Last year, the state of Arizona launched an innovative program designed to allow high achieving high school students the opportunity to graduate after their sophomore year!
The program, called "Move On When Ready," helps talented student move on to college after they prove they are capable of taking college-level courses without extra assistance. At the end of a student's sophomore year, a rigorous exam is administered... if the student performs at a college-ready level, he or she is given a high school diploma; at that point the student can stay in high school and take more advanced courses for some selective colleges, they may enter community college, or go on to pursue career and technical courses. There are now 30 schools across the country involved in this or similar programs... would you be ready for college at age 15 or 16?!?!
Wenli Frazier period 3
9/30/2012 09:28:51 pm
I think this is good for the students that want this opportunity but i would not want to do this. I don't want to be just handed my diploma, i want to cross the stage with my class and family watching. I don't think I'd be ready to take that step at age 16. I'm barely prepared now to graduate and am scared for what college has in store.
Marrina Yeomans period 3
9/30/2012 09:45:11 pm
I'm on half and half. At first i would like to take a test and get out of highschool faster.But then i would feel like i haven't accomplished anything to get the diploma.To walk across the stage is a memorial thing. If a student has a high above IQ and is to easily take and finish College level assignments that i believe they should go. It would just bore the student to relearn something he already knows.
Nicole Morales Period 6
9/30/2012 11:29:23 pm
I personally would not be ready for college at age 15 or 16. This doesn't mean that other people aren't. I can't imagine going to college without taking calculous, trig, or physics to help me with courses in college. I also feel that I wouldn't get enough experience writing papers, and doing lengthy projects. I know that college is tough and is different in High School in many ways. My siblings are both in college and I see them studying and writing lengthy papers. I feel that I would be too overwhelmed with going to college. If that opportunity applied to me, I would definitely finish high school before I went to college. Some people are natural geniuses and so this program is good for them.
Jessica Pope
10/1/2012 12:14:13 am
I think it is a good idea to have the choice out there. It cuts the cost of college by taking the classes in high school but I also feel like doing this is also another way for kids to grow up to fast. Personally, I would probably just do all four years of high school and then move on to college.
Daniel Peladeau Period 6
10/1/2012 06:37:08 am
I think that this is a good program for students that feel bored during class because they quickly learn lessons that take days in school. Many kids hate school for that reason, so if the school system lets them skip grades or go right to college, they will definitely help that person's school experience. I would definitely take the chance on the test my sophmore year to see if I can perform at a college level, but if I didn't get accepted into a college that I wanted, I would stay in high school and just continue with advanced courses. Just the chance to get out of high school at 15 or 16 would give students hope and make them study harder so that they could possiby get out of high school early. This seems to be a great program, to bad it hasn't started yet in Rhode Island so we could try to take the test.
Austin Gadoury Per. 1
10/1/2012 07:20:35 am
I think that this is a good idea because there are students who already know college level material. I am defiantly not one of those kids who would be in this program. I also think that there will be very few kids that will be in the program. All I have to say about this is that anyone that is in this program will probably have a good life and have a successful career
Matt Carney Per.4
10/1/2012 07:37:42 am
I think some kids who already know college level material should join this program. I am defiantly not able to join it. But it will also help people who join and pass the test get a better career and possibly a good scholarship.
nathan hoyer period 4
10/1/2012 07:52:45 am
I think this is good for the people who have a mind ready for college even though they are only a sophomore so they can finish school early.
Tora DeLiello Period 1
10/1/2012 08:01:10 am
I like this idea. But I think few would actually be ready. 16 is a bit of a young age to already be able to leave high school. I know that I personally would not be able to do this.
Alexia M period 6
10/1/2012 09:21:41 am
What? This is one of the most craziest ideas I have heard. I am strongly against this idea. No 15 or 16 year-old is ready to go into college. They are not mature enough, not completely sure about what they want to be when they grow up, and not ready! Plus, these students won't be getting the high school experience this way. They won't go to senior prom, they will leave all their friends, do senior projects and they won't get the after-school activities that some students have for four years of high-school. This program lets students leave high-school two years older but these groups of kids like being in school. The students who want to leave school are MOSTLY the ones who have bad grades and they won't apply for this program. Another negative is that the student in this program has a lot of work to do in one year. They have to take college courses, do a lot of homework, and work very hard just to leave high-school two years earlier. To me, that isn't worth it. You have been in school for 10 years now, what's two more?
