College Credit Coming for
HHS Video Courses
Huntington High School students taking Video II and Video III courses next fall will have the option of paying a "nominal" fee and earning three college credits through the SCALE program.
"The Huntington High School video program has been recognized by CW Post College as having a high quality, challenging curriculum that meets the requirements for becoming a SCALE (Secondary Collegiate Articulated Learning Experience) college course," said Joan R. Fretz, district director of fine and performing arts.
Participants in the courses will be able to gain college credits "for the exact same course that we already run," Ms. Fretz said. "Students would need to pay the university a nominal course fee of $390 for the credits and a professor from the university would visit the program frequently throughout the year to observe."
Students enrolled in either of the courses who choose not to exercise the college credit option will still be doing the same class work as those that have made arrangements to secure college credit. "Our curriculum, which they have reviewed, is so advanced that it already meets the university's video program standards," Ms. Fretz said.
Huntington art/video program teacher Heather Swan brought forth the SCALE credit proposal. District officials told Huntington School Board members that many colleges accept SCALE credits, as they do with Advanced Placement course credits. Ms. Fretz pointed to the SUNY colleges, Bucknell University, St. John's University, Rutgers University and the University of Delaware, among many others, accept SCALE credits.
"I have come to learn that many high schools on Long Island offer SCALE courses and their students have been able to graduate from college as much as a year early with AP and SCALE course credits," Ms. Fretz said. "Students who attend CW Post when they graduate [high school] will also be eligible for very generous SCALE scholarships."
"The scale connection attaches a concrete level of perceived rigor to the courses when presented on a student transcript," Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said.