More Students Are Opting For Early Graduation

BY BEATRICE DUPUY

CCHS student Bianca Alberti decided to bypass what is often portrayed as a rite of passage for American teenagers by graduating high school as a junior and forgoing her senior year.

Alberti made the decision to graduate early after her sophomore year and met with her counselors to put her plan into action.  Alberti then took all her required courses in order to graduate as a junior with the 2011 senior class.

“I figured the quicker I finish high school, the quicker I get to do what I really want to do,” Alberti said.

Through implementation of college prep programs, students are completing college level classes at younger ages. Some of these well-known college credit programs include dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate. Students enroll in these programs as early as freshman year.

University of Florida admissions officer Shenika Ivy said she noticed an increase in younger applicants this year than she had in previous years.

“The youngest I had seen was about 16,” Ivy said.

Students are able to graduate early through block scheduling, which gives students the opportunity to complete courses in a faster time frame.

“When initiated, block scheduling was for all students to graduate in three years but then universities said we don’t want them that young,” CCHS Guidance Counselor Sharon Friedlander said.

Not only have states implemented block scheduling but they have also provided early graduation scholarships. College For All Texans is a scholarship for public high school students in Texas. It offers students a $2,000 incentive if they can complete high school within 36 months. The monetary reward then decreases as the amount of month’s increases. Similar scholarships have been founded in states like Utah and Arizona; and states like Idaho have now adopted the scholarships.

These states, however, are not participating in a new pilot program by the National Center on Education and the Economy for public schools allowing sophomore students to graduate after passing multiple tests to enter a community college. The New York Times reported that the eight states participating in this program will be Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. These tests would range in subjects from English to history. This prospective program is expected to spread throughout states and it has been approved by programs such as College Board Advanced Placement. However, Friedlander disagrees with this decision to allow sophomore students to graduate high school early.

“It’s a budget decision, not an educationally sound decision,” Friedlander said.

Budget is a factor school districts consider when providing methods for students to graduate early. These methods, when implemented, can save school districts money.

“The savings come from not having the expenses related to the cost of teachers teaching courses and instructional materials,” Florida Department of Education Information Specialist Deborah Higgins said in an email.

The Florida Department of Education said that in 2007-2008, only 88 students used the early graduation option. This option allows students to complete high school with 18 credits through either a college preparatory or career program rather than with the standard 24 credits.

“It’s a fairly small percentage of students in Florida who graduate early, less than 5 percent of students,” said Todd Clark, Florida Department of Education Chief of the Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction.

Currently at CCHS, 10 students have chosen to graduate high school in three years as opposed to the standard four years.

Florida, following states like New York, has added a new form of standardized testing to its curriculum. These cumulative exams entitled CAP’s (Comprehensive Assessment Program) would be taken at the end of each course. Students planning on graduating early will have the option of taking each exam without taking the required course such as Geometry or Biology.

“This option could allow students to earn the 24 credits faster and therefore be eligible to graduate early,” Higgins said.

Unlike Alberti, most high school students graduate early for goals other than college.  With the current state of the economy, teens are graduating high school early to enter into the job market.  Dean of Weymouth High School in Mass, Mahesh Balah witnessed the effects of graduating early.

“Some kids need to graduate early to work,” Balah said. “They need a high school diploma to get a better job.”

Other teens graduate early to attend community college and complete their required freshman courses.

For some students, college is more than a school; it’s a chance to actualize their dreams of playing on a college sports team. Due to players on college teams leaving early for professional teams and a demand for fresh players, more colleges are offering early acceptance to select high school players. But before the student is accepted into the college sports program, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires that all incoming college students must complete 16 core courses and have a minimum GPA.

Another motive is the military, which allows high school students to enlist at age 17. In an article by the New York Times, the Department of Defense said that 76,000 graduated high school students from ages 17 to 19 enlisted in the military in 2008.

Former Cypress Bay BRACE adviser and independent college counselor Barbara Di Alberto said that most students choose to graduate early because they’re tired of high school.

“They think that the grass is greener in college,” Di Alberto said.     Di Alberto has been a counselor for South Florida students for many years and advocates working hard throughout senior year. Di Alberto said Florida colleges such as University of Florida, University of Central Florida, and Florida State University don’t approve of students graduating early.

“Most colleges prefer that you have the strongest senior schedule you could have,” Di Alberto said. “I have not seen above average students want to graduate early because they understand the importance of senior year.”

Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management John Barnhill has been working at Florida State University for 32 years and has admitted early high school graduates. Barnhill said that early graduation is not a big deal.

“It’s not a problem, we don’t have age restrictions,” Barnhill said.

Age plays an important role in the psychological affects that graduating early has on students.

Chief of the Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Mark Reineke said that programs allowing students to graduate earlier are a disadvantage in the long run.

“You’re accelerating other experiences and depriving them of other life experiences in high school,” Reineke said. “Not everything needs to be sped up.”

Reineke said these programs encourage teens to take on adult responsibility at a younger age.

“Development in children occurs at its own pace and it’s misguided to think we can or should accelerate it,” Reineke said.

When students graduate early, they leave behind a year of memories that can only be attained during senior year.

“There are certain rights of passage for a teenager in the U.S. that losing out they would potentially regret,” Reineke said.

Although Alberti graduated her junior year and walked with the senior class ahead of her, she leaves behind no regrets.

“I’m majoring in forensic science and I’m declaring a double major in business management,” Alberti said.

Alberti is confident in her decision and with the support of her parents and counselors she was able to graduate high school early. When her peers are entering high school for their first day of senior year, Alberti will be getting a head start in her freshmen year at Florida International University.