District expands Stockton dual-enrollment partnership, plans AP African American Studies and AP Seminar

Mister Adams presented new course partnerships intended to expand college-credit opportunities for Manchester Township students. Under a new articulation agreement with Stockton University, courses such as intro to multimedia, AP Computer Science Principles and creative writing will map to Stockton equivalents so students can earn college credit while enrolled at the high school.

Adams said dual-enrollment participation already exceeds about 100 students districtwide and that Stockton provides a tuition waiver for students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. “So we wanted to expand our offerings for our students,” Adams said, describing plans for an OCC associate-degree pathway that would let motivated students complete an associate degree by graduation if they follow a defined sequence of courses.

Board members asked about costs and certification. Adams said Stockton tuition for a mapped course is roughly $20 more than OCC for the district comparison he provided, and that AP African American Studies and AP Seminar would not require additional staff initially. For AP African American Studies the district plans a co-teaching model with teachers certified in social studies and English; the district reported about 41% of surveyed eighth graders and about 40% of high-school students were a "yes" or "maybe" for the course.

The board voted to place the course proposals on the agenda for routine approval; administrators said they will return with final curricular materials and any required certification documentation.