In the future, it could be even easier for students at Eastern Regional High School to earn college credits through Camden County College while still at Eastern due to a potential added benefit of the new “rotating bell schedule” officials at Eastern are exploring.
In October, district officials presented the Eastern Camden County Regional School District Board of Education with an outline of a new, rotating bell schedule in which students could take up to eight classes without the need of a zero mod period before the start of the regular school day.
Although students could be enrolled in eight classes total, with classes around 54 minutes in length, students would only meet with six classes per day depending on which day it was within in a four-day rotating cycle.
During each day of the cycle, two classes would be dropped from a student’s schedule, meaning when a four-day revolution of the cycle was complete, students would have eventually met with each class three times.
With the new schedule, all student lunch periods would then be condensed into an hour block of time between morning and afternoon classes, where students could use the full hour for lunch or eat for just a portion of that time and use the rest for a study hall, science lab, enrichment program or more.
District director of curriculum, instruction and professional development Robert Cloutier said that flexibility in students’ schedules is where there is the potential for students to earn more college credits.
Currently, students at Eastern earn college credits simply by leaving school early on some days and driving to CCC for courses or by enrolling in courses at Eastern that have been pre-approved by CCC to meet college academic standards, after which students with a minimum grade requirement can pay a course fee and have the class count as credits through a CCC transcript.
Cloutier said the new idea the district is discussing with CCC would allow Eastern to directly offer actual Camden County College courses on the Eastern campus in the afternoon.
According to Cloutier, a senior at Eastern could fundamentally take four Eastern classes in the morning with the new bell schedule, stay for lunch and then enroll in two CCC courses while still on the Eastern campus in the afternoon.
“We really see that as an opportunity to increase our dual enrollment. Our seniors could have 12 credits on their college transcript by the time they graduate,” Cloutier said. “Not only would they earn their high school diploma, they’ll be far into their first year at Camden County.”
Cloutier also said the new initiative could save Eastern students money as well if Eastern can get somewhere between 15 to 20 students to take a particular class, which would allow CCC to lower the cost of a student taking that class at Eastern as opposed to the student taking the course at the CCC campus.
“Not only are they saving the drive, we anticipate they would save somewhere between $75 and $150 per course by taking it at Eastern,” Cloutier said.
Superintendent Harold Melleby Jr. said both the district and CCC officials were excited about the potential partnership, and he also noted any credits a student earned could also be transferred to other four-year colleges and universities.
“Those credits are not just for Camden County,” Melleby said. “They’re approved, they’re on your transcript, and they count toward a four-year degree. It’s a great opportunity.”
