Virginia State University is junking most of its dual-enrollment program that allowed hundreds of high school students to gain college credits from the four-year institution near Petersburg.

Beginning this fall, VSU no longer will partner with high schools to offer college algebra, biology, technology and other science courses.

The only program element that survives is the Academy for Engineering Technology that VSU offers through the New College Institute to high school students in the Danville-Martinsville area, according to VSU.

During the last school year, at least 900 students in nearly 40 high schools from Richmond to Norfolk participated in the VSU program, according to data provided to the Free Press.

In a statement, Dr. W. Weldon Hill, VSU provost and academic affairs vice president, wrote that VSU conducted a review and decided to leave such programs to the community colleges and, instead, work more closely with the community colleges on attracting their students who earn two-year associate degrees.

“By redirecting resources and refocusing our efforts, Virginia State University, our partner community colleges and, most importantly, the students we both serve benefit both academically and financially,” Dr. Hill stated.

VSU’s program, developed in 2011 and begun in spring 2012, had become one of the largest dual-enrollment programs in the state involving a four-year school.

A program that size is unusual. That’s because state law and state policy grant community colleges primacy in offering dual-enrollment courses in high schools that provide students with both high school and college credits.

“The intent of the policy is to minimize unnecessary duplication and to set up a process whereby disputes can be resolved,” Peter Blake, director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) stated in an email to the Free Press.

“The premise is that the community colleges offer a lower-cost program for students and the state,” Mr. Blake continued. “Ideally, a four-year institution interested in offering dual-enrollment courses would work cooperatively with a community college to address gaps in program offerings.”

VSU ventured into the dual-enrollment arena during the tenure of former VSU President Keith T. Miller. The apparent goal: To attract more STEM-oriented students to enroll at VSU. The university footed most of the bill for the program.

The VSU courses focused on STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math), including the courses offered through New College Institute.

The STEM focus apparently allowed VSU to overcome initial objections from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) and to receive approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

VSU’s interest in the dual-enrollment program waned after Dr. Miller’s departure last year.

VSU’s program largely received high marks. The only known glitch involved Armstrong High School in Richmond. The school offered three to five VSU courses, including “College Algebra.”

In 2012-2013, Armstrong officials, without VSU permission, changed the name of the algebra course to “Mathematical Analysis-Honors,” documents provided to the Free Press show. No grades were reported to VSU for that course.

Then in 2013-14, Armstrong High failed to report grades for all students who took the two-semester VSU algebra course. Those students who passed did not get college credit because VSU had no record of their results, the documents show. That was never corrected. However, grades were reported as corrected in 2014-15.

No similar problems cropped up in biology and other dual-enrollment courses VSU offered at Armstrong.