MUNCIE — This year nearly every high school in East Central Indiana is offering some form of dual credit for its students.
High schools partner with local colleges to offer classes that count toward both a high school diploma and a college degree.
The program has been growing for about a decade, but a new “clarification” in the requirements for teachers could cause problems.
The Indianapolis Star reported this week that The Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges in the state and approves teachers for dual credit courses, has clarified the requirements for instructors.
Starting in 2017, those high school teachers will have to hold a master’s degree with 18 credit hours in master’s-level courses in the subject matter they teach.
The change will cause many teachers to take more graduate courses.
Of the 170 dual-credit teachers with whom Ivy Tech Community College East Central Indiana works, 134 would need more graduate credits to meet this requirements, said Andy Bowne, regional chancellor.
Currently, Ivy Tech requires teachers to have 12 master’s credits and 12 credits — undergraduate or graduate — in their subject area, Bowne said. Ivy Tech does not help teachers pay for their master’s degree, he added.
“It’s going to have an impact, there’s no doubt about it,” Bowne said.
Ivy Tech East Central Indiana works with 41 high schools in the area, including Blackford, Blue River, Cowan, Daleville, Jay, Monroe Central, Randolph Southern, Union, Wes-Del, Winchester, Yorktown, Delta and Central.