At Shadow Ridge, students have the option to take dual credit classes in multiple subjects to earn college credit alongside their high school credits. Dual credit classes give juniors and seniors at SRHS the opportunity to earn 21 college credits and complete 7 college courses by taking dual credit classes in high school. 

Mr. Pack, the dual credit History 101 and 102 teacher at SRHS stated, “Every student in college is required to take general education courses. Most of the time these courses are very similar to what a student should have already learned in high school. Students in college simply pay to learn these topics a second time. With dual credit courses you can knock these courses out in high school, better prepare yourself for college, and save you or your parents some money in the future. Colleges do not grant credit for honors classes. This fact alone makes dual credit and AP superior.” 

Dual credit classes put students ahead for their futures in college and even after college. Dual credit classes also help students prepare for the bigger workloads and feel of college classes. A student taking a dual credit course would also save some money by already having taken the course in high school.

Pack continues, “Both dual credit and AP have their advantages and disadvantages. Dual credit instructors either know what is on the semester exam or the college gives them the flexibility to create their own exam for students here at Shadow. Also, whether you get college credit in an AP class is solely dependent on if you pass the AP exam. AP students will definitely develop useful skills for college. Sometimes AP courses can be more rigorous due to the expectations of the AP exam. Even AP instructors who know the course exam description and standards in and out, still have no way of predicting which particular topics will appear, or if those topics will be as multiple choice or essay format.”

Unlike AP classes, students in a dual credit course do not have to take the AP exam at the end of the year, and if they pass the class, they will receive college credit for mostly any college they choose to go to in the future.  

Pack stated, “You will receive a beneficial education with dual credit or AP, it just comes down to individual student preference. I encourage students to discuss this topic with their parents, counselors and peers, especially peers who have experience in both dual credit and AP.”