ORONO — This fall, three Maine public high schools will participate in a yearlong, tuition-free pre-calculus course as part of the University of Maine’s Early College Academ-e high school pilot program. Through this program, courses are taught online by a University of Maine faculty member and supported in the high schools by teachers. Upon completion, students will receive high school credit and four college credits.

The pilot pre-calculus course, based on instructional methods developed by educators and researchers at Arizona State University, will be taught by UMaine assistant professor of mathematics education Timothy Boester and offered to students at Dirigo, Massabesic and Searsport High Schools. Students will attend regularly scheduled classes and receive curricular support from trained faculty at their respective high schools.

The University of Maine expects to increase the number of participating high schools in the 2020-21 academic year.

Through a partnership between the Maine Department of Education and the University of Maine, tuition is waived for students of Maine public and home schools for up to 12 college credits per year.

Fall classes start Sept. 3. Registration is open at umaine.edu/earlycollege.

For more information or to enroll in the pre-calculus course, contact Allison Small, Early College program coordinator, 581.8004; um.earlycollege@maine.edu.