Dual Credit & Early College High School
(DC/ECHS) 

Dual Credit Liaisons

Dual Credit liaisons are divided regionally to assist students & instructors in the region they teach.

Dual Credit liaisons serve the CLS department by:

• providing a point of contact for faculty regarding Dual Credit concerns

• developing & updating Dual Credit-specific training

• assisting the department chair with the various CLS efforts & initiatives

• assisting with accreditation efforts (including observations related to accreditation)

• creating & maintaining relationships with ISD partners in their assigned region 

• assisting instructors & students with understanding the student complaint process & timeline

Course Offerings

Dual Credit and Early College Start Course Offerings

Dual Credit courses contain parallel academic standards that meet the state-mandated high school TEKS and mirror the course objectives of selected ACC courses. Course offerings for Dual Credit and ECHS classes vary from district to district based on TEKS; these courses are the most common CLS offerings:

• ENGL 1301 English Composition I English 3 or 4 Comp. 

• ENGL 1302* English Composition II English 3 or 4 Comp 

• ENGL 2322* British Literature I English 4 Lit. 

• ENGL 2323* British Literature II English 4 Lit. 

*= Course prerequisite is required.

Dual Credit-Specific Processes

The following policies are specific to courses that are designated as a Dual Credit (DC) section and are taught at a partner high school (HS) campus or a course that is designated for Early College High School (ECHS) students only.

If instructors are assigned a traditional section that only includes a few DC students, please follow the policies as listed in other sections of the CLS handbook.

Staffing (Dual Credit)

As Dual Credit English sections continue to grow each semester, course offerings are staffed according to the following order:

• ISDe (Independent School District Employee) faculty: Some high school campuses opt to select their own dual credit instructors from their qualified teaching faculty. ISDe instructors teach CLS curriculum and follow ACC and CLS department policies. ISDe faculty have priority to be staffed at their home high school and cannot be “bumped.”

• Full-Time Faculty: FT faculty select their class assignments, which are subject to department needs and the approval of the department chair.

• DCAA (Dual Credit Annual Appointment):  Adjunct faculty have the opportunity to apply for consecutive course assignment at a high school campus of their choosing over the Fall & Spring semesters. Applications for DCAA are available in the Spring for the following academic year and are submitted to the department chair. Full-Time faculty do not apply for DCAA.

• MSTA (Multiple Semester Term Agreement): An appointment held by selected Adjunct Faculty that allows for priority status in the assignment of sections over multiple semesters.  An MSTA is the closest option to a contract for Adjunct Faculty.  There are a limited number of positions available and currently only become available if a resignation has been submitted.  MSTA adjuncts have guaranteed classes and are able to “bump” other non-MSTA adjuncts from classes to complete their course load.

The Office of College & High School Relations

DC & ECHS students have unique processes for enrollment and academic advising. The Office of College & High School Relations (CHSR) was created to assist DC students with understanding and navigating ACC processes. Most DC students need assistance with the various and multiple collegial processes they encounter as a new college student.

CHSR is divided into two departments that assist students at various points during the semester:

Enrollment & Partnerships (E&P): This team works to advise and assist DC students with all enrollment processes prior to the start of the semester. This includes:

• assisting students with the completion of the ACC application

• scheduling their TSI testing and review of their scores

• enrolling students in DC class sections

• working with ACC course schedule management to create new Dual Credit sections

E&P coordinators manage all scheduling of DC classes and course times in conjunction with ISD partners. Their team works to ensure instructors have all students properly enrolled in courses and assist with any facilities requests (the need for building, internet or key access) on a high school campus. 

Academic Success (AS): Once DC students begin the semester, most advising functions transfer to this team. This includes:

• advising at-risk students (including those who are being disruptive or have issues with conduct)

• assisting students who might need specific assistance (SAS referrals, tutoring, etc.) and connecting students to ACC resources

• conducting midterm advising to discuss student grades

AS coordinators serve as an important advising resource for ECHS students who are working to complete an Associate’s degree concurrently with their high school diploma. This team assists students with understanding their SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) score and how dropping a course can affect their transfer to a college or university. AS coordinators can also guide DC students with SAS enrollment, student complaint procedures and other ACC support systems.

CHSR coordinators are assigned to DC students based on the ISD and geographic location. CHSR coordinators introduce themselves to instructors via faculty memos distributed to faculty at the start of every new semester and outline their role and any important semesterly updates. 

CHSR coordinators may reach out to faculty with questions when assisting DC students over the course of the semester. It’s permissable via FERPA to share grade and conduct information with CHSR coordinators and other ACC entities, as DC students provide written permission to share academic and course-related information upon signing their DC contract to enroll in the program. 

