Students with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math careers find transitions from high school to community college to four year degree programs to be particularly challenging. Early college and dual-credit programs in high school can support students in successfully transitioning to college-level work. The Expanding Career and Educational Learning in Information Technology (EXCEL-IT) project will prepare for college-level work over 900 high school students in a diverse and economically-challenged area of Washington State. The project will involve dual-enrollment IT courses taught in high schools by trained, certified, and well-supported instructors using a hybrid online/classroom structure. Students will be able to earn both high school and college credit, as well as take free certification exams for industry-recognized credentials. This project will contribute to the development of a 2+2+2 STEM degree pathway, with support from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. The goal of the project is to directly address the growing shortage of qualified IT professionals and generate useful data and practices for high schools and colleges to recruit and prepare a larger and more diverse body of students for IT careers.
