PLAINFIELD, NJ – February 7, 2024 – In alignment with their Five-Year Strategic Plan, “The Future is Now,” Plainfield Public Schools has partnered with Bard College in New York City and New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey, to offer sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to take college courses offered by the universities to earn college credits.
“We are allowing students to participate in the program based on interest and their willingness to put in the effort,” said Plainfield High School principal Shadin Belal, Ed. D.
The program is designed to provide a rigorous opportunity for students to become college-ready and give the students site access to a post-secondary experience. Students will also have access to dual credit programming.
Superintendent Rashon K. Hasan, Ed. S., expressed his thoughts on the partnership between Plainfield Public Schools, Bard, and NJIT, saying, “This collaboration will help us fulfill our commitment to moving Plainfield Public Schools forward.” He added, “This opportunity will improve the student experience and equip our students with the skills they need to succeed."
Courses will be taught by Dr. Paul Gilmore, a distinguished scholar and educator who held positions as a Dean of Liberal Arts at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and Founding Dean of The Honors College, Rutgers.
Bard College has approximately 48 students who have been accepted into the first-ever cohort at Plainfield High School and will take Seminar 101. Students who continue the program will be eligible to enroll in English 101 for college and high school simultaneously in their senior year. In addition, NJIT has 19 students who have joined the program and enrolled in a computer and STEM-based course.
“We are extremely proud of our students and their dedication to their studies. This partnership is extremely important to the district,” stated Commissioner Hanae M. Wyatt, Board President.
Those who join the program and complete it with a passing grade can transfer up to 12 credits to post-secondary institutions.
“This opportunity will expose our students to college life before they even get there so that they are prepared for something that they may not have been introduced to before,” said Dr. Belal.
Tuition is covered by the Plainfield Public Schools.
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For more information on this story or the Plainfield Public School District, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at information@plainfield.k12.nj.us or by phone at, (908) 731-4442.