As students make the long awaited transition from middle school to high school, the opportunity to take Dual Credit classes arises. Many of the students at Texas High School made the decision to take the initiative and enroll in these rigorous courses. Occasionally, you will find a handful of students that decide to go above and beyond, and stack hours upon hours of these advanced college level courses.
On Oct. 22, 2024, Texarkana College held an assembly in the Sullivan Performing Arts center to recognize students who allocated more than 15 college hours.
“I really like to take Dual Credit courses”, junior Riley Roberts said. “I [made the choice to] take these classes so that I will hopefully be able to graduate highschool with my associate degree.”
When taking upper level courses, challenges inevitably arise. The load of homework seems to grow and grow by the day, and the difficulty of the course also increases.
“The most difficult part of taking Dual Credit classes is the work,” Roberts said. “The work piles up and it’s just a lot of work.”
Despite the difficulties that students may face while enrolled in Dual Credit courses at Texas High School, the success rates prove to be higher for the students that choose to take this step in their academic career.
“The number one indicator of success for college students is the successful completion of college courses in high school,” Texas High School Principal Ben Renner said. “[Taking college level courses in high school] is a huge accomplishment, and it’s important that they were recognized for it.”
For the 2024-2025 school year, 40 students will receive their Associates Degree and high school diploma at graduation, both a big accomplishment and twice the amount of students that received both degrees in years prior.
“[Getting an Associates Degree] is huge because it reduces the cost and time that you have to spend in college,” Director of College and Career Readiness Bettie Stark said. “It’s also great having that support from your high school teachers in your career.”
Overall, Dual Credit courses provide students with many benefits, challenges and opportunities. The future proves to be bright for Dual Credit students, and the cord simply serves as a symbol of the future successes of these students.
“Our students are just kind of taking the courses in stride,” Renner said. “But taking [college level courses in high school] is really a big deal.”
