Community College Degrees Awarded in High School

Having community college degrees awarded in high school is a unique advantage for some students.

In Oakland, California, Skyline High School students can earn an associates degree from Berkeley City College before they graduate.

“Students always have always been able to take community college classes in high school, but this gives them a real, dedicated structure to do it,” said Mark Frey, director of Skyline High School School’s Computer Science and Technology Academy.

According to Frey, there was some “matchmaking” done by the nonprofit Career Ladders Project between his program at Skyline and Berkeley City College. The software company SAP awarded a grant of $400,000 to help with curriculum development, policy, schedule integration, data sharing and academic support services.

The grant is for two years. “The kicker is that you get mentors with SAP and job shadowing,” Kristina Palmer, director of program development at Career Ladders said.