Did you know...?
It's possible to earn your Associate's Degree or half of it (called a General Education Certificate) before you even graduate from high school.Did you know that you can take the majority of these classes right here AT Mountain View High School with teachers you already know?It's true, and it's called - Dual Enrollment!
Q: What is dual enrollment (DE)?
A: Dual enrollment is when you earn both high school and college credit at the same time. There are certain classes that MV offers that provide this kind of dual credit. Teachers who teach DE have advanced college degrees that allow them the ability to teach the advanced curriculum.
Q: What's the advantage of taking dual enrollment?A: DE gives students the ability to start whittling away at college credits from the comfort of their home high school at a discounted price. Students who take DE classes at Mountain View pay a tuition rate that is 25% the cost of taking it directly through the community college after graduating high school.
Q: What community college do you partner with?
A: We partner with Laurel Ridge Community College (LRCC). Students who choose to DE will apply to LRCC and begin generating their college transcript and GPA through the grades earned in their DE classes. To read more about LRCC's dual enrollment, you can visit their website here: https://laurelridge.edu/dual-enrollment/
Q: Is dual enrollment right for anyone?A: No! Dual enrollment is an advanced curriculum that moves at a quicker pace than your average high school class. There is certain criteria that all students who want to take DE must fit to qualify for such as GPA requirements and pre-requisite classes taken. If the student doesn't fit the criteria set forth by LFCC, they will need to take a placement test. If they are able to pass the placement test to standards approved by LFCC, then the student will be able to take the DE class.
Q: Can all grade levels take DE classes?
A: No, only 10th, 11th, and 12th graders may take DE classes.
Q: My student has been placed in a DE class but doesn't want to DE... now what?
A: If your student is on track to earn an Advanced Studies diploma, it's possible they'll need to take an advanced class that MV offers as DE. However, it's always the student's choice whether they want to utilize the DE opportunity or simply take the class for high school credit they need for their advanced diploma. Neither option is better than the other, and no student will ever feel pressured to take a class as DE if they feel they aren't ready for that.
Q: My student elected to DE at the beginning of the class, but now it's not going so well for them. What are our options?
A: There are certain dates that LRCC puts in place each semester that allows students to withdraw or drop DE credits. If the student decides to drop the class before the drop date, they will be able to receive a refund for the class. If they miss the drop date but withdraw from the class before the withdraw date, they will not receive a refund and their college transcript will still show that they enrolled in the class but a "W" will appear next to it rather than a grade. Even when a student drops or withdraws from the college credit, they will still remain in the class for high school credit.
Q: Who will advise my student on what DE classes he/she should take?
A: While the guidance counselors at MV advise students on fulfilling requirements needed to graduate high school, LRCC prefers if students are advised by DE Specialists employed directly by the college. Our current DE specialist is Mr. Wine, and he can be reached at: JWine@lfcc.edu
Q: Does MV offer every class needed to graduate with my Associate's Degree? A: No, but we do offer the majority of them. Currently there are 3 classes required that your student must take directly through LRCC including SDV 100 College Success Skills, CST 100 Public Speaking, and ITE 115 Intro to Computer Applications and Concepts. To register for these classes, the student must reach out to the DE specialist. A student may also elect to fulfill one of the degree's required classes directly with LFCC rather than take the DE class offered at MV if they have a specific major they are pursuing. For example, a student must take 2 science classes with labs in order to fulfill their Associate's Degree. MV offers two Biology classes that would satisfy this requirement, but if a student has more interest in taking Physics or Environmental Science classes because they feed better into their future major, then they are able to do so directly through LRCC. They will have a LFCC professor teaching them with online work and an in-person lab on the LRCC campus. As long as a student is purposefully working towards a LRCC degree and the classes they are taking are for the purpose of their degree, they should be able to take classes directly through LRCC at the discounted rate.
Q: I'm ready to get started.... how does my student sign up & who do I pay?
A: Have your student talk to their counselor. During scheduling season, which is in the spring, their counselor will talk with your student and record which classes the student wants to take during the next school year and will then do everything in their power to schedule them for those classes. Over the summer, you will receive a fee schedule for all DE classes offered and it will also let you know which class(es) your student expressed interest in taking. Once the school year starts and your student has been placed in the DE class(es), they will receive a form in which they/you will indicate which classes they will be DE-ing, and return it to the Guidance Department before the deadline. Payment will be due as soon as possible after that form has been turned in, and can be in cash form or a check made out to Mountain View HS.
See below for the requirements needed for both the Associate's Degree and General Education Certificate along with the class options offered at MVHS.
Feel free to contact your student's counselor if you have any questions!
