VCCS POLICY NO: 6.0.1.1
EFFECTIVE DATE: 02/06/2018
REVISED DATE: 05/17/2022
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Purpose:
To provide policy for the offering of dual enrollment programs and courses to students in participating high schools.
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Definitions:
Advance College Academy: A primarily high school-based dual enrollment program pathway that provides qualified high school students the opportunity to earn an associate degree by completing college courses that may be substituted for the requirements for a high school diploma.
Concurrent enrollment: High school students who take independent college courses that do not count for VDOE high school graduation requirements.
Dual enrollment: Community college coursework taken by high school students pursuant to a written contract and/or memorandum of understanding between a public school division, an individual public high school or technical education center, or an individual private school and Reynolds Community College wherein the college-level coursework, upon successful completion, earns both college credits and high school credits applicable to eligibility for a high school diploma.
Dual enrollment partnerships: Agreements governed by an annually renewable contract between a school or district and the community college to allow academically qualified high school juniors and seniors to enroll in college courses that are applicable to degree, diploma, certificate, or career studies certificate programs offered at Reynolds; courses taken for dual enrollment credit pursuant to such agreements shall be designated on both the student's college and high school transcripts.
Early College Academy: A dual enrollment program pathway, offered primarily on the college campus, which provides qualified high school students the opportunity to earn an associate degree by completing college courses that may be substituted for the requirements for a high school diploma.
High school-based dual enrollment: Dual enrollment college courses and program pathways offered on a high school campus.
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Policy:
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Student eligibility
The Regulations Establishing Standards for Accrediting Public Schools in Virginia (8 VAC 20-131), adopted by the Virginia Board of Education, governs and encourages student participation in dual enrollment arrangements under the following specified conditions:
- Written approval of the high school principal or designee prior to participation in dual enrollment must be obtained;
- The college must accept the high school student for admission to the course or courses; and
- The course or courses must be offered by the college for degree credits (no remedial courses shall be offered).
Colleges may offer admission to public and private high school juniors and seniors and home school students studying at the high school junior and senior levels, provided they are college-ready according to VCCS policy (VCCS Policy 6.0.1.1, Dual Enrollment Student Admissions).
Because admitting freshmen and sophomores is considered exceptional, the college-ready status of each prospective freshman and sophomore student shall be treated on a case-by-case basis. Formal approval by the college president is required for admitting a ninth or tenth grade high school student.
Documentation of parental or legal guardian permission is required for all dual enrollment students.
All dual enrollment students must demonstrate readiness as articulated by VCCS Policy (VCCS Policy 6.0.1.1, Dual Enrollment Student Admissions). Students enrolling in a dual enrollment course must meet all course prerequisites as established by the college. The community college shall assume responsibility, either on campus or at another location approved by the college, for administrative oversight of placement testing and registering students.
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Admissions and enrollment
High school students seeking to participate in dual enrollment should first meet with their high school counselor to discuss the opportunities available, eligibility requirements, etc. Homeschooled students wishing to participate in dual enrollment should contact the Reynolds Office of Admissions.
Refer to Reynolds Policy 1-11, Admissions, for information on admission criteria.
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Contractual agreements
Dual enrollment partnerships between J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) and a public school division, an individual public high school or technical education center, or an individual private school shall be governed by contractual agreements developed and executed annually at the local level between the college and each respective dual enrollment partner. All such agreements, the plans for implementation, and the specific dual enrollment options and pathways provided to students shall comply with the "Governing Principles for Dual Enrollment between Virginia Public Schools and the Virginia Community College System" (hereinafter "Governing Principles for Dual Enrollment") and, in accordance with the Code of Virginia, shall be submitted by the institutions to the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System and the Superintendent of Public Instruction annually.
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Tuition billing and reimbursement
Virginia Community College System (VCCS) policy requires that full tuition and fees be paid to Reynolds for each student in every dual enrollment course. However, the college may reimburse a public school division or other dual enrollment partner a portion of tuition in recognition of the school division's or partner's contribution of resources toward student participation in the dual enrollment program.
