University, school district team for early college program

GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi Delta university and a high school are teaming up to offer an early college program.

Greenville school district Superintendent Janice Paige-Johnson tells the Delta Democrat-Times that the program will be available to students at Greenville High School.

About 40 selected ninth grade students will be bused to the Valley campus in Itta Bena. For their first two years, they’ll take core high school classes and a few college classes. As juniors and seniors, the idea is for students to take all college classes.

Greenville students will stay together during their days on campus, with Greenville teachers handing the high school instruction.

Officials say the program could be attractive to students who have already been held back in earlier grades, allowing them to catch up with students their own age

Some other Mississippi districts have early college programs involving community colleges, but Paige-Johnson says Greenville is the first to create one with four-year university.

She says the district’s costs should remain about the same as if students were on campus at Greenville High.

The district is also agreeing with Valley to let some other students take college classes at the Greenville Higher Education Center or the Valley campus as juniors and seniors.

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Information from: Delta Democrat-Times, http://www.ddtonline.com