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MCC News

RECIHS Juniors, Seniors Get Head Start on College at MCC’s Downtown Campus (10/26/2018)

Note: This is an ARCHIVED news release. Information in this article may have changed since this was published.

For two straight years, Rochester Early College International High School (RECIHS) juniors and seniors have been incorporated into MCC’s Downtown Campus, boosting their chances of high school and college success.

The students integrate their MCC classes with their high school schedules, enrolling in transferable general education courses and those specific to their field of interest. The students’ aim is to earn up to 24 college credits by the time they graduate from high school. National statistics show that high school students with 20 or more college credits by graduation have a greater likelihood of a successful transition to and persistence in college.

This fall, 126 RECIHS students take high school classes on the college campus, approximately the same as fall 2017 enrollment. About 48% of the students are concurrently enrolled in select MCC classes based on their college readiness — more than triple the number of RECIHS 11th- and 12th-graders concurrently enrolled in fall 2017.

MCC’s ties to RECIHS go back to 2010 when the high school was launched as part of the Smart Scholars initiative through SUNY with the goal of making college a reality for at-risk and underrepresented students and strengthening the education pipeline in the Greater Rochester area. The high school established a location on MCC’s Downtown Campus in fall 2017.

At MCC (and at RECIHS’ campus on Genesee Street), students have access to essential support, such as tutoring, mentoring, academic counseling, assistance with completing college and financial aid applications, and scholarship opportunities—all of which help to ensure students are prepared for and graduate from college. Some of the many services offered to RECIHS juniors and seniors include:
    -- A Career and Financial Literacy Workshop for RECIHS seniors earlier this month.
    -- Student/parent orientation in August, which provides an opportunity to learn more about college and high school expectations.
    -- An introduction to on-campus resources and support services available to help students adjust to college life and succeed in class.
    -- Tutoring and academic enrichment opportunities through Upward Bound, which is also housed on the Downtown Campus.
    -- One-on-one meetings with an MCC advisor and an RECIHS counselor for students when the first sign of an academic performance problem is detected.
    -- Individual academic counseling with each student to discuss career interests, goals and life pursuits.

RECIHS had an 81% graduation rate in 2017. To date, about 300 RECIHS graduates have gone on to college.

MCC, RCSD, St. John Fisher College and the Asia Society (a national nonprofit with school planning experience) are partners of the high school.

MCC established a similar partnership with P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School) in Rochester in 2014 and with Greece Early College High School in 2017.


Media Contact:
Hency Yuen-Eng
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3063
hyuen-eng@monroecc.edu