WORCESTER – Funding from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will enable 100 juniors and seniors from Southbridge High School to earn college credits through a partnership with Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). Early College courses at Southbridge High School will start in fall 2024, at no cost to students in the program.
The Joint Committee of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Board of Higher Education recently designated QCC an early college site for Southbridge Public Schools, which enables the program to begin. QCC is also part of Early College Worcester, which includes all seven high schools within Worcester Public Schools.
Early colleges students will at Southbridge High School will take QCC courses twice per week, with support programming provided three days per week. The courses will cover topics that include career readiness, growth mindset and learning strategies, with QCC’s support for tutoring and library services. Southbridge High School is adapting its course schedule to for junior and senior students to accommodate the program.
Credits earned by students in the program are part of the MassTransfer program, ensuring credits are transferable towards a certificate or associate degree from a community college in Massachusetts, or towards a bachelor’s degree from a state university.
“This is an important designation that will have positive, far-reaching implications for Southbridge High School students and the Southbridge community as a whole,” said QCC President Dr. Luis G. Pedraja. “Early College offers students an attainable pathway to higher education.”
Image Credit: Southbridge High School/ Facebook
