Info on Dual Enrollment
The following is a letter I
designed to introduce my clients to "Dual Enrollment." This is a great
opportunity for
homeschoolers who have completed 9th grade to work
toward earning their AA Degree by the time they are finished
with their
high school years. I urge you to consider this option for your students.
Keep in mind this info is always
changing, but I will try to keep it updated.
This website is not intended to be the final authority on these
matters. My purpose here is to give you all a good overview and then you
can contact an adviser at your local
college and find out how you can get started. Many of our homeschoolers are able to graduate at the end of their
high school years with their AA degree already under their belts! It is a great way to save money and time.
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This is some
helpful info that will get you started if you are considering Dual Enrollment
in Pinellas
County…
While this info
varies from county to county, if you are not in Pinellas, it may give you a
general
overview of how the system works. KEEP IN MIND- Changes frequently occur within this system. Verify
everything with the Dual-Enrollment contact
person who works with homeschoolers at YOUR college.
Having a good relationship with this adviser is essential to your success. Your county liaison (the person
to whom we send the Certificates of Review,) has to communicate with this person at your local college,
so you can contact your liaison and ask for the contact info for the person who works with Dual-
Enrollment at your local college. They will be happy to help!
The dual enrollment program allows students who are registered with the county as “homeschooler(s) in
good standing” to take college classes for free beginning after the student has completed ninth grade.
Students still need to pay for books. There
are only
so many seats set aside for dual enrolled
homeschooled students in these classes so patience and flexibility are required! Classes can count for
high
school and college credit simultaneously. Many students graduate
homeschool
high school having
already completed their AA degree. Once they take
college classes, they are now established as a
college student.
(Please
note- In order to transfer to a major university and be accepted
at the Junior year level
so you can begin working toward your
bachelor's degree without having to take additional classes as
a Freshmen when you get
there (which can be expensive), you need to have accumulated at least
60 +
credit hours while meeting the requirements for your basic AA degree AND...
Speak to your adviser
about taking any additional classes in your area of
interest, i.e. Music, Business, Education, Science,
etc. that may be required by the college you want to get into AT that university so you can be
sure you
have met all the additional requirements. It is always a great idea to
establish an early relationship with
an adviser at the university you
plan to attend before you complete your AA degree. That way, you can
be fully informed, take any additional classes you will need while you still have the benefit of free
classes under dual enrollment program and there will be no surprises!)
Below you will find
the links to forms needed to dual enroll your student in SPC, Pinellas County.
Only a
couple of them need to be filled out, the rest are just informational.
They DO include their transcript. I
DO NOT fill that out. Homeschoolers generally do not measure ourselves against all their requirements,
so I just
use the one I recommend to you on my site (EvaluationStation.Com) on the Links and
Resources page towards
the bottom. The transcript I use is very professional looking and has worked
just fine for all three of my boys… and it’s free. (Print it out first to get a good look at it. Instructions for
personalizing the info in the Header area are on the Links and Resources page.)
To begin the process you must register your student in order to attain an SPC student number. Here is
the link to do that: Register as an SPC student
Also, BEFORE you can register your student for classes EACH semester- you must call Dot -
Our
county homeschool liaison- (727 588-6209) and ask her to send an email to the
SPC Dual Enrollment
office stating that... "(Your student’s name)
is a homeschooled student in good standing." (While you
only need to have a homeschool evaluation done ONCE per year- the college requires this email
confirmation before s/he can register for classes
each semester. Dot is pretty quick about emailing it
over as long as the Certificate
of Review has been submitted to her office for that year.) I usually just
leave a clear message on
her voice mail with the request, my student’s name and my phone number
and she
takes care of it. (They have just switched to requiring this confirmation only once per year- but
double check that info so you can be sure that is the current procedure.)
Once Margaret* (in
the Dual Enrollment office at SPC in Seminole 727 394-6023) receives your forms
and your transcript and the letter from Rick Wolfe (the current county homeschool liaison), call and ask
Margaret if she "can authorize (your student) to take the PERT test. " (This is a computerized college
entrance exam.) FYI: Margaret's email: Miller.Margaret@spcollege.edu
*Margaret will be retiring 8/2016- ***Thank you, Margaret, for all you have done to help all of us!***
I know the Lord will be faithful to give us someone who will continue your work, and we wish you well!
I have included the
PERT Study Guide (below) so your student can prepare. If taking the test at the
Gibbs campus, s/he would go to the AD Building (Administration) and proceed
down the hallway to the
testing center (on the right). Your student will need a photo ID. No electronic devices. Can get up and go
the
restroom with permission. Test averages 3 1/2 hours- all on the computer. Your
student may bring in
a pencil. They have scratch paper there to use for the
math section. Call for hours: 341-4771. Parking
for visitors is in the little parking lot right outside that building. Sometimes you have to wait for a spot OR
there is a lot further down the street behind the college for visitors as
well. The testing center will give
your student the scores as soon as s/he
finishes.
