By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LUTCHER – The St. James Parish Public School System has been working over the past several years to increase the choices available for its students, and one of the ways in which it has been most successful is with its dual enrollment program.

Students in the parish have been taking dual enrollment advanced classes since 2007, and even before that students were able to take technical and vocational classes. More recently, however, district administration worked to align the classes with high school requirements so that students are not only earning the credits they need to graduate from high school but are gaining college credit as well.

In fact, according to dual enrollment consultant Pat Caillouet, in 2012 out of 257 graduating seniors, 70 graduated with a full semester of college credit, and 19 graduated with two semesters of college credit. Furthermore, more than half of the graduates with some college credits under their belts.

Caillouet noted that the number of students graduating with one semester of college credit more than doubled this year from last.

Currently, 300 students in grades seven through 12 are enrolled in advanced credit dual enrollment classes while 198 are enrolled in career and technical classes. Caillouet also pointed out that the number of students graduating with at least 20 credits — seen by many as the point at which it becomes much more likely a student will earn a college degree — is on the rise.

“That’s quite impressive,” she said.

Dr. Crystal Lee, dean of academic studies at River Parishes Community College — one of the district’s dual enrollment partners along with Nicholls University and South Central Louisiana Technical College — said, “We are so fortunate to have a partner in your superintendent.”

She went on to speak about the program’s recent accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the program’s next big step — offering fully transferable associate degree programs to students while still in high school.

“They can take that anywhere,” she said.

Dual enrollment and increasing college-level offerings has been a primary focus of St. James Superintendent Alonzo Luce since he was hired.

Luce said through his research he learned, “The early college program was the biggest thing that had an influence on moving kids on to college. I think this is the best thing that’s out there.”

Caillouet also explained to the school board the enormous success the district’s students have had in the program.

“In all cases thus far the success rate of your students exceeds the success rates of the college students,” she said, adding, “It’s a very attractive program.”

She noted there was one more advantage to the program.

“When you offer a program like this, it improves instruction everywhere,” she said, noting that it forces regular classroom teachers to align their own teaching methods and curriculum to keep up with the college offerings.

Luce added that by doing things such as requiring virtually every senior to take college-level English and algebra classes, “It’s really pushing us to do things that some people might have been uncomfortable with.”

Board member Diana Cantillo praised the program, noting that it could end up saving students thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

In other action from Tuesday’s meeting, the board approved a measure granting the administration the right to extend the lease it has with the parish government for Romeville Park for up to two years. Luce said when the administration was doing research related to the sale of the former Romeville Elementary site, it discovered the board had this lease with the parish. The extension will now have to be approved by the parish council.