Gaining college experience while still a student in high school is an excellent way to explore your future interests, earn college credits, learn what college is like, and how it differs from high school.
Park Academy juniors and seniors, in good standing, with a 2.5 GPA or above (currently passing all classes and in consultation and with permission from the school counselor), are eligible to take Community College classes for which they can receive both high school and college credit.
Students may take a variety of elective courses (either in person or online), extending the offerings available at Park Academy, and/or enabling them to sample classes that might be of interest/benefit to them in college. Students would typically receive .5 academic credits at Park Academy for each community college course (dependent on the credits offered by the community college). Students may also take advanced or alternate core classes with the approval of the student’s core subject teacher and the counselor.
High School students are encouraged to take at least one community college class prior to graduation. Taking a college-level class allows students to explore new subjects and experiences as well as getting a feel for the college environment and expectations. This in turn can help smooth student transitions as they prepare for graduation and the greater degree of independence and self-management required in higher education.
Park Academy will reimburse students for one community college class per semester provided the student passes the class with a C or better. If a student should want to take more than one community college class in a semester, this would need to be approved in advance to be certain that the student is able to balance the workload, and would be at parents’ expense.
Students at Park Academy are eligible for academic accommodations at the community college level, and the counselor can assist students in navigating the Office of Disability Resources/procedures to get these in place. The counselor can also assist with the application process. Students eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation support/transition services can also get additional assistance via their VR Counselor.
Transportation to these off-campus classes is the responsibility of each student and their family. Tri-met does pick up at the church next to Park Academy, however, their schedule should be consulted regarding schedule and transfer wait times to local area community college campuses.
