Dual Credit: A Partnership For Success

What is Dual Credit ? Eligible students enroll in college level courses with an opportunity to earn both college credit and high school credit simultaneously.

What Are the Benefits of Dual Credit? Makes college affordable, finish college earlier, possibly debt free or with fewer student loans. Fulfills requirements for Distinguished Achievement Program. Students transition to college more successfully. Students continue college and graduate at a higher percentage than students without Dual Credit.

What Are the Challenges ? Demands of high school activities, family responsibilities, and jobs. Attendance requirements – no excused absence. Adjustment from high school to college. Course rigor can vary among instructors and students must be prepared to take courses taught by any instructor. Poor grades will remain on your college transcript forever! Transferability to out-of-state or private colleges

DUAL CREDIT COURSES DUAL CREDIT 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade Learning Frameworks Speech 1315 Theater App 1310 General Psychology 1301 Intro to Sociology 2301 Theater App. 1310 Government 2305 History 1301 & 1302 Government 2306 Economics 2301 (Macro) Economics 2302 (Micro) Economics 2301 &2302 English 1301 & 1302 English 2332 & 2333 College Algebra 1314 English 2322 & 2323 Trigonometry 1316 Elementary Statistics 1342 General Biology 1408 Environmental Biology 2406 Pre-Cal 2412 General Chemistry 1411 Calculus 2413 General Chemistry II 1412 Cosmetology General Chemistry 1411 & 1412

Do Dual Credit Courses Transfer ? www.tccns.org provides current information on transferability to other Texas colleges. Texas legislature mandate requires all core curriculum courses to be fully transferable to public colleges and universities in Texas. Students attending private or out of state universities or colleges should check with the institution for transferability.

Dual Credit Cost Tuition Comparison for one 3 hour course College Tuition and Fees 2013 -2014 NCTC 2014 -15 tuition rates have not been determined. Check www.nctc.edu for current information $231 (Out of District ) $126 (In District for Cooke & Graham Counties) + $ 50 Fee for Online Course Texas Tech $1,142 Baylor $4,560 UNT $1,091

Requirements for Dual Credit ? Must have approval of high school counselor Must have a “B” average – 3.0 on a 4.0 scale Must meet College Readiness Score requirements (TSI Assessment, PSAT, Plan, SAT, ACT) To remain eligible for enrollment in Dual Credit courses, you must make a “B” or higher during 9th & 10th grade or a “C” or higher during 11th & 12th grade in ALL college courses. * Must exhibit the maturity and social behavior necessary to be enrolled in a college level course.

Are They Ready For College? Self-motivated? Self-disciplined? Good study habits? Goal directed? Time management skills? Communicate with adults? Independent thinker?

College Readiness = College Success Academic Skills - reading, writing, research and analytical skills Academic Behavior - study skills, time management, note taking skills, communication skills with an adult Conceptual Skills- navigating the college system, teamwork habits of the Mind- Open to knew ideas, problem solver, curious. From College Readiness: Michael Kist, Stanford University.

What Are College Readiness (TSI) Requirements ? ACT/PLAN 23 Composite, 19 English and Math SAT 1070 combined; 500 Math, 500 Reading PSAT 107 combined; 50 Math, 50 Reading TSI Assessment Math 350; Reading 353; Writing 363; Essay 4/5

TSI Assessment? Reading, Writing and Math Cost is $25 for all three sections or $10 for one section of test. Computer generated test allows students to receive results immediately after testing. Diagnostic results TSI Assessment Date March 27th @ Gainesville High School You must pay for the test through NCTC. See Mrs. Strait to reserve your place in the lab.

Preparation is the Key! It’s important to study in advance for the TSI Assessment. Study guides available www.collegeboard.org.     

I Meet the Requirements, Now What. Step 1 I Meet the Requirements, Now What ? Step 1. Apply for Admission to NCTC March 25th at GHS

Complete NCTC Application www.applytexas.org Application is free! Students receive an email from Apply Texas within 24 hours. Students should receive a second email from NCTC with very important information! Second email contains Student Net ID and Password for Canvas (online courses) and MyNCTC (student dashboard) . DO NOT DELETE THIS MESSAGE! Students will use their dashboard to email instructors, find grades, request transcripts, pay online, and lots more! No email notification from NCTC or ApplyTX? There is a problem! Contact NCTC Admissions or DC Coordinator.

