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GHS ACA Expansion: AS in Social Sciences Teacher Preparation Track

Good evening, Madame Chair and Members of the Board.

As you know, I’m Beth Fowler, Advanced Programs and Equity Specialist for GCPS. I have the pleasure in this position of serving as the Site Director of our extremely successful Advanced College Academy, the academic pathway through which an increasing number of students for the past three years have earned an AS degree in Social Sciences from Reynolds Community College through dual enrollment at GHS. They are supported in this degree path not only by our amazing ACA faculty at Goochland High School, but also by Ms. Joi Ely, their Reynolds Career Coach, who I am pleased to be presenting with this evening. Ms. Ely and I are here to share with our community an expansion of our existing ACA program, one that will allow students to choose between an AS in general curriculum or a new and slightly different AS pathway with a teacher preparation concentration.

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Catch the Wave!

39 Class of 2020

59 Seniors

56 Juniors

80 Sophomores

78 Freshmen

273

Reynolds Degrees

While I have said already than an increasing number of students have earned their associates degree while enrolled at Goochland High School, I would be remiss if I did not underscore the huge popularity of our ACA program. As you know, in many districts, ACA is a selective program available to only a certain number of students annually. In Goochland, we pave our own path, however. We have embraced the philosophy that we want to provide opportunity and an affordable college degree to as many of our students who are interested and can be successful earning it. And boy are they interested! As you will see our ACA program has grown like a wave with up to 80 students currently participating in a single cohort.
In total, 273 GHS students are currently a part of the ACA program. That number represents approximately 32% of our total high school enrollment.

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Cultivate potential

Internships

Double-major for multiple endorsements

Head start on positions requiring M.Ed.

School Counselor
School Psychologist
Speech Pathologist
Dual Enrollment Professor
Administrator

The advantages of an ACA degree from Reynolds with a teacher preparation concentration are many. By beginning education courses in high school, students will have the opportunity to cultivate their interest in the field early on. The sequence of courses that we have put together will also afford each student an internship opportunity within the classrooms of GCPS where they will work side-by-side with our amazing faculties. Starting on a bachelor’s degree early allows students to transfer to their four year school and double major if they like in order to secure multiple teaching endorsements. If they decide to earn a masters in a teaching field, they will enter the workforce at a high pay rate, not to mention the many other education-related careers that they can pursue that require a masters: jobs like…..

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ACA Teacher Preparation Pathway - Class of 2024

*MOU pending Spring 2021 between JSRCC and GCPS*

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Comparison to Original ACA Degree Path

Same likelihood of transferability
Same low cost
One high school elective requirement (Teachers for Tomorrow I)
Same number of college credits
Same supports

Cohort
Career Coach
Reynolds resources