Five students from Oliver Ames High School took part in a dual enrollment course during the summer called “Introduction to Early Childhood Education,” earning college credit through a partnership with Quincy College. (Photo Courtesy Easton Public Schools)
EASTON — For the first time during a summer vacation period, students in Easton Public Schools recently took advantage of an opportunity provided by the school district to earn college credit.
The Early College and Career Program, overseen by Coordinator Jennifer Tantillo, provides college-level courses to students at Oliver Ames High School through partnerships with Middlesex Community College, Syracuse University, and Quincy College.
This summer, five rising juniors and seniors took a 10-week Introduction to Early Childhood Education course at the high school. This marked the first time that the Early College and Career Program at Oliver Ames offered a college course during the summer vacation period, allowing participating students to earn college credit.
The Introduction to Early Childhood Education course, provided in partnership with Quincy College, involved intensive classroom instruction in the theory and practice of early childhood education. As part of the college course, the participating students were required to complete 20 hours of classroom observation during a summer program held at Blanche Ames Elementary School.
“The observation experience was particularly enlightening for students, as they were able to see skilled educators work with children of various ages and abilities,” said Early College and Career Program Coordinator Tantillo, who is also an English teacher at Oliver Ames. “This hands-on learning experience gave them all a chance to reflect upon the challenges and successes that come with the profession.”
Students at Oliver Ames have been offered access to the concurrent enrollment program for the past two years, with college courses taught by Oliver Ames teachers on the high school campus. The Early College and Career Program allows high school students to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. Participating high school teachers must submit a resume and syllabus to a partner college or university to ensure that the curriculum and rigor aligns with the standards of higher education.
Throughout the history of the Early College and Career Program, Oliver Ames students have taken courses such as Chemistry, French IV, and French V through partnership with Middlesex Community College, along with Child Development and Introduction to Early Childhood Education with Quincy College. Funding for these opportunities was provided by an Early College and Career Grant Program through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE). Students who completed these grant-funded courses each earned three college credits from the participating institution at no cost to them.
In addition to the no-cost college courses, Oliver Ames provided access to an Academic Writing course through Syracuse University’s Project Advance, earning college credits at approximately 20% of the actual cost.
Going forward, Tantillo is working to expand the concurrent enrollment courses offered at OIiver Ames so that students there can earn as many as 15 credits in a specified career path before their high school graduation, including the fields of Early Childhood Education, Healthcare, and Business/Marketing. The next step to achieve this goal is the submission of an application for an Early College designation with DESE and Oliver Ames High School’s partner institution, Quincy College.
To complement the Early College and Career Program, Tantillo also planned several other activities on various college campuses in Massachusetts. Site visits have already been hosted for Oliver Ames students at Boston Architectural College, along with University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and Bridgewater State University. Additional site visits are scheduled for this fall.
“These partnerships and activities have enabled our Oliver Ames students to experience what college is like. They have also provided encouragement to students who otherwise might not have considered the possibility of college,” Tantillo said. “We look forward to continuing to expand our Early College and Career Program, to make more courses available, and to help our students get ahead of the curve before graduating high school.”
During the past school year, as part of a year-long, three-credit Child Development course, participating students visited Quincy College, where they observed classes in session, went on a campus tour, and attended a question-and-answer luncheon with Quincy College President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro.
“Visiting the college campus is an essential part of this experience, as students can get a glimpse of what college life is like,” Tantillo said.
Superintendent Dr. Lisha Cabral and Oliver Ames High School Principal Kelly Cavanaugh applauded the students taking dual enrollment courses through the Early College and Career Program, thanking Tantillo and all of the colleges and universities that help make this possible.
“We are incredibly grateful for the partnerships with the colleges, and we are so excited about the positive impact this program has already had and will continue to have on our students,” said Principal Kelly Cavanaugh. “We look forward to seeing this program flourish and grow under the leadership of Early College and Career Coordinator Jennifer Tantillo. Congratulations to all of our students who have successfully completed college-level courses, earned college credits and have put themselves on a solid footing for the rest of their academic careers.”
“The Early College and Career Program overseen by Coordinator Tantillo has been a massive success and is paying dividends for all of our participating students, allowing them to earn college credits and get a taste of what higher education is all about,” said Superintendent Dr. Cabral. “We are particularly grateful to Quincy College for their assistance and partnership as we work toward the DESE designation that will allow us to expand this valuable program. Easton Public Schools prides itself on providing a quality education to all of our students and offering opportunities for advancement. This dual-enrollment program will continue to provide an excellent opportunity for advancement to our Oliver Ames students. We are proud to make college credits obtainable for them in partnership with our counterparts in higher education.”
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As part of the Introduction to Early Childhood Education course, participating Oliver Ames High School students were required to complete 20 hours of classroom observation during a summer program held at Blanche Ames Elementary School. (Photo Courtesy Easton Public Schools)
Five students from Oliver Ames High School took part in a no-cost college course during the summer called “Introduction to Early Childhood Education,” earning college credit. (Photo Courtesy Easton Public Schools)