John Chee Vang is a senior in high school, yet he is already taking college level courses and has accumulated about 56 college credits at Fresno City College. Vang has almost completed his general education classes and is well on his way to his college major.

Vang received this rare opportunity because he is enrolled in Design Science High School, located near the college’s police academy. The high school has an agreement with FCC that allows students to take college classes while getting their high school education.

The partnership started in 2005 and students had five years to complete the program. It has now been cut to four years. Freshmen and sophomores spend the majority of their time at the Design Science campus and take a few courses at FCC. Juniors and seniors maintain a full-load of courses at FCC.

The students are restricted to 11 units because of State Center Community College District’s board policy which allows high school students to take up to 11 units at no charge.

Vang says he is grateful for the opportunity that Design Science has given him to get exposure to college classes and get an early start on college. In recent months, however, the joint high school/college program has raised some concerns.

“One of the pros is that students who are concurrently enrolled at FCC from a local high school get the opportunity to participate in college level course work which is important for a number of reasons,” said Vice President of Student Services Chris Villa. “But of course, one of the cons is they may take seats that would be occupied by our own students at Fresno City College.”

Villa says it is a challenge to enroll high school students at FCC, particularly in a tough economic period. “Obviously, we have Fresno City College students who are in need of classes and to sustain a concurrent enrollment program, it means a challenge,” said Villa. Complicating the issue is the fact that Design Science High School students receive priority registration which means that they are able to get space in classes before most FCC students.

Roy Exum, principal at Design Science, says the statistics do not support a cause for any concerns.

“We need to look at the total picture. There are 25,000 students enrolled at Fresno City College. My total enrollment is 250, so that’s 1 percent of the entire college population, and out of that, only 180 utilize priority registration,” said Exum. “We have about 180 total students that benefit from the priority registration as opposed to probably 3,000 and 4,000 students that have access to priority registration at FCC.”

Exum added that Design Science works hard to make sure the relationship with the college and the instructors and staff is positive. “If there are ever concerns or issues, we are always available to address those or address student needs and concerns,” said Exum.

He wants the program to continue, stating that Design Science High School is a good program that holds students to a certain level of accountability.

“Our students are very well-supported,” said Exum. “They are not left to just go out on their own and figure it out.”

The students are first prepared for what they will experience in college. They are given very specific classes and structure to transition them to college level skills. They are taught how to use the tutorial center, student services, library, and also how to utilize all the opportunities that are available at FCC. A Design Science staff closely monitors the behavior and workload of a group of 20-30 students.

“We monitor what kind of work they are turning in and teach them how to be successful college students. We also control their schedule, so they don’t just get to go pick whatever class they want to take,” said Exum. “They work with the staff member to build the schedule that’s going to make sure that they are successful.”

In addition to the support they receive from Design Science, the students also have access to counselors at FCC.

Fresno Unified School District pays for their textbooks and health fees. The students themselves are responsible for the basics such as binders, paper, and pencils. They are also responsible for other material fees that may be necessary in certain classrooms.

Design Science is an open-enrollment public school where students are selected by lottery. The only requirement is for students to prove they have completed Algebra 1 by the time they complete the eighth grade. Only 70 freshmen are accepted per year. This year, Design Science had about 270 applications.

The principal said he hopes that the college and Design Science High School can overcome the challenges created by the budget and keep the program going. “I hope it continues forever,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to learn and navigate the college environment with support.”

Exum said that the program also makes economic sense. “On average, we help the families save between $10,000 and $15,000 in the overall students’ college career. And that’s a cooperative thing,” he said. “It’s not just Fresno Unified saving them that money. That is the State Center Community College District and Fresno Unified as a partnership saving the families that kind of money.”