Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education Newsletter
Early College Innovations in the North Shore and Merrimack Valley aimed at Helping Students Acquire More College Credit
Two exciting and innovative Early College programs being offered in communities in the North Shore and Merrimack Valley were the subject of an MA4EC event co-hosted by MBAE on Monday, October 17th that celebrated the increased investments the administration and legislature have secured to make growth and innovation possible.
This Fall, Lynn Public Schools launched the first Early College High School to be located on a college campus in Massachusetts. Through this partnership with North Shore Community College, 75 Lynn Public Schools freshmen are the first to attend the new school whose ultimate goal is for students to graduate with a high school diploma and associate degree, saving them considerable time and cost to degree completion.
Meanwhile, public school districts in Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, and Salem are partnering with their local colleges to pilot Early College Promise (ECP), a pilot program designed to enable students to earn an associate degree or 60 transferable credits by high school graduation. Under the ECP model, students in state-designated Early College programs can opt to defer high school graduation to have an extra year during which students take a full schedule of college courses while continuing to receive the wraparound support available through their high school and college partnership. Springfield and New Heights Charter School in Brockton are also participating in the ECP pilot.