CHSR coordinators work closely with our ISD partners throughout each semester to coordinate ACC courses with the high school bell schedule, coordinate student intervention and assistance, and provide any other assistance DC students may need.

Communication with ISD Partners

When E&P coordinators send faculty memos to instructors at the start of the semester, they include contact information for the ISD partner that will be the main contact at the high school that dual credit faculty has been assigned. The ISD partner is often a high school counselor that has been assigned specifically to DC students. 

When a student is struggling academically or has issues with misconduct (causing disruption in class, plagiarism, etc.) instructors are encouraged to contact both the identified ISD partner and the AS coordinator via email to assist with student intervention. Faculty can choose to copy the ISD partner and the AS coordinator in emails to students that include concerns, or follow-up emails sent to students after any important discussion. By providing these details to ISD partners and AS coordinators, it helps provide a unified approach to student intervention and success.

Class Rosters

Dual Credit instructors can verify their roster by comparing the information listed in Blackboard or the MYACC Faculty Portal with live class attendance. Class rosters can also be provided to instructors by their assigned CHSR Enrollment & Partnerships (E&P) coordinator upon request. An email from the designated E&P coordinator will be sent the week before the semester start date and provides logistic information regarding the class assignment, including the address, parking information, safety details and ISD contact information for the ACC instructor who is teaching on a partner high school campus. Any issues regarding student enrollment (student is not enrolled in Blackboard, or does not have the pre-requisite, etc.) should be forwarded to the designated E&P coordinator. 

Instructor Absence

Dual Credit instructors must notify the department chair, CHSR Academic Success coordinator, and their designated ISD contact (usually the high school’s college counselor) when an absence will occur.* 

*Why do we notify the AS coordinator of our absences?

Notifying our CHSR AS contact can help reinforce absence communication with our HS partners. Because CHSR coordinators are the high school’s first point of contact if an instructor is a no-show, it can help to give the AS coordinator notification of your absence when you notify your department chair.

No Walk Policy

DC instructors should not end class early or cancel class at any point without notifying the proper channels. 

Excused Student Absences

When DC students are absent due to illness or state testing, UIL activities or other similar high school-mandated reasons, absences are considered excused with proper documentation. Instructors must offer absence flexibility within reason; instructors should provide students the opportunity to make up missed work due to excused absences. It is the student’s responsibility to read the instructor’s syllabus for other pertinent class policies regarding absences.

Grades & Midterm Grade Conferences

Because DC student grade outcomes affect both high school and college academics, it is important for instructors to be as transparent as possible with grade documentation and emphasize to students how final grades will be calculated. This includes outlining specific grading policies during the first week syllabus discussion with students and maintaining an accurate and regularly updated grade book in Blackboard that students can easily access at any time during the semester.

During midterm (8th week of the semester), DC students will receive a grade check request from their AS coordinator to check their academic progress and record their current grade average for submission to their AS coordinator. Students that are not passing the course will receive advising intervention at their high school campus with their AS coordinator that includes connection to tutoring services, academic coaching and individual guidance on grade improvement and how to communicate with their instructors when they need help. Instructors may receive email communication from AS coordinators asking instructors for help in identifying struggling students and informing instructors of the dates of student midterm advising.

The midterm grade process is especially crucial for DC students who are taking ENGL 2322 and 2323 as these are senior-level DC students who take these courses for their high school English 4 credit. If they are failing, they will not just fail the course, they may also miss the opportunity to graduate on time with their high school diploma.

Student Accessibility Services 

The process for DC students who need accessibility services is the same process used for traditional students. Many HS students are unaware that they need to self-identify the need for accommodation with the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office themselves, as the process for high school students is different.

It is important that faculty explain the SAS process to students during the first week of the semester so students can coordinate testing with the SAS office as soon as possible. Faculty must protect student privacy by conducting any individual conversations about student accommodations privately, outside of class.

Students who have completed the SAS process will provide instructors with a Notice of Approved Accommodation letter provided by the SAS office that lists approximate accommodations for that student. No accommodations should be made until a letter from SAS is received. A student’s 504 documents cannot be substituted for a SAS letter.

Faculty must adhere to the accommodations provided in the SAS letter as closely as possible to ensure equity of learning experience.

Dual Credit Annual Appointment Process (DCAA)

Most DC courses are assigned to adjunct faculty on a semesterly basis and while instructors may be assigned to one HS campus for the Fall, there is no assurance that they will keep their course schedule at the same HS campus in the Spring semester.

