It is college coursework taken by a high school student for which the student earns both college and high school credit. Courses may be offered on the high school campus and taught by a high school or college instructor, through distance delivery over the CSI microwave system, via the internet, or they may be offered on the college campus by a college instructor. Dual credit programs are successful because the program offers something for everyone involved. Dual credit coursework enables students to make substantial progress toward college degrees before they finish high school. Students who begin taking courses in their junior year can earn thirty or more college credits by the time they graduate from high school if they also take summer classes at the college. In some cases it is possible for college-bound students to earn sophomore status even before they set foot on campus.
Based on fall 2008 dual credit enrollment figures, over 20% of all CSI students are taking college coursework while they are still high school students. More tellingly, over 40% of all dual credit students will enroll at CSI sometime after graduation from high school (2003/2004 enrollment data).
The Idaho Standards were designed to help school districts, colleges and universities plan, implement, and evaluate high quality advanced opportunities programs offered to high school students before they graduate. The standards are also designed to ensure acceptance of college credit among the postsecondary institutions in Idaho and out-of¬-state institutions accredited by one of the six regional associations. All advanced opportunities programs in the state of Idaho shall be developed and managed in accordance with these standards and the standards will be in effect until revisions are instituted and approved by the Board.
The purpose of the Advanced Opportunities Subcommittee was to review what types of programs are available to students who want to earn college credit prior to high school graduation. The committee was also charged with making recommendations to increase opportunities for students and to expand the number of students who take advantage of high quality accelerated learning programs such as Advanced Placement®, dual credit and International Baccalaureate programs.
State Board Reference: SECTION: III. POSTSECONDARY AFFAIRS SUBSECTION: Y. Advanced Opportunities, December 2005
Curriculum:
| Curriculum 1 (C1) | Courses administered through a dual credit program are catalogued courses and approved through the regular course approval process of the postsecondary institution. These courses have the same departmental designation, number, title, and credits; additionally these courses adhere to the same course description and course content as the postsecondary course |
| Curriculum 2 (C2) | Postsecondary courses administered through a dual credit program are recorded on students’ official academic record of the postsecondary institution. |
| Curriculum 3 (C3) | Postsecondary courses administered through a dual credit program reflect the pedagogical, theoretical and philosophical orientation of the sponsoring faculty and/or academic department at the postsecondary institution |
Faculty:
| Faculty 1 (F1) | Instructors teaching college or university courses through dual credit meet the academic requirements for faculty and instructors teaching in postsecondary or provisions are made to ensure instructors are capable of providing quality college-level instruction through ongoing support and professional development. |
| Faculty 2 (F2) | The postsecondary institution provides high school instructors with training and orientation in course curriculum, student assessment criteria, course philosophy, and dual credit administrative requirements before certifying the instructors to teach the college/university’s courses. |
| Faculty 3 (F3) | Instructors teaching dual credit courses are part of a continuing collegial interaction, through professional development, such as seminars, site visits, and ongoing communication with the postsecondary institutions’ faculty and dual credit administration. This interaction addresses issues such as course content, course delivery, assessment, evaluation, and professional development in the field of study. |
| Faculty 4 (F4) | High school faculties are evaluated by using the same classroom performance standards and processes used to evaluate college faculty. |
Students/Parents:
| Students 1 (S1) | High school students enrolled in courses administered through a dual credit are officially registered or admitted as degree-seeking, non-degree or non-matriculated students of the sponsoring post-secondary institution. |
| Students 2 (S2) | High school students are provided with a student guide that outlines their responsibilities as well as guidelines for the transfer of credit. |
| Students 3 (S3) | Students and their parents receive information about dual credit programs. Information is posted on the high school’s website regarding enrollment, costs, contact information at the high school and the postsecondary institution, grading, expectations of student conduct, and other pertinent information to help the parents and students understand the nature of a dual credit course. |
| Students 4 (S4) | Admission requirements have been established for dual credit courses and criteria have been established to define “student ability to benefit” from a dual credit program such as having junior standing or other criteria that are established by the school district, the institution, and state board policy. |
| Students 5 (S5) | Prior to enrolling in a dual credit course, provisions are set up for awarding high school credit, college credit or dual credit. During enrollment, the student declares what type of credit they are seeking (high school only, college only or both high school and college credit). Students are awarded academic credit if they successfully complete all of the course requirements. |
Assessments:
Dual credit students are held to the same course content standards and standards of achievement as those expected of students in postsecondary courses.
Every course offered through a dual credit program is annually reviewed by postsecondary faculty from that discipline and dual credit teachers/staff to assure that grading standards meet those in on-campus sections.
Dual credit students are assessed using the same methods (e.g. papers, portfolios, quizzes, labs, etc.) as their on-campus counterparts.
State Board Reference: SECTION: III. POSTSECONDARY AFFAIRS SUBSECTION: Y. Advanced Opportunities, December 2005
Approximately 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the fall semester and 4 weeks prior to the beginning of the spring semester, administrators and teachers involved in dual credit programs are contacted and given general information about delivery/pick-up/submission timelines for the upcoming semester. Individual schools are contacted shorting thereafter and asked whether they would like personal delivery of dual credit materials or would prefer mail/electronic delivery. The majority of participating high schools request personal delivery so teachers and administrators can engage in Q and A with the dual credit coordinator regarding deadlines, scholarship money, textbooks, assessments, etc.
When packets are delivered to local administrators or their designees, pick-up arrangements are made at that time with the school. In each building, an administrator or counselor usually takes responsibility for distributing dual credit enrollment packets to their faculty members, as well as passing on timelines for collection and submission of dual credit registrations. Once again, the majority of high schools request personal pick-ups of registration materials.
Dual credit fees (including on-line courses) for the 2008-2009 school year are $65.00 per credit hour of coursework taken (for example: 3 credit hours X $65.00 per credit = $195.00). The cost of dual credit tuition is roughly 2/3 that of regular college tuition. Students taking dual credit classes may be eligible for scholarships to help reduce costs, depending on scholarship opportunities, local/foundation efforts, and local school district policies. Students may also be required to purchase textbooks and supplies.
CSI offers classes in the following areas for dual credit: Math, Allied Health, Agriculture, Chemistry and Physics, Information Technology, P.E. and Health, Business and Accounting, English, Biological Science, Communication, Social Science, Physical and Earth Science, Pre-Engineering, Education, and Foreign Language.
As of this school year, CSI has partnerships with 40 high schools and service providers around the state of Idaho. Client schools are primarily located within our primary 8 county service region, but we serve schools as far as Potlatch to the north, Weiser to the west, and North Fremont (Ashton) to the east. Included in this list of schools are also two “virtual” on-line high schools, the Idaho Digital Learning Academy and the Idaho Virtual Academy.