Officials cite concerns over Running Start program

A program for Clark County high school students to earn tuition-free college credits is actually delaying some from graduating.

In the past few years, a handful of Camas and Washougal students didn’t graduate from high school on time while participating in Clark College’s Running Start program.

“I think there’s an academic component, but I also think there’s a social and emotional readiness (element) as well that we’re seeing — and sometimes not seeing,” Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone said. “I know for Camas, we have seen quite a few students really struggle with one or both of those aspects.”

He and Washougal’s superintendent said the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prevents high school officials from learning a student is failing a class at Clark until it’s too late.

Under the law, once students enter a postsecondary school at any age, the colleges will not disclose their grades to parents, guardians or anyone else without student authorization, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The state’s Running Start program enables juniors and seniors to enroll in classes at Clark College at no cost. Students can attend full- or part-time to earn college credits that also count toward high school requirements. Many earn an associate’s degree alongside their high school diploma, according to the college’s website.

Clark doesn’t track high school graduation rates of Running Start students, but it does track their academic progress at the college, as well as enrollment verification forms, Clark’s spokeswoman Maureen Chan-Hefflin wrote in an email.

The forms come from students’ high school counselors confirming that they’ve spoken with students each term, reviewed their high school and college courses, and ensured students are on track with their high school requirements, Chan-Hefflin said.

She said the college occasionally hears about a Running Start student not graduating on time, but it’s “rare and not the norm.”

Across the state, Running Start students “tend to be excellent students performing above average,” Chan-Hefflin said.

At Clark, Running Start students average a 3.0 GPA or higher, and about 90 percent of them pass all of their classes.

In 2023, Camas High School had 71 Running Start students, and eight didn’t complete all their high school graduation requirements. In 2024, 99 were in the program, and four didn’t graduate. This year’s graduating class consisted of 35 Running Start students, and 11 didn’t graduate on time.

“Here’s why this was concerning to me: Those are your typically more mature students. You would think that they were students who were ready for something like this. They are motivated, ambitious,” Anzalone said.

Washougal School District Superintendent Aaron Hanson said that each year three or four out of about 100 Running Start students don’t graduate on time and must take summer classes to finish their requirements.

“There are challenges with making those consistent connections to find out how students are progressing with their courses, and then it’s challenging at times with what students choose as their courses at Clark,” Hanson said. “Sometimes, the courses they choose don’t meet the graduation requirements that are necessary for a student to get a high school diploma.”

Washougal has a career specialist who supports and guides students as much as they can through Running Start, Hanson said.

Camas High School has a part-time counselor specifically to support Running Start students. Principal Kelly O’Rourke said the counselor knows Clark’s requirements and checks in with students, helping them stay on track.

O’Rourke said all of the Camas students who applied for the program have gotten in, and she hasn’t heard of any Running Start applications being denied. The superintendents said a process to screen students could reduce the number who run into trouble with high school graduation.

She said counselors start talking to students in their sophomore year and outline the pros and cons of Running Start.

O’Rourke said pros include saving money, being independent and the ability to create a class schedule that works well for athletics. Cons are losing a close-knit high school community, there’s no one to nag the student to get work done and parents aren’t notified if students miss class or assignments.

“You’re an adult now in the eyes of Clark College,” she said.

Anzalone said a group of superintendents have had discussions with Clark about how to best prepare students for Running Start and college after high-school graduation.

“I don’t want to give the impression that I’m against it at all,” Anzalone said. “I just don’t know if it’s the right option for all students, at least all students who are entering it.”

Brianna Murschel: 360-735-4534; brianna.murschel@columbian.com