District 205 revising policy to expand access to dual-credit classes

The District 205 Board of Education approved on first read a policy change involving dual-credit college classes on Monday.
What’s bringing this about is Carl Sandburg College being accepted into a pilot program to provide Federal Pell Grants to students taking dual-credit classes.

If approved by members again at a special meeting later this month students could take “a maximum of eight classes or the equivalent of four total Galesburg High School credits” up from a max of six classes previously.

Superintendent Ralph Grimm says it’s worth the trouble to expand student access to dual-credit classes.

“Primarily because at the end of the day a student can pick up a significant number of college hours that will transfer to the majority of colleges and universities that they attend then we need to do that because this will a tremendous benefit for our parents,” Grimm says.

The superintendent adds that parents will need to be made aware that if a student uses a Pell Grant for a dual-credit class then it counts towards their six years of grant eligibility.

He says, “Is that really what they want to do? No doubt there’s additional communication we need to do.”

Member Tianna Cervantez, on staff at Knox College and a first-generation college graduate emphasized making families unfamiliar with college financial aid aware of how the system works.

She says in her experience, families sending students to college for the first time sometimes don’t know “what questions they’re supposed to be asking.”

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