Ross Collins students receive MCC credit

By By Lynette Wilson / staff writer
Jan. 9, 2003
Eleventh-grader Freda Owens wants to pursue a career in graphic design and is taking computer technology courses at Ross Collins Career and Technical Center that will transfer toward an associate's degree at Meridian Community College.
Owens earns credit through Technical Advanced Placement a component of Tech Prep that allows Lauderdale County students to earn college credit at MCC.
Ross Collins will hold an open house for seventh-grade students Jan. 23-24. Students will learn about occupational, vocational and technical programs. They will also learn about planning ahead and making the most of their high school education.
Ross Collins offers classes to 10th, 11th- and 12th-grade students.
Nan Robinson, MCC Tech Prep coordinator, said seventh and eighth-grade students take career and computer discovery courses to introduce them to the job market and teach them basic keyboarding and software skills.
Tech Prep
Tech Prep is a study sequence beginning in middle school and continuing through two years of post-secondary occupational education. Tech Prep students earn an associate's degree with the option to continue working toward an undergraduate or higher degree.
Tech Prep sites in Lauderdale County include: Northeast, West Lauderdale, Clarkdale, Southeast and Meridian high schools.
Robinson, whose job it is to bridge the gap between the schools and the college, said teachers meet with MCC instructors to identify program overlaps and weaknesses.
Depending on the course, students can receive three to four credit hours, which allows them to take fewer college courses or to take electives.
Students must maintain at least a "B" average in the required high school course, file a Technical Advanced Placement application, meet college admissions requirements and complete the next higher sequential course with a "C" grade or better to receive credit.
If a higher sequential course is not offered, students must score at least 85 percent on a competency exam.
Preparing students for the future
Nancy Chisolm, Ross Collins career guidance counselor, said career discovery introduces students to thousands of potential careers, salary ranges and employment outlooks.
Ross Collins' staff works with local businesses which often need high-level skills rather than high education.
She tells students that with associate's degree in computer systems technology, they can make $30,000 a year and up.
Robinson said that though vocational programs used to be looked at as a dumping ground for poor performing students, that is no longer the case.