Students have more options with Grad Plus plan
The Boulder Valley school board heard an update Tuesday on the district’s work to encourages students to graduate with more than a diploma through its Grad Plus Initiative.
The initiative, now in its second year, encourages students to participate in one or more of four options: work-based learning, classes to earn industry certificates, classes to earn college credit and classes to become proficient in a second language to earn a Seal of Biliteracy.
As part of the initiative, the district is expanding access to career and technical education classes, adding more classes at middle and high schools and adding more classroom space through 2022’s $350 million capital construction bond issue. The district recently identified priority areas for all the high schools after gathering feedback from school communities and industry professionals.
The number of students earning industry certifications has stayed at about 700 for the last three years, but the number of certifications earned by each student has increased.
Students can earn college credits through concurrent enrollment, dual enrollment, Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate Organization coursework with exam options, and the College Board’s College-level Examination Program exam.
Last year, Boulder Valley students took 2,963 college course sections through concurrent and dual enrollment. This year, that number jumped to 5,500 college course sections.
Boulder Valley students also are taking 7,103 AP classes, a 17.5% increase from last school year. Part of the increase, according to district officials is the addition of a new class, AP Pre-calculus.
To increase access to earning college credit, the district now provides college credit testing in Spanish. Students can earn up to 12 college credits, which are accepted at all the state’s public colleges. The district had 14 students take the college credit test last school year, while 150 students are taking it this school year.
Seniors have the opportunity to participate in the state’s ASCENT — Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment — program. Through the program, Boulder Valley pays the tuition for a year at Front Range Community College, Metropolitan State University of Denver or the University of Northern Colorado.
To qualify for ASCENT, students must meet all of their high school graduation requirements and have earned nine credit hours in college-level courses before the end of their senior year. This spring, the district has heard from 83 students who are interested in enrolling next school year, up from 38 students who participated this school year.
The district also is launching a collaboration with Front Range Community College so students can earn an associate’s degree while still in high school.
For the Seal of Biliteracy, a statewide diploma endorsement for fluency in English plus a second language, the district is increasing communication and support for students. About 550 seniors are projected to earn the seal this year.
There’s also a new option for students who don’t meet all the requirements to receive a district bilingual commendation, which recognizes bilingual students who use their skills in service of others.
At the May graduation ceremonies, the district plans to recognize students who met the requirements in any of the four Grad Plus categories with medallions.
“That helps spread the word about Grad Plus,” said Bianca Gallegos, the district’s executive director of strategic partnership.
Next steps include expanding career discovery activities, building more awareness of the options and increasing business partnerships to provide more work based opportunities for students.