In late Aug. 2024, the District’s Board of Trustees voted to no longer accept concurrent enrollment transcripts from schools that are not accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). While previously, M-A accepted schools not accredited by WASC, students will no longer have the option to take courses through schools like Brigham Young University. This change will be implemented starting Jan. 2025, and M-A is honoring any concurrent enrollment form completed and turned in before Aug. 14, 2024.
Many students have been using BYU to take classes outside of school, mostly senior-required classes such as Government, Economics, and accelerated math courses like AP Calculus A. BYU is part of the Northern Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation, which M-A no longer accepts.
The main issue that students seem to face with Independent Study is the lack of structure. “If you’re confident in your ability to get things done with your schedule, I would recommend it. It’s very different from an actual school environment,” senior Rowan Hanley, who used BYU for AP Calculus A, Government, and Economics, said.
When a student fills out the form for concurrent enrollment, they must pick which program they would like to use and pay for. BYU is the most affordable option, priced at about $200-$300 per course, while other programs, such as the Laurel Springs Online School, can be up to $1,000 per course. Students are also predisposed to take BYU simply because of its widespread popularity. Another program available to students that is less advertised is Scout for University of California (UC Scout), which offers online classes that adhere to the A-G requirements that the UC and CSU campuses require for admission. UC Scout is WASC accredited.
The Board had expressed its motion to take BYU and other NWCCU accredited courses off of the offered programs for concurrent enrollment. “With a burgeoning number of online programs, the District has moved to only accepting courses accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC),” Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Bonnie Hansen said.
Many students have noticed that BYU seems to be the most prominent concurrent enrollment program offered at M-A and that counselors often encourage students to take BYU for courses such as accelerated math over other programs. Because of this, students have been left unsure about how to proceed with accelerated courses in the future.
“I’m just wondering what the board is going to do to replace the accelerated math courses and for the students who don’t want to take as many courses in school,” Hanley said. “What’s their replacement plan?”
M-A’s counselors and admin have also expressed discontent with the lack of communication between the Board and the school. “We’re not being listened to. [The district is] just telling us what to do,” Karina Escobar-Weaver, a school counselor at M-A, said.
Students seeking to take classes through concurrent enrollment can find other options and information about the programs listed by M-A on their website.