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Faculty qualifications
Faculty shall be approved by Reynolds Community College and shall meet the faculty qualification guidelines established by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and Virginia Community College System policies. When determining faculty qualifications, an institution considers the highest earned degree in the discipline and related work.
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Faculty responsibility
Dual enrollment faculty shall adhere to all responsibilities as outlined in the DE Faculty Handbook. Please refer to the DE Faculty Handbook for a detailed list. In accordance with Reynolds Policy 1-03, Student Attendance, faculty members are expected to keep a daily record of attendance and reconcile their Reynolds class roster weekly through the first 15% of their course. In the case where a student is present in the class and not on an official Reynolds class roster, the faculty member must notify the appropriate high school counselor, the career coach, or the Reynolds Office of Dual Enrollment to resolve the matter.
Dual enrollment instructors are expected to notify the appropriate high school counselor, the career coach, and/or the Reynolds Office of Dual Enrollment in the event that a dual enrollment student stops attending the dual enrollment course at any point during the semester.
For high school-based dual enrollment programs and courses, instructors are not responsible for complying with Attendance Certification reporting requirements as specified in Reynolds Policy 1-3, Student Attendance. For dual enrollment classes taught on the college campus or via distance learning, and for dual enrollment students taking classes with the general college population, faculty are required to certify attendance of students in their courses two times per semester in accordance with Reynolds Policy 1-03, Student Attendance.
After the last day of classes, instructors must submit documentation of the daily attendance record to the office of the Reynolds academic school responsible for the course.
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Faculty orientation and evaluation
Dual enrollment faculty shall receive orientation and on-going instructional support for all courses they are assigned to teach. This orientation shall be personalized to each new dual enrollment instructor according to the particular needs of the program in which individual courses are taught. Orientation may be delivered by way of one-on-one meetings with department heads or other college designated personnel, workshop training with other faculty, and computer or web-based resources, where applicable. In addition, when appropriate or requested, on-site orientation for high school faculty may be coordinated through the Office of Dual Enrollment.
Topics of orientation shall include: discipline-specific introduction to collegiate-level instruction; institutional expectations for instructional design and delivery; syllabi building and review in alignment with college approved course outlines; and best practices in the classroom. Additional topics of orientation shall include procedures for faculty compliance with institutional responsibilities, such as attendance reporting, the management of student records, and the administration of student surveys.
The college shall provide the following resources to new dual enrollment faculty: web access to all appropriate data-bases, college email, and electronic course management platforms; the Reynolds Dual Enrollment Faculty Handbook; desk-copies of the textbooks for assigned classes; sample syllabi; and templates for other required documents.
The college shall conduct evaluations of dual enrollment faculty members using the college guidelines and procedures established for all adjunct or full-time faculty. High school faculty or adjunct faculty teaching a dual enrollment course shall be evaluated in accordance with the college’s adjunct faculty evaluation process. Full-time community college faculty teaching a dual enrollment course shall be evaluated in accordance with the college’s full-time faculty evaluation process.
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Program and course offerings
Courses offered for dual enrollment credit have the same departmental course prefixes, course numbers, course titles, course descriptions, and course credits as listed in the college catalog. Dual enrollment courses reflect the learning objectives as well as the pedagogical, theoretical, and philosophical orientation of the respective college discipline.
Most dual enrollment courses are applicable to both college and high school graduation requirements. Exceptions to said applicability are specified in the corresponding program pathway Implementation Plan, which is incorporated into the dual enrollment contract.
Program offerings include Advance College Academies (ACAs), the Early College Academy (ECA), a variety of program pathways affiliated with Career and Technical Education (CTE) and general education.
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Quality assurance
Dual enrollment courses and programs must adhere to applicable policies and standards prescribed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and VCCS Concurrent Enrollment Quality Standards.
