Katie Descent looks forward to accomplishing a rare feat among those her age.

In May, Descent, 18, will earn an associate's of science college degree even before she graduates from high school.

"I'll get my degree before I get my diploma by a week," she said.

Descent is one of 220 students enrolled in Middle College High School. The Lodi Unified School District program, started four years ago as an educational experiment on the San Joaquin Delta College campus in Stockton, allows teens to fulfill their high school requirements while they earn credits for college.

A milestone for the program, this year will be the first in which the graduating class will include students who attended Middle College all four years of high school. Middle College administrators this year also are revamping the program to make a five-year high school program.

In the first four years, students will take some college classes in the morning and work on their high school subjects in the afternoon. In the fifth year, they will concentrate on finishing up any remaining college subjects.

The changes blend the high school and post-secondary coursework more coherently, Principal Jeff Thompson said.

The idea is to get students close to earning an associate's degree and then have them transfer to a four-year college or university with two years of credits, Thompson said.

"We want a much-more defined, systematic plan than what you have in a typical middle college," he said.

Staff from both Middle College and Delta also will work more closely in preparing teens for college-level requirements, Thompson said.

"Instead of an experiment, we want to make Middle College permanent and more part of the college community," he said.

Some students, such as Descent, still will be able to graduate from Middle College in four years instead of five, he said.

Middle College High School targets a group of students considered academically able but underachieving in traditional high school. ::: Advertisement :::

It also reaches out to financially underprivileged students and kids from families with little college or university background.

Critics of the middle college approach argue that young teens are not ready for the rigors of a college program.

They also voice concerns about mixing teens -- some fresh out of junior high school -- with the much-older college crowd.

Lodi Unified officials maintain that Middle College is in a safe learning environment -- perhaps even safer than the typical high school.

"Safety issues here are less than those experienced at a large comprehensive high school," Thompson said.

Lodi Unified Superintendent Bill Huyett added, "We have to be cognizant of the issue of the age differences."

That's why Middle College screens students carefully and chooses those showing maturity for their age and a high degree of motivation, administrators said.

Students interested in attending Middle College must apply to both the high school and Delta. The teens also take a college exam to find out which Delta classes they qualify for.

Middle College also helps students adapt to college life by offering a tutoring and homework center.

Middle College is exactly what senior Steven Loya was looking for in a high school.

"It's a whole different environment where it seems the kids are more mature," said Loya, 17, who won a $40,000 scholarship from University of the Pacific in Stockton but also has applied to Harvard and University of California, Berkeley.

The maturity level of students on campus has helped him stay focused, he said.

Descent also likes that about the school.

"I hated being treated as a kid," she said. "Here, we're treated as adults."

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* To reach reporter Neil Gonzales, phone (209) 367-7428 or e-mail ngonzale@recordnet.com

Middle College
High School
* Address: San Joaquin Delta College, 5151 Pacific Ave., Holt 208, Stockton

* District: Lodi Unified

* Principal: Jeff Thompson

* Student body: ninth through 12th grades

* Enrollment: 220

* Teacher-to-student ratio: 1-to-25

* Percent of fully credentialed teachers: 86 percent

* Academic Performance Index score in 2003: 785

* API 2002 state ranking:
10 (out of a possible 10,
10 being the highest)

* API 2002 similar-schools ranking: 10