Jefferson High School has added child development and computer coding to its roster of dual-credit courses this semester, bringing the total to 10.
“For a rural class B school to have 10 dual-credit courses is a cool thing,” said Superintendent Tim Norbeck.
Dual credit means that enrolled students — primarily juniors or seniors — earn credits, typically three, that apply toward both their high school and college graduation requirements.
Cassidy Parsons, the high school’s family and consumer sciences teacher, will teach child development through University of Montana Western, while math teacher Nancy Bailey will teach coding through Highlands College of Montana Tech.
In addition to qualifying the teachers who apply to teach the dual-credit courses, the colleges build the curricula and syllabi and determine which course books to use, Norbeck said.
Parsons, who already has been teaching aspects of child development, said by email that the dual-credit course will “cover biological, cognitive and social-emotional development from birth until adolescents” and count toward degrees as varied as nursing, education, psychology, communicative sciences and health and human performance.
“The students will get the opportunity to observe and assess children in the Elementary and Middle school throughout the spring,” she wrote.
Other dual-credit courses at Jefferson High School include biology, college writing, technical math and welding.
While the two newest courses are one semester in length, Norbeck said most of the others are taught over two semesters.
It isn’t clear how unique Jefferson High School is in offering these courses.
“Unfortunately, we don’t collect this data from schools,” Dylan Klapmeier, a spokesperson for the Montana Office of Public Instruction, said by email. “Just anecdotally, I can tell you that more schools/colleges are offering dual-enrollment opportunities and all parties involved have been working to expand those opportunities through partnerships.”
