Program

Oakland ACE serves a wide variety of students. Our goal is to provide personalized support to students balancing high school and college classes.

Program Overview

ACE is an Early College Program. Early College Programs are three years long adding a 13th year to a student's education. Students apply to our program during their 10th grade year of high school. Students apply to both the Oakland ACE program and Oakland Community College. Once accepted to both, students and families participate in several helpful information and orientations to prepare to begin the program the following year. Beginning in 11th grade, students enroll in both high school and college courses. Students also attend a weekly class on OCC's campus taught by Oakland ACE's Early College Success Coordinator/Counselor. Below is the general structure of each year of the program. 

Students accepted into Oakland ACE begin a three year program of study:

Year 1 - 11th Grade

• Students attend at least three high school classes and two classes at OCC. 

• Students attend weekly seminar support class, orientation, information night, and as needed office hours.
• Students are able to participate in high school activities, clubs, and sports. 
• Course registration at OCC is guided by ACE Counselor.
• Students meet with OCC Counselor to develop three year plan of study towards earning and Associates Degree and/or transfer credits. 
• Students identify one high school required course and one math related course to delay taking until the 13th year of the program. 

Year 2 - 12th Grade

• Students attend at least two high school classes and three classes at OCC. 

• Students attend weekly seminar support class and as needed office hours. 
• Students begin participation in Michigan Early Middle College Association (MEMCA).
• Students are able to participate in high school activities as described above plus high school graduation and other traditional senior year activities. 

 

Year 3 - 13th Grade

• Students attend no classes at high school and have a full time schedule at OCC. 

• Students complete MEMCA experience and earn certification.
• Students attend weekly seminar support class, office hours as needed, financial aid night, and graduation ceremony at Oakland Schools. 
• Students register fall semester for one class that was identified to meet high school graduation requirements, and winter class that counts as a math or math related credit. 

Program Benefits

Early College programs offer layers of support that traditional dual enrollment experiences do not. Our weekly Seminar class and access to program staff support students unique needs. 

Dual enrollment is limited at most high schools. Most schools require students to exhaust the high school course of study before they can apply for dual enrollment. By joining Oakland ACE, you have the opportunity to earn up to 62 college credits. Dual enrollment offers less support for students. By joining Oakland ACE, you meet at least one time per week with our program counselor in Seminar class. 

Advanced Placement (AP) classes provide you the opportunity to score high enough on their tests to earn college credit. With Oakland ACE you ARE actively working toward earning college credit. Each class you successfully complete and the credits you earn are yours to transfer to a four year university. Students also have the opportunity to earn an Associates Degree.

Avoid debt and continue saving: Early College programs ensure that students earn college credits without incurring thousands of dollars in debt. Let us pay for your tuition and books: Oakland ACE pays for up to 62 credit hours, college fees, books and materials.

Oakland ACE helps students gain college experience and college confidence. These characteristics lead to overall positive experiences as students move on to four year universities, careers, or finish their degree at community college. When you become part of our program you also become part of a cohort of students who meet and support one another throughout your three year experience.

Program Support

Students attend weekly support class called Seminar with our Oakland ACE Counselor. Seminar topics include career and college exploration; executive functioning skills to succeed in school; communication skills; and stress management. Seminars are led by ACE program staff, who monitor student progress in their OCC coursework, and connect students to a variety of supports. 

Oakland ACE students enjoy preferential registration periods. Students meet with OCC Counseling staff and Oakland ACE Counselor to register for classes. Each student has dedicated and personalized course registration advice from our counselor. 

Supplemental services such as tutoring that are available for all OCC students are also available to ACE students through the OCC Academic Support Centers.

Students work with high school counselors, OCC counselors, and Oakland ACE's Early College Student Support Coordinator/Counselor to plan their course of study and explore next steps in their career and college pathways.