Established institutions don’t fall easily—even when there’s a better way to get the job done. Today, however, teenagers around the country are circumventing the accepted mode of education in America. They’re saving time, money, and outdistancing their peers at a remarkable rate both academically and psychologically.

 

Samuel Rust, age 14, Nampa, Idaho

Samuel Rust, one of these cutting-edge teens, runs his own hay farming business in Idaho and has garnered close to sixty college credits over the past several months he has been enrolled in CollegePlus! “I really like history and biology,” Samuel said in a telephone interview. “The hardest test I’ve taken so far is microeconomics.”
But Samuel has grasped basic economic theory pretty well for his young age. At least his mom Elaine thinks so. “He mans the entire [hay] business and has had to learn supply and demand—he’s redefined hard work,” she said.
In addition to his hay farming business, Samuel is integrating his CLEP studies with the Homesat high school program from Bob Jones University. Elaine believes that it is important for her son to have a biblical worldview in addition to the information he is studying to pass the CLEP exams. “The tests are incredible,” she said in disapproval of the exams’ liberal bent. “They have a lot of politically correct questions and it’s good that we have a chance to talk them over as a family” before Samuel takes the tests.

 

Meredith Reed, age 19, Pennellville, New York

Meredith Reed enrolled in CollegePlus! when she was a senior in high school. Although she was onlyseventeen at the time, Meredith immediately began accelerating her degree process. “I enjoy multitasking,” Meredith said. “I started CollegePlus! while working a job and helping babysit the children of a single mom who works at night so she can homeschool them during the day.” Meredith has taken two to three tests a month since beginning CollegePlus! late last year and has plans to study for a master’s degree after she completes her bachelor’s in communication.

 

Devin Stone, age 15, Ball Ground, Georgia

Devin Stone, another high schooler enrolled in the CollegePlus! program, is 15 and has already passed several CLEP tests. Devin first heard about CollegePlus! after his mom did a Google search on accelerated distance learning. “There is a college just down the road from where I live and they may have accepted me,” noted Devin, but he liked the idea of finishing college early by enrolling in the Collegeplus! program.
Devin enjoys reading and studying but admits that he isn’t a genius. “I go through phases—when [the topic] is something I like, I enjoy studying it,” he said. Like any 15 year old, he has a penchant for sports and video games. In fact, Devin wants to incorporate his affinity for video games with his love for writing and music. “I’d like to write a book that could be made into a movie and video. I’d like to use my own piano music for the soundtrack to the movie,” he said.

Both Devin and Samuel employ creative study skills when preparing for CLEP exams. Samuel, because he is involved in a homeschool co-op and BJU Homesat takes a high school course before actually taking the college-level CLEP test. However, since the bachelor’s degree core requirements are a review of high school classes, it is not difficult for Samuel to pass the tests because he has already studied the material. According to Elaine, “CLEP is the bonus to the biblical worldview training Samuel has completed.”
Devin, on the other hand, takes a sample test from one of the CLEP study guides before studying for the exam. “I take the test first to see how much I know already,” he said. By going through a sample exam first, Devin can evaluate what portions of the test he most needs to study. After that, “I take the books and read them over and over—I don’t do too well taking notes down on paper,” he noted. “It’s easier for me to reread the material, see examples, and do [sample] problems.”
Devin, Meredith, and Samuel are only a few of the growing number of forward-thinking teenagers who are part of the global network of CollegePlus! All of them are proving that God’s people do not need to conform to the standards the world has set for academic instruction. By focusing on developing a biblical worldview in addition to scholastic studies, Christians are changing the face of the modern education culture.