By Priscilla Le
Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) prides itself on being a magnet for academic excellence, boasting a large number of Advanced Placement (AP) Classes, adept staff and excellent students.
But it’s this exact environment that is also detrimental to its students, pushing them past human limitations through intense academic pressures and a culture of loading on APs. Are there any solutions to this dire situation? Yes, one of them is concurrent enrollment classes.
Concurrent enrollment, which typically spans 16 weeks, is an opportunity for students to take an online or in person class with Golden West College (GWC) for credit that usually applies to both colleges and FVHS. Subjects range from elective classes such as art to core classes such as history and English.
Concurrent enrollment was originally created as a resource for lower-income students to access higher education. Providing free or cheap education, it encouraged students to pursue higher education at an affordable cost and get college credit from it.
However, concurrent enrollment today has been abused and twisted from this original purpose, serving as a convenient path to expedite gaining credits all for a student to become a teacher’s aide during their senior year, a neither stimulating nor productive use of the time they could have spent learning.
Alongside the concern that students are slacking off by taking the “easy route,” another fear involving concurrent enrollment erupts from questioning the quality of education that sticks with the students—past the length of the class and into the future. These are heartfelt concerns, and it is apparent that concurrent enrollment should not be used to get a subject over. However, when considering vocational desires, retention rates and a student’s schedule, concurrent enrollment can be an invaluable resource if done right.
Let’s get this straight. Sixteen weeks is not enough to take a class containing a year’s worth of content. For electives, however, this might be a benefit, since the shortened time frame allows them to be packed with pertinent information and fast-paced, preventing the class from feeling boring by cutting out the fluff.
As someone who took a concurrent enrollment art class at Golden West College, I found it to be straight to the point, making it all the more fascinating (and this is coming from someone who used to hate art). As our class sped through the different eras of art, the different art movements and modern art, I found myself attracted to the paintings, sculptures and all things creative. And I started to appreciate the art all around me. That class absolutely changed me. And the best part? I got my credits done in 4 months, saving me time and energy as I also got to do my assignments at my own pace according to my schedule.
But this wasn’t the only advantage. Concurrent enrollment freed up space in my schedule so that I could take year-long classes that truly interested me.
If I had to take art for a whole year, as is the traditional model, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the legal practices pathway at FVHS. And those were my favorite classes in my high school career, not just because the content was interesting, but because it matched what I wanted to do in my future career. Concurrent enrollment provides the flexibility for students to take classes in a shorter span, freeing up space in their schedules and allowing them to pursue subjects that they actually care about. Thus, its usage is done right; benefitting the students as they pursue the class schedule that fits them best in regards to academic rigor and interest.
But this was an elective class that had time to cut. What about a history or English class that doesn’t even have enough time in a regular year to cover all the content?
Students would be missing out on vital information that they would have learned in these regular classes. But that would only be the case if students retained 100% of their learning. According to The Learning Pyramid, only 5% of information from lectures is retained and only 10% is retained from reading.
Looking back on both my AP European History and AP United States History (APUSH) classes, lectures and reading were the bulk of the curriculum. So after taking both classes, can I say I retained much? I would say yes, as it pertains to learning historical themes, contexts and people. However, this is more attributed to self-studying rather than my teachers.
For both preparation periods of the exam, I would argue the last weeks leading to them were the most impactful for my long-term memory. This is because I actively reviewed all of the information, studied with a partner and bounced ideas with them and retaught myself all of the concepts. This style of learning boosted my retention from 10% to 50%-90%, a large increase that had nothing to do with my class at FVHS and all with my own effort put into studying. I don’t want to discredit the work my teachers put in, but I can’t discredit the effort I put in as well.
I put more effort into the class and got more out of it as a result. So, even if the concurrent enrollment class leaves out key information like the Revolutionary War or the Civil War, these concepts can be learned from a plethora of free resources online. In fact, if you put effort into your learning, you’ll probably get more out of it.
That was the case with senior Chloe Cheng, who took Principles of Microeconomics and American Government at Golden West College over the summer, the counterpart of U.S. Government and Macroeconomics at FVHS.
“I spent more time learning the [Government] and [Economics] material because I thought it was interesting and I wanted to learn it properly…the difficulty and what you get out of the class, especially since it’s over the summer and independent [and] online, really depends on how much work you want to genuinely put into it,” Cheng said.
