PHOENIX (By Marissa Belles, Arizona Republic) JulY 21, 2004 - Earn a college degree while still in high school and do it for free. Sounds unrealistic, but that's exactly what two Valley charter schools are offering.

Grand Canyon Preparatory High School and Gateway Early College High School are offering new programs for the coming school year.

Funded by a four-year grant from the Middle College National Consortium, students in the Gateway program can earn high school diplomas and associate's degrees at no cost within five years of starting at the school.

"It is a wonderful opportunity because it allows students to get a college education and, at the same time, receive the support and guidance not often given at the college level," said Yvonne Watterson, Gateway principal.

In addition to offering students more personal attention, students must take a Check and Connect class, which assigns them to an adult and a small group of peers to guide them through post-secondary education.

"The school will operate Monday through Thursday with Friday set aside for 'common planning time,' " Watterson said. "Fridays will be a day to catch up and reflect on the week, and if kids need extra help in something, this is when they get it."

Gateway High School opened as a charter in the fall of 1995 on the campus of Gateway Community College.

"When I took over at Gateway last June, the school was more of an independent-study program than a high school with the dropout rate at 50 percent and attendance at 49 percent," Watterson said. "These numbers are unacceptable, and that is when I started looking into the Middle College program."

The Middle College concept was developed in 1974 by the New York City Board of Education and La Guardia Community College and has since spread across the nation. Gateway's program is part of a national initiative to launch 70 early college high schools over five years.

Grand Canyon Preparatory is another tuition-free charter school set on upping the stakes. It plans to open Aug. 16, offering concurrent enrollment with Grand Canyon University for students in their junior year of high school. The program allows students to complete high school and college in six to seven years rather than the typical eight years. Tuition for students deemed eligible for the program will be paid for by the state.

Located on the GCU campus, students will be have full access to the university's facilities. Each student will be given a laptop computer for technology-supported curriculum. Grand Canyon University is private; the high school is public and is funded through Pointe Educational Services, an entity separate from GCU.

"It is our goal to be the premier choice for ninth- to 12th-graders in the metro Phoenix area, beginning with ninth- and 10th-graders this year," said James Cox, president of Grand Canyon Preparatory High School.

Even though the school is required to accept anyone who applies, the curriculum at Grand Canyon Prep is for students who intend to pursue post-secondary education.

"We have found an increasing number of high school students who desire to fast-track their education into college in order to pursue their careers," Cox said.

He said Grand Canyon allows students to accelerate their education but not miss out on the high school experience of extracurricular activities and prom.

Despite the differences in the two charter high schools, both require teachers to be certified and both are relying on something Watterson calls "power of the site."

"When kids are put in a college atmosphere, they tend to set higher standards for themselves, mirroring their environment," Watterson said. "By increasing accountability and raising the standards, the entire charter school movement will benefit and, more importantly, so will the students."