<p>I should add to this thread the statement that for a student who is curious and likes a subject, high-level doesn’t have to mean high pressure. As best I can recall my own high school experiences (and I kept some diaries and other writings from that day, as a reality check on my memories today), it was more frustrating and unpleasant for me to have a too easy curriculum than it is for my son to have a challenging curriculum. Minnesota had the first program in the country like WA state’s Running Start program–here it is called PSEO–and participation is wholly voluntary and quite popular. Some young people really, truly like to do college-level academic work at high-school age. I’m glad that the article reports that there are more opportunities to do that now than there once were.</p>