http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/us/01ttcollege.htmlTHE TEXAS TRIBUNE / New York Times
State�s Top Universities Offer New Opportunity
By REEVE HAMILTON
April 30, 2011
To lawmakers � at least those who know about it � the addition tacked onto an omnibus public education accountability bill in the 2009 legislative session is known as the �Doogie Howser� or the �Let My People Go� amendment.
It laid the groundwork for a new option for high school students eager to head to college before their graduation. If students demonstrate sufficient competency in English, math, science, a social science and a foreign language on tests like the Advanced Placement exam, they can receive a certificate that can be traded for a diploma at any time.
The kinks in this new system are currently being worked out in 16 districts and the KIPP charter schools, but it is expected to become available statewide this fall.
�Kids who are ready to move on � a lot of times, unfortunately, in the current system, those kids get bored,� said Reece Blincoe, superintendent of the Brownwood I.S.D. �They are bored out of their mind. Sometimes that can even lead them going the wrong direction instead of the right direction.�
What�s striking about this new initiative is the willingness of administrators at Texas� top public universities to work together. The criteria used to evaluate students who want to leave high school early are controlled by the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. An early departing student may earn a certificate, which does not guarantee admission to either university, but it verifies that the recipient has met the standards for a top-tier research university.
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This sounds like a good program, and many gifted students are prepared for college by the end of 11th grade, or earlier. However, since public school through grade 12 is free, a student may prefer to take advanced classes at his/her high school if they are available, get several A.P. credits, and save money by finishing college in three years. For gifted students who have exhausted their high schools' offerings, early college makes sense.
