“Okay, let me tell you a little bit about EPSO. So at Arlington High School we offer AP classes, dual enrollment classes, dual credit classes and entry certifications. So these are beneficial for our students because they’re actually getting college level courses while they’re in high school that they can carry that credit with them after they leave us into their post secondary plans. It’s also beneficial because they’re getting the college experience while still being in high school so that they can actually like get this better support instead of when they go off into their college level courses at the college. They don’t have necessarily that one to one help and guidance that our teachers can support our students with. We have many different courses that range from like, AP Spanish all the way down to our hands on mechatronics, machining, welding, and everything in between so there’s something for everybody. Many of our students can leave high school with like up to 12-15 hours of credit. So when colleges are reviewing their applications, they look at them as “Oh, you’ve already taken college credit, you already understand the rigor, you will be actually more prepared for coming to us.” And since we do partner with Memphis, UT, Martin, and Southwest, a lot of those schools would like to carry our students again to them from that. So they look and see how many credits do they have currently with them. So most of the credits will carry over to their college of choice. So not necessarily just the ones that they obtained them through while they’re in high school. But it is up to each student to kind of look into where do they want to go and how that that credit transfers to their school. We have our industry certifications that start as early as their freshman year so they can earn their OSHA certifications. When they start taking the actual dual enrollment courses, though those cannot start until their junior year. And the reason for this is that the there’s a grant called the taste sack grant that is available to juniors and seniors that actually helps pay for these college courses while they’re in high school. When they leave high school, you know, we want them to go and like flourish and learn and decide based on their experiences.”

-Mrs. Shawna Sergerson,
EPSO Coordinator for Arlington Community Schools