Students taking dual credit courses in McHenry County up 600%

As she gets set to head to college in Wisconsin to pursue a nursing career, Woodstock High School senior Sophia Meiners will have nearly an entire year of college under her belt and experience in her field.

Dating back to her sophomore year, Meiners has taken eight dual credit courses with the goal of saving money on the next stage of her education. One of those classes was to become a certified nursing assistant, which is something she said was available only through dual credit.

“It’s opened me up to what college classes are going to be like,” Meiners said. “There’s not a big difference in taking them at the high school and at the college. The rigor is the same.”

“Exploded,” “soared” or “expanded.” Whatever word used to describe it, the interest in dual credit classes across McHenry County has been substantial in recent years.

In less than a decade, many school districts across McHenry County have seen their dual credit offerings triple, quadruple or in some cases, increase seven-fold. Student participation in those offerings has in some places gone up at an even higher rate.

Across the county in total, there were just over 700 students participating in dual credit in 2015, said Cara Schultz, director of college and career readiness at McHenry County College. This past year, the area had more than 4,400 students.

“The whole county is working together on dual credit,” Schultz said. “I think that’s one of the contributing factors to why it’s grown.”

Dual credit classes are those that offer both high school and college credit to students. While they are taught at the high school offering the class, it is hosted through a local college. Nearly all dual credit classes hosted throughout McHenry County’s high schools are through McHenry County College, Schultz said.

It’s just like walking over [to a college] and taking a class. You are enrolled in a college class.

—  Matt Timmerman, Community High School District 155 assistant superintendent of educational services

To offer the class, the school must have a teacher that either has a master’s degree in the subject or 18 hours worth of classes at a master’s degree level, said Matt Timmerman, assistant superintendent of educational services at Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155.

Administrators said they think the rise in popularity can be attributed to students’ desire to earn college credit, save money and gain the experience of a real college class, while also not having to deal with many of the hurdles seen in different college paths.

“It’s just like walking over [to a college] and taking a class,” Timmerman said. “You are enrolled in a college class.”

At District 155, which has four high schools, the district saw a more than 1,000% increase in students participating in dual credit since the 2015-16 school year, Timmerman said.

In that time, the district also went from offering six dual credit classes to 30.

“We really have put a focus on expanding that,” Timmerman said.

Woodstock School District 200 now offers 37 dual credit courses, up from around eight a few years ago, said Justin Smith, the district’s assistant superintendent for middle and high school education. In 2019-20, the district had fewer than 200 students taking dual credit. That number this past school year exceeded 800.

There are also a wide variety of classes offered under dual credit that can help lead a student to a certain career, such as culinary or metals and machining, Smith said.

“It’s exploded,” Smith said. “It’s grown a ton.”

Compared to courses like Advanced Placement, which have seen a dip but still healthy numbers across area schools in recent years, dual credit has “a more certain outcome,” McHenry High School college and career counselor Curtis Menke said.

At McHenry, a dozen dual credit courses are currently offered, with the 13th coming next year. This is up from four a few years ago.

It’s exploded. ... It’s grown a ton.

—  Justin Smith, Woodstock School District 200's assistant superintendent for middle and high school education

Where students taking Advanced Placement courses will have their college credit hinge on a test at the end of the year, dual credit offers that same credit based on the student’s overall performance in the class throughout the semester.

“Dual credit, you take the class, you get the credit,” Menke said. “[Advanced Placement] you pay to take the test, you prep for the test, you stress out about the test, you take the test, you hope you did well and that wherever you go accepts it.”

Administrators said there isn’t much difference in either the rigor between the two types of classes or how the classes are perceived by colleges when students apply.

Because of the rise in popularity, the state of Illinois has taken action in both promoting dual credit and making it easier for students to participate. It also cuts back some of the perceived drawbacks.

One such drawback is the high-stakes nature of the class, with administrators noting that if a student takes a class, it will be stuck on their college transcript. New legislation, titled the Dual Credit Quality Act, makes it more flexible for students to try out dual credit without it following them around.

“I think the state sees those exploding numbers and tried to eliminate that barrier,” Smith said. “I think it’s important to talk to students [about taking those classes].”

McHenry High School also has tried to mitigate that as well by offering what they consider low-risk classes, such as metals classes, to younger students who might be interested but want to try it out first, Menke said.

When entering her class, McHenry High School English instructor Ashley Diedrich stresses the importance of taking the class seriously. Even without the prospect of it going onto a college transcript, Diedrich said she feels students understand the stakes and come into the class prepared.

“We’re not simulating anything; this is a college course,” Diedrich said. “To me, it’s the same course at a different location.”

Going forward, dual credit will likely keep growing, as high schools across Illinois are developing career pathways, Schultz said. That will in many ways make use of dual credit and assist in more technical career training.

Several administrators said, though, at some point it will level off, as there aren’t enough students to continue these trends.

“There will be more growth for sure,” Schultz said, “but I don’t know to what scale.”