Data-Supported Training for
High School Counselors 

Empower your students to excel with our comprehensive Guidance Counselor Education and Training Program. Boost college readiness, increase college attendance and graduation rates, and elevate student career success through proven and data supported strategies. Our program equips high school counselors with the essential training, education, and tools needed to effectively manage their workload—particularly in the critical area of schedule building. With specialized training in creating optimal schedules that incorporate dual enrollment opportunities, counselors can significantly enhance student outcomes, ensuring a brighter future for every student they guide.

See how our training impacts each party involved

Students
Increased highschool and college graduation rate, Substantial cost and time savings on a college degree, Career preparation and enhancement, Scholarship and college application enhancement, improved college readiness. See details here
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Counselors
Enhanced Support:
Better assist students in their academic planning and college preparation.
‍Increased Effectiveness: Use proven strategies and tools to manage dual credit programs efficiently so their time is spent more efficiently, so they can more effectively manage their workload.
‍More Free Time: Counselors will have more free time to focus on other important aspects of their job.
Students
Increased highschool and college graduation rate, Substantial cost and time savings on a college degree, Increased attendance rates, Career preparation and enhancement, Scholarship and college application enhancement, improved college readiness. See details here
flux
Counselors
Enhanced Support: Better assist students in their academic planning and college preparation.
‍Increased Effectiveness: Use proven strategies and tools to manage dual credit programs efficiently so their time is spent more efficiently, so they can more effectively manage their workload.
‍More Free Time: Counselors will have more free time to focus on other important aspects of their job.
School Leadership (Principals and Superintendents)
Improved School Performance Metrics: Increased graduation rates, college enrollment, and overall academic achievement boost district and school-wide performance indicators.
Attractiveness to Families and Students: Offering dual credit programs makes the school more attractive to parents and students looking for academic opportunities, helping with recruitment and retention.
‍Enhanced rankings and Recognition: Meeting state and federal college readiness benchmarks can improve school and district accountability ratings, leading to recognition and awards.
‍Budget Efficiency and Funding: Schools offering increased  dual enrollment qualify for grants. Lower remediation rates for graduates save districts money in long-term costs.
‍Community and Institutional Partnerships: Strengthened relationships with local colleges, universities, and businesses, fostering community involvement and support for educational initiatives.
‍Leadership Legacy: Principals and superintendents leave a lasting impact by implementing programs that prepare students for future success, solidifying their leadership legacy.
School Leadership (Principals and Superintendents)
Improved School Performance Metrics: Increased graduation rates, college enrollment, and overall academic achievement boost district and school-wide performance indicators.
.Attractiveness to Families and Students: Offering dual credit programs makes the school more attractive to parents and students looking for academic opportunities, helping with recruitment and retention.
‍Enhanced rankings and Recognition: Meeting state and federal college readiness benchmarks can improve school and district accountability ratings, leading to recognition and awards.
‍Budget Efficiency and Funding: Schools offering increased  dual enrollment qualify for grants. Lower remediation rates for graduates save districts money in long-term costs.
‍Community and Institutional Partnerships: Strengthened relationships with local colleges, universities, and businesses, fostering community involvement and support for educational initiatives.
‍Leadership Legacy: Principals and superintendents leave a lasting impact by implementing programs that prepare students for future success, solidifying their leadership legacy.
See Pricing and Funding Options

Training Counselors to Bolster Student Success

ASCA recommends a 250:1 ratio of students to school counselors for student success, most schools are far from this recommendation, with the national average of 385:1 for the 2022–2023 school year (Source).

We understand it might not be feasible to hire another counselor due to budget constraints, which is why this training was created. When counselors are given the best education, tools, and training they can use their time more efficiently and their workload significantly decreases. This offsets the challenge of having an otherwise unfavorable student to counselor ratio, without having to make another hire.

The Impact of dual enrollment programs on student outcomes

The Impact of dual enrollment programs on student outcomes

Increased Graduation Rates

Students who took dual enrollment courses were 10% more likely to complete a Bachelor’s degree than those who did not. The effect was even stronger (12%) for first-generation college students, as well as underprivileged students.
(NACEP)

Dual enrollment has a positive impact on high school graduation rates, college enrollment percentages, college success metrics, college completion rates, and increased student academic performance in both high school and college.
(New Directions for higher education)

Shortened College Graduation Time

Students who participated in dual enrollment programs reduced the time it took to earn an associate’s degree by 1.7 years and a bachelor’s degree by approximately 0.4 years compared to students who did not take dual enrollment courses​(Community College Research Center).

