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West High expands concurrent enrollment, career pathways to boost college access and local-workforce links
Summary
Principal Sherry Blazing told the board the number of West High students taking college-level courses has more than doubled in recent years as the school adds concurrent-enrollment offerings and career-pathway options tied to local industry.
Sherry Blazing, principal of West High School, told the board on March 3 that the high school has significantly expanded concurrent enrollment and career-pathway programming to increase college-credit access and workplace readiness.
"In the 21–22 school year, I think we had 60 some kids taking PSEO classes. And by the 23–24 year, it was 135," Blazing said, describing rapid growth in college-credit participation. She outlined plans to offer about 10 concurrent-enrollment courses next year — seven through Minnesota State University and three through South Central College — including public speaking, human development, bio, mechatronics and medical terminology.
Blazing said offering concurrent enrollment on the West High campus reduces transportation barriers for students who otherwise must travel to college campuses. She gave the example of public speaking: when West offered it as concurrent enrollment, enrollment doubled compared with prior PSEO-only offerings. Blazing added that teaching supports at West (for example, classroom help in math) give students a safety net while they take college courses.
On career pathways, Blazing described narrowing a large “career wheel” into four local pathways tied to area industries and building advisory councils to align high school coursework with workforce needs. She said staff invited local employers to talk to teachers about the skills new employees need, and the district is building internships, work experiences and certificate opportunities into pathways such as health sciences and construction.
Board members asked how concurrent enrollment compares with Advanced Placement offerings and about academic readiness and teacher credentials. Blazing said students still take AP courses, but concurrent enrollment has proved popular because it delivers college transcript credit and is often more accessible to students who cannot travel to a college campus. She said teachers who provide concurrent-enrollment courses either meet college credentialing requirements (for MSU, typically a master’s or specific graduate credits) or are otherwise approved by the partner college.
Blazing also described a new, user-friendly registration hub that lets students explore courses by department or postsecondary pathways. She said initial data show promise: the percentage of students with one or more failing semester grades fell from around 16 percent in the COVID years to 12 percent in the last semester, and the school is tracking whether concurrent-enrollment options affect long-term outcomes such as MCA scores when cohorts reach eleventh grade.
No formal vote was required for the presentation. Board members thanked Blazing and asked staff to continue tracking academic outcomes and credentialing for concurrent-enrollment teachers.
