What would you think if someone told you that your high school junior or senior could simultaneously earn high school and college credit and do it without paying tuition?

A program was created in Washington state that allows students to do just that.

"The program is designed to allow high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to take more challenging courses and get a running start on college," said Dan Newell, the assistant superintendent for secondary education for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for Washington state.

Called the Running Start program, the initiative was created in 1990 by the Washington state Legislature to provide an opportunity for more mature juniors and seniors who are affiliated with a public high school to enroll in college courses at community and technical colleges as well as some four-year universities on the state's dollar.

"The most important aspect of the Running Start program is financial," Newell said. "Through this initiative, high school juniors and seniors complete the program and then enter college as a junior.  The best part is that it is all paid for by the state of Washington. It is a wonderful program that works for students when they are ready to enroll at the collegiate level."

To determine if your child is eligible for the program, contact the local school district in your area as well as the Running Start contact at the community college you plan to attend, said Mike Hubert, the supervisor of Navigation 101 and comprehensive guidance and counseling program development.

The school district has the authority to determine if a child is at a junior or senior level. Using pre-established criteria, the districts determine if the student has the correct credits and courses to put him or her at junior or senior standing, Hubert said.  The biggest obstacle that occurs is that a district may determine that a student is not deemed to be a junior or senior.  If these or other issues occur, the parent may contact Running Start officials by e-mail at runningstart@k12.wa.us.

The basic premise of the program comprises:

• Simultaneous enrollment in classes at the high school and classes at the college or in classes only at the college.

• For each course the student successfully completes, he or she earns high school and college credit for college level classes taken at the college.

• College courses taken as part of the Running Start program are limited to college courses numbered 100 or above.

• One five credit hour college course earns one high school credit for the student.

• A student may enroll in up to 18 quarter credits at the college.  Additional credits will be paid by the student.  

• Tuition is paid for by the school district; books, class-related fees and transportation are the responsibility of the student.

The advantages to participating in the program include: earning up to two years of tuition-free college credit, the opportunity to take more advanced and challenging courses than what is allowed at the high school level, a chance to experience post-secondary education while in high school, and flexibility in scheduling classes. 

However, despite these advantages, there are several things - age and maturity level of the student, academic standing of the student, socialization opportunities outside of school, transportation, and cost - to consider before enrolling your child in the program. For starters, parents should consider the maturity level of their child. Some students at age 17 or 18 would find the pace of college academically overwhelming. Parents need to determine if their son or daughter can operate at the level of a freshman or sophomore in college.

"If a student is strong academically and they don't mind leaving high school and their friends, the student is probably suited for the program," Newell explained.

Make sure that your family can afford the cost of books and fees.  Books can cost as much as $200 or more for one class, and fees range all the way up to $100 or more for select classes.

Also, parents need to be aware that college professors do not typically communicate with high school parents.

"In high school parents are in constant contact with their child's teachers," Newell said. "In college, that is not happening.  Professors do not communicate with parents.  They do not talk to them about grades or attendance.  They are dealing with adults, so they don't see a need to deal with parents."