Delaware County Review

The Ohio Senate has successfully passed Senate Bill 104, a legislative measure sponsored by State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) aimed at enhancing the College Credit Plus Program (CCP) to broaden access and awareness among students. The bill seeks to make it easier for more students to participate in this dual enrollment program, where students can earn high school and college credits simultaneously.

Senator Brenner expressed his enthusiasm for the bill's passage, stating, "This legislation will strengthen the College Credit Plus Program and give even more students a jump start on their higher education. CCP is an asset to Ohio's students and can help them prosper down the road."

The program, which currently caters to seventh through twelfth graders, allows students to take courses offered by Ohio's public and participating private institutions of higher education at no cost. During the 2021 academic year, over 76,000 students were actively engaged in the program, earning more than 650,000 credit hours.

Senate Bill 104 introduces several key enhancements to the CCP, including increasing access to CCP courses in high schools by expanding the pool of high school teachers eligible to teach these courses. This is achieved through the establishment of an alternative credentialing process for instructors with relevant teaching experience. Additionally, students will now have the opportunity to apply for the program twice a year, with deadlines on April 1 and November 1, as opposed to just once in April, thereby allowing more students to participate.

Moreover, the bill mandates the implementation of consistent CCP notification forms for parents, to be disseminated by K-12 schools, in a bid to raise awareness about the program. It also calls for the development of a uniform orientation process for students entering the program, with universities and colleges now required to provide an orientation to CCP students.

The Ohio House of Representatives is the next stop for Senate Bill 104, where the proposed changes to the College Credit Plus Program will be further deliberated.