For more than a decade, Ohio’s dual credit program, known as College Credit Plus (CCP), has helped academically eligible students in grades 7–12 take college courses for free. According to the state’s most recent annual report, CCP enrollment reached its peak during the 2024–25 school year, with nearly 95,000 students participating. That’s an 8 percent jump from the previous year, and a considerable amount of growth from 2016, when just over 53,000 students participated.
There are several reasons why CCP has become so popular. Program supporters, for instance, tout that CCP gives students a leg up on college credits and helps them save money. But another reason why a growing number of students are participating might also be the simplest: Everyone knows about it.
State law requires every public and private secondary school in Ohio to annually provide information about CCP to students in grades 6–11 prior to February 1. To “ensure that students and parents are fully aware of the possible consequences and benefits of participating,” schools must also provide counseling services that communicate a broad range of details, from program eligibility and the consequences of failing or not completing a course to “necessary financial arrangements” for tuition, textbooks, and fees. Schools are also required to schedule at least one information session per year so that participating colleges within a 30-mile radius can meet with interested students and parents.
There isn’t any hard evidence that these requirements are the secret sauce behind sky-high CCP participation. But common sense says they’re likely a contributing factor. Students can’t participate in programs they don’t know about. When they—and perhaps more importantly, their parents—have access to detailed, annually updated information and an opportunity to meet in person with people who can answer their questions, the likelihood they’ll take advantage of the opportunity goes up.
That’s exactly why Ohio should carry its CCP awareness model into the career-technical education (CTE) space.
In theory, CTE opportunities are more accessible to Ohio students than dual enrollment. That’s because while CCP participation is limited to students who meet academic eligibility standards, state law requires every public school to ensure that every student in grades 7–12 has the opportunity to enroll in CTE programming. Just like College Credit Plus, participation in career-technical education has been on the rise. During the 2022–23 school year, for example, roughly one in four Ohio high school students completed at least one CTE course. Despite this progress, there are still thousands of students who are unaware of programs in their own backyards that offer pathways into well-paying, in-demand careers.
To their credit, state leaders have attempted to tackle the awareness issue. In 2024, the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) launched a communications campaign called “Your Future. Your Way.” The centerpiece of the campaign was a brochure that provided students and their families with an overview of pathways and jobs associated with each of the state’s career fields. It was more information than many kids previously had access to. But it didn’t provide information about courses and programs that were available in a student’s specific geographic area. It also didn’t give families an opportunity to ask questions about course credit, transportation, credential attainment, or other issues that are critical for students and parents who are deciding whether to enroll in CTE courses.
Requiring districts to host an annual information session that outlines CTE opportunities, on the other hand, would accomplish both those things. Just like with CCP, these sessions should outline all the information students need to know to participate, including available courses and pathways; application or eligibility rules and associated fees; how courses fit within the district’s daily schedule and yearly calendar; how courses align to graduation standards; transportation options if the program is off-campus; and opportunities to earn credentials, certificates, and degrees or participate in work-based learning. Similar to CCP, districts should be required to invite joint vocational school districts, career centers, and other institutions that are located within a 30-mile radius and offer programming to students. DEW should also identify outcomes data that programs and districts must communicate, including credential attainment, wages, job demand, and college-going rates tied to specific courses and pathways.
It’s likely that some districts are already doing a good job of communicating available CTE programming to all students. But lawmakers must insist that an annual, in-person information session is non-negotiable for all districts. So, too, is communicating outcomes data. The point is to give students and families what they need to make informed decisions. CCP’s annual sessions are accomplishing that goal for college-bound students. Students who are interested in workforce-related pathways deserve the same opportunity.
