CSU receives $590,000 grant to expand College Credit Plus

Cleveland State University has received a $590,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education to credential high school teachers for College Credit Plus, the unique educational initiative which allows Ohio students to take college courses while still in high school.

The grant will create a college teacher credentialing program at CSU, allowing high school teachers from across the region to take free graduate courses in their discipline and earn certification as CCP teachers. The effort seeks to expand the number of College Credit Plus classes that can be taught at area high schools and increase the number of students who enter college with significant course credit. This will ultimately help improve graduation rates, reduce student debt and expand higher education attainment across the state.

“CCP is a truly amazing program that assists students in getting a head start on college by providing college credit courses taught at their schools that are easily transferable to the university of their choice,” notes Dr. Kate O’Hara, professor of education at Cleveland State and the lead faculty member on the grant program. “One barrier that does exist is the lack of credentialed teachers to meet the demand for CCP courses. This credentialing program will address this challenge by offering online, hybrid, and evening classes at no charge for teachers accepted into the program.”

The CSU effort is part of a $3 million initiative, which is designed to create multiple CCP credentialing programs across the state. High school teachers need to complete 18 credit hours in their subject area to receive the credential and then are hired as adjunct professors by the university that conducts CCP programs at their high school. The initiative will focus on mathematics, history, English, foreign languages and computer science.

“Cleveland State has been a longtime partner in the CCP program and is dedicated to finding additional avenues to make college more affordable and accessible for all,” O’Hara adds. “This new grant will further that goal and ensure that more students who want to take advantage of CCP courses have the opportunity.”

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