Running Start & AP Courses:

High School Benefits Research Project

Prepared for: Dr. Laura Powers

English Professor
Washington State University
Prepared by: Daniel Simoneaux
Kathy Perng
Alexandra Shinder
Ben Pavish

April 6, 2016

Letter of Transmittal:
Dear Dr. Laura Powers:
In the following report we will demonstrate to you the supreme amount of collaborative
effort in repurposing a project that we feel will have a great impact on future students to come.
Our project features efforts from each team member, through constant and constructive
collaboration efforts, and a successful delegation of tasks. In doing so, we were able to
complete all that was necessary in a timely manner, without any conflict or speed bumps. We
look forward to presenting what we have found and know you will feel the same as we do.
From: Team 4 English 402

Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal..................................................................................................................2
Table Of Contents.....................................................................................................................3
Executive Summary..................................................................................................................4
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Research Methods....................................................................................................................5
Results........................................................................................................................................6
Conclusions................................................................................................................................6
Recommendations....................................................................................................................7
Appendices.............................................................................................................................7-8

Executive Summary:
High school students are not equipped for their future when it comes to their
college career. Even though these students are offered AP and Running Start, they
often have not heard of these programs or taken advantage of them. We conducted
research on AP classes and Running Start and determined which method of informing
the students of these programs was the best. Through that, we decided that the best
way to inform these students of the benefits of each program would be through a
pamphlet.

Introduction:
At many high schools in Washington, there are several opportunities available to
students who have plans to attend a four-year university that are not taken advantage
of. These opportunities would not only most likely expedite students college careers, but
make their applications to four-year universities much more appealing. The
opportunities that I am referring to are running start and advanced placement
courses(commonly referred to as AP courses).
The problem is that high schools in Washington do not have enough students
taking advantage of opportunities such as running start and AP courses. The thing that
is lacking is the education about these programs. Most students never hear about these
programs and their benefits.
In the case of Running Start, students dont not only know the benefits that are
available to them through the program but are unaware of the program altogether. And
in the case of AP courses, most students have heard the term but are unaware of the
benefits that taking those courses successfully brings.
People that would benefit from the students being educated about these
opportunities would not only be the students themselves. Other people that would
benefit from it would be the student's parents, the schools, the communitys, and even
the state. The students would benefit because if students were properly educated and
they took advantage of these opportunities, they would make themselves much more
appealing to four-year universities by already having college credit or having taken
advanced placement courses and possibly making those classes count as college credit
if they do well enough. Students parents would benefit because there are so many
students that rely on their parents to help them pay for college and the running start
could cut off up to two years of college. As for AP courses, they could possibly count as
college credits as well as be helpful in students getting scholarships. The community
would benefit from this because it would be producing more higher quality and more
responsible people because running start and AP courses force students to become
more responsible because of the amount of work they entail. Finally, the state would
benefit from students taking advantage of these opportunities because the cost of the

opportunities is lower than the amount of money the state gives to college students for
assistant funding.
The purpose of this project, the end goal, will be to inform every single high
school students of these opportunities available to them. As previously stated, the
biggest problem is students being uninformed of these opportunities. If students are
aware of these opportunities, they can make a well informed decision that could affect
their future.

Research Methods:
In looking at the project that the group collectively repurposed, we needed to
identify what we thought would be most helpful, in order to put that information forward.
In doing so, we hoped to provide something that will be the driving force in persuading
students, who we decided would be those to benefit the most, to pursue AP and
Running Start courses. In order to make something that was easy to read, yet
informative, we decided a brochure of sorts would be the best design. Making this
product enabled us to demonstrate the facts and put forth something that would clear
the air and take away any hesitation students might have.
The first method followed was to adequately research AP courses, and
fortunately enough, due to the fact that it is something provided and curated by College
Board, getting this information was quite simple. The features of this product include the
option to pick from a multitude of subjects, in order to fill any gaps needed. In doing so,
the credits earned give students the ability to not simply satisfy courses they need to
take in High School, but also those entry level classes in college. Thus, cutting long
term costs of higher education, and shortening the time needed to graduate.
In looking at Running Start courses, we were able to find how similar yet
distinctly different the two options are. While both of the options offer things like cutting
college costs, gaining valuable credit to use later on, and demonstrating to colleges that
the individual values the challenge of college level coursework. Running Start offers a
very distinct, almost tangible benefit, the college environment. This enables the student
to get adequately acclimated to the differences between high school and college
courses and makes for a much smoother transition, on top of the monetary and
scholastic advantages.
Upon completion of our product, the group needed to determine how best to
distribute what we had made, and give students this valuable information. Not to
mention, getting students to truly understand it and get it into the hands of the adults in
their lives who will ultimately give the final say in the decision-making process. This
topic was extremely interesting and will be explained further in the recommendations
portion of our report.

Results:
As shown, our group decided to come up with a pamphlet that outlined the
benefits of the AP program and the Running Start program. We determined that it would
be the best way for us to share our information. In the future, if we were to distribute the
pamphlets by mailing them to the students homes, the students would be informed of
their additional options earlier in their process of pursuing higher education. In addition,
we thought of another distribution method where we would provide the pamphlets to the
counselors of middle/junior high schools as well as high schools. This way if a student
were to visit the counselor they would see something that would catch their eye. Who
wouldnt want to Cut College Costs!?
At the start of the project we had the intention of making two pamphlets that each
had information based on the respective programs. After further researching, we found
that the two programs had very similar goals. They both were there to help students get
ahead in their studies. Both the programs allow students to get an experience with
college level courses and Running Start even allows students get a feel for the college
environment. This is why we combined both the programs together in one pamphlet so
that the student could see their options laid out. Our pamphlet should be very useful for
anybody who is interested in going to college, for those who are not as wealthy as they
wish they were, or for those who just want to get a head start to life. After all, thats
probably why they named it running start in the first place.

Conclusions:
There are few certainties in 2016, but one that does exist is the certainty that a college
education correlates with a significantly higher chance of future career success. Any
college degree will do in many cases, but a better quality degree than the person sitting
next to you in the interview waiting room doesnt hurt either. Getting into a good school
is important, and there are high school students around the country sacrificing their
youth/time to meet competitive college admissions requirements.
It is surprising to our team that AP courses and the Running Start program are not more
common, as they look very good on college applications and often provide students with
a head start on upper level coursework. In fact, high achieving students often earn
scholarships to offset the costs of 4 year degrees (another benefit). The incentive is
there.. So our team decided that making this information more readily available might
increase participation in these programs.
Creating a brochure discussing the Running Start program and AP classes was a
relatively simple, but deeply impactful project. Information is a powerful tool, and we
feel that we have succeeded in presenting this information in an easily digestible, age
appropriate format. Our pamphlet includes enough information to spark an interest in
these programs, so prospective participants can then do more research independently if
they wish to learn more, and we expect that many will want to.

Recommendations:
Effective Distribution Options:
Although the word pamphlet normally denotes a physical product, I think that the best
way to distribute our information effectively (and cost efficiently) is digitally. Our product
looks good online, and it can easily be sent to thousands of high schools students with
the click of a button. Gathering their email addresses should be easy as long as their
schools agree, but we would need that anyway even if we wanted to distribute a
physical product. Our team has limited financial resources, so this is likely the best
option we have to successfully complete our project.
Contact Those Tasked With Getting The Pamphlets To The Students:
This is fairly simple and will involve reaching out to administrators at a few (or just one
to start) high schools. We can make our case and see if they agree.

Appendices:
Sample of Product: