McKinney ISD previews new Collegiate Academy to let students earn associate degrees in high school
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Summary
District staff outlined a new Collegiate Academy (CAM) that will allow students to earn an associate degree or 60 college credit hours while completing high school, enroll cohorts of about 150 students per year, and partner with Collin College for junior- and senior-year coursework.
McKinney Independent School District staff on Monday outlined plans for a new Collegiate Academy — locally branded as the CAM — that the district says will let students earn an associate degree or roughly 60 college credit hours while completing a high school diploma.
Dr. Javetta Jones Robertson, coordinator for Advanced Academics and Collegiate Partnerships, told the board the cohort-based program will begin in ninth grade with students applying in eighth grade. The district plans to accept 150 students per cohort per year, with roughly 40 to 50 students from each comprehensive high school participating, she said.
The CAM will blend dual-credit courses taught by college instructors who visit high school campuses and district classes; juniors and seniors will have opportunities to take courses at Collin College with supports that, in most cases, keep students grouped with other high-school peers. The program will include an AVID cohort elective, college visits, guest speakers and structured study groups.
Jones Robertson said the CAM targets students underrepresented in higher education — including low-income, historically underserved and at-risk students — and aims to reduce the cost of postsecondary degrees while increasing college and career readiness. The program will combine academic dual credit and career-technical education (CTE) pathways to allow some students to graduate with both an associate degree and a trade certification, she said.
Board members asked for clarification about capacity limits and coordination with existing dual-credit offerings; Jones Robertson said the district will follow best-practice cohort sizes aligned with state models and adjust if demand exceeds the planned cohort size. She named several area districts that operate similar collegiate-academy or early-college programs and said the CAM could attract additional students through open enrollment.
No formal board action was required Monday; administrators said they will return with implementation details, application timelines and partnership agreements as the program is developed.