Cheng decided to take these classes online because of her busy schedule.
“I’m in [Academy For the Performing Arts], which is the performing arts program in our district held at [Huntington Beach High School], and having a 6th period (6 classes) would conflict with those classes. And I wanted to be a peer tutor for AP [Calculus] which is a class I really liked last year…so [it was] basically a combination of a lot of factors that made taking it over the summer a better option for me even though I would’ve loved learning the content of AP [Economics] and [AP Government] at [FVHS]” Cheng said.
This testimony details the advantages of taking concurrent enrollment. Cheng wouldn’t have been able to take such a massive course load and pursue her passion in music, so concurrent enrollment was her hail mary.
And although she notes that it did take work, she would do it again if she had the chance.
“It did take up a lot of my summer, and sometimes it was a lot of work having to balance doing these classes on top of college applications and trying to enjoy the summer. But the course load I have now is a good balance for me so I think taking [Government] and [Economics] over the summer was still the best decision.”
It’s clear that Cheng was not slacking off—being one of two October Seniors of the Month speaks to that. She was doing what was best for her and her schedule, and she has no regrets.
To argue that you don’t learn much in these classes, compared to what you learn in regular classes is a valid argument, but when put into practice, more often than not, students would be leaving with the same amount of retention in both cases.
And let’s be real—not every student likes history. And not every student likes English. There are subjects that students abhor. And that’s okay.
Students shouldn’t have to force themselves to take classes that they don’t care about. Time would be better spent on subjects that they love, so it’s a viable option for them to take the shortened version rather than be stuck with a class they hate for a whole year.
Students pursuing STEM-related careers, for example, don’t necessarily need history or English classes to succeed in their vocation, so concurrent enrollment, in its truncated form, would suffice.
Additionally, using concurrent enrollment leaves an extra space for them to pursue a class in their desired field, either to complete a pathway, take a different AP or just another class in general.
If not another class, they would have extra time to pursue extracurricular activities or just have free time to do what they want.
There’s a reason why we have majors and fields of study; people cannot possibly study all the subjects in existence. So being able to centralize your efforts in a field you are actually passionate about would be much more worth it in the end.
But some may say, “History class isn’t just about the content, it’s about the critical thinking skills learned along the way that also contributes to present application.” And I agree. But learning these skills is not limited to a classroom at FVHS. We are able to learn these skills anywhere and everywhere. Although they might not be as perfected over a shorter period of learning, again, the effort you put in will reap the results.
Besides pursuing concurrent enrollment for credit or to help you make space for your interests, it can also be used for personal reasons.
Some students can’t take 5 periods because of other responsibilities such as work, taking care of family and more. Thus, having an online class that allows students to go at their own pace as well as complete work at times that fit their schedule is helpful. We’re all busy people for different reasons. If concurrent enrollment gives you greater freedom and flexibility, then you should be able to take that class and still get credit for your efforts.
Additionally, concurrent enrollment provides a cheaper alternative to APs, especially when each exam can cost over $100. Not only do they cost more, but whether you get college credit is entirely based on your performance on a 3 hour test rather than a class. Concurrent enrollment is better in these respects.
Concurrent enrollment brings a truckload of advantages depending on the student and their specific circumstance. Students who need more free time or don’t like a certain subject can take advantage of this resource. Thus, concurrent enrollment taken for the right reasons is an irreplaceable resource.
If you believe a concurrent enrollment class is for you, that’s great, but don’t expect it to be a walk in the park. The classes are short, fast-paced and taught by a college professor. Make sure you’re prepared to make an effort in this class and work for your grade.
And only take concurrent enrollment for the above reasons. If you just decide to do concurrent enrollment for funsies, not only will you be learning less content, but the online setting might also hinder your relationships with your teacher and classmates. Our teachers at FVHS are there for a reason; to help you grow as a person and to teach you how to learn. They are the best resources we have.
So if you enjoy the core subjects, then don’t take concurrent enrollment classes if it’s not necessary to do so. You’ll get a lot more fulfillment in your classes at FVHS, learning the material and going in depth with it. However, if you desire to take a concurrent enrollment class, it will not end your academic career. In some cases, it actually might bolster it. So if you want to, go for it. It’s your prerogative.
