The Board of Regents (BoR) and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) have a joint goal that beginning with the freshman class of 2025 all Louisiana public high school graduates will complete high school with college credit (academic and/or career-technical), a postsecondary credential of value or both.
Associate’s degree opportunities for high school students have been underutilized in Louisiana. While the number of school systems offering an associate’s degree program in high school has increased, the number of students taking advantage of this opportunity remains small. Graduation cohort data from 2019 shows that only 159 out of 42,650 graduates earned both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree upon graduation from high school.
The Fast Forward Program will prepare students for current and emerging professions that expose students to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand occupations. It will assist with establishing statewide industry or sector partnerships among local educational agencies and institutions of higher education, and facilitate the establishment, expansion and integration of opportunities for students to successfully complete coursework that integrates rigorous and challenging technical and academic instruction.
Students in the Fast Forward Program will have the option to participate in one of three pathways:
Fast Forward Jump Start 2.0 Pathway
This pathway encompasses a vast array of careers or postsecondary pathways students may enter after earning a technical associate degree on a postsecondary campus or Board of Regents approved satellite campus and dually earning a Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma. Students will spend grades 9 and 10 on the high school campus earning required diploma coursework. During grades 11 and 12 the majority of time will be spent on the postsecondary campus or Board of Regents approved satellite campus earning the 9 courses required to earn a Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma in addition to finishing the required coursework and electives to earn an associate degree.
Fast Forward TOPS University Pathway
This pathway allows students to earn a universal transfer degree or technical associate degree from a postsecondary campus while dually earning a TOPS University Diploma. The curriculum for the transfer associate degrees are consistent at all LCTCS campuses and allow students to seamlessly transfer to a four year institution upon earning the degree. Students will spend grades 9 and 10 on the high school campus earning required diploma coursework. During grades 11 and 12 the majority of time will be spent on the postsecondary campus or a Board of Regents approved satellite campus earning the equivalent dual enrollment courses required to earn a TOPS University Diploma in addition to finishing required dual enrollment coursework and electives to earn a transfer or technical associate degree.
Fast Forward High-Demand Apprenticeship Pathway
This pathway encompasses a vast array of careers or postsecondary pathways students may enter after participating in a Louisiana Workforce Commission approved pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship program and dually earning a Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma or a TOPS University Diploma. Students will spend grades 9 and 10 on the high school campus earning required diploma coursework. During grades 11 and 12 the majority of time will be spent in a state approved pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship earning the 9 courses required to earn a Jump Start TOPS Tech Career Diploma or the coursework for a TOPS University Diploma in addition to finishing the required coursework and electives to complete a full pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship experience.