Readiness, explained that Advanced Placement (AP) classes remain the most common source of early credit for MMSD students. “For advanced placement courses, this is the most popular option for our MMSD students to earn early college credit,” Evans said. The district also runs dual‑credit courses taught at high schools by MMSD teachers and dual‑enrollment opportunities through University of Wisconsin and Madison College partnerships; some programs allow students to take up to two college courses per semester.

- Dual credit and enrollment trends: Evans said dual‑credit participation peaked for the 2023 cohort and noted Madison College discontinued a particular algebra dual‑credit course that contributed to that 2023 peak. He said the district plans to expand in‑house dual‑credit offerings because those courses are taught by district teachers and integrate local supports.

- Off‑campus programs and academies: Jankovich and other speakers highlighted Early College Credit (dual enrollment on four‑year campuses), Start College Now (courses through Madison College) and the Madison College academies. The academy programs are not counted in some of the five‑year trend charts staff displayed; Jankovich emphasized that the roughly 200–225 students in the college academies take only college courses, and those students are not included in several trend charts.

- Work‑based learning and internships: Dr. Phillips (title given in the presentation) described the district’s tiered approach to work‑based learning and highlighted the summer internship program, run with city and county partners. “We’re partnering with the city of Madison. It’s one of our most diverse, most robust programs,” Dr. Phillips said. The presentation listed 17 Dane County internship sites and reported 261 students participated in the summer internship program, earning more than 155 credits in aggregate.

- Youth apprenticeship and credentials: The team described steady growth in youth apprenticeship participation and employer partners. The district outlined industry credentials tracked through state CTE reporting and local course pathways and said it will work to raise the proportion of students enrolled in credential‑bearing coursework who complete the credential.

- Seal of Biliteracy: Becky Kundert, Senior Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and other presenters described the district’s use of the Wisconsin‑approved Seal of Biliteracy and showed multi‑year increases in students earning the seal. They said assessment approaches have changed (assessing more domains in recent years), which affects year‑to‑year comparisons. The team said it will increase outreach so families and younger students know about pathway requirements earlier.

Equity and access concerns raised by board members

Board members pressed staff on opportunities for students with disabilities. Board member VanderMeulen asked whether the district had explored partnerships (for example, with Edgewood University) for students with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Wiggins (named in the meeting and identified as an administrator with direct special education experience) replied that the district has not run a program like that within MMSD to her knowledge and said: “We have to think through how community organizations can become involved…I don’t think we were talking about industry credentials or pursuing a youth apprenticeship. And now we need to.” She and Jankovich said more deliberate planning in IEP meetings and stronger cross‑agency coordination could increase participation of students with disabilities in credential and apprenticeship pathways.

Board members also asked about course selection and outreach strategies to reverse downward trends in some dual‑credit numbers; staff said course availability and student choice are major drivers and that the district has prepared one‑page guides for high‑school adults (counselors, teachers) to help students map course selection to career clusters and credit opportunities.

Implementation and next steps

District staff described two district investments intended to expand on‑campus dual credit: board funding in the FY26 budget to pay for teacher coursework/certification (through a partner such as Edgewood University) so more MMSD teachers can qualify to teach for dual‑credit. The board approved those funds in the budget, staff said. Langston Evans and the team said they will convene school‑level College, Career and Community Readiness (CCCR) teams quarterly, amplify middle‑school exposure to career clusters, and continue to expand youth apprenticeship and summer internship partnerships.

Ending

Board members commended the growth and asked for follow‑up data—disaggregated by school, subject (particularly math), and student groups (including students with IEPs and English learners)—to better target investments and equity interventions. The district said it would provide additional breakdowns and historical trends in upcoming updates.