Through a collaboration between Unit 5 and Heartland Community College, current eighth-grade students will be the first available class to apply for the accelerated program.
Students, who must attend Normal Community West High School due to its proximity to Heartland, will enter the program as freshmen and take regular high school courses the first two years.
The summer before their junior year, they will begin taking classes on Heartland's campus and dual-credit classes will be added to their high school schedule.
The dual-credit classes will be free, but students will pay regular tuition for courses on the college campus. In-district tuition currently is $135 per credit hour.
"They would essentially get an associate's degree for half the price," said Laura O'Donnell, director of secondary education at Unit 5.
O'Donnell thinks this is the first program of its kind in Central Illinois, but stressed it is still in the developmental stage and changes could arise.
About 15 students are expected to take part initially, and O'Donnell said adults who work in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) field will likely mentor the students.
Sarah Diel-Hunt, associate vice president for academic affairs at Heartland, said the program will be selective, with students "who are interested and eager" and who demonstrate math and science skills, a strong grade point average and a record of diligence, with recommendations from teachers.
"It's not an easy program. There are going to be various exit points along the way," said Diel-Hunt, and some students likely will filter out in the first two years.
However, even if they decide computer science is not the career they want to pursue, the students will have their general education requirements completed, she said.
"It's flexible enough that they could have a complete change of heart and not be behind the eight ball," said Diel-Hunt.
Kevin Reeves, STEM director for the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, said a fresh wave of graduates interested in technology would be a good aid for the current "aging workforce."
"We've got millions of baby boomers who are retiring now through the next 15 years," said Reeves. "The scary thought is, with them retiring from many of these critical positions in information technology or engineering, there just isn't a back fill or enough students prepared to go into college and the workforce in those positions."
Reeves said businesses want to see a better-prepared applicant pool and colleges want to see high school students graduating with more computer science skills.
"It's a trickle-down effect we want to continue all the way to elementary school," said Reeves. "Many of these students who earn the associate's degree out of high school will have enough skill sets to jump right into real-world professions, but we encourage them to continue their education."
Reeves said through programs like this, the EDC hopes to see the STEM initiative grow further in the community by working closely with school districts and businesses.
April Schermann, computer science teacher at Normal West, said the accelerated degree program is a great opportunity for students who want to take a big step in their education career.
"Data shows the number of jobs requiring computer science or information technology skills far exceeds the number of students who will graduate college with those necessary skills," said Schermann. "There are more jobs than there are qualified people."
Schermann said since she started teaching at Normal West 15 years ago, the interest in computer science in teens has clearly increased.
"Now we offer four different courses, we have clubs like Girls Who Code and we host the Hour of Code event in December. The exposure of computer science has grown for high school students and the information they can receive now is tremendous," she said.
The deadline for Unit 5 eighth-graders to apply to the high school program is Dec. 20. There will be an information session at Normal West and Normal Community prior to freshman orientation on Dec. 7.
©2016 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.), distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
