By SYDNEY CLARK

The Mirror reporter

As a new semester approaches and class sign up begins for the 2018-19 school year, it is a crucial time to decide what classes to take. However, not all classes are created equally and you can take advantage of a few classes and opportunities provided through Stevens Point Area Senior High to receive both high school and potentially college credit.

Advance Placement classes are college-level course taught at SPASH. Students can take AP classes during the school year then take a national standardized test in early May to receive college credits. Many universities and colleges take a passing score, three or above points out of a potential five, and give general or specific credits.

SPASH offers these subjects as AP classes Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Calculus, Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, European History, United States History, United States Government and Politics, Comparative Government and Politics, Psychology, Literature and Composition, Language and Composition, French, Spanish and  German.

“…Earning college credit so you can save some money and you don’t have to take as many classes while you’re in college or even if it doesn’t offset classes I can help you register for classes sooner,” said AP Macroeconomics and Microeconomics teacher Elizabeth Anderson. “Students who are willing to work hard and like to challenge themselves should take an AP class. Even if you struggle and have to do retakes or things like that. It’s a good experience to get exposed to things like that.”

Other classes offered at SPASH only give credit to certain schools or programs, but depending where you want to go can help a lot. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) courses focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, provide credit for PLTW affiliate universities in Minnesota like University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and St. Cloud State University. They can also earn reduced tuition at the Milwaukee School of Engineering in Wisconsin. Popular PLTW classes at SPASH are Human Body Systems, Medical Interventions, Principles of Biomedical Science, and Principles of Engineering.

Principle of Engineering student Gabi Held said “…the reason I took the class was my brother had taken it and had gotten the college credit and it saved my family a lot of money. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to take a PLTW class as well.”

Mid-State Technical College also provides a dual credit program with SPASH. Taking classes such as Introduction to Health Sciences, Medical Terminology, Introduction to Business, Accounting 2, Advance Horticulture and many more class, can transfer high school classes to college credits.

Currently, Youth Options offers the choice for juniors and seniors who are in the top 25% of their class, meet all admissions criteria for the post-secondary school and have out-grown the classes at SPASH, to take classes at either University Wisconsin-Stevens Point or Mid-State Technical College for no cost to the student.

SPASH student Rania Nasif said, “I took Calculus 2 at UWSP because there were no more math classes at SPASH for me. I also wanted to get the college experience while in high school …Youth Options was a nice stepping stone for my future.”

If you want any more information about any of these programs, you can consult your counselor, teachers of mentioned classes, or the student handbook.