Early College Resources for Middle Schools & Counselors

Who is an ideal Early College student?

• Students ready for rigorous, in-depth, and intensive coursework

• Students feeling disconnected from the traditional high school

• Students looking for a way to reach their full academic potential

• Students looking for a FREE way to access higher education

• Students who will be the first in their families to attend college

• Students ready to be successful in life

How is the Early College beneficial for students?

Tuition, fees and textbooks are free to Early College students, as they are encouraged to complete the Associate of Arts – College Transfer degree, which ensures students’ transfer with junior status into most major universities. This is done while they are working on their high school diplomas at the same time. Through the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement with the University of North Carolina system, SCC students can earn up to 66 hours worth of credit that will transfer to any of the 16 public universities in the state. A number of North Carolina’s Independent Colleges and Universities have also signed a similar agreement. Students interested in attending an out-of-state institution should be in contact with that school’s Admissions office to ensure transferability.

Other benefits of the Early College include:

Academic Support

Students will take high school courses that resemble the structure and expectations of college courses so as to prepare them for a smooth transition into the college culture. Not only will their high school teachers be present to help students after the transition, but the college has support services in-place for tutoring, ADA accommodations, and supplemental academic experiences (i.e., affective skill-training, focused workshops, etc.).

Small Class Size

It is an essential component to the Early College that the total number of enrolled students in grades 9 – 13 remains under 200, which allows for smaller high school class sizes and greater opportunities for one-on-one attention by faculty and staff. The community college also boasts small class sizes, as opposed to the university-style auditorium/lecture classes, to offer students the opportunity to develop long-lasting positive relationships with instructors and classmates.

Initial Support and Emphasis

The Early College emphasizes the need to complete the state-required 28 credits for the high school diploma by accelerating the first two years of the students’ core high school classes (Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies). At the same time, students will enroll in preparatory college courses to enhance their reading and study skills for college success. In the following two- to three-years, students will be enrolled mostly in college courses, all of which work towards the completion of the Associate’s Degree and also transfer back as both core classes and electives for the high school diploma.

Challenge & Rigor

Because the nature of a college course is expected to be more rigorous than a high school course, students should expect to be challenged in all areas:

• homework may take more time to complete and may have rigid deadlines

• research papers and other writing assignments may be longer, more detailed, and of a higher caliber (in grammar, structure, and content) than in previous experiences

• reading assignments from textbooks and other publications may challenge the student with adult vocabulary, concepts, and analysis, and the student will be expected to demonstrate in class that s/he has read and understood the material.

Sample 5-Year Plan

It is possible for students to obtain both degrees in four-to-five years because of articulation agreements that exist between the county and community college. For example, successful completion of college courses POL-120 (American Government) and ECO-151 (Survey of Economics) not only equal 6 credit hours towards the Associate’s Degree, but also equal the Civics & Economics requirement of the high school diploma. Take a look at this Sample 5-Year Plan, (attached below) to get a better idea of how this works.

When will the Early Colleges start recruiting for next year’s applicants?

Each Early College performs their recruitment activities on a different schedule, and each have different activities. Please contact the individual Early Colleges for more information:

Jackson County Early College

447 College Drive

Sylva, NC 28779

Main Line: 828.586.4091, ext 499

https://www.jcps.k12.nc.us/pages/schools.aspx (JCEC website is currently under construction)

Principal: Raylene Bryson

828.586.4091, ext 235

rbryson@jcpsmail.org

Macon Early College

44 Siler Farm Road

Franklin, NC 28734

Main Line: 828.369.7331