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(Ankeny, IA) -- An increasing number of Central Iowa high school students are taking community college classes, and in the process, graduating with college credits, certifications, and even degrees. It's known as joint or concurrent enrollment.
Randy Gabriel, director of concurrent enrollment at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Ankeny, says participation in their Career Advantage joint enrollment program has increased.
"It's been a growth area," said Gabriel. "The trend really is for high schools to utilize the faculty they have that have advanced degrees, and getting those teachers certified through DMACC to offer DMACC courses and offering those courses right in their high school as part of the normal high school schedule."
Gabriel says except for a year of deflated numbers brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the trend of upward growth has lasted over several years. He says DMACC works with 70 different high schools, and that nearly every school in Central Iowa has at least some sort of program offering college credit.
DMACC saw an overall increase of 4.3% of high school students in the program last year from the previous year, according to the Joint Enrollment Report published this month by the Iowa Department of Education.
Gabriel also says 61 students in 2022 had two graduations. "They had completed a two-year degree with us, and actually graduated with us a couple weeks before graduating from high school," he said.
Students and parents of students who are interested in DMACC's Career Advantage Program can look it up on the college's website, or ask their high school counselor.