Dual Credit for High School Students
Dual Credit Programs are instructional partnerships that are offered between a public secondary school, a charter school, a private school, an Early College High School, or a home school and the college with an officially signed Agreement. Course credit is provided to high school students for both high school and college credit. College credit may be for certificate or associate degree programs. College courses offered for dual credit must be college-level academic courses in the current edition of the Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) or as college-level workforce education courses in the current edition of the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM). The dual credit courses are to be defined sequences of courses, where applicable. College may offer Core , career/technical and foreign language courses for dual credit.
Public colleges may not offer remedial and developmental courses for dual credit.
Texas Success Initiative (TSI)
A high school student is eligible to enroll in academic dual credit courses which require TSI readiness if the student:
- Demonstrates college readiness by achieving the minimum passing standards for Texas Success Initiative (TSI) on relevant sections of the Texas Success Initiative Assessment TSIA2
- Demonstrates that the student is TSI exempt or waived or dual credit eligible.
Dual Credit Exemption Eligibility:
A high school student may be eligible for a dual credit exemption based on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 4, subchapter D.
Dallas College shall not prohibit students who qualify as “non-degree seeking,” as that term is defined under 19 TAC 4.53(h) (i.e., they have not filed a degree plan with the College and they are not required to do so by law, TEC 51.9685) to demonstrate that they are TSI met as a pre-requisite for enrollment in dual credit courses.
A high school student is eligible to enroll in workforce education dual credit courses contained in a Level-One Certificate program, or a program leading to a credential of less than a Level-One Certificate, at a public junior college or public technical institute and shall not be required to provide demonstration of college readiness or dual credit enrollment eligibility.
A high school student enrolled in a Level-One Certificate is exempt from TSI. If a student takes dual credit courses that are not included in the Level-One Certificate, the student is no longer exempt from TSI.
Students who do not acquire the necessary test score(s) for eligibility purposes should discuss their options with the campus Dual Credit Coordinator/Administrator.
Additional Eligibility Guidelines
Eligibility for continued participation in the Dual Credit program requires satisfactory academic performance at the high school; earned grades of A, B, or C in all college courses; and school approval for each subsequent semester of enrollment. A student who earns grades of W, D and/or F may not be eligible for future dual credit courses or may have restrictions.
Students must discuss with their high school counselor if they wish to withdraw from their college course(s). Students who decide to withdraw must submit the required withdrawal form to the campus Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Coordinator or campus Registrar by the published deadline.
Academic freedom is practiced at Dallas College and appropriate and essential discipline-specific terminology, concepts and principles are utilized as needed in the classroom setting, including within dual credit classes.
Early College High Schools
Early College Highs Schools (ECHS) and Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) provide outreach, curricula, and student learning and support programs that enable participating students to combine high school courses and college-level courses to attain their high school diploma and earn up to 60 semester credit hours toward an associate or baccalaureate degree while enrolled in the program.
The Dual Credit and/or Early College High School / Pathways in Technology Early College High School student must meet all admissions criteria of the college. Students participating in an ECHS/P-TECH must meet program eligibility requirements. In addition, students may be withdrawn from pre-registered course(s) for subsequent semesters or terms if the student withdraws from a course or makes a grade of D or F. Students may be refused re-enrollment unless the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s) agree to abide by written conditions from the college designed to increase the potential for student success.
Financial Aid Implications of Dual Credit
Students may not be eligible for state or federal financial aid while enrolled in high school. However, because they are recorded on the college transcript, grades earned for dual credit courses can impact a student’s future financial aid .
Financial aid is limited to those who have either graduated from high school or have a G.E.D.
Important Notice
Students should take care when selecting additional courses to be transferred toward a Baccalaureate degree. Excessive Hours (House Bill 1172) allows an institution to charge the equivalent of out of state tuition for credit hours taken beyond the state limits.
It is recommended that students take minimal hours beyond degree requirements to avoid possible higher tuition charges at the institution to which they are transferring.
Additional Considerations
The college will align dual credit programming standards with all regulatory considerations put forth by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The THECB provisions do not require institutions of higher education to offer dual credit courses for high school students.
Dual credit programming guidelines are subject to change in accordance with THECB regulatory requirements.
Students Concurrently Enrolled in High School and the College
Concurrently enrolled students are defined as students currently enrolled in high school taking college courses that are not dual credit. These courses do not count for high school credit. Students are responsible for the cost of tuition and learning materials for all concurrently enrolled courses. If you are still enrolled in high school and interested in concurrent enrollment opportunities, you may be admitted under the following conditions:
- You must demonstrate college readiness as outlined by Dallas College. Please refer to Dallas College TSI guidelines for additional information.
- Concurrent students must meet the eligibility requirements needed by all Dallas College students. Dual credit eligibility standards do not apply to concurrent enrollment.
- Provide an official and/or notarized record of the school subjects completed (consistent with the Texas Education Agency minimum requirements);
- Complete the enrollment agreement noting you understand and accept that academic freedom and the collegiate environment is supported in all courses within the college;
- Students will also have access to Dallas College support resources, which may aid in their college readiness and student success. Generally, you may take no more than two courses each semester.
- High school students are generally not admitted into developmental courses. High school students are also not eligible for enrollment in corequisite developmental courses.
Important Notice
Students should take care when selecting additional courses to be transferred toward a Baccalaureate degree. Excessive Hours (House Bill 1172) allows an institution to charge the equivalent of out of state tuition for credit hours taken beyond the state limits. Additional details related to excessive hours may be found at the aforementioned site.
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