Best Practices For High School/ College Dual Enrollment Programs

More students are taking college credit courses while they are high school students. Sometimes students go to a college campus. Other times the college instructors come to the high school.For example, Middle College High Schools
(MCHSs) and Early College Schools (ECSs) offer
comprehensive dual enrollment programs. They use
similar intensive supports, partnerships with
postsecondary education, and dual enrollment offerings to prepare underserved students
for postsecondary education. Exemplary comprehensive dual enrollment programs
include the following kinds of practices to reach and support underserved populations:
! All high school students and their parents, including those from underrepresented
populations, receive information and opportunities to plan for dual enrollment;
! Participating students are provided with an aligned, scaffolded sequence of rigorous
high school coursework leading to capstone college courses (earning high school and
college credit), with consistent and jointly established eligibility for college courses;
! The college courses, which are taught on high school or college campuses, are
focused on core instructional areas;
! All coursework is accompanied by a range of support services to increase and sustain
student success;
! Mechanisms are in place for monitoring and assessing the quality of courses offered
and the effectiveness of the program; and
! Partnerships between high schools and colleges clearly define the roles of the
respective institutions through memoranda of understanding and ongoing
collaboration.