Sycamore's college credit option allows students to get ahead

SYCAMORE – Annie Malecki will have almost a semester of college completed before she graduates high school in May.

Malecki has filled part of her Sycamore High School senior year schedule with college courses in English, government and psychology in the hopes of finishing up college a little early – once she gets to that point.

“Getting part of my [associate degree] out of the way is helpful,” she said. “It’s a good way to get a head start on college.”

Malecki, who said she still is unsure what she wants to study in college, is among about 50 students participating in Sycamore’s first Kish on Campus, which allows high school students to begin taking college courses at half the college cost. This is the first academic year Sycamore High School has offered the program, which is more expansive than similar programs Kishwaukee College has at other high schools.

The cost per credit hour at Kishwaukee is $113, while Sycamore students can take courses at the high school for $56.50 a credit hour. Most classes are worth three credit hours.

Sedgwick Harris, Kishwaukee College vice president of student services, said because courses are taught at the high school by Sycamore teachers, there are no transportation costs for students. The high school teachers must have certain credentials to teach the courses, including a master’s degree.

“It gets students exposed to college and thinking about, ‘Am I college ready, am I career ready?’ ” Harris said. “It does save them a lot of money and gets them that much more ahead in their education.”

Classes offered through Sycamore’s Kish on Campus include composition I and composition II, algebra, trigonometry, government, business seminar and U.S. history. Only high school seniors are eligible to participate in Kish on Campus, and those interested had to take Kishwaukee College placement tests.

The college bills the student’s family directly, and much like a college setting, students are required to purchase their textbooks. Some students say they were interested in the courses over advanced placement classes, which also can provide college credit, because of the potential challenge.

Senior Molly O’Neil is enrolled in two of the college courses, and said she was interested in the challenge. She’s already enrolled in advanced placement courses at the high school, but wanted something more. Although O’Neill intends on going to a university after high school, she plans to use the credits to her advantage.

“It’s easier to take the classes now, and they’re cheaper,” Oneill said. “It’s at a faster rate and I get more out of it. I think it’s geared for me.”

Harris said the college is open to offering the opportunity to many more schools in the area, including DeKalb-based District 428, which has already showed interest in expanding its program. Some districts do offer at least one dual credit course, but not an entire program like Sycamore. DeKalb, Indian Creek District 425, Oregon District 220, Paw Paw School District 271 and Rochelle School District 231 offer one or two classes each.

“As long as we have students in this, we will continue to tweak it,” he said. “If we have classes that don’t fill, we won’t run them. These classes will help them. They need to be able to write and comprehend, and these basic classes will help.”

Malecki finds her government course slightly challenging, but she enjoys the work. She said the biggest difference between her college and high school courses is the type of work.

“The main grade in these [college] classes is the quiz,” Malecki said. “There’s not much work, but there are quizzes. I like that.”

Sycamore teacher Talvi Bedford is the instructor for the government course this semester, which has 12 students enrolled. He said it’s a unique experience for him because of the students’ motivation and willingness to learn during that particular course.

“They’re deviating from the norm,” Bedford said. “The students made the decision to be here.”