BCPS' Diploma to Degree Program: A Benefit For Gifted Students?

This past November, Baltimore County Public Schools announced a new partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County. Called the Diploma to Degree program, this initiative allows a select group of high school students to complete both their high school graduation requirements while concurrently earning an Associates degree through CCBC.

Such a measure provides unprecedented opportunity for a variety of students. At-risk students who have a hard time staying focused in school can fast-track themselves out of high school drama and onto the next phase of their lives. Students with technical and vocational strengths can also get a leg up on their careers with this concurrent enrollment program by pursuing a variety of specialized training.

The beauty behind this program is that, during the first year, CCBC will pay the cost for students to take classes. During the second year, funds will be reallocated from other sources - still making this free for the first group of students. After that, families will be responsible for paying for their child's college courses. BCPS reports, however, that financial aid will be available.

This past weekend at a Maryland Coalition for Gifted and Talented Education meeting word got out that BCPS hand picked students to participate in the 2011-12 Diploma to Degree pilot program. Rather than allow for a lottery system to see who benefits from a free community college education, students with the highest PSAT test scores were invited to take part.

Now, I'm a proponent of early college opportunities for gifted children. Acceleration is the single most cost-effective educational practice available for meeting the needs of gifted students. It costs a school nothing to simply move a student into an appropriately challenging classroom.

With that said, the Diploma to Degree program is not a good choice for gifted students.

Academic Rigor, Really?

BCPS bills the program as providing a "rigorous academic course of study". However, the Maryland Higher Education Commission paints a different picture of the quality of the state's community colleges.

In 2005, nearly a third of all students entering community college required reading remediation. More than half the first year students needed help with basic math skills.

In addition, over a ten-year period, from 1991 – 2001, more than half of all community college students across the state dropped out. Less than 10% actually graduated.

I bring these points up because they beg the question of whether Baltimore County's brightest students will really be well served at CCBC.

Academic rigor involves highly competent professors, utilizing comprehensive material, while demanding excellence in student work. The level of required excellence will be matched to the abilities of the general student body.

If half of Maryland’s community college students are struggling to complete College Algebra because they never acquired basic math skills in public school, then how can one expect that a gifted high school student will be appropriately challenged in a Calculus class in that setting, for example?

Education should include placing a student in a class with intellectual peers, as well as at the right instructional level. Without a true commitment to higher education and engaging in challenging coursework, the level of spirited discussion and expectation to achieve just won’t be there.

No one is saying that all community college students are slackers. Many fine students select that path to an advanced degree for a variety of reasons.  They work hard and they achieve well.

But, when we look to state statistics, we have to acknowledge that if half of all community college students drop out their first year, then there's a different level of commitment to learning then is found with most gifted high school students.

Saving Money or a Costly Decision?

Dr. Hairston, Baltimore County Public School’s superintendent, said that the Diploma to Degree program will help families financially because it reduces the cost of an ultimate bachelors degree.

On the surface, that sounds tempting to take advantage of. Yet, the reality is that obtaining an AA degree along with your high school diploma potentially sets students up for reduced financial aid awards when they apply to a 4-year institution as a transfer student.

Take a look at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as just one example. The sole merit scholarship for transfer students is capped at $2,500 for two academic years.

Incoming freshmen at UMBC, on the other hand, have the opportunity to qualify for seven different merit-based scholarships – ranging from $1,000 - 15,000 a year. In addition, incoming freshmen can also apply for six different Scholar Programs, which offer partial to full scholarships for all 4 years.

For students hoping to attend a top-tier school, an AA degree can actually reduce opportunities. MIT, for example, accepts few transfer students. In addition, according to admission policies, “transfer students typically lose at least one semester of course work”. In other words, Diploma to Degree students will find themselves retaking the same class over, again, should they be admitted to a more demanding 4-year institution.

Another Alternative

Rather than push gifted students into this well-intentioned Diploma to Degree plan, Baltimore County schools - and schools throughout Maryland - could better meet the needs of bright students by simply utilizing in-house acceleration options.

Allowing 9th and 10th graders into Advanced Placement classes gives these students the opportunity to begin earning college credit without the hassle of transporting them to/from a community college campus.

Should a gifted student exhaust course offerings at their local high school, they can either take advantage of online AP courses or take part in a dual enrollment plan at a local college.
Rather than be locked into taking general studies courses, which the Diploma to Degree program participants will be required to do, a dual-enrolled student can take advanced courses at a 4-year institution. Say the high schooler has already achieved a 5 on the AP Bioogy exam, they can then enroll in Microbiology.

The critical difference with this approach is that the student graduates only with a high school diploma. Yes, they accrue college credits, either through AP testing or as a dual-enrolled student. But, they never lose their high school status by obtaining an AA degree.

These students can take full advantage of applying to college as a full-time freshman. When accepted, they enter with a freshman class, with advanced standing, and participate in all the exciting first-year activities that help to set the tone and build community. Transfer students miss out on this rite of passage.

Unfortunately, parents are not being given necessary information for making an informed decision about the Diploma to Degree program. It’s a great concept for a variety of students, but it simply doesn't meet the needs of for gifted students.