The college must be able to provide evidence that the college is in control of the curriculum, the class is a college-level class, course enrollment standards are met, instructors are qualified and receive guidance from full-time faculty, and equivalent support services are provided to students and faculty.
Enrollment in dual enrollment courses that are intended for transfer must be limited to students seeking college credit and may not include students seeking high school credit only. Enrollment in dual enrollment courses not intended for transfer may include students seeking college credit and students seeking high school credit only. However, the college is responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of such courses, irrespective of the students enrolled and in accordance with SACSCOC policies. In particular, college courses offered in the high school must include comparable content and must be of the same quality and rigor as the corresponding course offered on the college campus. Moreover, students enrolled in dual enrollment courses are accountable for comparable learning outcomes and held to the same standards of achievement as students in corresponding courses offered on the college campus.
The Office of Dual Enrollment shall partner with the academic schools to ensure that all DE course offerings are equivalent to adult on campus sections. Program quality shall be regularly measured and assessment data shall be used for continuous program improvement.
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Satisfactory academic performance and continuing eligibility
Dual enrollment students must demonstrate satisfactory academic performance in dual enrollment courses in order to retain eligibility to continue to participate in dual enrollment. Students in an Advance College Academy or an Early College Academy must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 (with a minimum of 6 credits taken) in order to demonstrate satisfactory academic performance and remain in the program. Students who do not maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 shall be required to complete an agreement setting academic performance expectations for the subsequent academic term signed by the student, approved by the Director of Dual Enrollment, the appropriate Reynolds Academy Career Coach, and lodged with the appropriate representative(s) of the secondary school division partner.
Students who fail to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 shall be removed from the ACA/ECA program. Any high school student who has been removed from an ACA or ECA program for failing to maintain the minimum college GPA requirement of 2.5 will be prohibited from enrolling in more than 6 credits per semester (including retaking any failed course) in additional dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment classes.
All other dual enrollment students must earn a grade of “C” or better in each dual enrollment course and satisfy any additional academic requirements of the college program(s) associated with those courses to demonstrate satisfactory academic performance.
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Disability services
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA AA), Reynolds shall provide academic and other accommodations to students who disclose that they have a disability. For students who take classes on Reynolds campus, disclosure must be made to the Office of Student Accommodations in accordance with Reynolds Policy 1-15, Eligibility of Students with Disabilities to Receive Accommodations. Students who are enrolled in dual enrollment courses on the high school campus must have their high school counselor work with Reynolds Office of Student Accommodations to determine a reasonable accommodation for the activities related to the course(s). All requests must be made in advance and are not retroactive.
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Student conduct and threat assessment
All students enrolled in dual enrollment classes are subject to the following
- Reynolds Policy 1-22, Behavioral Intervention, (including Procedures for Denial or Revocation of Admission Status found in: Reynolds Policy 1-11, Admissions)
- Reynolds Policy 1-35, Student Conduct
- Reynolds Policy 2-07, Academic Honesty
- Reynolds Policy 4-17, Title IX – Sexual Misconduct
Student conduct that poses a threat or that is not in the best interest of the college shall be subject to the policies above, as applicable, and that student may be removed from participation in the dual enrollment course or program.
For students enrolled in high school-based dual enrollment classes, the Reynolds Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success shall coordinate enforcement of college and high school student conduct policies and procedures with the appropriate high school officials.
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Procedures:
Procedure for Reynolds Policy 2-09, Dual Enrollment Programs and Courses
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Other Information:
VCCS Policy 6.0.1.1, Dual Enrollment Student Admissions
Reynolds Policy 1-03, Student Attendance
Reynolds Policy 1-11, Admissions
Reynolds Policy 1-15, Eligibility of Students with Disabilities to Receive Accommodations
Reynolds Policy 1-22, Behavioral Intervention
Reynolds Policy 1-35, Student Conduct
Reynolds Policy 2-07, Academic Honesty