Frisco ISD partners with Collin College and UNT
Part I of Wingspan’s in-depth look at Frisco ISD’s joint ventures including the city, the Cowboys, and colleges
Tracing its start to 1903, Frisco ISD has transformed from a one school district, to one of the biggest in the state with 42 elementary schools, 17 middle schools, and 11 high schools. During the course of its growth, the district has formed partnerships with several different entities including the Dallas Cowboys, the city of Frisco, and Collin College. In this special report, Wingspan takes a look at these partnerships at what they mean to the district and its students.
The mission statement of Frisco ISD is simple and concise: “know every student by name and need”. Setting students up for future success is part of that mission and to help provide as many learning opportunities as possible, Frisco ISD partners with both Collin College and UNT to offer college-level courses through the Dual Credit program.
FISD and Collin College have an MOU, or Memorandum of Understanding, which is essentially an agreement that states FISD students can complete certain courses in order to get college credit. Dual credit classes have their advantages and disadvantages, but one of the biggest benefits is the diversity of options dual credit offers to students.
“The dual credit program allows students to get college credit without having to take a high stakes exam,” counselor Lanae Rainey said. “Now, how it transfers down the road depends on wherever they go for college, but a lot of students find that taking dual credit allows them to get college credit out of the way. For example, if a student doesn’t want to be a math major, they can get that math college credit through dual credit and transfer it later.”
FISD’s partnership with Collin College was extended in 2017, adding numerous dual credit options including more technical and vocational options in 2020.
“College is not for everyone, or they might not think it is right now, perhaps they think they have a different path, so for Collin College to have this technical campus and be involved is great,” Superintendent Mike Waldrip said in a previous interview with Wingspan. “Again, it goes back to giving students what they need or want for their future. Sometimes it might be college, sometimes it might be the military, and sometimes it might be in some other area. So I think that the more opportunities that we can have for students to pursue those interests, the better.”
Senior Subramanian Kasi is currently enrolled in a dual credit course, and he finds one of the benefits to be the experience it provides.
“I’m in world literature right now,” Kasi said. “Part of the reason I took it was that I didn’t really want to take AP literature, but I really enjoy the way the class is giving me perspective on how college will probably be and that experience of a college class.”
Along with Collin College, UNT also offers dual credit classes through their UNT North Texas Now! Program which has students spend half of their day taking dual credit classes at the Frisco UNT campus, and the other half is spent at the home campus. It is designed to provide students with a project-based learning experience that they can apply in order to solve real-world problems in the future.
“Frisco ISD is thrilled to partner with a Tier One research institution to give students the opportunity to complete core credits through project-based learning,” Waldrip said in an interview with UNT News. “This partnership puts students on a fast track to complete a bachelor’s or even master’s degree while also helping them develop critical future-ready skills such as collaboration, communication, and creativity.”
While both UNT Now! and Collin College offer dual credit options, a primary difference between the two is the structure. Senior Sydney Bishop is part of the UNT Now! program, and has been for both her junior and senior year.
“There are two cohorts of students, one in the morning and one in the afternoon,” Bishop said. “Each cohort has thirty people in it, and part of the reason I chose to do UNT Now is because it’s structured differently than Collin’s courses are.”
One of the largest of these benefits for some students is the amount of money that can be saved by taking dual credit classes.
“Getting credits in high school can allow you to finish college faster which saves on room and board,” Rainey said. “Collin is generally less expensive than most schools, you can look at Texas A&M as an example. Most classes are three hours each, but 15 hours at Texas A&M is $13,012, while at Collin, 15 hours for a Collin County resident is $2,790.”
The dual credit program has paid off for 2021 graduate Ana Cuen as she has saved money, and gotten ahead.
“I came into college with about 26 credit hours, so after my first semester, I was considered a sophomore by credits,” class of 2021 graduate, Texas A&M sophomore Ana Cuen said. “So, with registration coming up for next semester, I get to register earlier and hopefully get all the classes and professors I want. I also have the opportunity to get a minor with my degree and still graduate in four years because I had almost fulfilled all my core class requirements before setting foot in College Station.”
Maya Silberman is a senior going into her third year on the Wingspan staff. Outside of Wingspan, she is captain of the CTE Mock Trial team and a legal...