Students with dual enrollment credits complete their associate's degrees 262 days sooner and their bachelor's degrees 167 days sooner than students without such credits​
(Community College Research Center).

Reduced Costs

The average cost of a traditional college credit hour is $559​ (College Savings Guide)

For a four-credit dual enrollment class, this would be $2,236 in tuition. Compare that to a Dual enrollment class which typically costs between $0 and $100 per credit, depending on the state and the funding available​ (College Savings Guide)​ (Fastweb)

If we use the average ($559 vs. $50) we can see that dual credit are on average 11.18 times cheaper than traditional college credits.

Students can shave off up to two full years of college through dual enrollment, saving on both tuition as discussed above, and living expenses. The savings from room and board alone can range from $10,000 to $50,000+ per year​ (Achieve Virtual - Home).

Taking dual credit courses is a great solution to assist underprivileged and first generation college students in affording their college degree, as it can be 25-50% cheaper.

Scholarship and College Application Enhancement

Dual enrollment significantly enhances students' opportunities for scholarships and strengthens their college applications. A study by the Community College Research Center found that students who participated in dual enrollment were 12% more likely to apply to and be admitted to moderately or highly selective colleges compared to their peers who did not participate​ (Academic Commons)​ (ERIC). This increased likelihood of admission to selective institutions can make students more competitive candidates for merit-based scholarships, further enhancing their college applications and reducing the cost of their education.

Higher Career Preparation

Dual enrollment programs not only boost academic success but also provide students with early exposure to career-focused courses. This enables students to better connect their high school education to future career pathways​ (ED Blog).

Increased College Readiness

Dual enrollment programs significantly enhance college readiness based on several specific metrics. For instance, students who participate in dual enrollment are twice as likely to meet college readiness benchmarks in English and math compared to their peers who do not participate​ (Colleges of Distinction). A study by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) found that dual enrollment students are 10% more likely to place into credit-bearing college courses without needing remediation​ (NACEP). Additionally, 88% of dual enrollment students demonstrated higher levels of college persistence, maintaining continuous enrollment from their first to second year of college​ (Colleges of Distinction). These statistics underscore the effectiveness of dual enrollment in equipping students with the academic skills and habits necessary for college-level work.

Student Satisfaction

Student schedule adherence, excitement, engagement, and satisfaction metrics have been shown to be higher when students participate in dual enrollment programs.

Graduation Rates

Students who took dual enrollment courses were 10% more likely to complete a Bachelor’s degree than those who did not. The effect was even stronger (12%) for first-generation college students, as well as underprivileged students.
(NACEP)

Dual enrollment has a positive impact on high school graduation rates, college enrollment percentages, college success metrics, college completion rates, and increased student academic performance in both high school and college.
(New Directions for higher education)

Shortened Time to Degree

Students who participated in dual enrollment programs reduced the time it took to earn an associate’s degree by 1.7 years and a bachelor’s degree by approximately 0.4 years compared to students who did not take dual enrollment courses​(Community College Research Center).

Students with dual enrollment credits complete their associate's degrees 262 days sooner and their bachelor's degrees 167 days sooner than students without such credits​
(Community College Research Center).

Costs

The average cost of a traditional college credit hour is $559​ (College Savings Guide)

For a four-credit dual enrollment class, this would be $2,236 in tuition. Compare that to a Dual enrollment class which typically costs between $0 and $100 per credit, depending on the state and the funding available​ (College Savings Guide)​ (Fastweb)

If we use the average ($559 vs. $50) we can see that dual credit are on average 11.18 times cheaper than traditional college credits.

Students can shave off up to two full years of college through dual enrollment, saving on both tuition as discussed above, and living expenses. The savings from room and board alone can range from $10,000 to $50,000+ per year​ (Achieve Virtual - Home).

Taking dual credit courses is a great solution to assist underprivileged and first generation college students in affording their college degree, as it can be 25-50% cheaper.

Scholarship and College Application Enhancement

Dual enrollment significantly enhances students' opportunities for scholarships and strengthens their college applications. A study by the Community College Research Center found that students who participated in dual enrollment were 12% more likely to apply to and be admitted to moderately or highly selective colleges compared to their peers who did not participate​ (Academic Commons)​ (ERIC). This increased likelihood of admission to selective institutions can make students more competitive candidates for merit-based scholarships, further enhancing their college applications and reducing the cost of their education.

