During the 8th grade in New York public schools, all students are asked to list their top five choices for high school. Students who list BHSEC as one of their choices will be considered for admission. Initially this means that grades and student records are sent to BHSEC and then the best-qualified students are invited to take math and writing assessment tests. Students with acceptable test scores are individually interviewed, and collectively all this information is considered when admitting students.

Students currently in the 9th or 10th grade may apply for admission to BHSEC using the applications available here: http://www.bard.edu/bhsec/admission/

The Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) is a collegiate high school program that results in both a high school diploma and an Associate of the Arts degree after four years. The first program of its kind, this recent experiment in gifted education has attracted a lot of interest from other school districts considering replicating its approach.

Students enter BHSEC after the 8th grade, same as any other high school, but then the next two years are highly accelerated with the aim of preparing students for college level work in 2 years rather than the typical 4 years. If successful, after the end of 10th grade, students are expected to test scores and demonstrated competence equivalent to that of college freshmen. The final two years at BHSEC are spent studying under college quality faculty, which ultimately results in an Associate of Arts degree in cooperation with Bard College. Due to sequencing requirements (4 years English, 3 years math, etc), students will typically receive their high school diploma at the same time as their AA degree, that is at that completion of the 4-year term. When entering college, this program should put students as much as 2 years ahead of their typical counterparts who have only received a high school diploma.

This program is an educational initiative cosponsored by the New York City Board of Education and Bard College, and as such BHSEC is only open to students in the New York City public school system. Bard College is also closely affiliated with another early entrance program, Simon's Rock. BHSEC is entirely funded by a public and private partnership and there are no unusual costs to students who participate in this program. Unlike many other early entrance options, BHSEC is entirely non-residential.

BHSEC is moved to 525 East Houston St. in Lower Manhattan starting the fall of 2002. This site was previously the location of The Mangin School (PS 97), an elementary school which is being closed due to low enrollement.

This program is not residential and accepted students are expected to travel to the program each class day. The standard class day is from 9:05 AM to 3:25 PM.

BHSEC operates on a rather unusual scheduling system. The regular bell schedule operates 4 days a week with five 50-minute classes and one 75-minute section. The longer section accommodates a variety of art, music and college electives. “[T]he fifth day is reserved for office hours with teachers, tutorial sessions, study hall, and adviser meetings. All students have an academic adviser with whom they meet weekly to discuss their progress.” (BHSEC Website, About) Independence and self-management is emphasized throughout all four years of the program.

At the beginning of each year, BHSEC has a one-week writing and thinking workshop, modeled off similar programs at SRC and Bard College. The workshop emphasizes writing and interaction in response to reading a variety of classical and modern works. This class helps to develop a sense of community as well as experience in original thought and collaborative effort.

The academics at BHSEC can roughly be broken up into two portions. The 9th and 10th grade portion is a highly accelerated version of the academics traditionally expected in high school. It is the expectation of BHSEC that students should be able to pass all of New York City’s exit level testing requirements by the end of 10th grade. Being less than 1 year old the exact offerings for 9th and 10th grade are still in a state of flux, but the current 9th grade options are as follows:

• English 9
• Global Studies 9
• Mathematics - Appropriate course based on placement test
• Science - Usually biology, sometimes earth science
• Foreign Language - Chinese, Spanish or Latin at beginner or intermediate levels.
• “Doing Art” - Choice from a variety of art and music options

The 11th and 12th grade portion is really where the college level focus begins. For the last two years in the programs students receive instruction from faculty qualified to teach college. Most instructors are full-time staff at BHSEC having terminal degrees (most often PhDs) in the field they are teaching. Some are faculty from local colleges that only teach part-time for BHSEC. In addition they have established relationships with the American Symphony and several local colleges and universities to provide more opportunities and resources for their students. As before the specific curriculum is in a state of flux, but the current 11th grade offerings are as follows:

• First-Year Seminar - Interdisciplinary humanities seminar focused around college level writing and analysis of important historical works.
• Physics - Both a calculus and non-calculus versions are offered
• Mathematics - Appropriate mathematics course
• Elective(s) - During the current school year these included:
• Additional Foreign Language
• African History and Literature
• Art History
• Introduction to Neuroscience
• Computer Science
• Comparative History of the Americas
• Philosophy: Freedom and Human Nature
• A Literature Seminar on Marcel Proust
• Introduction to Psychology
• Theater
• “Doing Art” - One or more art or music options

After completing the BHSEC program students will receive a high school diploma and an AA degree, issued by Bard College. The coursework they have completed should be transferable nationwide and serve to eliminate many of the traditional core requirements at most universities. In addition, students who complete the AA with at least a 3.0 GPA will automatically be accepted at Simon’s Rock or Bard College to complete their Bachelors.

No Information Available.

The following description applies to Bard College, though BHSEC students do not typically spent any time at Bard.

Colleges and universities are typically grouped based on the highest degree that they regularly award, which in the case of Bard College is the Bachelor’s degree.

Bard College publishes facts and information about their college at: http://www.bard.edu/aboutbard/overview/

Form for requesting more information about Bard: http://www.bard.edu/admission/requestapp/

For detailed comparison information and college rankings, we recommend America's Best Colleges published by US News & World Reports and available online at a cost of $10.

The above data may be as much as five years old. Number of majors may include 4-year pre-professional programs.

Annandale-on-Hudson is a rural area located 50 miles south of Albany, NY and 90 miles north of New York City.

Bard College has a great number of statements about their program, but none of them could easily be defined as a singular statement of mission. Instead of a mission statement, below is a statement of “academic goals”:

“Based on the premise that the College should transmit in living form an intellectual and artistic heritage, the student should:

• develop a genuine interest in things intellectual and artistic sufficient to motivate continuing self-education in several diverse fields
• make a substantial start in formulating ethical standards as well as intellectual or artistic standards in his or her fields of concentration and have some understanding of the crucial role of standards in intellectual or artistic work
• show ability, in more than one field, to attack an intellectual or artistic problem, translate it into workable terms, organize procedures, locate and use relevant material, synthesize findings, and produce a creditable result
• whatever his or her major, be able to read English accurately and intelligently and write it intelligently and clearly
• master the materials, techniques, and methods necessary for beginning to do independent work and make independent judgments
• develop the knowledge and confidence necessary to acquire new materials, techniques, and methods and have a reasonable grasp of the extent of his or her field, its history, its relations to other fields, and its place in the culture
• have some grasp of the history of mankind and of the broad lines of intellectual and artistic development and achievement”

- Bard College Catalogue 2001-2002, p. 2-3