NCSW: Charter school students learn at their own pace

May 2 through 6 is National Charter Schools Week, an annual opportunity to celebrate and advocate for the educational choices that charter schools provide to students and families. The Ohio Council of Community Schools is pleased to highlight Emily Robinson whose personal and academic success would not have been possible without a charter school.

Charter school students learn at their own pace, including attending high school and college at once

The state of Ohio’s College Credit Plus program allows students to earn college and high school credit at the same time. With flexible schedules and programming designed for each individual student, charter schools allow students to take maximum advantage of College Credit Plus and work at their own pace toward both a high school diploma and college degree. Students like Emily Robinson are taking advantage and experiencing the best of both worlds at Nexus Academy high school and the Columbus College of Art and Design.

Emily Robinson is a senior at Nexus Academy of Columbus and is already looking ahead to graduation and pursuing her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the Columbus College of Art and Design where she has earned a four-year scholarship. When she does enroll in CCAD next fall, she will be one-fourth of the way toward her goal.

Since Emily enrolled in Nexus Academy two years ago, she has been attending classes at the design school near downtown Columbus through the state of Ohio’s College Credit Plus program. Emily came to Nexus Academy before her sophomore year after being homeschooled. Her mother believed that she would do better in a place where she would have access to teachers and the opportunity to interact more with other students.

Emily says she appreciates the flexible schedule that Nexus Academy offers, where she attends classes four hours a day, four days a week. She currently attends classes at Nexus Academy during the afternoon session following her class at CCAD in the morning. To date she has already completed 15 credit hours and is taking another 6 hours this semester. “I’ve always been an independent learner so Nexus Academy is exactly what I needed,” Emily said.

“While I appreciate the flexibility that Nexus Academy offers so I can take college courses, I most like being able to work at my own pace.” Emily hopes to one day work in the graphic design field.