College Readiness
What qualifies a high school student to be college ready?
Good grades are important but there’s more to being college ready than just being strong academically. Students must demonstrate personal readiness as well. This includes “soft skills” such as self-advocacy, quality of work and work ethic, critical thinking ability, time management, study skills, and communication. Students having D’s or F’s in the current semester and/or prior semester or conduct or attendance issues may be denied enrollment in On Course and/or initial college classes until a subsequent semester.
The college journey for CP students typically begins in the fall of 11th grade when students are required to have tested college-ready on the Accuplacer, SAT, or ACT. Those 10th graders new to CP may not register for On Course or concurrent enrollment college classes in their first semester. (Note that 9th grade students are not permitted to take On Course.) While being strong academically, most younger students simply need more time to experience life and develop the critical thinking skills and maturity to excel in the college classroom with students several years older. In those instances where teachers have significant reservations about a student’s college readiness, the answer is not "No," but "Not Yet" and the student can request On Course the next semester.
All students demonstrate college readiness by taking the NextGen Accuplacer, PSAT or ACT/SAT exams. These scores are used for placement, remediation, and other planning toward the student’s college and career goals. It is recommended that students wait to take the Accuplacer until late in the first semester of Classics and Composition II (English 10) and the second semester of Algebra II in order to have the best preparation for scoring well.
Students wishing to start concurrent enrollment must have a minimum cumulative weighted GPA of 2.50. A student who does not meet this criteria must complete a Concurrent Enrollment Appeal Form (Initial) and provide the information and documentation requested in order to initiate the appeal process. The form is located on the CP website at the College Planning tab and on page 19 of the Concurrent Enrollment Handbook. The appeal will be reviewed by a committee and a decision will be made if the student may enroll in a concurrent enrollment class through College Pathways.
On Course
All new college ready students are required to take a one semester elective, “On Course,” which is a college preparation and life skills class. On Course is taught with college-student-type expectations in a high school setting in order to prepare students for when they are taking college classes. There is a very strict late policy and high expectations. Self-advocacy, responsibility, and maturity are an absolute MUST. Students must achieve at least a C- in order to take a college class the next semester. A grade less than C- will require the course to be repeated. Students who are enrolled in On Course concurrent with their first college class and earn a grade lower than C- in On Course may have their next semester college courses limited or not authorized.
Students become eligible for On Course in the spring of their 10th grade year. Each year in October we hold pre-college advising meetings for 10th graders and their parents to discuss in detail the steps for beginning the college journey. After those meetings, students are better prepared for the rigor and expectations of On Course and college classes. Following the pre-college advising meeting, a 10th grader may take the Accuplacer.
After testing college ready, 10th graders must request a College Readiness Assessment Form which will be completed by their CP teachers to confirm their personal readiness. This is required before a student may schedule On Course and their first college classes.
On Course is a transitional course between high school and college. As such, the content and structure are designed for 11th graders. Experience has shown us that younger students simply need more time and life events for On Course to be of value and more than simply filling a square.