North Cedar Academy, Ladysmith, Wisconsin, USA

National collegiate high schools are tremendously successful in accelerating degree attainment. The NCA model allows a student to obtain a Bachelor degree within two years of high school graduation, and a Master degree within four years. All NCA graduates who have successfully completed the AA degree are guaranteed admission into any UW system school. Degree credits are also transferable to other colleges and universities.

The design of NCA reflects best practices found in increasingly robust research literature on school reform, including the successful Early College High School Initiative sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Even though a student can enroll in NCA for just a single year to take advantage of the innovative learning environment and curriculum, the full NCA schedule is achieved in two stages:

Prep Academy – Grade 9 and 10

Beginning in the 9th grade, and accelerating in the 10th grade, students will be intensively fortified for success in dual enrollment courses. Students will be given a Post-secondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) to adequately assess the student’s academic skills in mathematics, reading and writing through the delivery of three tests, one for each of these areas. The results of these tests are used to determine placement into appropriate college level courses.

Collegiate Academy – Grades 11 and 12

Due to its size and location, NCA can focus on rigor, relationships and relevance drawn from college resources. Critical thinking is be embedded in the curriculum, enabling students to assess their own thinking in a cognitive way. NCA students will be enrolled in a broad range of dual-credit college classes to satisfy high school diploma and AA requirements.

Additional instructional time will be offered to students in the areas of employability skills, career and college readiness, and post-secondary options based on each student’s ILP. Students will develop requisite skills for post-secondary success while they develop career portfolios using career planning and preparation software. A college advisor with experience in college preparation and evaluation advisement will work closely with students to help prepare the students for a successful post-secondary transition.

UW System Transferability

AA degrees earned at NCA will transfer to all University of Wisconsin system colleges and to most other colleges and universities in the U.S. UW Colleges has developed an Undergraduate Transfer Policy that strives to assure that students transferring between UW System institutions are treated fairly when changing colleges. Among its provisions are policies stating that a General Education requirement at one University of Wisconsin institution be honored at the transfer institution and that the Associate of Arts and Sciences degree (AAS) granted by the UW Colleges meets the institution-wide General Education requirements of a University of Wisconsin Bachelor’s degree (requirements found in all undergraduate degrees offered by the institution).