WICHE: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

The Western Consortium for Accelerated Learning Opportunities (WCALO) was a cooperative effort administered by the Colorado Department of Education and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Through funding from the federal government’s Advanced Placement Incentive Program (APIP), WCALO was a partnership involving nine Western states -- Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, and Utah-- to increase the successful participation of low-income students in advanced placement courses and tests. While advanced placement has been an important strategy to promote access and success in higher education, availability of courses and support varies significantly in the West.

WCALO was created in the belief that a regional approach is a way that some Western states can effectively and efficiently participate in advanced placement programs and broaden access for low-income and rural students. WCALO provided direct services to states and embodied a public policy component to examine accelerated learning in light of access and related issues.