According to the Tennessee Department of Education, “EPSOs (Early Post-secondary Opportunities) allow students to earn postsecondary credits while still in high school, reducing the time and cost of completing a certificate or degree. More importantly, EPSOs introduce high school students to postsecondary learning expectations and requirements, develop confidence and study skills necessary for success in postsecondary coursework, and help students make more informed decisions about their postsecondary plans and career goals. Students who participate in early postsecondary courses are more likely to enroll and persist in college… EPSOs can be a tool in closing equity gaps…”
6th graders at Algood Middle School hear from our local high school students and administration about the academic EPSOs currently available in Putnam County. We feel it is important to expose all middle school students to the many EPSO opportunities available in our high schools and to what careers those opportunities lead. Even though we have a higher ACT average than the state average, according to the 2019 THEC County Profiles and a higher graduation rate than the state average, we have fewer students going to college than the state average. Also, we have many certifications/EPSO opportunities in our high school(s) that our younger students and community members are not aware exist (particularly minority and economically disadvantaged students).
Highlights December 18, 2019
Photos by Aspen Little
