Utah's program giving college credits to students while they're still in high school is receiving high marks from the National Governors Association.

The association's Center for Best Practices' new guidebook touts Utah's concurrent enrollment program as a national model for expanding the breadth and depth of high school studies and shrinking the time needed to earn a college degree, the NGA announced.

Also noted are Utah's New Century Scholarships, which go to students earning an associate's degree through concurrent enrollment by the time they graduate from high school. The scholarships cover three-fourths of students' tuition to earn their bachelor's degrees at a Utah college or university.

The guidebook, "Getting It it Done: Ten Steps to a State Action Agenda," is part of NGA Chairman and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's "Redesigning the American High School" initiative. The document can be viewed at www.nga.org/cda/files/05warnerguide.pdf.

"We are pleased that the National Governors Association is taking note of our efforts to increase rigor in the curriculum and offering choices for advanced students," Utah State Office of Education spokesman Mark Peterson said.

State concurrent enrollment participation and investment has more than doubled in the past 10 years, State Office of Education data show. Numbers went from from 11,700 students and $2.4 million in fall 1995 to 23,400 students and $5.3 million last school year.

Utah high school students earned more than 153,700 semester hour credits under the program last school year.

"Utah's public education and higher education systems are working together to integrate (a preschool through college) system," Peterson said, "and our efforts are paying off right now."