Columbia Public Schools (CPS) high school students will be able to earn a free associate degree by the end of their four years as a result of the new dual-credit initiative “High School 2.0.” beginning in August of 2020. This opportunity arose as a result of a partnership between Moberly Area Community College (MACC) and CPS. CPS based this plan upon similar program in Ann Arbor.

Although CPS staff  is still determining some of the specifics of how the program will work,  Community Relations Director Michelle Baumstark said the program is available to any CPS high school student with a GPA greater than 2.75, a yet to be determined Admissions Content Test or Accuplacer, a college readiness assessment, score, a history of “good citizenship” and “good attendance.” Although the program plans to grow in participants, Baumstark said CPS will accept around 50 students into the program for the 2020-21 school year. CPS plans to cover transportation to MACC and the cost of tuition at a discounted provided by MACC.

Junior Charlotte Tolly said she thought the program could be especially helpful in reducing college debt for future CPS graduates, low income and otherwise. She said, however, it may help increase expectations of high school students.

“I think it’s a really good thing to help minimize the gap in educational access. For a lot of people, it’ll be an amazing opportunity they otherwise couldn’t afford,” Tolley said. “The only downside I see is that it might add onto the whole culture of competition and overachievement, and some people might get left behind, so to speak, if they take regular classes.”

Baumstark said CPS would select the 50 participants through a combination of interest and eligibility. Sophomore Zihao Zhou said he thought the program could be beneficial for some, but may not be especially helpful for everyone.

“I feel like this is a great program for some people, but maybe not for everyone. Like if someone wasn’t planning on attending college after high school, it’s a great program to help them get a degree while still attending high school, and without having to pay,” Zhou said. “But for people who were planning to attend college anyways, I feel like this program isn’t really for them.”

In a KOMU interview, CPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman said the program could be “life changing,” for low income students. CPS hopes the program can provide a greater opportunity for educational advancement with less cost, Baumstark said.

“[High School 2.0. students] will  then be able to pursue additional education at other institutions or move directly into the workforce,” Baumstark said. “It’s a huge savings for families and provides amazing access to opportunity for our students.”

Will you take advantage of this opportunity? Let us know in the comments below.