MORONGO BASIN — Young students of the Morongo Unified School District are joining the ranks of the Fighting Cacti through the new Early College Initiative program, a program that utilizes dual-enrollment college courses to allow high school students to receive their general education college credits while they are still in high school.
The Early College Initiative program is designed to provide motivated high school students with the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school, jumpstarting their academic and professional journeys. It's a continuation of the long-standing dual-enrollment program which currently consists of 15 college classes available to juniors and seniors in MUSD high schools. These unique classes are taught at the high schools, or on Zoom, by teachers credentialed to teach both high schools and college students.
Students participating in these classes earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. The class curriculum is exactly the same as the curriculum taught to the traditional college students.
“It's a unique program that has many advantages,” said MUSD counselor on assignment Leisa Ruggiero. “Traditionally schools have offered AP courses to high school students which may allow you to earn college credit but that's contingent on a test and whether or not the school will accept the credits.”
With dual-enrollment classes students' credits are not contingent on a final test and their credits are guaranteed at any public university in California. The program launched nearly 10 years ago and has continuously grown in popularity; in 2020 there were 195 students utilizing the dual-enrollment program in the MUSD and in 2024 701 students participated in dual-enrollment.
In fact, the course offerings for the program have grown so rapidly that now students who take all of the course offerings can finish their high school careers with all of the general education requirements they would need to transfer into a four-year university as a junior.
“What I’m offering here is a free college education for students’ first two years of school,” said Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Amy Woods.
The program launched this year with a pilot group consisting of a cohort of ninth-grade students at Yucca Valley High School and Twentynine Palms High School. Students participating in the program were selected not only for academic achievement but also for their drive, dedication and need. Several of the students selected are low income students or come from other historically disadvantaged communities that are statistically less likely to attend or succeed in college.
“There are a lot of kids that graduate high school, go off to college and fail but through this program students will have a leg-up,” Woods said. “They’ll have safety nets including teachers that spend more one-on-one time with them, MUSD counselors and CMC counselors all routing for them to succeed.”
Dual enrollment teacher Trent Nicholson said that he’s excited for the growth of the program, and that he knows the students will live up to the high expectations that the program demands. Nicholson teaches English 3A, 1C and 1B in the dual enrollment program, teaching three years’ worth of college-level English courses to high school students.
“I’m teaching 16-year-olds who are reaching four to five years above grade level in these courses and they are excelling,” he said. “The rigor of these courses is not diluted down, sometimes it's even higher, but these students have support and after leaving the program they’ll be able to step into any four-year university and be comfortable.”
This initiative aims to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary education, offering a smoother transition for students as they embark on their academic and professional endeavors. By participating in the Early College Initiative, students will not only gain valuable college credits but also develop essential skills such as critical thinking, time management and independent learning.