Early Postsecondary Opportunities

Responsible Executives: Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs; Executive Vice President for Student Success

I. PURPOSE

Motlow State Community College (Motlow State) will provide high school students with opportunities to earn postsecondary credit to accelerate their progress toward a technical certificate/diploma or associate degree, in accordance with Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Policy 2.01.00.05.

II. DEFINITIONS

“Early Postsecondary Opportunities” (EPSOs) – the collective term for the various types of courses high school students can take to earn college credit while they are enrolled in high school. College credit is either awarded based on successful completion of a Dual Enrollment course, achievement of a certain score on an exam, or attainment of an Industry Certification.
“Dual Enrollment” – enrollment of a high school student in a course(s) for which the student is eligible to earn high school credit and college credit.
1. Dual Enrollment courses can be taught at the high school, Motlow State, or online.
2. Instructors of Dual Enrollment courses can be Motlow State faculty members or Local Education Authority (LEA) employees who have been determined by the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (EVPAA) to be qualified to teach such courses at the college level per Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) or COE criteria.
“Early College”/”Early College High School” – terms for the enrollment of a high school student in a combined curriculum/course of high school and postsecondary credit where the student is expected to earn a high school diploma as well as a postsecondary credential or enter a four-year postsecondary institution as a junior after high school graduation. The courses/programs are taught by instructors with appropriate postsecondary credentials approved by the institution awarding the credit.
“Middle College” – the term used to describe a program, operated by Motlow State in partnership with an LEA that permits a student in the fall semester of their junior year in high school to enter Motlow State and to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in two (2) years, for which the “middle college scholarship” is available. The courses in the program are taught by a qualified Motlow State faculty member or by a qualified high school teacher serving as an adjunct faculty member of Motlow State.
“Local Dual Credit” (LDC) – a high school course taught by a high school instructor aligned to Motlow State’s course and learning outcomes with a required end of course assessment (challenge exam, skills test, or other faculty-developed evaluation instrument), the successful completion of which earns college credit upon matriculation to the local college. Motlow State may charge an exam fee for such assessments so long as the amount of the fee does not exceed the fee charged for a prior learning assessment exam.
“Statewide Dual Credit” (SDC) – a high school course taught by a high school instructor aligned to standards set by a statewide consortium of college faculty with a required end of course exam. Successful completion of the exam earns college credit upon matriculation to any Tennessee public postsecondary institution or school in the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association.
Advanced Placement (AP) – college-level courses taught by high school instructors designed by the College Board with nationally recognized exams. Information on awarding credit for these courses can be found in the Motlow State Catalog.
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) – a high school academic program taught by high school instructors with internationally recognized exams. Information on awarding credit for these courses can be found in the Motlow State Catalog.
International Baccalaureate (IB) – an academically challenging course of study taught by high school instructors aligned to internationally benchmarked exams for which students may earn an IB diploma. Information on awarding credit for these courses can be found in the Motlow State Catalog.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) – a program of nationally recognized exams used to assess college-level knowledge. The exams are offered in multiple subjects. Information on awarding credit for these courses can be found in the Motlow State Catalog.
Industry Certification – a credential awarded based upon performance on a third party (business/industry recognized) exam. Colleges may award credit based on such Industry Certifications. Please refer to the Motlow State Catalog for more information.
Local Education Authority (LEA) – for the purposes of this policy, includes both the LEA and a high school partnering with a college for an EPSO.

III. GUIDELINES

Pursuant to TBR Policy 4.02.01.00 Approvals of Agreements and Contracts, Local Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment agreements between Motlow State and LEAs must be in writing and approved and executed by the President of Motlow State or their designee, and submitted to the TBR System Office for approval by the Chancellor or Chancellor’s designee. TBR-approved templates for Local Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment agreements can be found at www.tbr.edu/purchasing/forms.
Dual credit and dual enrollment agreements between Motlow State and home school associations/homeschooling parents are permitted but not required for home schooled students.
All Dual Enrollment course offerings at Motlow State shall comply with TBR policies and procedures. Motlow State has full responsibility for ensuring the delivery of college-level courses with appropriate academic rigor.
1. Dual Enrollment courses and instructors must meet all guidelines of the SACSCOC.
2. Instructors of Dual Enrollment courses who are high school faculty (not including Motlow State adjunct faculty) must participate in relevant professional development and evaluation activities.
3. The EVPAA or their designee shall ensure consistency and comparability of both orientation and evaluation across Motlow State for instructors of Dual Enrollment, SDC, and LDC courses.
Administrators, faculty, and staff in both high school and Motlow State settings providing EPSOs will comply with all applicable legal requirements, including but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

