Seventeen-year-old Kamryn Holley recently graduated from Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School in Maryland, receiving both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree through the Early College Access Program. This initiative, established in partnership with Anne Arundel Community College, enables students to simultaneously complete high school and earn an associate’s degree in Transfer Studies.
Holley, one of 16 students to graduate with the dual credentials this year, credited the program with giving her a head start on higher education and an early experience of college-level coursework. She plans to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University this fall to study psychology, with hopes of accelerating her academic progress by two years and saving money for graduate studies.
The program, which began in 2013, accepts students through an application process starting in eighth grade, with only 22 spots initially available. Due to increasing demand, Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School will double enrollment to 44 students for the next academic year. Mary Beth Shepherd, a school counselor, noted that the program has become highly competitive and increasingly sought after among middle school students preparing for admission.
Participants accumulate the necessary 60 college credits by taking a mixture of Advanced Placement and community college courses over four years. Typically, freshmen and sophomores take one college course per semester, juniors take two, and seniors complete the remaining credits, sometimes through summer classes. A team of five to six Anne Arundel Community College professors teaches subjects at the high school several days a week, covering topics such as criminal justice, psychology, global climate change, and world regional geography.
While the associate degree can provide transferable college credits, Shepherd explained that acceptance of these credits varies depending on the policies of receiving universities.
Other graduates shared similar positive experiences. Zachary Baldwin, inspired by his older brother who participated in the program years earlier, is headed to the University of Maryland, College Park this fall to study mathematics. He began the program in eighth grade and emphasized the benefit of potentially reducing the length of a four-year degree.
Ben Benshoushan, who will study business at Towson University before pursuing law school, described the program as demanding but manageable. He encouraged students to approach it with dedication, noting that earning a college degree in high school is achievable with sufficient effort.
The Early College Access Program at Chesapeake Science Point Public Charter School represents a growing trend in secondary education, aiming to expand opportunities for academic advancement and reduce the time and cost associated with obtaining a college degree.