Nick Yehle (per. 4)
10/2/2012 02:53:56 am
Ok this is wrong and right at the same time because most kids in highschool have to go through all 4 years but these kids only have to do 2. however the law says they have to be in a type of school untill they are 18 so they have to got to a different school. And not to mention that when they only want 2 years they have to take a hard test and pass. most of them dont pass. so this is wrong and right at the same time.
Dylan Pontes period 6
10/2/2012 05:21:06 am
I think this is a great idea... except for one thing. If you graduate at 15 or 16 you are missing two years of high school. High school isn't just about learning, there are things you should experience in high school that you really can't do at the a college. For example you won't get to go to a senior prom or experience being a senior and being "on top of the food chain". I think this is great from a learning prospective not so great from a life experiences prospective.
Oanh Nguyen Period 5
10/2/2012 06:24:19 am
I don't think this is a good idea. The students might be smart enough to go to college but i dont think they're READY for a college life. College is stressful and so much harder than an AP course in high school. There are so many stuff 15 or 16 years old needs to learn in high school and it might not just be about school., it's about reality. 10/2/2012 07:48:19 am
This is not a good idea to me. It is not good to mix 15 and 16 with college kids who might be 21 and 22. I don't think it would be a good atmosphere for a young teenager when at college there can be lots of parties and drinking, even if the teenager is ready for challenging college courses. I would personally stay with all my classmates until I was 18!
Sam Eleuterio
10/2/2012 08:04:16 am
In theory this is a great idea get the smart kids into the world faster then they can help support the economy. However in reality there would be so many issues with putting a 15 or 16 year old kid into a college atmosphere. This should not be an option to anybody there is a lot of maturing that an individual needs to do in their last years of high school.
Talaiha Johnson per 4
10/2/2012 08:38:48 am
I would never be able to that.I most would want to stay in high school till the end mainly for experience. Also I would not be able to take that test in the first place, who is just going to know all the stuff on the test without learning it.
Ethan schneider period 1
10/2/2012 09:46:23 am
I think you should only be able to graduate when you're a senior. You are to young graduating at 15 and you aren't ready for college or any of that so young. Graudating at the actual age will help because your teachers are very helpful and they will always teach you important things and you'll miss out if you graduate so young.
Gabrielle Demers Pr.4
10/2/2012 12:20:58 pm
I think this is program for great for those talented kids! The fact that they have the chance to go on to college so soon may work out well for some kids but not for others. If you think about it some sophomores are 15 , imagine being able to say your in college but you can't drive. This program is defiantly something that's not for me! i wouldn't like missing out jr. and senior year! I also don't think i would ever be able to pass that test! Although for those that can i think its great!
Travis period 6
10/3/2012 05:59:35 am
This seems like a good idea but i don't think many people will do it. If they do go to college it would be kind of weird because they would be younger than anyone else there if they are only 16. People probably want to see there friends more too before going to college if they are only 16 and non of there friends got a high school diploma yet.
Arden period 6
10/3/2012 07:50:49 am
I think that this may be both a good idea and a bad idea. The good part: it allows talented students to pursue a really awesome goal! I mean, how many people get to say they graduated high school at 16 years old and then went to college?! The bad part: I think that 10th graders aren't exactly college ready. Mentally, I think they might be (well, obviously). But socially, I don't think it's a good fit.
Sam Period 1
10/3/2012 08:43:58 am
For the talented kids, this is a perfect program! It can help them pursue their career more so earlier then the people normally getting the job with more years of high school
Bronwyn Period 1
10/3/2012 09:44:36 am
I personally think that if a student is ready at age 15 or 16 to go to college, i think they should be able to have the option to go. I wouldnt be ready but thats my decision. I think its a good idea to keep the option open for talented students.