S/he will
need at least a 104 on Reading, a 99 on Writing, and a 113-122
in math. This will put the
student in Intermediate Algebra- This class
does not count toward the math requirement of the AA
degree other than
as an elective, but will help prepare the student for the higher level
College Algebra
class, which IS required for an AA, and can be taken
without an additional fee. Getting to this level
opens the door for your student to take a Biological science course- which helps fulfill one of the science
requirements for the AA. If your student scores
between 123-150, s/he can go directly into MAC 1105
(College Algebra)
which, again, is one of the classes which fulfills the math requirement
for the AA
degree. Way to go!
Some students have a difficult time with this math section of the PERT. Not to worry. You can retake that
section (but only once.) You may find you just need to take a Developmental Math course offered by the
college.
(Either Dev Math 1 or Dev Math 2 depending on what score you made on the
PERT.) This
doesn't count toward the AA, but helps prepare you for the
next level. (These courses will not give you
credit hours but they DO
effect your grade point average.) This class is outside the Dual
Enrollment
program and will have to be paid for, but it can help get the student over that math hump and get you
into Intermediate Algebra and
then you are on your way to College Algebra! YAY! Until that portion is
passed or you have reached Intermediate Algebra, students may not take
the physical and biological
sciences needed for the AA, but you can get
your Humanities, Social Sciences, and Comp courses out
of the way while
you tackle that math. I only mention all this because it happens a lot.
If you are a whiz
at math- God bless you! The rest of you... get to
work!
Once your student
is accepted into the dual enrollment program, be sure to maintain your
student’s
enrollment in your homeschool program through the completion of their
final semester of dual
enrollment. Graduating them from or terminating your homeschool program during a semester in which
they are taking classes
under the dual enrollment program will cause them to dropped from those
classes
or be charged for them. Students may continue in this dual enrollment program only
until they
have graduated from their homeschool program or reach the age of 19. (Turning 19 during the last
semester is okay.) According to Fl Statutes, students who need special accommodations may
continue in the Dual Enrollment Program until the age of 21. (Again, if they turn 22 mid-semester, they
may complete that semester. -verified info w/ Margaret 6-20-2016)
Check the SPC website for the Academic Calendar so that you will know when to register your student for
classes each semester. Margaret (or your local adviser) can fill you in on the proper procedure. Can you
do it by phone or will it have to be in person? Will you need to have alternative class selections in case
your first choices are full? (Yes!) What paperwork do you need to bring with you? Patience and prayer
are the first order of the day. Remember that God has a plan for your child and trust that He will work all
things together for their good and His glory.
As a parent
of a Dual Enrolled student, you will not have the authority to discuss
your student with his/
her teachers... unless you fill out a form giving
you that authorization. Please be sensitive about this,
however. These college professors do not really want to speak with parents. They expect the students to
be able to handle themselves at this level, and they should. IF there is a valid reason, be respectful and
handle things with
the utmost care. You are a reflection on us all. It IS important that
you keep yourself
aware of the academic needs/ situation of your
student. And you will be the one registering them for
classes in the wee
hours of the morning, so DO have this form filled out. As a
homeschooling parent of
a Dual Enrolled student, you are now, resource support for your student, schedule adviser, editor/ proof-
reader,
listener of speeches, guidance counselor, and encourager! You may not be
teaching every
subject at this point- maybe just Bible study, but you
WILL be needed!
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Consent Form.pdf Size : 37.266 Kb Type : pdf |
(Another note- If you plan to register a student for an Honors level class, you must have written consent
from that professor prior to registration. This can be done through emails.)
I know this is a LOT of information, but I hope this helps. The Dual Enrollment system has been a great
blessing to homeschoolers. We have a responsibility to show our appreciation for that opportunity, and
to do all we can to keep that
door open for other homeschoolers in the future by being some of the best
students on campus. We are counting on you!
Required scores: (scroll down)- Scores
Sample Test:
https://college.measuredsuccess.com/mscollege/do/log
Other helpful info:
Article on changes coming to the SAT by 2016- (More evidence of governmental "Dumbing Down.")
Your student may not even have to take the SAT or the ACT in order to gain entry into their University of
choice. The only reason our students took these tests is so they could get scholarships from Bright
Futures. (Please do not contact me about Bright Futures. Their requirements change so often and I am
not an expert in this area!)
Blessings,
Carleen Galiardo
Homeschooling Mom
Certified Educational Evaluator
EvaluationStation.blogspot.com
3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."