Page 6 - The BellTower - Spring 2016

New Partnership Benefits High Schools
In September 2015, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the University of Maine at Fort Kent formally announced
a new partnership at the State House. Representatives from UMFK’s Rural U program and the DOE’s AP4ALL program say the new collaboration will increase opportunities for Maine students to begin earning college credits while still enrolled in high school.
AP4ALL is a program of the Maine Department of Education that has been in existence since 2007. The program’s mission is to provide online, Advanced Placement (AP) classes to high school students through- out the state; especially in small rural schools that may lack the ability to provide AP courses or a wide range of AP courses to
their students. AP courses are college-level classes instructors teach in high schools throughout the country. Teachers must receive training to teach AP courses and stu- dents are assessed with a final test. A great number of colleges and universities accept AP courses, depending on the grade on the final test, as college credit.
Reaching out to serve the needs of high school students in rural parts of Maine is also the mission of UMFK’s Rural U Early College and Dual Enrollment Program, so a partnership between AP4ALL and Rural U came as a natural fit.
Starting in the fall of 2016, high school students throughout the state enrolled in the 17 courses AP4ALL offers will have the option to dually enroll in those courses via UMFK’s Rural U program. By adding the dual enrollment option to eligible AP4ALL courses, high school juniors and seniors can choose to earn credit by passing the final AP exam or by receiving a grade for the course from UMFK which becomes part of an offi- cial college transcript. A student can build upon that transcript if he or she attends UMFK or the student can transfer the credit
to other institutions.
UMFK Dean of Community Education
Scott Voisine, the administrator of Rural
U, said the University is pleased with the collaboration. “The option is responsive to varying needs and strengths of students; some of which may be completely success- ful in their AP course, but may not do well on the final exam for a variety of reasons. The dual enrollment option addresses those differences and provides another choice to college credit attainment.”
As students begin their classes in the fall of 2016, the Rural U/AP4ALL partnership will be another option for students seeking more rigorous course work and more affordable pathways to college attainment. “Dual enrollment programs like Rural U
and AP programs like AP4ALL are key to building aspirations in students in Maine,” said Dean Voisine. “The landscape of education is changing, and the ‘blurring of lines’ between high school and college is a phenomena that will continue to provide students great opportunities for success in their educational pursuits.”
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