Wayne Students Can Earn College Credits Thanks To New Agreement

Wayne students will have the opportunity earn both college and high school credits due to new agreements with two local colleges.

The Board of Education approved agreements with Fairleigh Dickinson University and Passaic County Community College at a meeting April 23.

Two accounting classes will be offered for the 2015-16 school year. Students may earn three high school and college credits for either course. The college credits can be transferred to public colleges and universities in New Jersey. The classes are already nearly full.

“Students are excited about the opportunity to take a college level class while stlll in high school,” said Superintendent Mark Toback.”The additional expectations and rigor that come with college level coursework will help students with the transition from high school to college.”

Taking the classes would lighten the load on students’ and parents’ wallets too.

If a student completes the six credits in high school, the cost is about $500. The cost to complete the same courses at Fairleigh Dickinson, Toback said, is about $7,000, a $6,500 difference.

“It’s a wonderful thing for parents too,” Toback said. “If we can help them save money, that’s great.”

Toback said officials are examining offering more college-credit courses in the future.