Quaker Valley School District to receive state funds for high school dual credit enrollment opportunities

The Quaker Valley School District will receive a nearly $40,000 state grant to bolster its duel credit enrollment opportunities for its high school students.

It’s one of several Allegheny County school districts to receive a portion of about $650,000 state Department of Education funds, according to state officials.

Those funds are apart of $6.7 million recently awarded to 100 school entities statewide.

“Dual credit programs are a fantastic way for students to get a head start on college and explore different career paths,” state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, D-West Mifflin, said via news release. “I’m happy these awards will help more students succeed by expanding access to dual credit programs throughout our region.”

Quaker Valley High School has about 580 students enrolled.

Susan Gentile, district director of instruction and learning, said it has dual enrollment agreements with Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh.

“This grant will assist us with expanding our current offerings of two courses to nine courses beginning in the 2023-2024 school year,” Gentile said. “The district will use grant funding to assist with the cost of implementing new courses, including the purchase of textbooks and instructional materials required for these courses, as well as curriculum development. (We) will also establish a process for students to apply for financial assistance with university tuition fees.”

Principal Deborah Riccobelli sees the grant-funded program expansion as a boon.

“With a multitude of (Advance Placement) and CHS (College in High School) offerings, our students can explore relevant interests, passions and pathways while earning college credit, potentially saving money and completing their college requirements ahead of schedule,” Roccobelli said. “We look forward to exploring additional CHS opportunities to complement our existing course offerings.”

Superintendent Tammy Andreyko said Quaker Valley has proudly offered dual enrollment programs for years.

“Dual enrollment or ‘College in High School’ lets our students save time and money once they head to college because they’ve developed a collegiate transcript while still in high school at a reduced cost,” Andreyko said. “It also develops their confidence in their ability to do college level work and get a jump-start to higher education.”

These are the other county schools to receive grants.

Receiving $75,000 each are:

Pittsburgh Public Schools; South Park School District; Upper St. Clair School District; West Allegheny School District; West Mifflin Area School District;

Propel Charter School, Braddock Hills; Propel Charter School, Homestead; and Propel Charter School, Montour.

The Pennsylvania Distance Learning Charter School received $10,000.

The full list of grant awards across the state is available at education.pa.gov/Policy-Funding.