LADR Program Brings College Credit to High School Classrooms

Editor's Note: This is the final installment in a three-article series exploring college prep programming in District 199. Earlier stories include , posted March 12; and

will begin placement testing this spring for Leading and Developing Readiness, or LADR, a college preparation program coordinated by  that will launch next fall.

“This program gives students a leg up,” said Jerald Sakala, principal of Simley High School and director of Secondary Instruction for Independent School District 199.

LADR is designed to help middle-performing students earn college credit while they take Simley classes. The program will provide access to free college courses for students who don’t qualify for Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), allowing them to earn college credits that are transferrable to 31 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) universities and community colleges.

LADR is constructed to help prepare students in the academic middle, or 30th-70th percentile, for college. Inver Hills hopes to see potential first-generation college students enroll in the program, as these are students who may not be considering post-secondary education.

“Just having additional training gives you the opportunity to earn more money,” said Sakala. “It’s just critical.”

The program is structured to help students grow and progress from 10th to 12th grade.

Simley plans to implement LADR in 10th-grade language arts classes starting this fall.

For current ninth-grade students who test into the program, the Inver Hills curriculum will be incorporated into their language arts classes. These courses will teach sophomore students college preparation skills.

Students who receive a C or higher in 10th grade can continue with the program in 11th grade. At that point, students will begin to actually earn college credit by taking classes such Reading and Research and Introduction to Literature.

LADR will continue at the 12th-grade level, but Simley has not fully developed that stage of the program at this time.

“When they finish high school, they actually are already college students,” said Doug Binsfeld, dean of Humanities and Fine Arts at Inver Hills.

Simley is one of several schools in the south metro area to participate in LADR. Pilot programs are in place in Burnsville and Rosemount. Next year, programs will launch in Mendota Heights, Cottage Grove and the various communities served by District 196, as well as Inver Grove Heights.

Binsfeld estimates executing the program’s first year in Inver Grove Heights will cost approximately $17,500.

LADR will be funded by grants facilitated by Inver Hills. If need be, participating school districts may also provide small-scale financial contributions.

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