Community College Times reports that Louisiana lawmakers are preparing to enact legislation to create a second “career option” high school diploma for students.  Under the legislation, parents could allow students 15 years-old or older to skip out of the pre-college curriculum.  If they did and earned a “career option” diploma, they could attend community college, but not a four-year college or university.

Many education organizations, including Achieve, Education Trust, and Jobs for the Future, oppose this legislation.  Why?  Two reasons:  First, there is substantial education research about the benefits of a rigorous academic curriculum.  Indeed, it is one of the best predictors of later academic (and logically economic?) success.  These groups suspect the “career option” will be anything but rigorous.  Second, these groups worry that poor students will take the “career option” and find themselves unprepared for good careers down the road.

But is every student truly “traditional” college material?  What happens to that student for whom the “traditional” college track is not working?  Does he or she drop out before graduating high school?  How do you maximize that student’s future career options?

One possible answer being explored nationally is early college or middle college.  Middle college places struggling high school students on a college campus for a combined high school/college experience.  The theory is that certain struggling students can succeed if presented with a different environment and a different approach to education.

West Virginia Northern Community College is in the process of launching a middle college for West Virginia high school students.  WVNCC President Martin Olshinsky’s efforts to make middle college a reality for Northern Panhandle students should be applauded … supported financially … evaluated rigorously … and transplanted elsewhere IF the model proves successful.