New Community College Program Offers Online Courses to High School Students |
| For Immediate Release Contact: Shannon Reid, 271-2795 sreid@ccsnh.edu |
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Community College System of New Hampshire Gov. Lynch, College System officials praise program that enables students to earn concurrent high school and college credits online CONCORD, N.H. – An innovative new program from the Community College System of New Hampshire will allow high school students to take courses online for concurrent high school and college credit. The program, eStart, is a collaboration between the college system and the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS), a fully approved online high school based in Exeter, NH. Credits earned through eStart can be transferred into one of New Hampshire’s community colleges, or to other colleges and universities in NH and in other states. eStart is an extension of CCSNH’s popular and successful Running Start program, a partnership between participating high schools and the community colleges that allows high school students to take college-level classes in their high schools at a reduced rate of only $100 per course. As with Running Start, eStart allows a student to earn both high-school and college credit for the class. “Building an educated workforce is the most important investment we can make in our economy and in our state. Through Project Running Start, run by New Hampshire's Community College System, we are opening the door to college for many students,” Gov. Lynch said. “This new innovative program will provide even greater access to college level classes and build on the important work begun by Project Running Start. It will give high school students greater academic challenges, enhance students' learning experience and at the same time allow them to earn credits that are accepted at colleges across New Hampshire and across the nation.” “With rising gas prices and increasingly busy lives, it’s more important than ever that colleges strive to meet the needs of our students,” said CCSNH Chancellor Dr. Richard Gustafson. “With eStart, we’re continuing on the path to meet those needs. We’re giving high school students a jump on their college education in an on-line format that is increasingly appealing to them.” Gustafson noted that eStart further extends the online availability of New Hampshire’s community colleges, which offer nearly 190 courses in a 100% online format. Starting this fall, high school students can take the following courses through eStart:
The college system hopes to expand the number of courses available as the program grows. Tuition for each eStart course is $100, plus the cost of books. The courses are taught by college faculty, using the college grading system. High school students interested in taking an eStart course should begin by enrolling on the VLACS website at www.vlacs.org. “We're very excited about the eStart program and the partnership with CCSNH. We believe that the courses offered through this program will become very popular with high school students in New Hampshire, and more importantly, will provide all high school students with access to rigorous college level instruction,” said Steve Kossakoski, CEO of the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. For additional information: |
