Horizon looking at dual credits for post-secondary

By Nikki Jamieson
Vauxhall Advance
njamieson@tabertimes.com

Through the College of Alberta School Superintendents, the Horizon School Division has been in discussions with post-secondary institutes to try and get some post-secondary courses offered to their students.

“We’ve reached out to the University of Lethbridge and University of Lethbridge College,” said Wilco Tymensen, superintendent for the Horizon School division, during a November Board meeting. “We see a strong benefit around dual-credit opportunities; opportunities for kids to become further enhanced and actually apply some university level courses and credits and educational experiences, to hopefully, smooth the transition to a post-secondary institution.”

There are pilot projects with dual-credit courses with post-secondary institutes around the province, in what Tymensen calls the “longest running pilot outside of high school redesign”. Although there is no funding model currently in place for it, there has been plenty of support for such courses, and a working group has been formed of three superintendents — of which Tymensen is one — and representatives from Lethbridge College and UoL to create a funding model to submit to the province.

“Ironically, there was a press release hat just came out from the minister, talking about they’re continuing support for the dual credit process, and suggesting that some groups form, across the province to develop potential funding models,” said Tymensen, adding that their group had met a few times already before the announcement.

“So we’re already ahead of the game.”

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