Gabriel Diplan Period 4
10/3/2012 09:46:19 am
I think it is a great chance for kids to show there skills of what they can do and what they know. I would never be ready to go to college at 15 or 16. This could help the community because more kids could be prepared for college and could get great jobs.
Erica period 3
10/3/2012 02:12:16 pm
The only plus to this is that a crazy amount of money could be saved. But this isn't right, one of the most important parts of high school is growing up, maturing and finding who you are.... how can you do all of that 4 year self-learning in two years. Two years after middle school I was nowhere near ready/ mature enough to enter college... I'm a senior now.. am I even ready now?? Why would someone want to rush growing up, it seems like now a day's everyone is in such a rush to grow up what's so good about arthritis and wrinkly skin and dentures...?
Cara Period 3
10/4/2012 12:57:13 am
I personally thikn this is a terrible idea. Who would want to miss out on their high school experience? You only get to experience it once in your life, so why waste that opportunity? Also, i doubt that by taking high school classes like the ones offered at Pilgrim HIgh School would prepare a 15 year old kid for college level work. Underclassmen are not ready to take on that challege, nevermind live alone. Some seniors are not even ready!
Talia D'Ambruoso p.3
10/4/2012 03:32:24 am
I think this is a great idea, and it should be available everywhere. If possible, I wouldn't have hesitated; the only draw back is athleticism. For an athlete, this would be an extremely hard option because the person is undeveloped compared to older students.
Alexis Lavallee period 5
10/4/2012 05:47:32 am
I think it's amazing that some students would be ready to take on college after completing their sophomore year, but I wouldn't necessarily do this. Graduating high school at age 15 or 16 is a scary thing. I'm 16 now and can't even imagine starting college and going off on my own. I'd rather have the chance to experience all four years high school has to offer and graduate with the rest of my class.
MIkaela period 1
10/4/2012 06:25:26 am
I think that you should be able to graduate when you are ready. It is your desicion and you should be able to have the freedom to do so. Many people may think the opposite but i do not. If you are already for college why waste time on work that you already know? This is my opionion on why you should go to college when you are ready
Nathan M. per.4
10/4/2012 06:38:34 am
I think that if you are ready to take college courses then you should be able to go after sophomore year. When i graduate sophomore year i probably wont be ready
Victoria Curley Period 5
10/4/2012 07:07:32 am
I do not agree with this new idea of students being able to graduate at such a young age. Yes, it may be great for those who are gifted enough to pass the test, but they also miss out on the most important part of their life. They will never have the opportunity to look back on high school, and essentially they are children acting like adults. I personally would never be able to graduate at such a young age, I love pushing myself to limits to become better at everything I do, but i would never put that much pressure on myself. These students are going to miss out on what could be the most valuable four years of their lives.
Makenzie Driscoll Period 4
10/4/2012 09:59:24 am
I don't think that going to college at 15 or 16 is a good idea. the kids that do it must be thrilled they don't have to sit through the stuff that they already know, but i think that everyone should be in high school for 4 years, no less. who would want to do that it would ruin the high school experience, i know if i had kids i wouldn't let my kids do it. no 15 or 16 year old is ready to go to college in my opinion.
Anthony period 4
10/4/2012 11:36:16 am
I think that this idea is stupid. You cant have a 15 or 16 year old walking around a college campus all by themselves. I think everyone should stay in high school for 4 years and not go to college at such a young age.
jarell per 4
10/4/2012 11:49:56 am
thats so cool but what would you do for the next two years besides get a job. For this test do they have like practice test like we do for the SATs.
Andrea Henninger period 5
10/7/2012 04:45:53 am
This sounds like a very cool idea. However, I personally do not think that a 15 or 16 year old is ready for college. Although they might be smart enough to take college level courses, they probably are not mature enough. Also, it would most likely be weird for them to be in college, and be in classes with people who are a lot older than them.
Emily
10/7/2012 11:43:28 am
I think that this is a great option for students to have. If they believe that they're ready to move on to college then they should try to. Many students that take the exam may not pass but others could. Maybe the high school learning level isn't letting them reach their full potential. Personally, I might try to take the exam but I also wouldn't want to grow up to fast and miss two of my high school years.