DCAA status is a yearly, application-based contract that adjunct instructors can apply for during the Spring semester. The DCAA process was established to help create consistency and stability for adjunct instructors who would like to teach at the same high school campus for the full academic year (Fall & Spring semesters). DCAA appointments create stability for our ISD partners as well by allowing familiarity and relationship-building with ACC instructors over consecutive semesters.

If instructors are interested in obtaining DCAA status, the application process becomes active during the Spring semester for the following academic year. Applications are received by the department chair and decisions regarding DCAA appointments are sent via email before Fall staffing begins.

Family Educational Rights Act (FERPA) for Dual Credit

FERPA federal law provides that all records pertaining to a student that are maintained by the college must be open to inspection by the student and may not be made available to any other person without the written authorization of the student. 

While DC students are generally under the age of 18, because they completed and signed enrollment documents to attend ACC, they are considered college students (regardless of their age) and their rights are protected under FERPA law.

DC instructors are required to follow FERPA law for disclosure of all student information. If a parent contacts a DC instructor directly via email, the instructor must obtain prior written authorization from the student to release any information.

If students choose to do so, they can opt to complete a FERPA release form that allows for a one-time communication with a parent or designated entity on the student’s behalf. This form must be submitted with a valid photo ID to a Student Services office prior to any communication.

 FERPA Release Form

Academic Freedom

Dual Credit instructors have the same academic freedom as traditional instructors. DC instruction is intended to challenge students’ critical thinking skills with the same academic rigor as a traditional section. 

With this in mind, DC instructor are encouraged to utilize their syllabus discussions and class policies to emphasize this intention to DC students early in the semester, as this type of learning environment may be different than many high school practices.

The age and maturity level of our students may cause instructors to question whether or not some material will be appropriate for Dual Credit students. Instructors should prepare students in advance by emphasizing that reading selections are meant to build their intercultural competence. Through literature, students encounter unfamiliar worlds, and those encounters do and should force readers to the kinds of self-assessment that lead to new cultural understandings and an expanded vision of themselves as members of a global community. 

These discussions should occur during the syllabus introduction in the first week of the semester and should be emphasized over the course of the semester.  Trigger warnings can be applied ahead of any readings that could potentially upset students, and if the instructor is willing to do so, an alternate reading can be assigned to that student if they feel uncomfortable. 

Student Misconduct

Dual Credit student misconduct should be reported via Inspire alert and via email to the identified ISD contact (listed in the Faculty Memo provided at the beginning of the semester).

Student Complaints

When a student has a complaint regarding their instructor, the ACC Student Complaint process dictates the student should make every effort to discuss the issue directly with their instructor before placing a formal complaint.

Students have two avenues of reporting their concerns; they can utilize the “Report an Incident” link on the ACC website or they can contact their CHSR AS coordinator, who helps the student navigate through the complaint process.

Complaints Received via Maxient/“Report An Incident” Process

• Student logs a complaint via the “Report an Incident” link on the ACC website, then it is assigned to the LAHC Dean and their administrative assistant

• Dean will forward the Complaint to the department chair, and the department chair can assign the Complaint to the faculty liaison in their assigned region

• Liaison will review the ACC Complaint process with the student and advise them. The liaison may additionally confer with the instructor. When possible, the liaison will resolve the complaint informally to the satisfaction of all parties. If the student is unsatisfied with the options presented in the ACC Student Complaint process or they wish to speak to a department chair, the complaint will be escalated to the department chair.

Informal Issues/Complaints 

(Submitted by high school partners or via the ACC Office of College & High School Relations)

• Informal issues may be received via email by liaisons directly, in which the liaison will determine the next course of action. See the chart below for examples of a student issue versus a Student Complaint. When necessary, liaisons will consult with the department chair regarding specific situations that may need clarification to quantify the direction of the concern.

• Liaisons may reach out to instructors to disclose that they are assisting one of their students with navigating college processes and expectations and confer regarding the perceived issue. Liaison will inform the student and CHSR coordinator of the next step.

• if the situation is deemed a Complaint, a liaison will direct the student to Maxient

• if the situation is deemed an issue, the liaison will assist by advising, and/or providing links to collegial processes, etc.

Faculty liaisons do not decide the outcomes of Student issues or Complaints; their role is to aid in the facilitation of the ACC Student Complaint procedures and in assisting instructors and students with navigation of the process.

Other Specific Support for Dual Credit

Dual Credit Librarians

DC librarians support the Dual Credit effort by traveling to high school or ECHS campuses to provide librarian-led instruction that can be tailored to support specific learning outcomes. Instructors can submit a librarian instruction request to help bring a DC librarian to their high school campus to provide DC students with a lesson on using library resources such as identifying fake news, using the ACC research database or finding resources for MLA format essay writing.

Dual Credit Teaching Guides