Early College of Alaska extends the promise of higher education and its real-world rewards of higher pay, satisfying employment, and family stability, to all its students.
A college-prep curriculum is the best preparation for all high school students regardless of their goals after graduation. Mastering college-prep courses not only gives students the option of pursuing post secondary education, it also puts them in a position to confidently meet the demands of the job market. Employers from all industries look for workers with strong reading and writing skills, higher math skills, and the ability to understand data, statistics and probabilities.
Employers do not actively seek students who have passed remedial high school classes. "Business leaders know … that the knowledge and skills typically taught in the college-prep curriculum are far better aligned with demands in today's workplace than are the ‘skills' typically taught in vocational courses" (A New Core Curriculum, 2003).
EARLY COLLEGE OF ALASKA
CORE CLASSES
(A New Core Curriculum, p. 15)
At Early College of Alaska students gain college credit while still in high school. Students can graduate from high school with an Associate of Arts degree in hand. This opens a door to students who have not traditionally sought post-secondary education, including those who find the cost of college prohibitive, students who have English as a second language and students who may have family obligations and work schedules to manage.
Non-academic enrichment courses for grades 7, 8 and 9 will be taught by community-based professionals and UA faculty. High school students can enroll in UA courses for enrichment credit. UA and ECA may choose to establish special enrichment courses and assign specific instructors for high school students. All UA courses will be credited towards an Associates degree by 12th grade.
Early College of Alaska seniors will be required to develop and execute an independent project culminating in a written thesis. Projects will have a civic or research emphasis and will require students to demonstrate workplace professionalism. Senior projects may be hosted by ongoing UA research activities or local government institutions but will be assessed and directed by ECA faculty.
ECA's middle school students will accelerate academic skills development with intensive, consistent training.