Career Preporation

Dual enrollment programs not only boost academic success but also provide students with early exposure to career-focused courses. This enables students to better connect their high school education to future career pathways​ (ED Blog).

College readiness

Dual enrollment programs significantly enhance college readiness based on several specific metrics. For instance, students who participate in dual enrollment are twice as likely to meet college readiness benchmarks in English and math compared to their peers who do not participate​ (Colleges of Distinction). A study by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) found that dual enrollment students are 10% more likely to place into credit-bearing college courses without needing remediation​ (NACEP). Additionally, 88% of dual enrollment students demonstrated higher levels of college persistence, maintaining continuous enrollment from their first to second year of college​ (Colleges of Distinction). These statistics underscore the effectiveness of dual enrollment in equipping students with the academic skills and habits necessary for college-level work.

Student Satisfaction

Student schedule adherence, excitement, engagement, and satisfaction metrics have been shown to be higher when students participate in dual enrollment programs.

What our program includes

For your convenience, these materials are accessible anytime and can be completed at your own pace through our online portal. We also offer live training via webinar, or in-person training, if thats a better fit for your needs. Live or in person modalities will require prior coordination before enrollment.

Education
‍Teaching counselors the intricacies of dual enrollment programs and their impact on student success.
‍
How to get students to care about what dual credit courses are, why they are a valuable resource, and why they should consider taking as many of these courses as they can.
‍
How to increase dual credit enrollments in your school/district.
Training
Step by step process on how to create a highschool schedule that includes the highest number of of optimal dual credit courses using our FuturePrep system selection process.
‍
How to manage the current workload more effectively so that each student gets the best assistance. Our data driven approach is based on the most common problem areas across our survey of guidance counselors from a comprehensive representation of schools throughout the United States. 
Tools
Access to the Fastrack College Return on Investment Calculator, which shows students and parents the amount of money they can save by participating in dual enrollment programs.
‍
Presentations that drive dual enrollment metrics.
‍
Survey templates that increase student success and satisfaction.
‍
Standard operating procedures for counselors to manage workload and increase productivity.
Support
‍‍Ongoing support to questions that may come up while your learning and applying the course material.

Course material consistently researched and updated based on the consensus of experts in the field.

Feedback consistently implemented to improve the training experience, increase practical effectiveness, and boost adherence.
See Pricing and Funding Options

Our training solves the most common issues counselors face

We have compiled data from counselors via studies, surveys, and questionnaires. When Counselors are asked to describe what aspects of their job they are struggling with, there are three top responses. Our training addresses these challenges directly with proven solutions. Additionally, our experience in providing schedule-building services to students who couldn’t get expert advice from their counselors has given us deep, targeted insights into best practices that counselors can adopt for better outcomes.

Heavy Workloads and Limited Time
Counselors often handle too many students, with national ratios averaging 385 students per counselor, far above the recommended 250:1 ratio. This limits their ability to provide individualized attention and can lead to burnout. Many counselors say its very difficult for them to complete all of their responsibilities because of time constraints.
​(National Education Association | NEA).
Staying up to date on College and Career Guidance
With an evolving landscape of higher education and career options, counselors often struggle to stay updated and provide accurate, personalized advice. Training programs focused on staying current with trends and leveraging data to guide students greatly improve outcomes​ (SchoolCounselor_CA).
Student motivation
Rising mental health issues among students are a growing concern. Counselors often feel unprepared to handle the increasing demand for mental health services related to motivating and inspiring their students.(SchoolCounselor_CA).
Heavy Workloads and Limited Time
Counselors often handle too many students, with national ratios averaging 385 students per counselor, far above the recommended 250:1 ratio. This limits their ability to provide individualized attention and can lead to burnout. Many counselors say its very difficult for them to complete all of their responsibilities because of time constraints.
​(National Education Association | NEA).
Staying up to date on College and Career Guidance
With an evolving landscape of higher education and career options, counselors often struggle to stay updated and provide accurate, personalized advice. Training programs focused on staying current with trends and leveraging data to guide students greatly improve outcomes​ (SchoolCounselor_CA).
Student Motivation
Rising mental health issues among students are a growing concern. Counselors often feel unprepared to handle the increasing demand for mental health services related to motivating and inspiring their students.(SchoolCounselor_CA).

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Contact

1007 N Orange St
Wilmington, Delaware
info@fastrack.school
605-884-6550