Two local educators will participate in a panel discussion at the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships conference, scheduled from Oct. 13-16 in Salt Lake City. The audience will include high school guidance counselors, college and career readiness coaches and coordinators, high school administrators, and dual-credit personnel and administrators from colleges across the nation.
Amanda Jerome, who serves as college and career readiness coordinator for the Daviess County Public Schools district; and Meredith Skaggs, associate professor of communications and concurrent enrollment and NACEP coordinator for Owensboro Community and Technical College, will participate in a panel discussion on “Key Strategies for Successful Partnerships.”
Jerome, Skaggs and representatives from Texas and Maryland will highlight their respective dual-credit partnerships and discuss the positive attributes and successes of their programs.
“The goal of our presentation is to give national attention to our thriving partnership by highlighting what we do each day to benefit the students we serve,” Jerome said. “It is an honor to be asked to present about our program on the national level and to display our opportunities to other high schools and colleges across the country. The relationship between secondary and post-secondary organizations are the foundation of dual credit partnerships and, like any relationship, will naturally evolve over time.”
Jerome and Skaggs will share key strategies used to create an effective partnership and how DCPS and OCTC have continued to expand programs and improve access and equity in dual enrollment. “This session will provide an overview of the incremental steps that allow dual enrollment partnerships to move mountains for student success in college,” Jerome said. “DCPS and OCTC have a thriving, long-standing dual credit partnership, which continues to grow each year. We want to encourage other schools to build their dual credit programs and give them suggestions and strategies for doing so.”
Jerome said the most exciting – and important – aspect of a dual credit program is its benefits for students. “Students benefit from our partnership by participating in dual credit classes on campus at OCTC, with concurrent enrollment college classes in our high school buildings,” she said. “In addition, more than 110 students are pursuing their associate’s degrees through our thriving Early College program.”
Other local education professionals who will attend the national conference are DCPS college and career readiness coaches Kelly Spaw and Trey Pippin; Stacy Edds Ellis, OCTC dean of academic affairs; and Nikki Wimpelberg, OCTC early college coordinator.