Claudia Period 6
10/8/2012 12:38:56 am
Personally, I doubt I'd be ready for college after only TWO years in high school. For others, though, it could be fine. There are some really smart kids out there. If they've proven they can handle the work and everything, well, good for them.
Nicolle P.3
10/8/2012 01:43:30 am
This idea is a grey area for me. It's good and it's bad. Students who are intellectually gifted and pass the test should be able to move on and learn the same subjects they would in high school, but at the college level. Just like AP classes at Pilgrim, if a college accepts the credit, then it counts towards your undegrad education. So in that case, students who are exceling each of their English, S.S, Math, Science, and Language classes, if they pass they should move on. It's also bad though because as Talia D. pointed out, it's tough if your'e smart, but also want to go to college and play a sport there. It's also hard to determine how well rounded the student is, out side of their course work. At the end of my sophomore year I was still figuring out how much time I had for after school clubs, and I was looking into honors society for junior year; so it would be hard to fit all of that in in 2 years and have it on your transcript if you will be moving onto college. It's a tricky sitution.
Yannick Borter Period 3
10/8/2012 05:34:19 am
I think it is a good idea, but not for sophomore. Skip one year is okay but two years is too much. The intelligence to have for skip one year it's possible but when you skip two years then I think the students have too much gaps in his knowledge and with 16 in the college is really early.
Mackenzie Egan period 6
10/9/2012 05:37:43 am
I would not be ready to take on college at that age! I don't know if that's just me, but i wouldn't be emotionally ready. Even if i was smart enough to take on college courses, i would stay in high school and wait until i graduated high school. Also think about it, if the 15 or 16 year old stayed in college for four years, they'd be out when their 19-20... i don't think they'd be ready to start life on their own just yet.
Katie Lundin (period 6)
10/9/2012 08:51:38 am
I dont think I'm smart enough to get into college classes:) I also think that I'm not mentally ready to take on all of the classes, professors, and students. If the students really feel ready to take on such a big task then they should have the opportunity to go right to college.
Leah Fitz-Simon Period 6
10/14/2012 09:29:08 am
I don't think that i would be ready to go to college at the age of 15 or 16. I would feel very out of place if I were to go to college at such a young age and be in classes and living in dorm with people that are 18, 19, 20 years old. I would also want to get as much education, and go through all of my four high school years, having all of the knowledge and memories from high school come with me to college. However, I can also understand why some students would prefer to graduate and leave high school after sophomore year.
Mitchell Period 4
10/16/2012 08:27:13 am
This is a smart idea, because kids shouldn't have to go to a class that they don't need to take because they already know it. It's not like many kids are going to be able to pass the exam anyway, but at least it is an option for them now.
Daniel Pietrantonio
10/17/2012 01:32:55 am
I think that this program can be both good and bad. It can be good because if a student is ready and they are bored in class because they already know what the teachers are teaching they should be able to skip it and go to highschool. It can be bad because not all students who are intellegent are ready to go to college.
Melissa Abels Period 5
10/17/2012 12:25:35 pm
At first this sounds like a good idea, but when you take everything into account it really isn't. Even if students are smart enough to do college classes, they need time in high school to mature. I think that maybe if they made it so that they could graduate a year early or enroll in some college classes instead of some of their high school classes, it would be a better idea.
Melissa Abels Period 5
10/17/2012 12:30:21 pm
At first this seems like it would be a good idea, but when everything is taken into consideration, it really isn't. Even if students are smart enough to do college classes, they are not mature enough. I think that it would be a better idea for schools to allow students to graduate just one year early. Another thing that they could offer is allowing students to enroll in some college classes in place of some of their high scholl classes.
Julia F Period 6
10/28/2012 12:15:56 pm
I think that this program would be a good advantage for some people to start their careers at an ealry age. On the other hand I do not think that I could do this program I would be alittle scared. Comments are closed.
|
Archives
October 2015
Categories |