Students currently enrolled in DeKalb High School have the option of enrolling in dual credit classes.

“We offer many classes such as nursing, business and health education.” said DHS Registrar Bonnie Stellatos .

Stellatos and DHS Principal Doug Moeller agree the courses benefit the ‘accelerated path’ students. Stellatos went on to say the students in the classes also benefit if they are going to vocational school.

“We might have only three or four students who want to take fourth level French, and this way they can.” Moeller said.

Students taking these classes are bused off campus to Kishwaukee Community College and are taught there for two to three periods. The classes as well as the busses are paid for by DHS, with no cost to the student. As of right now, a passing grade is all that is required to earn credit for the college.

“There is a really high success rate in dual credit classes, only a few failures.” Stellatos said.

There are some downsides to dual credit, especially if compared with the more widely lauded AP credit, which is also offered at DHS. For one, AP credit is known to be accepted at many colleges nationwide, if the student receives a high enough score. Secondly, there are not as many open spots in the dual credit classes.

“We can only send so many students,” Stellatos said. “We have to share with the surrounding counties.”

The dual credit classes being offered on the Kishwaukee campus are only viable at the community college. This could change within a year, though.

“There has been talk of offering dual credit for NIU,” Moeller said. Nothing has been formally laid on the table, he said.

If future meetings between the two schools go well, students might be entering NIU with college credit and experience on their record. Currently, there are a few red flags which might come up in future negotiations.

“The unions have to agree,” Moeller said. “Calculus teachers at DHS will want to teach it here, if possible, and not at the university.”

Teachers, administrators and professors all have to reach a sensible agreement before any credit can be offered. This could be a lengthy process which has yet to begin.