Dual Credit

Dual credit grades are included on the transcript and calculated in the GPA.  It is a state requirement that dual credit grades be posted on the high school transcript. UNM and CNM give weighted grades (A+, A, A-, not just an A.) However, those weights do not transfer to APS.  

As you know, we encourage our students to take the most challenging coursework they can handle. Dual credit provides a fantastic opportunity for students to experience college academics and independence. However, dual credit is not a universal good and carries significant risks for the student. Here are some important things to consider when thinking about dual credit: 

• We know that levels of maturity vary wildly among high school students. Think about your student’s ability to complete and turn in assignments independently. How much monitoring are you doing as a parent? If you are doing a lot of monitoring, you should be cautious about the amount of dual credit your student takes. We advise all students with less than a 3.0 average to take their dual credit requirement on campus with a nex+Gen facilitator. 

• Since dual credit is a college course, professors do not contact parents when a student is struggling. Often, the first indicator a parent gets that there is a problem is an F on the student’s transcript. 

• It is important to remember that dual credit courses create a student’s first college transcript. A college transcript follows a student much longer than a high school transcript. Additionally, students who receive poor grades in dual credit classes may put their lottery or other scholarships in jeopardy. 

• We have dealt with several cases where students fail to drop a class by the drop date deadline set by the college offering the dual credit. In these cases, the student has received a WF on their college transcript. Each college sets its own policies around dropping classes. These email notices go to the student and not the parent. 

• We have had students opt out of taking nex+Gen elective courses because they are going to take dual credit instead. Every year we have students that, for one reason or another, do not complete the dual credit course and are then behind on credits to graduate. For this reason, we recommend that students take a 1st period elective until all elective requirements for graduation have been met.

• Requests to drop classes at nex+Gen often leave holes in the student’s schedule. This can leave students in the building unsupervised and often, unproductive.  

Please be aware of these issues and concerns as you make dual credit registration decisions with your student.  If you have any questions about dual credit, do not hesitate to contact our counselor.