The district has been awarded the Smart Scholars Cohort 4 Early College High School grant, which will afford 50 students each year, ultimately leading to 200 students in the Cohort, the opportunity to earn college credits through SUNY Farmingdale State College while still enrolled in the high school.
This marks the fourth year the district has expanded the Smart Scholars program at the high school continuing the partnership with Farmingdale State College. Participating graduating seniors earned an average of 18.6 college credits in 2017, with two earning 33 credits each. The current Smart Scholars and P-Tech programs at the high school have approximately 220 students enrolled. Cohort 4 will enable an additional 200 students to earn college credits.
"Freeport Schools is excited to provide students with the opportunity to earn college credits, at no cost to them, while at Freeport High School. It also offers a seamless transition into a meaningful four-year degree program in a field with a positive employment trend and outlook," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham.
As part of the grant, which runs through 2022 and totals $625,000, students will be able to earn 35-44 college credits toward a bachelor's degree in computer programming and information systems at no cost to the students. While similar in structure to the district's current Smart Scholars Cohort 3 grant, courses in the Cohort 4 grant are specifically aligned with this major and will only be transferrable within the SUNY system, whereas Cohort 3 courses are aimed at earning students college credits regardless of concentration or SUNY affiliation. The grant will fully cover the costs of academic support during both the school year and in the summer, materials and supplies related to the concurrent-enrollment coursework and transportation related to on-campus activities at SUNY Farmingdale. In addition, funds from the grant will increase each year based on the addition of cohorts and credits earned.