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Thursday, September 27, 2012

3 And Out


Hi Joe,

I would like to see how many parents, like myself, were or are unaware of the 3 and out possibility in MD high school. Until it was too late, like many things I have learned about, I was totally unaware that MD students are only required to attend 3 years of high school if they obtain the correct # of credits in a specified time period. This is something the Bd of Ed and the principals dont want to discuss.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Has always been that way not just in MD but in most states.

Anonymous said...

I actually graduated doing 3 & out. It's a pretty smart idea if you're going to use it correctly. but sometimes the extra credits that you take in that other year your in school are helpful.

Anonymous said...

It is a pretty well-known program. My neice opted for three and out. My daughter chose to take college courses during her 4th year, enjoy being a senior and getting a leg up on her first year in college.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know........can't we do better than that?

Anonymous said...

Its always been that way. If you complete the required number of credits why stay when you can start college early. I only took AP classes my senior year because I finished all the required credits.

Anonymous said...

It's certainly not a secret. I saw this in the 90's as a freshman in high school. Read the paperwork that comes out when your child picks their classes.

The kicker is, you need 3.5 (or 4?) years of English. So you either need to get an exception to "double up" for a year, or you need to do summer school.

If your child is smart and motivated enough to graduate in 3, consider getting them into AP classes. It's not impossible to graduate high school and enroll in your chosen college or University as a sophomore. You'll be hard pressed to get your freshman year of college paid for less than the cost of your AP exams. The only exception would be amazing smart kids that can get a free ride. If you're poor, the board would probably pay the fees for you.

I think you could also do an enrollment at a community college, where you substitute some English classes your first year there to cover your English requirement. Technically, you graduate in 4 years but you're really not attending that last year at your high school. Double check this as I haven't read about this in a couple decades.

Out in 3 only seems to make sense if your child can't adapt to a horrible school environment, or things are so bad for your family that you need the relatively modest full-time income they could earn. Or maybe they only want to do a skilled trade and they have an apprenticeship lined up. My $0.02.

Anonymous said...

It was like this as far back as the late 70's early 80's that I know of.

Anonymous said...

I graduated in 1979 doing this. If you think about it, just get the credits and you're done! Quite simple.