By Remy McCool/south news editor
Students entering the early college high school on South Campus will encounter a different model compared to the ones on the other TCC campuses.
South Campus is working with Everman ISD superintendent Jeri Pfeifer “to create an early college high school that is built on a school-within-a-school model,” South president Peter Jordan said.
Students who enroll in the program from Everman ISD will attend college credit classes on their high school campus during ninth and 10th grades and will attend college classes on South Campus during 11th and 12th grades.
TCC and FWISD will take a different approach.
“That high school will be a campus-based high school,” Jordan said, “meaning we will construct a building on South Campus that will house the early college high school for Fort Worth ISD students.”
The facility will focus on technical programs and hold approximately 500 students, but no further plans have been made.
“No plans have been finalized at this point, and the project funding has not yet been approved,” said TCC facilities planning and development director Kirby Chadwell.
Early college high school allows students to earn an associate degree alongside their high school diploma.
The motivation behind the program is “to promote a college-going culture within our community,” Jordan said.
Many of the students will be first-generation college students.
Students will be required to pass the Texas Success Initiative assessment, or TSI test, to enroll in the program.
“Before students can take college-level courses, they need to be TSI-complete,” Jordan said. “We will work with the school and the students to make sure that they are ready.”
The program will begin in Everman ISD this fall and in fall 2015 for FWISD.
“We are excited because we have a team of faculty, staff and district personnel who are working together with both partners, FWISD and Everman ISD, to create a curriculum that helps students accelerate their time to a degree,” Jordan said.
