Academic Initiatives and the MC/MCPS Partnership At Montgomery College

Montgomery College and the Montgomery County Public Schools have been partners in education for many years. In 1996 senior administrators from both MC and MCPS, with the support of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Education, created a bold plan to bring the school system and the college together in a formal partnership. The partnership was charged with the support and funding of programs of intervention and instruction. Both institutions support collaborative testing, research, professional development, and curriculum sharing.

The Partnership has grown in breadth and scope and now consists of over 30 joint projects for the benefit of students. Projects help identify and monitor college readiness through PSAT and assessment testing and support and accelerate student success by easing the transition from high school to college through curriculum development, summer programs, early placement programs, and school-based intervention programs. The Partnership is actively involved in literacy in the high schools through professional development opportunities for teachers

Montgomery College and the Montgomery County Public Schools work together to further outreach to parents and the community through the “Prep Talk” newsletter and television show, parent information meetings, and an annual leadership breakfast which brings all MCPS principals together with Montgomery College and MCPS administrators for discussions of present and future partnerships.

College Institute provides an opportunity for high-achieving seniors at selected high schools to earn college credits in college courses taught on the high school campus during a regular school day. The Montgomery College courses enhance and supplement advanced placement classes offered at the high schools. Students can earn up to 30 college credits on their high school campus, and all courses apply towards a Montgomery College degree. The program furnishes individual counseling and guidance and encourages earlier focus on career decision making.

The Gateway to College© program at Montgomery College serves at-risk youth, 16 to 20 years old, who have stopped attending Montgomery County Public High Schools and for whom high school completion is at risk. The program gives students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma while transitioning to a college campus. Students may simultaneously accumulate high school and college credits, earning their high school diploma while progressing toward an associate degree or certificate.

In addition to support from Portland Community College, a national intermediary of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and its partners the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the program is funded through Montgomery College and our partners in student success, Montgomery County Public Schools.

The College Tech Prep Program prepares students for high demand, high technology, high wage careers. Beginning in high school, Tech Prep students enroll in selected, career-focused programs that provide some college credit when they attend Montgomery College. For more information about how you can prepare for a career while earning college credits during high school, visit the College Tech Prep Program web site.