In 2015, The Ohio Department for Higher Education instituted a new program called College Credit Plus (CCP), which allows students as young as 7th grade to take courses at colleges such as Tri-C, Cleveland State, Kent State and even Case Western to receive both high school and college credits.

The application process requires students to take the ACT or SAT, and a college course placement test. The application deadline is April 1.

“I didn’t like the long process of registering for CCP,” senior Melondy Shen said. “There [were] a lot of meetings with college and high school counselors.”

Guidance counselor Liz Osicki explained that CCP is an opportunity for students to take courses that are not offered at Beachwood.

However, according to Osicki, CCP can cause scheduling issues.

“For students who leave and come back, if a class they want to take at Beachwood does not fit, it can become a problem,” she said.

Another issue with CCP is the coursework, which isn’t altered to fit a middle schooler or high schooler’s academic capabilities.

“Sometimes students aren’t ready for [the course load] and do poorly, which affects their transcripts [and] affects college applications,” Osicki said.

While the district will cover the costs of CCP, if a student fails or drops the class, he/she will be charged for it.

Despite this, some students feel that CCP is the best option for them.

Sophomore Iyonna Stewart is currently taking English 1010 and Math 1010  at Tri-C and will take Biology and Vet Studies second semester.

“I enjoy feeling more mature,” Stewart said. “I [have] a lot more independence than I have at Beachwood.”

“[CCP] helped me manage my schedule better and was very convenient for me to take more classes than the maximum number at BHS,” Shen added.

Another benefit to CCP is the opportunity to take classes that are not offered in high school, and to start early on a post-secondary degree.

“Vet credits are not offered at BHS, so it is a good way to put me ahead in a competitive field and [may allow me to decrease] my college debt,” Stewart said.

Social studies department chair Pam Ogilvy sees this from both sides.

“Taking a CCP class would give you that same college credit without worrying about the pressures of an AP test,” she said.

But she worries about the AP classes here at BHS.

“It would be unfortunate if all of our AP classes offered at BHS would go to waste because a majority of the students went and took a CCP class,” she said.

English Department Chair Evan Luzar believes that many CCP courses, “are less rigorous than AP classes.”

“AP courses teach you to grind it out and stick with a hard class,” Luzar said. “Why travel all the way to Tri-C and take a class when you can stay in the building, take an AP class, and receive the same amount of credit?”

Stewart confirms this belief.

“Tri-C classes only prepare you for Tri-C and not out-of-state competitive colleges. It definitely depends on where you want to go for college. If you want to stay local, then doing CCP would be best. If you want to go to a more competitive college, you should stick with an AP.”

Shen mentioned that she’d rather take a CCP class because not only does she not have to worry about a grueling AP test, but the class is free for students.