Set up email Account to Contact instructors. Pay for classes *Set up email Account to Contact instructors *Pay for classes *Print schedule *Print unofficial transcript *Request official transcript *Register for classes upon graduation!

Step 2. Complete DC 101 DC Orientation 101 must be completed before TSI Assessment. March 25th, @ Gainesville High School.

Take TSI Assessment Step 3 …unless you have qualifying scores from ACT, SAT, PSAT, or PLAN. TSI Assesssment March 27th @ Gainesville High School

Step 4: Submit High School Transcript and Qualifying Test Scores REMEMBER- GPA must be 3.0 or higher Please complete a transcript request form located outside Mrs. Markle’s office to receive your official transcript.

Step 5 : Submit Proof of Meningitis Vaccination This is required for students taking a class on the college campus or online. Vaccination must be within five years. If you have had the shot, someone in the high school office can make you a copy to take to the college. Step 6 : Verify Free/Reduced Lunch Status Your high school counselor must verify this status on the dual credit registration form. Check www.nctc.edu for current policy on waivers. Current policy provides full waivers for tuition for qualifying students.

Step 7: Register for Fall 2014 Courses Students must complete a Dual Credit Registration Form. This form indicates the courses taken, the course ID, and the section number, and the term code. (ENGL 1301.100.131s). Counselors are required to complete this information. Students must complete a new Dual Credit Registration Form each semester! Unlike high school classes, college courses are per semester.

Step 8: Pay for Classes Payment is due at the time of registration Options for Tuition Payment : Online Payment Plan By phone (credit card) In person Fee waiver Scholarship Always check with the Business Office to verify that your tuition statement is correct, that fee waivers and scholarships have been applied. Failure to pay for classes will result in being dropped from all classes. If this happens, you will be charged a $75 reinstatement fee. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.

Important Scholarship Dates Dual Credit Scholarship April 15: Fall 2014 Deadline Oct. 15: Spring 2015 Deadline Applications are available from the high school counselors or online.

Step 9: Purchase Textbooks Textbooks are available at the NCTC bookstore or through various sources online. Expect textbook expenses to be between $100 - $200 each semester. You may want to consider renting textbooks. For more information contact the NCTC bookstore.

High School vs. College

COLLEGE Testing is usually infrequent and may be cumulative; covering large amounts of material. Students may be tested on information that is not covered in class. Professors expect you to contact them if you are having trouble. They do not seek you out. Students can add/drop a class in the first two class days. Professors will want you to check the syllabus frequently. When you have a question, they may ask, “Did you check my syllabus?”

FERPA Regulations Dual Credit falls under FERPA laws. Parents access to information is limited. The D.C. Registration Form does allow NCTC to share grade information to parent and school. Instructors and NCTC personnel are restricted from discussing or giving other information to parents.

Too Much Too Soon! To WITHDRAW from a course, first discuss this with your professor, parents and counselor. You will need to request a withdrawal form from your counselor, which you will then deliver to the NCTC registrar’s office. You must bring a copy of the form back to your counselor. A grade of “W” will be recorded on your NCTC transcript. Your withdrawal grade will follow you back to high school. Simply changing high school schedule does NOT withdraw student from college class.

Helping Your College Student Prepare Them For What To Expect The general rule : For every one hour spent in class, college students should spend two hours out of class reading, studying, and completing assignments. Students should be prepared to do most of their learning on their own. No one will be monitoring them on a daily basis, or checking if assignments are complete. Let Them Do It On Their Own There are no parent/teacher conferences. Help your teenagers learn by instilling the message that their academic success depends on their taking responsibility for their own education and behavior.

REMIND 101 Text Blasting Receive text messages from the high school counseling office. Standard text message charges will apply according to your individual cell phone plan. Text: @leopard9 to 903-489-5763 Text: @leopard10 to 903-489-5763 Text: @leopard11 to 903-489-5763

Questions Contact Mrs. Markle, Mrs. Strait or Mrs Questions Contact Mrs. Markle, Mrs. Strait or Mrs. Wiles @ 665-5528 Contact NCTC at www.nctc.edu