BATON ROUGE, La. – Addressing more than 800 educators, school counselors, and industry leaders, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley and Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kim Hunter Reed officially launched Louisiana’s Dual Enrollment Portal, a one-stop tool for students, families, and educators to discover how to earn college credit while still in high school. LADualEnrollment.com includes a direct link to the Department of Education’s Fast Forward website (FastForward.La) describing pathways for students to earn an associate’s degree or gain a state-approved apprenticeship along with a high school diploma.
“Our mission as educators is to make sure students, from cradle to career, have an opportunity to reach their unlimited potential,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed. “Dual enrollment can increase our state’s educational attainment, shape future earnings and improve prosperity, but only if students, families, and educators know about these opportunities and can take advantage of them. We’re proud to launch this online one-stop at ladualenrollment.com to get more Louisiana high school students enrolled in college,” said Reed.
“Antiquated past practices are no longer serving our students well for life beyond high school,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “I look forward to seeing high schools across the state adopt Fast Forward pathways and expand their partnerships with institutions of higher education as well as workforce partners – it’s the right thing to do for our students. We can and must set them up for future success.”
Resulting from recommendations made in 2020 by the legislatively created Statewide Dual Enrollment Task Force, LADualEnrollment.com was established to support BESE’s and Regents’ shared vision that moves Louisiana towards more personalized and flexible educational experiences, blurring the lines between high school and college. The two education boards recently adopted a goal of all high school freshmen, beginning with the entering class of 2025, graduating with some college credit, a market-relevant credential, or both. Educating students, parents, and counselors about the various dual enrollment options available is achieved through navigational components including:
- Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
- Searchable course offerings (both academic and technical) at Louisiana colleges & universities
- A direct link to the Fast Forward Initiative website (FastForward.La)
“What we as a task force discovered was that there was a lot of information out there about dual enrollment in Louisiana, but it wasn’t consistently available to everyone,” said BESE Member Doris Voitier, who served on the Dual Enrollment Task Force and serves as Superintendent of St. Bernard Parish Schools. “Focus groups conducted by Ed Trust, a national proponent of equitable dual enrollment, found that students had misconceptions of who could participate in our college credit opportunities and, in turn, were not applying. This digital tool signals that dual enrollment is for all students. It’s our coordinated way to spread the word,” said Voitier.
“States are in a unique position to expand dual enrollment access and participation by providing timely, accurate, accessible information for students and their families, yet few do,” said Executive Director of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships Amy Williams. “Louisiana is one of just a handful of states that have committed to removing barriers to dual enrollment by providing a central, searchable resource filled with vital program information, tools, and guidance. This project is an impactful investment in the students of Louisiana, one that will yield the state dividends for years to come,” Williams noted.
Board of Regents Chair Collis Temple III praised the launch of LADualEnrollment.com as an innovative approach to increasing access, equity, and affordability. A champion of dual enrollment during his membership on Regents, Chair Temple says it is his #1 priority as the newly elected Chair.
“Dual enrollment is an opportunity multiplier because it eliminates any belief gap students may have that would get in the way of developing their full potential,” said Chair Temple. “Had dual enrollment been in place when I was in college and had I known about it, I would have started planning in the 10th or 11th grade and have already completed two years of college when I arrived at LSU as a student-athlete. This means I would have graduated with an undergraduate degree in business after my red-shirt freshman year, with four years of eligibility left. That’s affordability in action!” Temple said.
Attendees at the annual Louisiana Department of Education’s Jump Start Convention, including hundreds of high school counselors, will have the opportunity to take advantage of training sessions on LADualEnrollment.com as well as informational seminars about the newly launched Fast Forward website, FastForward.La. Additional content, including a standard application for students, will be made available on the dual enrollment portal during the coming year.