Postsecondary-College PrepAcademic Excellence :

This page includes links and information on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and the College-Level Examination Program, designed to give Minnesota students the chance to enhance their high school education and earn college credits while still in high school.

Seeking Your Feedback
The Department of Education is seeking your assistance and feedback as we explore options for reorganizing information and resources on our Website. At present, the information is located under more than one heading and within several sections of the site. Thank you for your time and expertise. View slideshow and respond to survey.

Calendar of MDE Workshops, Trainings and Meetings
The Minnesota Department of Education, in response to input from Website visitors, is pleased to announce the launch of an agency-wide calendar. The calendar includes all MDE-sponsored training, meetings and events. Search and sort features allow you to find events by date, title, location and sponsoring program area. View the calendar by using the “Calendar” link at the top of this page.

Recent High School Graduates Urged to Apply for New State Scholarship
Students attending college in Minnesota this fall may be eligible to receive a $1,200 Achieve Scholarship if they took rigorous high school courses. The Achieve Scholarship was established and funded in 2007 by the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Tim Pawlenty and is designed to encourage students to make the most of their high school opportunities by challenging themselves with rigorous high school courses. Read the news release.

My Choices- A new planning resource is available to provide students with an overview of postsecondary options, focusing on opportunities to obtain dual high school and college credit or industry certification. Download "My Choices - Dual Enrollment Information" below. 

Training is now available to school teams who wish to learn how to plan and implement an IB program. Open the IB Annual Orientation Seminar flyer on the IB page for more information and a link to registration.

Academic Counseling in Schools Gets Boost from New State Grants
Twenty-three Minnesota schools were awarded a total of $1.8 million in grants this month to expand and enhance academic counseling and advising for students entering high school. The competitive grants will support schools in their work to help primarily ninth-grade students successfully plan and prepare for postsecondary education. Strategies vary from one grantee to another. For more information, visit the Minnesota Office of Higher Education Website.

Encouraging Students to Perform At Higher Levels
Last summer, Governor Pawlenty announced the availability of grants for schools interested in starting or expanding AP courses and programs. To be considered for a grant, all applicants had to provide details of specific efforts that would further raise student academic achievement. “I commend the 14 winning schools for showing commitment to growing programs like AP and understanding how critical they are to the future of our students,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “Rigorous coursework will give students an edge in this competitive global marketplace.” Read news release with full list of winners and award amounts.

For more information on these programs, please choose the section links at right.

Note: By clicking on the links on this page you will leave the MDE site. Please read the copyright notice at the bottom of the page for our disclaimer regarding these sites.