The leaders of Laredo Community College, Crystal City Independent School District and Rio Grande City Independent School District gathered on Wednesday on the college campus to launch a historic and innovative partnership in criminal justice education.
Officials from LCC, the two area school districts and the South Texas Tech Prep Program announced the joint venture in a signing ceremony held in Laird Hall, room 124.
Through an articulation agreement, high school students from both school districts will be able to earn up to six college credit hours that can be applied later after graduation if they choose to pursue an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice at LCC.
The high school to college articulated coursework between LCC and each school district was facilitated by the federally-funded Tech Prep program on the college campus.
Students can take the articulated courses—Introduction to Criminal Justice, followed by Crime in America—as early as their junior year in high school. Students must pass each course with a grade of 80 or better to receive college credit.
School officials recommend that students visit their school counselors to ensure that they are enrolled in the appropriate curriculum for the degree plan.
After high school graduation, students must pass an “end-of-course” competency exam for Introduction to Criminal Justice with a grade of 75 or above in order to be granted “credit-in-escrow” at LCC and be eligible to take the subsequent “end of course” exam for the Crime in America course.
To claim the Tech Prep “credit-in-escrow,” the student must enroll at LCC within 15 months after receiving a high school diploma and complete six hours of college credit within the AAS Criminal Justice Degree requirements at LCC.
Similar educational initiatives were formed last year with Laredo and United ISDs.
For
more information, parents and students may contact Tech Prep Director Ricardo
Hinojosa by calling 721-5165 or by e-mail at richinojosa@laredo.edu.
NEW
PARTNERS IN EDUCATION:
Laredo Community College welcomed Crystal City ISD and Rio Grande City ISD as
the newest partners of the Criminal Justice Degree Articulation program.
On hand to formalize this agreement was, from left, Crystal City ISD
Superintendent Alberto Gonzalez, Tech Prep Director Ricardo Hinojosa, LCC
Vice-President for Instruction and Student Development Dr. Juan Maldonado and
Rio Grande City ISD CATE Director Arturo Menchaca.
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