Dearborn students excel in HFC’s dual-enrollment programs

Dearborn Public Schools students who participate in Henry Ford College’s dual-enrollment programs succeed at exceptional rates. More than 90 percent pass their courses with an average GPA exceeding 3.05.

Henry Ford College offers two dual-enrollment programs that allow students to get both a high school diploma and an associate degree in five years, at no cost to the student. These programs are the Henry Ford Early College and Henry Ford Collegiate Academy.

According to a report at the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education meeting April 10, students enrolled in the HFEC and HFCA have passed more than 90 percent of their HFC classes, and get better grades than their peers.

All HFCA students passed their college classes, and more than 90 percent of HFEC students passed theirs in the 2016-17 academic year. The cumulative grade point average for HFCA was 3.15, and the HFEC was 3.05.

Henry Ford Early College: a health career one year after high school

Launched in 2007, the HFEC is a collaboration between HFC, the Dearborn district, and the Henry Ford Health System. Its purpose is to prepare students for employment opportunities in the healthcare field. Students can earn an associate degree or certificate in any of the following areas: Pharmacy Technology, Physical Therapy Assistant, Radiographer, Respiratory Therapist, Surgical Technologist, Paramedic, Nursing, Ophthalmic Technician, Medical Practice, Biotechnology, or Science. Students begin this five-year program in 9th grade and complete it in five years.

During 9th and 10th grades, students are enrolled in high school classes with an emphasis on math and science. They also spend one day each week at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, gaining real world experience in clinical rotations. Introduction to college classes begins in the 10th grade. By grade 12, students are almost exclusively enrolled in college classes.

HFEC Principal Majed Fadlallah is reviewing HFEC applications for the 2018-19 academic year. At this time, around 540 students have applied for admission. Roughly 330 are qualified, based on reading tests and letters of recommendation. HFEC enrolls less than 400 students. According to Fadlallah, qualified students will be selected by a lottery.

Henry Ford Collegiate Academy: an associate degree one year after high school

A partnership between HFC and the Dearborn district, the HFCA begins in 11th grade and provides students with the opportunity to earn a high school diploma as well as an associate degree in liberal arts or science. In their junior year, students begin taking courses at HFC. In the following two years, they take nearly all of their courses at HFC as they work toward an associate degree. Many HFCA students go on to complete a bachelor’s degree at four-year colleges and universities.

Students who attend one of the Dearborn district’s three high schools: Edsel Ford, Fordson, or Dearborn High, may enroll in the program at the beginning of their junior year if they achieve appropriate test scores as sophomores.

“This dual-enrollment program provides Dearborn students the opportunity to earn an associate degree just one year after earning their high school diploma,” said Dr. Michael Nealon, HFC Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This is an amazing program that not only launches students onto a successful and rewarding career path, it also saves their families the cost of the first two years of college! Essentially, they are getting two years of an undergraduate degree paid for by the state of Michigan.”

The report also stated that Dearborn students who are not in either the HFCA or the HFEC but are in other dual enrollment programs at HFC have taken a total of 1,122 college classes during the first semester of the 2017-18 academic year. About 83 percent of these students scored an A or a B in their college courses.

For further information about the HFEC, visit earlycollege.dearbornschools.org. For further information about the HFCA, visit hfca.dearbornschools.org.