With the increasing challenge for students to afford a college degree, families are searching for options.  There are several ways students can earn college credit while in high school, reducing their college costs.  Most of these programs are free to the student.

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) allows Minnesota high school juniors and seniors to take courses at a college, on campus or online, at no cost (includes textbooks).  The Advanced Placement® exams (AP) and International Baccalaureate® (IB) are two well-known Credit-by-Exam programs (CBE) that also allow juniors and seniors to earn college credit.  But perhaps you’ve never heard of CLEP® and DSST®, two other credit-by-exam programs.  These exams were developed to enable colleges to award students credit for demonstrating knowledge equivalent to that...

Dear Friends,

The school year is winding down and summer is fast approaching. It's not too early to consider what you and your teens will be doing to occupy your time after the school books are tucked away. If you feel in need of a refresher course before the next school year begins, why not plan to join us for one or both of the HSLDA High School Teacher Training sessions in June and July. You can register for these dates on our website.
 

Your teens, on the other hand, may be planning to earn some income through summer jobs. Since jobs may not be abundant this year, it's important to begin the search now.

In preparation for job interviews, your teen should work on updating his resume and gathering some references to include on it. Be sure your teen knows that it's important to receive permission from his references before listing their names on his resume. On the...

Dear Friends,

For many families, August is the time to put those finishing touches on plans for a new school year. If your teens are entering the junior or senior years, be sure to schedule time to research the myriad of schools and training options available after high school graduation.

It can be a daunting task to narrow down the possible institutions to which your teen will apply. So to help you select a school that will fit your teen, we would like to offer some suggestions.

General Parameters

The selection process becomes less intimidating if you take time to list some major factors in priority order that are important to your family. Your list of factors may differ, but as a possible starting point, here are some items to think about.

Location

• How far from home do you want your teen to be?
• What type of transportation will be involved in getting your teen back and forth from school (car, bus, train, plane, subway)?
...