Mississippi to open first ‘early college high school’

Jean Massey knew within three weeks which incoming freshmen would struggle to finish high school, not because they lacked the smarts, but because they didn’t fit in.

A former principal, Massey said these kids broke her heart. They had so much potential but failed to thrive in a typical high school setting. Many eventually would drop out.

They needed an alternative to high school, she said.

Starting this fall, they’ll get it.

The Mississippi Department of Education, in partnership with East Mississippi Community College, will open the state’s first early college high school for kids who show potential for academic success but need a different type of setting.

Modeled after a similar program called North Carolina New Schools, Golden Triangle Early College High School will help students earn both their high school diploma and an associate’s degree from EMCC at the same time. Or they can get nationally certified in a technical field instead.

“These are students who have the capacity to work at a higher level but maybe they’re hanging out with the wrong group of people or need more support,” said Massey, who is now an associate superintendent at MDE. “These are students who maybe have high test scores but low GPAs.”

The high school, located on the EMCC Mayhew Campus, will pull 50 rising freshmen from five nearby school districts who successfully complete the application and interview process. Fifty more rising freshmen will be added the next year, and 50 more the year after that, until the high school reaches a capacity of 200 kids in grades 9-12.

Applications for the first cohort are due March 31, and officials expect to make their final selection by the end of the current school year.

Students will focus heavily on high school-level courses the first two years and transition to mostly college-level curricula afterward. Instead of taking English II, for example, students will take Comp I and earn dual credits toward their high school diploma and their associate’s degree.

As they advance toward their senior year, students also will be taking more classes on the college campus alongside other college students.

“The work will be very rigorous,” said Jill Savely, former principal at Columbus High School who was recently named principal of the early college high school. “But our program is designed to be very small. Teachers will get to know students — their strengths and weaknesses — and students will get lots of support.”

North Carolina started its early college high school initiative more than a decade ago and already has 70 such schools statewide, which collectively boast an 88 percent graduation rate. That’s versus a statewide average of 83.9 percent. Among African-American teens, the New Schools program has an 86.3 percent graduation rate versus 71.2 percent statewide.

Mississippi’s graduation rate stands at 75.5 percent overall.

Through a grant, North Carolina New Schools is providing free professional development and consultation to educators involved in Mississippi’s effort, said Laurie Baker, who works for North Carolina New Schools as its director of school services for the Rural Innovative Schools initiative in Mississippi.

Before joining the NC New Schools staff, Baker was an early college high school principal in a rural, high poverty, and majority minority school district.

“If I put that hat back on and think about the one difference that really changed the equation for students, it was our ability to develop meaningful relationships with students and their families,” Baker said. “The small school size allowed us to provide differentiated instruction and to know our students’ aspirations and challenges on a very deep level.”

If all goes well at at Golden Triangle, other early college high schools will open elsewhere in the state. Massey said at least two other community colleges already have expressed interest in partnering with MDE to start their own. She suspects more will follow.

“We would love to have all 15 community colleges and even some IHLs partner with us,” Massey said. “But we want to get one right first — see what the pitfalls are and what the successes are — and then expand.”

Contact Emily Le Coz at (601) 961-7249 or elecoz@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @emily_lecoz on Twitter.

Who can attend Golden Triangle Early College

High School?

Currently, the school is accepting applications only from eighth-grade students who are in the Columbus, Lowndes County, West Point/Clay, Oktibbeha/Starkville and Noxubee school districts. During its first year, only 50 students will be selected to participate, but future plans will allow for the addition of 50 students annually up to 200 students.

Applications are due to eighth-grade counselors by March 31. They are available at each participating middle school in the Golden Triangle and online at the East Mississippi Community College website (www.eastms.edu).