The North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District reported this month that high school students who earned college credits while in high school saved more than $1.3 million in college tuition costs in 2012-13.
The district's two high schools — Tartan High in Oakdale and North High in North St. Paul — offered 27 CIS (College in the Schools) and AP (Advanced Placement) courses last school year. The total number of credits earned through the CIS program was 2,804, the district said.
The CIS program has been offered in partnership with the University of Minnesota.
The promotion of so-called dual (high school/college) credit courses has been a priority of the Center for School Change, which publishes an annual booklet, "Get A Jump Start On Your Future," funded by the Bremer, Frey, Morning, St. Paul and Travelers foundations, as well as the state Department of Education.
Last fall, Joe Nathan, director of the Center for School Change, helped coordinate appearances by three students at a St. Paul school board meeting during which the students touted the personal and financial benefits of earning college credits while in high school.
Three years ago, Adam Herron, a North High graduate, also offered a written testimonial in the 2011 edition of the jump-start booklet.
He said that because of his experience taking AP and PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Options) courses, he was able to graduate from the University of Minnesota 18 months early.
For Herron, the advantages of taking dual credit courses became apparent, he said, in his junior year when he attended PSEO courses at Hamline University in St. Paul.
