Southern Pines, NC—Classical Conversations programs are beginning again. And maybe you are torn between keeping your student in Challenge III or IV and receiving the full benefit of a CC education or having them dual-enroll in college classes to get a head start on their college education and save some money. The answer is that you don’t have to choose! Your student can continue in Challenge III and IV—AND get college credit—through the Classical Conversations Plus program.
Now in its seventh year, CC+ is the official college dual-enrollment program for Classical Conversations and its Challenge students. These online courses align well with the Challenge courses students are already taking. Although CC+ primarily focuses on Challenge III and IV, there are now three classes available for Challenge II as well. Challenge II students can enroll for Composition I, College Algebra or Latin I through the CC+ program.
“We emphasize a ‘save and stay’ message with CC+,” said CC Academic Services Manager Will McCreery. “We encourage Challenge students to stay in CC through Challenge IV while at the same time saving money by knocking out general-elective college courses early. Because of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation, CC students’ transcripts will be accepted at public and private colleges and universities across the country and around the world.”
CC has two main partners in its CC+ program: Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, and Integrity College Solutions. Both partnerships produce college credits and transcripts that are accredited through SACS.
Classical Conversations Plus is growing rapidly, according to Scott Whitaker, director of new initiatives who created the program. A year ago CC+ had about 290 Challenge III and IV students enrolled, but by December, that number was up to 440. The program already has 415 students now with an anticipated enrollment of about 700 by December, particularly since CC has added three new courses for which Challenge II students will be eligible.
In order to be eligible for CC+, students must have already completed at least two years in Challenge programs before applying. Challenge III and IV students must be enrolled in at least four seminars. Challenge II students must be fully enrolled in all six seminars.
“Classical Conversations Plus struggled for the first few of years,” Whitaker said. “Now that we have stable partnerships and a full-time manager for the program, I fully expect it to grow by leaps and bounds.”
Classical Conversations Plus courses are all three credit hours, last 15-30 weeks and cost $300-$500 per course, depending on the course. Students will receive letter grades from the institution’s instructor or assessor.
Southeastern University is a Christian, liberal arts university in Lakeland, Florida. Established in 1935 as Southeastern Bible Institute, it became a liberal arts college in 1970. The university now has six colleges offering 55 bachelor’s degrees, 16 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. Southeastern has 7,000 students and is the largest Assemblies of God educational institution in the U.S.
Integrity College Solutions offers college credit through The College at Southeastern, but provides all the administration, professor relations and learning management system itself to reduce cost to the student. The College at Southeastern is an accredited, Christian, liberal arts college located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Established in 1994, it serves as the undergraduate school for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Classical Conversations® is a classical education resource used by homeschoolers in all 50 states and 22 foreign countries. CC now has more than 117,000 students enrolled in its tutoring programs, which are provided by more than 2,500 CC communities. CC provides resources, guidance and a community for a Christian home school curriculum using classical education in three developmental stages: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric.
Leigh Bortins started Classical Conversations in 1997. The family-owned company is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
