ECE Classes For Next Year

As returning students continue to meet with their school counselors to create their schedule for next year, Newtown High School is offering a group of new ECE UConn courses for college credit. ECE classes are a type of college credit dual enrollment course offering which stands for Early College Experience.

ECE classes can provide a significant jump start for students academically, as they get to experience college without leaving the comfort of high school, or even feeling the entirety of the stress that comes with classes.  The amount of workload is significant in ECE classes so students can get a trial on how their future classes will feel like and receive college credit.

“You can leave with a transcript from Newtown High School you could leave with a transcript from Uconn, you can potentially leave with a transcript from Weston or Sacred Heart or any of these other varieties of places. So what it does in the long run for some students, it could reduce a semester of college,” Newtown High School Principal Dr. Kim Longobucco said.

Taking an ECE class can also offer students transferable credits to any of the listed colleges in the Program of Studies for the 2025-2026 school year, which is including but not limited to University of Bridgeport, Western and Eastern Connecticut, Sacred Heart, and a few more Connecticut colleges. So not only do you get an academic head start, but a financial one as well.

“ECE classes help you save money and also get you a different type of learning experiences through college type courses rather than a normal high school course,” NHS sophomore Rusa Ellul said.

It is easy to customize your school schedule based on your academic goals using the provided levels of classes from Newtown High School, such as Honors, CP, or even AP.

“The new addition of classes allows  students to challenge themselves further than regular classes, but also could be for those who may not totally be ready for the AP level just yet,” NHS sophomore Skylar Urbina said.

Adding onto the potential academic and financial aid that comes with dual enrollment, these classes can help down the line for credits in college.

“It gives me more options so I can hopefully learn more about what I want to do in college and potentially for a job later. I can learn how to change my studying process and adapt to how it might need to change for college,” NHS sophomore Cassie Pickering said.

The ECE classes come in a variety, anywhere from Modernism and Mythology to Public Speaking. These college credit offering classes appeal to a broad number of students. Also including classes such as Sports Literature, Public Health, and Music Theory.

“I did the health and wellness class because it was more interesting, the curriculum, than taking health two, and I'm interested in learning more about mental health,” NHS sophomore Emma Kozek said.

The teachers of these ECE classes are teachers who are certified as adjunct professors by the UCONN faculty. These classes pride themselves in developing independent learning, creativity, and critical thinking in keeping with UConn’s curricular requirements.

“There is no additional financial piece on us. We got a grant from the state to start the program. And so we really don’t have to put anything into it because it is grant funded and then moving forward, the financial benefit is for the students, because our teachers are already here, so this is just kind of embedded in the system,” Longobucco said.

ECE classes are weighted at an honors level class, but the students who are successful receive college credits, as well as a college transcript in addition to completing NHS requirements for credits and courses. As a support in these new classes as well, University of Connecticut Library resources will be open to ECE students.

“We are never really sure what kids are going to take, but these classes appear to be very popular. I think people are going to be very interested in it and I think it’s good for students to be exposed to college-like classes and also be able to leave with credits that will help,”  Longobucco said.