Stories Related to Deadline Nears For Free College Classes Next School Year

Public, private and home school students entering grades 7-12 have until Wednesday to sign up for free college courses next school year, sort of.The state’s new College Credit Plus program, operated by school districts in conjunction with the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Department of Education, streamlines the various dual enrollment and post-secondary options that have previously provided high school students cheap college credits, at least in school districts that had negotiated opportunities with online or local universities.Whereas cost and course options under the current system might vary for students from one community to the next, College Credit Plus is mandated in every school district and free to students and their families, state officials say.“College Credit Plus can reduce your child’s time in college and greatly reduce your family’s higher education costs,” State Superintendent Richard Ross and Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey co-wrote in a letter drafted for parents.College Credit Plus diverts a portion of state per pupil funding from the school district to the college.