Minnesota’s 46 percent five-year growth in students enrolled in Concurrent Enrollment will depend on teachers’ ability to earn 18 graduate credits in academic content beyond a Masters degree or a content Masters degree. This is a result of a Higher Learning Commission (HLC) determination. Learn more
Since 2016, 765 teachers from 241 school districts have earned nearly 6,000 graduate content credits. Estimates are that we are still 9,000 credits short of what is needed to credential our concurrent enrollment teachers. This effort needs additional funding to continue this progress.
The Northwest and Statewide partnership with Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) has supported these 765 teachers with paid tuition and stipends for the 20 percent of those teachers who were in the highest salary lane available to them. This work has been supported by the State of Minnesota with a $3-million grant in 2016 and ongoing funding stream of $375,000. View the Partnership Report
The partnership provides:
- 8 disciplines of graduate credits
- 250 teachers enrolled per term (spring, summer, fall)
- 2,500 graduate credits earned per year
Support Needed
The problem is the grant, initially provided in 2016, will run out this summer. This credentialing effort needs an additional $625,000 annually to maintain this pace. Rep. Julie Sanstede stepped up to Chief Author HF 3989 to accomplish this. MREA is working to advance this bill in the Senate.
This is a shared effort as can be seen in the pie chart to the right. MSUM offers these credits at a 30 percent discount, Teachers’ sweat equity to actually do the course work is the largest contribution when a dollar-value is placed on the work.
About 80 percent of these teachers are eligible for lane change when they earn 15 credits and the districts are willing to compensate secondary teachers for these credits that allow them to teach concurrent enrollment classes.
This $3.8 million annual shared effort is sparked with $1 million annually in state funding.
Partner |
Annual Dollars |
Percentage |
| MSUM | $362,000 | 9% |
| Teachers | $1,562,000 | 41% |
| School Districts | $918,000 | 24% |
| State | $1,000,000 | 26% |
| Total | $3,842,000 | 100% |
