What colleges can tell high school students could change

Lawmakers are discussing legislation to allow colleges to tell pupils they can save money by taking college courses while they're still in high school.

Backers of the bill say high schools can tell students they can save money by earning college credit in courses they take on nearby campuses. But they say many of the schools don't.

Meanwhile, colleges are prohibited from telling high school students of that potential savings, said Center for School Change Director Joe Nathan.

"Since high schools are allowed to tell kids that they can save money, why not allow colleges to say that you can save money? It was for us, many of us, a matter of freedom of speech," he said.

State law does allow colleges to tell high-school students of the academic advantages of taking college classes.

Student advocate Kelly Charpentier-Berg said while high-school students can save money by earning college credit in courses they take on nearby campuses many of them never hear about it.

"It's a lack of information coming from our high schools about the program, which ends up costing students more money and student debt later on down the road, because they were never offered the opportunity," she said.