IV. PROCEDURES

Dual Enrollment
1. Eligibility and Student Services
  1. Students desiring to participate in Dual Enrollment courses must be enrolled in a Tennessee public school as defined in T.C.A. § 49-6-3001, a nonpublic school as defined in T.C.A. § 49-6-3050, or a private school as defined in T.C.A. § 49-6-3001. In order to enroll students in Dual Enrollment courses, Motlow State must obtain secondary institution permission/approval (except for home school students), and permission/approval from a parent or guardian for students under age 18.
  2. Counseling and advising of prospective students and parents by appropriate Motlow State officials, high school counselors, and teachers, will be an integral part of all Dual Enrollment courses. Advising materials must state that as a Motlow State course, the Dual Enrollment course becomes part of the permanent Motlow State transcript that must be provided by the student to any college the student eventually attends.
  3. Student services in both the high school and college settings will ensure that Dual Enrollment students have access to academic resources (e.g., library materials), student services (e.g. orientation, advising, procedural information), privileges and opportunities available to regularly enrolled students taking the same course.
  4. To avoid displacing postsecondary students, Motlow State may create specific course sections for Dual Enrollment students.
  5. Motlow State may add additional eligibility requirements for specific courses or programs in Dual Enrollment agreements with a LEA.
2. Course Development, Enrollment, and Credit Award
  1. The high school course must have a corresponding course listed in the Motlow State catalog and use the Motlow State course syllabus, including outcomes and requirements, and text and materials.
  2. Motlow State shall ensure that Dual Enrollment students are held to the same grading, academic rigor, and attendance standards as regularly enrolled students, and are assessed using the same methods (e.g., papers, portfolios, quizzes, labs, etc.) as regularly enrolled students.
  3. Motlow State shall admit and register Dual Enrollment students as non-degree seeking students of Motlow State and record Dual Enrollment courses on official Motlow State transcripts referencing the Motlow State course and course number for which credit was awarded.
  4. If a Dual Enrollment student meets the requirements for an associate degree while still in high school, Motlow State may confer the earned degree even if the student is listed as non-degree seeking, and even if Motlow State’s graduation data precedes the student’s high school graduation date.
  5. the associate degree may be conferred prior to high school graduation due to differences between scheduled Motlow State and high school ceremonies, Motlow State must receive a final high school transcript documenting the student’s high school graduation before posting the degree to the student’s Motlow State transcript.
3. Stipends to LEAs
  1. State-provided funds for Dual Enrollment courses are intended to cover Motlow State’s costs of offering such courses and of meeting the needs of participating high school students.
  2. In the event that the LEA provides the instructor for a Dual Enrollment course and such instructor is not a Motlow State adjunct, it is not required but is acceptable for Motlow State to pay a stipend to the LEA as compensation for the additional work (reporting of grades and attendance and professional development) that such instructor must perform. Any such stipend shall be reflected in the Dual Enrollment agreement between the parties.
  3. In the event that the LEA provides classroom supplies for a Dual Enrollment course that would not be necessary for a high school course, it is not required but is acceptable for Motlow State to pay a stipend to the LEA or to reimburse the LEA for the cost of such supplies. Any such stipend or reimbursement process shall be reflected in the Dual Enrollment agreement between the parties.
Credit by Exam – Award of Credit
1. Unlike Dual Enrollment courses, LDC, SDC, AP, CIE, IB, CLEP, and Industry Certifications do not result in the automatic award of Motlow State credit upon successful completion of a program or course. Instead, credit is or may be awarded based on successful completion of an exam.
  1. For LDC, the credit to be awarded for successful completion of an exam is set forth on the Dual Credit agreement between Motlow State and the LEA.
  2. For SDC, the credit to be awarded for successful completion of an exam is set forth by the statewide consortium of Motlow State faculty who developed the course and exam.
  3. In accordance with TBR Policy 2.01.00.04 Awarding of Credits Earned through Extra-Institutional Learning to Community Colleges, the decision to grant college credit, advanced standing, or requirement waiver based on an AP, CIE, IB, CLEP score is prerogative of Motlow State, but must be set forth in a published Motlow State policy. Motlow State accepts AP and CLEP credit; therefore, Motlow State adheres to the AP and CLEP credit matrices developed by a multi-campus faculty committee and approved by the Academic Affairs Sub-Council in June 2012 (See Exhibits 1-4). See the Motlow State catalog for more information.
  4. If Motlow State accepts an LDC, SDC, AP or IB score for college credit, the college transcript will list the college course, with the grade P and the indication (NTAxxx) for AP, (NTBxxx) for IB, (NTDxxx) for LDC, and (NO9xxx) for SDC.
  5. For Industry Certifications, Motlow State shall collaborate with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and business and industry to identify appropriate Industry Certifications and the postsecondary credit to be awarded based upon such Industry Certifications.
2. College credit awarded through credit by exam is not included in the campus’s FTE calculations.