For Immediate Release

Contact: Daniel Wackershauser, Marketing Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2303
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: October 19, 2022

School districts earn Dual Credit Excellence Awards

Monetary awards range from $1,000 – $5,000

Fennimore -

Four area school districts have earned recognition and monetary awards from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College for their commitment to dual credit education. Thanks to an anonymous donation to the Southwest Tech Foundation, four school districts were presented with Dual Credit Excellence Awards recently.

This annual award recognizes the top four performing school districts for largest percentage increase from the previous year for students enrolling in the dual credit programs of CollEDGE Up, Start College Now, and 38.14 contracted courses. The designated monetary awards are: $5,000 – Cassville School District; $2,500 – Boscobel School District; $1,500 – Riverdale School District and $1,000 – Black Hawk School District. “All districts were very excited by the news that they were receiving recognition for their growth in dual credit participation and were very appreciative of the monetary award from the anonymous foundation donor that accompanied the recognition,” said Mary Johannesen, career prep and dual enrollment coordinator at Southwest Tech.

The number of unduplicated students enrolled in CollEDGE Up, Start College Now and 38.14 contracted courses is divided by the total number of high school students for the given year.  The previous year percentage is subtracted from the current year percentage to determine overall increase or decrease in enrollment.

Cassville – 14.37 percent increase between 20-21 and 21-22

Boscobel – 7.97 percent increase between 20-21 and 21-22

Riverdale – 7.57 percent increase between 20-21 and 21-22

Black Hawk – 6.70 percent increase between 20-21 and 21-22

According to Johannesen, there has been steady growth for Start College Now and CollEDGE Up in recent years and more districts are getting involved. “CollEDGE Up has 197 students currently enrolled for fall, already exceeding last year’s total enrollment,” she said.

Johannesen outlined the advantages students gain by enrolling in these programs while still in high school. “By participating in dual credit programs, students can get a head start on their college and career plans, saving time and money,” she said. “Most school districts will pay for up to 18 credits per student. Because many of our districts are small, on their own, they cannot offer the same opportunities to students as larger school districts. By partnering on programs, they are able to provide equitable opportunities, so their students are as well, if not better, prepared as students from any other school district, regardless of size.”

CollEDGE Up allows students to simultaneously earn high school and college credits through a combination of alternative learning formats.

Start College Now allows juniors and seniors in high school to enroll in courses the high school does not have or cannot offer to a student who wants to go above and beyond in a subject area. The courses the student takes gives them both high school credit toward graduation, as well as college credit.

Contracted courses are Southwest Tech courses taught face-to-face at the high school or virtually by Southwest Tech faculty at a time in the school day that works within the high school schedule.

For more information, visit www.edu/dualcredit.

 

| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, a finalist for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online, HyFlex and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |