Yorktown High School joining Indiana University Pipeline
YORKTOWN, Ind. — By 2023, Yorktown High School will join the Indiana University Pipeline Project, allowing for more college courses at the school and also extra training and support for teachers. It will be one of the first schools to do so.
Stacey Brewer, principal of Yorktown High School, told The Star Press the pipeline program is not only a way for students to gain IU credits, but it's also a way for teachers to further their education.
"The pipeline program is actual a means by which our teachers at YHS are able to teach dual credit courses through IU authorization while they are completing graduate level course work," Brewer said. This is all to be compliant with the Higher Learning Commission’s educational requirements.
Beginning in 2023, dual credit teachers will be required to have a master’s degree in the area they teach or a master’s degree in another content area, Brewer said. This is along with 18 graduate hours in the content they teach.
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The pipeline partnership made sense, as Yorktown High School has offered IU’s dual credit courses for years, through the university's Advance College Project.
As Yorktown evaluated its curriculum, IU was also moving toward aligning its credits with the Indiana College Core (ICC), which was adopted in 2021, and formerly was known as the Statewide Transfer General Education Core (STGEC).
Brewer explained the ICC is a a framework of general education requirements, and while courses might look different from school to school, the skills are typically universal. Within the ICC, credits that high school students earn must be accepted by all Indiana state colleges.
"We felt this partnership best aligned with our pre-established, college preparatory approach to education," Brewer said.
What IU courses will be offered?
Several IU courses already are being offered at Yorktown, including English language arts, speech, math, computer science, English literature and Spanish.
As both IU and Yorktown continue to align with ICC requirements, Brewer said two more courses will be added to that list in the future.
Brewer said earning ICC credits at Yorktown will be a blend of IU authorized dual credits and obtaining specific scores on the Advanced Placement exams students currently take.
Ideally, Brewer said, Yorktown High School would like to see students complete ICC credits as early as the class of 2024, but for now, IU is continuing to develop an official plan with its partner schools.
"IU and YHS are interested in providing the best experience for students and families so we are committed to partnering and working out a solid plan prior to implementation," Brewer said.
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With many schools working to partner with other universities and meet ICC requirements, Brewer said Yorktown's choice to be selective with IU has required the school to share more with the community, so that parents can understand their children have the same opportunities as those attending different schools; it just might look different.
And while there is no certificate stating a student earned an ICC, their credits transfer to state schools the same way.
"Waiting for IU is the best choice for us, because we have a common vision and we know our rigor still aligns with the type of standards that have earned YHS state and national honors and recognitions, and afford our students access to some of the top colleges and universities in the country," Brewer said.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Indiana University Pipeline: Yorktown High School to join IU project
