Colorado Springs Early Colleges aims to help students achieve a diploma and an associate's degree.
Colorado Springs residents with bright kids may consider moving their children on to college-level courses early, and Early Colleges provide the opportunity to do just that. An early college is a program that allows students to take a compressed course of both high school and college work. Colorado Springs Early Colleges (CSEC) is the only such facility in Colorado Springs, although the Early College High School Initiative offers alternatives in Denver, Westminster and Pueblo. The institution combines high school work and college studies so students can complete a high school diploma and higher education in a shorter period of time.
Colorado Springs Early Colleges
CSEC is a public charter high school with a catchment area of Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. It shares a campus with the Colorado Technical University, teaching over 500 students. Tuition is free and students can join the school on either a part-time or full-time basis, although pupils that spend fewer hours at the institution must be enrolled in a separate academic program or homeschooled. Four buses are available to pick up students from the south and east sides of town, and the school year runs from mid-August until just before Memorial Day.
CSEC Programs
Although CSEC may be unusual in the sense that it offers college-level studies, it does not exclude children at different levels of ability. The school assesses them on enrolment and aims to teach all students of all skillsets to a standard that leads to higher education. GTPathway courses, which transfers to any university of college in Colorado, are offered.
In addition, the school offers a college prep program and a college program. The college prep program intensively teaches kids at a high-school level and brings them to a point where they feel able to take on higher-level studies. It is not only for those that excel academically, as it also aims to help those who are on track, or behind in their studies, achieve a diploma quickly. The classes are designed to meet with the prerequisites of college courses and the content of the program is similar to pre-college level courses offered by community colleges. College-prep courses are available in eight areas including English, languages and maths. Around 65 percent of CSEC students take on at least one college-prep class.
The college program is taught by college or university-approved professors. Students take classes at the Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC), University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) or CSEC campuses as part of the Colorado Technical University (CTU). While those who attend PPCC or UCCS learn with students from other institutions, those who stay on campus are in classes made entirely of their CSEC peers. CSEC-CTU College Courses are available in 11 areas including Art and Design, Business and Financial and Engineering. Approximately 55 percent of students take on a college-level course on campus, while 30 percent partake in the program at PPCC or UCCS.
CSEC Qualifications
Students who attend Colorado Springs Early Colleges graduate with a high school diploma and an associate's degree, or up to two years of credits toward a bachelor's degree in up to five years. Students graduate from one of three schools of instruction: Ascent, Emergent or Aspire. To achieve a suma cum laude diploma, pupils require 20 high school credits and 60 or more college credit hours or an associate's degree. Below this level, pupils can come away with a magna cum laude or cum laude diploma. The school does not recognize D grades as passing. Upon graduating, students receive both a high school transcript and a college transcript.
CSEC Enrolment
To enroll in CSEC, a Prospective Student Form must be filled in and an Informational Meeting attended, where enrolment packets are available. Prospective students must then take the Accuplacer test, which is used by the institution to place pupils in the correct class according to academic ability. However, the results of the test does not affect the likelihood of a student being accepted.
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