This spring, Sinclair is commemorating 53 College Credit Plus (CCP) students who have finished their associate degrees while in high school. This is the highest number of graduates to come from the program in a year, having a 12% increase from 2020. Sinclair had a total of over 8,100 high school students join CCP in the 2020-2021 academic year, which is another record for the school’s program.
CCP allows students from Grade 7-12 to take college courses before they finish high school without cost. Those enrolled are able to receive credit for both high school and college. They can take general education courses as well as those that apply to specific credentials. College Credit Plus is part of Sinclair’s School Partnerships Group, which also includes Tech Prep and Transition Advising.
“CCP provides students the incredible opportunity to earn college credit and/or degrees before graduating from high school at no cost to their families,” said Sinclair Chief School Partnership Officer Melissa Tolle, “it’s a win-win for our region and families, helping students earn college credit, find a career path and ultimately employers get a skilled workforce to fill in-demand jobs.”
The CCP graduates consists of 47 seniors, five juniors and even one sophomore. They come from a total of 25 Southwestern Ohio high schools. Thirteen of the graduating students are from the Butler Tech D. Russel Lee campus. Other high schools represented include Wayne, West Carrollton, Miamisburg and Oakwood. Home school students as well as those from Ohio Virtual Academy are also among the CCP graduates.
“Motivation and love for learning are the best tools for success at college,” said Sinclair CCP student, Emma Blair. “My time as a CCP student at Sinclair provided me with many opportunities and experiences that I would have otherwise missed out on. One of the benefits of being a CCP student is the time and money that you save as well as the awesome experiences and the chance to grow and really challenge yourself.”
Thirteen of the 53 students finished with a 4.0 GPA. Three high school seniors earned two associate degrees.
Through the pathway Sinclair has with Butler Tech, the thirteen students from this school received associate degrees in electro-mechanical engineering technology. Seven CCP students earned an Associate of Science degree while 10 received an Associate of Arts. Other associate degrees that were achieved include those in psychology, biology, computer science and education. More than 10 CCP students also received certificates.
A large majority of the students plan to transfer on to another school to continue their education. As the engineering technology degree through Butler Tech gives students the option to transfer or go straight to the workforce, some of these students plan to take the latter route.
Sinclair is also working to help more high school students become enrolled in college courses in upcoming semesters.
“There’s a new office that works with us called Transition Advising and they’re advisors that are in the high school buildings.” said Sinclair CCP director, Elizabeth Cicchetti. “We’re hopeful that they are going to be able to work with students to help MAP them earlier to be able to increase the credential completion within the high schools. We’re also working with the transition advisors and Tech Prep to lay out ideal pathways. So, we do feel that there will be an increase in credentials next year as well.”
The pathways for high school students will specifically show them the steps they need to take to earn a certain degree.
Overall, Sinclair had its highest number of students ever to achieve some form of credentials in 2021 with over 6,300 students earning either a degree and/or certificate. This is a 24% increase just from last year and a 75% jump over the past decade. All the students were celebrated at Sinclair’s commencement ceremony on May 6.
Rebekah Davidson
Intern