Two Rio Grande Valley school districts have recently signed Memorandums of Understanding with UTRGV in support of the development and implementation of Collegiate High Schools.
The McAllen Independent School District and the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District made the commitment to provide their students additional opportunities to pursue college credit during high school.
“The leaders at the McAllen and Edinburg school districts know how important it is for students to succeed,” said UTRGV President Guy Bailey. “The access to higher education these partnerships with UTRGV will provide is paramount, starting with our youngest students and supporting them through the university.
“Our students are indeed our future, so we want to be sure our Valley students are well prepared and have every opportunity to get the jobs they dream of,” he said.
No-Cost Academic Acceleration
The Collegiate High Schools will offer a traditional high school curriculum with special emphasis on Dual-Credit Educational programs. They will also offer post secondary higher-education programs for undergraduate or higher courses of study to be provided by UTRGV.
Academic programming will be specific to each school district’s students. It will include pathways in the areas of education, engineering, computer science and health professions.
“We have multiple options for students to earn college credit, but this partnership is a game changer in that our students who choose this program will now be taking courses on a university campus, using world-class resources,” said J.A. Gonzalez, McAllen ISD superintendent. “In short, they will begin constructing a successful future at no cost to their family.”
Pending UT System Board of Regents approval, the Edinburg site will be on East Freddy Gonzalez Drive and Highway 281. The McAllen facility will be situated on the 38-acre property on the south side of Pecan Boulevard between Jackson and McColl roads. It will be within the 495 Commerce Center development which is also home to the future UTRGV McAllen Academic Medical Campus.
The goal of the schools is to provide dynamic educational opportunities that will enrich the academic experience for students. At the same time, it will facilitate a more seamless transition from high school to post secondary education.
Future Expansions
UTRGV, McAllen ISD and Edinburg CISD are also committing to building new facilities to house the Collegiate High Schools, given the many students who will benefit from the partnerships. As the projects develop, the partners will determine locations for the new campuses.
“This partnership is going to change lives and provide opportunities for students in a historic way that has not been possible before,” said Dr. Mario Salinas, superintendent of schools at Edinburg CISD. “By participating in this program, Edinburg CISD students will not only be able to obtain college credit during high school, but they also will have access to the highest-quality educational opportunities because of this extraordinary collaboration.
“The Collegiate High School will provide a rigorous and enriched educational experience to Edinburg CISD students in the areas of education, computer science, engineering and health professions,” he said. “We want our students to have every opportunity available to them so they can thrive at the university level, and then in the workforce when they graduate.”
Earlier this past November, UTRGV, the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District and the City of Harlingen celebrated the opening of the UTRGV Harlingen Collegiate High. The dual enrollment school specializes in career tracks for computer science, engineering and teacher preparation.
UTRGV-HCH offers bachelor’s degree programs that focus on academic core curriculum requirements, engineering, computer science and education. Students can earn up to 60 hours of college credit by the time they graduate high school.
More details regarding the Collegiate High Schools are forthcoming and contingent on UT System Board of Regents approval.