The Morongo Unified School District have announced their new Early College Initiative program, a continuation of their long-standing dual-enrollment college courses to allow high school students to receive their general education college credits while they are still in high school.
Designed to provide motivated high school students with the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school, The Early College Initiative program’s unique classes are taught at the high schools, or on Zoom, by teachers credentialed to teach both high schools and college students who will earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. The class curriculum is exactly the same as the curriculum taught to the traditional college students.
MUSD counselor Leisa Ruggiero said, “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.
Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Amy Woods said, “What we’re offering here is a free college education for students’ first two years of school.”
Aiming to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary education, this initiative is offering a smoother transition for students as they embark on their academic and professional endeavors. Students will not only gain valuable college credits but also develop essential skills such as critical thinking, time management and independent learning.
